The offical ENWorld Doom 3 reaction thread.

[KenM]

I'm getting 40-50 FPS on my mid range system running at 1280 x 720. My only complaint is the flashlight. How come I can't hold the flashlight in one hand and pistol in the other? I can understand not being able to use the other weapons withthe flashlight, as they are two handed. I understand they are trying to make the game scary, ect.. But look at it from the marine you play perspective: "I'm in a place where most everyting is trying to kill me, I'll think i'll put away my gun before I go into that dark area and just have my flashlight out." Makes no sense.
Has anyone else had trouble using the hardware scan option on the video settings? I clicked that when I first ran Doom 3, and none of my settings changed, I could still change them manually though.

 

[John Crichton]

Thanks for the tip, John! I tried that out, and now I'm running Doom 3 at medium detail quality and 800x600 resolution and it runs as smooth as silk!

Sah-weet.

I will now reward myself by buying a new videocard and a copy of the game...


... my GeForce2 would simply vaporize at the sight of Doom 3.

 

[Calico_Jack73]

I'll have to give that edit trick a try. I'm running a P4 2Ghz with a Gig of RAM and my totally sweet Radeon 9800 Pro with 256 Meg of Onboard RAM. It runs smooth as is but the smoother the better is what I always say.

I totally agree with the complaint about the flashlight. Several times I've had to run back out into a lit area and wait for the beastie to follow me out so I can shoot it. The muzzle flash for the machine gun really isn't that well done unless it is assumed that there is a flash suppressor built in. As far as the use of the flashlight goes I think that Alien vs. Predator 2 is so far the best with the over-the-shoulder lamp that gradually runs out of power. Several times I'd have to throw out a few flares just so I could give my lamp a chance to recharge while fighting off aliens. I'd love to have the same thing in Doom 3 but I guess I'll just have to manage. The Imps sure are a hell of a lot tougher than they used to be. They used to be slow as hell and a point blank shotgun blast could kill them with one shot. Now... you need at least two point blank shots (if not three) and they are fast as hell. The Pinky demon also scared the heck out of me when I first ran into it. I had no idea it was going to be that big. It's bite attack also comes so quick that it throws your aim off big time. I haven't really ran into much else yet though I am looking forward to running into the Cacodemon.

Edit: Another thing I would have liked is to have the option to "Always Run". To perform a running jump you have to hold down one button to move forward, another to sprint, and yet another to jump. Entirely too many in my opinion.

 

[KenM]

Edit: Another thing I would have liked is to have the option to "Always Run". To perform a running jump you have to hold down one button to move forward, another to sprint, and yet another to jump. Entirely too many in my opinion.

I think there is an always run option in gameplay options.

EDIT: The always run option is only for multiplayer games, my bad.

EDIT: I can't belive they don't have any night vision goggles in the marine base, its standard issue equipment, IMO.

 

[ShadowX]

Great game so far, not quite as good as Far Cry and not as scary as AvP2. The graphics are of course awesome, but Far Cry stole some of its thunder.

 

[Calico_Jack73]

Great game so far, not quite as good as Far Cry and not as scary as AvP2. The graphics are of course awesome, but Far Cry stole some of its thunder.

Actually the main thrust in the graphics of Doom 3 is it's lighting, the "graphics" technology hasn't changed all that much... it is still just a texture painted on a polygon surface. Evidently Carmak did some research into real world optics and light properties to model light sources correctly in Doom 3. Floors that are supposed to be composed of gravel will reflect less light off of it and in a more diffuse manner than a polished tile floor. It is a subtle difference but it is there if you look for it. I believe the lighting applies to all textures. If a monster has a body part that is supposed to be slimy it will reflect light differently than a part that is supposed to be it's tough hide.

I haven't played far enough in it to judge whether or not it is as scary as AvP2. I really think the spooky lighting in Doom 3 will swing my vote.

 

[Dark Jezter]

At first I didn't like the fact that you can't hold a weapon while using the flashlight, but now I like it. It really adds tension to the game having to choose between being armed or being able to see in dark areas.

 

[Hatchling Dragon]

Well I'm torn on the whole Flashlight/Pistol issue. Granted, the Halo machinegun had the light built-in, but the tension is definately much higher when you're franticly switching from Flashlight to Shotgun and back trying to line up shots in dark areas.

Definately a good idea to play it with the lights out. This of course assumes that you don't realy need to get any sleep that night..

Tip:

Spoiler

Don't consider the computer screen/control panels to be one big switch, they're most certainly not. Treat them as keys to secret areas.

Example: The station where you're issued your first pistol and can see the MG behind the 2nd pane of glass, you can get that on the way back in when everything goes to hell. Just pay attention to what's on the screen and where the mouse is and you'll find the way to open the 2nd locker and snag that nifty Machinegun.

Must... refrain... from... playing... need sleep!

Hatchling Dragon

 

[ShadowX]

Actually the main thrust in the graphics of Doom 3 is it's lighting, the "graphics" technology hasn't changed all that much... it is still just a texture painted on a polygon surface. Evidently Carmak did some research into real world optics and light properties to model light sources correctly in Doom 3. Floors that are supposed to be composed of gravel will reflect less light off of it and in a more diffuse manner than a polished tile floor. It is a subtle difference but it is there if you look for it. I believe the lighting applies to all textures. If a monster has a body part that is supposed to be slimy it will reflect light differently than a part that is supposed to be it's tough hide.

I haven't played far enough in it to judge whether or not it is as scary as AvP2. I really think the spooky lighting in Doom 3 will swing my vote.

Well, when I say graphics I mean the whole package and Doom 3 is tops. Lighting is of course it's best feature, just as outdoors environs were Far Cry's. I am waiting for a game with a great physics engine and then we can stop worrying about the technology.

Having played some more, it is merely mediocore. Nothing special here, same old corridors just with less, but better looking monsters. Not really scary either after a few hours. It reminds me, suprisingly or not, of Unreal 2. Great looking game but nothing new, with Unreal 2 having the edge on gameplay. It is disgusting that the FPS genre has evolved so little that the top 5 single player FPS still include the original HL, a game over a half a decade old. Interestingly, the premise of Doom 3 is very similar to Half-Life, just with less of a story. Maybe Id needs to focus on engines and stop making games.

 

[Hatchling Dragon]

Having played some more, it is merely mediocore. Nothing special here, same old corridors just with less, but better looking monsters. Not really scary either after a few hours. It reminds me, suprisingly or not, of Unreal 2. Great looking game but nothing new, with Unreal 2 having the edge on gameplay. It is disgusting that the FPS genre has evolved so little that the top 5 single player FPS still include the original HL, a game over a half a decade old. Interestingly, the premise of Doom 3 is very similar to Half-Life, just with less of a story. Maybe Id needs to focus on engines and stop making games.

Well, I play these types of games (FPS') mostly for the eye-candy value, so the fact that the story is a bit weak doesn't realy bother me. If I'd seen this post before buying it I might have managed to make my WIL save and held out until BestBuy had thier inevitable sale, thus saving myself a few bucks. On the other hand this is Doom 3, so the sale may have been well over a year in the making

Hatchling Dragon