Doom 3
Or, why id Software's next game will be more than just a technology demonstration.
Doom 3 will also make good use of existing technology. Bump maps are computationally expensive, but will be used extensively in-game to create illusions of depth and texture. Six channel surround sound will be supported, as well as a realistic rag-doll physics engine. Also in is an impressive per-polygon hit detection system that will thankfully avoid the excesses of Soldier of Fortune. Id have also opted for a mixture of motion capture and animation for in-game movements - humans will be motion captured for realism, while the more hellish enemies will be animated, Id understandably wanting to avoid opening a portal to hell specifically to ask some demons for some motion capture help.
The game is said to be so GPU dependent that for the first time, Carmack has stated he feels he has the spare CPU cycles to 'waste' on extensive enemy AI. Monsters will seek out the player with their senses, and CEO Todd Hollenshead described one moment during an internal play testing session, where a nine foot infected marine with a chain gun was seeking him out, firing randomly around itself as it probed the dark. Hollenshead described how he waited intently for the monster to pass him as it searched, before leaping out behind it in ambush. It is cinematic moments like these that give a glimpse of the type of game play Id are trying to attach to their five star engine.
In all the hype surrounding the phenomenal engine, the upcoming Doom 3 game play has almost become lost. Whilst the original specialized in a run and gun mentality, Doom 3 takes a far more understated approach. Carmack has publicly stated that he purposefully designed the engine for claustrophobic and cramped corridors, designed around the intended Doom 3 game play. It will, therefore, presumably be mostly set within the confines of the infamous Martian base where all hell breaks loose (literally). It is also well know, of course, that the primary aim of the development team was to make the game as scary as humanely possible, and the technology inevitably evolved to allow the level designers to accomplish this. Hence the dynamic lighting and state of the art sound. Players, however, should not be expecting the same pace of play that the earlier games provided, but instead something far more visceral. The developers have also stated a preference for the recent trend for more intense, but shorter games, although Carmack reassured worried fans that the game would be far longer than some of the more recent FPS releases.
Doom 3 will shed the mission structure of its illustrious predecessors, instead opting for Half-Life style mini-loads between areas. This should help keep the tension high and ensure the minimum of relaxation for the player. It has been confirmed that many of the weapons from the previous games will make it into the release, including the all important BFG, although other favorites like the chainsaw have yet to be implemented. Some information has also been released about environment interaction within the game. Id have given some details as to how the player interacts with in-game computer consoles - upon approach, the player automatically holsters his weapon, and the mouse cursor appears. The console can then be operated in the same way as any html browser, and character movement away from the console immediately equips the last weapon used, should the player be ambushed. Few other details of environment interaction have been revealed, but it's very reassuring to hear of this well designed system, and it augers well for other interactive elements.
An Id game would not be an Id game without multiplayer, and so it came as a great surprise to many when Carmack announced that Doom 3 would be a single-player experience only. This, however, has been altered. Doom 3 will now ship with limited multiplayer capabilities for 2-4 players, with deathmatch and last man standing confirmed. It has also been rumored that Id will augment the games multiplayer capabilities in an expansion.
The release of Doom 3 will likely be another seminal moment in the history of gaming, and the little company from Texas will once again be making its presence felt all across the industry. A major Id release constitutes a technological boundary point - everything before is old and limited, everything after advanced and full of promise. And part of the excitement of a new Id release is not only seeing what they can achieve themselves, formidable as they are. Thanks to Carmack's single-minded dedication, we can also look forward to the efforts of a plethora of professional developers on the engine, and the growing sophistication of the Mod community will no doubt mean some incredible efforts from them. The shadows of Doom 3 should ensure that the future remains bright.
Comments
*boring*
Congratulations Nick McCrea. You really described it perfectly. New engine, new tehnology... everyone can realise the power of ID software... There are only 20 members of ID... Only genious people can number such CREW. Offcourse, Carmack is the LEADER and he'll always be.
my only hope is that the Gameplay and Story line will be as great as the Graphics
The gameplay is my only (albeit very vague) concern, but the fact is that Carmack has consistantly claimed to have pushed the technology towards the kind of tools his level designers wanted, and not the other way round.
This, I think, bodes well. Time will tell, as they say.
It'll likely be a very id-like game: straight-forward and repetitive with no plot, yet technically amazing and with a bit of an atmosphere.
I'm doubting it will be as tense as, say, System Shock 2, a very creepy FPS/RPG hybrid.
nice review nick, it sounds like they have put a lot of work into the gameplay as well as teh gfx, pity, ill need a new computer before i can play it.
Other than half life 2 Doom 3 is perhaps my most anticipated game, other than rome total war and half life 2 doom 3 is my most anticipated game, other than halo 2 and half life 2 and rome total war doom 3 is my most anticipated game other than half life 2 rome total war and halo 2 and deus ex 2 doom 3 is my most anticipate game,
Dynamic lighting new...er well maybe seen it before in every graphics card demo of the last year or so...high detail normal maps new...well maybe not given those nvidia demos of dawn and ogre and some stuff from last year and...but clostophobic gameplay now that's new...er wait resident evil by capcom..
I have no doubt the graphics will be good but watching at E3 you couldn't really make out much given the 70-80% darkness in some areas and getting a whole new sound system to hear the breathing behind me is kind of excessive don't you think.
I'll get halflife 2 and halo 2 and total war and if i'm stuck for something to do after that then I'll pick up doom 3. Trend towards more involving shorter games?!? when did Carmack loose touch? Longer more involved games is what we want not shorter especially seeing as the prices are about to go up!
"and character movement away from the console immediately equips the last weapon used, should the player be ambushed"
Yeah.. I mean take away our "use" key and hit us up with this potentially ANNOYING senario. Nice. :P
"Id understandably wanting to avoid opening a portal to hell specifically to ask some demons for some motion capture help"
Yeah but SIERRA decided to get help from REAL ALIENS!! :P
:-)
hello this game have a good look
id are really going to have to make soemthing special of the fear thing - if it's just hype then it looks like we have nothing but a playable tech demo.
you guys are forgetting that ID were the first people to make an FPS game, Doom revolutinized the gaming industry, for god's sake have some faith... damn the game after you have played it....
as far as I am concerned Doom was and will always be better than Half-Life, Dues EX and duke nukem even if doom 3 turns out to be a total failure,,
doom 3 is going to be a hell of a game
"and the growing sophistication of the Mod community will no doubt mean some incredible efforts from them. The shadows of Doom 3 should ensure that the future remains bright."
i thought it was quite scary when i pressed next page it had that weird zombie thing looking down on me. Doom 3 shall rock, and i will never be able to play it, you need like a GeForce4 MINIMUM to play it with the great shadow effects
Wow gys you made the right thing DOOM3 gona bee the best game ever congratulation youre the best yust kep doing all like that and you gona smash the stupid half life 2.
always take notice of the potential that any new game has. The possibilities that DOOM 3 and its engine entails are really huge! Up to this day developers are still feeding of from the remaped Quake engine which Carmack himself created in the mid nineties. Doom 3 ushers in the begining of a new era. Just like HL2, this will be the new age of games. The previous engine war was between Quake and Unreal, this time its going to be HL2 and Doom3
this game looks more of a kick ass game then halo is. The graohics are awsome and just when i thought doom 2 was good now this will even better.
I have no idea what doom3 is like. Never played it
quakes beta
sweet
Doom3, the beta was really impressive... scared the crap out of me... especially the bathroom scene when you look into the mirror and the big fat scary monster appears next to you... there are already some user created maps which are quite good... belive me... it won't be only a high tec demo. even if they mess up the story, the monsters are great (beta is three years old), and will keep you focused on the real important thing... survival
This game drives me crazy even before the relize! What will happen afterwards then...
Doom 3 WOW. Its all that needs saying really. Doom is muck better than quake and u cant forget than doom revolutionised the gaming industry and fps
well back in the day i was a total doom freak and can hardly wait but id really like a simple remake of the classics . run fast and shoot everything . no mouse and some wicked graphics.like the old saying ( KISS )
keep it simple stupid. ltr
so many comments...
As for the Doom 3 beta??? Remember when it "came out" 3 years ago as an alpha? The so called "Beta" is the same thing w/a few new maps and a slightly modified config file. It took me about a day to modify that config file beyond what the so called "Beta" did (although the new maps were nice).
Fully dynamic light? well, yes, Nvidia had some demos that sort of had that. but actually they used shadow maps (to an extreme, and tried to fake soft dynamic shadows). Doom 3 uses fully dynamic stencil shadows. Not the same as Nvidias demos. And if u want dynamic soft shadows (not faked w/today's shadow maps).... wait about 2 years, it's coming (the newest gfx cards are already capable).
Normal mapping? well there is a difference between bump and normal maps. and some Nvidia demos have them, but don't forget... THESE ARE DEMOS. They have 1 main thing happening and only have to run on one specific high end card. Having this in a game is another story.
As far as game length. I hear it takes over 20 hours to beat. That's far more than most fps I've played lately.
The game will be scary. Also both slow and intense at the same time. You can't doubt a Carmack engine. It's obviously more than just a tech demo, otherwise it would have been released awhile ago. Mods will make up for multi. And if the same (modified) engine is used for Quake 4, I don't think anyone will complain.
PC Gamer has already played and reviewed the game and has claimed that this is not true. It is almost 23 hours of gameplay and that the intense action never stopped. Not only is it a graphics powerhouse, the game is supposedly raises the bar on all FPS standards.
is Doom 3 c0mming 0ut 0n ps2?
doom 3 is a fantastic game .
1 problem ...... NO Sound!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
People say they are waiting for ID to make a patch, but i have been waiting for Ages.
This is soo annoying. I want to play so bad i could cry :-( .
Does any body know why this problem occurs??? PLEASE HELP
I have a sound blaster live sound card
I've played the first few levels so far, they are awesome! Despite how creepy it gets, I still can't stay away. I hope it keeps getting better.
I also have no sound when playing doom 3, running a sound blaster live sound card?????????????????