Talk:Doom modding

message: ===Popular WADs===
We currently have two lists of "popular" WADs, given with external links. There are two problems here: "popular" is vague, and mere lists of external links are discouraged. Instead of the list of links format, we should make a list of important WADs along with one or two paragraphs of text for each describing them, preferrably motivating why they are special.
Now, how to determine importance? Popularity is nearly impossible to measure, so some kind of additional justification of substantiality is required. Megawads and TCs aren't that controversial, but in general I think both uniqueness historical significance is required. If necessary, it could be pointed out in the article text that it is difficult to decide which ones are important, and provide a hint that there are other lists out there, which are to be provided in the external links section. This should be OK; for comparison check jazz standard, that article has the same problem.
I would consider the following megawads and TCs to be worthy of inclusion:
*All TeamTNT megawads (should also be listed on TeamTNT)
*Requiem, Memento Mori 1&2, these being the "classic" megawads (are there others?)
*10 sectors, for the unique theme, and being created as a major contest
*Aliens TC and Star Wars Doom, for historical significance
*Doom64 TC, for replicating an entire game (and there apparently being no legal trouble, oddly)
*FreeDoom, for uniqueness as a project
*Hell Revealed, for being the (infamous) WAD for expert players
*Maybe Classic Episode and Alien Vendetta, mainly because they are featured on Compet-N
*Batman TC, for being a (what is widely considered a quality-)rendition of a well-known franchise, in the format of a full TC
Now, single-level WADs are a bit harder. There are way too many WADs to even try a listing based on which are considered "good" without either listing too many (possibly a thousand) or violating NPOV in being selective. "Popular" can't really be measured (I did refer to popularity in some of the motivations for megawads, but those are IMO much less controversial). There are plenty of opinions on which WADs are good, but no professional or outstandingly significant reviewers around whose authority can be referred to. Doomworld's 100 top 100 WADs may be considered somewhat authorative, but 100 is way too many to list here.
What we can do, however, is list WADs which are of historical significance. SargeBaldy suggested UAC_DEAD.WAD on IRC, which I'd agree about. What others are there? Well, the Harris levels. That's two. Can we make a list of some 10 particularly important non-megawad/TC WADs about which something interesting can be written? What about infamous WADs? The Sky May Be, Nuts.wad? (For The Sky May Be, the Something Awful review would be justification ;) Suggestions, please.
Links to external lists of WADs: there are of course too many "Bob's list of the 10 top WADs!!!" lists. We should definitely link to Doomworld's list, though. What others may be considered authorative (in some sense of the word)?
- Fredrik | talk 23:58, 5 Dec 2004 (UTC)
replies: text: I have read that "opost21" (for Doom 1) was the first user pwad that rivaled the original levels in quality.  I have played the level and consider it a good one, for its time, but like you I don't know on what authority it could be deemed historically significant.  Ray Spalding 01:05, 7 Dec 2004 (UTC)

text: I added UAC Military Nightmare to the WADs section, one because it is amazing, and two because it is very infamous. It also got a Cacoward and spawned the Terry-WAD saga.
===Expansion of article===
In addition to the above, things that should be mentioned in this article are:
* Legal problems: id Software's policy on non-commerciality and TCs getting foxed. Unfortunately I know nearly nothing about this.
* Editing details. In addition to listing editors, go into more details about what things can be modified, how levels are edited (they are edited in 2D), limitations, what limitations source ports remove. Links to editing tutorials. Maybe a Wikibook on Doom WAD making, along with one of those neat  links at the bottom?
- Fredrik | talk 00:03, 6 Dec 2004 (UTC)
thread_title: To do

message: In addition to the above, things that should be mentioned in this article are:
* Legal problems: id Software's policy on non-commerciality and TCs getting foxed. Unfortunately I know nearly nothing about this.
* Editing details. In addition to listing editors, go into more details about what things can be modified, how levels are edited (they are edited in 2D), limitations, what limitations source ports remove. Links to editing tutorials. Maybe a Wikibook on Doom WAD making, along with one of those neat  links at the bottom?
- Fredrik | talk 00:03, 6 Dec 2004 (UTC)
thread_title: Expansion of article

message: At the moment, the list of WADs is exactly not what we need; a directory of external links (WP:NOT) with no verification (WP:V) and very few with assertions of notability (WP:N). Some such as the Aliens TC are bound to have some reliable, independent coverage somewhere, but otherwise the list should be stripped. Marasmusine (talk) 08:14, 29 December 2007 (UTC)
thread_title: List of WADS

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thread_title: Fair use rationale for Image:Batman Doom.jpg

message: I edited the following this: 1) id never allowed add-ons for money, regardless of profit (it was stating otherwise; it seems some people incorrectly concluded that because the CD WAD compilations existed, id really allowed them in some way), 2) the definition of total conversion was not properly contextualized, 3) HacX, which used to have an article but doesn't anymore (as it's comparatively non-notable as a commercial release and game) is a TC, so it's on the list now, so other articles linking to HacX can now go to the list here, 4) Freedoom is not a TC because its essential purpose is functional instead of "thematic" (to create a free Doom, not to create a "new experience") and it does not alter behavior in any way (to allow full compatibility), so I moved it to miscellaneous, where it makes more sense. Who is like God? (talk) 11:50, 7 May 2008 (UTC)
thread_title:  Some changes 

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thread_title: Image copyright problem with Image:DEU.png

message: I put this on the main Doom discussion page but then I saw this entry for WADs themselves and thought this would fit here as well.
I was watching the DOOM post mortem on GDC (http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1014627/Classic-Game-Postmortem) by Tom Hall and John Romero and Tom Hall specifically states (about 5 minutes into the presentation) that the "where's all the data" definition was after the fact and that really the name came about when the team was defining file structures and John Carmack asked for an extension for "a bunch of lumps". Hall said he thought for a moment and said, "A wad?" and the name was used.
So what I'm wondering is if the current text in the beginning of the article which says "WAD" is "an acronym for Where is All the Data" should be changed. Not that that isn't true, but it seems to mean that the extension came from that phrase when in reality the phrase came from the extension.
-madpanic  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.17.18.23 (talk) 15:53, 10 April 2011 (UTC)
replies: text: So .WAD is really an acrostic, not an acronym.  Mind you, it's an acrostic anyway, since the word "wad" existed long before Doom. -- 93.97.40.177 (talk) 09:00, 11 June 2011 (UTC)
thread_title:  Meaning of "wad" extension. 

message: The cite given for WAD meaning where's all the data is not a good cite. Look at the other definitions there and there are many that are simply humorous. I'm not saying that's not what WAD means, but if it does, you need a much better source, as this is like taking a comedian's word that PETA stands for People Eating Tasty Animals.68.51.193.141 (talk) 19:12, 11 April 2015 (UTC)
replies: text: Those are the appendices of the Doom Bible, written by Tom Hall.--Drat (Talk) 03:51, 12 April 2015 (UTC)
thread_title:  Bad cite 

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thread_title:  External links modified 

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thread_title:  External links modified 

message: I think we should add Brutal Doom to the list of selected WADs, since it's one of the most popular Doom mods out there, it already has it's own page, and it's mentioned in the Doom series template. HaveYouHeardAboutTheBird (talk) 17:44, 28 April 2023 (UTC)
thread_title:  Brutal Doom 

message: I made a change to MyHouse.wad's section, and marked it as a minor edit by accident. It's not a minor edit. MarinaTheRanger (talk) 13:14, 21 February 2024 (UTC)
thread_title:  Not a Minor Edit