Support NeoGAF

[EviLore]

First off, let me just say that I wasn't inordinately hyped for Doom 3. I didn't expect anything more than a great graphics engine tying down a solid single player game.

With that out of the way, I think the game kinda sucks. While the graphics are very nice, they are also pretty repetitive; same dark hallways, with the occasional cutscene or super high tech device working in the background. The overall gameplay really boils down to:

1. Walk down hallway

2. 2 creatures pop out, one oftentimes spawning directly behind you (to be SCARY!)

3. find the nearby medpack, armor, and ammo

4. Walk down hallway


Rinse and repeat for HOURS. There is very little variation on this concept. Yeah, every now and then you find an NPC, and every now and then you have to fight *more* than 2 creatures...but one of them still usually spawns directly behind you. It gets to the point where it doesn't even feel like I'm progressing, just walking along the same treadmill continuously.

The audio doesn't hold a candle to HL2's. The gun sounds are tinny, the sounds creatures make in the distance for effect are cool, but when they're actually in sight it's often crackly and unrefined (I found that to be the case with the imps, if I recall).

Interaction with other characters is superficial at best. You find a scientist working on something every few levels, and you often see non-possessed marines or the "important people" running off ahead of you while you watch through unbreakable glass windows, but it doesn't even feel like they're really there. Hell, as far as I know it doesn't affect anything if you just shoot those scientists and other NPCs in the head as soon as you meet them and just move on. They seem to serve very little purpose.

The PDA audio files are incredibly boring. Most of them describe the same thing -- unexplained events are starting to make the base a little creepy. They provide little to no insight into the story, but some of them seem to randomly include keycodes at the end. Since the audio logs don't have a textual transcript, you can't easily reference them, and if you don't write down those codes you can find yourself having to play back the entire log again, since the codes were always at the very end of the log. You listen to System Shock 2's audio logs because they're interesting, not because the developers almost forced you to.

One of the game's elements that might've sounded amusing but is really more tedious than anything is the reference to real-world URLs that you can visit on the non-fictional internet. Emails will contain links, prompting you to minimize the game and visit them. Except that Doom 3 minimizes very poorly, and alternatively if you want to just exit and reload the game afterwards instead, you'll have to stare at a loading screen for minutes. These websites amount to a simple splash page with a big keycode displayed (yay), or a simple flash animation that shows you nothing that wasn't in the proper game. Nothing but a gimmick.

Also, while the graphics engine might be very impressive as facilitating an indoor corridor shooter, the brief outdoor scenes don't look particularly impressive. Doom 3's engine may excel, but only under certain circumstances, and I don't see it being nearly as versatile as Source.

This, along with the totally gimpy multiplayer aspect, leaves me with a sour impression. id will make plenty of money from both normal sales and engine licensing, but as an FPS I feel Doom III doesn't further the genre at all.

That's just me, though. Most people seem to like it ;b

 

[Grey Fox]

Does Doom 3 come with any extras or anything? What's the justification for the $55 price point?

I'm just going to wait for it to come down.

Other than it's one of the best games of the year,and one of the first games with next gen engines,and most games cost around that price anyways,what more could you want?

 

[dark10x]

I know Greg K is currently playing the game like a madman!

He was playing the game almost ALL NIGHT last night and even tossed up some new videos along with it. When he posted his plan to do that, he noted that someone was currently picking up his copy from a retail store...which obviously means that they did not recieve a review copy from Activision.

 

[Tenguman]

The press never received review copies from Activision, so they had to be like the rest of the folk and wait in line at EBGames this morning.

 

[mattx5]

Nice, Doom 3 and HL2 are the reason I got my new PC -

Athlon 64 3200
1 gig of ram
Radeon x800

I can't wait to try the game out

 

[Paradox]

OK, so the flashlight sounds just fine...that's good. Seems like the 'nades are useless, though.

woah the nades are far from useless, Ive killed alot with them.


Anyways, best tip for this game: WATCH YOUR BACK! and your sides, god damn! Incredible incredible game. My only complaint is that it really doesent feel like doom. The only time I felt I was playing a doom game was when I was getting hit by multiple flying guys and a rocket guy. Which was very intense.

 

[dark10x]

Damn EviLore, that really kinda puts a damper on my anticipation.

A couple non-gameplay related items, though...

Also, while the graphics engine might be very impressive as facilitating an indoor corridor shooter, the brief outdoor scenes don't look particularly impressive. Doom 3's engine may excel, but only under certain circumstances, and I don't see it being nearly as versatile as Source.

I'd say that Far Cry's engine is quite superior to Source. It features most of the advanced shader effects found in HL2 as well as near Doom 3 quality shadow support and is capable of drawing absolutely MASSIVE areas with fairly quick load times. It can render a massive island and multiple indoor facilities within just one map. It is also the only engine I have ever seen that is capable of drawing a very convincing forest environment. Obviously, Far Cry itself only used the technology to create a "tropical" environment...but the engine was clearly designed to be licensed out and I believe it could be used for a wide variety of games. I'd imagine the engine is capable of emulating the look of both Doom 3 and Half-Life 2, if it were to be used for that purpose. They are even adding in PS3.0 support and all kinds of even more advanced techniques (some of them similar to what we saw in the Unreal 3 demo). The downside is that it seems to be the most demanding of the new engines...but is still very playable on average machines.

Of course, I can't judge the Source engine just yet. We still have to wait until the game releases. Although it clearly lacks features found in CryTek, a high framerate could seriously sway me towards Source. Due to the fact that they do not even seem to be attempting any sort of advanced shadowing technique (AT ALL), it might actually run VERY well in comparison to Doom 3 and Far Cry.

One final note on FC, though...I may praise the engine, but I found the game to be quite poor. Bad scenario design and plenty of major gameplay faults seriously mucked up what could have been an enjoyable romp. There are times when the game is good fun, but most of the levels just aren't that fun to play...

The audio doesn't hold a candle to HL2's. The gun sounds are tinny, the sounds creatures make in the distance for effect are cool, but when they're actually in sight it's often crackly and unrefined (I found that to be the case with the imps, if I recall).

Half-Life 2? I suppose we could base it off of the E3 demos, but I think we should wait until the game is completed before judging the audio. I was actually more curious to hear how well Doom 3 could stand up to System Shock 2 and Silent Hill, more than anything else...but it doesn't seem to have fared well. You seem to be focusing more on the actual sound effects, though. I'm more interested in the ambient audio...how does that compare to something like Silent Hill (which still reigns supreme in that category IMO).

One of the game's elements that might've sounded amusing but is really more tedious than anything is the reference to real-world URLs that you can visit on the non-fictional internet.

Is this actually a requirement or are these URL visits optional?

I am really starting to worry about the game now...

Far Cry is the reason for that. FC recieved tons of praise and generally high reviews...but the game just wasn't very good! I seriously hope Doom 3 doesn't end up as another Far Cry...

 

[EviLore]

Half-Life 2? I suppose we could base it off of the E3 demos, but I think we should wait until the game is completed before judging the audio. I was actually more curious to hear how well Doom 3 could stand up to System Shock 2 and Silent Hill, more than anything else...but it doesn't seem to have fared well. You seem to be focusing more on the actual sound effects, though. I'm more interested in the ambient audio...how does that compare to something like Silent Hill (which still reigns supreme in that category IMO

The ambient audio is generally pretty good. Comparing it to the Silent Hill games, I can tell you that I felt much more tense during those...along with System Shock 2, which despite the shitty graphics is so much more immersive than Doom 3. Ambient audio is only a contributing factor, of course; the formulaic aspect of D3's gameplay also contributed, as well as the incredible overabundance of health/armor/ammo on the normal difficulty setting.

Half-Life 2? I suppose we could base it off of the E3 demos, but I think we should wait until the game is completed before judging the audio. I was actually more curious to hear how well Doom 3 could stand up to System Shock 2 and Silent Hill, more than anything else...but it doesn't seem to have fared well. You seem to be focusing more on the actual sound effects, though. I'm more interested in the ambient audio...how does that compare to something like Silent Hill (which still reigns supreme in that category IMO

Well, I'd rather not ban myself...heh....but the gunfire ripping through the air in HL2, the grenade/rocket effects, everything just fit together very well. A grenade in HL2 creates an audio shockwave of sorts, whereas in Doom 3 one could go off right next to me and not only do I not take damage from it, but it doesn't feel like a dangerous explosive device just nearly killed me.

Is this actually a requirement or are these URL visits optional?

I'm not sure if there are any required sites...one of them gives you an item that you, well, really do want, that I didn't see provided in the "normal" game even hours later. So I can say "probably not required, but definitely encouraged."



And yeah, Far Cry has a very nice graphics engine. I'm probably biased a little towards Source, and maybe I'm downplaying Far Cry a bit because it has a pretty distinct landscape for most of the game. But it's definitely a great engine.

 

[emerge]

Is this actually a requirement or are these URL visits optional?

They are optional, but rather worth it.


Anyway, I am stuck and need advice:

Spoiler

I am at Delta Labs, restarted the reactor and made my way back to the lobby and control room, where i got new orders. Back in the Lobby the elevators are still unpowered and i don't have security clearance for the door to the right of them. Did I miss a PDA or something? I don't really want to make the Lobby - Reactor - Lobby circle again...

 

[Mooreberg]

The PDA audio files are incredibly boring. Most of them describe the same thing -- unexplained events are starting to make the base a little creepy. They provide little to no insight into the story, but some of them seem to randomly include keycodes at the end. Since the audio logs don't have a textual transcript, you can't easily reference them, and if you don't write down those codes you can find yourself having to play back the entire log again, since the codes were always at the very end of the log. You listen to System Shock 2's audio logs because they're interesting, not because the developers almost forced you to.

The saving grace for me with the audio logs is that you can just hit the TAB key again to get out of the PDA and listen to them as you continue to make your way around. It would have been really tedious if you had to stay in the PDA screen everytime you needed to check on a three digit password. The only problem is if you run into an NPC while you're doing this you need to go back in and stop the audio playback if you end up missing what the NPC is saying to you.

One of the game's elements that might've sounded amusing but is really more tedious than anything is the reference to real-world URLs that you can visit on the non-fictional internet. Emails will contain links, prompting you to minimize the game and visit them. Except that Doom 3 minimizes very poorly, and alternatively if you want to just exit and reload the game afterwards instead, you'll have to stare at a loading screen for minutes. These websites amount to a simple splash page with a big keycode displayed (yay), or a simple flash animation that shows you nothing that wasn't in the proper game. Nothing but a gimmick.

I wasn't crazy about this either. What I'm wonder is, has there even been a full 3D game with a built-in web browser? I don't see why they couldn't make it that you would use the computers in the game to access web pages. Maybe they think people would get distracted by the novelty of checking out other sites while they're in the game, but it still would have been better than exiting the game and launching it again.

For me, the game doesn't do anything totally amazing in terms of gameplay (I don't doubt for a second that Half-Life 2 and Halo 2 will top this), but provides a good experience. It reminds me of the first time I played Resident Evil. The mechanics aren't perfect, but it provides good action and a creepy atmosphere.

 

[elitehebrew]

some people should quit being so picky and buy it

its most likely worth it

 

[dark10x]

While waiting for this to release, I did go back and play some older Doom. I've been playing Doom 2 as well as the total conversion of Doom 64 (which is EXTREMELY accurate).

I always knew the reasons, but the inability of Serious Sam and its ilk to match the quality of Doom has never been more apparent. Doom is very fast paced and pits you against many creatures...but levels are creative and clever. As much as I enjoy modern day, objective based shooters...the pure gameplay of Doom is actually very enjoyable even still! Sure, having a key directly in front you (and out of reach due to lack of jumping) at the beginning of a level seems crazy...but the intricate series of rooms that you blast through in order to bring down the level and get the key are good fun.

The Doom 64 TC kicks ass as well. The game is much more difficult than the id Doom games ever were (not in terms of combat...just tricky level design). Very enjoyable though.

Oh, and for Doom 2, I've been using the music WAD file from PSX Doom. Doom 64 has good sound, but I had no idea that PSX Doom had such incredible audio as well (even better). It really adds a lot to atmosphere and certainly is more fitting today than the cheesy MIDI tunes (which I used to love!).

some people should quit being so picky and buy it

You got it yet? I'm picking up mine tonight at Northgate and plan on playing it through the night. Hopefully it will be a good ol' time.

 

[Doc Holliday]

This game kinda reminds me of Metroid Prime minus metroid gameplay hehe. It just draws you in to the point where you forget its faults. I cant wait till I get home and start playing again. Nice job Id!

 

[border]

My impressions are fairly similar to EvilLore's.

First of all, a few of the coments in the early PC Gamer review were bullshit. No, you are not best "keeping to the shadows"....it doesn't matter because the monsters can pretty much see you there anyway. You can't go in with an all-out assault, but the enemies are so stupid that it's just as easy to draw their attention, go around a corner, and when they come running at you from behind the corner you nail them with a point blank shotgun blast. Almost all the normal enemies will go down with 1 shotgun shot at close range, and if they don't they will only hit you once before you get the second one off. Eventually you face off against stronger creatures like the Revenant or HellKnight, but they can't seem to deal damage quickly enough to be any kind of real threat. Strafe-sprint to point blank range for a relatively quick kill.....strafe with plasma gun if they cannot be reached on foot. So combat is mostly an easy, braindead affair.....but it is pretty cool strafe-charging towards the imps at 60mph for a killing shot. After the 200th imp it just becomes too rote though.

The other thing from that PC Gamer review that was bullshit was that they acted like you were going to have to scrimp and save ammo and search out every nook & cranny to find more. I don't know how everyone else is faring, but ammo doesn't seem to be a problem. I am using the shotgun 90% of the time and I doubt that I have had less than 50 shells at any one time. Maybe people with crappy aim who prefer rapid fire weapons might have trouble, but it doesn't seem to be an issue at all for me. The shotgun seems to be the most obvious weapon choice anyhow and it would totally reign supreme if not for the long recoil and long reload.

I dislike all this PDA stuff, it's nonsense. It's painfully obvious that the PDAs are just blue/red/yellow keys for the year 2004, and id is trying to mask the fact that they are still relying on "find the key/switch" gameplay. Probably 95% of the obstacles you face are of the variety where a door won't open or a piece of machinery won't operate and you need to go find the key (errr, PDA) or hit the switch or grab the piece of equipment to make it open/operate. I am probably halfway done with the game and I think I've only come across 3 real, cerebral, Half-Life style challenges that actually require you to think about what you're doing and interact with some of the research station's machinery....exerything else seems like a fetch quest.

The other problem (that EvilLore already mentioned) is that the PDAs are friggin' boring as shit. I cringe everytime I pick up one of those things, because I know that I am going to have to read a few cruddy e-mails and listen to some tedious audio log from the guy who repairs the molecular transducer about how there are "some pretty strange things going on". Now I can see why they talked about this game being survival horror -- in Resident Evil, you know how you occaisionally come across the log of some victim or Umbrella employee where they describe strange events? Well it's like that here, except that you're going to be reading some dumbass' diary every 5-10 minutes or so. They all pretty much say the same thing ("bad/strange/mysterious things are happening"), and the only ones I really enjoyed were from the medical facilities about patients who had been guinea pigs for the portal technology. Because these logs often contain access codes for item containers, they are more or less required reading. It's not like the semi-optional scanning of Metroid Prime. I wish they could have just left the items out in the open rather than making you read/listen to all this stuff. There's nothing satisfying about pulling 3-digit codes out of old logs, so it slows down the people who just want to play the game.

I respect that id is trying to tell a story, but I don't think this is the right way to go about it. The first problem seems to be is that too much attention is given to a story that is really really simple. There is very little dramatic action going on during the game, so everything has to be concentrated on the period prior to the lab accident. It just gets old.

The other problem is that there just aren't any characters....other than "Generic Scientist Madman" and "Generic Gruff Marine Sargeant". Everything is centered around reading the logs of people that are already dead. I thought that the narrative was going to come through interaction on your radio headset (sort of like MGS or Halo), but you do very little communication with anybody. I'm sorry, but the story needs to come from more than the old logs.

So the gameplay is utterly conventional stuff that only barely acknowledges the existence of titles like Half-Life and Halo, and the story is not so hot.....does that mean it sucks? No, it's not awful. The atmosphere is great, the graphics are great, and there are a few nice scares. I just don't think that is enough to carry the game. So far I would say that this is B-/C+ material.

However (very minor spoiler),

Spoiler

I did just arrive in Hell and it looks fantastic. I think the gameplay style might be getting changed up a good deal here, since there don't seem to be many PDAs or doors to unlock. According to PC Gamer, I should be getting the SoulCube soon, and it sounds like an interesting weapon

. Given all of that stuff, there is definitely a good chance that the game's second half is going to be much much better.

 

[Yusaku]

One question about the flashlight...

Did they simply include the flashlight in the normal weapons roster, or is it possible to switch between flashlight mode and weapons mode through a simple key press? I acutally like the idea of the flashlight, but I would like to be able to switch back to whatever weapon I was using at the press of a button. Is this possible?

On a similar note, are there grenades? If so, is it possible to simply throw one at the press of a button (ala Halo)? Integrating grenades into regular inventory is a bad idea IMO and would prevent me from using them very often...but if they were to function in a similar fashion to Halo, they could become much more useful.



So the beta drivers include that new DLL I assume?

Flashlight is both a weapon (you can attack with it), and the f will immediately switch to the flashlight, and the f key switches back to your previous weapon.

I'm using the 4.7 Cat drivers with the 4.8 beta open GL DLL, it seems to work best.

 

[border]

Has anybody tried using the flashlight as a weapon? Is it even remotely effective? Maybe the next time I get a Berserker, I'll switch to the flashlight and go around murdering imps with it.

 

[Yusaku]

My impressions are fairly similar to EvilLore's.

First of all, a few of the coments in the early PC Gamer review were bullshit. No, you are not best "keeping to the shadows"....it doesn't matter because the monsters can pretty much see you there anyway.

Wrong. Once the monters see you it's hard to lose them, but they're not blessed with the ability to see you all the time.

One cool moment I recall was opening a door and seeing an imp in the room, but his back was turned to me, and he didn't notice me. Until I took out my flashlight, which alerted him to my presence.

 

[Yusaku]

Has anybody tried using the flashlight as a weapon? Is it even remotely effective? Maybe the next time I get a Berserker, I'll switch to the flashlight and go around murdering imps with it.

It's fine for zombies. You basically lunge at them, and pull back before they strike back. I sure as hell wouldn't use it for anything stronger.

 

[elitehebrew]

You got it yet? I'm picking up mine tonight at Northgate and plan on playing it through the night. Hopefully it will be a good ol' time.

No unfortunately i haven't got it yet and i don't plan on getting it untill i recieve my new harddrives in the mail. Stupid western digital drivezilla had to fail on me.

 

[SKluck]

I gotta say, explosion sounds and effects in HL2 are much more satisfying than Doom 3. But I really don't know how you can compare them now because no one has seen HL2 in any kind of completed form, or anything close to it.

In the first bathroom you come across, when you look in the mirror and it zooms in and turns red and your face looks like you are becoming infected, that was fucked up. The sound in Doom 3 is insane.

 

[nubbe]

Play it late at night in a small closed room with no lights… really freaky! I like it, a lot!

But then… I couldn’t finish Silent Hill 2 because that damn cone head freaked me out…

 

[border]

Well of course monsters won't see you if they're not facing you, but if they are then they seem to have very good vision. The way PC Gamer phrased it made the game sound a little stealthy, like Theif where you can be near invisible if you're in darkness. "Sticking to the shadows" doesn't really make any difference at all.

 

[KarishBHR]

I got Doom 3 today, but my 9800pro (that will be an XT) hasnt come to my doorstep yet, and it may come tomorrow. Because Im getting a new video card, I perposally didnt install the drivers on my Geforce 4 because Ive heard it can cause problems for ATI cards.

So the question is... should I install my Nvidia drivers so I can play Doom 3 for the day.

The plus side is I will really see the difference my new card makes

The down side is that it could screw up my new card's drivers

Your thoughts?

 

[Tenguman]

It's pretty sweet so far. I'm only 20min and I've gotten the shit scared outta me 3 times already. I'm going to wait till it's later in the day since there's too much sun in my room right now to fully enjoy it.

but damn, it sure is freaken me out a little. Good stuff

the ONLY thing I hate is that damned flashlight. At first, I thought I'd be able to have it up, then with a click of the fire-button, but gun will be back in hand. However, this is not the case. The flashlight acts just like a weapon, you have to toggle back to your weapon to use it. THANKFULLY they have a seperate-flashlight key so when you press it, the weapon you were using comes back. However, it would have been A LOT more helpful if all I had to do was press fire instead of accidently trying to hit that hell demon with a damned flashlight. The weapon fire does little to light up a room, so there are times when you have no idea where the hell you're shooting. It's more annoying than suspensful.

But even though i spent a paragraph on it, it's only a minor nuisance. The game is pretty badass so far. I hope it holds up.

 

[Neo_ZX]

I wonder if we can get a hardware configuration thread going. I can't seem to run the damn game well and I should be able to do at least low quality on 800x600 but my computer is struggling. I'd love to see how similar configurations are doing.

My specs:
AMD mobile Athlon 2500+@3200+
Asus A7N8X-E Deluxe
2x256 MB Infineon DDR3200
Sapphire Ati Radeon 9500@9700 275@340 MHz Core/270@290 MHz Memory

The game works well on medium or low quality at 800x600 but I get the occassional stutter (even in the beginning) that makes the game unplayable. The stutter stops when I drop to 640x480 on low quality.

 

[dark10x]

Well, for one, you only have 512mb ram...so that might be a small part of the problem.

However, you might also be having issues with overclocking...

If you recall, Carmack stated that Doom 3 is using registers that may never have been used before on your hardware and, as a result, overclocked performance may have problems. He recommended that you stick to default hardware speeds...

It doesn't seem like an OC problem to me, but it is worth a shot.

I did just notice that your CPU is a MOBILE CPU which suggests you have a laptop? That could be apart of the problem. Laptop hardware (even of similar spec) is often much slower than desktop hardware and you might be seeing those limits. It is also true that laptops generally use MUCH slower hard drives than desktops, which could be the cause of your pauses.

 

[SyNapSe]

I'm hoping I can play in Medium Settings w/ 1024 x768 </prays>

2200+
640MB RAM
9600XT

I'm thinking it's not going to happen, will probably have to be 800 X 600, or strip off some of the fancy stuff.

 

[TekunoRobby]

Awesome game! I've only played an hour into it but I'm really enjoying the sudden Hell onslaught that has recently rocked the facility.

I couldn't install the game properly thanks to the most ridiculously stupid copy protection scheme ever. I've never had a problem before but there's always a first time for everything.

Here's how to do the manual install for those of you who are fucked:

To do a manual install, do the following:

1) Create a destination folder (for example, c:\program files\doom 3)
2) Insert CD 1.
3) Copy Doom3.exe from CD 1 (Setup\Data\Doom3.exe) to your destination folder.
4) Create a "base" directory in your destination folder (for example, c:\program files\doom 3\base).
5) Copy pak002.pk4 from CD 1 (SetupData\base\pak002.pk4) to the "base" folder.
6) Copy game00.pk4 from CD 1 (SetupData\base\game00.pk4) to the "base" folder.
7) Insert CD 2.
8) Copy pak000.pk4 from CD 2 (SetupData\base\pak000.pk4) to the "base" folder.
9) Copy pak001.pk4 from CD 2 (SetupData\base\pak001.pk4) to the "base" folder.
10) Insert CD 3.
11) Copy pak003.pk4 from CD 2 (SetupData\base\pak003.pk4) to the "base" folder.
12) Copy pak004.pk4 from CD 2 (SetupData\base\pak004.pk4) to the "base" folder.
13) Go to the base folder and create a text file called "doomkey". NOTE: This file should not have any file extension.
14) Open the doomkey file in notepad.
15) Enter your CD Key exactly as it appears on the CD Key sticker. Use all capital letters and do not include any dashes.
16) Save that file.
17) Doom 3 should now be installed on your computer.

The final layout on the CD drive should look like this:
[destination folder]\Doom3.exe
[destination folder]\base\doomkey
[destination folder]\base\game00.pk4
[destination folder]\base\pak000.pk4
[destination folder]\base\pak001.pk4
[destination folder]\base\pak002.pk4
[destination folder]\base\pak003.pk4
[destination folder]\base\pak004.pk4

I'm doing fine on Medium detail (all advanced options on except for anti-alaising and v-synch) at 1024x768 with a GeForce 4. I'm very impressed.

 

[KarishBHR]

Awesome game! I've only played an hour into it but I'm really enjoying the sudden Hell onslaught that has recently rocked the facility.

I couldn't install the game properly thanks to the most ridiculously stupid copy protection scheme ever. I've never had a problem before but there's always a first time for everything.

Here's how to do the manual install for those of you who are fucked:


I'm doing fine on Medium detail (all advanced options on except for anti-alaising and v-synch) at 1024x768 with a GeForce 4. I'm very impressed.

Geforce 4 MX? No way, I have an Athlon 2800XP, 512 MB ram, and a geforce 4 MX and the game stuttered on the lowest of settings!!

 

[SKluck]

I'm hoping I can play in Medium Settings w/ 1024 x768 </prays>

2200+
640MB RAM
9600XT

I'm thinking it's not going to happen, will probably have to be 800 X 600, or strip off some of the fancy stuff.

Not a chance in hell. MAYBE low/1024x768, or medium at 800x600. Without specular and a couple other stuff.

Geforce 4 MX? No way, I have an Athlon 2800XP, 512 MB ram, and a geforce 4 MX and the game stuttered on the lowest of settings!!

He's probably using a 4600.

 

[TekunoRobby]

I'm using a GeForce 4 Ti 4200. I'm not kidding I'm getting great performance.

My other specs are:
3.2 P4 OC'ed to a 3.6
2 gigs of PC 4000 Dual Channel (anything above 1 is quasi-useless if it's for a gaming only PC BTW, I also use this PC for my work)
Raid-1 comprised of two 10,000 RPM WD Raptors

I blame the stupid inbalance on the lack of available X800 XT PE's. Maybe VisionTek will come through for me.

EDIT: Just in case, OCing has had no negative effects whatsoever. I've run into NO PROBLEMS (other than the fact that it wouldn't fucking install normally) in game. Everything is running quite smoothly with a few hiccups here and there.

 

[Neo_ZX]

Well, for one, you only have 512mb ram...so that might be a small part of the problem.

However, you might also be having issues with overclocking...

If you recall, Carmack stated that Doom 3 is using registers that may never have been used before on your hardware and, as a result, overclocked performance may have problems. He recommended that you stick to default hardware speeds...

It doesn't seem like an OC problem to me, but it is worth a shot.

I did just notice that your CPU is a MOBILE CPU which suggests you have a laptop? That could be apart of the problem. Laptop hardware (even of similar spec) is often much slower than desktop hardware and you might be seeing those limits. It is also true that laptops generally use MUCH slower hard drives than desktops, which could be the cause of your pauses.

I have a mobile CPU in my desktop. I got it to OC to 3200+ speeds.

As for the GPU, although I do have it overclocked, I don't think it is the problem. I'll test it without just to be sure but I did originally have the memory at 5 MHz higher which cause a TON of glitching. Scaling it back seemed to help tremendously.

And I believe they said 512-1024 MB RAM wouldn't make much of a difference. I will be getting more soon though. I'm coming off a fresh format too so I don't see what the problem could be. Maybe it is the OCing. We'll see when I get home or maybe if anyone else has my same video card (I've seen you guys around) post your results.

 

[siege]

Hmm, the PDA audio logs and videos are no more boring than story related stuff in other games. You're either interested and drawn into the game enough to enjoy them or you're not. They certainly aren't a knock on the game.

As far as people complaining about fighting in corridors with monsters popping out....yea, that's a first person shooter for ya. Anyone expecting something revolutionary with Doom 3 need not waste the time picking it up. The problem for people is there are no big open areas, vehicles, or AI NPC's following you around. That's what makes a FPS nowadays. *rolleyes*

Anyways, I'm loving the game so far. The atmosphere and tension is outstanding. I haven't been drawn into a game like this in some time. While it's nothing new in terms of gameplay - the high production values coupled with good ole fashioned demon ass kicking make for one hell of an experience.

 

[DopeyFish]

i tried killing a hellknight with a flashlight.

not the brightest idea

 

[AirBrian]

Just picked it up on my lunch at BB (price match and GCC trick = $40 ). I wish I didn't have work I have to get done today otherwise I wouldn't *cough* be feeling *cough* very well. *cough* Damn job getting in the way of gaming. Oh well, only 3 more hours.

 

[TekunoRobby]

(price match and GCC trick = $40 )

YES, I hope this has been previously discussed before. I did this very same thing this morning when I picked it up and had absolutely no trouble doing it. Hell I even bought the giftcard then promptly purchased Doom3 using the Gift Card + coupon IMMEDIATELY after.

Please people, do yourself a favor and abuse the system, $55 is a bit too much to ask for (it's pennies I know, but I don't want publishers gradually raising the prices on us).

 

[Rhage]

Price match to who?

 

[AirBrian]

Price match to who?

Circuit City has it in the ad for $44.99.

 

[border]

Spoiler-free question:
To those that are a good way through -- at some point in the game, you are forced to make a seemingly crucial choice. Does the game have multiple endings depending on your choice...does it make any difference in the way things play out? I made the wrong decision, but fuck it....I didn't like Earth that much anyway

Hmm, the PDA audio logs and videos are no more boring than story related stuff in other games.

Story-related stuff in other games involves actual characters rather than disembodied text/audio diaries, dialogue rather than monologue, and isn't all a one-note account of things that happened prior to the begining of the game. Of course this wouldn't really matter if it weren't mandatory, but it is. I don't want to listen to Technician #402 yap on for two minutes about mysterious computer hacking problems just to get the code to a security door. I'd prefer that the "Find the key/item" challenges were cut to a minimum, but if they have to dominate the game then at least let me get through them somewhat quickly, without wading through all these "Something strange is happening" narratives.

 

[dark10x]

Dialogue based audio logs? Which game are you thinking of, border?

 

[teepo]

i don't need no fucking characters in a doom game.

 

[clipunderground]

While waiting for this to release, I did go back and play some older Doom. I've been playing Doom 2 as well as the total conversion of Doom 64 (which is EXTREMELY accurate).

I always knew the reasons, but the inability of Serious Sam and its ilk to match the quality of Doom has never been more apparent. Doom is very fast paced and pits you against many creatures...but levels are creative and clever. As much as I enjoy modern day, objective based shooters...the pure gameplay of Doom is actually very enjoyable even still! Sure, having a key directly in front you (and out of reach due to lack of jumping) at the beginning of a level seems crazy...but the intricate series of rooms that you blast through in order to bring down the level and get the key are good fun.

The Doom 64 TC kicks ass as well. The game is much more difficult than the id Doom games ever were (not in terms of combat...just tricky level design). Very enjoyable though.

Oh, and for Doom 2, I've been using the music WAD file from PSX Doom. Doom 64 has good sound, but I had no idea that PSX Doom had such incredible audio as well (even better). It really adds a lot to atmosphere and certainly is more fitting today than the cheesy MIDI tunes (which I used to love!).



You got it yet? I'm picking up mine tonight at Northgate and plan on playing it through the night. Hopefully it will be a good ol' time.

I LOVED DOOM 64!! They did such a damn good job with that game. Level designs were kick ass, and it was EXTREMELY challenging.

 

[dark10x]

Really?

Well, you might be interested in this...

http://doomdepot.doom2.net/abs-about.html

 

[Kon Tiki]

Development starts shortly - 08.01.04
We will start development on our co-op modification shortly, so here is a quick snip from what we're planning to add to the game:

- All Singleplayer maps edited for co-op support
- Co-op custom maps
- New weapons
- New enemies in future versions

Unfortunately, co-op in standard game levels will be limited to two players, in order to save CPU processing power. However, some of our optimized custom maps will allow for up to four players to "co-operate" simultaneously. Keep checking back for updates.

http://coop.doom3maps.de/

 

[nubbe]

Wonder when PCs will be strong enough to handle 16 player co-op on the retail maps…

 

[Belfast]

Hmmm.....just got it at BB which has a billion copies. Stupid EB clerk (we'll only get enough to fill pre-orders). Whatever.

Anyway, I had the CC add in my hand not long before I left, but I must've put it down, because I didn't have it with me. Does Best Buy allow post-purchase price matching, like you bring th ad AND receipt in later?

 

[Kweh]

Scared the crap outta me when:

Spoiler

i looked in the mirror in the toilets

 

[IJoel]

Hmmm.....just got it at BB which has a billion copies. Stupid EB clerk (we'll only get enough to fill pre-orders). Whatever.

Anyway, I had the CC add in my hand not long before I left, but I must've put it down, because I didn't have it with me. Does Best Buy allow post-purchase price matching, like you bring th ad AND receipt in later?

Yes.

 

[LakeEarth]

Any word on how long before a demo will come along? Just somethign to tell me how well my PC will handle things.

 

[Belfast]

Also, I installed it, and I'm already getting random crashes to the desktop. I'm not really sure why, either. The game just goes "poof." Two of the times, It *may* have been me accessing an item I didn't have yet (hitting F for flashlight), but the third time I was just walking down a hall. It runs perfectly fine other than that, so I don't *think* I'm overloading my video card or anything (256 9800 Pro, BTW).