Versions and ports of Doom

Doom is one of the most widely ported video games in the first-person shooter genre: starting with the original MS-DOS version (released as shareware on December 10, 1993), it has been released officially for 7 computer operating systems, 9 video game consoles, 2 handheld game consoles, and 1 cell phone. Unofficial Doom source ports — based on the GPL-released source code for the Doom engine and made by fans — have been created for many others still.

Some of the ports are replications of the DOS version, while others differ considerably. Differences include modifications to creature design and game levels, while a number of ports offer levels that are not included in the original version.

Personal computer versions

MS-DOS

Initial release on December 10, 1993 was DOS only. Had 320x200 pixel resolution

Updates

• 1.0 release (December 10, 1993) (internal program number reads v0.99)
• 1.1 (December 16): fixed some bugs in the 1.0 release
• 1.2 (February 17, 1994): added support for modem play and new difficulty level called Nightmare!
• 1.4, 1.5 and 1.6 were minor upgrades, available only to testers
• 1.666 (September 1994): contained improved network code and a new deathmatch version, "Deathmatch 2.0" in addition, the Swastika pattern in Episode 1, Map 4 was altered.^[1]
• 1.7a: adds more monsters and Super Shotgun in favor of Doom II. Subsequent versions after that have cross-compatibility with both Shareware, Registered and Doom II.
• 1.9 final version
• The Ultimate Doom (April 30, 1995): Contained an additional episode, "Thy Flesh Consumed", in addition to the original three episodes (with very slight modifications to some levels).

Microsoft Windows

Doom 95 released on August 20, 1996. It was compatible with Windows 95 and up, and was able to use WADs from the DOS versions. It also allowed users to set up multiplayer games much easier than in DOS.

Doom Collector's Edition was released in 2001 and contains The Ultimate Doom, Doom II and Final Doom. It was re-released on January 1, 2004^[2] with added preview content for Doom 3. Some early versions of Doom 3 included the Collector's Edition and a small demon figurine as a bonus.

The native Doom 95 executables do work in Windows XP, but many users have complained that mouse control under Windows XP is broken. This is due to the use of a virtual device driver for mouse control that is incompatible with newer versions of Windows. Another problem of Doom 95 involved spectres' "invisibility" effect, which is rendered as a chaotic mix of non-transparent yellow and magenta pixels (which can be fixed but only through an undocumented start-up switch ("command-line parameter") that disables DirectDraw rendering). The game also works in Vista but requires the user to manually add certain dlls available over the internet to the C:\windows\system directory. Users having trouble with Doom 95 on XP or Vista can try Doom source ports which support modern operating systems and hardware.

BeOS

Information about the BeOS availability of Doom can be found here: [3].

NEXTSTEP

This was actually the version that the DOS product emerged from, since at the time Id software was using a NeXT cube for its graphic-engine development. This version is sluggish on anything other than an 040 NeXTstation/cube (the more memory the better), and is missing sound that was added on the PC side. With NeXT-Step based on i486 architectures, it ran smoothly under all conditions up to screen sizes of 400% with newer hardware. The version running on NeXT is 1.2, programmed by John Carmack, John Romero, and Dave Taylor.^{[citation needed]}

Solaris

Doom was ported to Solaris in late 1994, and was designed to run with game files from Doom 1.8. In the readme, the port is credited to "Dave Taylor and the rest of the folks at id Software." It runs on Solaris 2.4 and later. The distribution contained two versions: one for regular X11, and another for Sun DGA.^{[citation needed]}

Linux

Doom was ported to Linux by id Software programmer Dave D. Taylor in 1994. The last Linux Doom binaries were provided by id Software on October 13, 1996 through the company's ftp-server.

The source code to the Linux version of Doom was released by id Software on December 23, 1997 under a non-profit End user license agreement, it was re-released on October 2, 1999 under the terms of the GNU General Public License. The source code to the DOS and Windows versions of the game was not released. This was due to copyright issues concerning the sound library used by original DOS version and id Software having no access to the source code of the Windows port by Microsoft.^[3]

Since the game had to be ported back to other operating systems the term "Source Port" is often given to software projects based upon the Doom source code release.

Amiga

Doom exists in various versions for the Amiga computer. ADoom [4] is a direct conversion from the ID source code. Another Amiga port is DoomAttack.[5] Both ports work on AGA Amiga. Apart from the standard 68K CPU ports, there is an ADoom port for PPC Amiga. [6]

All Amiga Doom ports require the original WAD files.

Mac OS

The Ultimate Doom and Doom II were released in 1995 by GT Interactive using a Mac OS launcher application to run original PC WADs. The Mac version only runs on Mac OS System 7 through 9.

Mac OS X can use a source port, such as Doomsday, prBoom or DooMLegacy, or a combination of DOSbox and the original WADs.

Acorn RISC OS

Doom was officially released for the Acorn Risc PC by R-Comp Interactive in 1998. Within a few months, a significantly enhanced version was delivered as an update called Doom+. That version also runs on the older Acorn Archimedes computers and, apart from speed improvements, adds several features not present in the original DOS release. It was made available including Doom, Doom II, The Ultimate Doom, the Master Levels and approximately 3000 user levels released in the Public Domain.

In more recent years, a RISC OS port of Doom has emerged from Jeff Doggett, it supports Doom, Doom 2, Ultimate Doom and FreeDoom game files. It is open-source.

Console versions

All console ports were developed by id Software unless specified.

Atari Jaguar

The Jaguar version was published by Atari and was released on November 28, 1994.^[4] Though the first console port of Doom, this version has more levels than the SNES and 32X versions, and as many levels as the 3DO and GBA versions. It features 22 of the PC version's 27 levels, though many of them are simplified, plus 2 new levels (the levels titled "Tower of Babel" and "Hell Keep" are not the same as the PC levels of the same names).^[5] Unlike the SNES, 32X, and 3DO versions, the game display occupies the full screen. The levels use less complex lighting effects and have less variation in floor depth and ceiling height. It lacks the Cyberdemon, the Spider Mastermind and the Spectre. It is compatible with the JagLink 2-console networking device for 2 players to play a deathmatch. The Jaguar version does not have any music during gameplay, but plays the familiar title theme and intermission music with new instruments. Game settings and progress through the levels are saved automatically, and the player can start a new game anywhere up to the last level reached. Instead of having to cycle through the weapons selection, the player can select a weapon by pressing its corresponding button on the controller's number pad.

Sega 32X

The 32X version was published and developed by Sega and was released on November 21, 1994.^[6] Features portions of the first two episodes but none of Episode 3. This version lacks a multiplayer mode, does not play in a full screen, and only has the front sprites for the monsters. 10 levels are missing from the original version(twice as many missing levels as any other version of the game). Oddly, a DOS prompt shows up after the credits roll if the player finishes the game either using cheats or starting from any level other than level 1, locking up the game. Similarly, the secret level can't be accessed if said conditions aren't met. Because there is no episode 3, the BFG 9000 can only be obtained through the use of cheats. Due to extremely poor use of the Genesis YM2612 sound chip, this version's soundtrack is noticeably inferior to that of other versions and many sound effects are also missing. As with most mid-90s console ports, the levels come from the Atari Jaguar's version. The game does not feature the Cyberdemon, the Spider Mastermind or the Spectre. There is no way to save games or settings, although there is a level select option that allows the player to start on any of the first fifteen levels.

PlayStation and Sega Saturn

The PlayStation version was published and developed by Williams Entertainment and was released in 1995. It is almost certainly the best selling version of the game after the PC original. This is evident in the fact that it was rereleased several times, first on the Greatest Hits range in the US, which requires that games have sold at least 150,000 copies there, and on the Platinum range in PAL regions, which indicates that it sold over 600,000 copies in those territories. It was ported to the Sega Saturn by Rage Software and published by GT Interactive in 1997.^[7]

The most noticeable changes to the gameplay of the PC original are the removal of the Nightmare difficulty level, and the fact that progress is saved via passwords (given at the end of each level). The PlayStation and Saturn conversions feature almost all the levels from the final releases of the PC version, though edited much like the Jaguar and 32X versions, with a few brand new levels designed by the Midway team, plus most of the levels from Doom II. Unlike the other 1990s Doom ports, all the enemies from the PC version are included. However, the Arch-Vile monster from Doom II is not present; according to one of the game's designers, Harry Teasley, this was because he had twice as many frames as any other monster, and the team felt that they "just couldn't do him justice" on the PlayStation.^[8] There is, however, one new monster, The Nightmare Spectre. According to Teasley, this was included to add variety, and to take advantage of the PlayStation's capabilities. Two-player deathmatch or co-operative is available on the PlayStation if two consoles are linked using the original 'Serial I/O' port, and each console has its own controller and Doom CD inserted.

Many textures were reduced in size due to technical limitations. As a result, the mug shot appears to be different from the original one found in the PC version; in fact, it is the same animated sprite, but squashed in from the sides. A small selection of new graphics and visual effects were introduced. These include sector-based coloured lighting, an animated, flame-filled sky, and a new animation for the player's mug shot, which shows the Doomguy's head exploding if the player is gibbed. For the first time, translucent Spectres are drawn without the cascade effect (including the darker-shaded Nightmare Spectres). The original music by Bobby Prince was replaced by a new score by Aubrey Hodges. The sound effects and voice-overs were also completely redone by Hodges, and in certain parts of the level, echo effects were added. The game's story is also different; once the player beats the first 30+ levels of "Ultimate Doom", the end-game intermission text reads that the player enabled humankind to evacuate Earth, not at all part of the story of "Ultimate Doom". The text is actually the second intermission from "Doom II", after the player completes the "Circle of Death/O of Destruction!" level.

The Saturn port, though containing the same levels, enemies, structures, sounds effects and most of the music from the PlayStation version, suffers a number of differences and setbacks; the 3D animation is slower and choppier, the echoed sound effects and sector-based lighting are missing, the Specter and Nightmare Specter demons do not have the translucent textures and instead are drawn in see-through sprites of regular Demon enemies, and the animated fiery skyline in certain levels is gone, usually replaced with Doom II's city skyline, even in the levels based in Hell. The packaging for the US release contains a few errors, such as the game screen shots on the back actually being from the PC port of Final Doom, and its claim to be "deathmatch ready", when it in fact is only one player (the deathmatch and cooperative mode are only found in the Japanese and PAL releases). The Japanese release has a smoother frame rate(though still considerably lower than that of the PlayStation version) with less slowing down and choppiness, and includes the deathmatch mode.

Later, a port containing levels from Master Levels and Final Doom would be released for the PlayStation as well, under the name Final Doom.

Super Nintendo Entertainment System

The Super Nintendo version was published and developed by Williams Entertainment and was released in September 1995. The cartridge features a Super FX 2 chip, and was one of few SNES games to feature a colored cartridge: Doom came in a red cartridge in the USA; in Europe it came either in black or the standard grey cartridge; and the Australian version had red, black, and gray.

SNES Doom features all five PC version levels that were missing from the Jaguar version, but is missing a different set of five levels instead, and like the 32X version, does not have any console-only levels. The levels included resemble the PC levels moreso than other ports. Also like the 32X version, the player's heads-up display doesn't utilize the whole screen, and enemies are only animated from the front, which means that they always face the player. This renders monster infighting impossible, although it is possible for monsters of the same type to damage each other with projectiles. The floors and ceilings are also not texture mapped. This game also lacks a back-up system, meaning that each episode must be finished from the beginning. Multiplayer was only available if a player bought an XBAND modem. It also features the Cyberdemon and Spider Mastermind monsters that the Atari Jaguar and Sega 32X versions lack, but does not include the Specter enemy (replaced with regular Demon monsters). The game's frame-rate is noticeably lower than most ports. It has a unique difficulty system where the player can only access later episodes on harder difficulties.

The automap display takes advantage of the rotating and scaling of the Super FX chip, with the entire map spinning around the player's position rather than the player being portrayed with an arrow. Due to system limitations, no particles such as blood impacts, smoke or bullet sparks are present - indeed, the shotgun does not fire seven individual shots as normal, but rather functions something like a hunting rifle. This allows a player to shoot (and be shot) from a distance using the shotgun with no decrease in power. Moreover, the player's chaingun is now capable of single fire (although emptying one's bullet stock still produces a doubled sound effect).

3DO Interactive Multiplayer

The 3DO version was published by 3DO and developed by Art Data Interactive, with assistance from Logicware, and was released in 1996.^[9] Features the same level set as the Atari Jaguar version, as well as the same auto-save feature, but lacks the multiplayer mode. This version runs in a small screen at a low frame rate, though it includes the option to shrink the screen size even further, which allows the game to run faster. Lacks effects found in other versions but has an updated soundtrack that features remixed and original music. The Spectre Demon (which is absent from the Jaguar, SNES, and 32X versions) is included, but Cyberdemons and Spider Masterminds are missing.

Nintendo 64

Main article: Doom 64

Doom 64, published and developed by Midway Games and released in 1997, was a drastic departure from other Doom ports in that it is somewhat a sequel to Doom II. The plot concerns the space marine from the original games returning to Mars to stem the tide of a demon invasion. The sprite graphics were redrawn using higher resolution 3D renders, and entirely new maps were used, as well as a new weapon, the Unmaker. Aubrey Hodges, who had rescored the PlayStation ports of Doom and Final Doom, provided a new soundtrack. The sound effects used in the PlayStation version were reused. There are two new enemies (the Nightmare Imp and Mother Demon) but Chaingunners, Arch-Villes, Revenants and Spiderdemons are all omitted from this version. Around this time, (possibly after disappointing sales of the Super NES port of Mortal Kombat) Nintendo had started to curtail its censorship of games, so Doom 64 contained more violent and graphic/bloody content than the SNES port. Because of the different setting, levels, graphics, and music this version is not a full port of either Doom or Doom II, but rather a new third game using the same gameplay.

Xbox

The collector's edition of Doom 3, released in 2005, features ports of The Ultimate Doom and Doom II, including two new levels, "Sewers" and "Betray". They feature the same multiplayer as the PC version, however not through Xbox Live. All the PC levels for both games are included; however, the 8 console-only levels which appeared on the Jaguar, PlayStation, Saturn, and 3DO versions are omitted. This port was programmed by Vicarious Visions. The expansion pack "Resurrection of Evil" also contained The Ultimate Doom and Doom II, as well as Master Levels for Doom II.

Xbox 360

On September 27, 2006, Doom was released for download on the Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360. The game has all 4 Episodes plus online Deathmatch and Co-op through Xbox Live. Like the Xbox version, it does not include the 8 console-only levels which appeared on earlier ports. Supports 11 screen sizes, and has higher graphics resolution than any earlier console port. Due to a bug, the music plays at a slow speed. It costs 400 Microsoft Points, $5 US. This port, programmed by Nerve Software, also credits Vicarious Visions and likely shares code with the Xbox version. There are no cheats within this game.

In 2010, the game was pulled from the Xbox Live Marketplace because Activision, the game's publisher, no longer has the rights to maintain the game on the Marketplace, but it will be republished on the Marketplace at a later date by Bethesda Softworks ^[10], the same company that published the Xbox Live Arcade version of Doom II.

Handheld console versions

Game Boy Advance

The Game Boy Advance version of Doom was developed by David A. Palmer Productions and was released on November 5, 2001^[11], and featured a level set identical to the Jaguar version, as the engine is actually a port of it.^[12]

The Game Boy Advance version of Doom II was developed by Torus Games and was released on November 8, 2002.^[13] It featured all the levels in Doom II, with the Industrial Zone and The Chasm levels actually being two separate stages.

Both GBA ports feature the same multiplayer functionality as the PC version. These were the first ports of Doom on a handheld device. Both Doom and Doom II received a much larger amount of censoring than other ports (monsters bleed green instead of red, and monster corpses disappear a few seconds after initial death; in both secret levels for Doom II, swastika flags and walls were replaced by stylized double-headed eagles reminiscent of Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Adolf Hitler's picture art was replaced by Wilhelm Strasse's picture art; no bleeding of the status bar face), and, because of this, received a Teen rating by the ESRB.

Tapwave Zodiac

An official version of Doom II was released in 2004 for the Tapwave Zodiac, as well as a source port ^[14] that requires the original Doom WADs. The official version includes all 32 levels from the original PC version, along with all the original enemies, music, weapons, etc. It also retains the option of switching between nine different screen sizes, including one which expands the first person view to fill the entire screen, and is the first console version of Doom to include respawning monsters in "Nightmare" difficulty mode.^[15] It does not support multiplayer.

Nintendo DS

There is no official version of Doom released for the Nintendo DS.

A port of PrBoom was coded for the Nintendo DS. Multiplayer is supported through Wifi. ^[16]

Smart device versions

Digita OS

DOOMD was a port released for Digita OS running on digital cameras. The port is based directly on the 1997 source code release. Both Doom 1 and 2 IWADs are supported. Custom WADs are supported, but no selection interface has been implemented.^{[17] [18]}

iPod

A hack allowed 5th generation iPods to run a port of Doom.^[19]

Sony Ericsson

Sedoom is an open source port of the doom engine for Sony Ericsson phones, based on the siedoom port. All normal IWADs are supported, as well as loading custom wads. ^[20]

Symbian

A port named C2Doom was made to run on S60 and S80 phones. Cooperative and deathmatch multiplayer for up to four players is supported through bluetooth connection.^[21]

iPhone and iPod Touch

In addition to the source ports available for "jailbroken" iPhone OS devices, an official id Software port has been made and is available in App Store for $6.99. It was programmed with oversight from Doom creator John Carmack, who had previous experience from an earlier port of Wolfenstein 3D to the iPhone. It features Wi-Fi and Bluetooth multiplayer, and is planned to support DLC. This port features all the levels, weapons, enemies, and sounds from the original game, and Carmack claims it to be one of the few ports of Doom that was designed to be completely functional in its new hardware environment. It is based on PrBoom.^{[22] [23]}

Zune and Zune HD

Two ports have been released to run on Zune devices using OpenZDK. One for the Zune HD, and the other for third generation Zunes and lower. ^{[24] [25]}

TI-Nspire

A port of Doom (titled nDoom) to the TI-Nspire graphing calculator was created. It is a direct port of the original Doom engine. Only Doom 1 and its shareware release are compatible with this port. ^{[26] [27]}

Virtual machine and interpreted versions

These ports of Doom have the characteristic of running on virtual machines such as the Java Virtual Machine or Adobe Flash while still being based on the Doom source code. Due to the nature of the latter, some of these ports have opted for using automatic parsing of C code (such as Adobe Alchemy), while others have adopted a major rewrite.

Adobe Flash

The most well-known version of Doom that does not run directly on native code is the Doom Triple Pack,^[28] written in Adobe Alchemy and Actionscript. It is essentially a direct translation of the original C source into compiled Adobe Alchemy bytecode, which allows it to run in recent versions of the Adobe Flash Player.

Java

In the past, there have been several unsuccessful attempts to produce a Doom source port in Java such as DoomCott^[29] or the Stark Engine,^[30] which were either abandoned or never gained enough functionality to be properly called source ports. The only active Java Doom project as of 2010 is Mocha Doom,^[31] a pure Java implementation of Doom with features similar to modern Doom source ports and direct compatibility with the original game data.

Doom 3 mod

A mod was made for Doom 3 that allows the player to run the original Doom using an in-game terminal. The mod, called "Terminal Doom" is based on the 1997 source code release, and constitutes an experiment on Doom 3's interactive surfaces. All retail and shareware releases of Doom are supported by this port.^[32][33]

See also

• Doom source port
• Duke Nukem 3D, another one of the most ported first-person shooter games.

References

1. ^ Photos at John Romero's website.
2. ^ IGN: Doom (Collector's Edition)
3. ^ John Carmack. Doom source code release notes (DOOMSRC.TXT). December 23, 1997 [1]
4. ^ "Atari unleashes an array of Jaguar game titles; the 64-bit Jaguar boasts the release of four new titles". Business Wire. November 28, 1994. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1994_Nov_28/ai_15902728/. Retrieved 2011-05-13. 
5. ^ Doom Comparison Guide, ClassicDOOM.com. Refer to "PC Doom/Ultimate Doom and Atari Jaguar Doom map level comparison".
6. ^ "Sega unleashes arcade power for the home; Genesis 32X delivers 40 times the power of 16-bit systems". Business Wire. November 21, 1994. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1994_Nov_21/ai_15891848/. Retrieved 2011-05-13. 
7. ^ Saturn version release data, GameFAQs.com.
8. ^ http://5years.doomworld.com/interviews/harryteasley/page3.shtml Harry Teasley interview
9. ^ 3DO version release data, GameFAQs.com.
10. ^ Doom Removed From Xbox Live Arcade, Back Up Soon - Joystick Division
11. ^ "id Software's DOOM for Game Boy(R) Advance Ships to Retail.". PR Newswire. November 5, 2001. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/id+Software%27s+DOOM+for+Game+Boy%28R%29+Advance+Ships+to+Retail.-a079731192. Retrieved 2011-05-13. 
12. ^ Hacking GBA Doom, created by Kaiser.
13. ^ "id Software Unleashes DOOM(R) II for Game Boy(R) Advance Onto Retail Shelves Nationwide.". PR Newswire. November 8, 2002. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/id+Software+Unleashes+DOOM%28R%29+II+for+Game+Boy%28R%29+Advance+Onto+Retail...-a0132315816. Retrieved 2011-05-13. 
14. ^ [2]
15. ^ Doom Comparison Guide, ClassicDOOM.com. Refer to "Tapwave Zodiac Doom II".
16. ^ http://dsdoom.com/
17. ^ Dedicated Doom handheld hacked from an old digital camera
18. ^ http://www.visi.com/~xevious/mamed/readmed.htm
19. ^ Doom ported to the iPod - Engadget
20. ^ http://forums.se-nse.net/topic/48785-sedoom/page__p__660601&#entry660601?s=d2d0541b799696fa7c878ed67c7c56a0
21. ^ Doom for S60 and S80 Phones.
22. ^ iPhone Doom Classic Progress Report
23. ^ The iPhone Now Officially Runs Doom
24. ^ http://www.zuneboards.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50582
25. ^ http://www.zuneboards.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51403
26. ^ http://www.omnimaga.org/index.php?topic=6609.0
27. ^ http://www.omnimaga.org/index.php?topic=5985.0
28. ^ Doom Triple Pack
29. ^ Doomcott, with broken Java Applet.
30. ^ Stark engine, archived page.
31. ^ Mocha Doom official Sourceforge project page
32. ^ http://doom3.filefront.com/file/Terminal_DOOM_Demo;42285
33. ^ http://battleteam.net/tech/fis/

• Interview with Harry Teasley (1998) by Doomworld
• An in-depth comparison of console, handheld and computer Doom games
• Doom at MobyGames