Jump to content
Search In
  • More options...
Find results that contain...
Find results in...
  • NOTE: There is a known issue with the most recent entries having screwed-up information and links. Some databases are out of sync and we haven't been able to fix it yet.

PalPlus

   (44 reviews)

Guest

8 Screenshots

About This File

PalPlus is a patch WAD for all versions of Doom, including vanilla. Its intended function is specifically to improve visibility on modern LCD monitors and generally to simply make Doom look much better.

PalPlus works by increasing the contrast of luminance and color saturation in Doom's PLAYPAL lump and remapping the COLORMAP lump based on the former under the constraints of exclusive palette index selection.

The original Doom palette has remain constant since the very first alpha versions of the game and was not altered in any further releases or versions. The palette was created for the atypical CRT monitors and television sets of the early nineties which featured far less power and flexibility than modern LCD monitors, and specifically reduced contrast and sharpness. As LCD monitors became the norm, the original Doom palette began to show its age.

There are several different schools of thought regarding how color maps should be generated. The first, which was used in the original Doom, was to make all 256 colors in the palette available to the color map generation algorithm. This method works best with palettes that have a wide range of color tones. However, Doom's palette features relatively few distinct tones, most of which are browns and reds.

The second method, which was utilized in the creation of PalPlus, restricts the color map generation algorithm to close relatives of the color tone currently being generated in the color map. When used in combination with the improved palette, lightness-based color shifts will ideally appear simultaneously smoother and more distinct to the human eye while displaying less artifacts and abrupt color cutoffs.

The creation of PalPlus required tools which did not exist, and software written in C99 were specifically created for the development of this project. The partially finished product was extensively tweaked using the color map generation tool in XWE gradually over a period of over two years and went into testing sporadically during that period until it was deemed ready for release.

Depending on the user and system, PalPlus may or may not make Doom look better to the observer. Extensive testing has shown that there are people who like it and those who don't. If you don't like it, then that's fine.

If you do enjoy using PalPlus, then consider playing some of your favorite WADs with it, as it makes playing them a new experience.

Keep in mind that some WADs feature their own PLAYPAL or COLORMAP lumps which may override those contained in PalPlus, or vice-versa. The order in which they are specified in the command line is important and pal_plus.wad should be specified at the end for best results. The end results when used in combination with WADs that use incompatible palettes are unknown.


User Feedback

Create an account or sign in to leave a review

You need to be a member in order to leave a review

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

heliumlamb

·

  

i have a laptop from a decade ago with an awful screen. nasty, washy colors and it is just way too blue. i have to rely on "night mode" blue light filters to get the white balance a tiny bit bluer than a sheet of a4 printer paper otherwise it can be painful to look at. this might be one of the "modern lcds" mentioned in the txt.

as of 2022, modern lcds are honestly fine with their colors and have been for some time. using palplus on that laptop is incredibly beneficial as it brings whatever is on that screen closer to the look i would expect to see on any somewhat-calibrated display, tube or otherwise. (i only calibrate once)

Share this review


Link to review
deleted-account

  

Very cool mod that does exactly (for the most part) what it sets out to do.  If you like the more horror/oppressive side of Doom (or even the palette of the original Diablo), this is your pick.  It looks particularly good in Software mode with the diminishing lighting not shifting the reds (as much), and the lighter blues look absolutely *gorgeous* in particular with the Plasma Rifle.

Love it or hate it, it's worth a play-test.

Share this review


Link to review
maltra

  

Epic

Share this review


Link to review
MadGuy

  

When I play WITHOUT this mod all colors feel washed out. It's a really amazing color pallet mod. 

Share this review


Link to review
elend

  

I really like this palette edit. I am not sure about the "better visibility on CRT screens" part, since I find it a bit dark at times, but I do love the toned down colors. I don't play everything with this palette, but I noticed that some WADs definitely benefit from it.

 

Regarding the people who don't like it; Well, just check out the screenshots. If this looks cool to you, use it when you play Doom. If it looks crap to you, don't download this.

Share this review


Link to review
Loud Silence

  

It just mess up all colors very bad and makes Doom look terrible! If i want Doom look more like on CRT, i reduce brightness in video card settings. 0/5

Share this review


Link to review
Guest

  
Tried it on a Dell U2711 (truely 8-bit IPS panel, the more common TNT panels are truely 6-bit), with different maps like ED4_RFO and Unloved. Surprisingly it gives a bit more contrast. ATOH the colors have faden away (desaturated) quite a lot. Sadly this changes ambiance imo too much in an negative direction. Overall I consider this as an interesting test, but (at least for the U2711) not very succesful because the original palette just looks much better. 2* for the effort.

Share this review


Link to review
Guest

  
Nice pallete, altough i dont think thats how doom was seen back in the 90's, is pretty cool, good with dark mods like, i dont know, the GothicDm levels, Requiem, etc U DID G8, M8! -(MCCO)

Share this review


Link to review
Guest

Unknown date

  
Awesome palette for creating an opressive and dark ambience. I recommend it, though not to the ones that like colour than spooky.

Share this review


Link to review
Guest

Unknown date

  
I felt like I was underwater the whole time, and it gave me a headache. 2/5 for effort, -2 because the guy's a jerk

Share this review


Link to review
Guest

Unknown date

  
Fucking cool! 5/5.

Share this review


Link to review
Guest

Unknown date

  
Interesting. I wouldn't play random mods with this palette but a mod designed with this palette in mind could look very striking.

Share this review


Link to review
Doomkid

Unknown date

  
Cool gloomy palette. Doesn't "improve" the colors as such, but adds a cool new spin that would probably look nice alongside other WADs.

Share this review


Link to review
Guest

Unknown date

  
Screw the comments above, they simply didn't get what this little addon do. ;-) 5/5 for making Doom gloomy, malignant and opressive.

Share this review


Link to review
Guest

Unknown date

  
It's pretty obvious we got some purist talking shit about this wad for weird religious issues. 4/5 for a good idea, and for a different look on vanilla Doom. I need more of these wads.

Share this review


Link to review
Guest

Unknown date

  
Really good. 5/5

Share this review


Link to review
Guest

Unknown date

  
^Thanks for posting a comment or I might not have seen this WAD. Initially I like this. Kinda reminds me of the PlayStation. I'm gonna play a few WADS with it to be sure and I just might keep it. 5/5 to a fellow author who aesthetically appreciates the mood and atmosphere of Doom.

Share this review


Link to review
Guest

Unknown date

  
Cool stuff, really livens up the scenes, and reminds me of the '90s. Great work.

Share this review


Link to review
Guest

Unknown date

  
Obvious troll is obvious, this is a pointless wad.

Share this review


Link to review
Guest

Unknown date

  
A nice and unique custom palette, though I wouldn't have minded a more saturated orange-tan range (as seen in FLOOR0_2).

Share this review


Link to review
Guest

Unknown date

  
Not a super big change, but I do like it. Makes Doom fell gloomy and, as another reviewer put it, oppressive. Wish it was a smidge brighter. Nice feel but no drastic change = 4/5

Share this review


Link to review
Guest

Unknown date

  
Really lame if you ask me, it makes everything look so boring.

Share this review


Link to review
Guest

Unknown date

  
Not bad, but nothing that will change Doom forever. The original palette already look great as it is.

Share this review


Link to review
Guest

Unknown date

  
The scores people are giving this are ridiculous. Yes, it takes away the cartoonish brightness of the original palette, but in return you get a much more solid palette that fades better in the distance and, subject to opinion, is a better fit for Doom. Not to mention some things, such as plasma balls, show up better and brighter. So, download the small package and judge for yourself. Not a fit for everyone, but certainly worth more than 1 1/2 stars. -DuckReconMajor

Share this review


Link to review
  • File Reviews

    • By Devalaous · Posted
      One of the classic megawads, and the successor to TNT Evilution. I've played this several times over the years, and its grown on me more with each play as my tastes mature.   Still has a bunch of maps that got me killed in 2024, after ive finished stuff like HR and AV, and plenty of maps are memorable. Only real downsides is some of the levels have little content, showing its age.
    • By Walter confetti · Posted
      One of the earliest Doom user maps and It shows. Despite the raw and empty design, the author take a good use of 3D space creating a small fortress surrounded by mountains, the level Is fun to play and not hard. A fancy escapade and a piece of modding history.
    • By Walter confetti · Posted
      Third and final released map of a WIP episode by David Rager, it's more long, complex and hard than the previous entries in the series. A well made map with pretty challenging parts with a mix of monster usage, envoirnmental hazards and some puzzle gameplay. Fun but pretty harsh.
    • By Walter confetti · Posted
      Two more misplaced DM maps without a exit like QUDOOM (that at least had a exit room, while not functional) that caught me by their file name and leave me for the bad experience in SP. Chicken is just a long bridge between a thundering abyss where cyberdemons wants to destroy you, meh. Gangstar is a more fun map sets in a big, abstract warehouse where a cyberdemon roam free trying to kill you, shotgunners and lost souls are here in this Hell corner adding more pain to the thing, enforced by semi-hidden mazes, my favorite.
    • By Walter confetti · Posted
      This is like the physical version of the "we have X at home" meme in DM map format for Quake E1M1. Very poorly made, broken exit and missing textures here and there but at least the level KINDA resembles the original source somehow.
×