___

Hello all, this is  ben_roprim

It is with a heavy heart, that I have to say that both the Doom and Hexen Club with be shutting down services.

The Pages themselves will not locked. But our mod suggestions, news, talks, and such will no longer be present.

Life in the Covid-19 Pandemic has brought quite a lot of problems, and time has been sadly elsewhere.

Links to ports and sources, will not be removed.

Shouts will still remain open if people still want to use it.

Apologies to all certainly, and was a very fun time.

If anyone has questions, your more then welcome to ask in the comments.

___

Double Impact has been added to the library of free add-ons for the new console editions of Doom. Now you can play this single-episode replacement for the original Doom on Switch, PS4 or Xbox One.

I'm primarily bringing this up because now my old review of Double Impact is relevant again. XD

(The screenshot link is broken though. Dang Dropbox, changing the link format.)

I didn't think much of it back then. Let's see if time has softened my opinion.

~

Well! Seems like Bethesda's trying to win us over with these new PS4/Xbone/Switch ports of Doom.

According to Eurogamer, John Romero's new 5th episode for Doom, Sigil, and Final Doom will both be added for free. (Apparently No Rest for the Living will be added too, though it's unclear if it will be free as well.)

This is apparently all going to be part of a "curated add-ons" menu that'll be added to the games. While I am apprehensive of the potential scope of this -- Is Bethesda going to try to sell new Doom wads, or worse yet, simply add existing user-created levels without permission from, or compensation for, the original designers? -- the current line-up is excellent.

Once Doom 64 gets re-released in conjunction with Doom Eternal, this will mark the first time ever that you can legally play the entire classic Doom saga on one console.

The games will also receive technical updates, including options for framerate and aspect ratio. Can I finally get rid of those fugly borders on the sides of the viewing window? Maybe!

No date is given for any of this, but I'm pretty jazzed, ain't gonna lie. XD

~

For the first time in 23(!) years, Doom 64 is finally receiving an official port, for the Nintendo Switch.

No specific details yet, aside from the announcement that it's coming. Let's hope it'll turn out better than the Doom/Doom 2 Switch ports (which are apparently getting patches to fix the audio, and to remove the Bethesda sign-in requirement, thankfully).

I'm looking forward to this fueling more "Doom 2016 is a Doom 64 sequel" fan theories, she said with sarcasm. XD

~

https://youtu.be/UYTomYMAzYE

Digital Foundry just released their analysis of the new classic Doom ports. Just further evidence that these new reissues of Doom & Doom 2 aren't that good, in case you didn't believe me. It's not only the DRM that's a problem!

On the plus side, it looks like the re-release of Doom 3 (done by Panic Button, the team who made the miraculous Switch port of Doom 2016) is pretty solid, so maybe pick that up if you want a nice console port of Doom's darkest entry. :)


And if you want more Doom anal-sys from Digital Foundry, here's an older, hour-long video they did covering every console port of Doom released before the PS4/Xbone generation:

https://youtu.be/784MUbDoLjQ

Playstation Doom is still my favorite. XD


However you decide to get your Doom, happy demon-slaying, everybody! :)

~

So Doom (1993) finally made it to Switch in an official capacity. Now you can blast pixelated demons on the go on your newfangled Nintendo handheld!

Unfortunately, this port is a bit naff. I'm honestly pretty disappointed.

-A Bethesda.net account is absolutely required to play this. Otherwise, you're gonna be trapped on that title demo forever. (It's unknown if always-online authentication is required, or if it's a one-time login.)

-Despite the required Bethesda login, there's no online play. (There is local multi though.)

-The audio is crap, with the music being incredibly slow and featuring a lot of off-key notes. It also uses the randomized sound effect pitching that's featured in some Doom versions, which always sounds lousy to me.

-Aside from a single basic sensitivity slider and an Always Run toggle, there are no control configuration options.

-The aspect ratio is not stretched properly to fit the screen, so there's always a border on the sides. There are no border customization options.

-The medikits and stimpacks show pill icons instead of red crosses like in the original games. (Presumably this means the Wolfenstein levels in the Doom 2 port for Switch are also censored, but this isn't confirmed.)

I'm usually in favor of supporting official Doom releases, but this is not great. Only recommended for absolute die-hards or folks too lazy and stupid (like me!) to figure out how to get fan-ports of Doom on your Switch.

~

The 5th episode of the original Doom, Sigil, is now free for anyone to download:

https://www.romerogames.ie/si6il

In case you're not aware, it's a brand-new, 9-level mapset made by John Romero, one of the original Doom's programmers/map designers.

It's designed for GZDoom, but also comes with an alternate compatibility-focused version that will run on classic-style source ports like Crispy Doom or PrBoom-plus.

Happy Dooming! :)

~

https://youtu.be/qpYWzlG1eeU


________

 Ben_Roprim here with some interesting FPS news.

"PRODEUS" is a FPS game that takes inspiration from Doom 2016, Brutal Doom. and Quake into one single package.

Here is a Pre-Alpha Demo video hosted by Doom enthusiast and youtuber, ICARUSLIV3S.

He had the opportunity by the developers of PRODEUS to showcase the game, and looks impressive.

Hopefully as development goes, the developers will set in stone it's own personality; much like how DUSK has.

If you wish to see more on PRODEUS, link to their Kickstarter with follow-up information is below:
https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....rodeus/prodeus

________

 VictoriaViper here with a bit of a moral question for my fellow Doomers to ponder.

In several modern source ports for Doom, the behavior of the blur sphere (partial invisibility power-up) is changed, where enemies usually won't react to invisible players unless they're startled by gunfire. To enable the original Doom behavior, you have to enable the compatibility option "Monsters See Invisible Players."

I'm kind of a Doom purist at heart, and probably one of the few people to still play the game with freelook and jumping disabled, but there's no denying that the classic blur sphere sucks. In most cases, it tends to make the game harder, as all it does is make enemy shots harder to predict and thus more difficult to dodge.

Normally I'd just suck it up and say, "This is how Doom was meant to be played; leave it be," but even John Romero has said the blur sphere isn't a good power-up.

So how do you feel about this?

On one hand, playing with the new blur sphere behavior isn't what Doom's creators intended, and it wasn't the behavior that hundreds of map designers had in mind when balancing their user-created levels.

On the other hand, the blur sphere was intended as a power-up, and in its original form, it's usually a hindrance instead, so maybe the new, different version is ironically more authentic to the original intent.

Yes, this is a small, petty thing, but it's something that bugs me. Your feedback would be appreciated. XD

Hey all you doomers, it's  ben_roprim!

Would like to announce that my Picarto Livestream channel is up and running!

I will be playing mostly Doom2 Games and Mods, showcasing community stuff made by others.

Also, for now Picarto will be the platform I will be using. I will be moving to Twitch later on down the road.

The livestreaming at picatro is also being used to help test equipment, latency, and software optimization.

If you wish to sub to the channel and watch, it is over at: https://picarto.tv/BenRoprim

If you wish to get announcements when I am streaming faster, join the Telegram Channel at: https://t.me/manlymachoke

Hope to see you there!

___

- The Future of "Doom Club Member Showcasing" -

One of the things I originally wanted to do when the club was created, was to showcase levels and mods made by members of the Doom Fur Club.

Now that livestreaming and recording is possible on my part, I want to make this a reality.

If you wish to inquire about me showcasing a map or mod made by you, send a note to  ben_roprim

The format of the map/mod must be in PK3 or WAD format. The DED format is outdated, and is not acceptable to most modern Doom Engines today.

Sorry, Doomsday users! :(

If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to send a note. Or, comment below in the proper section so I get notified.

Hey there!  ben_roprim here!

LIVESTREAMING SOON!

With a new mouse and even a new headphones, going to break them out with Doom2 + Chillax!

So get ready for some super bullshit hard Doom2 levels, using the Sword and Magic pack: "Wrath of Cronos" Ver.2d2!

>>> https://picarto.tv/BenRoprim <<<
>>> https://picarto.tv/BenRoprim <<<
>>> https://picarto.tv/BenRoprim <<<

Hope to see you there!

December 10th, 2018 marks the original Doom's 25th anniversary!

For a quarter-of-a-freaking-century now, we've been pumping our buckshot into scores of hulking hellions, and they just won't stop coming. ;)



In celebration, Bethesda posted a short video chronicling the history of the franchise:

https://youtu.be/84rnnoDl-6k

There's quick clips of most of the Doom series (excluding Final Doom, Doom 64 and the mobile-exclusive titles), a few of the stranger mods that people have cooked up over the years (is that Doom on the side of a truck?), and several fan projects (including the always a-gore-rable Claycat's Doom).

The video ends with an invitation to head to Doom.com and join the "Slayers Club." Ostensibly it's to get freebies for Doom Eternal (specifically a zombie Doom Slayer skin, in this case), but I think it's mostly to goad people into getting a Bethesda.net account (which I already had for Quake Champions anyway). XD



John Romero also announced that he's working on a new episode for the original Doom called Sigil:

https://www.romerogames.ie/sigil

Sigil will effectively act as Doom's 5th episode, offering 9 new singleplayer levels. (It also claims to offer 9 deathmatch levels, but it's unclear whether these are separate from the singleplayer maps.)

While the episode itself will be distributed for free online, superfans can also purchase boxed copies of the game in two editions: the standard edition which includes a floppy-disk-themed USB drive with the WAD and extras, a two-disc jewel case with the WAD and soundtrack, and two stickers; or the deluxe "Beast Box" edition which has all the standard edition stuff, plus an art print, a Sigil-themed coin, a t-shirt, and a pewter statue of John Romero's head on a pike. XD

Sure, there's really no need to buy a boxed copy of a free WAD, but Romero's done a lot for the Doom community over the years, and I wouldn't mind paying him back the favor.



Doomworld marks the occasion with its own special event: The Top 100 Most Memorable Doom Maps:

https://www.doomworld.com/25years/t.....emorable-maps/

While they've done the Cacowards to honor the greatest WADs of the year, this countdown is special for paying respects to the most memorable single maps of all time, even those that were part of larger projects. See all the blood, sweat, tears and ingenuity that have gone into Doom's community efforts over the last two-plus decades.



So here's to 25 years of the greatest FPS series ever! I hope Doom truly is eternal. ;)

~

Heya, this is  ben_roprim

I have posted a twitter poll question regarding streaming games.

More so, I would be streaming a lot of Doom 2; with specialty mods, and hardcore survival map packs.

Eventually, also have guests to join the live streams to play with me; if it gets good reception overall.

> > > https://twitter.com/Ben_Roprim/stat.....26727326998528 < < <

Let me know what you guys think.

Leave questions and concerns in the comments if you like.

Thanks!

There's been a lot of videos that have covered the QuakeCon presentation of Doom Eternal pretty thoroughly, so this might just be redundant, but whatever. I'm excited; I'm gonna write about it. XD


https://youtu.be/sGSMoMtPmbI


Here's some interesting tidbits from the presentation:

[Doom 64?] - I really don't want to add any more credence to that fan theory BS about Doom 2016 being a Doom 64 sequel. However I do find it bizarre that, at the 3-minute mark, they show the redesign of the zombieman, and as a reference for the classic enemy design, they use the zombieman sprite from Doom 64. Why is that there? Id Software didn't even work on that game.


[Evil Doomguy?] - At about 3-and-a-half minutes into the presentation video, we see some concept art of what appears to be some sort of undead creature that wears armor similar to the Doom Slayer. It even has its own double-barreled shotgun. I'm not gonna waste everyone's time pondering who this is or their purpose, because screw theory-crafting, but it's certainly intriguing and a smidge unsettling.


[New and Modified Weapons] - The presentation shows off the shotgun, super shotgun, machinegun (apparently called the "heavy cannon" now), rocket launcher, plasma rifle, and three new weapons: the ballista, the Crucible (the laser sword seen at the end of Doom 2016), and a shoulder-mounted cannon.

The ballista is a crossbow-like weapon that seemingly replaces the gauss cannon, and it can fire fast-moving bolts of energy, or it can fire explosives that stick to enemies.

The shoulder cannon seems to be able to both launch explosives and set enemies alight with a flamethrower. An interesting thing about the flamethrower mode is that when you shoot enemies who are on fire, they seem to drop armor shards. I think this is a cool concept: you do glory kills to get health, and use the chainsaw to get ammo, so having another tool to get extra armor fills in that gap nicely, and adds more depth to the combat.

The shotgun now has a rapid-fire mode that can unleash a barrage of buckshot at a fast pace. I think this could strike a nice balance. In previous Doom games, the shotgun largely became useless once you got the super shotgun. The regular shotty had a faster firing rate, but it didn't compensate for how much weaker it was than the super shotty. Making it that it can fire it a lot faster than the super shotgun seems like it'd keep it as a viable weapon as the game went on.

The plasma rifle looks much closer to its classic Doom design, and in turn, it seemingly got a significant damage boost. It seems far more effective at mowing through the demonic hordes than its piddly predecessor.

Despite losing it at the end of the previous game, the Doom Slayer somehow has possession of the Crucible laser sword once again. You don't actually get to see it in action in the QC demo, but it looks like you'll finally be able to use it in combat. I'm not sure how I feel about a Doom game with a sword in it, to be honest. Doom's always been about using complex, modern mechanical instruments, like guns and power tools, to tear through bad guys. A sword feels something more appropriate in a Heretic or Hexen game. But hey, at least it's not a katana. I'm so sick to death of the inexplicable katanas that show up in every action game. XD

But perhaps the most interesting modification is for the super shotgun...


[The Super Shotgun Has a Grappling Hook] - Like something straight out of Overwatch, the super shotgun now has an attachment that lets you hook onto enemies and reel yourself towards them to quickly deliver pain up close. You can even use bad guys as grappling points, letting you latch onto a floating enemy and swing around the room for added maneuverability. This looks super-cool and fun, but I admit that I'm a little disappointed that it seems to be bound to the super shotgun alone. This makes every other weapon instantly seem less viable, as using anything but the SSG deprives you of a crucial movement option. Hopefully in practice it's balanced better than I think it is. The SSG was already brokenly-overpowered in Doom 2 as it is. I don't wanna do that again! :P


[More Maneuverability Options] - Aside from the aforementioned grappling hook, you also now have a quick-dash ability that gives you a brief surge of speed. It lets you get out of the way of enemy attacks much faster, but it can also be used in mid-air, allowing you to lengthen your jumps.

You'll also occasionally come across pipes and other objects sticking out of walls that you can jump towards and swing off of, letting you clear very large gaps. And there are climbable walls as well, which you can scale and leap off of. If nothing else, these could provide more opportunities to uncover secret areas.


[Everything Looks More Like Doom] - It's a smaller thing that less-dedicated Doom fans might not notice, but everything looks just a bit more Doom-like this time around. Aside from the awesome redesign of the classic plasma gun, item pickups have also been remodeled to look more like their old-school designs, from the shotgun shells standing in neat little rows, to the chunky white medikits. Even the blue health potions are back! I love it! :)

Some of the enemies received similar treatment: the imps are spikier, the zombies have those military buzzcuts, and the mancubi have fleshy yellowish humanoid bodies. Doom Eternal is much closer to a true modernized take on Doom's visual design than anything that's come before.


[Extra Lives?] - Apparently you can get 1ups in this game. I have no idea why. It's kind of ironic considering that extra lives were purposefully removed from the original Doom during its development.


[Dark Souls-Style PvP Multiplayer?] - At the 14:56 mark, the player is given a warning about incoming invaders, and two player-controlled demons spawn into the game world. Honestly, I love this idea and it's something I have always wanted to see in a Doom game. Can you imagine how dangerous that could be, having these cunning human-controlled monsters stomping into your campaign and trying to take you down? Obviously there's some concern about cheaters trying to ruin your fun, but overall I think it's a really exciting concept. I look forward to trying to kill your Doom Slayer some day. ;)

They announced in the presentation that there will be other multiplayer options, but they kept it vague. I know the multiplayer modes didn't go over very well in Doom 2016, but I think it'd feel wrong to have a new Doom game without some kind of deathmatch mode.


[Big Ol' Castles] - At around the 16:47 mark, you start seeing flybys of these massive castle environments which, amusingly enough, are reminiscent of several areas from Eternal Doom. I'm sure it's just coincidence, but it would be pretty cool if Id Software decided to pay homage to one of the legendary Doom map packs in this way.


[New Monsters] - If the entire enemy roster of Doom 2016 is retained here, then the addition of the pain elemental, arachnotron and arch-vile means Doom Eternal will have the complete catalogue of Doom 2 baddies (excluding boss monsters). There's also some new, winged little beast that I'm not familiar with.


[Doomguy Lives!] - This is possibly the first pre-release demo for a Doom game that didn't show Doomguy getting horribly torn apart by demons. Even the infamous E3 demo for Doom 3 ended with the marine getting beheaded by a hellknight. Feels kinda weird, but I guess they wanted to make the Doom Slayer look cool. XD


[Goodbye SnapMap, Hello Singleplayer DLC] - According to this article, SnapMap won't be making a return to Doom Eternal. I'm pretty bummed, I won't deny. SnapMap had some awkward limitations, but I enjoyed toying around with it, and seeing what other people were able to build within its confines.

On the plus side, they're going to do what they really should have done with Doom 2016 and will eventually provide players with campaign DLC. I'm definitely all on board with that.


So yeah, that covers everything I know about Doom Eternal so far. There's a smattering of things that perplex and disappoint me, but overall, I'm totally psyched to see Hell returning to Earth. ;)


~

No, not Eternal Doom, the classic puzzle-heavy map pack from TeamTNT with gigantic levels. We're talkin' about a brand-new entry in the main Doom series:

https://youtu.be/_oVwrpfo_QA

Doom Eternal appears to be a reimagining of Doom 2: Hell on Earth, judging by its demon-infested urban environments. You can clearly see broken down power lines and traffic lights, along with the crumbling remains of bridges and buildings. Some classic Doom 2 baddies seem to be making a comeback as well, with creatures reminiscent of the arch-vile, arachnotron and pain elemental being visible; the latter 2 are particularly exciting to see since they've been absent from the series since Doom 64, way back in 1996.

There was an 8-year gap between the release of Doom 64 and Doom 3, then a whopping 12-year gap between Doom 3 and Doom 2016. Seeing a new mainline Doom game being announced this quickly after the last one is a genuine shock. But considering what an absolute joy Doom 2016 was, I'm more than ready for it. ;)

According to the teaser, there'll be actual gameplay shown off at this year's QuakeCon, so keep your eyes peeled!

~

And apparently it actually has a mode that allows full freedom of movement; the point-and-teleport movement method is optional. I'm sure that goes a long way towards making it feel like a real Doom game. (Although there's no option for left-handed controls. Sorry, lefties!)

So if you wanna get up close and personal with some hungry hellspawn in virtual reality (and have a PC or PS4 with the proper VR equipment), now's your chance! And if you've played the game already, let us know what you think about it!

(Personally, VR still feels like a gimmick to me, so I never bothered owning a headset. Kinda still wanna get this game anyway though, because it's Doom and I'm a hopeless fanboy.) XD

~

So you wanna play Doom 2016 in classic Doom but don't know the best way to go about doing it. Here's three mods for GZDoom/Zandronum that offer some of that new-Doom flavor, and my thoughts on how they compare. Click on their names to download them:


Death Foretold: Crucible

PRO

-Glory kills! Oddly, this is the only one of the three mods with genuine Doom 2016-style glory kills. The kill animations are far more limited than in the real game, of course, but the mechanics work just like they should (attack enemies, then melee them when they're stunned), and still feel quick and satisfying.

-Double-jumps!

-The complete Doom 2016 arsenal is here, including weapons originally exclusive to Doom 2016's multiplayer. (The MP weapons are disabled by default, but you can enable them from the Weapons Settings menu buried inside the Shortcut to Useful Options menu.)

-Most of Doom 2016's equipment is here too, meaning you have access to a variety of grenades, the shield wall, and even the teleporter.

-Most of the weapon mods from Doom 2016 are included, as well as a few new permanent weapon power-ups. The mods and power-ups are randomly dropped by enemies, incentivizing you to kill as much as possible.

-A proper Doom 2016 armor system, where the player's health doesn't decrease from damage until armor is fully depleted.

-A very cool character progression system that somewhat emulates the Argent and Praetor Suit upgrades from the real Doom 2016. If you get 100% kills & secrets in a map, you're randomly given one of these upgrades -- things like a permanent maximum health boost, protection from barrel explosions, increased automap functionality, and more. This gives the player a lot more encouragement to be a completionist.

-Enemy appearance, sound and behavior are significantly altered to more closely reflect their Doom 2016 counterparts, and it even includes enemies exclusive to Doom 2016, like the summoner and hell razer.


MEH

-Compared to Zion, the weapons don't animate nearly as well, and don't handle quite as accurately to Doom 2016, as some of their alt-fire modes and weapon mods don't behave like they should. However, their pixel-art style blends better with classic Doom's graphics than Zion's, and the glow-in-the-dark displays on the weapons are a nice touch.

-The berserk power-up acts more like it does in Doom 2016, granting you a huge boost to your defense and punching power for several seconds, which makes for a brief but very fun window of up-close carnage. However, it doesn't give the player proper feedback on when the power-up actually expires, which can result in the player thinking they're still buffed and accidentally taking a ton of damage.


CON

-Unlike the real Doom 2016, dropped health and ammo from enemies don't automatically float towards you. (Zion does this correctly.)

-Infighting glitches abound. Some enemies don't seem to acknowledge or get hurt by other enemy attacks at all; others retaliate but can't seem to be killed by other enemies, or can't kill other enemies themselves, resulting in endless stalemates. It's very odd and makes infighting a much less reliable strategy.



Zion

PRO

-Zion, by far, is the best at capturing the look, sound and feel of the Doom 2016 weapons, with graphics and (very smooth) animations lifted directly from the original game.

-Includes seemingly all weapon mods from Doom 2016, and they behave quite accurately. The weapon mods randomly replace ammo boxes in the levels instead of being random drops from enemies like in Death Foretold, though they still give you ammo too, thankfully.

-Dropped health and ammo from enemies floats toward the player like in Doom 2016.


MEH

-You can double-jump, but the jumps gain less height than in Death Foretold. The acceleration is also very weird, with the second jump making you lurch forward at high speeds.

-Enemy behavior has been slightly tweaked in order to better replicate Doom 2016 enemy behavior. The alterations are minor however (mostly just new dodge moves added, as well as rocket barrages from revenants, and jump-attacks from hell knights and barons), and most of the enemies haven't had their appearance updated in any way.

-Zombies drop ammo much more rarely than usual, which can leave you starved for bullets. On the other hand, this does encourage more strategic use of the chainsaw to ensure your weapons stay loaded.


CON

-No glory kills (although enemies will sometimes drop health on death).

-Since the new weapon sprites are ripped directly from Doom 2016, their art style sticks out and doesn't really fit the aesthetic of classic Doom. Plus, having to compress them down to a much lower resolution leaves them looking chunky and pixelated.

-No Doom 2016 multiplayer weapons or equipment, not even as an option.

-Only one grenade type, and the grenade is overly large, tending to bump into obstacles and fly right back into your face.

-Some infighting glitches, notably the seeming inability for chaingun zombies to hurt each other.

-The new door sounds are really annoying.



Doom 2016 Weapons for Brutal Doom (requires Brutal Doom v20b)

PRO

-The full Doom 2016 singleplayer arsenal is included, as well as the burst rifle (repeater) and vortex rifle from the multiplayer mode.

-You can dual-wield a few weapons, which doesn't feel much like Doom 2016, but is still pretty cool. It's not something you can do in the other two mods.

-Infighting seems to work fine.


MEH

-There are two demon transformations: the revenant and baron. However, their abilities are limited (the revenant has no jetpack, for example. You also can't pick up keys when transformed), and they have no on-screen timer so you can't tell when they'll wear off. Furthermore, once they do expire, your health is reset to 100 and your armor drops to 0. Even the mod's documentation says to not bother using the transformations, since they're so roughly implemented.

-The weapon sprites have been redrawn to better fit classic Doom's art style, but compared to Death Foretold's weapons, they're not as polished, and lack certain niceties like the displays that glow in dark areas. Some, like the super shotgun, also look basically nothing like the actual Doom 2016 weapons.

-There are weapon mods, but only for the shotgun and machinegun.


CON

-No actual glory kills, just typical (highly situational) Brutal Doom executions.

-No double-jumps.

-Enemies haven't been altered in any way to capture Doom 2016 looks or behaviors.

-Weapons aren't terribly accurate to their Doom 2016 counterparts, often featuring incorrect sounds, and/or incorrect/missing alt-fire modes. (Or, in cases like the chainsaw, they act nothing like the Doom 2016 version at all.) And in typical Brutal Doom fashion, virtually no care is given to proper balancing, with many weapons (including the burst rifle/repeater, often the first weapon you find) being massively overpowered.

-There's no equipment beyond a basic grenade, so don't expect siphon grenades, shield walls or anything like that.

-Demon transformation runes randomly replace soul spheres and megaspheres, potentially cheating you out of some much-needed health and armor.

-Weapon mods are acquired solely via field drones, which replace light-amp goggles. This makes finding weapon mods an incredibly rare event, and if the light-amp goggles were crucial for beating the level, you're in big trouble.

-It's still pretty much just plain ol' Brutal Doom, exactly as it's always been. Very little has been changed to give it that Doom 2016 feel.



-THE VERDICT-

(comparison screenshot)

If you want an all-encompassing Doom 2016 experience, with all the weapons and most of the game mechanics, but you don't mind a few flubbed details regarding the way the weapons handle, Death Foretold: Crucible is definitely the way to go. The way you can gradually power up your character over the course of a campaign is pretty cool too.

If you don't mind standard Doom gameplay with very accurate recreations of (most of) the Doom 2016 arsenal, then Zion is the best choice. It captures new-Doom gunplay very nicely.

And I wouldn't bother with the other mod unless you really just wanna play Brutal Doom yet again but with slightly different guns. XD


~

Lookin' for a way to play new-Doom inside old Doom, but you weren't satisfied with D4D? Have I got a mod for you! ...Actually two mods, but they're both sorta the same, except one is better. XD


Death Foretold (click to download)

Click here for screenshots

INFO: Version 2.1 reviewed. Requires GZDoom v1.8.6 or Zandronum v3.0 at minimum.

BUGS AND ISSUES: May not run properly on GZDoom development builds or builds higher than v3.0.

RECOMMENDED?: NO

In the beginning, there was D4D. And it was...okay? I'm not sure: I never played it. It was an attempt to port Doom 2016's gameplay to classic Doom, but it didn't have the glory kill mechanic, a feature which seems like half the reason you'd even bother to make a Doom 2016 mod. (Maybe they added it later? I'm not really sure.) It also had a bad case of feature bloat, with a weird RPG-style skill-purchasing system that gave you a lot of bizarre powers that had nothing to do with Doom 2016.

Thankfully, someone reworked D4D and made D4T: Death Foretold, a mod that cuts out all the fat and makes a fairly authentic-feeling port of Doom 2016's gameplay.

All the stuff you'd want from new-Doom is here: the enemies (along with a few classic enemies that didn't make it to new-Doom); the arsenal (including multiplayer-exclusive weapons and equipment); the weapon mods (plus a handful of new ones, but they don't feel out of place); the double-jumping (though you can't grab onto ledges, sadly); the demon runes (including several new transformations); and yes, the glory kills. Sure, the execution animations are much simpler than in the real game (although they're just as brief, thankfully), but it still feels viscerally satisfying to shoot a demon in the face and then kick them so hard that they explode. XD

Unlike the real Doom 2016, you no longer get skill points from exploring or doing cool tricks. To compensate, D4T awards you with a random bonus for getting 100% kills & secrets in a map -- bonuses like a full restock of ammo, permanent boosts to your maximum health, automap enhancements, and more. It's a great system and I really enjoy being rewarded for being as thorough as possible. On rare occasions, you'll also get random weapon mods and other enhancements from defeating monsters, so there's always a good reason to kill as much as you can.

D4T features 4 different difficulty modes, and aside from the hardest skill, Deathbound, all of them have 3 tiers: Few Monsters will populate the maps with an enemy count equivalent to the "Not Too Rough" skill in normal Doom; More Monsters uses "Hurt Me Plenty" monster counts; and Max Monsters uses "Ultra-Violence" monster counts. I really love this since it lets you mix and match the skill levels. For instance, play Mobile: Max Monsters (Mobile is the easiest skill) to get a ton of weak monsters that can't hurt you very much, or play Hard: Few Monsters to get just a few baddies that are extremely dangerous. It's up to you!

I will say however that the Hard skill really isn't very fun. Normal's already tougher than standard Doom, and on Hard, the monsters just obliterate you so fast that you never really get that tasty sense of power that you want from a Doom game, and you have to play very conservatively. Might work well for a more horror-themed map where you want to feel especially vulnerable, perhaps.

There are some other drawbacks to the mod, as well. While the added multiplayer weapons are nice and give you more tactical options, cycling through such a massive arsenal can be a pain, with many weapon slots holding as many as 3 weapons each. (For example, having to press the 3 key 3 times to get to your standard shotgun can be stressful when you're under pressure.) The HUD can also be obtrusive, with some guns having complicated reticles that can make it difficult to see your targets. (Luckily, you can turn these off and use standard ZDoom crosshairs.) Infighting seems a little broken, with some enemies simply not responding to other enemies' attacks, or they'll retaliate but won't actually be able to do any damage. And on occasion, the glory kill animations won't actually trigger, and you'll just punch an enemy to death without getting the execution bonus for it.

But those are mostly small complaints about what's honestly a really fun mod. Defeating a swarm of baddies by laying a trap with a kinetic mine, following it up with a grenade from your shotgun, glory-killing any stunned stragglers, then using the demon rune one of them dropped to become an unstoppable beast all come together to make for constant thrills. If you like Doom 2016 but want to play it with classic Doom WADs, this is how to do it!

So why don't I actually recommend playing this? Because instead, you should probably play...



Death Foretold: Crucible (click to download)

Click here for screenshots

INFO: Version 2.1 reviewed. Requires GZDoom v1.8.6 or Zandronum v3.0 at minimum.

BUGS AND ISSUES: May not run properly on GZDoom development builds or builds higher than v3.0.

RECOMMENDED?: YES

Crucible is the same as Death Foretold, but with some added tweaks. While D4T dialed back a lot of the added features in D4D, Crucible goes a step further, stripping away other elements to make an even more authentic Doom 2016 campaign experience.

You'd think fewer features would make for worse gameplay, but oddly, this is not necessarily true. Doom 2016's weaponry was balanced pretty carefully, and everything had a really specific function. Adding the multiplayer weapons into the mix throws this balance off somewhat, and these firearms can feel like added fluff to tediously cycle through in order to get to the superior SP weapons. Crucible tosses out those extra MP weapons and is generally better for it, though you can choose to add some or all of them back if you desire (via the Weapon Settings menu buried inside the Shortcut to Useful Options menu). I kinda miss the demon runes, but happily, those can be toggled back on too.

There's also small visual tweaks that help increase the intensity of the game without getting too distracting. If you crank all the blood effects to the maximum, Crucible is a way gorier game than D4T was, and I can't deny that the gameplay feels just a bit more awesome when entire corridors are caked in entrails you helped spill. There's also a little more screen-shake to enhance impacts, as well as minor niceties like the security zombies' shield turning colors depending on how damaged their shield is, like in the real Doom 2016.

There are also other modest alterations that rebalance the gameplay, like how the pistol's enhanced "orange mode" is now a power-up instead of a mod you start the game with, and your equipment has a longer cooldown. (Your grenades and such were kinda overpowered in D4T since you could use them so often.) One change I particularly like is that the berserk power-up acts more like it should. In D4T, the berserk acted basically like it did in classic Doom, enhancing your punching power for the level. But in Crucible, for 45 seconds, your defense is heavily boosted and your punching power is dramatically enhanced, giving you a brief but exhilarating window of time to beat absolutely everything to death with basically no consequences. It's admittedly kinda buggy, as it's hard to tell exactly when the power-up has expired, which can get you into trouble. It's still really fun, though. XD

Honestly, as great as D4T is, I think Crucible is probably superior. It's mostly the same mod (with the same infighting glitches, sadly), but it features more options to customize your experience, slightly improved visuals and gameplay, and way more gore. It's great fun and definitely worth checking out.


-

Doom v6.66 is out

For whatever reason, Id Software is trying to rejuvenate the new Doom's multiplayer scene once again. You might assume it's to sell more of the DLC packs, but no: the multiplayer DLC is now free to everyone. So if you were curious about the DLC-exclusive maps, weapons or demons but not curious enough to buy them, they're all yours now.

The multiplayer itself is also getting some noteworthy changes, mostly in regards to its progression system. No longer are you at the whim of random chance: equipment now has specific requirements in order to unlock each piece, so you can work towards getting whatever items you want. If you already have all the equipment in the game, veteran players have the option to restart their progress and try out the new unlock system.

The controversial hack modules are also gone. Instead, there's a new rune system. Runes give players enhanced abilities, but while hack modules were consumable, runes give players persistent upgrades. While I'm sure purists would prefer the hack modules and the runes were both gone, I do find it a tantalizing prospect to be able to customize your character's abilities to your play style.

So yeah, if you felt a bit of hankerin' for Doom's multiplayer but wasn't sure if it was worth bothering with, now's a good time to try it out.


~

Much like every year, I was anxious to see what the E3 expo had in store mostly in hopes of new Doom announcements. This year, I was not disappointed...

Well, actually, I was, despite Doom showing up.

https://youtu.be/TLmiH0-qVGA

Doom VFR, which is a...quasi-remake of Doom 2016, but in VR.

...Kay.

I honestly have zero interest in VR games, and the point-and-click teleportation control method shown in the trailer -- common in most VR games -- seems completely inappropriate for Doom's heavily-movement-focused action. There's some FEAR-style slow-mo effects seemingly to help you get your bearings when things get frantic, but do we really wanna play Doom in slow-motion? Plus, with most of the assets simply being repurposed from Doom 2016, there's not even much new to see.

At this rate, an HD VR remake of Doom 2 RPG would be more tantalizing to me. At least that was built around turn-based combat, and is an obscure game that few got to play.

Oh well. At least Wolfenstein 2 was announced. (Not that I really care since I'm basically the one person that didn't like Wolfenstein: The New Order. Did we really have to take something silly like Wolfenstein and make it so freakin' morose?) And BJ Blazkowicz will be in Quake Champions, which is pretty sweet since he should've been in Quake 3 in the first place.


~

 VictoriaViper here. Typically, I don't play a lotta mods for Doom. I think the classic Doom gameplay is sacred, and I don't like to mess with it very much. On the other hand, I also really love Duke Nukem 3D. When I found out there was a mod that mixes the two together, I just had to check it out.


Duke It Out in Doom (click to download)

Screenshots (now with captions!)

INFO: Requires 3DGE v2.0.4 Final and any official Doom IWAD.

RECOMMENDED?: YES!


In Short: A few questionable design decisions and a couple of sloppily-designed weapons sour the experience slightly, and the addition of a few more Duke-themed features would've been great. However, a wide variety of classic Duke one-liners and weapons make this a worthy play for any DN fan, and the slightly-tougher gameplay results in exciting new challenges.


At Length: Duke It Out in Doom, as the title might suggest, allows you to play as the eternally bubblegum-deficient butt-kicker, Duke Nukem, as he fights demons in whatever 3DGE-compatible Doom levels you choose.

Not surprisingly, his infamous Duke Talk is here too, and it's really amazing just how much of it has been amassed for this WAD -- nearly 200 distinct one-liners by my count. There's a couple of stinkers amongst them (I was quick to replace "bazinga!" with something else), but the variety is impressive. They're pleasantly reactive too, with Duke having specific quips for defeating enemies with melee attacks, for taking damage, for freezing enemies, for headshot kills, for picking up weapons, and more.

Really, my only complaint with the Duke Talk is that it triggers perhaps a bit too often. It's not annoying, but I think it'd have a bit more impact if you had to wait a little for it, instead of Duke mouthing off at almost every opportunity.

Duke's quips aside, the other big feature of the mod is that most of Duke's arsenal of weapons is here too. You've got the FPS staples like the pistol, shotgun and RPG, but also several of Duke's more unique weapons, like the remote-detonating pipe bombs, the bouncy freezethrower, and the body-warping shrinker/expander. Even the plasma cannon, exclusive to Duke Nukem 64, is here (and boy does it pack a punch). And yes, the Mighty Foot has returned as well, although only as an alt-fire for certain weapons.

Most of these handle as you expect and get the job done. The plasma cannon is particularly devastating, and the shrink ray is just as effective as you'd hope, zapping most baddies down to bite-size pieces and letting you stomp them into paste. A lot of the weapons have handy alternate-fire modes too, like the semi-auto mode for the shotgun, or the burst-fire mode for the ripper that makes it more effective at range.

Some weapons kinda miss the mark, however, like the incinerator. Instead of acting like it did in Duke 3D: World Tour, where it was a great area-denial tool that paralyzed most enemies, it's now a basic flamethrower. Doesn't do very much damage however, making it most useful against groups of fodder enemies like imps and zombies. Problem is, when you set them alight, they start charging towards you, usually catching you on fire in the process. Worse still, Duke seems to travel faster than the fire stream he shoots, meaning he can easily run into his own incinerator fire as he's firing it, causing a lot of accidental self-damage. It's coded quite horribly.

The railgun from Duke Nukem Forever is here too, and I can't remember how effective it was in DNF, but at least in this mod, it's probably the worst railgun I've ever used. For one thing, the projectile it fires is slow, behaving nothing at all like a railgun slug should. Even with the added scope for magnification, it's hard to effectively target enemies at range since it takes so long for the projectile to actually reach them. Plus, the scope isn't even always accurate, and the rail shots will veer off at odd angles at times, especially when looking up or down. The only saving grace for the railgun is that you can dual-wield it, which makes it somewhat useful as a mid-range power weapon.

One other issue with the weapons is that scrolling through them with the mousewheel is pretty much completely broken. There's no rhyme or reason to the ordering of the many weapons, and I eventually just had to bind my favorites to hotkeys for easier access.

Most items have all been replaced with Duke-themed equivalents too. They're pretty fun to use and are nice twists on the classic Doom pickups, particularly the night-vision goggles, which can be toggled on and off at any time like in Duke 3D, rather than being a temporary power-up. However, I fear some of these changes run the risk of breaking certain maps. In particular, invulnerability spheres are now replaced with an item that gives you an unlimited-ammo Devastator for 30 seconds. Certainly handy, but if the map requires you to be invulnerable for a certain period of time, you're screwed. On the other hand, steroids now replace berserk packs, and steroids do make you invulnerable, meaning some sections will end up much easier than the mapper probably intended.

Also, while I know it'd break maps even worse if it was included, it still kinda hurts that the jetpack isn't here. It's an iconic Duke item, and being able to fly everywhere is just inherently awesome. XD

The last notable feature of this mod are a few slight alterations to enemy behavior, usually boiling down to the baddies firing more projectiles simultaneously than usual, or moving faster. They're not significant changes, but they do make a few enemies a bit more threatening (especially cacodemons). I do wish there'd been a mode that would allow you to outright replace Doom's bestiary with Duke 3D enemies though, or even better, randomly mix them together.

So yeah, it's not perfect and left me wanting more. Still, if you can stomach the somewhat creaky 3DGE engine, and wanna play Doom while Jon St. John says derogatory things about the demons you're shooting, this is a great way to go about it. XD

On May 13th, 2016, Id Software graced the world with one of the finest revivals ever made of a classic video game franchise: Doom.

It's been a year since then and...to be honest, I haven't played the singleplayer campaign since that first time. Certainly not for lack of wanting. In fact, the campaign is so good, I've actually been nervous about revisiting it for fear that it won't live up to my happy memories. Which is dumb because I'm depriving myself of awesomeness. XD

The game's had a lot of improvements since its initial release, with the arcade mode added, and a wide variety of multiplayer options (including FFA modes, which is what people had been wanting from the get-go). SnapMap has probably had the greatest overhaul, going from a mildly amusing diversion that was awkward to use, to something much more akin to an actual, fully-fledged level-creation tool. You can still just snap together those premade modules if you want, but now people are making actually-new levels from scratch, and it's pretty cool.

So here's to you, Doom 2016. Thanks for giving us another great reason to go to Hell. ;)

~

Hello everyone, Ben Roprim here!

I have constructed a separate branch from the Doom Furs Club, for Hexen and Heretic Fans!


Introducing the:  hexen_furs_club


For all relations to the game and it's sequels this is the place to go, so have fun!

Oh, and watch out for D'sparil. I've seen him creeping around lately!

If you signed up for the Quake Champions closed beta, check your e-mail! The keys are already being sent out. They're seemingly being sent out semi-randomly however, so don't be shocked if your inbox is empty.

If you get in, happy fragging! ;)


~

https://youtu.be/pG8RAbWs1yo




And they said Doom couldnt be played on a printer.

I say bullshit, good sir!


~ Post from  ben_roprim ~