DOOM 3 - Official Thread

[GGKoul]

As of right now multiplayer is limited to only 4 players.  But I'm sure they are going to be increasing that in the near future.  Unless its a bandwith hog....

[TalkingOctopus]

There is already a mod out that ups the multiplayer to 8.  EDIT: There are quite a few mods.  Check them out: http://download.boomtown.net/en_uk/articles/art.view.php?id=5813

I haven't had a chance to pick up doom3, but I wonder if my humble setup can handle it.  

1800+ Athlon XP
512 MB of ram
GeForce 3 Ti500

I don't mind ultra low detail.  Also, I am really on the fence with this game.  Although the numerical review ratings have been high, if you actually go and read review, (esp. gamespot's,) Doom3 does not sound that great.  I may end up waiting until it falls to a more sane price.

[GGKoul]

Thanks for the Link!

Your system should be able to run Doom3 with one of the detail settings.  And when you have the cash, get yourself a new video card and maybe another 512 of ram.

-GGKoul

[TalkingOctopus]

Although I had no intentions of buying it, I ended up coming home with Doom3 after work.  Curse that money sink (ebgames) across the street from my apartment.  The game refused to install and then due to protection it would not recognize the CD in the drive.  So after some troubleshooting and a NO CD patch I got it running.  It runs surprisingly good on my old system AFTER a few tweaks.  

First, I did what Jakobud suggested and set image_cacheMeg from 20 to 128.  This improved performance ALOT.  Then I followed this post I saw:

I found out the reason for this and the solution to fix this problem.

As you already know after installation the game consits only of the doom3.exe and some .PK4 files. Those PK4 files includes the entire game (sounds, videos, textures etc.) in high compressed form.

Normally those files were decompresse during the game.

But this exactly is the problem. Even new CPUs are not able to decompress those files while running the game with good peformance and therfore the game runs very **** also on new computers. I don't know if the develpers of ID-Soft was just too stupid to think about this or if they have an agreement with some hardware manufacturing firms.

How to get around this problem:

It is very simple. Go to your Doom 3 installation directoy and get inside the folder "Base". There are some .PK4 files you have to open each of them with WinRAR 3.3 and extract their entire contents to the Base dir in you Doom 3 installation folder (replace all files if they are any duplicates). Now you have to delete all .PK4 files in the Base folder to prevent the game to use those compressed files agian.

Now the game starts and runs mutch faster!!!

(note: do this at your own risk.  It may prevent multiplayer so make a backup copy first)

After those 2 tweaks, I am running smoothly on 800 x 600 w/ high detail, which is pretty good for my system.  Have fun playing doom 3!

[hulkster]

man, i had the same problem with medal of honor when it first came out.  i had a decent pc rig at the time....my frat. brothers had crappy pcs, but we all wanted to play, so i said i would install it on my pc and then put the no-cd crack on there and give it to the rest of them to play.  so i start installing, only to get installation errors!!!  so my friend puts it on his piece of crap machine, and then applies the no-cd patch and then sends it to me, and it worked fine.  no clue.  ill get doom 3 after my bday at the end of the month here  .  ive read that its just run and shoot as said in this post before...so im not expecting anything ground breaking....just good gory fun.

[Lilwolf]

btw, the ulta setting is for videocards that don't exist yet.  

I have a 9500 -> 9700 so I cant use the latest doom3 drivers (they broke (on purpose the ---daisies---) guru3d's hack).   I set it up as 640x480 when I ran it at 9500 and moved it up to 9700 (double speed) and kept it there.  Silky smooth and I haven't noticed the resolution... So keeping it.

I like the game A LOT... but have no time to play it.. (moving... 1/2 way in new house now... have a few weeks I guess).  

I like that I have jumped a bunch of times... And many times with monsters that have been around for a few levels.  Good job of level design.

Also... as for mobs

DO NOT DOWNLOAD THE COOP VERSION AROUND

its a trojan for finding your ID..  many who tried it initially had their ID's stolen in then few hours.

The 32 person online one is having troubles... but seems to be legit...

And I haven't had time to play with any of the others.

[Darkstalker]

"btw, the ulta setting is for videocards that don't exist yet.  "

Isn't it basically turning on 64-bit uncompressed textures?

[GreenKnight37]

Have you guys heard of the Duct Tape mod?

It lets you use your flashlight and a few weapons at the same time, the Shotgun and machine gun I believe.  I've tried it out and it works really well.

And realistically, you'd be using both anyways.  You've got two hands after all!

http://ducttape.glenmurphy.com/

[pointdablame]

Awesome... that's one of my pet peeves in the game... why the hell can this guy use a flashlight and a pistol at once or attach it to a weapon.  

I'll have to give it a try

[Soulcon]

Anything and everything you might need enjoy.

http://ucguides.savagehelp.com/Doom3/Doom3Guide.htm

-Soul

[Ghoward]

WOW..... I didn't like the game at first, then once the zombies started coming out the game is amazing and the sound is something else.

I can't wait to get it on the Xbox and play it on my 65" TV.

[hulkster]

why in the world would you want this game, much less any other first person shooter on your console!!?!!?  you cannot sit there and tell me that you  prefer the "accuracy" of the gamepad in a fps, over a mouse and keyboard.  it doesnt even compare.  first of all, im a HUGE nintendo fan, and i loved Goldeneye back in the day and stuff, but geez, the controls take a while to get used to and the accuracy for fps are so much better on a pc with the mouse.  i can just see it now, "hey theres a zombie jumping off a platform to my upper right.....hmmm....ill push the right trigger to look right, then ill push the analog stick to look up, and now ill shoot."  wow crazy fast timing and accuracy!  

[GGKoul]

1st person shooters do not play the same with a gamepad.  The best and easiest way to play the game is with a keyboard and mouse.  

Ok, maybe a gamepad is better against a KB only... But KB & Mouse rock.

[Ghoward]

why in the world would you want this game, much less any other first person shooter on your console!!?!!?  you cannot sit there and tell me that you  prefer the "accuracy" of the gamepad in a fps, over a mouse and keyboard.  it doesnt even compare.  first of all, im a HUGE nintendo fan, and i loved Goldeneye back in the day and stuff, but geez, the controls take a while to get used to and the accuracy for fps are so much better on a pc with the mouse.  i can just see it now, "hey theres a zombie jumping off a platform to my upper right.....hmmm....ill push the right trigger to look right, then ill push the analog stick to look up, and now ill shoot."  wow crazy fast timing and accuracy!  

I never used to like game consoles and the Xbox is the first system I've ever bought but games seem to be better on the Xbox over the PC versions and you don't have to go out and buy a ton of upgrades very time a new doom style game comes out like I have been doing for the last 10 years or so on the PC.

But you do however have a valid point when it comes to game control.

Gary

[hulkster]

good point about the upgrades on a pc....with a console, you know the game will run great on your console and wont have to worry about it, but if you think about it, you will buy the next console when it comes out in a year  or two, so thats like upgrading.  

[Ghoward]

That is true to it's still cheaper to buy a new console every few years than the mega upgrades I always find myself buying for a new Doom style game.

I have spent so much money in the past upgrading just to play Doom and Quake as I always seem to like playing the games with the highest settings in detail etc.....But I'm sure once I've played Doom 3 for a few more weeks I'll be down at the store buying new parts for my pc again just to get the best out of it.

Gary

[GGKoul]

Doom3 Arcade Edition.

[menace]

so whats with the flashlight?  I haven't played it yet so I'm a little behind here...

[GGKoul]

The game is very dark.  So you need a Flashlight too see things... But when your in Flashlight mode, you can't quickly change to a weapon too shot something.  You need to select the weapon you want to use via the KB, then you can shoot.  You cannot hold both the flashlight and a gun at the sametime.  

So when you have a weapon drawn, you cant see anything in the dark places and when you have a flashlight, you can't shoot anything you see.

It's a bit of a pain.

[mr.Curmudgeon]

I'm suprised they would design something like this into the game. Didn't they play-test it in-house first? Video games are primarily about game play first and graphics second, so this flash-light deal sounds like a horrible novelty. I don't have Doom3 yet but that aspect already sounds annoying.

Looks like there is mods out to correct it though.
http://www.fileplanet.com/files/140000/143916.shtml (pistol flashlight)
http://www.fileplanet.com/files/140000/143993.shtml (machine-gun flashlight)

[Soulcon]

Annoying yes but what they where striving for was the fumble aspect. Your walking around and then all of a sudden BOO. You start to fumble around to bring up your gun and drop the flashlight or something. Fumbling the whole way. It just adds to the helpless jumpy "ITS GONNA EAT ME" Factor . They always give you a place to go or run or space to draw before anything gets ya even with fumble factor .

-Soul

[Lilwolf]

I personally love the flashlight.

Set up the flashlight into button 2... Click it and flashlight... click it again, last weapons back.

And sometimes you go dark because you think they might have added something around that corner.

You should be trying to freak yourself out... Otherwise you aren't getting your moneys worth.

[JoyMonkey]

I'm all in favor of the flashlight too. One of the funny things about it though; if you come across a corpse lying on the floor and hit it twice with the butt of your flashlight it completely disintegrates - their brains fly fly out of their skull and their flesh disappears, then they're just gone! That's one tough flashlight!

[hulkster]

Video games are primarily about game play first and graphics second,

that's why most xbox games suck.  halo was great because it actually had good gameplay AND great graphics, but most of their games are either all or nothing.  i guess doom 3 is suffering the same fate.

[shmokes]

that's why most xbox games suck.  halo was great because it actually had good gameplay AND great graphics, but most of their games are either all or nothing.  i guess doom 3 is suffering the same fate.

You're giving me an eye headache.

[hulkster]

my sentiments exactly!  i dont like xbox games either

[GGKoul]

my sentiments exactly!  i dont like xbox games either

But nothing beats a modded xbox with 200g HD and all of your games on it...

[greywolf22]

Not sure if you guys are already aware of this or not, but if you use the default flashlight key [F] you can cycle between the flash light and the last weapon used.  Just press [F] to go to your flashlight and then press [F] again and it will go to the last weapon you were holding before going to the flashlight.  Just a little FYI for those who aren't already aware

[pointdablame]

Not sure if you guys are already aware of this or not, but if you use the default flashlight key [F] you can cycle between the flash light and the last weapon used.  Just press [F] to go to your flashlight and then press [F] again and it will go to the last weapon you were holding before going to the flashlight.  Just a little FYI for those who aren't already aware

Doesn't one of the first cinematics in the game explain that to you?  

[greywolf22]

Won't be the first time I've stated the obvious  

[hulkster]

my sentiments exactly!  i dont like xbox games either

But nothing beats a modded xbox with 200g HD and all of your games on it...

hmmm, or you could just buy a pc, since all the good xbox games come out on pc anyway (i.e. halo, knights of the old republic, splinter cell).  i mean, why buy an xbox for exclusive titles when the BEST ones come out for PC?  that one kinda baffles me on microsofts side.  

[Ghoward]

my sentiments exactly!  i dont like xbox games either

But nothing beats a modded xbox with 200g HD and all of your games on it...

hmmm, or you could just buy a pc, since all the good xbox games come out on pc anyway (i.e. halo, knights of the old republic, splinter cell).  i mean, why buy an xbox for exclusive titles when the BEST ones come out for PC?  that one kinda baffles me on microsofts side.  

That is true but you have to buy a top of the line pc to run everything right, or buy a Xbox and be done.

Gary

[hulkster]

yeah, but you also have to deal with the xbox controller.....which sucks!  although theyve modified the controller and made it smaller since it came out, i remember when they first released the xbox....there was an article from ign.com reviewing the xbox saying that the controler "seeing how big it is, i believe the xbox controller was designed specifically for the hands of Rock Biter from the Neverending Story!"    funny stuff...funny...because its true.  alright, enough of xbox bashing.  i love boobs.