Doom WAD is the default format ofpackage files for thevideo gameDoom and its sequelDoom II: Hell on Earth, that contain sprites, levels, and game data. WAD stands forWhere's All the Data?.[1] Immediately after its release in 1993,Doom attracted a sizeable following of players who created their ownmods for WAD files—packages containing newlevels orgraphics—and played a vital part in spawning the mod-making culture which is now commonplace forfirst-person shooter games. Thousands of WADs have been created forDoom, ranging from single custom levels to full original games; most of these can be freely downloaded over theInternet. Several WADs have also been releasedcommercially, and for some people the WAD-makinghobby became a gateway to aprofessional career as alevel designer.
There are two types of WADs: IWADs (internal WADs) and PWADs (patch WADs). IWADs contain the data necessary to load the game, while PWADs contain additional data, such as new character sprites, as necessary for custom levels.
When developingDoom, id Software was aware that many players had tried to create customlevels and other modifications for their previous game,Wolfenstein 3D, but the procedures involved in creating and loading modifications for that game were cumbersome.
John Carmack, lead programmer at id Software, designed theDoom internals from the ground up to allow players to extend the game. For that reason, game data such as levels,graphics,sound effects, andmusic are stored separately from thegame engine, in "WAD" files, allowing for third parties to make new games without making any modifications to the engine.Tom Hall is responsible for coming up with the name WAD.[2]
The idea of makingDoom easily modifiable was primarily backed by Carmack, a well-known supporter ofcopyleft and thehacker ideal of people sharing and building upon each other's work, and byJohn Romero, who had hacked games in his youth and wanted to allow other gamers to do the same. In contrast, some video game artists, including Jay Wilbur andKevin Cloud, objected due to legal concerns and the belief that it would not be of any benefit to the company's business.
Immediately after the initialshareware release ofDoom on December 10, 1993, players began working on various tools to modify the game. On January 26, 1994, Brendon Wyber released the firstpublic domain version of the Doom Editing Utility (DEU) program on the Internet, a program created byDoom fans which made it possible to create entirely new levels. DEU continued development until May 21. It was made possible by Matt Fell's release of the UnofficialDoom specifications. Shortly thereafter,Doom players became involved with further enhancing DEU. Raphaël Quinet spearheaded the program development efforts and overall project release, while Steve Bareman led the documentation effort and creation of the DEU Tutorial. More than 30 other people also helped with the effort and their names appear in theREADME file included with the program distribution. Yadex, a fork of DEU 5.21 forUnix systems running theX Window System, was later released under theGNU/GPL license.[3] Carmack released thesource code for the utilities used to create the game, but these were programmed inObjective-C, forNeXT workstations, and were therefore not directly usable by the mass userbase ofIBM PC compatible.
Jeff Bird is credited with creating the first custom WAD forDoom, calledOrigwad, on March 7, 1994.[4] Soon, many players were creating custom WADs and sharing them overAOL, theCompuServe forums, and other Internet-based channels. Many of the WADs were made in the style of the base game, others were based on existingTV series,films, or original themes. Some of the id Software staff were impressed by some of the WADs. John Carmack later said the following about aStar Wars-themed modification:
I still remember the first time I saw the originalStar Wars DOOM mod. Seeing how someone had put theDeath Star into our game felt so amazingly cool. I was so proud of what had been made possible, and I was completely sure that making games that could serve as a canvas for other people to work on was a valid direction.
Even though WADs modifiedDoom by replacing graphics and audio, the amount of customization was somewhat limited; much of the game's behavior, including the timing and strength of weapons and enemies, was hard-coded in theDoomexecutable file and impossible to alter in WADs.DeHackEd, aDoom editing program created by Greg Lewis, addressed this by letting users modify parameters inside theDoom executable itself, allowing for a greater degree of customization.
Around 1994 and 1995, WADs were distributed primarily throughBBSs and viaCD collections found in computer shops or bundled together with instruction guides for level creation, while in later yearsInternetFTP servers became the primary method for obtaining these works. Although theDoom software license required that no profit be made from custom WADs, andShawn Green objected to people selling their WADs for money,[6] some WAD sets andshovelware bundles were nonetheless obtainable for a price at certain outlets.
During this time, id Software was working on their next game,Quake, using new technology, but started projects picking up the most talented WAD makers from theDoom community to create official expansions and to compete with the unauthorized collection CDs. The team produced the 21Master Levels, which, on December 26, 1995, were released on a CD along withMaximum Doom, a collection of 1,830 WADs that had been downloaded from the Internet. In 1996,Final Doom, a package of two 32-level megawads created byTeamTNT, was released as an official id Software product.
Various first-person shooter games released at the time use theDoom engine under a commercial license from id Software, as such essentially being custom WADs packaged with theDoom engine, such asHacx: Twitch 'n Kill (1997).
In addition to the many people who contributed to commercially released WADs, various authors became involved with the development of other games:
Kenneth Scott, who contributed artwork toHacx: Twitch 'n Kill, later became the art director at id Software and343 Industries on the post-BungieHalo games.
Tim Willits, who contributed two levels toMaster Levels for Doom II, later became the lead designer at id Software.
John Anderson (level designer), also known as "Dr. Sleep", author of five levels inMaster Levels for Doom II and E4M7 inThe Ultimate Doom, later worked onBlood,Unreal, andDaikatana.
Around 1997, interest inDoom WADs began to decline, as attention was drawn to newer games with more advanced technology and more customizable design, including id Software's ownQuake andQuake II, but a dedicated following continued into the new century, with modernDoom modding becoming more popular thanQuake andQuake II modding.
On December 23, 1997, id Software released the source code to theDoom engine, initially under a restrictive license. On October 3, 1999, it was released again under the terms of theGNU GPL-2.0-or-later. With the source code available, it became possible for programmers to modify any aspect of the game, remove technical limitations andbugs, and add entirely new features.
These engine modifications, orDoom source ports, have since become the target for much of the WAD editing activity, and with the decline ofMS-DOS, using a source port became the only feasible way to playDoom for most people. Several source ports are in active development, andDoom retains a strong following of WAD creators.
The most common type of WAD consists of a singlelevel, usually retaining the theme of the original game, but possibly including new music and some modified graphics to define a more distinctive setting or mood. Bothsingle-player anddeathmatchmultiplayer levels are common.
WADs may have a level pack in the form of anepisode, replacing nine levels, and sometimes in the form of amegawad, which replaces 15 or more levels in the game (27 inDoom, 32 inDoom II, 36 inThe Ultimate Doom).
A WAD that gives the game an overhaul to incorporate an entirely differentgame setting, character set, and story, instead of simply providing new levels or graphic changes, is called atotal conversion. The phrase was coined by Justin Fisher, as part of the title ofAliens TC, orAliens Total Conversion.[7] Add-ons that provide extensive changes to a similar degree but retain distinctive parts or characteristics of the original games, such as characters or weapons, are often by extension calledpartial conversions.
Since custom map editing started in 1994, manyDoom,Doom II andDoom 64 WADs have been created, and some have acquired fame even outside of the modding community. The following is a select listing of popular and historically significant WADs.
Alien Vendetta is a 32-level megawad forDoom II created by a mapping group led by Anders Johnson in 2001. This mod is widely acclaimed by the Doom community.[8]Doomworld writer Cyb later called it the "last great classical megawad” in the influential "10 Years of Doom" article.[9]Alien Vendetta also contains whatDoomworld deemed to be the most memorable map of all time, "Misri Halek" by Kim Andre Malde.[10]
Bloom is aDoom II andBlood crossover released by Bloom Team in 2021. It features over 50 new enemy types, a new episode and an original soundtrack.[11]
Eternal Doom is a 32-level megawad forDoom II created by Team Eternal andTeamTNT. It was released non-commercially in several versions, with the final one being released on November 14, 1997.Eternal Doom received media attention in 2020, when through further modding, it was played throughDoom Eternal.[12]
Going Down is a 32-level megawad forDoom II released in 2013, and a winner in that year'sCacowards. It was created by the English freelance animatorCyriak Harris.[13]
Icarus: Alien Vanguard is a 32-level megawad forDoom II created byTeamTNT and released on March 22, 1996. It was developed as a freeware release afterTNT: Evilution was picked up by id Software to be released as part ofFinal Doom.[14]
Memento Mori is a 32-level megawad forDoom II created by two members of The Innocent Crew, Denis and Thomas Möller, along with other authors, including Tom Mustaine and both Dario and Milo Casali. It was initially released on December 10, 1995, and saw an updated release in February 1996. A 32-level sequel megawad,Memento Mori II, was created and released on July 27, 1996.[15] InDoomworld's Top 100 WADs of All Time,Memento Mori was voted as the #1 WAD of 1996, and its sequel as #2.[16]
Requiem is a 32-level megawad forDoom II created by the same people that worked on the previously released Memento Mori series, in addition to some new mappers that worked specifically on this project. It was released and uploaded on the idgames archive on July 4, 1997.[17]
In 2016,John Romero released two new maps –Phobos Mission Control andTech Gone Bad.[15] After the positive response, he releasedSigil, a complete 9-level episode, in May 2019.Sigil later received a sequel,Sigil II.[18][19]
Action Doom 2: Urban Brawl is a 2008indie game developed by "Scuba Steve" Browning with the ZDoomsource port. The game featurescel-shaded graphics reminiscent of a comic book, and is played in the style of abeat 'em up, with some gunplay present as well.[20]
Aliens TC is an 11-leveltotal conversion based on the filmAliens, created by Justin Fisher and released on November 3, 1994.[21] In 2017, another modder by the name of Kontra_Kommando made a remake ofAliens TC.[22]
Ashes 2063 is a post-apocalypse themed TC created by Vostyok. Inspired by 1980s post-apocalyptic films, it features new monsters, weapons and an original soundtrack. The game currently features multiple full-length single player campaigns with branching storylines.[23]
Batman Doom is a 32-level total conversion created byACE Team Software and released in April 1999. It contains modified game behavior along with new weapons, items, and characters from the world of thecomic booksuperheroBatman.[24]
Chex Quest is a 5-level total conversion released in 1996 byDigital Café so thatDoom could be approved for younger audiences. This was originally packaged inChex cereal boxes as aprize, thoughChex Quest was later put up asfreeware on theInternet after the promotion ended.[25]Chex Quest received two sequels,Chex Quest 2: Flemoids Take Chextropolis andChex Quest 3, released in 1997 and 2008, respectively, both of which contained five levels and were released as freeware.[26]
Doom 64: Retribution is a remake ofDoom 64, theNintendo 64 version ofDoom, which differs drastically from its DOS version.Doom 64: Retribution contains different levels, graphics, and audio based on the Nintendo 64 game.[17]
Grezzo 2 is a 2012 total conversion developed by Italian game designer Nicola Piro, notable for plagiarizing other games andDoom mods, and for its vulgar,blasphemous content.[27][28]
Sonic Robo Blast 2 is aDoom modification that uses the Doom Legacy source port to completely change the game from a first-person shooter to a third-person platformer based onSonic the Hedgehog.[29] In 2018,Sonic Robo Blast 2 Kart, akart racing game based on the game, was released as a standalone modification.[30]
D!Zone – created byWizardWorks, an expansion pack featuring hundreds of levels forDoom andDoom II.D!Zone was reviewed in 1995 inDragon by Jay & Dee in the "Eye of the Monitor" column. Jay gave the pack 1 out of 5 stars, while Dee gave the pack 1½ stars.[32]
Origwad – created by Jeff Bird and released on March 7, 1994, it is notable for being the first custom WAD to be released forDoom.[4]Origwad consists of a single level with two rooms separated by one door, and a total of six enemies, making it very basic compared to later WADs.
The Harris levels –Doom andDoom II levels created byEric Harris, one of the two perpetrators of theColumbine High School massacre, believed to have surfaced on the Internet in 1996 or 1997, but were taken down by theFBI after the 1999 massacre.[33] Downloads for the levels Deathmatching in Bricks (BRICKS.WAD), Hockey.wad (HOCKEY.WAD), KILLER (KILLER.WAD), Mortal Kombat Doom (FIGHTME.WAD), Outdoors (outdoors.wad), Station (STATION.WAD), and UAC Labs (UACLABS.WAD) have been found in the years since.Dylan Klebold, a friend of Harris and the other perpetrator of the massacre, was credited by Harris for playtesting Deathmatching in Bricks. The ENDOOM screen for UAC Labs shows the names of other WADs made by Harris, though they have since beenlost: Assault, Techout, Thrasher, Realdeth, and Realdoom, which is a patch for another WAD. UAC Labs was mentioned in Doomworld's Top 10 Infamous WADs list.
Lullaby, a level created byDanlex in 2021 which contained surreal visuals.[34]
National Videogame Museum, a recreation of the real lifeNational Videogame Museum by employee Chris Bacarani. The level took over a year to make, and is featured as an exhibit in the physical museum.[35]
Nuts! – released in 2001,Nuts is one of the first documented joke WADs.Nuts consists of a single room, with an invulnerability power up, plasma rifle,BFG, and 10,617 enemy monsters.[31] Its creator, B.P.R.D, created multiple sequels, and a version ofNuts was made inDusk.[36]
The Sky May Be – a notable joke WAD, most of the game takes place in an oversized sector, where many textures are replaced with solid colors, and many sounds replaced with audio fromMonty Python's Flying Circus.[37] The WAD was mentioned in Doomworld's The Top 10 Infamous WADs list and is sometimes considered to be one of the worst WADs ever created.
UAC Military Nightmare – aSkulltag WAD made by "Terry" in 2008 which was notorious for its use of vulgar scripts,jump scares, strange graphics, absurd difficulty, and otherwise-useless data that existed to either bloat the WAD's file size or tamper with the player's settings. The WAD itself was removed from Doomworld in 2014 due to the aforementioned useless data, but has since been reuploaded with said data removed. This WAD spawned a genre of WADs known as "Terrywads", or "Terry Traps", which contain similar content toUAC Military Nightmare.[38] In 2008,UAC Military Nightmare received aCacoward for Worst WAD, wherein it is described as "the worst wad file the world has ever known".[39]
Lilith – a wad created in 2017 that usesglitches in theZDoom sourceport to create graphical and musical distortion, and changes in enemy behavior, resulting in a "glitchcore nightmare".[40]Lilith was also a winner in the 2017Cacowards.[41]
MyHouse.wad – posted by Doomworld user Steve Nelson (Veddge) in March 2023,MyHouse.wad was supposedly a remake of a WAD made by the creator's recently deceased friend, featuring that friend's house. In reality, the WAD is aliminal horror map loosely inspired by the 2000 novelHouse of Leaves byMark Z. Danielewski, and the online urban legendThe Backrooms. It also has a number of other references to other things on the internet considered mysterious, such as an area inspired by the art of Jared Pike,[42] and also using previously mysteriousFex singleSubways of Your Mind. Being an extremely cryptic and surreal experience, it features an abundance of lore found both in-game and across other sources on the Internet. It is praised as one ofDoom II's most technologically advanced mods.[43]
Freedoom is a project aiming to create afree replacement (modifiedBSD License) for the set ofgraphics,music,sound effects, andlevels (and miscellaneous other resources) used byDoom.[44][45] Since theDoom engine isfree software, it can be distributed along with the new resources, in effect providing a full, free game.
The project distributes three IWAD files: the two single-player campaigns namedFreedoom: Phase 1 andFreedoom: Phase 2, andFreeDM, which contains a collection ofdeathmatch levels.[46] Originally a Boom-oriented mapset, it was later made merely limit-removing, and finally fully vanilla compatible, allowing play through the original executable and conservative ports likeChocolate Doom.[47]
A similar project,Blasphemer, aims to create a complete free version ofHeretic, but is less fully developed than Freedoom, from which it has recycled assets.[48] Currently three episodes are drafted and a deathmatch set called BlasphDM is available.[49]Zauberer andLastermaul have also been initiated forHexen,[50][51] andAnimosity forStrife.[52]
Manylevel editors are available forDoom. The original Doom Editing Utility (DEU) was ported to variousoperating systems, but lost significance over time; many modernDoom editors still have their roots in DEU and its editing paradigm, including DETH, DeePsea, Linux Doom Editor, and Yadex and its fork Eureka. Other level editors include WadAuthor, Doom Builder (released in January 2003), Doom Builder 2 (released in May 2009 as the successor to Doom Builder), GZDoom Builder (released in March 2012), and Doom Builder X (released in September 2017). SomeDoom level editors, such as Doom Builder family feature a 3D editing mode. As of now, these variants have been discontinued, but a newer fork has been released and is regularly updated, known as Ultimate Doom Builder.[53]
InQuake, WAD files were replaced withPAK files. WAD files still remain inQuake files, though their use is limited to textures. Since WAD2 and WAD3 use a slightly larger directory structure, they are incompatible withDoom.
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Steve Benner, et al.:3D Game Alchemy for Doom, Doom II, Heretic and Hexen, SAMS Publishing (1996),ISBN0-672-30935-1
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