Doom 3
Doom 3 is a first-person shooter video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. There are versions for Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, Mac OS X and for the Xbox game console (developed by Vicarious Visions).
Doom 3 is not a continuation of the series, but rather a remake of the original Doom. The game takes place in the year 2145, in the research center of the Union Aerospace Corporation (UAC) and on Mars.
Much of the game's story and dialogue were created by Matthew J. Costello. According to the storyline above, the Union Aerospace Corporation (UAC) has grown to become the largest corporation in existence, and has built a series of research facilities on Mars. In that Martian base, the UAC has developed these investigations in different areas, including development of advanced weapons technology, biological research, teleportation and space exploration. Due to the fact that the facilities are located on Mars, the UAC can conduct its operations outside the law and away from moral controversies. As the player progresses through the game, they will learn that the employees of the Martian base are uneasy due to a large number of incidents involving mysterious voices, unexplained sightings, and an increasing number of cases of paranoia and mental health issues, which they often result in fatal accidents/incidents with the complex's machinery. Rumors regarding the nature of the mysterious experiments carried out by the UAC Delta Labs division are increasing among the employees assigned to the site.
Although the plot base of the story is the same as in its predecessor Doom, it develops in a different way. An example of this is that in the original Doom the protagonist enters the Martian base already invaded by infernal hosts, while in Doom 3 we see how the demonic invasion takes place.
Its expansion, Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil, was announced on October 25, 2004 and developed by id Software and Nerve Software. Includes a full single player campaign as well as new multiplayer maps that support up to 8 players.
Plot
Doom 3 begins with an image of Mars seen from space, while a robotic voice gives us a brief introduction to the history of the UAC. Immediately afterwards we will see a sequence of the control tower that manages the arrival of the transport ship that takes us to Mars city, the main access area to the complex to which we are heading.
With the ship docked at the station, the first to descend will be Elliott Swann and Jack Campbell, who discuss what they have come to do there. Behind them will descend our protagonist, an anonymous Marine who goes to Mars for the first time as a security member of the team in charge of investigating the strange events that are happening. That will be the moment in which the player will take control of the action.
Shortly after lowering the ship that has transported us, it will separate from the unloading dock while we will enter the facilities. Already at the dock, some characters will give us the "welcome" and they will tell us that we must go to the security controls for access to the interior of the enclosure.
Once inside, the atmosphere is apparently calm, the facilities and robots are in good condition, the employees of the complex do not seem to behave out of the ordinary (at least considering the circumstances in which they live). At a counter, an employee will provide us with a PDA that will be key throughout the game since it allows us to connect to terminals, read emails or access the content of other abandoned PDAs, etc., with which little by little we will find out the history of the game, in addition to having other equally important functions such as giving access to restricted areas, etc. Afterwards, the employee will tell us that Sergeant Thomas Kelly has requested our presence, so we will go to his office.
Along the way we hear Swann and Campbell having a heated conversation with Malcolm Betruger about the investigation of the incidents and events at the compound. Finally Malcolm warns that 'amazing things' they are about to happen. When the men leave, the player resumes his path and goes to the place where Chief Sergeant Thomas Kelly is waiting for him. While we go through the corridors and access rooms we will find some PDAs, as well as coming across different workers from the complex with whom we can chat or simply listen to their conversations about rumors that refer to something strange happening.
Once we arrive at the control center where Sergeant Kelly is, he will entrust our main marine with the search for a missing Delta Laboratory scientist. After giving us some indications, we will leave with the help of a robot-guide that will show us the way to the control point that gives access to the area where the scientist disappeared. After going through several corridors and changing levels by means of an elevator, we will finally arrive at the control point where a guard guards access, which for security reasons is restricted, and which will only allow us to access if we first arm ourselves in the armory he guards. So the player will acquire some weapons, ammunition, armor, a flashlight and a radio intercom kit.
After equipping ourselves, we'll enter the area known as "the dungeons," where we will continue our journey through the increasingly sinister facilities as we delve deeper into the underground complex. Once again we will come across some workers who will give us disturbing warnings. Finally, we will arrive at a communications center where the scientist appears to be. However, to access the place we must go outside the Martian surface and unfortunately we do not have pressurized air equipment at hand, so we will have to be quick if we do not want to die of suffocation along the way.
Once inside the place, we will descend to a lower level where we will surprise the scientist while he tries to send a warning message to Earth about what is happening there. In the following sequence our protagonist tries to stop the scientist by pointing a gun at him, but the man seems desperate to make the communication and tries to explain the importance of it due to the seriousness of the matter. However, before he can complete the task, something terrible happens: images of what appear to be explosions in the teleporter area can be seen on video surveillance screens. Before these screens go off due to a breakdown, we can see how some strange beings attack the staff amid screams of pain and terror. Something is transforming and attacking the people in the complex, while flames emanate from the center of the room where we are standing as the electrical power fails and we are momentarily left in the dark surrounded by strange reddish symbols that mysteriously appear on the windows. walls, floors and ceilings while everything shakes. Suddenly, from those flames appear skulls surrounded by fire that float in all directions. One of them reaches a damaged screen that lights up and shows us the scene in which a soldier comes into contact with a skull, turning him into a zombie. Instantly the scientist, who was watching the scene in fear at our side, is also possessed by one of the skulls and attacks us with growls. We have no choice but to kill him, making him our first victim, the first in a long list if we want to get out of there alive. At that moment our mission on the planet has changed, now we only have to think of one objective, kill them all
Game Mode
Gameplay is quite similar to the original Doom, which in its time helped establish the conventions of first-person shooter (FPS) games. The player's main objective is to navigate a path through the game's hostile environment, to a point of relative safety at the end of each level. The basic mechanics of the game are shoot, crouch, dodge and run, in which the player must literally shoot anything that moves. Movement in Doom 3 is unusually simple compared to other contemporary games, allowing only forward, backward, sideways, jumping, crouching, and running, which honestly limits a lot of gameplay possibilities. in the same. This has been the focus of some criticism of the game. The level design and its architecture is basically linear, although there are times when the player, to go from point A to point B, must first go through point C and there are some totally unknown in the game that are very access is difficult and many times they are crowded with enemies, although they keep rewards or surprises or worse things than those already known in the game, which invites exploration. In order to reach the desired location and complete an objective, a number of situations must be completed: eliminate all enemies on the level, collect items, solve basic puzzles, etc.
To help the game's setting, improvements have been added, such as a PDA that serves as identification for UAC workers. The player finds it useful for gathering information from computers scattered around the facility, as well as recording the contents of other characters' PDAs left behind after the demonic invasion. The PDA collects e-mails, audio and video files that the player uses to learn the history of the facility prior to arrival and obtain codes to open sealed cabinets containing ammunition, weapons, armor refills, etc. The innovative thing about this system is that the plot line must be deduced by the player as if he really were a newbie who has just arrived at the facilities and knows nothing of what was happening there. This information appears in the e-mails that the UAC staff sent to each other, as well as sound recordings with their impressions. It also highlights the fact that this information has been treated in a very real way, since along with the e-mails that inform about the argument, there are also texts of personal matters and advertising emails (SPAM).
The main problem with its gameplay is that there is no possibility to destroy the stage, or to follow another path to reach the objective or to alternate the plot. Nor are the types of weapons abundant, or the use of vehicles, the hacking of devices or the use of more electronic devices such as spaceships, machine repairs, etc.
Features
In this game, both the light effects and the level design have been extremely careful; the lighting and the situation of the enemies are designed to make the player panic. This is a very big change considering that in previous games we had to advance by taking down large numbers of poorly disguised enemies. On the other hand, in Doom 3 the normal thing is to advance little by little, observing each corner and each possible hiding place with the flashlight. Only occasionally are there large rooms in which many enemies appear and the player must change their combat style or modify it to survive. Another difference is that in most of the game it is almost total darkness. At the beginning of the game, the protagonist is given a flashlight that does not illuminate even half of the field of vision, which cannot be used at the same time as the weapon, thus exposing himself to not having enough time to arm himself if You are suddenly attacked (which almost always happens), or not being able to see an enemy preparing to attack you if you prefer to use a weapon.
The game does not have a musical soundtrack, although it does have short synthesizer melodies, which play at certain times, and it also has its own characteristic theme, which appears on the menu and in advertisements. Even so, the soundtrack is not necessary since the acoustic setting system is exceptionally disturbing. The latter is accompanied by the light effect. Both activate to their full potential in the most hostile zones to make the player desperate. An example of this is the use of a red mist that surrounds the player when attacked, or the effect that arises when a demon "teleports" to the position of the protagonist: the walls of the room are illuminated with satanic symbols of a reddish glow. fleeting. All these elements cause a continuous situation of oppression and true uncertainty and terror, where fear can cause the player to see things where there are none and have to keep saving the game continuously. Another observation is that the set is extremely lively as walls are broken from which monsters emerge, machines break, fire or blood appears, etc.
In this sense, we see the great influence that Doom 3 took from films like the original Ridley Scott's Alien (1979), where the effect of terror is the essence of evil. Evil is not distinguished clearly and in detail until it is upon us. Perhaps, until he is defeated, he is only delayed; evil is not attenuated with previous warnings; evil "is there." The shadows, the "cathedral" lighting, the use of natural light, the old metallic or ruined finishes, all come together to produce terror. What strikes Doom 3 is the complex stereo surround sound it possesses: if played with headphones, it can be downright terrifying.
In the year of its release, mentioning Doom 3's graphic style was synonymous with "incredible", and it was certainly ahead of the game. In this sense, ID Software set the standard for what games would be for years to come. This was also its biggest flaw: it needs a lot of computer power.
The decorations and the bio-mechanical style that they have are impressive. The setting is unique and its realism is tremendous in terms of avant-garde and futuristic mechanical approaches, consisting of a base on Mars, which is dedicated to strange and often anti-ethical experiments of all kinds; a base that is in moral decline and that no longer has enough power to continue with the investigations. During the game, the player will go through various areas of the complex and will be able to see that everything is extremely careful, everything has a logic and, despite the fact that the machines are fictitious, they have a logical scientific basis as well as functional mechanics.
As for the enemies, it has been jokingly said that ID Software programmers may have serious mental problems. They are the same as the original Doom, but taken to an extreme. The game itself has gloomy images: spiders with inverted human heads, mangled or decapitated corpses, blood and satanic legends written on the walls, devil babies and rivers of blood that indicate the way forward (special mention for the DELTA 4 laboratory) that they are clear marks of "who you are fighting against."
The release of this game was practically cinematic, and it was the first to incorporate "trailers" in the same style of Hollywood films on its website. That tradition continued with the Resurrection of Evil expansion and with the game Quake 4, which uses the same graphics engine.
Weapons
In Doom 3 the weapons from the original game make an appearance such as the pistol, the shotgun, the machine gun, the missile launcher, the plasma rifle, the BFG9000 and the famous chainsaw. A new feature in the series, but not in the genre, is that you have to reload your weapons when you run out of ammunition. Also, the long reload times help create tense situations when you're low on bullets and under attack. A new weapon, the "Cube of Souls", is a necessary item to be able to finish the game. When released, he just walks himself towards the enemies in the area and "steals" their health to give it to us.
Among what can be used to defend and/or attack, are the fists, the flashlight, the pistol, the machine gun, a Gatlin-Gun, grenades, the plasma projector, the missile launcher, the BFG9000 and the Cube of the souls
The Cube of Souls
The «Cube of Souls» is a special artifact in the game, used also as an attack weapon. The personnel of the UAC-(Union Aerospace Corporation) found this artifact in the excavations. It was his biggest and best discovery. The hieroglyphics and symbols of the Cube of Souls can concentrate five souls of the enemies so that the cube warns the bearer of the artifact that it is ready to attack, and after killing the enemy can transfer the opponent's life to the player. Enemies with high strength and stamina cannot be killed on the first attack, but it does weaken them quite a bit. To get this weapon you have to go through the portal and kill a totally blind type of demon by shooting the sentinels that guide it (The Guardian).
Enemies
The enemies are the same as in Doom and Doom 2 with a few changes. Imp no longer have spikes on their shoulders; the pinky (or demons) no longer walk on 2 legs, and become quite formidable enemies. Added other enemies such as 2 (Trities, Tricks) types of spiders very different from those in Doom 2. Although there is a spider that is a sub-boss that could be equivalent to the boss spider from the inferno episode in Doom 1. The Hellknight continues to have the same forms of attack, although now it has abandoned its typical demonic appearance with goat legs and horns, for a more bestial and muscular one. The new lost Souls are shaped like a flying human head engulfed in flames and have an open mouth full of small fangs. A similar unnamed enemy are flying skulls that glow with an orange light and zombify people they encounter. They cause brief power outages when they appear, and encountering one of them usually means that there are zombies in the vicinity. In the Resurrection of evil expansion, the original design of the lost souls from Doom 2 of a flying skull with horns was recovered, and they were called "Forgoten One" (perhaps alluding to the fact that their appearance, one of the icons of the Doom series, was "forgotten" in favor of the new design). In addition, the final boss is a CyberDemon, which in Doom 2 was a semi-boss, and his appearance in Doom 3 is even more imposing, about 10 meters tall (The Cyberdemon).
Expansions and other versions
Doom 3: Resurrection Of Evil
id Software released the official expansion for Doom 3, Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil, in April 2005 for Windows and Mac, and in October of the same year for Xbox. This expansion takes place two years after the events of Doom 3, having as its main antagonist Professor Betruger (turned into Maledict). In addition to adding new enemies and bosses, the game adds two new weapons, a "levitator" (similar to the gravity gun from Half-Life 2) and the classic double barrel shotgun from Doom 2.
Doom 3: BFG Edition
Doom 3 was re-released as Doom 3: BFG Edition on October 15, 2012 in Australia and on October 16 in North America and on October 19 in Europe for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. version includes improved graphics and sound effects, a save system via checkpoints, and support for 3D screens and HMDs. In addition, the game includes the expansion Resurrection of Evil with a new mission titled The Lost Mission. This new version also includes the classic games Doom (in its version Doom Ultimate which includes episode 4 Thy Flesh Consumed which had previously been published only for Xbox) and Doom 2 (including the episode No Rest For The Living, which had previously been released only for Xbox 360). The game also allows the player to use the flashlight and any weapon simultaneously, something that was not possible in either the original game or the expansion.
Reception and criticism
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Among the criticisms received, the following stand out:
- Repetitive development in many parts of the game.
- Slow player movement compared to Doom, Doom 2 or series Quake.
- Can't use the flashlight and weapons at the same time.
- Movement too simple; you cannot go body to ground or lean to look at the corners.
- Guns don't have alternative shot modes.
- The number of multiplayer players is reduced.
- The PC version lacks already included multiplayer cooperative mode (with mods called "open coop" or "last man standing" you can play the campaign cooperatively), while the Xbox version does bring it included.
System Requirements
Minimum PC requirements
- Pentium 4 or Athlon XP at 1.5 GHz
- 400 MB of RAM memory
- GeForce 3 Ti 64MB or Ati Radeon 8500 64MB
- 8x minimum speed CD-ROM drive.
Recommended system
- Processor at 2.6 GHz
- 512 MB RAM
- Geforce 4 Ti 128MB or Ati equivalent.
Optimal system
- Intel Pentium 4 3.0 GHz or Athlon XP/AMD64 3000+ Or Equivalent.
- 1 GB of ram DDR memory
- 2 GB of free disk space
- Graphic card of 256/512 mb series Nvidia superior and ATI or higher. (Doom 3 has an option to display improved graphics, but a 512mb graphics card is required at least).
Doom 3 Dev Team
- John Carmack — Game Engine Creator and Graphics
- Graeme Devine — Creator of the sound engine
- Seneca Menard — 3D models
- Kenneth Scott — Artist
- John Carter — Animations
- Jim Dose — Artificial Intelligence
- Robert Duffy — Programmer
- Jan Paul van Waveren — Physical Engine (physics)
- Tim Willits — Designer
- Adrian Carmack — Artist
- Paul Jaquays — Level Designer
- Malvern Blackwell — Level Designer
- Christian Antkow — Level Designer
- Kevin Cloud — Artist
| Predecessor: Doom 64 | Doom 3 | Successor: Doom |
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