doom history

doom came out just before christmas 1993, made by id software, creators of the famous games commander keen and wolfenstein 3d

doom was originally distributed via “shareware” and you had to contact id directly to get a registered copy. doom 1 quickly went through a few versions, making changes like the addition of “nightmare” difficulty mode and removing a swasitka on E1M4, as well as bugfixes and game balance improvements. the game was organised in 3 episodes of 9 levels each, including one secret level. the player had to start each episode separately, with nothing but a pistol and a few rounds

doom 2 was released in september 94, featuring one more weapon (the super shotgun), a few more enemies, and 32 more levels to play. levels were laid out in one big row, instead of 3 episodes. doom 2 was only available commercially in stores, selling 2 million copies, a record at the time. ultimate doom came out in 95, adding a 4th episode to the original doom 1, with a greatly increased difficulty curve. final doom was released in 96, featuring two new full episodes for all 32 levels of doom 2

john carmack, one of doom’s major developers, has always been a believer in software freedom (as in speech). doom was one of the first games to be designed for users to easily add content, with the first level editors coming out in early 1994. around late 1994, newsgroups were more aflutter with the release of the famous “aliens total conversion” than the actual release of doom 2! the doom community has seen many great levels be released, with original ideas and difficult gameplay being favorites. id software even hired two community mappers to help with ultimate doom. the two episodes in final doom were supposed to be community projects by team tnt, only to get purchased by id at the last minute before release, which caused great outcry at the time!

doom was ported to the atari jaguar in 1994, and to other consoles such as the super nintendo, sony playstation and sega saturn from that base. the playstation version is remembered by many, due to its’ different sounds and atmospheric colored lighting. doom 64 was released on the nintendo 64 in 1997, which featured the psx sounds with quite different graphics and gameplay with 32 all-new levels. it was faithfully reverse-engineered to pc in 2003 as doom64 absolution, and development continues as doom 64 ex

doom was also used as the basis for several other commercial games over time, beginning with the fantasy-themed heretic (based off early doom v1.2) and its’ sequel hexen. these games introduce different engine features such as an inventory, character classes and hub levels one can return to instead of completing the game in a linear fashion. one of the most amazing doom-engined games is strife, a 1996 first-person action-rpg with amazing level design, a great storyline, engrossing voice acting and three different endings

id software released the source code to doom (actually to linux doom 1.1, itself an improvement of ultimate doom and final doom’s code) in 1997, sparking community development of not only more levels, but newer “source ports”, able to be played on modern computers, and with additional features like proper 3d, sloping floors, game scripting, and modern 3d effects. some ports focus on retaining original-as-possible gameplay, some work towards multiplayer improvements, some work towards improving editing standards. many ports have come and gone over the years, and a good number are still actively developed

today, the doom community has extensive knowledge of the game and its’ engine, a massive back catalog of excellent singleplayer and multiplayer maps, and some awesome sourceports which breathe new life into this atmospheric and revolutionary game