abstract
| - The central experience of the Doom community, of course, is playing the game. If you have never played before, this article should help you get started. You will need a computer or game console capable of running Doom (a fairly complete list can be found here), as well as two pieces of software:
* The program, or executable, which tells the computer how the players and monsters move around and what the weapons and other objects do. Different operating systems usually require different executables.
* The data file, or IWAD, which contains all the actual maps and the graphics used to draw them. This is the same for every system. IWADs are most commonly named as .WAD. Console versions of Doom always include both of these. If you have a Windows or Macintosh computer, and you buy a prepackaged game from id Software or your favorite retailer or online auction site, both pieces are also included. If you have a different operating system, or you have simply encountered an annoying bug in the included Doom95, you may require or prefer an alternative executable (a source port) or an emulator; as open source programs and freeware these are generally free of charge, but do not include the IWAD, which is proprietary software owned by id Software. (The Freedoom project intends to create a non-commercial IWAD, but it is far from complete.) For more detailed instructions, click on the kind of machine you are using:
|