How to download custom WADs for doom 2?

[Matej4449]

Can some one help me with instaling custom WADs for doom 2?

[Thermal Lance]

Use a launcher like ZDL. It will make your life way easier with modding.

[VVanTuz2OO2]

First of all you need to know basics.

Most common files that contains all the game data (and modified as well) is WAD-file (for example Alien Vendetta is "av.wad"), but for fancy-ports it is also may be PK3-file (for example Brutal Doom V21 is "brutalv21.pk3"). DEH-files are DeHacked patches to fix things.

All of these files called P-WADS, means they are optional and with additional content.
I-WADS are the games themselves, such as "DOOM2.WAD".

There are some ways to install mods. But first It is depending on:
- What source port do you use. There are three categories - Vanilla, Boom, Other. Vanilla contains Chocolate Doom and it's forks, take focus on the vanilla gameplay. Boom has improvements and experiments, it has it's forks, and also it is evolved in ZDoom (which evolved in GZDoom). Other are really different ports, such as Vavoom, Doomsday, Risen3D and etc. All the Vanilla mods will work finally with every single, but mods developed for example for GZDoom will not work with some of the other ports. This part of compatibility is a key of a correct installation.
- Which version of engine you're using. For example public version of first Doom were 1.0 for original release, 1.3 for final, 1.666 for Doom 2, and 1.9 for Ultimate Doom and Doom 2 update, but here on Steam all of the classic Doom games using 1.9, but if you pirate or developer you may use earlier versions.
- Which game you do play. The games are: Ultimate Doom (different form Shareware and Doom 1.0\1.3), Doom 2, TNT: Eviltion, The Plutonia Experiment, Heretic, Hexen, Strife. TNT and Plutonia are standalone megawads for Doom 2, but they have their own mods. Be sure to check compatibility of the mods with the games. For example A 2002 Doom Oddysey ("2002ado.wad") will not work with Doom 2 because it's a level pack for Ultimate Doom, as well as Scythe 2 ("scythe2.wad") will not work with Ultimate Doom because it was developed for Doom 2. Be SURE to check compatibility before installing.
- What mod is. There may be "simple" mods, that only has one file to use. But there also may be mods using like 5 or more files to run. Be sure to check that out too.

Now the ways of installing.

1. File Properties.
You may know that filetypes may be opened with different programs, like mp3's opens with both AIMP and Winamp if you set that launching a mp3 will cause it open in a program you set. The same with wads, pk3, and deh. So for example if it is simple one-file mode, you can set wad files to be opened with source ports, they will be launched with them. With this method you cannot open multiple files at once, so you cannot play AEons Of Death with this, but if you want to, it is possible to take all the files with XWE or Slade into one wad-archive, so you will need to launch one file, containing all of them inside.

2. Setting a launch BAT-file.
Open a standart notepad and write this. Save it with file-type ".bat"

 zdoom.exe -file 

Here you can put the names of your files you want to run with the game. This would work with most of the ports, except for some vanilla and other ports.
All the mods must be named without spaces and all of them can be launched at the same type being separated from each other with spaces.
2.1 If the mod contains in the same folder with the source-ports, simply write the file after "-file":

 zdoom.exe -file brutalv21.pk3 

2.2 If the mod contains in the another folder but in the same directory, like "C:\ZDoom\Mods\mod.wad", then it will be like this:

 zdoom.exe -file Mods\brutalv21.pk3 

2.3 If the mod contains in concretely different folder, use the same method as 2.2 but write the full path, and it must NOT have any spaces:

 zdoom.exe -file C:\Mods\brutalv21.pk3 

2.4 You can do multiple mods, in this case a mod, a mapset and a patch:

 zdoom.exe -file Mods\brutalv21.pk3 Maps\av.wad patch.deh 

3. Launchers and Managers. (This one has popularity of using, so it is not hard to find a complete guide).
You could use ZDL, IDE, Doom Explorer, Doomseeker or any other client to help you moderate the mods you install and the game you launching. ZDL is a prior choice for singleplayer games, managing P-WADS and I-WADS, and even Source-Ports you are using.
It is no rare that many just rename ZDL.exe to dosbox.exe to launch the game in the source-ports with mods, where even overlay will work.
Doom 2 has an issue with it, but it is fixable at all.


4. Using Bethesda's Port wad browser. I've heard it is pretty easy, but i'm not using that much, so you may ask others, but for now many levels being uploaded in the Workshop so you may not need to install some of them manually.

[Hakros]

Easy use my free software
https://youtu.be/uXlDntckSyI