Doom v0.5

Doom v0.5 is the last known alpha version of Doom. It was released to testers on May 22, 1993. It represents a significant advancement over previous alphas, with functional user interface elements and actual gameplay in the infancy of its implementation.

Features
This version included a number of features in addition to those found in the Doom 0.4 alpha version:


 * Collision detection between objects; it is possible to walk into monsters and pick up items.
 * It is possible to shoot monsters. However, there is still no animation at this stage, and when monsters are shot, they simply vanish.
 * A working status bar and the ability to change the screen size.
 * A working menu.
 * Working platforms.
 * An automap.
 * Skill levels. The easiest is "I just want to kill", rather than the release version's "I'm too young to die".
 * The rifle's sprite has changed, though the bayonet uses the same sprite.
 * The rocket launcher can be picked up and fired, but it does no damage.
 * A non-functional command line argument to record demos ("RECORD "). Launching the game with it causes the game to get stuck, displaying only a blank screen.
 * Animated floor tiles (in addition to the liquid animations)
 * Keys —or passcards— for locked doors; as a partial carry over from Wolfenstein 3D initially (and internally) designated Bronze, Silver and Gold, later changed to Blue, Red and Yellow.
 * At the intermission screen, it is possible to select which level you're going to next by pressing the arrow keys. This works according to the levels that are connected via pathways on the map.

After the player quits the game, the ENDOOM screen states that it is a preview of Doom: Evil Unleashed.

Levels


Version 0.5 included several levels, most of which were modified and used in the release version of Doom. Level 6 was held back for Doom II. Unlike the previous alpha versions, Doom 0.5 is open ended and unlinear; the player can transition between levels at will. This is also the last Doom version with Tom Hall aboard the development team, so these map versions are the most recent to reflect the vision laid out in the Doom Bible. The levels made by Hall are mostly identical to retail, with the notable exception of texturing, coinciding with developer John Romero's statement "most of [Tom Hall's] levels had very little work done to them, in fact".

All the playable levels are internally designated E1Mx, where x is any number between 1 and 13. This still reflects the original intention to have a full 13 levels per episode, of which there was initially meant to be six; 78 levels in all. This is more maps than Doom and Doom II combined were shipped with. Retail Doom had 27 maps, which is less than half the number and a much more realistic amount of design.

As a final technical note, an unplayable map designated E2M1 can be found in the data files. The map is an unfinished version of Limbo, but many of the required textures are missing in the alpha.


 * Level 1: Not used in the final game. Made by Tom Hall; it is unknown whether it is merely a starting slate or a finished introductory level.
 * Level 2: E2M2: Containment Area - Almost identical to the retail version, except for the added exit and crushers in the southernmost corridor and minor changes in the northern crate maze. The exit is not reachable, and the player can therefore never finish the map.
 * Level 3: E2M3: Refinery - Notably the coloured door frame introduced by Tom Hall does not correspond with the needed key, the frame being yellow and key being blue. Disregarding texturing, the level is nearly identical to retail.
 * Level 4: E1M7: Computer Station.
 * Level 5: E3M3: Pandemonium - The hub nature of the level is less pronounced in this version than it was in the previous alpha, with the signs leading the player to either the "Laboratory" (LAB) or "Warehouse One" (WH1) replaced by generic gray textures. With the notable exception of texturing, the level is nearly identical to retail.
 * Level 6: MAP10: Refueling Base - This level was carried over to Doom II.
 * Level 7: E1M4: Command Control - Of note is this version of the level does not have an exit.
 * Level 8: E1M2: Nuclear Plant - This version is virtually identical to the version shipped with Doom 0.4, except for one line definition and the addition of a chainsaw.
 * Level 9: E1M6: Central Processing - Changes from the previous alpha are slight; a maze in the east of the map has been cut and a corridor at the southern edge has been added. The map was completely overhauled before retail, shrunk by half and lost most of the features present in the alphas.
 * Level 10: E1M3: Toxin Refinery - The earliest version of the level made by John Romero.
 * Level 11: E2M7: Spawning Vats - Disregarding texturing, the majority of the map -- architecture, layout, item and entity placement -- is nearly identical to retail.
 * Level 12: E1M8: Phobos Anomaly - As the scenario was still Tei Tenga at this point in development, the level was known as simply Anomaly.
 * Level 13: E2M4: Deimos Lab - Disregarding texturing and some later changes, the level is almost the same as the retail version; some areas are architecturally 100% identical. The re-texturing for retail consisted of applying Hell textures to originally techbase areas.

Items
Powerups that never made it to the released version are present in the data files, and are even placed in some of the levels. For instance, an item sharing the editor number of a shield generator in the previous alpha is placed in the hidden room in the southern crusher corridor of the level which eventually became Containment Area, instead of the chainsaw as is the case with Ultimate and registered Doom. However, since a spawn entry for the editor number isn't present, the powerup doesn't spawn. The corridor did not even have crushers yet.

Some bonus items seem to be carry-overs from Wolfenstein 3D, such as the chalice and the chest. The combat armor/megaarmor is still called officer armor and uses a different sprite, a green armor with boots.

Most of the item graphics were completely different, and utilized a design similar to Wolfenstein 3D, most notable in the mentioned treasures and the pistol clip.

Technical

 * Demo lumps appear for the first time. There are four of them, DEMO1 to DEMO4, of E1M5, E1M8 and E1M4 (twice) respectively. DEMO1 does not appear to sync with its map, showing the player hugging walls much of the time, and crashing after 4:26 so the demo loop never shows the other demos. The other demos can be played with the command line parameter, but all desync in a similar manner, and can frequently cause the game to crash.
 * The PLAYPAL has the same colors as the previous alpha, with seventeen color indices still undefined and set to pure white, but it has been enhanced to feature eleven levels. Starting from one, palettes two to eight are progressively redder, and palettes nine to eleven are progressively brighter. COLORMAP is still set at 32 levels.
 * COLORS12, COLORS15, HUFONT and DOOMERR are still around and unchanged.
 * The map format is similar to the previous alpha.
 * The TEXTURES format has become definitive.

Enemies

 * The demon, former human, imp, cacodemon and baron of Hell all appear in the WAD.
 * The above enemies have both attacking and death animations.
 * Everything except the demon's death animation was carried over to press release beta.