Announcing, the first ever magazine on Doomworld: The Doom Master Wadazine!

[Endless]

THE

D O O M

MASTER WADAZINE

 

A literary/magazine project

By:

done for fun, with care, passion and for the Doomers!

 

NOTE: The wadazine is now going strong and most stuff here its pretty much just simple rules

(UPDATE) Issue #1 is now ready for you! »» The Doom Master Wadazine #1

 

I N D E X / S T U F F

 

·     Doom Masters Wadazine Introduction

·     Form of Writing and Publication

·     Writers

·     Unto the Cruel!

·     Article Section

·     WADs Section

·     Master recommendation of this issue!

·     Newstuff on Doomworld

·     Pictures gallery

·     Special Thanks

 

·     Doom Masters Wadazine Introduction

 

^{A brief introduction into what this is and what will it do.}

 

Hi, first of, thank you for reading this document about the upcoming project about the Doom Masters magazine. So, let’s get things going.

 

 – What is the Doom Master Wadazine?

 

Cool name, huh? Well first of all, it's an initiative created by me (Endless) to produce and deliver a kind of magazine related to all things Doom, with special emphasis on reviews and recommendations of WADs. I have in mind a kind of ''twice a month'' publishing system, where I can deliver a product that is entertaining, fun, well written and interesting enough to offer a new perspective within the Doom world to the reader, and of course, recommend WADs that will help the community of creators and authors to grow and achieve the fame they deserve. It would be an opportunity both to develop articles and to shout–out maps worthy of recognition.

 

My purpose is to go back in time to the classic video game magazines, offering content that is so interesting that the community is excited about the idea of a new issue. This comes from the fact that I loved the idea of the /newstuff Chronicles, as well as the community of the megawads and the incredible articles that Doomworld gives us every year with the Cacowards. Just as I'm excited about the Cacowards in December, I want to be excited about the idea of the Doom Master Wadazine twice a month (with some luck).

 

·     Form of Writing and Publication

 

^{How will the writing and publication process go?}

 

This is something I'm still not exactly sure how I'm going to get there. My initial ideas are basic:

 

- The first issue of the magazine will be done by me, functioning as a kind of debut and at the same time an idea of what the magazine will be about, offering a window for people interested in cooperating with development.

 

- If so, and I see an opportunity in volunteers, I would be willing to work in a group to offer a varied work with different voices, or in this case, paragraphs. If you want to participe, PM, mate!

 

- This brings both doubts and difficulties. First, how do I know who is reliable to cooperate? Who should I choose? Or should I let everyone participate no matter what? The latter does not sound so plausible on paper, but it is an option. Ultimately, as a creator, I also have the responsibility to be the organizer of the entire system. I would like the magazine to be for the whole community, but I also want to offer good quality control to make it memorable. However, here's the interesting part:

 

- Obviously a magazine doesn't only exist for the writers, but also for the illustrators, the editors, the designers and others. I can't do absolutely all those different activities to perfection, and this is where I should not only ask for help, but need it.

 

In the end, it all comes down to how the idea is received. Maybe many people are interested and want to help and be part of the project, or maybe it is the opposite and it becomes a solo project. One way or another, it's a project I want to see done.

 

·     Writers

 

^{Who writes what and how?}

 

Well, obviously I will be one of the writers, in charge of making the "skeleton" of the magazine itself, but my idea is that there will be a variety of writers in the different articles. Some will create interesting and different articles, others will review and recommend wads, and others can add extra things, data, trivia, historical moments, etc. For now, there is only me, Endless, but I hope that with a little luck and collaboration, there may be up to 3–5 writers per magazine, and who knows, maybe even some permanent ones.

 

·     Unto the Cruel!

^{The structure of the magazine.}

 

The basic structure of the magazine is to offer interesting articles for the reader and recommendations/reviews about WADs that stand out. The main intent is to make it happen at least twice per month, if more is possible, the better, but I’m trying to make it realistic and have nice quality since it is quite a load of work. This is the schematized skeleton:

 

- Article section.

- WADs section

- Master Recommendation of this issue

- Newstuff on Doomworld.

- Screenshots/Pics Gallery

- Special thanks.

 

·     Article Section

 

This is explained by the title itself, but building a little more with the concept: This section of the magazine would be in charge of presenting a personal article on a topic of interest about Doom. These are special topics that will not always have the same category, that is, it is up to the author/writer. They can be topics such as a WAD that had a great importance in the game's history, it can be a topic about the evolution of mods, it can be about a prominent community character, it can be about a story about Doom's development, it can be a special section dedicated to a mechanic appreciated within the game, etc.

 

Anything, any topic, as long as is a well-formulated, structured and well-written article. This is the first article, the welcome one, so it's one that should be remarkable, entertaining and ''ooh cool''.

 

The number of words would depend on the author/writer, but if we talk about an average, or rather, a limit, I would put it between 1000 words minimum to 4000 words maximum. This is subject to change. It can be done about anything Doom-related. There are themes that can be as fascinating and as extensive, an example is the magnificent work of ''Roots of Mapping'' for the celebration of 25 years of Doom.

 

The goal is to deliver an article that is developed well-enough to be interesting and concise enough to be enjoyable.

 

Part of that attraction must be born with a good structure and attractive graphics. This last one is where I will need some help, since even though I consider myself a decent writer, I have zero experience when it comes to design. Anyway, the article should be presentable, illustrated and entertaining.

 

·     WADs Section

 

Just like it sounds. This is the section where the largest body of the magazine will be dedicated.

 

WADs, Megawads, Jokewads, Slaughterwads and so on.

 

This section is designed to function as both a recommendation and review area, both concepts working synergistically. The writers will select WADs that they have found to be outstanding enough to recommend to the community; for that it is not only a matter of giving a physical description of what WAD is like, but to transmit the experiences, the sensations, the passion and the love that goes into the project itself, as well as the level of fun and challenge that is expected within WAD.

 

Like the article section, this section should be well structured and presentable to be as outstanding as possible within the magazine. To do this I have thought of a structure that follows the next rules:

 

0. ESSENTIAL: The WAD must have at the beginning: the title, the author/authors and the date of publication. In that order. (Also, the WAD title must be the download link to that specific wad, of course.)

 

1. It doesn't matter what kind of WAD it is; old, new, small, big, innovative, vanilla, etc.

 

2. It must have at least 2, preferibly more, outstanding screenshots.

 

3. Each recommended WAD should have a min. of 300–500 words. More if the authors deems it worthy.

 

4. The review/recommendation should be done in a way that already implies what kind of player might enjoy it.

 

5. There should be at least a total of 5-8 WADs.

 

7. Two WADs maximum per writer (In case theres volunteers.) Note, this is subject to change.

 

The ultimate point is to promote WADs that are believed to be of high quality/importance to the community. Since tastes are relative, that's where the writer comes in to try to convince the reader why he or she thinks this WAD deserves to be mentioned on this list.

 

·     Master recommendation of this issue!

 

^{What the hell is this?}

 

The master recommendation. WAD among WADs. This section is designed to ''reward'' in some way through special promotion a WAD that has stood out incredibly from the rest. One that has caught the attention of the players and exceeded the expectations set.

 

The Master Recommendation does have a catch tho. It MUST be recent, or in other words: A WAD that was published during the current year of the writing of the issue. The month, day or just specific date doesn’t matter, what matters is the year. So, example: the Master Recommendation of the first issue would be, of course, a WAD that was done during 2020, because that’s the year when the issue was written.

 

Following the same theme as the previous ones, this WAD article will stand out among the others for bringing more writing content and a much more eye-catching presentation as well as more screenshots for better illustration.

 

One part that I wish I could add to this section would be the capacity to have a kind of ''interview'' with the author of WAD, to be able to add him to the article and offer not only the recommendation and words of the writer, but also the own perspective of the author/leader of the WAD himself.

 

In a nutshell, this part is about the golden brooch, the honorary medal. The great mentioning. A pretty cool WAD ;)

 

·     Newstuff on Doomworld!

 

^{All and any WAD published in the WADs & Mods section in Doomworld.}

Any WAD that is published within Doomworld, as long as it has a title or name, will end here. This would function as a recent publications catalogue where the reader can check the latest publications. Regardless of quality, this is where all posts with a title and link to the thread come in. I will take care of this work and make sure that the WADs that come in are all those published at least one week before the publication of the magazine.

 

·     Pictures gallery

 

If you've been on Doomworld for a while, chances are that at some point you've ended up watching the fantastic ''Doom Screenshots'' topic.

 

A wonderful place where you can find all kinds of art; from the simple spontaneous in the middle of a massacre, to the selective and careful environmental capture or even the art made by the passionate members.

 

This section is dedicated to serve as a showcase for the best captures within that topic, chosing the popular posts with 1 pic per post.

 

The number of images can vary quite a bit, from about 5 to 15 or more. It all depends on the quality of the images, community involvement and availability.

 

·     Special Thanks

^{... And Id Software for making Doom.}

 

One of the beautiful things that this community stands out for is its sense of gratitude, of appreciation, of sincere thanks.

 

This section is dedicated to giving special thanks to each member who has contributed in one way or another to the participation and creation of the magazine. It is practically that special part that we always find in the .txt, one of the most wholesome parts.

 

- - - THE FIRST EVER ISSUE - - -

The Doom Master Wadazine #1

 

Here are some few snapshots:

 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

Spoiler

 

Thanks a lot for reading! And have a nice day.

Go play some D O O M.

Edited August 25, 2020 by Endless : Update

[cambreaKer]

this is cool!

[Endless]

1 minute ago, cambreaKer said:

this is cool!

Haha, thanks bud! :D

[Edward850]

This isn't the first.

[P41R47]

AMAZING, ENDLESS!!!
I love your enthusiasm and the whole idea!!!
WE as a community needed something like this.

I have seen some really cool post by members that could be small articles, maybe a section called ''reflection time on the forums''.
And another one named Reader's Corner, with a few notable opinions on the previous issue, maybe?
Readers opinions are always good and insightful and work as a feedback, too.

I would love to contribute, don't know if as a Writer or Editor, as a wadazine dedicated to my favourite game is something i always dreamed about, but i don't know if i will have the time to help :(
The article you mentioned by Not Jabba on the ''25 years of Doom'' is one i love to re-read almost every month since it was posted.
 

[Marcaek]

Ambitious! Looks like your screenshots don't match map authors properly though.

[taufan99]

I would like to contribute to this. It's been a long time since I last wrote something (I haven't got a chance to blog recently, either), and I'd like to rejuice up my writing skills. Best of luck to this project!

[Endless]

10 minutes ago, Edward850 said:

This isn't the first.

I  looked for examples of a project similar to what I'm doing and so far I have not found anything similar, the closest is the /newstuff Chronicles. Could you tell me which one you are referring to?

[Edward850]

2 minutes ago, Endless said:

I  looked for examples of a project similar to what I'm doing and so far I have not found anything similar, the closest is the /newstuff Chronicles. Could you tell me which one you are referring to?

The last one that was done (by ScubaSteve) was handed out to attendees of QuakeCon last year.

[Endless]

5 minutes ago, InDOOMnesia said:

I would like to contribute to this. It's been a long time since I last wrote something (I haven't got a chance to blog recently, either), and I'd like to rejuice up my writing skills. Best of luck to this project!

You are absolutely welcome to issue #2! PM whenever you want ;)

 

13 minutes ago, P41R47 said:

AMAZING, ENDLESS!!!
I love your enthusiasm and the whole idea!!!
WE as a community needed something like this.

I have seen some really cool post by members that could be small articles, maybe a section called ''reflection time on the forums''.
And another one named Reader's Corner, with a few notable opinions on the previous issue, maybe?
Readers opinions are always good and insightful and work as a feedback, too.

I would love to contribute, don't know if as a Writer or Editor, as a wadazine dedicated to my favourite game is something i always dreamed about, but i don't know if i will have the time to help :(
The article you mentioned by Not Jabba on the ''25 years of Doom'' is one i love to re-read almost every month since it was posted.
 

Thanks a lot man! You are always welcome to any addition, does not matter if its small or big, you are welcome! :D

 

 

[Endless]

2 minutes ago, Edward850 said:

The last one that was done (by ScubaSteve) was handed out to attendees of QuakeCon last year.

Is there any link or thread on Doonworld ? Would really like you check it out.

[Edward850]

24 minutes ago, Endless said:

Is there any link or thread on Doonworld ? Would really like you check it out.

It wasn't a Doomworld forum thing. Rather a Doomworld community thing.

[dmslr]

4 minutes ago, Edward850 said:

It wasn't a Doomworld forum thing. Rather a Doomworld community thing.

So, is there a link?

[Edward850]

6 minutes ago, dmslr said:

So, is there a link?

My previous answer should have implied that no, there is no link (at least not one I know of offhand). Otherwise I'd have just given that instead.

[dmslr]

38 minutes ago, Endless said:

Is there any link or thread on Doonworld ? Would really like you check it out.

 

13 minutes ago, Edward850 said:

It wasn't a Doomworld forum thing. Rather a Doomworld community thing.

Sorry. Didn't know this was straight up the answer to the question above.

[P41R47]

25 minutes ago, Edward850 said:

It wasn't a Doomworld forum thing. Rather a Doomworld community thing.

I don't understand, its a Doomworld community things but there is no way for the community on the forums to read it?

Also, @Endless, if you have time, take a read to this:

Its one the best articles i read about a game in general in a long time.
Might feel a little joke-ish but its deep and psychological.
Great material!

 

[Edward850]

1 minute ago, P41R47 said:

I don't understand, its a Doomworld community things but there is no way for the community on the forums to read it?

Yes, these things happen. As I said it was at QuakeCon, a good chunk of the older community just know each other. I suppose it can seem a smidge alienating to new users, but it's sort of unavoidable given the age of the forums. 

[P41R47]

2 minutes ago, Edward850 said:

Yes, these things happen. As I said it was at QuakeCon, a good chunk of the older community just know each other. I suppose it can seem a smidge alienating to new users, but it's sort of unavoidable given the age of the forums. 

Oh i feel exiled from my nesting place now.
Maybe @Scuba Steve could help with some screenies of that issue?

[DynamiteKaitorn]

Heh. This might actually be something I'm interested in reading weekly/bi-weeky/monthy (or however this is going to be dated :l).

 

Hopefully I'll make it in there one day. <3

[Endless]

Just now, DynamiteKaitorn said:

Heh. This might actually be something I'm interested in reading weekly/bi-weeky/monthy (or however this is going to be dated :l).

 

Hopefully I'll make it in there one day. <3

 

Just now, DynamiteKaitorn said:

(or however this is going to be dated :l). 

Haha, still working on the publishing rate.

 

You are always welcome to PM if you wish to contribute some day! :D

[Doomkid]

This is excellent. Clearly a lot of effort went into this and the result is something really fun! Like we talked about in PM yesterday, I’ll happily make a new dir on Doomshack for these to be uploaded to so people can read them as regular web pages right in their browser.

 

For a while I thought doing this in pure HTML might be easier, but the PDF format works perfectly for it. Keep up the fine work!

[elend]

I like the idea. I would love to contribute, although I am not sure how. I cannot write very well (English not being my first language at all and even in my native language I am not quite a writer, hah) and don't even know much about Doom. What I can do is layout, though, but here we have another problem, mainly me being weird and using Corel Draw instead of Adobe industry standards. One time I took some "reviews" my friends wrote about games and made them look like a gaming magazine spread, which was funny because the writing of my friends is very amateur. I think your mag could use a tiny bit of layout, but I am not sure if I can contribute really. Additionally I would be worried about a bi-weekly schedule. I don't think you can keep this up for a long time. How about once a month?

 

Check my layouts out here:

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

[Endless]

7 minutes ago, Doomkid said:

This is excellent. Clearly a lot of effort went into this and the result is something really fun! Like we talked about in PM yesterday, I’ll happily make a new dir on Doomshack for these to be uploaded to so people can read them as regular web pages right in their browser.

 

For a while I thought doing this in pure HTML might be easier, but the PDF format works perfectly for it. Keep up the fine work!

You've been a great advisor and your words have inspired me greatly! Thank you always for all the help.

[Endless]

1 minute ago, elend said:

I like the idea. I would love to contribute, although I am not sure how. I cannot write very well (English not being my first language at all and even in my native language I am not quite a writer, hah) and don't even know much about Doom. What I can do is layout, though, but here we have another problem, mainly me being weird and using Corel Draw instead of Adobe industry standards. One time I took some "reviews" my friends wrote about games and made them look like a gaming magazine spread, which was funny because the writing of my friends is very amateur. I think your mag could use a tiny bit of layout, but I am not sure if I can contribute really. Additionally I would be worried about a bi-weekly schedule. I don't think you can keep this up for a long time. How about once a month?

 

Check my layouts out here:

 

  Hide contents

 

 

 

I think this one is fantastic! Your contribution, any contribution you make, would be very welcome, especially a graphic one to give more flavor to the magazine.

 

Quote

Additionally I would be worried about a bi-weekly schedule. I don't think you can keep this up for a long time. How about once a month?

Yes, this is something that might be quite troublesome, so I'm thinking maybe twice a month. After all, the magazine wont be something like a PC gamer 100 pages size tome. The first issue took me about a week of work, so, we'll see!

[P41R47]

I think that twice a month is better.
It lets new things appeard, and then we made a proper coverage, like a review of the wad/mod.
This way, also, the contributors can handle their time in a better way.
I suggest this approach because, even when projects are released, not much people notice them.
I fear that, for example, Three is a Crowd! remains almost unnoticed.

Amazing vanilla megawad with lot of effort and very creative and imaginative ways of implement storytelling mechanics and gameplay changing maps.
For me, is the best vanilla megawad iso far this year.

Also thinking in long term is also good.
For example, there are things than need a swift coverage, but other things, like reviews and articles, can be published on different issues.

 

[Roebloz]

I would be willing to make some WAD reviews for the thing if you want! Perhaps share news about Console Doom since that's my specialty?

[Scuba Steve]

Issue #1 of the Doom zine was a QuakeCon exclusive. Some of the pages can be seen online, but the magazine was reserved for attendees. The cover of the magazine is the same as the 2019 cacowards, but says Doom eternal instead, and the comic strip is one of the interior pages.

[P41R47]

26 minutes ago, Scuba Steve said:

Issue #1 of the Doom zine was a QuakeCon exclusive. Some of the pages can be seen online, but the magazine was reserved for attendees. The cover of the magazine is the same as the 2019 cacowards, but says Doom eternal instead, and the comic strip is one of the interior pages.

Looking at the signed page, it was a great day!

Is there any photo of this cool crew that conmemorates the event to share?
 

[Endless]

1 hour ago, Roebloz said:

I would be willing to make some WAD reviews for the thing if you want! Perhaps share news about Console Doom since that's my specialty?

Absolutely. You choose the WAD you think is worthy and simply send a PM and we'll coordinate!

 

50 minutes ago, Scuba Steve said:

Issue #1 of the Doom zine was a QuakeCon exclusive. Some of the pages can be seen online, but the magazine was reserved for attendees. The cover of the magazine is the same as the 2019 cacowards, but says Doom eternal instead, and the comic strip is one of the interior pages.

That explains why I never found any information about it on Doomworld. It looks like something pretty interesting.

[Impie]

I dig it. Would love to see a few issues of this.