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Wadarcheology

Interested in rediscovering forgotten pieces of Doom work? Looking to explore in uncharted lands? Ready to get your hands dirty while digging for lost gems? Want to share forgotten knowledge to the new word? Welcome to the Wadarcheology project.

So, what is Wadarcheology?

Wadarcheology, from WAD (Where is All the Data?) and Archeology (To dig up, hehe) is a discipline that specializes in the exploration of old archives, websites and forums, for the purpose or rediscovering classic WADs that have been either forgotten to time or completely lost among an ocean of content. In other words: To dig up for lost maps that have a relevant value and/or historic background.

This is a long-term project that aims to rediscover long-lost forgotten WADs and/or masterpieces. We searched a lot of resources both online, as files, CD’s and even exchanged WADs. The main goal is to play until we find something that has the following qualities:

1. It must be from 1994 (year that PWADs came to life) to 2004.

2. It must have a low popularity or relatively unknown origin.

3. A not so well-known author or obscure maker.

4. Mostly forgotten or with very little citations, or just hard to find.

5. And it must have some sort of relevancy that is worth its rediscovery:

  • It must be fun and/or;
  • Innovative;
  • Visually pleasing for its age;
  • Worth playing or;
  • All of the above.

This would qualify as what I like to call, a forgotten gem. Ultimately, our main goal is to give new life to old pieces of Doom works that have stood quietly among the ocean of content that this community produces daily. Due to the huge number of WADs that have been released over the years, there are chances that there are some great quality maps that sadly ended up being ignored due to the simple nature of the content. It is our job to seek out these pieces and help give them a new life by reviewing, sharing and enjoying them. The authors may even still be active to this day, and this, I’m sure, would give them a good smile!

How can I become a Wadarcheologist?

A classic collection of WADs awaits!

Easy, go and participate in the Doomworld thread by following the rules stated above when digging up for WADs. Now, when it comes to reviewing, here’s some guidelines that I would strongly advice to follow correctly:

1. Use at least 100 words.

2. Use at least 2 screenshots for each review.

3. State year.

4. State the name of the author.

5. State the source-port you used.

As for some optional things you can also employ:

  • If you know more about the context or background of the WAD and/or author, please share it.
  • You can use videos if you want.
  • Or a demo.
  • Keep your own archive or spreadsheet of your discoveries to keep track of your work done.

So, if you’re interested in becoming a wadarcheologist, be my guest and join this enterprise and let’s rediscover WADs from yore!