Editing Chainsaw

[[File:d208saw.png|thumb|A chainsaw in a suspiciously empty passage on [[MAP08: Tricks and Traps (Doom II)|MAP08: Tricks and Traps]].]]
[[File:Chainsaw.jpg|thumb|The chainsaw, near where it is found in [[E1M2: Nuclear Plant (Doom)|E1M2: Nuclear Plant]].]]
{{Weapon versions|disambig={{thisisabout|weapon|doom1}}|doom3=Chainsaw (Doom 3)|doom4=Chainsaw (Doom 2016)|doom5=Chainsaw (Doom Eternal)}}
The '''chainsaw''' mutilates enemies close enough to contact.  At 525 hits per minute, it is roughly a quadruple-speed [[fist]]. Its "rapid fire" works well on enemies with high [[pain chance]], minimizing damage to the player in melee situations. It is often used to conserve ammo or simply because of its gory implications. When picked up, the message is "A Chainsaw! Find some meat!". It is officially described as such:

{{Quote|Chainsaw cuts the baddies like standing timber, but you have to get close.|[[Doom instruction manual]]}}

It is most effective against [[demon]]s and [[spectre]]s, since the player can usually kill them without taking damage. The chainsaw's disadvantage is its slow killing speed compared to the [[Berserk pack|berserk fist]], which becomes a liability when facing multiple enemies in open areas. Expert players confronted by a pack of demons and spectres back into a corner and chainsaw them down one by one; if the corner is less than 107 degrees wide, only one demon can attack at a time. 

The chainsaw has a range of 33 units, slightly larger than the fist's 32 units.

It can also be used fairly effectively against [[cacodemon]]s, [[pain elemental]]s, [[lost soul]]s, and [[imp]]s. A safe application against [[revenant]]s requires a difficult method of continuously backing off, maintaining a distance too far for its fists and too close for its rockets. It is ineffective against [[Hell knight]]s and other demons with powerful attacks and low [[pain chance]]. A safe and easy usage against zombies is possible when waiting behind a sharp corner, but two things must be considered. First, zombies often advance in a zig-zag pattern. Second, using the chainsaw behind doors may cost more ammo than it saves if the dropped weapon or ammo is not picked up and smashed in the closing door. When used against [[Mancubus|mancubi]], the monster may suddenly start to retaliate; this risk may somewhat be lowered by using several short attacks.

The chainsaw is effectively rendered useless against demons and imps if the game is played with the [[Parameter#-fast|{{c|-fast}}]] [[parameter]] (such as in [[Skill level|Nightmare! difficulty]]), since these monsters' melee attacks are three times as fast.

The chainsaw first appears in a [[secret]] area of the level [[E1M2: Nuclear Plant]], and appears again in secret areas of [[E1M3: Toxin Refinery]] and [[E1M5: Phobos Lab]].  It is finally found in a non-secret area on [[E2M6: Halls of the Damned]]. In [[Doom II]], it can be found in an optional area at [[MAP01: Entryway (Doom II)|MAP01: Entryway]] at the very start of the map.

In [[vanilla Doom]], if a player has a chainsaw, they cannot switch back to the [[fist]]s unless they have a [[berserk pack]].  Most modern [[source port]]s allow toggling of the fists and chainsaw by pressing "1" (as with the [[Super shotgun|two shotguns]] in Doom II).

The chainsaw can be obtained via the [[Doom cheat codes|cheat codes]] {{c|idchoppers}}, {{c|idfa}} or {{c|idkfa}}.

==Notes==

* Total number and timing of the chainsaw's animation frames are identical to those of the [[chaingun]]; as a result, they have the same rate of fire. The chainsaw however deals slightly higher damage per second, as the mean damage of a single tooth is higher that a bullet's.

* Due to [[flawed collision detection]], the chainsaw is ineffective against the [[arachnotron]],  [[mancubus]] and [[spider mastermind]] without a [[source port]] that modifies [[vanilla]] [[hitscan]] behavior.

* Switching to the chainsaw means that there is a continuous buzzing from the chainsaw motor. When "fired", the chainsaw is shoved forward and the buzzing changes to a higher and even more intense whine. Like gunfire or a fist punch, attacking with the chainsaw will alert monsters in open areas, however merely switching to the chainsaw will not. Players who often want to provoke enemies into finding them can "fire" the chainsaw, without wasting ammo.

* The chainsaw graphics are based on scans of a real {{wp|chainsaw}}, a {{wp|McCulloch Motors Corporation|McCulloch}} Eager Beaver (borrowed by [[Tom Hall]] from his girlfriend).

* The TV advertisement for the [[Sega 32X|Sega 32X port]] showed numerous instances of the player chainsawing [[imp]]s and [[demon]]s, intercut with images of butchers at a slaughterhouse/meat factory. 

* The chainsaw appears to have no discernible reason to be on [[Phobos]] as the moon appears to be devoid of plant life. This would be parodied in later entries, with [[Doom 3]] mentioning a shipment of chainsaws being delivered to Mars by mistake instead of the requested jackhammers, and [[Doom (2016)]] noting that the chainsaw was smuggled in before it was confiscated by security.

* Due to a limitation of the game [[Doom engine|engine]], the chainsaw does not penetrate its victims; instead, it repeatedly re-aligns the player's position to give the effect of being 'locked' with the target. This can be observed by simultaneously sawing a demon and attempting to turn with the mouse.

* If the menu is accessed or the game is paused while the player attacks with the chainsaw, the weapon will buzz in a strange, high pitch for a moment.

* The chainsaw "rev up" sound ({{c|DSSAWUP}}) is played when the player switches weapons to the chainsaw.  Normally it is not played in its entirety, as the sound is cut off by the normal sound effect made by the chainsaw while selected ({{c|DSSAWIDL}}). It can be heard in its entirety by switching weapons to the chainsaw from any other weapon, and immediately pausing the game; and is also played completely when a new level starts with the active weapon being a chainsaw (see [[Intermission screen#Chainsaw sound effect]]).

[[File:Doom64Chainsaw11D64ex.jpg|thumb|Doom 64's chainsaw]]
* [[Doom 64]]'s chainsaw is drastically different in terms of appearance. The saw has two blades instead of one and the letters "[[UAC|U.A.C.]]" are engraved on top of the weapon. The damage inflicted by this version of the weapon is also doubled.

* The {{c|idchoppers}} [[Doom cheat codes|cheat code]] which gives the chainsaw is also supposed to make the player invulnerable; however because of a confusion between a countdown timer and a boolean value, this [[invulnerability]] only lasts a single [[tic]]. From {{c|[[Doom source code files|st_stuff.c]]}}:

      // 'choppers' invulnerability & chainsaw
      else if (cht_CheckCheat(&cheat_choppers, ev->data1))
      {
        plyr->weaponowned[wp_chainsaw] = true;
        plyr->powers[pw_invulnerability] = true; '''// this value is supposed to be how long the power lasts'''
        plyr->message = STSTR_CHOPPERS;
      }

*The [[Depths of Doom Trilogy]]'s manual erroneously states the chainsaw is only available in Doom II.

== Data ==

{| {{prettytable}}
! colspan="2" | Chainsaw data
|-
|Weapon number
|1
|-
|[[Damage]]
|2-20
|-
|Included ammo
|Infinite
|-
|Shot type
|[[Hitscan]]
|-
|Shots per minute
|525.0 teeth
|-
|[[Sound]]
|DSSAWUP (when selected)<br/>DSSAWIDL (idling)<br/>DSSAWFUL (firing)<br/>DSSAWHIT (doing damage)
|-
|Appears in
|[[Shareware]] Doom<br/>Registered Doom<br/>The Ultimate Doom<br/>Doom II/Final Doom
|-
|Thing type
|2005 (decimal), 7D5 (hex)
|-
|Radius
|20
|-
|Height
|16
|-
|[[Sprite]]
|CSAW (before pickup)<br/>SAWG (wielded)<br/>PUFF (impact, miss)<br/>BLUD (impact, hit)
|-
|[[Thing types|Class]]
|[[Weapon]]<br/>Pickup
|-
|}

The chainsaw can inflict approximately 94.47 points of damage per second:

{| {{prettytable}}
| '''Seconds needed to kill'''<sup>1</sup>
| Mean
| {{wp|Standard deviation#Interpretation and application|Standard<br/>deviation}}
| Min
| Max
|-
|[[Barrel]]
|0.27
|0.09
|0.11
|0.57
|-
|[[Zombieman]]
|0.27
|0.09
|0.11
|0.57
|-
|[[Shotgun guy]]
|0.38
|0.11
|0.23
|0.80
|-
|[[Wolfenstein SS]]
|0.60
|0.14
|0.34
|1.03
|-
|[[Imp]]
|0.70
|0.14
|0.46
|1.14
|-
|[[Heavy weapon dude]]
|0.80
|0.15
|0.46
|1.26
|-
|[[Lost soul]]
|1.12
|0.18
|0.80
|1.60
|-
|[[Commander Keen]]
|1.12
|0.18
|0.80
|1.60
|-
|[[Demon]]
|1.65
|0.21
|1.14
|2.17
|-
|[[Spectre]]
|1.65
|0.21
|1.14
|2.17
|-
|[[Romero's head]]<sup>2</sup>
|2.70
|0.24
|2.06
|3.20
|-
|[[Revenant]]
|3.23
|0.25
|2.51
|3.66
|-
|[[Cacodemon]]
|4.29
|0.29
|3.43
|5.03
|-
|[[Pain elemental]]
|4.29
|0.29
|3.43
|5.03
|-
|[[Hell knight]]
|5.33
|0.27
|4.57
|5.94
|-
|[[Arachnotron]]<sup>3</sup>
|5.33
|0.27
|4.57
|5.94
|-
|[[Mancubus]]<sup>3</sup>
|6.39
|0.25
|5.83
|6.97
|-
|[[Arch-vile]]
|7.46
|0.23
|6.86
|8.00
|-
|[[Baron of Hell]]
|10.64
|0.23
|10.06
|11.20
|-
|[[Spiderdemon]]<sup>3</sup>
|31.80
|0.23
|31.20
|32.34
|-
|[[Cyberdemon]]<sup>3</sup>
|42.38
|0.28
|41.71
|43.20
|-
|}
<small>
#This table assumes that all calls to [[Pseudorandom number generator|P_Random]] for damage, [[pain chance]], and [[blood]] splats are consecutive. In real play, this is never the case: counterattacks and AI pathfinding must be handled, and of course the map may contain additional moving monsters and other randomized phenomena (such as [[Sector#Vanilla Doom|flickering lights]]). Any resulting errors are probably toward the single-shot average, as they introduce noise into the correlation between the indices of "consecutive" calls.
#Assumes that direct hits are possible, which [[Icon of Sin|does not occur]] in any stock map.
#Due to errors in the line-of-sight algorithms of [[vanilla Doom]] (see [[Spider paralysis]]), it is sometimes impossible to keep the chainsaw in continuous contact with a wide monster.
</small>

== Appearance statistics ==

In the [[IWAD]]s the chainsaw is first encountered on these maps per [[Skill level#Doom and Doom II skill levels|skill level]]:

{{col-begin}}
{{col-break|width=50%}}
{| {{prettytable}}
!colspan="4"|Single-player
|-
!Game / ''Episode''!!1-2!!3!!4-5
|-
|''[[Knee-Deep in the Dead]]''||[[E1M2: Nuclear Plant]]||E1M2: Nuclear Plant||E1M2: Nuclear Plant
|-
|''[[The Shores of Hell]]''||[[E2M2: Containment Area]]||E2M2: Containment Area||E2M2: Containment Area
|-
|''[[Inferno]]''||[[E3M5: Unholy Cathedral]]||E3M5: Unholy Cathedral||E3M5: Unholy Cathedral
|-
|''[[Thy Flesh Consumed]]''||[[E4M2: Perfect Hatred]]||E4M2: Perfect Hatred||E4M2: Perfect Hatred
|-
|[[Doom II]]||[[MAP01: Entryway]]||MAP01: Entryway||MAP01: Entryway
|-
|[[TNT: Evilution]]||[[MAP02: Human BBQ]]||MAP02: Human BBQ||MAP02: Human BBQ
|-
|[[Plutonia Experiment]]||[[MAP03: Aztec]]||MAP03: Aztec||MAP03: Aztec
|}
{{col-break}}
{| {{prettytable}}
!colspan="4"|Multiplayer
|-
!Game / ''Episode''!!1-2!!3!!4-5
|-
|''Knee-Deep in the Dead''||E1M2: Nuclear Plant||E1M2: Nuclear Plant||E1M2: Nuclear Plant
|-
|''The Shores of Hell''||E2M2: Containment Area||E2M2: Containment Area||E2M2: Containment Area
|-
|''Inferno''||E3M5: Unholy Cathedral||E3M5: Unholy Cathedral||E3M5: Unholy Cathedral
|-
|''Thy Flesh Consumed''||E4M2: Perfect Hatred||E4M2: Perfect Hatred||E4M2: Perfect Hatred
|-
|Doom II||MAP01: Entryway||MAP01: Entryway||MAP01: Entryway
|-
|TNT: Evilution||MAP02: Human BBQ||MAP02: Human BBQ||MAP02: Human BBQ
|-
|Plutonia Experiment||MAP03: Aztec||MAP03: Aztec||MAP03: Aztec
|}
{{col-end}}

The IWADs contain the following numbers of chainsaws per skill level:

{{col-begin}}
{{col-break|width=50%}}
{| {{prettytable|style=text-align: center;}}
!colspan="4"|Single-player
|-
!Game / ''Episode''!!1-2!!3!!4-5
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|''[[Knee-Deep in the Dead]]''||''5''||''5''||''5''
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|''[[The Shores of Hell]]''||''5''||''5''||''5''
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|''[[Inferno]]''||''3''||''3''||''3''
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Doom|Doom (registered)]]||13||13||13
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|''[[Thy Flesh Consumed]]''||''3''||''3''||''3''
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Ultimate Doom]]||16||16||16
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Doom II]]||7||8||8
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|[[TNT: Evilution]]||19||18||18
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|[[Plutonia Experiment]]||4||4||4
|}
{{col-break}}
{| {{prettytable|style=text-align: center;}}
!colspan="4"|Multiplayer
|-
!Game / ''Episode''!!1-2!!3!!4-5
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|''Knee-Deep in the Dead''||''5''||''5''||''5''
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|''The Shores of Hell''||''5''||''5''||''5''
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|''Inferno''||''3''||''3''||''3''
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|Doom (registered)||13||13||13
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|''Thy Flesh Consumed''||''4''||''4''||''4''
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|Ultimate Doom||17||17||17
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|Doom II||10||11||11
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|TNT: Evilution||26||25||25
|-
|style="text-align: left;"|Plutonia Experiment||4||4||4
|}
{{col-end}}

== See also ==

* [[UV Tyson]]
* [[Chainsaw (Doom 3)]]
* [[Chainsaw (Doom 2016)]]
* [[Chainsaw (Doom Eternal)]]

==External links==

* [http://www.gamers.org/pub/idgames/lmps/tyson/weapons.html DOOM Weapon Damage Information] by [[George Bell]]
* [http://romero.smugmug.com/keyword/chainsaw ROME.RO Photo Galleries: Eager Beaver]

{{Doom weapons}}