Editing OPTIONS

New to MBF, the OPTIONS lump allows wads to set game options, such as Doom Compatibility options, chat strings, and enemies options. 

The OPTIONS lump has the same format as eternity.cfg: A text file listing option names and values, optionally separated by blank or comment lines. Eternity.cfg indicates options which are allowed to be set in wads, with asterisks (*).

Wad authors are urged to use these options responsibly, because they should not be used to limit players, but to enhance the game. Many options such as automap colors are allowed to be set from wads, but they should only be done so if there are strong reasons to do so. More recommended to enforce are the compatibility (comp_) settings, because certain map effects (such as moving floor combinations) may depend on them to work properly. [[Linked portals]] for example require the setting "comp_overunder 0" in order to work, and in addition, due to Doom's default definition of solid static decorations, it is recommended to also set "comp_theights 0".

If a wad with OPTIONS lump is loaded, it will not overwrite the user configuration file.
{{backto|Eternity Engine}}
{{mbfref}}
==Options settable using the lump==
The Eternity.cfg file provides user-friendly explanation on each flag and if it's allowed to be set in wads. Here is an excerpt from the default Eternity.cfg, with only the wad-settable options. Note that the lines beginning with semicolons or brackets are treated as comments and do nothing.
 
 [0-1(0)] 1 to enable variable pitch in sound effects (from id's original code) *
 pitched_sounds                0
 
 [0-1(1)] 1 to enable translucency for some things *
 translucency                  1
 
 [0-100(66)] set percentage of foreground/background translucency mix *
 tran_filter_pct              66
 
 [0-1(0)] 1 to enable recoil from weapon fire *
 weapon_recoil                 0
 
 [0-4(0)] 0 - normal, 1 - classic, 2 - 11k, 3 - bouncing!, 4 - burst *
 bfgtype                       0 
 
 [0-3(0)] 0 - none, 1 - cross, 2 - angle *
 crosshair                     0 
 
 [0-1(0)] 0 - no highlighting, 1 - aim highlighting enabled *
 crosshair_hilite              0
 
 [0-1(0)] show scores in deathmatch *
 show_scores                   0
 
 [0-1(0)] 0 - right handed, 1 - left handed *
 lefthanded                    0
 
 [0-1(1)] 1 to enable player bobbing (view moving up/down slightly) *
 player_bobbing                1
 
 [0-1(1)] 1 to enable monsters remembering enemies after killing others *
 monsters_remember             1
 
 [0-1(1)] 1 to enable monsters fighting against each other when provoked *
 monster_infighting            1
 
 [0-1(0)] 1 to enable monsters backing away from targets *
 monster_backing               0 
 
 [0-1(1)] 1 to enable monsters to intelligently avoid hazards *
 monster_avoid_hazards         1
 
 [0-1(0)] 1 to enable monsters to move up/down steep stairs *
 monkeys                       0
 
 [0-1(1)] 1 to enable monsters to be affected by friction *
 monster_friction              1
 
 [0-1(1)] 1 to enable monsters to help dying friends *
 help_friends                  1 
 
 [0-3(0)] number of single-player helpers *
 player_helpers                0
 
 [0-999(128)] distance friends stay away *
 friend_distance             128
 
 [0-1(1)] 1 to enable dogs to jump *
 dog_jumping                   1
 
 [0-1(1)] 1 to enable monster roaring when last enemy is remembered *
 p_lastenemyroar               1

 ; 1 to enable flying in the direction you are looking
 p_pitchedflight               1
 
 [0-1(1)] 1 to disable use of color on status bar *
 sts_always_red                1
 
 [0-1(0)] 1 to make percent signs on status bar always gray *
 sts_pct_always_gray           0
 
 [0-1(1)] 1 to disable doubled card and skull key display on status bar *
 sts_traditional_keys          1
 
 [-1-1(-1)] use start map instead of menu *
 use_startmap                 -1
 
 [0-1(0)] Zombie players can exit levels *
 comp_zombie                   0
 
 [0-1(0)] Powerup cheats are not infinite duration *
 comp_infcheat                 0
 
 [0-1(1)] Build stairs exactly the same way that Doom does *
 comp_stairs                   1
 
 [0-1(0)] Monsters can telefrag on MAP30 *
 comp_telefrag                 0
 
 [0-1(0)] Some objects never move over tall ledges *
 comp_dropoff                  0
 
 [0-1(0)] Objects don't fall off ledges under their own weight *
 comp_falloff                  0
 
 [0-1(0)] Monsters randomly walk off of moving lifts *
 comp_staylift                 0
 
 [0-1(0)] Monsters get stuck on doortracks *
 comp_doorstuck                0
 
 [0-1(0)] Monsters don't give up pursuit of targets *
 comp_pursuit                  0
 
 [0-1(0)] Arch-Vile resurrects invincible ghosts *
 comp_vile                     0
 
 [0-1(0)] Pain Elemental limited to 20 lost souls *
 comp_pain                     0
 
 [0-1(0)] Lost souls get stuck behind walls *
 comp_skull                    0
 
 [0-1(0)] Blazing doors make double closing sounds *
 comp_blazing                  0
 
 [0-1(0)] Tagged doors don't trigger special lighting *
 comp_doorlight                0
 
 [0-1(0)] God mode isn't absolute *
 comp_god                      0
 
 [0-1(0)] Sky is unaffected by invulnerability *
 comp_skymap                   0
 
 [0-1(0)] Use exactly Doom's floor motion behavior *
 comp_floors                   0
 
 [0-1(0)] Use exactly Doom's linedef trigger model *
 comp_model                    0
 
 [0-1(0)] Linedef effects work with sector tag = 0 *
 comp_zerotags                 0
 
 [0-1(1)] Terrain effects not activated on floor contact *
 comp_terrain                  1 
 
 [0-1(0)] Creatures with no spawnpoint respawn at (0,0) *
 comp_respawnfix               0 
 
 [0-1(1)] Players do not take falling damage *
 comp_fallingdmg               1
 
 [0-1(0)] Lost souls do not bounce on floors *
 comp_soul                     0
 
 [0-1(1)] Things not fully clipped with respect to z coord *
 comp_overunder                1
 
 [0-1(1)] DOOM thingtypes use inaccurate height information *
 comp_theights                 1
 
 [0-1(1)] Tracer shots cannot hit the floor or ceiling *
 comp_planeshoot               1
 
 [0-1(0)] One-time line specials are cleared on failure *
 comp_special                  0
 
 [0-1(0)] Silent spawns at W/SW/S-facing DM spots *
 comp_ninja                    0 

 [("No")] chat string associated with 0 key *
 chatmacro0                "No" 
 
 [("I'm ready to kick butt!")] chat string associated with 1 key *
 chatmacro1                "I'm ready to kick butt!" 
 
 [("I'm OK.")] chat string associated with 2 key *
 chatmacro2                "I'm OK."
 
 [("I'm not looking too good!")] chat string associated with 3 key *
 chatmacro3                "I'm not looking too good!" 
 
 [("Help!")] chat string associated with 4 key *
 chatmacro4                "Help!"
 
 [("You suck!")] chat string associated with 5 key *
 chatmacro5                "You suck!"
 
 [("Next time, scumbag...")] chat string associated with 6 key *
 chatmacro6                "Next time, scumbag..."
 
 [("Come here!")] chat string associated with 7 key *
 chatmacro7                "Come here!"
 
 [("I'll take care of it.")] chat string associated with 8 key *
 chatmacro8                "I'll take care of it."
 
 [("Yes")] chat string associated with 9 key *
 chatmacro9                "Yes"
 
 [0-255(247)] color used as background for automap *
 mapcolor_back               247
 
 [0-255(104)] color used for automap grid lines *
 mapcolor_grid               104
 
 [0-255(181)] color used for one side walls on automap *
 mapcolor_wall               181
 
 [0-255(166)] color used for lines floor height changes across *
 mapcolor_fchg               166 
 
 [0-255(231)] color used for lines ceiling height changes across *
 mapcolor_cchg               231 
 
 [0-255(231)] color used for lines denoting closed doors, objects *
 mapcolor_clsd               231
 
 [0-255(175)] color used for red key sprites *
 mapcolor_rkey               175
 
 [0-255(204)] color used for blue key sprites *
 mapcolor_bkey               204
 
 [0-255(231)] color used for yellow key sprites *
 mapcolor_ykey               231
 
 [0-255(175)] color used for closed red doors *
 mapcolor_rdor               175
 
 [0-255(204)] color used for closed blue doors *
 mapcolor_bdor               204 
 
 [0-255(231)] color used for closed yellow doors *
 mapcolor_ydor               231 
 
 [0-255(119)] color used for teleporter lines *
 mapcolor_tele               119
 
 [0-255(176)] color used for lines around secret sectors *
 mapcolor_secr               176 
 
 [0-255(0)] color used for exit lines *
 mapcolor_exit                 0
 
 [0-255(96)] color used for lines not seen without computer map *
 mapcolor_unsn                96
 
 [0-255(88)] color used for lines with no height changes *
 mapcolor_flat                88
 
 [0-255(112)] color used as things *
 mapcolor_sprt               112
 
 [0-255(208)] color used for dot crosshair denoting center of map *
 mapcolor_hair               208
 
 [0-255(208)] color used for the single player arrow *
 mapcolor_sngl               208
 
 [0-255(112)] color used for the green player arrow *
 mapcolor_ply1               112
 
 [0-255(88)] color used for the gray player arrow *
 mapcolor_ply2                88
 
 [0-255(64)] color used for the brown player arrow *
 mapcolor_ply3                64
 
 [0-255(176)] color used for the red player arrow *
 mapcolor_ply4               176
 
 [0-255(252)] color used for friends *
 mapcolor_frnd               252
 
 [0-255(109)] color for lines not in the player's portal area *
 mapcolor_prtl               109
 
 [0-1(1)] 1 to overlay different linked portal areas in the automap *
 mapportal_overlay             1
 
 [0-1(1)] 1 to show automap pointer coordinates in non-follow mode *
 map_point_coord               1
 
 [0-1(1)] 1 to not show secret sectors till after entered *
 map_secret_after              1
 
 [1-16(1)] number of lines in review display *
 hud_msg_lines                 1
 
 [0-1(1)] 1 enables message review list scrolling upward *
 hud_msg_scrollup              1
 
 [0-4(1)] fullscreen hud style *
 hud_overlaystyle              1
 
 [0-1(1)] fullscreen hud enabled *
 hud_enabled                   1
 
 [0-1(0)] hide kills/items/secrets info on fullscreen hud *
 hud_hidestatus                0
 
 [0-1(1)] display current level time on automap *
 hu_showtime                   1
 
 [0-1(1)] display player/pointer coordinates on automap *
 hu_showcoords                 1
 
 [0-9(6)] color of automap level time widget *
 hu_timecolor                  6 
 
 [0-9(6)] color of automap level name widget *
 hu_levelnamecolor             6
 
 [0-9(6)] color of automap coordinates widget *
 hu_coordscolor                6 
 
 [0-200(25)] amount of health for red to yellow transition *
 health_red                   25
 
 [0-200(50)] amount of health for yellow to green transition *
 health_yellow                50
 
 [0-200(100)] amount of health for green to blue transition *
 health_green                100
 
 [0-200(25)] amount of armor for red to yellow transition *
 armor_red                    25
 
 [0-200(50)] amount of armor for yellow to green transition *
 armor_yellow                 50
 
 [0-200(100)] amount of armor for green to blue transition *
 armor_green                 100
 
 [0-100(25)] percent of ammo for red to yellow transition *
 ammo_red                     25
 
 [0-100(50)] percent of ammo for yellow to green transition *
 ammo_yellow                  50
 
 [0-100(100)] fullscreen HUD translucency level *
 st_fsalpha                  100
 
 [1-9(6)] first choice for weapon (best) *
 weapon_choice_1               6
 
 [1-9(9)] second choice for weapon *
 weapon_choice_2               9
 
 [1-9(4)] third choice for weapon *
 weapon_choice_3               4
 
 [1-9(3)] fourth choice for weapon *
 weapon_choice_4               3
 
 [1-9(2)] fifth choice for weapon *
 weapon_choice_5               2
 
 [1-9(8)] sixth choice for weapon *
 weapon_choice_6               8 

 [1-9(5)] seventh choice for weapon *
 weapon_choice_7               5 
 
 [1-9(7)] eighth choice for weapon *
 weapon_choice_8               7
 
 [1-9(1)] ninth choice for weapon (worst) *
 weapon_choice_9               1
 
 [0-1(0)] obituaries on/off *
 obituaries                    0 
 
 [0-1(0)] toggle particle effects on or off *
 draw_particles                0
 
 [0-2(1)] particle translucency (0 = none, 1 = smooth, 2 = general) *
 particle_trans                1
 
 [0-2(0)] use sprites, particles, or both for blood (sprites = 0) *
 blood_particles               0
 
 [0-2(0)] use sprites, particles, or both for bullet puffs (sprites = 0) *
 bullet_particles              0
 
 [0-1(0)] draw particle rocket trails *
 rocket_trails                 0
 
 [0-1(0)] draw particle grenade trails *
 grenade_trails                0
 
 [0-1(0)] draw particle bfg cloud *
 bfg_cloud                     0
 
 [0-1(0)] draw particle rocket explosions *
 pevent_rexpl                  0
 
 [0-1(0)] draw particle bfg explosions *
 pevent_bfgexpl                0
 
 [0-1(0)] stretch short sky textures for mlook *
 stretchsky                    0
 
 [0-1(0)] start game on first new map (DOOM II only) *
 startnewmap                   0
 
 [0-1(1)] 1 to show ENDOOM at exit *
 showendoom                    1
 
 [0-1(1)] 1 to enable autoaiming *
 autoaim                       1
 
 [0-1(0)] 1 to allow players to look up/down *
 allowmlook                    0
 
 [0-1(0)] 1 to enable use of full classic menu emulation *
 mn_classic_menus              0
 
 [("default")] menu background *
 mn_background             "default"
 
 [-1-?(-1)] number of vissprites allowed per frame (-1 = no limit) *
 r_vissprite_limit            -1
 
 [0-2(1)] Doom object translucency style (0 = none, 1 = Boom, 2 = new) *
 r_tlstyle                     1 
 
 [0-2(1)] 0 = none, 1 = melt, 2 = fade *
 wipetype                      1
 
 [1-6(1)] preamp volume factor for SPC music *
 snd_spcpreamp                 1
 
 [1-31(8)] bass boost for SPC music (logarithmic scale, 8 = normal) *
 snd_spcbassboost              8