===========================================================================
Archive Maintainer      : Please place in utils/launchers/
Update to               : utils/launchers/chocomenu.zip
Advanced engine needed  : None
Primary purpose         : Utilities / Launchers
===========================================================================
Title                   : Choco-Master-Menu
Filename                : chocomenu.zip
Release date            : July 29, 2026
Author                  : Nicolas del Real "Nicokugame007"
Email Address           : i.am.nicoku@gmail.com
Other Files By Author   : None
Misc. Author Info       : I'm a Doom fan from Chile, and this is my first project. Since there wasn't anything like Doom It for Chocolate Doom, I decided to create a menu for the Master Levels, but as development progressed, I had the idea to add other details to the project.

Description             : Choco-Master-Menu is a launcher created for Chocolate Doom. The main idea was to create a menu for the Master Levels because there isn't anything like Doom-it for this source port. As development progressed, additional features were added, such as single-player, cooperative and deathmatch multiplayer setup support, custom WAD loading, DEH file support, Maximum Doom organization, demo recording, and more. The launcher was developed using C#.

What's New in v1.2 :
- Implemented a major ergonomic layout overhaul, replacing the previous high-fatigue 
  Navy Blue with a desaturated 'Deep Charcoal Blue' as the default primary 
  background theme to guarantee total eye-strain relief during long retro-gaming sessions.
- Integrated a dedicated, borderless flat 'Chocolate Doom Setup' button positioned 
  symmetrically between the Exit and Run controls on the main layout tab. This 
  allows users to instantly launch 'chocolate-doom-setup.exe' to calibrate local 
  controls, mouse sensitivity, sound, or network ports directly through the UI.
- Restructured the automated virtual campaign marathon sequencing for the Master Levels, 
  successfully deploying Peter Lawrence's Master MIDI Pack seamlessly across all 20 
  levels via standalone embedded resource tracking (MAP01-MAP20 architecture) without 
  causing engine buffer conflicts or texture faults.
- Integrated an interactive 'Show legal notice' CheckBox toggle within the Master 
  Levels panel to trigger a customized hand-painted informational warning layout, 
  delivering a classic MS-DOS text-ending style surprise while optimizing interface space.
- Purged and corrected the internal Maximum Doom database arrays, fixing an annoying 
  duplicate entry fault that repeated map filenames within the listing tracks.
- Border Customization: Added a third color ListBox, allowing users to choose from 16 different 
  EGA/CGA colors to fully customize the launcher's borders independently from text fonts.
- Adaptive Contrast Shield: Deployed a conditional dual-channel rendering filter for headers 
  (label1 to label5), automatically swapping styles to an inverted Muted Military theme when 
  mimetizing backgrounds like Gray, Dark Gray, or White are selected, guaranteeing legibility.
- UI Performance Accelerator: Integrated an automated elastic debounce timer logic within the 
  manual form resizing event, dropping CPU rendering overhead to zero by calculating responsivity 
  only when mouse drag is released, resulting in absolute lag-free window manipulation.

 Features Included       :
- Built-in "Color" layout tab featuring 2 independent 16-color MS-DOS 
  CGA/EGA/VGA style selection ListBoxes to adjust backgrounds and fonts natively.
- Implemented an automated anti-glare design filter for all high-contrast/bright colors 
  to enhance digital accessibility and prevent low-vision eye strain.
- Hardcoded a multi-channel FlatAppearance routine to synchronize Checked, MouseOver, 
  and MouseDown states dynamically to achieve strict visual layout uniformity.
- Added full persistent local settings (XML architecture) to securely save and 
  restore the user's custom layout color choices automatically on application startup.
- Implemented automatic parsing and injection hooks to directly write the player's 
  custom name variables into the local 'chocolate-doom.cfg' file before engine execution.
- Automated string encapsulation handlers within the launch parser parameters. Users no 
  longer need to manually type quotation marks ("") for player or server names with spaces, 
  as the engine handles formatting dynamically to prevent syntax faults.
- Expanded the layout command parsing stream with a dedicated system that processes 
  advanced manual engine parameters seamlessly without UI clutter.
- Integrated an automated virtual campaign data streamer for the Master Levels that 
  generates temporary engine scripts natively in Windows Temp. This completely insulates 
  and safeguards original game files against modifications, deploying an automated 
  garbage collector to erase all temporary virtual files instantly on process exit.
- Fixed a database string mix-up from a parallel branch where Plutonia MAP19 ("NME") 
  was incorrectly labeled.
- Embedded a strict hardcoded whitelist filter tracking critical network TextBoxes, 
  buttons, and custom ListBoxes by name to secure runtime UI text contrast and prevent layout breaks.

Additional Credits to   : Thanks to Peter Lawrence for allowing me to use the Master MIDI Pack for the menu. Special thanks to Mechadon for the custom cloud textures from "Mek's Box 'O Skies' (Mekworx)", utilized to render the unique dynamic sky injector for the second part of the campaign.
===========================================================================
* What is included *

New levels              : None
Sounds                  : No
Music                   : Yes
Graphics                : No
Dehacked/BEX Patch      : No
Demos                   : No
Other                   : Launcher executable, empty folders for storage ("master-wads", "maximum1", "maximum2"), and a readme text file.
Other files required    : chocolate-doom.exe and IWADs.


* Play Information *

Game                    : DOOM / DOOM2
Map #                   : None
Single Player           : No
Cooperative 2-4 Player  : No
Deathmatch 2-4 Player   : No
Other game styles       : Launcher supports Single Player, Coop, and Deathmatch setup.
Difficulty Settings     : No


* Construction *

Base                    : New from scratch.
Build Time              : 4 months approx.
Editor(s) used          : Microsoft Visual Studio C# / .NET / Windows Forms.
Known Bugs              : Choco-Master-Menu.exe must be located in the same directory as chocolate-doom.exe and the IWADs, otherwise it will not launch them.
May Not Run With        : Non-Windows operating systems like Linux or macOS.
Tested With             : Windows 10, Windows 11 and Chocolate Doom v3.0.0 and 3.1.1.


* Copyright / Permissions *

Authors MAY use the contents of this file as a base for
modification or reuse. Permissions have been obtained from original 
authors for any of their resources modified or included in this file.

You MAY distribute this file, provided you include this text file, with
no modifications.  You may distribute this file in any electronic
format (BBS, Diskette, CD, etc) as long as you include this file 
intact.

* Where to get the file that this text file describes *

The Usual: ftp://archives.gamers.org/pub/idgames/ and mirrors
Web sites: https://github.com/nicoku007/Choco-Master-Menu-v1.2
FTP sites:
