level explanations

I think there are two reasons why the levels of DOOM were not made entirely realistic in terms of environments, machinery, buildings, computers...

First of all, the engine. We know today that even with something as primitive as the DOOM engine, you can achieve fairly decent realism. Better texturing, working with a small grid, putting lots of detail into things. But the level designers at id Software were building buildings. They couldn't use an excessive lot of textures for all kinds of details because of limited RAM and storage space. They couldn't put much detail into the levels either.

Second, design. I believe that they wanted to fuck up the levels' dimensions, put unusually styled walls into the them, create WEIRD military bases because it would be part of the hellishness (that something is "wrong").

I also think they intentionally left out elements to make the player look for secrets and investigate the level. If it's called Phobos Lab and you see no laboratory equipment, but you hear grunts from the other side of a wall and you hear a remote door open somewhere... don't you get the feeling that there's something going on and you should find out what.

At least that's the way it was for me when I first played DOOM. There were a lot of things left for my imagination (probably the reason why I later started editing).

In the early days I didn't even cared, but it strikes me as odd, SPECIALLY after seeing the betas. That little scene with the cards and the chairs represents a way of mapping that was changed during Doom's development.

don't get technical, Fredrik.

One thing that just came to my insomnia-wrecked mind, is the fact that most of the levels are 30% radioactive, deadly, toxic waste. Perhaps this fits into the whole "something is wrong" idea, after all, why would a hanger have a zig-zag bridge across acid?

Probably as they realized that the cards-on-a-table-and-chairs style would not be as good as massive concrete constructions and nuclear containers.

Entryway-what kind of starport looks like this one, anyway? It doesn't make any sense, but again, it's a videogame.

I's not the entryway to the starport, it's the entryway to a military base. you're headed towards the starport, and arrive there at map 7.

But it says in the intermission text "You have reached the haunted heart of the spaceport." I figured that meant you were travelling further and further into the spaceport levels 1-7, then once you reach the central area, you have to find the switch that turns of the force field whatever that is keeping the big ships from taking off with the rest of the survivors. Or something.

I do mean MAP11. Sorry.

Anyway, MAP08: Some tricks and traps :)

It's just Tricks and Traps ;)

Alright, here's a better example...

a hanger is like an airport, right?

Go to an airport.

Look at a "arrival/departure" moniter there.

What are you looking at?

Yeah, I wonder how they got the name for that lvl if there is nothing alike a real hanger

Entryway-what kind of starport looks like this one, anyway? It doesn't make any sense, but again, it's a videogame

Doom2 Map1 was totally meant to be for Deathmatch gameplay, both hallways - (good for camping and do bfg tricks), ssg room, rocket room, bfg room, outdoor area(where you need to learn to escape from being hunted), plus perfect well-designed plasma platform(requires movement skill to grab it), and finally the exit room(where to heal yourself for whoever goes in first)

MAP01 looks like a starport to me (just very bad architecture and texturation, like in most other DOOM2 levels).

In fact, all the early levels of DOOM2 look like they are part of some pseudo-starport infested by hellspawn, on Earth. Even if MAP02 and MAP05 don't seem very much like that, at least MAP03, MAP04 and MAP06 do come to mind.

well, maybe it isn't that gorgeous as you wanted, but it seems very ok to me back in that year with that kinda technology. Besides, gameplay always comes first, eyecandy comes in second

Then why did DOOM1 look better? :)

They both look almost the same to me, use the most of the same textures. The reason you think D1 looked better is perhaps you like Doom1's theme - battles on Mars, more than on Earth.

It's curious, the Doom Bible contains several entries regarding levels, it seems that back then they wanted to make levels with sense.

It's interesting to note how Doom engined games (except Strife) make no sense when it comes to displaying useful enviroments. BUILD games, on the other hand, heavily focused on setting a recognizable (if possible) level.

yes, the same is true of the unreal engline. The DOOM engine has a lot of textures, but Duke had many more realistic sprites to give it an Earthy feel, e.g. lamps, plants etc. and had more normal tectures such as clock faces, mirrors and wardrobe doors etc.

It's curious, the Doom Bible contains several entries regarding levels, it seems that back then they wanted to make levels with sense.

It's interesting to note how Doom engined games (except Strife) make no sense when it comes to displaying useful enviroments. BUILD games, on the other hand, heavily focused on setting a recognizable (if possible) level.

yes, the same is true of the unreal engline. The DOOM engine has a lot of textures, but Duke had many more realistic sprites to give it an Earthy feel, e.g. lamps, plants etc. and had more normal tectures such as clock faces, mirrors and wardrobe doors etc.

Tom Hall wrote the doom bible, so he was the one with sense.

They both look almost the same to me, use the most of the same textures. The reason you think D1 looked better is perhaps you like Doom1's theme - battles on Mars, more than on Earth.

No. DOOM2 has an assload of brown brick textures, brown sky... DOOM1 has colorful textures and skies.

Doom1 had an assload of green computer textures. Besides, Doom2 had the SSG, which makes it immediately more fun. I mean, come on! Two shells are better than one!

DC

Only if you're fighting Mancubi, Arachnotrons, Revenants...

The shotgun was perfect in DOOM1.

Only if you're fighting Mancubi, Arachnotrons, Revenants...

The shotgun was perfect in DOOM1.

agreed, though it's good against Demons.

God, how cool would a three-barrelled shotgun be? Just as an addon, of course, kill the Revenants in one shot!

mmm....a three barrelled shotgun...call Winchester Rifles for me.

God, how cool would a three-barrelled shotgun be? Just as an addon, of course, kill the Revenants in one shot!

Ahh, sweet memories of the early Doom3 forum posts...

Sleepy tard: E1M7 is the best map ever.

God, how cool would a three-barrelled shotgun be? Just as an addon, of course, kill the Revenants in one shot!

Ahh, sweet memories of the early Doom3 forum posts...

I'LL GIVE YOU YOUR FUCKING DEMONIC GOLDEN THREE-BARRELLED SHOTGUN!!e"%=/(#%#

*Starts shooting.

I'LL GIVE YOU YOUR FUCKING DEMONIC GOLDEN THREE-BARRELLED SHOTGUN!!e"%=/(#%#

*Starts shooting.

Poor Zaldron. A victim of bad Doom3 wishlist threads. Heh. :)

The one time I made a wishlist post, Zaldron favored me with this gem before Post Helling the thing:

LOOKIE IT'S A MODERATOR AND HE LOOKS ANGRY!!11>

Sleepy tard: E1M7 is the best map ever.

It's a computer station...


...WITH NO FUCKING COMPUTERS!!!!!1...

Do you get it now?

actually, I distinctly remember a bit of that map where you get the elevator up to what looks like a huge computer of some kind. It's the bit where you can see outside and snipe the sargeants. I am on the right map, aren't I?

Yes, I think so.

They both look almost the same to me, use the most of the same textures. The reason you think D1 looked better is perhaps you like Doom1's theme - battles on Mars, more than on Earth.

No. DOOM2 has an assload of brown brick textures, brown sky... DOOM1 has colorful textures and skies.

Brown sky plus its clouds look nice to me. Guess you just dislike brown. Besides, there are some real colorful lvls in DoomII. Let's see...map1 is greenish, /me loves green. What else..um, map6, map8, map10, map11, map17, map24, map25, map26, map27,map28, map29, map30...etc. I suppose those brownish textures represent as the bricks that were used for decorating on the surfaces of old buildings. Besides Doom's color palette is so limited. If you don't choose brown as the color for buildings's surfaces, what other choice do you have to fit in its theme properly?

MAP01 doesn't have much "color". All rooms except the corridors and the armor tech room are brown. And the armor tech room is not much of a tech room, it is extremely low-detail. Like many levels in DOOM2. DOOM had much more architecture.

And a colorful sky does a lot to the looks of a map. Try replace the skies in DOOM2 with the orange sky from DOOM's Ep4 and you'll see what I mean.

MAP01 looks like a starport to me (just very bad architecture and texturation, like in most other DOOM2 levels).

In fact, all the early levels of DOOM2 look like they are part of some pseudo-starport infested by hellspawn, on Earth. Even if MAP02 and MAP05 don't seem very much like that, at least MAP03, MAP04 and MAP06 do come to mind.

How the hell does anyone know what a real starport looks like? Wait until we actually have some before you start arguing on realism for that type of thing :P

Well, we can make some educated guesses. A starport would basically just be an interplanetary, futuristic version of an airport, so whatever you'd find there you'd find in a starport, where one to exist.

One thing it'd definitely have would be landing pads and hangars, and I'd guess that it would also need refueling areas, storage facilities, and waiting rooms/deperature lounges.

Well, fuck. It needs some bathrooms too... ^_^

Some authors have had better success than others at making bathrooms. Some are truly embarressing. Doom doesn't lend itself to small, fiddly constructs like that. I have seen only one pwad I think where the toilet bowl wasn't square shaped... ;)