Well, I've done some preliminary work on the resource wad so far. Figure I'll go ahead and share the designs I've been considering:
Code:
- Rifle
Slot: 2
Ammo: Bullets
Power: **
Description:
A slight upgrade from the pistol, the rifle fires bullets in three-round bursts (or perhaps a single burst of 3 rounds, for gamism). Although the overall fire rate is less than the chaingun, it is very accurate, making it an effective early-game weapon.
Alternative idea: Shells for ammo, semi-auto, slightly-less-than-shotgun damage.
- Nailgun
Slot: 4
Ammo: Bullets (2 per nail)
Power: ***
Description:
An id-classic, this souped-up flechette launcher is super-useful against groups of enemies. Though it eats ammo like candy, each 'nail' can pierces multiple enemies, dealing an extra helping or two of whoopass.
- Flamethrower
Slot: 5
Ammo: Napalm
Power: ****
Description:
A fan-favorite. Why negotiate when you can dunk 'em in flames? Powerful, but range is limited. Uses unique ammo, which helps its usefulness a bit in regards to other projectile weapons.
- Dark Claw
Slot: 6
Ammo: Souls
Power: ****
Description:
Severed hand from a powerful demon. Fires a magical beam of death, because what game is complete without a beam weapon? ;)
It (along with the Soulrender) uses a new ammo type, Souls, which can be obtained from fallen demons and siphoned from certain areas of Hell.
- Soulrender (Unmaker)
Slot: 7
Ammo: Souls
Power: *****
Description:
A Giger-esque monstrosity of epic proportions. The dark energy it fires will seek out opponents, and it is also rumored to have the ability to temporarily posess souls. Scary stuff...
- Hand Grenades
Slot: N/A (Inventory? Keybind?)
Ammo: Grenades
Power: ***
Description:
Pull the pin, toss, and watch the show! Wider blast radius than rockets, same damage. Won't explode on contact with an enemy, though, so time your throws. Possible to "cook" grenades by holding down the trigger for a few seconds.
The idea is twofold: simplicity and utility. The weapons shouldn't be anything huge, unwieldy, or special-effect-happy, and they should also fill a unique enough role to not just be a "me too" weapon. Of all behaviors, the Dark Claw's is the most subject to change. "Beam weapon" sounds fun, but it's not super-original and it's possible that there's a better opportunity for a cool engine showcase. Feel free to toss in some ideas to the pot. It's not done yet.

In addition to these, I'm also considering tweaking up the Shotgun and Chaingun balance a bit, namely making the former fire 10 pellets per shot and the latter be a bit faster (3 tics per second) to make 'em more useful against Doom 2's more dangerous cast. Thoughts on this? I can see why one would be hesitant to change the original balance and the new weapons could certainly provide a good amount of new content anyway, but it's something I saw another wad do once and I thought it was neat enough to bring up. Discuss. ;P