When the original shareware Doom hit the streets in 1993, it took the computer world by storm. It not only started the first-person shooter craze, but also defied all retail business models by being exclusively available as shareware. I played through the shareware mission many times, and the only reason I didn't buy the rest of the game was my lack of a credit card.

Once id software had gotten everyone's attention, they released Doom ][ in stores in 1994, a collection of 32 levels based on the Doom engine. This was subsequently followed by a level pack with 64 more levels. I naturally bought it all and played throughout the year, alongside whatever other games where popular then. Just when gameplay was growing stale, I discovered the multiplayer aspect, which allowed two players to call each other's modem and shoot each other. There were two other friends my age that I played with frequently, and this game became the reason for many busy signals and missed calls (which are supposedly more important than gaming when you have a teenage sister).

When multiplayer Doom grew old, we discovered that id had one last trick up its sleeve to prolong the game's life: level editing. Using a variety of third-party tools, you could take apart the Doom data files and replace any aspect of the game with your own creations. This inspired the entire MOD scene of today, and led to some great "total conversions" like Aliens Doom and Santa Claus Doom. There was even a Barney Doom, which replaced all the evil imps in the game with giant purple dinosaurs.

This was in the days before the Internet was mainstream, so to get my hands on these tools I had to buy tons of books with accompanying disks. I probably spent more money on Doom books than on the actual games. Since I didn't have any decent art programs, I usually stuck with creating my own levels and music rather than importing new graphics. The result of my level editing days was a series of twenty deathmatch levels which we played like crazy in my senior year of high school. If you still have a copy of Doom ][ on your computer, you can explore these levels firsthand; otherwise I've included maps and screenshots of each level. If you need help running these files, just send me an e-mail.

If you would like to play your copy of Doom 2 in Windows with sound, 3D, and high resolution, go download zDoom at: http://zdoom.notgod.com

Here is the design information which accompanied each pack of levels:

Other Additions       : Original music (1 song)
Build Time            : 240 hours total
Base Construction     : New levels from scratch / modifications of my own original levels
Doom Utilities Used   : DoomCad 5.1, BSP v1.2, BSP v2.0 
Known Bugs            : None
Additional Credits to : Mark Anthony Klem for his music (MKHALLS.WAD).
                        Bob Reganess for his music (DOMSTONE.WAD).
                        Mark Gresbach Jr. for the basic layout of Military Base (LEDGESI.WAD).
			   id software for music (Doom I) and creation of Doom ][
Uses, Etc             : You may use these levels as a base to create additional levels as long as I get 
			   some credit for the basic layout.
                        You may use any unique ideas from these levels in your own levels as long as I 
		          get some credit for the rough design.
                        You may use the music as long as credit is given to the authors.
                        You may distribute this WAD file as long as this TXT file accompanies it.