From DEW
Breakdown Note: This article should be broken down to multiple articles so that each one covers a more specific topic. Remember to categorize!
Editor Note: These should be separated into their own articles for more in-depth discussion. For example: -file. This article should be an alphabetic quick reference in table format, with a single-sentence description for each option, and a link to the article with the more detailed information. Multiple trivial options can be put in the same article, but redirections should be provided so linking to individual options is possible. Example:
| Option | Aliases | Description |
|---|---|---|
| -file F | -f, -iwad | Load data files during startup. |
| -glfinish | Makes an extra call to glFinish() before swapping GL buffers. ATI workaround.
| |
| -libdir F | Defines the directory from which dynamic libraries are loaded. | |
| -noanifilter | Completely disable anisotropic filtering. | |
| -noframe | Disable the frame around the main window in windowed mode. | |
| -notexnonpow2 | Disable the use of non-power-of-two textures (textures will be resized as necessary during load). |
General options
@filename
Response file. The given file is read and its contents are inserted to the command line, replacing the option itself. E.g. "@args.rsp".
--
Stop processing options. Anything after this is discarded. Useful in response files.
-verbose (-v)
Be more verbose with console messages. Two "-verbose" options gives even more messages (e.g. "-v -v").
-userdir P (-ud)
Sets the working directory. By default the engine uses the current working directory (the one in which it was started). Relative paths in "-game" and "-gl" are not affected.
-basedir P (-bd)
Defines a custom base directory that will be prepended to some relative paths (default fonts path, model search paths, default DED file paths, default WAD file paths). E.g. the standard distribution uses "-basedir ..\..", which is the relative path from the runtime folders to the Doomsday root folder.
-stdbasedir (-sbd)
Use the standard base directory (..\..).
-savedir P
Changes the directory where savegames will be placed. The default is savegame.
-out F
Redirects output to the given file. By default all messages are printed to Doomsday.out.
-file F (-f, -iwad)
The -file option is used to load data files (e.g., WAD, PK3, LMP) from the command line. See: file (Option)
-vdmap F F
Creates a virtual directory mapping. Takes the source and destination directories as parameters. For example:
-vdmap "D:\Games\MyAuto" "C:\Doomsday\Data\jDoom\Auto"
See: Virtual directory mappings
-game F (-g)
Specifies the game DLL to use (required). This must either be just the file name (jDoom.dll) or the full path to the DLL C:\Doomsday\Bin\jDoom.dll. On Linux/Unix just specify the name of the game, eg -game jdoom (all lowercase).
-maxzone N (-mem)
Note: This option is obsolete in the 1.9.x series.
Specify how much memory will be allocated for the game (N bytes). E.g. to allocate 32Mbs:
-maxzone 32m
-playdemo F
After initialization loads the given demo file F (which resides in the Demo subdirectory), plays it and then quits.
-timedemo F
After initialization loads the given demo file F (which resides in the Demo subdirectory), plays it in singletics mode (i.e. as fast as possible), displays frame count information and quits.
-nowsk
Disable Windows system keys (Alt-Tab etc).
-nomouse
Don't initialize mouse.
-nojoy
Don't initialize joystick.
Configuration options
-config F (-cfg)
Specifies the CFG file to use (for example jDoom.cfg). When the game is quit, console variable values and key bindings are written to this file.
-parse F (-p)
After initialization reads the given file and executes the commands in it (by treating each read line as a console command). You can give more than one file as the parameter.
-cparse F (-cp)
Same as "-parse", but executes the commands before anything is initialized (right after console variable values have been read from the default config file). You can give more than one file as the parameter.
-command S (-cmd)
After initialization executes the console command "S". Note that if the command includes whitespace characters it must be quoted. E.g. to execute the command: echo "Hello world." you must use the option: -command "echo ""Hello world.""" More than one command can be given as a parameter, either as separate command line options ("-cmd S S S") or separate console commands ("-cmd "S; S; S"").
DED options
-def F
Additional Doomsday Engine Definition files to read. The specified files are read in addition to the default DED files.
-defs F (-d)
Specifies the Doomsday Engine Definition files to read. You can give more than one DED file as the parameter. When using this option you must give the name of the primary DED file first (for example jDoom.ded).
Multiplayer options
Options for a server
-dedicated
Run in dedicated mode. No graphics or sounds will be initialized. The game will run in a text mode console.
-server
Start running in server mode right after startup, using TCP/IP as the network protocol.
Options for a client
-id ID
(NEW in 1.9.0-beta5) Sets the client ID number. This option overrides the Client.ID file.
-id 0x2c79f3b1
-connect IP
Connect to a server running at the specified IP address immediately after startup, using TCP/IP. For example: "-connect 127.0.0.1". The port to use can be included: "-connect 127.0.0.1:12345".
Graphics options
-gl F (-r)
Specifies the rendering DLL to use (drOpenGL.dll by default). This must either be just the file name (drD3D.dll) or the full path to the DLL (C:\Doomsday\Bin\drD3D.dll).
-bpp N (-b)
Specify the color depth to use. Defaults to desktop color depth. E.g. "-bpp 32"
-refresh N
Specify the refresh rate to use in fullscreen mode. Defaults to the current display refresh rate. E.g. "-refresh 75"
-window (-wnd)
Start the game in a window. By default the game runs in fullscreen mode.
-width N (-w)
Game window width or horizontal display resolution. The default value for this is taken from the vid-res-x console variable.
-height N (-h)
Game window height or vertical display resolution. The default value for this is taken from the vid-res-y console variable.
-winsize N N (-wh)
Game window width and height or display resolution.
-xpos N
Game window X coordinate.
-ypos N
Game window Y coordinate.
-nocenter (-noc)
Prevents the game window from being centered on screen.
-modeldir P (-md)
Uses the given search path instead of the one specified in the primary DED file.
-fontdir P (-fd0
Looks in the given directory P for the font files. Defaults to Data\Fonts\.
-gdifonts
Use Windows' GDI fonts instead of the DFNs.
-novideo
Don't initialize video.
-noramp
Don't use hardware color settings (gamma, contrast, brightness).
-leaveramp
At shutdown, don't reset color settings (gamma, contrast, brightness) back to the original values.
-gfxdir P
Sets the directory where Doomsday graphics resources are loaded. Defaults to Data\Graphics.
Textures
-outlines
All letters, sprites, etc. will have black outlines.
-bigmtex
If a masked texture has taller patches than the texture's height, the engine will resize the texture so that the largest patch will fit.
-paltex (-ptx)
Use paletted textures (if supported by the hardware).
-maxtex N
Set maximum texture size to N x N. E.g. "-maxtex 128" sets the maximum size to 128 x 128 pixels.
-pwadtex
Allow using external resources with textures/flats whose data is read from a PWAD. By default, external resources are only used with textures from an IWAD.
-nohightex
Disable (external) high-resolution textures and flats.
-nohighpat
Disable high-resolution patches and sprites.
-texdir P (-td)
Loads all high-resolution (PNG, TGA, PCX) textures from the given directory P. Defaults to Data\<Game>\Textures.
-texdir2 P (-td2)
Secondary high-resolution (PNG, TGA, PCX) texture directory. This directory is checked first, so it can be used to override textures in the normal texture directory ("-texdir").
-patdir P
Sets the directory where external resources for patches are loaded. Defaults to Data\<Game>\Patches.
-patdir2 P
Secondary directory for searching external resources for patches. This is checked first, so it can be used for overriding resources in the normal Patches directory.
-lmdir P
Sets the directory where light map resources are loaded. Defaults to Data\<Game>\LightMaps.
-lmdir2 P
Secondary directory for light maps resources. This is checked first, so it can be used for overriding resources in the normal LightMaps directory.
OpenGL renderer
-vtxar
Use vertex arrays. Vertex arrays are usually enabled by default.
-novtxar
Disable vertex arrays. Try this when experiencing rendering errors.
-notexcomp
Disable texture compression. Compression is enabled by default (if supported by the OpenGL driver).
-nosgm
Disable the SGIS_generate_mipmap extension. Try this when experiencing texture errors.
-allowsoftware
Allow using the software renderer if no 3D hardware acceleration is detected (or reported by Windows).
You need a video card that supports hardware accelerated 3D rendering. Most modern cards do. If Doomsday gives you an error message saying that
- driver is not accelerated, use -allowsoftware
there are two things that might be wrong:
- You have a video card that doesn't support 3D rendering.
- Your OpenGL drivers are for some reason not reporting the hardware acceleration ability correctly.
There's no fix for case one, except to use the -allowsoftware command line option, which enables Doomsday to run (very slowly) in software rendering mode. In the second case, you can either try to update your OpenGL drivers or try the Direct3D renderer instead.
-dumptextures
Debug: Writes Targa images out of all the textures that are loaded (mipmap level zero).
Direct3D renderer
-d3dcfg
Display the Direct3D configuration dialog. The dialog is otherwise only shown if Ctrl, Shift or Alt is held down when the game is started.
-triple
Enable triple buffering.
-texbits N
Set texture bit depth. Won't affect the default configuration in drD3D.ini.
-zbits N
Set Z buffer bit depth. Won't affect the default configuration in drD3D.ini.
-badtexalpha
Use as few bytes for texture alpha data as possible (with 16 bit textures causes that only one bit is used for the alpha data).
-nodither
Disable dithering.
-diag
Print lots of extra information about Direct3D initialization.
Sound options
-csd
Use dsCompat.dll, the DirectSound 6 sound driver.
-dummy
Use the Dummy sound driver (does nothing).
-sfxchan N
Set the number of sound channels. 16 is the default.
-musdir P
Same as "-patdir" but for music resources.
-musdir2 P
Same as "-patdir2" but for music resources.
-sfxdir P
Same as "-patdir" but for sound effect resources.
-sfxdir2 P
Same as "-patdir2" but for sound effect resources.
-mdvol
Multiply the volume of all MIDI notes by two. The volume is still capped to the MIDI maximum of 127, though.
-eaxignore
Ignore any errors that occur with EAX.
-nopsf
Do not set the primary sound buffer format. Try this option if you notice that the audio quality of other applications (including FMOD) degrades when Doomsday is running.
-noeax
Disable EAX.
-nopitch
Disable sound effect pitch/frequency changes.
-nodop
Disable doppler effect (with 3D sounds).
-nosound
Don't initialize sound or music.
-nomixer
Don't use Windows' mixer (used for CD volume).
-nosfx
Don't initialize sound.
-nomusic
Don't initialize music.
-nofmod
Don't initialize FMOD
Plugin options
DeHackEd reader
-deh F
Applies the Dehacked patch F. You can give more than one F as arguments, e.g. "-deh first.deh second.deh".
-alldehs
Allows the processing of more than one DEHACKED lump. Otherwise only the DEHACKED lump that has been loaded last is processed. Does not affect the "-deh" option.
Developer option
-sounddebug
Display lots of sound debug information.
-dump S
Writes the specified lump (S) into a file named (S).DUM and quits.
-dumpfont
When a font is prepared it is written to a file named FONT(id number).DFN.
-dumpwaddir
Prints the names of all the lumps in the loaded WAD files and quits.
-dump_pal18to8
Generates a PAL18TO8 palette conversion table. If you don't know what that means you don't have to worry about this option.