Editing Master Levels for Doom II

[[Image:Master_Levels_Box.jpg|thumb|right|Master Levels for Doom II box.]]
[[Image:Masterbig.jpg|thumb|right|Australian magazine advert for the Master Levels for Doom II.]]
[[Image:master_levels_cd.jpg|thumb|right|Master Levels for Doom II CD, from the [[Depths of Doom Trilogy]] collection.]]
The '''Master Levels for Doom II''' were released on {{timeline|1995|December 26, 1995}} by [[id Software]] as an expansion pack for [[Doom II]]. It was also included as a bonus on the [[Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil]] {{wp|Xbox (console)|Xbox}} game disc in 2005, and in [[Doom Classic Complete]] on PSN. The [[Final Doom (PlayStation)|PlayStation]] version of [[Final Doom]] includes 13 levels from the Master Levels.

The CD contains twenty [[WAD]] files created by various authors under contract. The file TEETH.WAD contains a secret level, so there are a total of 21 levels. To ease playing these WADs, the collection also includes [[DOOM-IT]], an application created by Chris Badger for id Software which allows the individual WADs to be loaded through a menu interface.

As a bonus, a poster and 1830 amateur [[PWAD]] files downloaded from the internet (collectively called [[Maximum Doom]]) were also included in the retail release. (The Maximum Doom levels are not included with the downloadable version found on [[Steam]].) Also of note is that some of the contracted designers for the Master Levels had levels they had previously released on the Internet that were included in Maximum Doom.

The CD also included a digital catalog called [[id STUFF]], which offered encrypted software for which an unlock code could be ordered, as well as mail order products such as T-shirts.

==Motivation==
It has been mentioned by [[John Romero]], [[John Carmack]], and several of the involved mappers that the primary motivation for the creation of the Master Levels was to "give the [[D!ZONE]] guys a run for their money," as [[id Software]] had become increasingly dissatisfied with other companies releasing various {{wp|shovelware}} CDs full of Doom add-ons without any of the windfall reaching back to id. According to mapper [[Sverre André Kvernmo (Cranium)|Sverre Kvernmo]], id was looking for skilled mappers who might have a lot of existing unreleased material that could be included. As a result, most of the Master Levels WADs are parts of pre-existing series, some of the earlier installments of which had previously been released on the Internet.

==Levels==
====[[John Anderson (Dr. Sleep)]]====
* [[MAP08: Geryon (Master Levels)|Geryon: 6th Canto of ''Inferno'']] (GERYON.WAD)
* [[MAP05: Minos' Judgement (Master Levels)|Minos' Judgement: 4th Canto of ''Inferno'']] (MINOS.WAD)
* [[MAP07: Nessus (Master Levels)|Nessus: 5th Canto of ''Inferno'']] (NESSUS.WAD)
* [[MAP09: Vesperas (Master Levels)|Vesperas: 7th Canto of ''Inferno'']] (VESPERAS.WAD)
* [[MAP03: Virgil's Lead (Master Levels)|Virgil's Lead: 3rd Canto of ''Inferno'']] (VIRGIL.WAD)

====[[Jim Flynn]]====
* [[MAP01: Titan Manor (Master Levels)|Titan Manor]] (MANOR.WAD)
* [[MAP01: Trapped on Titan (Master Levels)|Trapped on Titan]] (TTRAP.WAD)

====[[Christen Klie]]====
* [[MAP01: The Catwalk (Master Levels)|The Catwalk]] (CATWALK.WAD)
* [[MAP01: The Combine (Master Levels)|The Combine]] (COMBINE.WAD)
* [[MAP01: The Fistula (Master Levels)|The Fistula]] (FISTULA.WAD)
* [[MAP01: The Garrison (Master Levels)|The Garrison]] (GARRISON.WAD)
* [[MAP01: Subspace (Master Levels)|Subspace]] (SUBSPACE.WAD)
* [[MAP01: Subterra (Master Levels)|Subterra]] (SUBTERRA.WAD)

====[[Sverre André Kvernmo (Cranium)]]====
* [[MAP25: Black Tower (Master Levels)|Black Tower]] (BLACKTWR.WAD)
* [[MAP07: Bloodsea Keep (Master Levels)|Bloodsea Keep]] (BLOODSEA.WAD)
* [[MAP07: Mephisto's Maosoleum (Master Levels)|Mephisto's Maosoleum]] (MEPHISTO.WAD)
* TEETH.WAD:
** [[MAP31: The Express Elevator to Hell (Master Levels)|The Express Elevator to Hell]]
** [[MAP32: Bad Dream (Master Levels)|Bad Dream]]

====[[Tom Mustaine]]====
* [[MAP01: Paradox (Master Levels)|Paradox]] (PARADOX.WAD) ''(with [[Bob Mustaine]])''

====[[Tim Willits]]====
* [[MAP01: Attack (Master Levels)|Attack]] (ATTACK.WAD)
* [[MAP01: Canyon (Master Levels)|Canyon]] (CANYON.WAD)

== Rejected levels ==
These levels were sent to id for inclusion, but were rejected for various reasons.

===Christen Klie===
* [[Device One]] ({{ig|id=15300}})
* [[The C.P.U.]] ({{ig|id=15301}})
* [[The D.M.Z.]] ({{ig|id=15302}})
* [[The Enemy Inside]] ({{ig|id=15298}})
* [[The Fury]] ({{ig|id=15344}})
* [[The Hive]] ({{ig|id=15303}})

===Tom Mustaine===
* [[MAP01: System Control (TNT: Evilution)]]
* [[MAP17: Processing Area (TNT: Evilution)]]
* [[Doom2 Map14 Homage]]

===Sverre André Kvernmo===
Sverre was working on a 32-level megawad titled [[Cabal]], about a [[cyberdemon]] lord betrayed by his peers and turned into a human. But when he was contracted to contribute to the Master Levels for Doom II, he sent the twelve maps he had already finished. Five were kept, and the other seven were later released as the Cabal series. 

* [[MAP03: Bloodflood (Cabal series)|Cabal 1: Bloodflood]] ({{ig|id=3722}})
* [[MAP02: Derelict Station (Cabal series)|Cabal 2: Derelict Station]] ({{ig|id=3724}})
* [[MAP04: The Watchtower (Cabal series)|Cabal 3: The Watchtower]] ({{ig|id=3727}})
* [[MAP05: Temple of Death (Cabal series)|Cabal 4: Temple of Death]] ({{ig|id=3728}})
* [[MAP06: We who are About to Die (Cabal series)|Cabal 5: We who are About to Die]] ({{ig|id=3723}})
* [[MAP09: Eye of the Storm (Cabal series)|Cabal 6: Eye of the Storm]] ({{ig|id=3725}})
* [[MAP30: The Image of Evil (Cabal series)|Cabal 7: The Image of Evil]] ({{ig|id=3729}})

== Master Levels Menu Interface ==
The {{zdoomwiki|title=Master Levels Menu Interface|linkonly=1}} is a 2010 [[ZDoom]] WAD created by Zippy which is designed to replicate the menu functionality of [[DOOM-IT]] in-game and allow all 21 levels to be played without restarting the engine each time. Once the WADs are added, the Menu Interface can be loaded in ZDoom, and used to play each WAD at any [[skill level]] in whichever order the user wants; they will be returned to the menu each time they complete a level.
===Notes===
*Completing a level takes the user back to the menu and adds an asterisk next to the level WAD file. However, starting a new game will reset the status of levels completed so it is possible for one to save the game right at the menu to avoid this happening. This allows one to load the game when wishing to come back later.
*The secret level from TEETH.WAD (Bad Dream, also known as TEETH2 in this mod) is not listed under the menu hence it's secret. Completing it will not make it available to choose in the menu but it will overwrite stats from TEETH (The Express Elevator to Hell) if one chooses the secret level.

== Native support ==
[[File:Masterlvpick.png|thumb|right|The Eternity Engine's Master Levels selection menu.]]
[[File:MasterlvpickUnity.jpg|thumb|right|The Master Levels selection menu in the Unity port of Doom II.]]
Recent versions of the [[Eternity Engine]] include native support for playing the Master Levels from within Doom II without use of [[parameter|command-line parameters]] or the need to exit the game to play other maps or the normal game. After configuring the directory in which the maps are stored (it will be automatically detected if installed via [[Steam]] or in the standard DOS install location), the menu pictured to the right can be used to start any of the maps. The secret level of TEETH.WAD is accessible by using the secret exit switch in the first map of that WAD file. After a level is completed, the menu reappears. A new map can be started, or escape can be pressed to return to the Doom II title screen.

A Master Levels map selection screen also appears in the [[Doom Classic Unity port]] of Doom II as of the January 9 update. Upon starting a new game and selecting the episode "The Master Levels," a list of levels will appear, functioning similarly to the menu used in the Eternity Engine. The selection uses the full names of the levels instead of their WAD file names. Completing a level will reopen the menu, presenting the option to choose a new level or exit to the title screen. The secret level of TEETH.WAD is accessible through The Express Elevator to Hell by finding the secret exit in the level.

If [[Crispy Doom]] is able to detect [[MASTERLEVELS.WAD]], it can be loaded as a PWAD for Doom II, with fixes to ensure that [[Tag 666]] still works properly in the [[MAP07: Bloodsea Keep (Master Levels)|fourteenth]] and [[MAP07: Mephisto's Maosoleum (Master Levels)|fifteenth]] levels. As of version 5.9.0, it can also automatically assemble the individual PC WADs to work as if they were MASTERLEVELS.WAD, if they are placed in the same folder as Crispy Doom. It also uses revised versions of the ending texts from [[Classic RBDOOM 3 BFG]], depending on if the player takes the normal exit from [[MAP31: The Express Elevator to Hell (Master Levels)|MAP20]], or the secret exit to [[MAP32: Bad Dream (Master Levels)|MAP21]] and finishes that level.

[[Classic RBDOOM 3 BFG]] can assemble the individual Master Levels WADs into a copy of MASTERLEVELS.WAD. Like Crispy Doom, the port ensures that the necessary maps behave as they're supposed to despite using a different level number, and also includes a second file titled mlbls.wad. The contents of this WAD include a custom [[Intermission screen|INTERPIC]] based on that of Doom II, but colored white to match the boxart of Master Levels, level names to appear on the intermission screen, and John Anderson's starry sky textures.

== Level progression ==
While there is no real level progression in the original PC release, the console releases have organized them in episodes, generally based simply on alphabetical order.

{| {{PrettySortable}}
!WAD name!!Map name!!PC slot!![[Final Doom (PlayStation)|PSX slot]]!![[Xbox|Xbox slot]]!![[Doom Classic Complete|PSN slot]]
|-
|ATTACK.WAD||Attack||1||1||1||1
|-
|CANYON.WAD||Canyon||1||3||4||2
|-
|CATWALK.WAD||The Catwalk||1||5||5||3
|-
|COMBINE.WAD||The Combine||1||4||6||4
|-
|FISTULA.WAD||The Fistula||1||6||7||5
|-
|GARRISON.WAD||The Garrison||1||&mdash;||8||6
|-
|MANOR.WAD||Titan Manor||1||&mdash;||10||7
|-
|PARADOX.WAD||Paradox||1||10||&mdash;||8
|-
|SUBSPACE.WAD||Subspace||1||11||12||9
|-
|SUBTERRA.WAD||Subterra||1||12||13||10
|-
|TTRAP.WAD||Trapped On Titan||1||&mdash;||16||11
|-
|VIRGIL.WAD||Virgil's Lead||3||2||18||12
|-
|MINOS.WAD||Minos' Judgement||5||8||&mdash;||13
|-
|BLOODSEA.WAD||Bloodsea Keep||7||&mdash;||3||14
|-
|MEPHISTO.WAD||Mephisto's Maosoleum||7||&mdash;||&mdash;||15
|-
|NESSUS.WAD||Nessus||7||9||11||16
|-
|GERYON.WAD||Geryon||8||7||9||17
|-
|VESPERAS.WAD||Vesperas||9||13||17||18
|-
|BLACKTWR.WAD||Black Tower||25||&mdash;||2||19
|-
|TEETH.WAD||The Express Elevator To Hell||31||&mdash;||14||20
|-
|TEETH.WAD||Bad Dream||32||&mdash;||15||21
|}

==Sources==
* {{wikipedia|title=Master Levels for Doom II}}

==See also==
* [[Cabal]] series
* [[Doom2 Map14 Homage]]
* [[Inferno (series)|Inferno]] series
* [[MASTERLEVELS.WAD]]
* [[Master Levels for Doom II 25th Anniversary MIDI Pack]]

==External links==
* {{Archived link|http://www.idsoftware.com/killer/doommac.html|id Software's ''Master Levels for Doom II'' page|https://web.archive.org/web/20010203124100/http://www.idsoftware.com/killer/doommac.html|archive.org}}
* [https://doomshack.org/uploads/ML%20Text%20Files.zip All Master Levels .txt files] on [[Doomshack]]
* [https://classicdoom.com/hosted/larsen/mlfaq103.htm The Unofficial Master Levels for Doom II FAQ by Henrik Larsen] at [[ClassicDOOM.com]]
* {{idgames|title=Master Levels Menu Interface|id=16188}} 
* [http://store.steampowered.com/app/9160/ Master Levels for Doom II on Steam]
* {{archived link|http://us.playstation.com/games-and-media/games/doom-classic-complete-ps3.html|Doom Classic Complete (PSN; delisted)|https://web.archive.org/web/20140920102451/http://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/doom-classic-complete-ps3|archive.org}}


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