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Egyptian Guardian

Should I play classic wads without the aid of mods?

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Hello everyone. I am new to this forum, and I have been playing the doom franchise for almost 2 years now. Ever since I have graduated from the vanilla-like working of zdaemon, I decided to download Brutal Doom and instantly became addicted to mods. I have downloaded more mods then I can play honestly, from Stronghold, to Ultimate Torment and Torture, to Winter's Fury I have downloaded yesterday, it turns out I need more stuff to keep me busy. I have recently become interested in wads after getting Final Doom as I find them interesting in the fact that they reminisce of the classic doom gameplay. However, I really like mods that spice up the gameplay with new quirks added in like PB. So far, the wads I have downloaded are Ancient Aliens, Valiant, and Sunlust. I enjoy Valient the most with it costumed weaponry and demons but still maintaining the classic charm along with it's amazing environment, which I also like in Ancient Aliens. Sunlust is neat, but like I said before, I have only been playing doom in Zandorum for 2 months and recently found out how to set up GZDoom yesterday, so I can only beat levels on Sunlust, Ancient Aliens, and Valiant below HMP.

So basically this comes up with several questions.

1. Is it best to play wads without modifications for the best original enjoyment?

2. What are some GREAT wads that you would recommend for a beginner? I am starting to gain lots of skill by going against hordes of strong demons like mancubi and some cyberdemons. But still, it will take a while before I can successfully complete Sunlust on a fun difficulty. I like wads like Valiant and Ancient Aliens; Awesome textures and a nice fun challenge, but not over the top. I heard Scythe 2 and Alien Vendetta are some of the best wads in existence, so can someone please help me with this? Thank you.

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hello m8 so to your question i would say in my opinion that i prefer to play wads the way they was orignally meant to be played as sometimes the gameplay mods can make it "different" I think depending on what gameplay mod you add it changes the game I mean some gameplay wads will make doom feel like call of duty which isnt neccaserily a bad thing however i like doom to stay the way it is and have the doom feeling

also I see you said you like sunlust good luck thats a hard one.
I would recomend the following:

-sunder , good visuals and good gameplay
-thunderpeak , very fun but only 2 levels

oh and for some laughs try the extreme weapon pack (its a joke wad) you will know when you find it (and is a good joke wad,no spoilers)

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Yes I'd recommend playing classic map sets without gameplay mods first, so that you're sure that they work as expected. Mods that change the gameplay can sometimes break the gameplay. This is both in terms of mechanics (I've seen maps that just couldn't be completed with some gameplay mods, they basically created a bug) and in term of balance (some situations meant to be challenging can become near-impossible, or far too easy).

Then you can play them again with gameplay mods if so you want.

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joe-ilya said:

Play how you like it whenever you like it, don't ask for opinions.
No one's going to complain about you playing via Brutal doom or something, only assholes.

Also : https://www.doomworld.com/vb/wads-mods/63127-megawads-for-beginners/ First result in google, do people seriously forget about just googling their needs instead of making a thread? Gosh.



The funny thing is is that I actually found that thread before I started my thread. I'm just looking for different opinions.

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Due to the added functionality in modern source ports (like GZDoom), many modern wads are basically mods themselves. It's not at all uncommon for wads to change elements of the gameplay that in any other game would be considered a mod, from new weapons to new enemies to new functionality.

For the reason, when playing a new wad for the first time I would definitely suggest trying it with one of the vanilla source ports (the wads often list which ones it has been tested with, but GZDoom is a good bet. I personally use Zandronum). That way you get to experience it as it was designed to be played.

If you want to then mess about with combining it with other mods, go right ahead, but as pointed out these could actually break the wad if there's conflicting changes.

For an idea of whether the wad contains lots of changes, read the readme file. It lists what's gone into it. Some wads are a vanilla experience (e.g. John Romero's new maps have nothing custom in them) and then you probably could jump straight into a mod, but for most playing them straight to begin with is probably best.

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It doesn't really matter much, if it works it works, if it doesn't it doesn't...It isn't the end of the world, just swap out the mods or play without.

I also like some variety now and then, and will play with various mods, on various WADS but even so like others have said this can sometimes cause conflicts. But yeah, they won't harm you really.

Like Bauul says, some WADS have their own mods to come with them, which may cause some problems. But then you do more swapping out or playing without. Although if a WAD comes very mod heavy, I'll just stick with its mods and won't introduce anymore to it....but you always can if you want to risk it.

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I think I'll always put Alien Vendetta at #1 and Scythe2 at #2. Alien Vendetta is just so balanced and the levels never seem to run out of cool ideas all the way through the megawad. Erik Alm only released up to map 27(I think) on Scythe2 at first. He took quite awhile to finish the last 3 maps and I think they feel a little rushed and out of place. Play Alien Vendetta first I would say, without mods.

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Only if it doesn't break the challenge. Mods like DemonSteele make some old wads a cakewalk, while other like Hideous Destructor makes them impossible. Try experimenting.

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Bernie said:

However, I really like mods that spice up the gameplay with new quirks added in.

...with costumed weaponry and demons [...] along with it's amazing environment.


I would heavily recommend Pirate Doom! It might not have that classic feel but the quirks and modifications it introduces I would say it's too good to miss out on.

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If your having a hard time with a mapset/wad, feel free to play with mods (well, feel free to do what ever you please) But as for things you should try enjoying without mods...

I'd Advise:
Pirate Doom,
Psx Doom
Doom 64 tc(or ex, I suggest ex)
fistfull of doom,
Jenisis
Scythe & Scythe 2
Alien Vendetta

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I prefer stock guns the first time around, but mods can be fun for replayability. As a few others have said though, play the way you find the most fun!

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I totally recommend playing wads the way they're intended the first time around (i.e. classic wads w/ vanilla settings, etc). I think this point stands especially today, where map authors are explicitly balancing their wads based around classic weapons when mods like brutal doom already exist. It's respectful to the author to at least experience what they intended from the map once.

With that said man, play Doom and have fun. There are loads of mods out there to amplify your experience, and it'll give those maps you've already played a new level of replay value. It's a fun game!

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Dragonfly said:


Can you please help me with playing it? I have already installed it but I can not get it to run on GZDoom. My guess is is that it is not a pk3 file that GZDoom can recognize, so how can I get it to accept it?

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It's intended for GZDoom. The easiest way is to drag the file 'Pirates!.wad' onto your copy of GZDoom.exe. If this doesn't work, make sure you have an up to date copy of GZDoom etc. If you still have problems, drop a message here and myself or someone else will likely help out.

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Bernie said:

Can you please help me with playing it? I have already installed it but I can not get it to run on GZDoom. My guess is is that it is not a pk3 file that GZDoom can recognize, so how can I get it to accept it?


Weird. I remember it working when I used GZDoom. Which version are you on?

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Saturn said:

Weird. I remember it working when I used GZDoom. Which version are you on?


The latest version,2.2.1(Non-64 bit version)

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Dragonfly said:

It's intended for GZDoom. The easiest way is to drag the file 'Pirates!.wad' onto your copy of GZDoom.exe. If this doesn't work, make sure you have an up to date copy of GZDoom etc. If you still have problems, drop a message here and myself or someone else will likely help out.


Still having problems. When I drag the file into GZDoom, it won't even ask me what iwad I should use. It then fails to load it by giving me a "fatal error".

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Copy paste the starting log or whatever its called.
I'm talking about when the small box appears with all the stuff being loaded is shown.

What version are you running?

Did you disable the "show iwad selection screen" option?

Does GZdoom work with only the IWADs?

Do other PWADs cause this problem?

You computer specs?

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Or if you feel you wanna just pretty things up a bit without breaking the vanilla flow. There's always stuff like smooth doom or so.

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Uploading to imgur then posting an [img] link is the simplest way to post screenshots

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Dragonfly said:

Can you show a screenshot of the fatal error? Cheers.


I have found it easier to make wads and mods work on GZDoom if they are pk3. How can I turn my Pirate Doom wad to a pk3 file?

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