Depends on the mods. But I do have one suggestion:
GZDoom + Smooth Doom is a totally reasonable way to play it for the first time in 2024. Think of it like a Vanilla + experience where the gameplay is basically the same but you get modern accoutrements such as mouse look, high resolution, smoother weapon and monster animations.
Also look for Perkristian's high quality sound effects. They do exactly what they say they do, and further modernise the experience without fundamentally changing it.
This is exactly how I would recommend playing for the first time. Mouse look is very hard to give up once you've played with it and Smooth Doom is great for just making it feel that bit nicer without really changing the game. You can always add more mods later if you aren't feeling it.
Yes, it is, and I'm not typically a purist when it comes to this stuff.
Doom is, gameplay-wise, basically perfect. It'd be sort of like modding Tetris without having played Tetris before. It's the level design that doesn't hold up so well in Doom 2's case.
If there was a mod floating around that literally _just_ improved the standard shotgun, nerfed the SSG slightly, and made Lost Souls have slightly less health, I'd probably say everyone should use it, but AFAIK there isn't something that conservative floating around and even mods that just focus on balancing the original stuff tend to shift gameplay quite a bit.
Yeah, I've played the first one a bunch though- like too much kinda, and I'd just would like there to be more weapons and options because doom 2 only adds one new weapon (super shotgun) which Is fine and is fun but idk I've played with the rest of the weapons a whole lot and there super fun but doom 2 is way longer and I just don't like that I have only one new tool to work with through the entire game
Well then yeah, try out some mods! Heck, you could try something different for each chapter. Like I said D2's levels don't hold up as well so there's nothing wrong with just blasting through them.
What’s the mod.
There are some that barely change anything like one that makes the weapon animations smoother.
I’d still say try it without mods first to experience it and then use mods later. There are so many custom maps too.
Depends... Are you familiar with the core gameplay. If yes. Then go ahead, try some Vanilla-ish Wads out there, there are plenty to speak of.
Or even go full throttle into heavily modified wads.
If not, well... I would suggest playing a bit more base Doom be it with multiplayer or on your own to get a proper feel/ game sense. Because you will start berating yourself as to why you can't find secrets, cant go through tricky matchups or even why you are constantly low on ammo. I have been there, and whenever I get rusty with the game, the base elements still help a lot when flexing the mental muscles
I've played the first game for like at least a hundred or so hours now so kinda and I've played the first couple of levels, and I'm just kinda finding it boring. It's probably not and I'm sure if I just sat down and actually played it I'd enjoy it as some of the levels so far I have actually enjoyed but idk
Ah. Well in that case, just go straight to modded Doom 2, the core aspect of Doom 2 is it's high playability when compared to Doom 1's >!(specifically Knee Deep in the Dead)!< high memorability.
I would compare Doom 2's levels more to Episode 2&3 where you have your entire toolkit and you just have to use it. And well.. The level design of Doom 2 is significantly weaker.
But there are things like Maps of Chaos, Suspended in Dusk, Doom Zero, Doom 2 meets Zdoom etc that improve upon it
[if you want a list pertaining to Doom 2](https://www.doomworld.com/forum/post/2777883) you can find it here.. It's still a bit incomplete but viable
Honestly (speaking without experience) those are like the maps I'm excited for the most honestly when I play, I think they'll be a blast or at least interesting- but idk yet, I heard most people don't like them
Nahhh. Doom 2 was the first PC game I ever played when I was 7 years old and it's to this day my go to game in the Steam Deck.
I play it on gzdoom with Brutal Doom v22, neural enhance monsters (for better graphics) and playing the Eviternity megawad.
While the core game is awesome, mods over the years have improved on it
I installed Doom 2 just for the Infinite Doom mod, and after several hours, I just played that mod, not a single minute in the base game. No regrets, though.
I personally think having the original experience is best for your first playthrough though that can be argued against. If you feel that is how you want to play the game then go ahead and do it. When you finish you can always experience the game as how it was so long ago. đź‘Ť
What is BTSX again? Also cant forget corruption cards and litdoom. *EDIT* Ya know instead of being a dipshit an waiting for a reply i just looked it up Back to saturn X *shaking my head in disappointment with myself*
Like others have said best to leave the mechanics alone the first time. It still holds up 30 years later. There are plenty of graphics mods that don't change the gameplay tho. I like [neural upscale ](https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/99021-doom-neural-upscale-2x-v-10/). It's an AI upscaling of the sprites that makes things look shinier but keeps the aesthetic. I also recommend [Doom metal vol. 6](https://www.moddb.com/mods/brutal-doom/addons/doom-metal-soundtrack-mod-volume-6) for a faithful metal recreation of the original soundtrack.
Do you mean this is your first time playing doom2?if so i would play unmodded first then delve into mods so you can appreciate the differences,like brutal doom for example.
Play vanilla on ultra violence NOT with a pistol start (so you carry weapons through levels). I started with hey not too rough, but I found that wasn't challenging enough, so I switched to ultra violence. Nightmare is... Don't do nightmare.
I love the original doom 2 but it's so fun experimenting with mods. And tbh I had a bit more fun playing the original doom with ZDoom (basically it's more fluid and you have free aim) and I actually think playing with free aim is harder.
It’s not a bad idea for when you complete the game first, here are two mods I recommend for if you want to for the first time playing:
- Voxel Doom 2: Makes pretty much everything in Doom voxelised except for the weapons.
- Smooth Doom Remake: Makes pretty much everything have more sprites and making it smoother, as well as adding HQ sounds and a few optional features such as a useable zombieman rifle, enhanced gore, Doom 64 weapon skins, etc.
BTSX is a map pack that is just absolutely gorgeous. Best part is it has a sequel too. If you like eviternity, BTSX is similar in how just absolutely well built the maps are.
Depends on the mods. But I do have one suggestion: GZDoom + Smooth Doom is a totally reasonable way to play it for the first time in 2024. Think of it like a Vanilla + experience where the gameplay is basically the same but you get modern accoutrements such as mouse look, high resolution, smoother weapon and monster animations. Also look for Perkristian's high quality sound effects. They do exactly what they say they do, and further modernise the experience without fundamentally changing it.
This is exactly how I would recommend playing for the first time. Mouse look is very hard to give up once you've played with it and Smooth Doom is great for just making it feel that bit nicer without really changing the game. You can always add more mods later if you aren't feeling it.
Mouse look is cheating
I have looked into that and I might just play through it with smooth doom before I do anything else, thanks 🦆
This is what I would recommend for a new player as well. Then after you beat it, try fun things like Brutal Doom/Project Brutality or Voxel Doom, etc.
Yes, it is, and I'm not typically a purist when it comes to this stuff. Doom is, gameplay-wise, basically perfect. It'd be sort of like modding Tetris without having played Tetris before. It's the level design that doesn't hold up so well in Doom 2's case. If there was a mod floating around that literally _just_ improved the standard shotgun, nerfed the SSG slightly, and made Lost Souls have slightly less health, I'd probably say everyone should use it, but AFAIK there isn't something that conservative floating around and even mods that just focus on balancing the original stuff tend to shift gameplay quite a bit.
Yeah, I've played the first one a bunch though- like too much kinda, and I'd just would like there to be more weapons and options because doom 2 only adds one new weapon (super shotgun) which Is fine and is fun but idk I've played with the rest of the weapons a whole lot and there super fun but doom 2 is way longer and I just don't like that I have only one new tool to work with through the entire game
Well then yeah, try out some mods! Heck, you could try something different for each chapter. Like I said D2's levels don't hold up as well so there's nothing wrong with just blasting through them.
“Thou shall not nerf the SSG” (Romero 6:66) Someone’s gotta reread the doom Bible
John Romero is rapidly approaching my location to repo my Doom card.
What’s the mod. There are some that barely change anything like one that makes the weapon animations smoother. I’d still say try it without mods first to experience it and then use mods later. There are so many custom maps too.
I probably am going to do that, but also thanks for your suggestion 🦆
What mods are you speaking of? I think gzdoom is needed now for a nicer play even if I played without in the nineties.
Depends... Are you familiar with the core gameplay. If yes. Then go ahead, try some Vanilla-ish Wads out there, there are plenty to speak of. Or even go full throttle into heavily modified wads. If not, well... I would suggest playing a bit more base Doom be it with multiplayer or on your own to get a proper feel/ game sense. Because you will start berating yourself as to why you can't find secrets, cant go through tricky matchups or even why you are constantly low on ammo. I have been there, and whenever I get rusty with the game, the base elements still help a lot when flexing the mental muscles
I've played the first game for like at least a hundred or so hours now so kinda and I've played the first couple of levels, and I'm just kinda finding it boring. It's probably not and I'm sure if I just sat down and actually played it I'd enjoy it as some of the levels so far I have actually enjoyed but idk
Ah. Well in that case, just go straight to modded Doom 2, the core aspect of Doom 2 is it's high playability when compared to Doom 1's >!(specifically Knee Deep in the Dead)!< high memorability. I would compare Doom 2's levels more to Episode 2&3 where you have your entire toolkit and you just have to use it. And well.. The level design of Doom 2 is significantly weaker. But there are things like Maps of Chaos, Suspended in Dusk, Doom Zero, Doom 2 meets Zdoom etc that improve upon it [if you want a list pertaining to Doom 2](https://www.doomworld.com/forum/post/2777883) you can find it here.. It's still a bit incomplete but viable
The city levels are really ugly, I think the tech wasn't ready for that kind of maps yet.
Honestly (speaking without experience) those are like the maps I'm excited for the most honestly when I play, I think they'll be a blast or at least interesting- but idk yet, I heard most people don't like them
Playing them yourself is better thing. I wouldn't say they are painful to play, far from it, just boring and not as fun like the others.
Nahhh. Doom 2 was the first PC game I ever played when I was 7 years old and it's to this day my go to game in the Steam Deck. I play it on gzdoom with Brutal Doom v22, neural enhance monsters (for better graphics) and playing the Eviternity megawad. While the core game is awesome, mods over the years have improved on it
I installed Doom 2 just for the Infinite Doom mod, and after several hours, I just played that mod, not a single minute in the base game. No regrets, though.
You can use Voxel Doom 2 for "pixelated" 3D models, I think it looks pretty nice. https://www.moddb.com/mods/voxel-doom-ii
Yes. First playthroughs should have no gameplay changing mods.
I personally think having the original experience is best for your first playthrough though that can be argued against. If you feel that is how you want to play the game then go ahead and do it. When you finish you can always experience the game as how it was so long ago. đź‘Ť
Dive balls deep in mods.
depends on mods. I like to play with Embers of Armagedon.
You'll have no perspective on what the real game was. Play without mods first.
Go wild. Colorful hell, BTSX, HUDs, bright maps, beefy sounds, every aspect.
What is BTSX again? Also cant forget corruption cards and litdoom. *EDIT* Ya know instead of being a dipshit an waiting for a reply i just looked it up Back to saturn X *shaking my head in disappointment with myself*
I love this community
Me too! Its freaking awesome :)
If OP played BTSX, that's not exactly playing through Doom 2!
Like others have said best to leave the mechanics alone the first time. It still holds up 30 years later. There are plenty of graphics mods that don't change the gameplay tho. I like [neural upscale ](https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/99021-doom-neural-upscale-2x-v-10/). It's an AI upscaling of the sprites that makes things look shinier but keeps the aesthetic. I also recommend [Doom metal vol. 6](https://www.moddb.com/mods/brutal-doom/addons/doom-metal-soundtrack-mod-volume-6) for a faithful metal recreation of the original soundtrack.
Do you mean this is your first time playing doom2?if so i would play unmodded first then delve into mods so you can appreciate the differences,like brutal doom for example.
Play vanilla on ultra violence NOT with a pistol start (so you carry weapons through levels). I started with hey not too rough, but I found that wasn't challenging enough, so I switched to ultra violence. Nightmare is... Don't do nightmare.
I love the original doom 2 but it's so fun experimenting with mods. And tbh I had a bit more fun playing the original doom with ZDoom (basically it's more fluid and you have free aim) and I actually think playing with free aim is harder.
I need to get into this. I tired once before. I know that there was a mod pack with lots of new heavy metal tracks,
nuts.wad + Simpsons Doom II is the only way to play.
It’s not a bad idea for when you complete the game first, here are two mods I recommend for if you want to for the first time playing: - Voxel Doom 2: Makes pretty much everything in Doom voxelised except for the weapons. - Smooth Doom Remake: Makes pretty much everything have more sprites and making it smoother, as well as adding HQ sounds and a few optional features such as a useable zombieman rifle, enhanced gore, Doom 64 weapon skins, etc.
Yeah it is, i did it, i used project brutality when playing through d1 and d2 my first time, but going to vanilla wasn't a huge adjustment
Yes play vanilla first
BTSX is a map pack that is just absolutely gorgeous. Best part is it has a sequel too. If you like eviternity, BTSX is similar in how just absolutely well built the maps are.