/vr/ - Retro Games

Can someone please explain to me why DOOM 2 gets all the love when it comes to mods? I'll admit, I'm asking mostly because I don't own DOOM 2 yet, but when I keep hearing that DOOM is well-known for it's modding community, I was pretty miffed when I found out that nearly every WAD and mod nowadays only works with DOOM 2

There's exceptions, of course, (Samsara and the 3DO total conversion are ones I've played. And of course there's Brutal DOOM, which I have yet to try), but they're extremely hard to come by.

What exactly is the advantage of developing stuff with just DOOM 2 in mind? Because unless it's a WAD that makes use of the things exclusive to DOOM 2 (like Archviles, the SSG, or the various new hazards), most of the mods I've seen could've very easily worked with DOOM 1.