Why has Doom remained so relevant +30 years in?

[cjl8336]

John Carmack put literal arcane magic in it.

John Carmack is also a freemason, those inverted crosses and pentagrams weren't just for "immersion"...

 

[thanatos]

Here are the reasons I can think of:

1. A lot of the great games that nailed a certain gameplay first had the advantage of making a game that requires the player to do something simple, yet addictive. Those games will always be in fashion. Sure, every generation reaches a point where they get sick of it, but then the next generation discovers it or someone makes a slight iteration on it and makes it fresh again. Same as with board games like Monopoly, Risk or UNO. Everyone who came second, from that board game that's miles better than Risk or that Quake that did graphics and everything else so much better, will never have that first mover advantage.

2. Also, Doom is one of those games where the devs were lucky enough not to introduce a lot of, if any, jank. If you make Doom pretty, it may still feel simple, but it doesn't feel like playing something from 1993.

3. The assets are also simple and few enough so that you can easily remake them in new resolutions or formats, adding maybe a bit of raytracing etc.

4. I don't like FPS games unless they are very story driven, and the story better be very good, but even I had a phase where I'd play Doom 2 for hours. I got it burned onto a CD with a lot of other really great games, most of them in genres I prefer, but I still spent hours playing Doom 2. The frantic pacing, the exaggerated gore, the feeling of surviving an onslaught of 30+ creepy enemies. And then the sheer power fantasy once you get a good weapon. Or just when you go on a rampage with the chainsaw. The story didn't matter, neither did the fact that I've never finished it and that it will never be on my backlog, but I remember it being so much fun.

5. It was also developed by people who didn't want to squeeze every little drop of sweat and money from you, so no one bothered you for creating ports, mods, levels or texture packs for it.

 

[Ikagura]

They supposedly finally found the original source code, which is why they're re-re-releasing it, but I'm a bit skeptical personally. Re-Freshed Supply still has inaccuracies and bugs not present in the original from Fresh Supply. I'm guessing the decision to sell it again instead of giving it free to prior owners was a WB decision too, as Nightdive usually doesn't do this (Hell, I got Bethesda Doom, the new Doom 1+2, the Heretic/Hexen Remaster, and Quake 1 and 2 Remastered for free for having decade old copies of each in my Steam accounts).

WB should've sold it as an enhancement DLC for like half the price of Fresh Supply...

 

[FateLanegod]

I generally don’t like FPS games, because I lack skill and get bored quickly. So back in the days I tried some mod of Doom and found not that much fun after playing 5 minutes at most.

But! DOOM 3 is totally different story. Since it is not that pure classic shooter. I consider it survival horror with action, stealth and some puzzle solving. It really changed my image of what FPS could be. I have completed it with a lot of satisfaction.

 

[Evaccaneer Doom]

And the game was still very much a phenomenon, with TWO (!) gigantic multiplayer communities, thousands of mods, add-ons and total conversions and everything else you can name/imagine.

You kinda answered your own question. The more lax a copyright is, the more crazy shit will spawn from a game or two. Just look at Touhou, fans can literally sell their games for money and there’s all sorts of Touhou games for most genres. FNaF is the same. It also helps to pioneer a genre and be popular.

 

[Mago]

Doom is like oldschool Mario. Its the perfect mix of genius simplicity with just enough complexity to keep things fresh and interesting. Also it just feels good to play.

Post automatically merged: Saturday at 10:52 PM

I generally don’t like FPS games, because I lack skill and get bored quickly. So back in the days I tried some mod of Doom and found not that much fun after playing 5 minutes at most.

But! DOOM 3 is totally different story. Since it is not that pure classic shooter. I consider it survival horror with action, stealth and some puzzle solving. It really changed my image of what FPS could be. I have completed it with a lot of satisfaction.

You should play System Shock 2 then.

 

[Ikagura]

WB should've sold it as an enhancement DLC for like half the price of Fresh Supply...

Until then I'd only use NotBlood and other sourceport even if they're not 1:1 to the DOS version.

Doom is like oldschool Mario. Its the perfect mix of genius simplicity with just enough complexity to keep things fresh and interesting. Also it just feels good to play.

New school Mario is also nice but I agree about the analogy.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

This has since been corrected by mods, but I really wish Doom had included some sort of grenade. It was the only thing I felt missing from the OG games.

 

[Ikagura]

I love those kind of video:

 

[Mr. SyS]

The modding community might have something to do with it.

 

[raiden_dj]

good game design does not get old

 

[Ikagura]

The modding community might have something to do with it.

While this helps I think a game should be good on its own, without any mod.

 

[Mr. SyS]

While this helps I think a game should be good on its own, without any mod.

And it is.

 

[χKai]

Was there anything more unhinged or brutal for it's time? When DOOM came out, it was unlike anything the world had ever seen before, gratuitous violence justified by the fact you're killing demons in hell, fast-paced action and heavy metal playing in the background, DOOM showed us what could be possible in video games, while displaying a first-person experience unlike what other franchises for it's time had to offer, other than Wolfenstein 3D.

 

[Ikagura]

And it is.

Yes. I think that it's a bit disingenuous (if not disrespectful towards the devs) to claim that the game's main selling point is its modding scene because it implies that a game has no value in its vanilla form.

Was there anything more unhinged or brutal for it's time? When DOOM came out, it was unlike anything the world had ever seen before, gratuitous violence justified by the fact you're killing demons in hell, fast-paced action and heavy metal playing in the background, DOOM showed us what could be possible in video games, while displaying a first-person experience unlike what other franchises for it's time had to offer, other than Wolfenstein 3D.

Mortal Kombat in '92? Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior from '87? Texas Chainsaw Massacre from '83 on the Atari?

I think that while the violence gave it more publicity this wasn't just that. There was Catacombs 3D and Hovertanks 3D but I agree that the first person view was rare.


On the other hand Doom isn't just about heavy metal tracks, people remember At Doom's Gate but I think that what makes Doom 1 still unique and memorable is how it also had some light horror aspects to it (especially with that kind of track and how good the lighting system was)

I'm a tiny bit sad that Modern Doom is only remembering the heavy metal aspect of the franchise because the right mix of action and horror was done perfectly in the original.

 

[Badseed Badseed]

The new DOOM blows, I'm not interested in doing shield-bash combos.
That being said, It's the strong feeling of nostalgia people have for the series
and in particular for ID Software that keeps it relevant. For example, I'm cheating a bit here, but I'll always remember playing Castle Wolfenstein (doom's pappy and made by the same company) back in 1991 on my roommates computer that had a sound card!!! YES, back then a sound card was a BIG thing, when you killed certain Nazis they yelled "mien Leben!!" that blew my 18 year old mind.

 

[Ikagura]

The new DOOM blows, I'm not interested in doing shield-bash combos.

The Dark Ages feels like id should've focused on Quake instead of making a prequel (or interquel if you take Classic Doom + Doom 64 into account).

Yeah, parrying is just so overused and not feeling like a proper Doom game. It would've been better for a Heretic 3/Hexen III.

That being said, It's the strong feeling of nostalgia people have for the series.

I don't have nostalgia for the PC version but the SNES and N64 ones despite how clunky they are.

and in particular for ID Software that keeps it relevant. For example, I'm cheating a bit here, but I'll always remember playing Castle Wolfenstein (doom's pappy and made by the same company) back in 1991 on my roommates computer that had a sound card!!! YES, back then a sound card was a BIG thing, when you killed certain Nazis they yelled "mien Leben!!" that blew my 18 year old mind.

I wish Wolf3D got its NightDive remaster treatment and that Catacombs and Hovertanks were available on Steam (or even for free on Bethesda dot net like they did with TeS and Fallout).

 

[χKai]

Yes. I think that it's a bit disingenuous (if not disrespectful towards the devs) to claim that the game's main selling point is its modding scene because it implies that a game has no value in its vanilla form.


Mortal Kombat in '92? Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior from '87? Texas Chainsaw Massacre from '83 on the Atari?

I think that while the violence gave it more publicity this wasn't just that. There was Catacombs 3D and Hovertanks 3D but I agree that the first person view was rare.


On the other hand Doom isn't just about heavy metal tracks, people remember At Doom's Gate but I think that what makes Doom 1 still unique and memorable is how it also had some light horror aspects to it (especially with that kind of track and how good the lighting system was)

I'm a tiny bit sad that Modern Doom is only remembering the heavy metal aspect of the franchise because the right mix of action and horror was done perfectly in the original.

I think it was the uncommon aspects of having realistic blood and gore, 3D first-person elements, and an unusually dark premise for it's time that set Doom apart from other games.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

YES, back then a sound card was a BIG thing

My Sound Blaster 16 was listed as a KEY FEATURE while shopping for a PC in 94.

 

[Mechablade-X]

Good gameplay design, addictive and fan made wads or total converstions.

 

[PacGuy]

My thoughts on the matter:

 

[Sfjeov]

Fast gameplay that just feel right as you're using satisfying guns against demons that are fun to shoot at. Also, it has this cool, demonic atmosphere and dark soundtrack so the game actually feels kinda immersive. Not the scariest game but it did keep me on my toes.

 

[Ikagura]

Also, it has this cool, demonic atmosphere and dark soundtrack so the game actually feels kinda immersive.

I can understand people wanting fancy sourceports yet Chocolate Doom + the OPL midi can easily give the hibbie jibbies

 

[LiberoVulpesLiberoVulpes's icon]

Modding, runs on anything, and reputation.

 

[Ikagura]

Also it didn't get screwed by its own company like Gearbox did to Duke Nukem.