Favourite version of Doom for modding

[thex]

Which version of Doom does everyone prefer to make/play mods and new levels for? Vanilla Doom or source port? Doom, U. Doom or Doom II.

Thought it might be handy information for aspiring moders to know.

-thx

[sargebaldy]

i'd wager your best best for playing doom wads that don't specify a certain port would probably be either zdoom, legacy, or jdoom. most maps made these days are made for either vanilla (work with doom.exe), or for zdoom or legacy.

[ReX]

thex said:

Which version of Doom does everyone prefer to make/play mods and new levels for? Vanilla Doom or source port? Doom, U. Doom or Doom II.

1. When I first started I was doing maps exclusively for DooM2. But the level of detail and big, open areas required the use of a limitless source port.
2. Then I discovered ZDooM, and I started making DooM2 maps for ZDooM. Did a bunch of those.
3. Along the way I discovered the fun and nostalgia of making maps for DooM. I made one map a couple of years ago, and am making some more now.
4. Last year I started making maps for vanilla DooM2, but this time the objective was to make them as detailed as possible without a source port being required.
5. Currently, I'm splitting my time between some ZDooM levels, some DooM2 levels that require a limitless source port, and the vanilla DooM levels I mentioned before.

[DEMOn]

nothing is as good as the real game.
although I personally like most of the ports, MBF and Prboom are my favorites.

[Epyo]

I do mostly zdoom doom 2

most do vanillia doom 2

[Grazza]

The iwad to work with should almost certainly be Doom2.wad, unless you have a really good reason to work with one of the others.

As for the port (or lack of a port) to go for, I'd say the options are:
1) No port needed at all, if you value Doom2.exe compatibility. This has the advantage that it might attract the attention of the very best speedrunners, who tend to stick with the original exes (e.g. demopacks for TVR, AV, etc.)
2) For any limit-removing port. Allows bigger levels and stuff.
3) Any Boom-compatible port. Allows lots of cool stuff and works with a lot of ports.
4) For a specific port. In that case, it should probably make really extensive use of that port's unique features. People tend to get pissed off with, say, a map that is Zdoom-only just because of one slope and a particle fountain. ;)

Personally, I'm happy to use most of the main ports, including Zdoom, Legacy and jDoom. Currently I tend to use PrBoom to play wads that don't require a specific port, principally because it plays them pretty much as intended. I got a bit fed up in Legacy having a pang of guilt when, for instance, passing over the top of a monster that was obviously intended to be blocking the way. :)

[Nick Perrin]

Doom 2, and EDGE.

[Fletcher`]

1.9 exe and 1.17 zdoomdos. EDGE is too buggy to be a favorite favorite.
That, and it doesn't run in DOS. :P

[sargebaldy]

heh, i don't really get the obsession with people only mapping for doom2. the only real advantage to doom2 is the double shotgun.. most of the new doom2 monsters are more annoying than anything, and it replaces a lot of good textures with some really crappy ones (MODWALLs, anyone?)

[Stealthy Ivan]

Classic/vanilla DooM 2, and once in a while ZDooM...

[Kirby X]

Me?

It's a secret...

[ReX]

sargebaldy said:

.. most of the new doom2 monsters are more annoying than anything

Depends on how they're used. When I first played DooM2 I thought the new enemies were a pretty good addition to the game. However, after playing numerous crappy add-ons I realized that the new enemies can get annoying. But that's because of their indiscriminate and careless use, not because they're inherently bad.

[sargebaldy]

ReX said:

Depends on how they're used. When I first played DooM2 I thought the new enemies were a pretty good addition to the game. However, after playing numerous crappy add-ons I realized that the new enemies can get annoying. But that's because of their indiscriminate and careless use, not because they're inherently bad.

yeah a few now and then isn't bad.. but very few fit the feel of game, imo.. the arachnotron, of course, and the chaingunner. lots of arch-viles, pain elementals, and mancubuses makes me feel like i'm fighting aliens instead of demons.

[Captain Red]

Maps/Mods seem to only every made for one of four ports:

Doom2.exe:
The original, and uhhhh well that's it.
Boom/MBF/PRboom:
Doom2.exe with bits on. (And handy bug fixes)
Zdoom:
All sorts of funky mapping features! (Including slopes, ambient noises, groovy scripting, and much much more!!)
EDGE:
THE port of choice for modders, but it's a little behind the pack for anything else.

oh sure, sometimes people make maps for jdoom or legacy, but they aren't common.

[myk]

Hmm, sargebaldy, you make it seem like monsters are decorative sprites, textures or flats...

And hey, only the pink running thingies are demons; the rest just monsters of different sorts (aliens too... as that simply means beings from somwhere else, be it Russia, Mars, or Hell.)

Oh by the way, in relation to the thread's main subject, I like both DOOM and DOOM II for design purposes, sticking here to one and there to the other can produce interesting stuff on both grounds, just different... no need to pretend that using all the new stuff will necessarily make it better or vise versa. DOOM and DOOM II are both games I like to play... editingwise they are both attractive too. As for the engine, I stick to doom and doom2 (I don't mind testing that it works for other engines as well, as long as any assured compatibility doesn't disrupt what I'm trying to do, of course.)

[Sporku]

Vanilla Doom 2, Legacy (gotta love them 3D floors, and FraggleScript), and ZDoom (gotta love them slopes, and ACS Scripting)

[Job]

Vanilla Doom II v1.7 -- though I absolutely hate it when WA and Doom II team up to kick me for making a level too detailed. : / (read: having two 7 step staircases parallel to each other)

[The Ultimate DooMer]

ZDoom every time (can't beat all those features). Whether it's for DooM 1 or 2 depends on the mod in question.

[BlueSonnet]

In terms of wads do you know what i'm thinking right now? Why didn't i do my tc for ultimate doom, and it's too late to go back too.

And the answer to your question, zdoom and doom2 is my current favourite.

[toxicfluff]

Well, I think Vanilla Doom2 is good for maps, and either Zdoom, Legacy or Edge for mods (edge probably being the best in terms of flexible modification).

Jdoom has quite poor flexibility, and if you wanted to go for looks you'd probably go for Vavoom anyway, because it's more flexible and has the shadowcasting feature on static lights (they cast quake-style shadows) and therefore looks quite a bit better than Jdoom when these are used.

However, I'm choosing to go with Legacy for my mod. The reasons are that I need some kind of scripting and no other port has scripting AND the features for the kind of mapping style I'm using, so I couldn't get the same kind of looks in another port.

I guess it just depends on what you need for whatever project you are working on - unfortunately many decent features are in one port only, so you have to decide what you need most.

[Nick Perrin]

Ct_red_pants said:

EDGE:
THE port of choice for modders, but it's a little behind the pack for anything else.

Like what?

[Rotting Corpse]

Well for me im useing ZDoom for my first wad. But who cares what I use.