Platforms Doom has been ported to

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Doom is one of the most widely ported first-person shooter games of all time. Along with that, Duke Nukem 3D is widely ported to; both of which are arguably the most popular FPS games made before the year 2000. This article explains the platforms that Doom has been ported to.

Platforms

Personal computer operating systems

NEXTSTEP

The very first port of Doom ever (during development)

DOS

The first operating system that shareware and commercial ports of Doom, The Ultimate Doom, Doom II; and games based on the Doom engine such as Heretic, Hexen and other games have been ported to.

Microsoft Windows

Game consoles

3DO

Published by Logicware and Art Data Interactive in 1995. Features a similar level set to the Atari Jaguar version. Many fans consider this one of, if not the worst console port of Doom. It runs in a small screen at a low frame rate, and lacks effects found in other versions. A cheat exists to make the game run in full screen, but at the expense of frame rate. Its updated soundtrack, which features remixed and original music, is considered its one redeeming feature. This version is single player only.

SNES

The Super Nintendo version was published by Williams Entertainment in September 1995, near the end of the system's lifecycle. The cartridge features a Super FX 2 chip, and was one of few SNES games to feature a colored cartridge; The NTSC edition of Doom was available in a red casing.

The controls were as follows, and could not be changed-

up arrow- forward down arrow- backwards left arrow- turn elft right arrow- turn right select- automap start- menu Y- fire B- run A- use(doors, switches) X- weapon cycle L- strafe elft R- strafe right

SNES Doom features almost every level from the PC version, but the player's heads-up display doesn't take up the whole screen. The floors and ceilings were also not texture mapped. This game also lacked a back-up system, meaning that each episode must be finished from the beginning. Multiplayer only available if a player bought an XBAND modem. Due to memory limitations, the enemies were only animated from the front, which meant that they always faced the player. This rendered monster infighting impossible, although it was made possible for monsters of the same type to damage each other with projectiles in this version of the game. Perhaps as a concession to this limitation, circle-strafing was also removed from this version, since it would be pointless. The game runs at the system's native 256 x 224 pizel resolution.

Interestingly, some of the maps used in the Super Nintendo port are actually more intricate and detailed, the closest to the PC version, than their counterparts on the more powerful consoles and it features the Cyberdemon and Spider Mastermind monsters that the Atari Jaguar and Sega 32X versions lack. It also managed to retain the soundtrack that the Jaguar version lacked, and has a music score that is near-flawless considering its hardware limitations. The musical score, which uses the system's on-board sound processors, plays new arrangements of each song rather than the PC version's own MIDI format. The musical arrangements of the SNES version are generally praised. It has a unique difficulty system where you can only access later episodes on harder difficulties. According to concerns from Nintendo, the Super Nintendo version was modified to not include any hell references (this proved to be false, as the "Inferno" chapter is still taking place in Hell and contains at least one inverted cross); furthermore, blood drawn from gunfire was removed to make the game seem less violent (though the graphic death sequences still remained), though it could have possibly been due to the lack of memory in a 16-bit cartridge. Many believe that this issue led to mixed reviews.

The Automap took 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 were present in the game - indeed, the shotgun did not fire seven individual shots as normal, but rather functioned something like a hunting rifle. This allowed a player to shoot (and be shot) from a distance using the shotgun with no decrease in power. Finally, the Nightmare mode did not feature the respawning of the original incarnation, but still contained very fast and tough monsters as normal.

Jaguar

Published by Atari in 1994. This version features most of the PC version's levels, though the majority of them were modified, or even completely remade. The levels use simpler textures, less complex lighting effects and have less variation in floor depth and ceiling height. It lacks the Cyberdemon, the Spider Mastermind and the Spectre. An online multiplayer mode is included. The Jaguar version did not have any music during gameplay, but played the familiar MIDI score with new instruments between levels. It also saves your progress through the levels automatically, and allows you to start a new game anywhere up to the last level reached.

32X

Published by Sega in 1994. Features the first two episodes but lacks the famed BFG9000, although a cheat code can give the weapon to the player. This version lacks a multiplayer mode. The game disappointed many fans since it did not play in a full screen, was missing many levels from other versions of the game, and only had the front sprite for the monsters. Oddly, a DOS prompt (C:>) shows up after the credits roll when you finish the final level, locking up the game. Due to the 32X's infamous sound chip, this version's soundtrack is noticeably inferior to that of other versions. Many sound effects are also missing. The levels have been edited like the Atari Jaguar version's and the game does not feature the Cyberdemon, the Spider Mastermind or the Spectre. There is also no way to save games, although there is a level select option that allows the player to start on any of the first fifteen levels. However, this level select option still doesn't allow players to see the true ending.

PSX/Saturn

The Sony PlayStation version was published by Williams Entertainment in 1995, and 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 GT Interactive two years later.

The most noticeable changes to the gameplay of the PC original are the removal of the Nightmare difficulty level, and the fact that progress can only be saved at the end of a level via a password. The Playstation conversion features 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. The Arch-Vile monster is no longer present, while there is one new monster, The Nightmare Spectre. Two-player deathmatch 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 to 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, who brought a darker and more ambient soundscape to the game. The sound effects and voice-overs were completely redone by Hodges, and in certain parts of the level, echo effects were added to give the game that much more of a realistic feel.

Later, a port containing levels from Master Levels and Final Doom would be released for the PlayStation as well, under the name Final Doom. Many gamers considered the PlayStation ports to be the best console versions of the original games. The Saturn version, on the other hand, is held with disregard by many fans, due to the fact that the port was rushed onto the system with no optimizations or tweaks to the game, making the port appear to run very jerky, with severe jumps in frame-rates and other technical issues. It is rumored that the later Japanese edition of Saturn Doom ran more smoothly than the original Western release.

GBA

The Game Boy Advance version of Doom was developed by David A. Palmer Productions and released in 2001 , and featured a levelset similar to the 3DO and Jaguar games. The Game Boy Advance version of Doom II was developed by Torus Games released in 2002 featured all the levels in Doom II. Both GBA ports feature the same multiplayer functionality as the PC version. This was the first port of Doom on a handheld device. Doom was only minorly censored (monsters bleed green instead of red, and monster corpses disappear a few seconds after initial death), but Doom II was more or less uncensored.

Xbox

The collector's edition of Doom 3, released in 2005 features near-flawless ports of The Ultimate Doom and Doom II, including two new levels, "Sewers" and "Betray". Featured same multiplayer as the PC version, however not through Xbox Live. 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. It costs 800 Microsoft Points, US $10. This port, programmed by Nerve Software, also credits Vicarious Visions and likely shares code with the Xbox version. There are no cheats in this game.