My Initial Doom 3 Impression......

[warcrow]

Disclaimer: I releaze that there is a HUGE thread on D3 already, (created by me, none-the-less), but I didnt want all the lurkers to stumble across my spoilers. By keeping it in this thread and warning peeps, it keeps the game safe I'm only a few hours into the game, so this is not a final review - just a first impression.





My system specs and game setting details:

2800XP
1GB Kingston PC2700 (Dual-Channel)
Radeon 9700 PRO

1024x768
Medium Details
Vsync enabled




Gameplay

There really isnt anything revolutionary here. Its not even evolutionary. Its borrowed. Sure its evolutionary for id, but not for the gaming community! Anyone else who has played the original Silent Hill on the PS1 will remember that you used a flashlight in a very very dark setting. now granted, it looks and works better here, its still the same intense-not-knowing-whats-in-the-dark feeling.

I know a few people have been complaining about having to use the flashlight and the weps seperatly, but I honeslty loved it. It makes for a more intense game, and besides, id has thrown in some helpers like glowing eyes. To me, and this is just my humble opinion, its not a bad thing.

The game seemly jsut consist of what the original was. Find keys, unlock doors and then find secrets along the way while getting scared. but you know what, it works! It just feels right!

Some people are complaing, "this is just the same old thing....nothing new here". Well, id came out and said, "look, we're not trying to doing someting revolutionary with gameplay here, we just want to scare the living CRAP out of you". Keep that in mind, kids.

Oh, also....cutscenes when a new creature is introduced = Teh Shizzle!




Graphics

Simply the most amazing graphical experience of my life. I still am amazed that there are billions of 0 and 1's making these beautiful images on my monitor. This is a new revolution in graphic capability, not evolution. This amazing engine will be the catalyst to many many great games to come! I had no idea my computer was capable of rendering something this amazing!



Sounds

Whats to say? I've played it with my 5.1 spekaers and my headset and they're both incredible. There is nothing like dodging an Imps Fireball and hearing it fly over your shoulder and splash against the wall behind you. Very cool stuff. The sounds the demons make when they teleport into the game is incredible and it just needs to be heard. *BOOM*, its just a solid base hit. I love it. So far the creatures sounds good, but I must say....the weapons sounded a little weak to me at first.

I would like to add that this game as *the* best voice acting, in a game, that I've ever heard. Good job guys. Its a small pet-peeve I've had with games and voice acting. Far Cry is a good example of a absolutely great game mared by horrible/tacky voice acting.





Weapons

- Fist: Punch a wall yet? Ouch! Sounds like a pack of meat being thrown at the floor! nice modeling.
- Grenades: Meh, they're ok. Nothing too special. Kinda like an exploding rock. :-/
- Pistol: Absolutely dead-on perfect sounding. I love the way it feels and fits in my hands!
- Shotgun: Could use a little more bass or *BOOM*, but I still really enjoy it.
- Machinegun: I was a little disappointed with this weapon at first, but it grew on me. Weakest so far.
- Chaingun: AWESOME! Once I got the chaingun, the machinegun sounds made more sense and fit.
- Plasma Gun: OMFG! So far, BEST WEAPON! I seriously think this is the greatest crafted gun in a game. It looks great and feels just so right. Lets not forget the animations. wow!
- Rocket Launcher: N/A
- BFG: N/A





Level Design/Models

- Imps: Very cool. They throw their fireballs like baseballs, instead of shooting it out of their chest.
- Pinky: First time I saw this brute, I was scared. Seriously.
- Grunt: A bit of an annoyance when compaired to the others.
- Level Desgin: Incredible! I really do feel like I'm on Mars and in a space station. Its like something out of the set of Aliens. The bar has been raised here folks.





Gripes

- Bug? When you press the F key, it toggles between the flashlight and the last weapon you used. If you bring up your PDA and go back, it resets the weapon recall for the F key. So, if you hit the F key, it will no longer Toggle back from FL to last used wep. This little bug cost me a few lives when attempting to use it.

- Yes, there is no more gripes as of right now.


Way to go id, you've done an incredible job bringing a classic back to us in the most amazing way! I'm floored at the production quality of this product. I've not had a single crash since installing. In todays world, thats impressive

 

[Regs]

How far did you get?

 

[warcrow]

Originally posted by: Regs
How far did you get?

I got a little past where the Spider Lady is? The big Shelobe thing.

 

[Regs]

Originally posted by: warcrow

Originally posted by: Regs
How far did you get?

I got a little past where the Spider Lady is? The big Shelobe thing.

When you get to Delta Labs, that's when the fun starts.

 

[warcrow]

Originally posted by: Regs

Originally posted by: warcrow

Originally posted by: Regs
How far did you get?

I got a little past where the Spider Lady is? The big Shelobe thing.

When you get to Delta Labs, that's when the fun starts.

Yea, I've entered those labs I think. Ugh, its all kind of a bloody blur. How far are you?

 

[Regs]

I just started Delta. Likely going to call it a night. I have it on easy settings right now too. I got a little impatient and saw some videos on the hell level. OMG!

 

[warcrow]

Yea, me too. Everyone who has made it there is like OMG OMG OMFG! So, I'm pretty excited for it as well. I'm just bummed I'm at work right now. Sad Panda

 

[xSkyDrAx]

Yes, I am absolutely loving this. Just passed alpha lab but I'm taking my time and looking for goodies like that one at www.martianbuddy.com

 

[BlueWeasel]

So, it runs pretty good on your system, Warcrow? I know numerous posts about perfomance exist in the huge D3 thread, but you've got a system very similar to mine.

I'm running:
XP 2600+ mobile @ 2.4Ghz (12.5x190)
9800NP (OC'ed to near Pro speeds)
1024mb PC

I rarely ever have the newest and fastest hardware, and one of the things I hate with brand new games is mediocre performance on midrange sytems. As good as D3 looks, I'd be willing to drop down to 800x600 resolution if I can get a framerate that's acceptable to ME. The problem is I'm pretty picky when it comes to FPS.

 

[warcrow]

Yea. Silky smooth. not a single hitch. I'm running the CAT 4.5 or 4.6, cant remember. I'm at work so I cannot check.

Also, I dont get all the D3 hate. WTf is going on? What were people expecting?

 

[Budman]

Does anybody know how to kill the big boss at the end?

I am getting really frustrated !!! arghh

PM me if you got a way of killing him.

 

[ArmchairAthlete]

Armchair's D3 Impressions!

I've been very happy so far. Heck, I think the best looking/scariest game I've ever played was worth paying up for. I expect to see some mods in the future that will further increase the value of this purchase.

Single player performance is fine for me. Almost always pretty smooth, I'm running Athlon XP 2500+ (overclocked), 9700 Pro, 512MB Ram. This is at 1024x768 Medium.

It's true that the gameplay doesn't have much of anything revolutionary. The way you interact with computer screens in the game is new to me and pretty cool, that Soul Cube thing I read about sounds new as well. The game isn't devoid of creativity as far as gameplay goes, it just doesn't have a whole lot. It's more about atmosphere.

I noticed that little bug too where the flashlight toggle "forgets" what your last weapon was if you bring up the PDA. I also encountered a bug in the very first room (hangar) too heh, I got stuck in a wall! I really couldn't get out. That's the only time it happened though.

I'm not having a problem with the darkness. I have the flashlight bound to an extra mouse button on my Logitech MX500. If need be I can swap between weapon/flashlight pretty quick. It's rare that I've truely felt that I was shooting blind (granted I'm only up partway through Alpha Labs right now).

It could be more difficult, but I'm only on the 2nd easiest setting and I use quicksaves a lot. Quicksaves always make games easy, but without that feature people would be MAD.

Too bad I have to go to sleep soon because I have to go to work tomorrow =(

 

[warcrow]

Armchair

nice! I have the same mouse and didnt even know you could bind to those keys.

 

[xSkyDrAx]

Originally posted by: Budman
Does anybody know how to kill the big boss at the end?

I am getting really frustrated !!! arghh

PM me if you got a way of killing him.

It's only vulnerable to the soulcube.

EDIT: Oh and it has 4,000 hp.

 

[Budman]

Originally posted by: xSkyDrAx

Originally posted by: Budman
Does anybody know how to kill the big boss at the end?

I am getting really frustrated !!! arghh

PM me if you got a way of killing him.

It's only vulnerable to the soulcube.

EDIT: Oh and it has 4,000 hp.

that's no good,you can only use it once & it does nothing.

 

[everman]

Grenades: Meh, they're ok. Nothing too special. Kinda like an exploding rock. :-/

They're really nice if you can place them well

It's kinda fun to run around and see how far you can go with just using the chainsaw, it rocks.

 

[warcrow]

Originally posted by: everman

Grenades: Meh, they're ok. Nothing too special. Kinda like an exploding rock. :-/

They're really nice if you can place them well

It's kinda fun to run around and see how far you can go with just using the chainsaw, it rocks.

I havent really had an issue with the grenade in the game persee, it was just the model and animation of them. Its just, nothing really special. not have some cool looking animated, gel filled, blinking grenade or something. Hell, I dont know. This is Mars though! lol

 

[xSkyDrAx]

Originally posted by: Budman

Originally posted by: xSkyDrAx

Originally posted by: Budman
Does anybody know how to kill the big boss at the end?

I am getting really frustrated !!! arghh

PM me if you got a way of killing him.

It's only vulnerable to the soulcube.

EDIT: Oh and it has 4,000 hp.

that's no good,you can only use it once & it does nothing.

Well that's all I've gathered from the Doom 3 strategy guide when I was peering through it EB.

 

[ViRGE]

Originally posted by: xSkyDrAx

Originally posted by: Budman
Does anybody know how to kill the big boss at the end?

I am getting really frustrated !!! arghh

PM me if you got a way of killing him.

It's only vulnerable to the soulcube.

EDIT: Oh and it has 4,000 hp.

Don't confuse it with the Hell level where you get the Soul Cube however, that guy you have to smack(with a lot of force, think BFG) the green glowing orb above the big baddy when he spawns more spotlight guys after you kill the current batch.

 

[Budman]

Originally posted by: ViRGE

Originally posted by: xSkyDrAx

Originally posted by: Budman
Does anybody know how to kill the big boss at the end?

I am getting really frustrated !!! arghh

PM me if you got a way of killing him.

It's only vulnerable to the soulcube.

EDIT: Oh and it has 4,000 hp.

Don't confuse it with the Hell level where you get the Soul Cube however, that guy you have to smack(with a lot of force, think BFG) the green glowing orb above the big baddy when he spawns more spotlight guys after you kill the current batch.

Yes I am way passed that point , been in the carverns & it's the very very very big boss at the end,I just cant seem to kill him. :|


EDIT: I finaly did it !!! it was hard but I did it, took all my ammo & finished him off with the soul cube that took his left leg off & he died.



Now i am sad,it's over.


sorry I hijacked your thread warcrow,I am done now.

 

[warcrow]

 

[49erinnc]

After reading several negative comments yesterday, I was pretty worried about not digging the game very much. However, I simply love it. I only had time to make it through the first 3 levels (had to quit because I'm kind of just stuck and not sure where I need to go right now).

The graphics and sound are very impressive, even at some of the lower resolutions/settings. My 9600P struggles at 10x7/medium but I found that at 800x600/high, the game runs very well for me and there's not much difference in appearance from the higher resolution. And like someone else said, I love that you have to toggle back and forth from weapon to flashlight. I think that adds another dynamic to the scare factor. There were several moments where I was facing a dark area and just knew that when I hit the flashlight, that something terrifying was going to be standing right in front of me. I have my flashlight bound to my right-click and it's much more accessible like that.

I've really enjoyed my initial trial run with this game and I'm looking forward to getting home so I can play some more. I give it a thumbs up thus far and I know that it's only going to get better. For anyone not enjoying it, I think you have to accept it for what it is and just give it a chance. I've played several games that didn't hold my interest early on but Doom 3 had me from the get-go and the incredible graphics make it all that much better. Found myself on several occasions just stopping and looking around at the scenery, even in intense situations.

 

[Pex]

Im about 6 hours into it...I'm an hour or two past the spider queen bitch.


the pistol is sweet...nice wood detailing.


shotty is too spread out but works vs those ANNOYING shotgun/pistol guards who never seem to miss unless you're behind a box.

the imps own..cacaodemons are cool too. and when you get 10+ spiders crawling out of crawspaces behind you...a nade is always the best solution.


havning gotten the chaingun yet, but have the plasma gun from a locked case.


the interactive computers are cool...and the alien weapon looks cool. havent gotten it yet.


I have fought a tank, which I think shot rockets. can't wait to see the end syber demon.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

I think D3 is pretty brilliant, actually, and IMO the negativism toward it is mainly a function of peoples' very high expectations. I am on the second or third Alpha level as I recall (I stopped last night after being killed by about 50 spiders).

The gameplay is admittedly fairly classic FPS, but IMO the atmosphere is unparalleled in its authenticity, the monsters are genuinely creepy, and the graphics have no real peer. Far Cry was certainly impressive, and its outdoor environments were something altogether different from D3's claustrophobic levels, but IMO its cartoonishness made it a lot less immersive than D3.

I really like the level design, which not only seems very authentic, but offers just the right amount of linearity (too much linearity is a bad thing IMO, but too little makes me feel like I am just aimlessly wandering around).

Amazingly for an id game, D3 actually has a very coherent plot (at least to the point I have reached) and fantastic production values and voice acting (it's almost certainly the best FPS ever developed in these aspects). Although the plot appears to have been largely cribbed from the original Doom, and HL, I buy it and like it.

The PDA concept is one I can understand people taking exception to, but I like it fine. This is the first time I remember taking notes during a game since Myst, and I sure never thought I'd be doing it for an id title, but the rewards make it worthwhile.

I'm not crazy about the flashlight/gun switching - if they had tactical lights in the 20th century, surely they'd have them in the 22nd! - but I get it as a gameplay device, and as long as you have the flashlight set to an easily-accessed key (I use Mouse3), it works fine and it's fun shooting blindly into the dark at a recently-flashed target.

I also like the difficulty level, though it is perhaps a touch easy on the middle, "Marine" setting. Even at that difficulty I find it easier than FC on "Easy," which I honestly am OK with. Frankly I think a lot of developers have been resorting to ridiculous levels of difficulty as a substitute for adequate length. I find D3 fun and appropriately challenging for the most part.

I tried multiplayer for a little while, and it seems to me the levels are too large for the default 4-player max. I think it's got potential, and we'll see how it develops with new patches, point release, etc.

So far I'd give the game at least a 90% - we'll see how I feel after completing it.

 

[abaez]

I'm playing on hell difficulty. Very hard I'm almost always below 50 health. I don't like how it is so dark that you cannot see what you are shooting at (I have to go by my crosshair turning red everytime I hit). You should be able to see something at least a faint outline or light. It's not so scary so much as you want to kill this thing but you can't see it, the scary part of it is in the back of your mind. It would be like playing any game really dark. Other than that I feel really immersed like when I first saw the half life intro going into the lab.