Editing Doom modding (section)

{{Short description|Modding in the Doom video game series}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Doom'' modding}}
{{redirect|Wads|the radio station in Connecticut|WADS|the computer science conference|Workshop on Algorithms and Data Structures|the unit of the Washington Air National Guard|Western Air Defense Sector}}
'''''Doom'' WAD''' is the default format of [[Archive file|package file]]s for the [[video game]] ''[[Doom (1993 video game)|Doom]]'' and its sequel ''[[Doom II|Doom II: Hell on Earth]]'', that contain sprites, levels, and game data. WAD stands for ''Where's All the Data?''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://5years.doomworld.com/doombible/appendices.shtml |title=5 Years of Doom |publisher=Doomworld |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029193812/http://5years.doomworld.com/doombible/appendices.shtml |archive-date=2013-10-29}}</ref> Immediately after its release in 1993, ''Doom'' attracted a sizeable following of players who created their own [[mod (video gaming)|mods]] for WAD files—packages containing new [[level (video gaming)|levels]] or [[graphics]]—and played a vital part in spawning the mod-making culture which is now commonplace for [[first-person shooter]] games. Thousands of WADs have been created for ''Doom'', ranging from single custom levels to full original games; most of these can be freely downloaded over the [[Internet]]. Several WADs have also been released [[commerce|commercially]], and for some people the WAD-making [[hobby]] became a gateway to a [[profession]]al career as a [[level designer]].

There are two types of WADs: IWADs (internal WADs) and PWADs (patch WADs). IWADs contain the data necessary to load the game, while PWADs contain additional data, such as new character sprites, as necessary for custom levels.