Installing on Windows

Requirements

64-bit Windows (Windows 10/11 recommended)
The latest GZDoom release (you can get GZDoom from zdoom.org)
DOOM II: Hell on Earth's doom2.wad (you can get DOOM II from Steam or GOG)
Freedoom: Phase 2's freedoom2.wad if you don't want to use DOOM II

This guide pertains to users of the Sonic: Lock & Load PK3.
You may also choose to use the Sonic: Lock & Load Launcher, which automates installation and game starting.

Important: I don't use Windows anymore - I switched to Linux in April 2024. Any support for playing Sonic: Lock & Load with the Windows version of GZDoom is limited in that regard, but given the nature of DOOM and the multitude of tutorials on how to mod it, it's probably fine.

Setting up GZDoom

Download and unzip GZDoom's folder, somewhere where you won't lose track of it, if you haven't already.

Take your DOOM2.WAD file and put it in the same folder as gzdoom.exe. You can leave it in its Steam directory, it'll still work, but this is good practice.

Getting a copy of the game

If you already know how to run GZDoom mods, the process is exactly the same.

Simply grab a PK3 from GitHub releases or git clone the Sonic: Lock & Load repository for the latest development version.

Running the game

You can use ZDL to make running the game easy, especially if you want to use any of the DLC.

For a good video tutorial, you can refer to How To Get Started With Doom Mods, GZDoom and ZDL by IcarusLIVES.

Otherwise, drag and drop Sonic-LockandLoad-vX.X.X.pk3 on top of your GZDoom executable, or run gzdoom -file Sonic-LockandLoad-vX.X.X.pk3 on the command line.

And that's it!

You're now playing Sonic: Lock & Load. Have fun with it, and don't forget to configure the options in case you want to!

If you have any feedback, open an issue on Sonic: Lock & Load's GitHub.