Getting Started

1. Download, install and launch

Follow the steps in the Installation guide. On first launch, a setup tour walks you through source ports, base WADs, and creating your first protocol. Existing users can skip it.

2. Configure source ports

You can add several engines (GZDoom, UZDoom, Zandronum, Helion, and more) and pick which one to use per protocol.

• Click the cog icon → Source Ports tab.
• Click Scan Path to auto-detect installed source ports, or + Add Port to browse for an executable manually.
• No port installed? Use Download to fetch one inside the app.
• Give each port a name, set its family, and mark a default.

See the Manage Source Ports page for full details.

You can also set the directories for WADs, Mods, Saves, and Screenshots on the Paths tab. See Settings → Paths tab.

3. Create your first protocol

A Protocol is the combination of a base game, a source port, your mod files, and a load order that produces the final launch command.

3.1 Open the Install page

Press i from anywhere in the app, or use the sidebar. See Keyboard shortcuts.

Fill out the form:

• Name (required), e.g. Project Brutality Phase 2
• Base WAD (required), e.g. FreeDoom: Phase 2. Pre-fills from your default WAD if you set one in Settings → WAD Config.
• Source Port, a combobox populated from your configured ports (see Manage Source Ports)
• Save Directory and Launch Parameters, pre-filled from Settings
• Screenshot URL (optional), displayed as the protocol cover on the Launch page
• Description (optional), shown when hovering the protocol card

3.2 Add mod files

• Click + Add File and use the folder icon to select a mod file on your system.
• Give it a “pretty name”; that is how it appears in your mod file catalog.
• Add more files the same way, or pick previously added mods from the Catalog dropdown.
• Drag mod files to set their load order.
• If a mod depends on other files, add those first. They load before the dependent mod automatically. Use the Load Order field in the Add to Catalog dialog to declare hard dependencies; those entries are marked Required and are always injected at the top of the list. Sidecar mods load alongside their parent but never on their own.

Click Create protocol when done. A notification confirms the protocol was created and returns you to the Launch view.

4. Launch

• On the Launch view, hover a protocol to see its description and reveal Launch and Adjust buttons.
• Click Launch to start.
• The search bar at the top filters your protocols, catalogue mod files, and searches the online UAC Registry, all in one place.
• Sort the grid by Last Played, Playtime, Creation date, or A–Z with the dropdown in the top right.