The ULTIMATE Master WAD Guide

[Endless]

5 minutes ago, TheMagicMushroomMan said:

It's not a huge deal, I can still understand what you are saying. If you want, I can make a list that includes actual corrections and not just underlines. It might take a little while though, I don't have a lot of time left today. None of them are really anything major, it's nothing you should worry about too much.

I wouldn't mind at all. Altough, it is a bit of work for the looks of it :P So do as you wish. Thanks!

[taufan99]

This is one colossal list.

[Endless]

1 minute ago, dmslr said:

Fantastic job, Endless, as always! There is Compendium - classic megawad compilation. You might want to put it "Want more Doom?" section.

Oh! The Compendium, dang it I missed that one. Thanks a lot! That's a beautiful compilation and a must for people looking for some curated WADs.

[Endless]

5 minutes ago, InDOOMnesia said:

This is one colossal list.

Doom content is colossal! I was a bit lost myself when I got into this world. Even if you start with the Cacowards, there are over 200 winners at this point. It's a sea of diamonds out there <3

[Doomkid]

1 hour ago, Endless said:

.Well damn. I can't say anything other than my English sucks. Some typos I can see them clearly, but other grammatical errors I can't even see what I did wrong. I will try to improve that.

To be fair, two of the things underlined don’t seem to have any problem: “53 maps of quite a solid quality” could maybe have the “a” removed but still seems correct, and “LSD shoved down the throat of a Doom mapper” also seems fine. it would be, but that's not what it says.. D'OH

 

Great post, you’re a natural fit for this kind of thing, Endless! Kind of sad that none of the wads I’ve worked on (even tangentially) are here, but there’s really just too much Doom content to account for it all, and what’s here is a fantastic sampler of what the community has to offer. I feel like a “truly” ULTIMATE wad round-up would need 2x the amount of content that’s featured here, but.. that’s a lot of work and it’s already great as-is!

Edited November 17, 2020 by Doomkid

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

2 minutes ago, Doomkid said:

To be fair, two of the things underlined don’t seem to have any problem: 

I meant to delete the third image, I just read it wrong. I'll go ahead and list the problems with the other screenshots in a minute.

[Doomkid]

lol I hit enter too soon on my post!

[Endless]

11 minutes ago, Doomkid said:

To be fair, two of the things underlined don’t seem to have any problem: “53 maps of quite a solid quality” could maybe have the “a” removed but still seems correct, and “LSD shoved down the throat of a Doom mapper” also seems fine.

 

Great post, you’re a natural fit for this kind of thing, Endless! Kind of sad that none of the wads I’ve worked on (even tangentially) are here, but there’s really just too much Doom content to account for it all, and what’s here is a fantastic sampler of what the community has to offer. I feel like a “truly” ULTIMATE wad round-up would need 2x the amount of content that’s featured here, but.. that’s a lot of work and it’s already great as-is!

Thanks a lot for the words!

 

The truth is I have to admit that I haven't played so much of your content yet, however there is no doubt that it is a great one. If you have a recommendation I would love to put it! There is no doubt that you are one of the pillars of this community so it would be an honor.

 

And yes, the content is simply insane. Many times I was confronted with the dilemma of ''should I put this WAD? But I'm way past ten!'' It took some time getting it done, but even more so trying to make it understandable, insightful and to make it function as a clear starting point.

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

Here you go! :)

 

 

1. Should be "brings some very unique quirks to the table".

 

2. "Memento Mori kinda beat him to it tho" doesn't read well because you didn't specify who "he" is. It reads like you are referring to the wad as a "he".

 

3. Should be "isn't as easy or convenient as it is nowadays".

 

4. Should be "Quite possibly", not "Quite possible".

 

5. I think you meant "if you took some LSD and pushed it down the throat of a Doom map maker".

 

6. Should be "so dumb that it's good", not "so dumb that is good".

 

7. Just doesn't really make sense the way you worded it.

 

8. Should be something like "Deus Vult was probably the one to truly pioneer the standard tactics and layouts of slaughterwads".

 

9. Should be "Quite possibly", not "Quite possible".

Edited November 17, 2020 by TheMagicMushroomMan

[Doomkid]

I'll just ramble some little tweaks and suggestions if you don't mind. Feel free to ignore any/all of them!

 

I feel like Enjay Doom warrants a mention as the first "true" megawad, that was actually designed by one author from the ground up as opposed to a compilation of random maps. It's actually still fun to play even today.

 

Under jokewads, I feel like wow.wad just has to be mentioned, even if the humor is unintentional. Such a small POS somehow attained legendary status within the community, which silly as it is feels like an achievement in it's own right! Another funny/goofy wad that warrants mention is Simpsons Doom (in all it's various incarnations) just for being so ubiquitous, and maybe this will be a controversial nomination, but the EXTREME WEAPONS PACK is just so hilarious that I feel it should maybe get a nod as well. Oh, and also there's the Hell Rickroller and InstaDoom, which were both super popular in their own right and brings the list to a nice, clean 10.

 

Maybe a smaller section for "music wads" could be added? The Plutonia MIDI Pack is one that seems to have reached a pretty popular status, for which I'm very grateful as that wad really did deserve it's own soundtrack. There's many other examples too, but this is the first one that springs instantly to mind.

 

As far as my stuff goes, I wouldn't feel comfortable recommending anything other than Rowdy Rudy II when it comes to community projects I've lead. It's basically the ultimate culmination of everything I ever wanted to achieve when I first began Doom mapping/modding forever ago, and since it's a community project with many talented people, the overall quality of the maps is really high (higher than all of my solo creations), particularly for a pure vanilla experience.

 

I might even make up a "deathmatch top picks" to go alongside this some time, or if you like it enough maybe you can even add it to the original post. As a spoiler, the DM top 10 is actually pretty easy, at least imo - the only issue I'd have is the actual order they belong in, on which I'm completely undecided.

 

• The DWANGO series (duh)
• Execution Deathmatch
• The UDM Series
• The Dweller, Mancer, Danzig and Styx series (all different mappers.. but styles so similar and the wads tend to be associated with one another, they could potentially be lumped together)
• Don't Be a Bitch Remastered (the whole Mechanix series would be suitable, but I think this has the overall highest quality)
• The popular Duel compilations (duel32/duel40, zddl, which contain classic maps such as SSL2 and Judas23)

 

I feel like, among DM fanatics, mentioning the Gothic, Cybercrime, Decamatch, DMC and TNT wads might be more controversial than the ones listed above, but due to sheer popularity over the years not mentioning them would be wrong.

 

^{I'll try and refine all this info-dump into something usable for you...!}

 

EDIT: Also, just as a bit of trivia, Requiem is more or less the 3rd Memento Mori, though not named as such (rightfully so imo, but still it is part of that same lineage)

 

Edited November 17, 2020 by Doomkid

[Endless]

26 minutes ago, TheMagicMushroomMan said:

Here you go! :)

 

 

1. Should be "brings some very unique quirks to the table".

 

2. "Memento Mori kinda beat him to it tho" doesn't read well because you didn't specify who "he" is. It reads like you are referring to the wad as a "he".

 

3. Should be "isn't as easy or convenient as it is nowadays".

 

4. Should be "Quite possibly", not "Quite possible".

 

5. I think you meant "if you took some LSD and pushed it down the throat of a Doom map maker".

 

6. Should be "so dumb that it's good", not "so dumb that is good".

 

7. Just doesn't really make sense the way you worded it.

 

8. Should be something like "Deus Vult was probably the one to truly pioneer the standard tactics and layouts of slaughterwads".

 

9. Should be "quite possibly", not "quite possible".

This is super helpful! Thanks a lot. I'll make sure to correct the typos.

 

5 minutes ago, Doomkid said:

I'll just ramble some little tweaks and suggestions if you don't mind. Feel free to ignore any/all of them!

 

I feel like Enjay Doom warrants a mention as the first "true" megawad, that was actually designed by one author from the ground up as opposed to a compilation of random maps. It's actually still fun to play even today.

 

Under jokewads, I feel like wow.wad just has to be mentioned, even if the humor is unintentional. Such a small POS somehow attained legendary status within the community, which silly as it is feels like an achievement in it's own right! Another funny/goofy wad that warrants mention is Simpsons Doom (in all it's various incarnations) just for being so ubiquitous, and maybe this will be a controversial nomination, but the EXTREME WEAPONS PACK is just so hilarious that I feel it should maybe get a nod as well. Oh, and also there's the Hell Rickroller and InstaDoom, which were both super popular in their own right and brings the list to a nice, clean 10.

 

Maybe a smaller section for "music wads" could be added? The Plutonia MIDI Pack is one that seems to have reached a pretty popular status, for which I'm very grateful as that wad really did deserve it's own soundtrack. There's many other examples too, but this is the first one that springs instantly to mind.

 

As far as my stuff goes, I wouldn't feel comfortable recommending anything other than Rowdy Rudy II when it comes to community projects I've lead. It's basically the ultimate culmination of everything I ever wanted to achieve when I first began Doom mapping/modding forever ago, and since it's a community project with many talented people, the overall quality of the maps is really high (higher than all of my solo creations), particularly for a pure vanilla experience.

 

I might even make up a "deathmatch top picks" to go alongside this some time, or if you like it enough maybe you can even add it to the original post. As a spoiler, the DM top 10 is actually pretty easy, at least imo - the only issue I'd have is the actual order they belong in, on which I'm completely undecided.

 

• The DWANGO series (duh)
• Execution Deathmatch
• The UDM Series
• The Dweller, Mancer, Danzig and Styx series (all different mappers.. but styles so similar and the wads tend to be associated with one another, they could potentially be lumped together)
• Don't Be a Bitch Remastered (the whole Mechanix series would be suitable, but I think this has the overall highest quality)
• The popular Duel compilations (duel32/duel40, zddl, which contain classic maps such as SSL2 and Judas23)

 

I feel like, among DM fanatics, mentioning the Gothic, Cybercrime, Decamatch, DMC and TNT wads might be more controversial than the ones listed above, but due to sheer popularity over the years not mentioning them would be wrong.

 

^{I'll try and refine all this info-dump into something usable for you...!}

 

EDIT: Also, just as a bit of trivia, Requiem is more or less the 3rd Memento Mori, though not named as such (rightfully so imo, but still it is part of that same lineage)

 

 

Wow! That's some fantastic feedback. I'll make sure to add some of the notes listed here. Part of the reason as to why I did not go deeper into DM WADs is, indeed, because of my lack of experience with them, but I think adding them should be something quite welcoming to some new players. I still feel like keeping the lists on a 5 to 10 WADs is good enough to avoid oversaturation, since well, this is trying to be a guide for newcomers.

Rowdy Rudy II is def a must. I'll make sure to add it in time.

 

 

Quote

I might even make up a "deathmatch top picks" to go alongside this some time, or if you like it enough maybe you can even add it to the original post. As a spoiler, the DM top 10 is actually pretty easy, at least imo - the only issue I'd have is the actual order they belong in, on which I'm completely undecided.

That would be fantastic and I would make sure to add it here if you wish! :D

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

No problem, @Endless! This is a great list for anyone getting into Doom. Also, I just want to clarify what I meant in one of my earlier posts, where I talked about your review thread and your WADazines: I wasn't saying that to take a dig at this thread, I think it's great. I was just saying that the similar thread titles had me a bit confused at first. I'll help you out in any way I can, tomorrow I'll list some more corrections if you'd like. Your grammar is actually very good considering that English isn't your mother tongue. 

[Endless]

2 minutes ago, TheMagicMushroomMan said:

No problem, @Endless! This is a great list for anyone getting into Doom. Also, I just want to clarify what I meant in one of my earlier posts, where I talked about your review thread and your WADazines: I wasn't saying that to take a dig at this thread, I think it's great. I was just saying that the similar thread titles had me a bit confused at first. I'll help you out in any way I can, tomorrow I'll list some more corrections if you'd like. Your grammar is actually very good considering that English isn't your mother tongue. 

No problem at all mate.

 

As for some clarification regarding the title: Both words are a play on Doom products/games (The Ultimate Doom and Master Levels) and I think they go along well at describing this post, since well Ultimate means something ''final'' or ''at the max''. This guide could be considered the ultimate guide for new Doomers. And Master is just one of my favorite english words (alongside Endless :P) and if you combine them you get a cool title that works well enough to grab some attention and give a view as to what you'll find here, mostly.

 

Plus, I just enjoy making Doom content with my own words (even if my English tends to fail me). I lack mapping skills or coding/programming skills, so this is my way of giving my share of effort for hopes that someday someone finds it useful and fun to read.

[Gaia74]

Excellent work Endless!

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

8 minutes ago, Endless said:

No problem at all mate.

 

As for some clarification regarding the title: Both words are a play on Doom products/games (The Ultimate Doom and Master Levels) and I think they go along well at describing this post, since well Ultimate means something ''final'' or ''at the max''. This guide could be considered the ultimate guide for new Doomers. And Master is just one of my favorite english words (alongside Endless :P) and if you combine them you get a cool title that works well enough to grab some attention and give a view as to what you'll find here, mostly.

 

Plus, I just enjoy making Doom content with my own words (even if my English tends to fail me). I lack mapping skills or coding/programming skills, so this is my way of giving my share of effort for hopes that someday someone finds it useful and fun to read.

It's all good! The siimilarly-titled threads won't be an issue for newcomers. It's just that when I first opened this thread, I thought it was either a list of WADs that you reviewed in your "Endless' Wad Reviews" thread or a list of WADs featured in the "WADazine" series. 

 

And don't worry about your English, mastering a language takes a lifetime and then some. Your articles are perfectly understandable, I just figured I'd help contribute since writing is my specialty. You don't have to correct anything if you don't want to, it's totally up to you.

 

The only real "complaint" I had was the way the "Vanilla Wads" section was worded, but you've already got that figured out, so any other issues are very minor. Congratulations on putting this whole thing together!

Edited November 17, 2020 by TheMagicMushroomMan

[PeterMoro]

Just glad that i wasn't mentioned in the 'joke wads'.

[Endless]

Content Update:

 

Added to the ''Want More Doom?'' section:

 

Doomworld Community Top WADs of All time. A beautiful and massive list of community WAD votes currently maintained by @m8f that gets constantly updated.

 

@Vorpal WAD picks from 2019 and 2020. Long and comprehensive lists of different WADs from each respective year that deserve attention, including a few obscure and not-so-known selections.

 

Compendium. Massive mega compilation of different classic WADs.

Edited November 17, 2020 by Endless

[Redead-ITA]

13 hours ago, Endless said:

Exactly what? Maybe it gets lost in my eyes.

[dmslr]

7 hours ago, Endless said:

Doomworld Community Top WADs of All time. A beautiful and massive list of community WAD votes created by @m8f that gets constantly updated.

It was originally created by @savagegrant who is inactive now. m8f took responsibility for updating the list.

Edited November 17, 2020 by dmslr

[Gez]

17 hours ago, Endless said:

What? You thought I wouldn’t mention the all mighty BtSX series? Hell no. Back to Saturn X is a special series of two (some say three) megawads that gained a well-earned reputation for it’s amazing quality

Should be "its" here.

 

16 hours ago, Endless said:

Exactly what? Maybe it gets lost in my eyes.

There's no Hell knights in Ultimate Doom; at least not when you do things the way id did. (Technically you can plug HKs in UD, but you need DeHackEd to make them available, and of course you have to provide the sprites and sounds as they're not in the IWAD.)

[Endless]

1 hour ago, Gez said:

Should be "its" here.

 

There's no Hell knights in Ultimate Doom; at least not when you do things the way id did. (Technically you can plug HKs in UD, but you need DeHackEd to make them available, and of course you have to provide the sprites and sounds as they're not in the IWAD.)

Ah that was it. Got confused with the Barons there, so sorry.

Edited November 17, 2020 by Endless

[Redead-ITA]

1 hour ago, Gez said:

There's no Hell knights in Ultimate Doom; at least not when you do things the way id did. (Technically you can plug HKs in UD, but you need DeHackEd to make them available, and of course you have to provide the sprites and sounds as they're not in the IWAD.)

Thanks, admittedly me not explaining through and through was kinda of my bad but i am glad you pointed it out.

[Andromeda]

No love for Eternal Doom or STRAIN? :(

 

Anyway, nice list!

[Endless]

Content Update #2:

 

Added to the ''Megawads'' section:

 

Rowdy Rudy II: POWERTRIP! A vanilla-compatible odyssey that embraces the classic style of the Partial Conversions of yore.

 

Added to the ''Miscellaneous'' section:

 

Doom 64: Retribution. This project is a fan recreation of Doom 64 for the Nintendo 64 to the GZDoom engine. Thanks to @Immorpher for the recommendation.

 

[Mr Masker]

so is this list gonna be updated with new stuff or is it gonna mostly stay the same?

[Endless]

4 minutes ago, Mr Masker said:

so is this list gonna be updated with new stuff or is it gonna mostly stay the same?

 

Quote

While I don't want to make this list even bigger, I would be willing to accept some bonus or change some titles.

It will stay the same, mostly. I am willing to add bonus WADs as long as they're a good landmark for the guide. I don't want to oversaturate the list but some bonus goodies are always welcome.

[danidf96]

Damn i wish i had this when i first started playing doom, but anyways this is an amazing list full of content for both newbies and veterans. Fucking awsome article as always @Endless.

[rodster]

This is a very nice post! Thank you for making it! :)

 

Also, for people whom not even Holy Hell is enough slaughterish there is also an Okuplok map with an even higher amount of monsters.

 

Edit: I think, I was wrong about the monster count. Holy Hell Revealed has like double the monsters.

Edited November 23, 2020 by rodster

[Endless]

3 minutes ago, rodster said:

This is a very nice post! Thank you for making it! :)

 

Also, for people whom not even Holy Hell is enough slaughterish there is also an Okuplok map with an even higher amount of monsters.

Thanks to you for reading it ;) Okuplok is def a big contender, there's quite a lot more of huge Slaughterwads out there to be found.

[Noiser]

Oh my, this is amazing! Thanks a lot for your list man