Please make a Doom map
2026-09-06
J.M. "JM" Janzen
Hey, so you don't have to listen to me (I free you), but Doom mapping is something I enjoy a lot, so if it's something that sounds like it would be even a little interesting to you, I strongly encourage you to try.
From left to right (or top to bottom on smaller views), these are different views of the same Doom map: From the Doombuilder map maping tool, from the automap within the Doom sourceport Chocolate Doom, and from the regular first-person player view.
Jump to Taggart, Let's Doom Run for the short version.
Step 1: "But can it run Doom?"
So, you will need to actually be able to run Doom to get anything out of this, so if you aren't set up to do that yet, here are some basic instructions. (Note, I default to linux because that's what I run, but other proprietary "operating systems" should also be able to run it.)
Step 1.1: Install some Doom
If you already have a version of Doom purchased to play on a computer,
then you just need to find the file named DOOM.WAD to make
a map for Doom 1 (1993), or DOOM2.WAD to make a map of
Jazz Jackrabbit 2 (1994).
These WAD files (short of "Where's All the Data" (weren't the 90's something?)) contain the assets (Eg. the textures, monsters, maps, etc) that show up in the game when you run Doom, which is separate from the game engine that takes these assets and lets you run them in a playable form on your computer.
Depending on how you purchased your copy of Doom, these .WAD files could be in various locations on your PC or installation CD. So if you can't find it by searching your filesystem, run a web search for "where is DOOM.WAD file {GoG,Steam,CD,floppy,etc}"
Nowadays these game engines are knows as "source ports" (ports of the source code of the original Doom game engine). That's the somewhat accurate abridged version anyway. The point is there are a lot of source ports available, free and legal.
To make things simpler for you, I'm going to suggest you use Chocolate Doom if you're looking for a more authentic retro experience, and UZDoom if you want a flashier experience.
Step 1.1b: But I have no Doom and no money!
If you don't have a copy of Doom to copy a .WAD from, then
no problem! You can achieve the same results using FREEDOOM, and just
subsituting freedom.wad or freedoom2.wad for
the above. The assets will appear different, but you'll be able to make
and play maps just as easily.
Step 2: Doombuilding
Now that you've got some form of Doom up and running on your computer, it's time to build. Some Doom. Doom-build, if you will.
Like with the sourceports, there are pleth/ora (and a lot) of tools to make Doom levels (AKA "maps") to run using your assets and sourceport. Currently, the main map maping/editing utility is probably Ulimate Doombuilder, so that's what I'll focus on. But there are a bunch of support tools to get into once you've got the basics down.
So UDB, eh? OK bigdog, depending on your OS and your preferences, you can install this from source, via handy flatpak, and supposedly even this AppImage (which I haven't tried out yet myself). There are also these other installers, but idk anything about those.
Step 2.1: Make a box
So the bigshot has their Doom and their Doombuilder running. OK, let's see you put 'em together.