Most experienced Doomers are well acquainted with "Vanilla" gameplay, and are also well-versed with modern interpretations to the old classic. Though I will briefly detail the terms enough to help you get started, I will not be going in-depth and instead provide links to external sources.
This short little article hopes to provide the reader with succint general information with only brief or minor references to the technicalities behind everything.
What is Boom?
Unknown to many people are the strict limitations of the original 1993 Doom - small 320x240 resolution, visplane, segs, linedefs, actions and many other restrictions. The DOS game was also prone to glitches and errors, such as the tutti-frutti effect or slime trails. However, TeamTNT created the "Boom" (go figure) port which solves all these problems. Released in 1998, the engine aimed to fix these errors and extend the functionality of the original game - all while emulating the beloved vanilla style in gameplay.
In other words, it polished up Doom to modern standards. Keep in mind that although new features have been added, flats can only be used on the floor/ceiling, and textures on walls, and older ports cannot interpret MAPINFO lumps.
You can read more at the Doom Wiki.
Decorate and ACS
This section should come after some fluency with Doom Builder.
Decorate modifies the behaviour of monsters and weapons, and allows for the customization of "things." It is the successor to DeHacked and BEX patches. While not explicitly a language per se, there are many guidelines to adhere to for maximum performance, and creativity is encouraged. The intricacy of Decorate increases with additional features, such as reloading or complex enemy movements.
ACS, or "Action Code Script," is a scripting language that introduces unique events into the mods. ACS showcases immense diversity, and is capable of supporting massive mods such as All Out War or Ghouls Vs. Humans. For beginners, this usually involves basic cutscenes, level alteration, or camera control, but is not limited to such a small selection.
Neither DECORATE nor ACS are supported by vanilla.
Read more about DECORATE and ACS.
Decorate and ACS
This section should come after some fluency with Doom Builder.
Decorate modifies the behaviour of monsters and weapons, and allows for the customization of "things." It is the successor to DeHacked and BEX patches. While not explicitly a language per se, there are many guidelines to adhere to for maximum performance, and creativity is encouraged. The intricacy of Decorate increases with additional features, such as reloading or complex enemy movements.
ACS, or "Action Code Script," is a scripting language that introduces unique events into the mods. ACS showcases immense diversity, and is capable of supporting massive mods such as All Out War or Ghouls Vs. Humans. For beginners, this usually involves basic cutscenes, level alteration, or camera control, but is not limited to such a small selection.
Neither DECORATE nor ACS are supported by vanilla.
Read more about DECORATE and ACS.
Mapping Formats
Upon starting a new map, you'll notice many options available for starting a map, including those mentioned in the section title.
[Doom-in-Doom] restricts actions to their original game, but allows for flat/texture usage regardless of their respective surfaces. It is very similar to [Doom-in-Hexen], but lacks the versatility of its successor, and is generally not recommended for advanced usage. For more basic maps, stick to Boom, and for fancier effects, use either [Doom-in-Hexen] or UDMF.
[Doom-in-Hexen], developed by Raven Software, implements the effects found in the later game Hexen for Doom. If you've played the original Doom, you'll notice that there aren't any slopes, true deep water, scripted cutscenes or any of that jazz. This mapping formats allows the application of such features, but for the original Doom instead of just for Hexen. While these sounds nice, this format is quickly being outclassed by UDMF. For some mappers, Hexen format is considered deprecated, and inferior to UDMF, but I find that it's a matter of personal preference.
[UDMF] is a hassle-free, all-in-one, package for Doom mapping, featuring all the bells and whistles of Hexen format while removing all the limits of one byte values (aka max 255 scripts/tags). While it's usage in the modding scene is growing, the older ports won't be able to run these maps. UDMF aims to provide an intuitive mapping format that's easy on both the mappers and the programmers that continually add more features to it.
Read more at the ZDoom Wiki.
IWADs vs PWADs vs PK3's
The commonalities between these file extensions is that "WAD" stands for "Where's all the data?"
IWADs, or Internal Wads, contain all the data to make the complete package of the game, including all the maps, music, sprites, coding and textures from the original games. Without these, there would be no textures, monsters etc in any of the custom maps. Sharing IWADs are illegal by law, and should be purchased legally.
IWADs include doom.wad, doom2.wad, tnt.wad, plutonia.wad, hexen.wad, and many others.
PWADs, or Patch Wads, contain only the necessary information to expand on the original game, equating in a much smaller file size because they don't force the user to redownload all the sprites, etc, when they already exist in the IWAD. PWADs cannot run without the IWAD accompany.
Read more about IWAD's or PWAD's.
PK3's are a fancier way of editing mods, and are in other words, .zip files. That's right, you can crack open a PK3 file with your everyday compression tool explorer such as WinRAR. Some benefits to the PK3 structure is that it supports subfolders and individual wads. Rather than using several wads, you can zip the wads into a single package for play.
Read more about PK3's.
IWADs, or Internal Wads, contain all the data to make the complete package of the game, including all the maps, music, sprites, coding and textures from the original games. Without these, there would be no textures, monsters etc in any of the custom maps. Sharing IWADs are illegal by law, and should be purchased legally.
IWADs include doom.wad, doom2.wad, tnt.wad, plutonia.wad, hexen.wad, and many others.
PWADs, or Patch Wads, contain only the necessary information to expand on the original game, equating in a much smaller file size because they don't force the user to redownload all the sprites, etc, when they already exist in the IWAD. PWADs cannot run without the IWAD accompany.
Read more about IWAD's or PWAD's.
PK3's are a fancier way of editing mods, and are in other words, .zip files. That's right, you can crack open a PK3 file with your everyday compression tool explorer such as WinRAR. Some benefits to the PK3 structure is that it supports subfolders and individual wads. Rather than using several wads, you can zip the wads into a single package for play.
Read more about PK3's.
Flats vs Textures
Flats are 64x64 images drawn only on the floors and ceilings of sectors. Unlike textures, they cannot be manually aligned in any mapping format except UDMF. Textures are images usually in the sizes 64x128, that are plastered on the wall of the maps that you play. Both flats and textures can be animated.
Any format except for Boom or Vanilla allows for placing flats on walls, and textures on floors. While modern source ports can play these maps seamlessly, you will encounter errors if playing in old ports such as Chocolate Doom or prBoom, or even DOSBox.
Source Ports
With the introduction of truecolour screens and GUIs, the usage of command line declined rapidly - and we can't have Doom running via CMD still, can we? Source ports were developed in people's own interests to have their say on features that make it in or not. While some might focus on functionality, others might place importance on multiplayer and server compatibility.
prBoom+ (Main Page)
prBoom maintains compatibility at the Boom level, but offers many features for oldschool gameplay and demo recording. For example, players can adjust the speed of their game from 10% to 500%, or output their demos straight to an .avi file for uploading.
ZDoom (Main Page) | GZDoom (Main Page)
Arguably at the forefront of adding modding effects, ZDoom, developed by Randy Heit, is the most feature loaded port out there, from software based 3D floors to increased smarter AI. Although ZDoom lacks online multiplayer, it is the #1 port for playing advanced mods, and also offers Boom compatibility.
GZDoom, developed by Graf Zahl, is ZDoom in a nutshell, but forked over to a separate programming schedule. Its most notable feature is the usage of OpenGL features.
Chocolate Doom (Main Page)
The port aims at the opposite direction from its competition; instead of chocking itself of optional things that never really existed in vanilla gameplay, Chocolate Doom offers a complete retro experience, including all the beloved mapping glitches and limitations. For a nostalgic option, Chocolate Doom is as "vanilla" a nostalgic port can get.
Doom Legacy (Main Page)
An alternative to play Boom compatible mods in. Contrasted to prBoom, Legacy has some unique features, such as split-screen, OpenGL support, jumping and freelook.
ZDaemon (Main Page) | Zandronum (Main Page) | Odamex (Main Page)
The three multiplayer ports that offer online gameplay with players around the world through an internet connection, each with their individual strengths and weaknesses.
ZDaemon mostly plays oldschool game modes, such as deathmatch, capture the flag, cooperative and survival. Combine a large 50 player per server support and frequent players and you get yourself a successful port. However, most newschool mods that rely heavily on ZDoom effects will most likely NOT run successfully on ZDaemon due to a fork in development from ZDoom. ZDaemon also utilizes an FPS cap, meaning that the maximum framerate is locked at 35 FPS.
Special events include TNS, or Thursday Night Survival, where players get together and try to live through the most grueling maps together. ZDaemon Sessions tries out both new and old wads for friendly games of deathmatch and ctf, among other modes.
Zandronum, or formerly known as Skulltag, houses up to a whopping 64 players in every individual server, with support for both oldschool Boom compatibility, or newschool support for many ZDoom mods. Speaking from a technological view, Zandronum is quite behind the ZDoom, but the developers are always constantly adding new features dedicated to improving multiplayer experience. Unlike Zdaemon, as a player you're more likely to land yourself into team based gameplay mods or enhanced cooperative games rather than classic deathmatch or CTF.
Special events include FNF (Friday Night Fragfest), where players gather in either an American or European server to duke it out in a weekly brawl, or SNS (Saturday Night Survival), for players to challenge their abilities to play through level packs.
With the introduction of truecolour screens and GUIs, the usage of command line declined rapidly - and we can't have Doom running via CMD still, can we? Source ports were developed in people's own interests to have their say on features that make it in or not. While some might focus on functionality, others might place importance on multiplayer and server compatibility.
prBoom+ (Main Page)
prBoom maintains compatibility at the Boom level, but offers many features for oldschool gameplay and demo recording. For example, players can adjust the speed of their game from 10% to 500%, or output their demos straight to an .avi file for uploading.
ZDoom (Main Page) | GZDoom (Main Page)
Arguably at the forefront of adding modding effects, ZDoom, developed by Randy Heit, is the most feature loaded port out there, from software based 3D floors to increased smarter AI. Although ZDoom lacks online multiplayer, it is the #1 port for playing advanced mods, and also offers Boom compatibility.
GZDoom, developed by Graf Zahl, is ZDoom in a nutshell, but forked over to a separate programming schedule. Its most notable feature is the usage of OpenGL features.
Chocolate Doom (Main Page)
The port aims at the opposite direction from its competition; instead of chocking itself of optional things that never really existed in vanilla gameplay, Chocolate Doom offers a complete retro experience, including all the beloved mapping glitches and limitations. For a nostalgic option, Chocolate Doom is as "vanilla" a nostalgic port can get.
Doom Legacy (Main Page)
An alternative to play Boom compatible mods in. Contrasted to prBoom, Legacy has some unique features, such as split-screen, OpenGL support, jumping and freelook.
ZDaemon (Main Page) | Zandronum (Main Page) | Odamex (Main Page)
The three multiplayer ports that offer online gameplay with players around the world through an internet connection, each with their individual strengths and weaknesses.
ZDaemon mostly plays oldschool game modes, such as deathmatch, capture the flag, cooperative and survival. Combine a large 50 player per server support and frequent players and you get yourself a successful port. However, most newschool mods that rely heavily on ZDoom effects will most likely NOT run successfully on ZDaemon due to a fork in development from ZDoom. ZDaemon also utilizes an FPS cap, meaning that the maximum framerate is locked at 35 FPS.
Special events include TNS, or Thursday Night Survival, where players get together and try to live through the most grueling maps together. ZDaemon Sessions tries out both new and old wads for friendly games of deathmatch and ctf, among other modes.
Zandronum, or formerly known as Skulltag, houses up to a whopping 64 players in every individual server, with support for both oldschool Boom compatibility, or newschool support for many ZDoom mods. Speaking from a technological view, Zandronum is quite behind the ZDoom, but the developers are always constantly adding new features dedicated to improving multiplayer experience. Unlike Zdaemon, as a player you're more likely to land yourself into team based gameplay mods or enhanced cooperative games rather than classic deathmatch or CTF.
Special events include FNF (Friday Night Fragfest), where players gather in either an American or European server to duke it out in a weekly brawl, or SNS (Saturday Night Survival), for players to challenge their abilities to play through level packs.
Odamex is a relative newcomer to the multiplayer scene, but is quickly gaining popularity among veterans for its vanilla emulation. Having its first public announcement back in 2007, it was recently selected for the 2013 Quakecon Doom II tournament.
Special events include "Odamex Saturday Nitro," which invites players to join in several competitive game modes, such as DM or CTF, or "Odamex Thunder," which is similar to ZDaemon's "ZDaemon Sessions" or Zandronum's FNF.
OpenGL
OpenGL supports more advanced features for Dooming, but is more taxing on the computer as it requires more resources from the hardware, rather than strictly from the software itself. Features include (but of course, are not limited to):
A drawback to these features is mostly that it requires special considerations into port compatibility and computer system requirements, where intensive mods using many dynamic lights or 3D floors would have a hard time running on a dated computer.
Read more about OpenGL features here.
OpenGL supports more advanced features for Dooming, but is more taxing on the computer as it requires more resources from the hardware, rather than strictly from the software itself. Features include (but of course, are not limited to):
- 3D Model support, as opposed to the traditional sprite based monters
- 3D Slopes, compared to software's fixed floors
- Ambient lighting
- Truecolour rendering (not limited to 255 colour palette)
- Full up/down rendering - you can look a true 90 degrees up or down
- Mirrors
A drawback to these features is mostly that it requires special considerations into port compatibility and computer system requirements, where intensive mods using many dynamic lights or 3D floors would have a hard time running on a dated computer.
Read more about OpenGL features here.