How to install and setup jDoom

[mike breck]

After reading Nuclear Crusader's good advice about using jDoom, it occurred to me that some people might welcome a guide on how to set it up. Mod sites are not the most forthcoming in providing setup information and to a newcomer can be very vague and confusing.
After, trying out many different Doom ports, I too have come to the conclusion that jDoom is the best. This guide is therefore for anyone who would like play an enhanced, hassle-free version of Doom.

What is jDoom?

It is a brilliant OpenGL port by the talented Jaakko Keranen which uses the Doomsday Engine to update and enhance the original games.

It offers:
3D models - no more flat enemies.
mouse look
high-resolutions
good soundcard compatiblity
configurable mouse and keyboard controls including jump mode
dynamic lights
flares
network support
It can run on D3D or 3DFX and is designed for graphic hardware acceleration, supporting both Direct3D and OpenGL.

Do I have to fully install Doom to make jDoom work?

Not necessarily. It depends which version you have. All you need from any version of Doom to run with jDoom, is the WAD file. The WAD for Doom is doom.wad, Doom11 is doom2.wad, and Ultimate Doom is again doom.wad.
Browse your Doom CD and see if you can identify any of these WADS.
If you can, then you don't have to install the game. You just copy the WAD to your jDoom folder as in Step 12.
If you can't, then tough luck, you'll have to install the game (or games if want two or three WADs) to reveal the WAD file, unless someone can tell me different.

How to install Doom and jDoom

For the sake of simplicity, I will call all three versions Doom. The setup
is the same for all of them.

1. If you can't find a Doom WAD file on the CD, then you'll have to install Doom, Doom11, or Ultimate Doom (which ever one(s) you wish to play) on your computer.
You may have to install from Windows or from MS-DOS depending on which version(s)of the Doom Trilogy you have.
If you have to install in MS-Dos, just follow the instructions in the CD-Rom Readme and you can't go wrong.
DON'T CONFIGURE DOOM AFTER IT'S INSTALLED. You don't need to. Just exit setup after the install is complete.

2. Go to Jaakko's site and from the Files section download jDoom 1.0 (Full) and jDoom 1.1 Patch to your Desktop.

http://jdoom.newdoom.com/


3. Empty your C:\WINDOWS\TEMP folder, and using Winzip extract jDoom to it.

4. Create a new folder called jDoom on your Hard Drive. Wherever you would like jDoom to be installed.

5. In C:\WINDOWS\TEMP double-click on "Setup" to install jDoom. When asked where you would like to install it, just click the "Browse" button and point the install program to the jDoom folder you created.

6. During the installation you will be asked to choose OpenGL or Direct 3D as the renderer. This depends on your graphics card. Most modern cards support both. I prefer OpenGL. If you don't like your choice, you can alway change it later.

7. You will be asked if you wish to enable A3D for the 3D sound effects. If your soundcard supports A3D, then enable it. If it doesn't or you're not sure, then leave it. I can assure you the screams and roars will be loud and clear enough.

8. You will be asked to specify the default IWAD file. I just leave this blank as you can select the WAD (assuming you have more than one) you want to run in the jDoom Launcher.

9. When installation is complete, reboot the PC while holding down the Shift key. That will restart Windows rather than the whole PC.

10. Use Winzip to extract the jDoom 1.1 Patch to the jDoom folder on your Hard Drive. It will overwrite and update the existing jDoom 1.0 files. If you're asked to confirm each file replacement, just say "Yes to all".

11. Restart the PC while holding the Shift key.

12. jDoom is now fully installed and updated. All you have to do now is copy and paste your Doom WAD(S) into the jDoom folder.
If you have the WAD(S) on the CD just copy it from there. If you had to install Doom, then find the WAD(s) in the program folder on your Hard Drive, and copy it and paste it into the jDoom folder.

13. We'll miss out thirteen because it's unlucky.

14. To start a game and configure your WAD(S)go to Start Menu>jDoom>Launcher.

15. In the tree in the right-hand pane go to jDoom Options>External WAD's and right-click on it. This will bring up a box where you can add External WADs to start up. Click "Add" and browse the WADs in your jDoom folder. Just hightlight and click "Open" to add it to your list.

16. When you've added all the existing WADs click "OK" to close the External WADs box.

17. Under External WADsYou will now see a tick box for each WAD that you have added. To start Doom, Doom11, or Ultimate Doom, just tick the box and click on the Start Game button on the bottom left-hand corner of the Launcher Window.

18. Once in-game you can setup controls and resolution to suit yourself.

19. All being well, your mouse and soundcard will be working perfectly.

20. As well as being able to play all three versions of Doom, you will now be able to download other WADs and Mods made by Doom fans from Doom dedicated sites like

http://www.doomworld.com/

Just copy the new WAD into the jDoom folder and "add" it to you "External WADs" box in the jDoom Launcher. There are loads to choose from, so enjoy!

21. One final point, if you want to use the WADs from all three Doom games. As the Doom WAD and Ultimate Doom WAD are both called doom.wad, and you can't have two WADs with the same name, you will have to rename the Ultimate Doom WAD to doom3.wad.
To do this simply right-click on the Ultimate Doom WAD and choose "Rename" from the drop-down list.

So that's it. It's not a perfect or comprehensive, but if it helps at least one person to get jDoom up and running, then I'll be happy.

If you've never played Doom before, then I hope you enjoy the brilliance of it's level design and the devlish deviousness of it's tricks and traps. If you have played it before, then use jDoom to revisit some old friends in beautiful 3D.

Also check out Jaakko's jHeretic and jHexen. Two great games you can buy cheaply now, and thanks to Jaakko, look and play better than ever before.

If anyone has any comments or suggested improvements in setting up, configuring, or tweaking jDoom, then I would be happy to hear them.

[Nuclear Krusader]

Kudos for that guide mike!!!

[alber]

does that work with any of the shareware versions too, if you don't 'own' the game?

[Nuclear Krusader]

jDoom works with all versions of Doom including the shareware releases.
It seems that you must use version 1.666 of Doom though, but that wouldn't be a problem since you can find version 1.9 in the id web site.

Happy dooming!

[mike breck]

Thanks Nuclear for bringing jDoom to everyone's attention.

However, there is an error in my guide.

The Ultimate Doom WAD is called doom3.wad so there is no need to change it's name to doom2.wad. jDoom will recognise the doom3.wad and play Ultimate Doom.

The reason I made this error is that I don't actually have any Doom games installed on my PC - I just have copies of WAD files I have stripped from the games and downloaded. I have played around and renamed many of these files.

So although jDoom WILL work with doom3.wad, some other ports such as Doom Legacy WILL NOT recognise it. In that case, you have to rename the doom3.wad to doom.wad or doom2.wad to get it working.

However, as I've said, if you're using jDoom you DON'T have to do this.