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DOOM II - arguably one of the first huge sequels in PC gaming history. It is an award winning game that follows immediately its groundbreaking predecessor that helped sculpt the first person shooters (FPS) we see today. It created a huge following that still exists underpinned by a varied array of ports to multiple platforms from consoles to tablets.
For me, this game is one of my favourites because; not only was it the first PC game I owned but it also was an excellent playing experience! I still have the five floppy disc set and have many fond memories of friends playing this game with me.
This feature details the final official DOS version of the game (version 1.9) and the ways in which to play it on modern PC's. Since DOS is considered obsolete I have included a guide to running the DOS version in DOSBox (a DOS Emulator) along with the latest Windows development/port.
Unfortunately DOOM II (and DOOM) is now only likely to appeal to the older generation of gamers for nostalgia. Its gameplay and graphics are now very antiquated but it stands as a perfect example of the state of gaming of the time which had its players very excited.
Nevertheless it was an important stepping stone on the path to where we are today, but unless you're old enough to have experienced it you're unlikely to be excited by it now and unless you're eager to experience that evolution for yourself, DOOM II maybe better left in the past.
Some argue that DOOM is not truly 3D. That is technically true in the sense that vertical movement is limited (there is no vertical aiming axis), and that accolade went to Descent, however, the impact DOOM had and continues to have can not be ignored.
The enduring aspect is Deathmatches. The term 'Deathmach' is synonymous with DOOM. They are still a lot of fun and played today with the use of third party addons.
It is this activity that spawned a culture of game customisation of locations in which people could vanquish their opponents. This carried on to many other games such as Duke Nukem 3D and Quake.
Graphics are typical of the era for PC's which were far ahead of the consoles of the day and even pushing the capabilities of some PC's. It may not be much to look at these days but back then was cutting edge. They were surpassed quickly but the environments have clean textures with good use of colour.
Sounds are good and clean. Even though basic (especially by today's standards) they still manage to create a good atmosphere of dread and imminent danger.
Music quality varies depending on the capabilities of hardware. For example, the standard MIDI soundtracks were enhanced by use of an AWE32/64 soundcard.
Case Quote
"Packs of refugees are fleeing the flaming metropolis you call home. It's all starting again. The people of Earth have been taken over, and turned into those horrible, flesh-eating cannibal things. The horror begins, the demons from space have invaded Earth. Billions are dead, as many have been turned into flesh-eating mutants, but there are still some alive and still fully human. It's your mission to kill off the mutants and save the human race by capturing back the space port and blast the few remaining homo-sapiens to safety. If you win, you keep the species alive, lose and humanity is history."
Click image for larger.
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Note: Although this feature focuses on DOOM II many of the details also relate to the original DOOM and the upgraded Ultimate DOOM. |
HISTORY
The reputation of ID Software is well known throughout the gaming world. They have been responsible for some of the most critically acclaimed and therefore best selling video games of all time. Their game engines continue to power some of the biggest games.
The story of DOOM has its origins in a game entitled Wolfenstein 3D generally considered to be the original FPS. In 1991 it was one first games to be released as shareware, essentially demos that were free to distribute by the Internet but generally on magazine cover discs of the day. Wolfenstein 3D super-charged that model for game distribution.
Wolfenstein 3D was such a hit it was later inducted into the Computer Gaming World "Hall of Fame" for shaping the overall direction of the video game industry.
Harking to that success, secret levels from Wolfenstein 3D exist within DOOM II and can be accessed via a cheat.
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Wolfenstein 3D |
Wolfenstein in Doom II |
The first DOOM game was released on December 10th 1994. A technically superior FPS with edge-cutting graphics and fast-paced action. It was downloaded and played by multi-millions using the shareware distribution model. It was available to buy through mail order, and the title's impact on the gaming world is still felt today.
DOOM also coined the term "Deathmatch". It introduced multiplayer gaming to the masses, allowing players to compete in intense 4-player LAN or head-to-head modem competitions. Many corporate offices enjoyed this sport unbeknownst to their line managers.
DOOM and its sequels went on to enjoy tremendous sales on virtually every gaming platform available - from the SEGA Mega Drive 32X to the Atari Jaguar.
DOOM II was released in October 1994 for DOS and later for Macintosh and offered much of the original but with a slightly smoother game engine, more enemies, larger and more complicated levels and a new super-shotgun weapon. Multiplayer support was enhanced with a new set of maps.
This sequel was highly successful having been made a retail release unlike its predecessor. It became an instant shareware hit before selling millions in retail. It won the Origins Award for Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Computer Game of 1994.
An official expansion pack entitled Master Levels of DOOM II includes 21 new levels and was released in 1995.
In 1996 Final DOOM was released. It is a 64-level continuation of the DOOM II story.
Possibly one of the biggest reasons why DOOM is massive is due to the modding community. This burst into life after the source code was made available encouraging would-be game designers to modify the game and create their own levels, or "mods." Fans were free to distribute their mods of the game, as long as the updates were offered free of charge to other enthusiasts. Versions of both games have been ported to multiple platforms.
In 2004 DOOM 3 which rebooted the franchise was released on PC (making users rush out to upgrade their PC's with its shocking graphics engine) and to Xbox in 2005. Unofficial versions for Linux and Mac OSX followed.
In 2009, DOOM II was ported to [Xbox Live Arcade] offering several enhancements (see the section below) and in 2012 Doom 3: BFG Edition was ported to Xbox 360 and PS3 as a budget release. It features tweaked gameplay with the integration of the Resurrection of Evil add-on pack, updated HD visuals, 5.1 surround sound and an entire new chapter.
The DOOM legacy continues with the next instalment - DOOM 4 which is set to be released sometime in 2012...
STORY
Back at last. After days of hard fighting in space, you've returned home on well-earned leave. You're one of Earth's crack soldiers, hard-bit-ten, tough, and heavily-armed. When the alien invasion struck Mars, you were first on the scene. By killing, killing, and killing, you won. You stopped the invasion, saved the Mars base, and became a war hero. What they don't talk about so much is that you were the only survivor.
But that's all behind you now. You've quit the military, and are heading home. Your drop pod lands with a crunch. You open' er up, and look out. Damn! The city ahead is on fire. What the devil is going on? You stagger forwards, clutching your sidearm. Packs of refugees are fleeing the flaming metropolis. A band of them shriek in terror. You squint. What's that? Someone is attacking the refugees. You rush up and blast away, killing the troublemaker. It looks like human, but something's wrong. His mouth is filled with half-chewed flesh, and he's all messed up, like a zombie from a bad horror movie. Hell, not again!
You can feel it. It's all starting again, just like on Mars. First, people are taken over, turned into cannibal Things. Then the real horror starts, the deformed monstrosities from Outside. But now it's on Earth.
It turns out the invaders are all over. Monsters range from Tokyo to Timbuktu, from Stockholm to Scranton. Billions are dead. Some people have been transformed into flesh-eating mutants, but a few, a very few are still alive and fully human. The wise men of humanity have evolved a plan to save what's left of the human race. They have built enormous ships to carry the remaining people into space, safely away from the ruined world.
Unfortunately, Earth's only ground spaceport has just been taken over by the demons. They've instituted a sort of force field - a flame barrier - over the port; no ships can land or take off. You gotta go back into action. The pathetic remnants of Earth's soldiers are making an assault on the invaders at the spaceport. If you win, you might be able to turn off the barrier, so that ships can leave, and Homo-sapiens may not go extinct just yet. If you lose, that's it. Humanity is history.
You and your comrades make their attack. Soon brave men drop like flies. You lose track of your friends, though sometimes you can hear them scream when they die, and the sounds of combat echo from deep within the starbase.
Something hisses with rage from the steel tunnels ahead. They know you're here. They have no pity, no mercy, take no quarter, and crave none. They're the perfect army, in a way. No one's left but you. You...and them.
Taken from manual
GAMEPLAY
For the most part the gameplay remains unchanged from the first game though new weapons and monsters are on offer. It is the same fast paced action-orientated gameplay giving you no idea what you are faced with when turning a corner. The goal is to ultimately save Earth from an eternity in Hell!
Levels (called maps) generally get larger, more complex and more difficult in terms of enemies and dangers. Some have slight twists on the otherwise kill and escape theme and may employ booby traps or mazes whereas others can be arena style battles.
Each level will be densely populated with enemies that become increasingly tougher, bigger, uglier and more powerful. When taking a hit the damage will vary. They attack in all manner of ways; using projectiles, punching, biting or scratching. With much larger hits the blow will be enough to knock you sideways!
Aside from these there will be other dangers along the way such as acid, radioactive waste, crushing ceilings and exploding barrels.
In each map, in order to escape or otherwise proceed, security keys must be found. Where these are placed also increases in difficulty. As the game progresses there will be a maximum of 3 keys per stage: blue, yellow and red. As you proceed the map is automatically built/recorded by a system called Automap.
To assist there will be usually abundant amounts of health, weapons, ammo and not so abundant special items. Transporters can be very useful but also very deadly. They have a habit of beaming you straight into a trap.
There will be plenty of secrets to be found possibly via locating a secret door, standing in a particular spot to activate a lift/door or finding a hidden switch. Clues that you maybe on top of a secret door are whether its colour or texture stands out from the surroundings. Secrets could be weapons, stashes of ammo or health or even shortcuts.
The game starts with you with a lowly fist and a pistol with 100% health. When your health reaches 0% the marine dies. You return to the beginning of the level with your pistol and some ammo. All the enemies are reset also.
Main Menu
Note: How the game starts and the items appearing on the main menu may vary due to the version of the game you are running. Since all the other versions evolved from this official one the detail below should cover most things well.
Unlike the first DOOM there are no episodes as such, though unofficial versions of the game have segmented it into these. Instead this game is one long mission. Gone is the progress map between each level, however, there are some pauses with descriptions and story before entering a new main area (episode).
Depending on how you are running the game it may start up differently but generally the background demo begins running.
Use the arrow keys and ENTER to move the skull and select.
New Game - After selecting this, then a difficulty option appears. Choose from:
I'm Too Young To Die, Hey Not Too Rough!, Hurt Me Plenty, Ultra-Violence and Nightmare which is very hard.
Options - Set various options for the game. More detail below.
Load Game - Load a previously saved game.
Save Game - Save the current game. There are a total of 6 slots available.
Quit Game - Exit the game.
The main menu can be displayed any time during play by pressing the ESCAPE key.
On screen and controls
Controls can be set via the DOOM II setup program, but the following is the standard keyboard setup. The mouse can also be used when configured.
ARROW KEY's UP and DOWN are walk. Hold down SHIFT to run forwards or backwards.
Though there is no jump key it is an essential skill to playing the game. You can 'jump' from ledge to ledge of small gaps with just a good run up.
ARROW KEY's LEFT and RIGHT are to turn.
Holding ALT with LEFT or RIGHT arrows is Strafe. Alternatively use < and > keys.
CTRL keys are fire. Hold for rapid fire.
SPACE is to activate switches, doors and lifts etc.
The number keys select weapons. More detail on weapons below.
TAB displays the Automap. More info below.
Status Bar
Always present across the bottom on the screen is the status bar. It provides the following info (detailed from left to right):
Main Ammo - The number of shots remaining in the weapon currently equipped.
Health - Remaining health. You begin the game at 100%. At 0% you die and it is game over. It is possible to extend this over 100% to a maximum of 200%.
Arms - Those currently highlighted in yellow are selectable by pressing the number.
DOOM Man/Face - Your face will become progressively worse looking as your amount of health lowers. When hit, it will face the direction from which the fire came.
Armour - helps reduce the amount of damage taken. This can be increased to a maximum of 200%.
Key Cards - Shows which keys are in your possession.
Ammo - This shows how much of each type of ammo you are carrying and the maximum amount that you can carry. (Backpack)
It is possible to remove the status bar by increasing the screen size to maximum but it is not recommended.
As you play messages will appear in the top right corner of the screen informing you of what has been collected. Pressing ENTER displays the last message. These can be turned off in the game options.
Weapons
Weapons will be collected throughout the game. Some are dropped by enemies when killed or easily found whereas others are well hidden. Typically the more powerful weapons are well hidden earlier in the game. Collecting the same weapon will give some extra ammo.
Use the numeric keys to select the weapons. The higher the number the more powerful the weapon. Some weapons work better than others in certain situations so you will be swapping between them all the time. Keys 1 and 3 hold two weapons. They must be pressed more than once to select them.
Any projectiles will auto lock-on when at a certain distance. If an enemy is higher or lower than the end of the weapons it will still be hit.
The following table is an overview to the weapons.
Key |
Weapon |
Description |
1 |
Fist and Chainsaw |
The fist is weak and rather slow but can be satisfying to use at times. It has increased strength after picking up berserk allowing you to incinerate weaker enemies! When you collect the chainsaw it replaces the fist as a weapon. |
2 |
Pistol |
Slow firing and limited power. Useful for activating items later in the game rather than fighting with. |
3 |
Shotgun and Combat Shotgun |
Can pack a good punch when used at close range. Combat shotguns are like super shotguns: doubled-barrelled, sawed-off. They pack a wallop but reloads slower and uses two shells per shot. |
4 |
Chaingun |
Pump bullets into the enemy. Has the added effect of keeping them in place. |
5 |
Rocket Launcher |
Very powerful and can shatter bodies. Beware of the blast range as you can easily kill yourself. |
6 |
Plasma Rifle |
Shoots fast pulses of plasma energy. |
7 |
BFG 9000 |
Is the most powerful. It can clear entire rooms of smaller enemies and will deliver massive damage. Uses large amounts of plasma energy. |
Toxic barrels can be one of the most powerful weapons. By shooting them they will explode. Anything nearby will be badly damaged including yourself. Weaker enemies will be disintegrated! Sometimes these are placed so that a chain reaction can occur.
Items and Power-Ups
Items are collected by simply walking over them and will not vanish if not collected. They equate to the following:
Small Med Kit - Worth 10%. If already at 100% health these will not be collected.
Large Med Kit - Worth 25%.
Security Armour (Green) - Provides protection to reduce the amount of damage taken when hit. It will not be collected if amour level is already 100% or above.
Combat Armour (Blue) - Provides double the amount of protection of security armour.
Health Bonus - 1%
Armour Bonus - 1%
Radiation Suit - Will protect from the walking on acid for a small amount of time. The screen will have a green tinge when active.
Light Amplification Visors - Allows you to see clearly even in pitch darkness. Lasts for a short time.
Blue Sphere - Will add 100% extra health to your current amount.
Green Sphere - Invulnerability. During the short time, you will not take any damage whilst this is active. The screen will go monochrome when active. There will normally be some big enemies nearby.
Red Sphere - Partial invisibility for small period time. Provides you with the element of surprise. Enemies will not instantly react to you when nearby. When you have opened fire they will then be able to track you.
White Sphere - A Mega Sphere will provide 200% health and 200% armour.
Automap - Are very useful to find. It is a complete map of the stage you are in. Access the Automap feature to use.
Backpack - Not only provides some ammo for all weapons but also increases the maximum amount that can be carried!
Ammo Items
Small Ammo |
Large Ammo |
Weapon |
Clip |
Ammo box |
Pistol and Chaingun |
4 Shells |
Box of Shells |
Shotgun and Combat Shotgun |
Rocket |
Box of Rockets |
Rocket Launcher |
Cell |
Bulk Cell |
Plasma Rifle and BFG 9000 |
Automap
Pressing the TAB key provides a top-down view of the level you have explored thus far. The white arrow represents you and points in the direction that you are looking.
You can still move around the level using the arrow keys. Obviously this is a little more dangerous and the map is not updated as you go. To scroll the Automap and remain stationary hold the F key.
Zooming can be done by using the + and - keys with 0 key zooming out completely.
Pressing the G key will toggle a grid overlaid on the view.
To mark your location on the map press M. This will place a number over your location. You can have a maximum of 10. To clear all numbers press C.
Automap
The lines in the Automap are colour-coded. Red lines indicate solid walls. Yellow lines indicate changes in ceiling height (e.g. doors). Brown lines indicate changes in floor height. Light gray lines indicate areas which have not yet been visited (made visible by the computer map power-up).
Enemies
Enemies will quite frequently set upon each other. There are several places where this can work to your advantage very well. All enemies can walk on acid or lava with no problems, unlike you.
The table below describes the enemies, their armaments and the amount of damage they can inflict.
Entity |
Description/Arms |
Relative Strength |
Relative Damage |
Former Humans |
Walk about the halls aimlessly. Armed with pistols. |
1 |
1 |
Former Human Sergeants |
Wonder about the halls. Armed with shotguns which are more dangerous at close range. |
1 |
2 |
Former Human Commando's |
March about with Chaingun's. Be sure to quickly run out of any line of fire. |
2 |
4 |
Imps |
Seem to wonder about randomly. These little brown bastards launch fireballs and can shred/scratch their enemies. |
2 |
2 |
Demons |
Will charge towards you when released. A chainsaw or a close range blast from the Super Shotgun will take one down. |
3 |
2 |
Spectres |
The same as Demons though they are almost invisible and therefore more difficult to take out. Look for a gentle shimmering effect. |
3 |
2 |
Lost Souls |
Will charge directly at you at high speed. Quite annoying. A danger when in groups. Chaingun or plasma rifle most effective. |
4 |
3 |
Cacodemons |
These float around launching plasma balls from their enormous mouths. They can hide in dark and high places. When they become active a hiss/screech sound is heard. |
5 |
4 |
Hell Knight |
These are tall and tough. They stomp about throwing green plasma. |
4 |
4 |
Barons of Hell |
A much tougher version of Hell Knight. Needs much more (double) punishment before they crumble. |
5 |
5 |
Arachnotron |
Armed with powerful plasma guns, these can swing around and open fire quickly. A few missiles will take any of these down. |
5 |
6 |
Pain Elemental |
These spit lost souls but they require a fair amount of bullets themselves to kill. |
5 |
4 |
Revenant |
These are very fast moving and can launch homing missiles. Run away very fast to avoid. They can land a punch too. |
5 |
7 |
Mancubus |
These spit out fireballs like there is no tomorrow. They move slowly but need a fair few bullets to take down. |
6 |
7 |
Arch-Vile |
Fairly rare but they are tough. They are very fast and can resurrect dead monsters! When they cast a spell an explosion will occur where you stand so pelt it when it happens because the damage is immense. |
7 |
8 |
The Spider Mastermind |
Immense in size and equipped with a deadly super chain-gun. These will need a high amount of punishment before collapsing. If caught in a line of fire just run! |
10 |
9 |
The Spider Cyberdemon |
This super demon launches missiles from its arms. You do not want to be near an explosion. Thankfully they are relatively slow moving. They are incredibly tough and need a lot of firepower to take down. Two BFG shots will vanquish one of these beasts. |
10 |
10 |
Multiplayer Modes
One of the main reasons for the popularity of DOOM was its multiplayer modes. DOOM II offers Deathmatch and co-operative modes which are still popular today.
Originally these could be done via modem (dial-up and null modem/serial cable) or LAN with IPX/SPX protocol. Later patches improved the functionality of these modes.
To play such a game today it is recommended to use one of the modern ports of the game such as Skulltag. See below for more.
Game Options
These relate to the original DOS version of the game.
They are:
End Game - Returns game back to the title screen and rolling demos.
Messages - Toggle messages on or off. These are top left screen such as collected x item.
Graphic Detail - Toggle between low and high.
Screensize - Adjust the slider to the desired screensize. Note the maximum removes the status bar.
Mouse Sensitivity - Adjust the slider to the desired sensitivity. Only valid if controller type is mouse and keyboard in the games setup.
Sound Volume - Adjust the sliders to the desired volume for music and sound effects.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Hitting F1 provides a screen of all the keyboard shortcuts. This screen is below.
THE LEVELS (SCREENSHOTS)
In total there are 32 Levels some of these are secret and not playable in the normal campaign. After completing a stage, a summary of your performance is given as a percentage of completion for: Kills, Items and Secrets.
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01 Entrance Way |
02 Underhalls |
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03 |
04 |
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05 |
06 |
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07 |
08 |
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09 |
10 |
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11 |
12 |
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13 |
14 |
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15 |
16 |
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17 |
18 |
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19 |
20 |
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21 |
22 |
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23 |
24 |
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25 |
26 |
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27 |
28 |
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29 |
30 |
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31 |
32 |
CHEATS AND TIPS
When travelling across very narrow passages it maybe useful to use the Automap in magnified mode to see exactly where to step.
The following cheats can be input/typed into the game at any time.
Code |
Effect |
iddqd |
Invincibility |
idkfa |
All weapons, keys, ammo, and 200% armour |
idfa |
Reset ammunition |
idbeholds |
Berserker strength |
idbeholdv |
Temporary invincibility |
idbeholdi |
Temporary invisibility |
idbeholda |
Full Automap |
idbeholdr |
Anti-radiation suit |
idbeholdl |
Light amplification visor |
idclip |
Walk through walls. Type again to disable |
idchoppers |
Chainsaw |
idclev level (number 1 to 32) |
Level Select |
iddt |
Toggle full map; full map and objects; normal |
idmypos |
Display coordinates and heading |
idmus (level number 01-32) |
Change music to indicated level |
Other Versions
The success of DOOM II saw it ported to numerous platforms including Apple Macintosh, SEGA Saturn, Playstation (which have Doom and Doom II combined) and Gameboy Advance.
Gameboy Advance
Playstation
The release of the original DOOM source code has facilitated bespoke ports to many other platforms, including Linux with a version on the microcomputer Raspberry Pi, Apple iPod, and several types of smartphones and tablets.
XBOX Live Arcade
The Xbox Live Arcade version was released in 2009 at a cost of 800 points. It includes a new episode 'No Rest For The Living' (9 levels) along with the all the original DOOM II content.
New features are: playing multiplayer over Xbox Live with up to 4 players, split-screen co-op over Xbox Live, Game clips and 5.1 surround sound.
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The main problem with this release is that it is DOOM which shows its limitations rather brightly on a platform such as the 360. Graphics are not upgraded so you get the original blockiness only in HD plus it was never great to play on a console.
Therefore it is such a retro release that will most likely not appeal to today's gamers. It is a convenient way of playing the game again though, but purists may not like the use of the control pad.
The following table is a list of the achievements possible with the game.
Name |
Description |
Points |
Just Getting Started |
Complete any level in Single player |
10 |
Rip and Tear |
Complete any level on 'Nightmare' in Single player |
20 |
Superior Firepower |
Complete all levels on 'Ultra-Violence' or higher in Single player |
25 |
An Important Looking Door |
Find a secret area of a level in Single player |
10 |
From Earth to Hell |
Complete all levels in 'DOOM II: Hell on Earth' in Single player |
25 |
And Back Again |
Complete all levels in 'DOOM II: No Rest for the Living' in Single player |
25 |
Burning Out of Control |
Complete any level with 100% kills, items, and secrets in Single player |
15 |
Destroyer |
Get 100 frags in Deathmatch on Xbox LIVE |
20 |
The Great Communicator |
Get 20 kills using the Chainsaw in a single level in Single player |
10 |
A Man and a Half |
Get 20 kills using the Berserk Power-up in a single level in Single player |
10 |
You Have Huge Guts |
Kill a CyberDemon using your fists in Single player |
20 |
A Really Big Gun |
Find a BFG in Single player |
10 |
Customising (IWADs)
One of the longstanding features of DOOM is the ability to create your own maps. All the maps in DOOM are stored in the DOOM2.wad file and by asking the DOOM2.exe to load a certain .wad (in this case your custom WAD) you can play customised levels.
There is an active culture in creating custom WADs and new WADs are being released all the time whether for single player games or deathmatches. Check out the links section to download some examples. They will also have tools for creation. Examples are below.
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Custom WAD - Star Trek |
Custom WAD - Star Trek |
Once downloaded, copy the WAD to your DOOM II folder. Then use the following:
DOOM2 -file Wadfile.wadwhere Wadfile.wad is the name of the additional WAD file you want to load. Press Enter to start a new game with the specified WAD loaded in. Note that not all external WAD files replace the first map of the game's normal internal map set.
There are plenty of front-end programs that make this process easier which is useful when dealing with many WADs. The official DOOM 95 will also do this.
LINKS
DOOM has quite a large following on the net. There will be many websites offering all manner of in-depth information on all of the games. Some links are posted here.
Download the latest shareware version.
http://www.doomworld.com/classicdoom/info/shareware.php
Including downloading the soundtracks and sfx.
http://www.DOOMwadstation.com/
Online Multiplayer DOOM
PLAYING DOOM II /TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Generally two avenues exist for playing the game on current PC's: either via emulation of DOS or a modern port of the game. Below is information on both.
Minimum Requirements |
Recomended |
DOS 386/33 DX |
Windows 9x 486/66 |
Any PC from the last 15 years should be able to play the official Windows 95 (Win 9x) version of the game however, these official DOOM95 versions (executables) seem to have issues when running on anything XP or above not to mention the litany of bugs once the program is running. Also, since it is unlikely people are still using Win9x (or using it in a virtual environment) I have not covered this.
DOOM II with DOSBox (Vanilla)
This is the best way to play the game as it was intended on a modern PC, short of installing DOS or finding an old PC still running it. This also allows for the use of the official patches.
Along with your copy of the game either on CDROM or a downloaded shareware version, you will need to obtain a copy of DOSBox available here. Once installed, launch the program and follow the instructions as shown in the following screenshots.
Install and Setup
You can skip the line for CDROM support if you have extracted files from a download of the shareware version. Instead you will need to mount that folder as drive C.
Install to drive C and folder DOOM2. Files will copy and will be extracted.
Select controller type.
Set music card as: Soundblaster, Port Address 220
Set sound fx card as: Soundblaster, Port Address 220, Interrupt 7 (possibly 5), DMA 1, 8 Channels to Mix. These are the default sound settings for DOSBox.
Select Save Settings and Launch DOOM II and the game should play!
To play the game in future, launch DOSBox and copy the commands in the screenshot below.
For instructions for co-operative and deathmatch play with the game running via this method check out various guides online. Setup for these games are handled by sersetup.exe. I would however, recommend one of the modern versions of the game for multiplayer.
Official Patches
The official patches fix a number of bugs found in the game over the years and improve the multiplayer functionality. The last patch updates the game to version 1.9. Depending on when your copy of DOOM II was created it may already have these patches applied. The version number is displayed when the game is loading.
Patches can be downloaded from http://www.doomworld.com/files/patches.shtml.
Skulltag
Skulltag is one of the latest and continuing projects for modern versions of DOOM and the best way to play it online in multiplayer games. Using OpenGL for graphics, there are Windows, Linux and Mac versions.
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The benefits are quite broad. This includes high resolution graphics, smoother rendering, multi-channel sound and Quake style command console to name but a few. It also greatly extends the options available in the game.
It is a simple program to run. You can simply install it and point it towards your DOOM/DOOM II folder. For example, c:\oldgames\DOOM2. If you have multiple versions of DOOM installed copy the .wad files into the Skulltag folder. You can then select one upon start-up.
All the type-in cheats in the official version can be used. Since it is a separate program none of the official DOOM II patches can be applied however they are not required.
In order to play you will require the shareware or official DOOM / DOOM II WAD.
There is also support for Heretic, Hexen, and Strife.
For much more information and downloads check out the official website at: http://www.skulltag.com
MISC INFO
- It is stated in many places that the game does not have a story but the manual I have contains one as detailed above.
- Please, please do not be put off playing DOOM by watching the movie with the same name starring Karl Urban and The Rock. It could have been called anything because it relates to virtually nothing in the game and is a terrible movie anyways.
- There are many options that must be activated by providing a switch on the DOOM II executable (DOOM2.exe). Examples are no monsters and increasing the speed of the player. Others are for internal development purposes.
An example is the option to test the Frame Per Second of the game running. This can be initiated by:
DOOM2 -NOSOUND -TIMEDEMO DEMO2
This benchmark was used by many PC magazines of the time to review video cards and their performance. - DOOM II can use the original DOOM WAD file.
- You can view a comparison video of enemies from all DOOM games below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv_ErkQBBqE
Related
Doom 3 (Games of the Month Archive)
