A good (and legal) way to get Doom 1 and Doom 2?

[MFG38]

10 hours ago, Doge Sword said:

just find a friend or someone to send you a copy of theirs so you get it for free.

 

That statement is essentially promoting piracy.

[Trar]

Check or money order mailed to Id Software. Simple as that.

[SoulSphere]

yeah buying them is the only legal way. Downloading them free is illegal..

and probably full of viruses

[Phoby]

I got it off Steam. Running it directly off Steam sucks because whatever port they use to run it is garbage, but it contains the WADs.

[beanz]

You essentially have 4 options to (legally) get Doom these days.

Option 1 and 2:

Buy them directly from Steam or GoG. Probably the easiest way to get them. These are uncensored releases, unlike the the BFG edition, which I'll get into in a second.

Steam (complete classic collection)

https://store.steampowered.com/sub/18397/

GoG

Doom 2 + Final Doom

https://www.gog.com/game/doom_ii_final_doom

The Ultimate Doom (Doom 1)

https://www.gog.com/game/the_ultimate_doom

Option 3:

Buy the BFG edition of Doom 3. Not only do you get Doom 3, you get Doom 1 and 2 with it. These versions are censored in very minor ways (such as the the cross on health kits being turned into a pill,) but it's still something to take into consideration.

Steam

https://store.steampowered.com/app/208200/Doom_3_BFG_Edition/

GoG
https://www.gog.com/game/doom_3_bfg_edition

Option 4:

Buy an old copy of one of the many physical releases. Not much else to say.

 

As for engines, you have a lot of options, but I'll simplify them for you.

Pure Vanilla

Run the standard DOOM2.exe or DOOM.exe in dosbox. Simple as that. I'd recommend using an engine called Chocolate-Doom, as it's one of the most "pure" ports released while still providing some quality of life features. No more patching stuff with dehacked.

"Enhanced" Vanilla

Prboom+ is the best option. The demo-er's choice, in my opinion. This can play boom enhanced stuff as well as stock vanilla stuff.

ZDoom (I can't come up with a decent name for this section)

GZDoom. If you want to get into the wealth of gameplay mods and various QoL features then you can't go wrong with this. ZDoom isn't supported anymore but it may be handy for the one time a map requires it.

 

Have fun, and rip and tear.

 

[Edward850]

4 hours ago, Phoby said:

I got it off Steam. Running it directly off Steam sucks because whatever port they use to run it is garbage, but it contains the WADs.

They aren't using a port. It's the original DOS release run with DOSBOX.

[Doominator2]

Also Freedoom exists if you want to play an open source doom clone.

[A Nobody]

On Tuesday, September 04, 2018 at 7:18 AM, MFG38 said:

 

That statement is essentially promoting piracy.

How is it illegal to get a copy from a friend? If they're giving it away, it's not wrong.

 

To answer your question Dr_Kek, you can get Doom legally with these options.

 

1. Steam or GoG: If you want to play with DOSBox, get it on GoG, as it uses the latest version of the emulator. The setup is said to be better. GoG even sells a patched version of Final Doom unlike Steam. Of course, Steam isn't a bad option if you just want the iwad files. You can update DOSBox on Steam if you so desire.

 

2. Shareware: You can try the demo out if you want to know how the game's like before purchasing. Here's a link to the download https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/idstuff/doom/doom19s

 

3. BFG Edition: Doom 3 BFG Edition comes with Doom 1 and 2. These versions have been edited however, especially Doom 2. Medkits have a pill instead of a red cross, and two levels in Doom 2 have been censored. You do get a bonus episode in Doom 2 though, No Rest For The Living.

 

4. FreeDoom: The free version of Doom. There's Phase 1 (Ultimate Doom) and Phase 2 (Doom 2). Also included is FreeDM which is a set of multiplayer maps. FreeDoom is supposed to be free content, so it includes new sprites, levels, and textures instead of the original ones from Doom.

 

You'll need a source port to play Doom on. Luckily there are many to choose from. My preferred one is Zandronum, but since I don't have a PC yet, i'm using Delta Touch, which includes four source ports in one package. GZDoom, Chocolate Doom, Doom Retro, and PrBoom+.

[Pegleg]

2 hours ago, The-Heretic-Assassin said:

How is it illegal to get a copy from a friend? If they're giving it away, it's not wrong.

 

You sound like me when I was 12. (That was over a quarter-century ago for those keeping score at home.)

 

Since I used to copy games from friends and let friends borrow games to copy them and who used to download warez, I feel that I can speak somewhat authoritatively on the matter. Do I have the moral high ground of someone who never dipped a toe into that particular pond? No. But I can still speak about it, being familiar with the subject.

 

The issue here is that it is wrong for 2 people to own a copy of a game that only 1 of you paid for. Will that bring about the downfall of a company or the collapse of the industry? No. But that doesn't really make it right and it isn't something that we should condone, even with a wink and a nod.

 

Now, is your friend giving you the game? As in, "Here, I don't want this anymore. You can have it." If that's the case, then it's essentially still in the hands of only 1 person, so there's not 2 people owning the game. That's a bit more acceptable, although it's still a gray area since we're dealing with software that can be copied on to hard drives and played without ever needing the original disks/CDs/DVDs.

[𝕲𝖗𝖊𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖎𝖌𝖊𝖗1]

5 hours ago, The-Heretic-Assassin said:

How is it illegal to get a copy from a friend? If they're giving it away, it's not wrong.

 

You're not buying the game, you're buying the license to a copy of the game.

Giving your game to someone else to have is not considered theft as long as you don't retain a copy.

That said, most companies won't go after casual copying because it costs more than is worth it--but most companies generally don't approve of the practice of sharing like that.

 

 

[A Nobody]

Yes, I meant giving away as in, "I don't want this game anymore", Pegleg. I also meant in someone buying a game as a gift for you, and two people sharing different games.

[DoomGater]

This thread is ridiculous.  Question was answered many times before. BTW: In case you didn't you know:
A search function is available and google is your friend..

[A Nobody]

3 hours ago, DoomGater said:

This thread is ridiculous.  Question was answered many times before. BTW: In case you didn't you know:
A search function is available and google is your friend..

What fun is in that? As a community, we help each other when in need.