Ways to become a better Doomer.

[doomaddict]

I have been playing DOOM probably the year after it came out. I have beaten the game, but playing on HMP seems just too challenging. Are there any strategies I should use to improve my DOOM skill?


P.S. I play on I'm too Young to Die (not Hey, Not too Rough), and sometimes I have to use a cheat code (since I cannot get out of the level without getting the floor splattered with my blood 20 million times). Training levels would be great (this is for Single Player and not Deathmatch or Cooperative Play, I can't imagine playing against another human opponent without getting my ass kicked without scoring any frags).

Despite the fact that I suck at DOOM, DOOM is still a very, very fun game.

[deathbringer]

Try the old Team TNT wad Icarus, on a high-ish level, that was one of the first of the "all-time great megawads" i played, helped me to get better quite a lot...or try DV on skill 1, its still hard, but you certianly learn to dodge and weave a lot (as a keyboarder who rarely uses strafe, i find charging enemies while constantly shifiting direction is good, DV certianly helps practice that, then once you're in thier face unload some SSG death). Also the original DSV is quite a good kill-fest, the level design leaves something to be desired, but the gameplay is the best in the DSV series

[doomaddict]

Ok, I will give those I try. However, I do use the strafe keys. Thanks for helping. I really appreciate it.

[killer9]

Just remember to take out the gunners first. And practice dodging fireballs alot.

[doomaddict]

Gunners are possibly the main reason why I can't beat such levels. They come out by surprise (even at the easy levels) and take a good chunk of my health before I can shoot them. And, it's even worse if they survive. (I like to shotgun, chaingun, or super-shotgun them, although I might start shooting rockets if I am at a certain distance.)


Fireballs are usually easy, but I have problems with Revenants (especially), and sometimes the Mancubi and Arachnotrons due to the fact that they shoot so many fireballs at once.

Pain Elementals and Lost Souls are another problem in close areas due to the fact that the Elementals spawn Lost Souls in a matter of seconds and then ambush me and burn chunks of my flesh to ashes while more are spawning. Typically, I use the Chaingun in such situations.


I wonder if the right thing to do is to use my Rocket Launcher, Plasma Gun, and BFG more often, but I am worried about hurting myself (with the Rocket Launcher), and wasting ammo with the Cell guns.

[chilvence]

Get a mate to sit across you at a table and hit your fingers with a hammer every now and then. When he starts to miss more times than he connects, you know your reaction times have improved. Those surprise gunners will then be no trouble at all!

[Use]

Watch some demos of expert players. You can learn some new moves that way. The marine's fast movement is the greatest advantage over the creatures.

[doomaddict]

Unfortunately, I am an interactive learner and I prefer learning by "interactively training". I am not sure demos will help me that much, especially since they might play in a different configuration (i.e. a joystick, or the mouse). Any kind of interactive way of training my skills?

With the hammer issue, that would hurt (and it can be dangerous since I could break a bone). Since it is dangerous, I am not going to train (not worth risking a finger or a bone just to get better at a game, especially because if the finger does break, then I know my playing of DOOM, Ratchet and Clank, and other video games will have to come to a sad end.)

[Spray]

For mancubi and arachnotrons (though this applies to other monsters too, it works best with the trigger-happy types), use other monsters as meat shields when they start firing. Save ammo by letting them duke it out first! This may not be worth the trouble if they're mostly hitscan enemies, like shotgun and chaingun guys.

[doomaddict]

Spray said:

For mancubi and arachnotrons (though this applies to other monsters too, it works best with the trigger-happy types), use other monsters as meat shields when they start firing. Save ammo by letting them duke it out first! This may not be worth the trouble if they're mostly hitscan enemies, like shotgun and chaingun guys.

That would be a good idea, but the only problem is that a chainguy or shotgun guy (or maybe even a Spider Mastermind) might get hit by the fire, possible kill the enemy, and then attack me.

Also, what should I do if there are no "meat shields" to shield me?

[stoned]

doomaddict said:

I am not sure demos will help me that much, especially since they might play in a different configuration (i.e. a joystick, or the mouse).

You mean you're playing with the keyboard only? Man, that's hopeless, can you even hit anything trying to aim with the keyboard? You'll need to learn to use the mouse and you're 50% better Doomer immediately.

[doomaddict]

Well, I type using only four fingers, but I can still type about 50-60 WPM. I have tried using the mouse but it's seems to be even harder than playing with the keyboard.

My aim is not bad. I usually circle enemies and hit them with my shotgun, super-shotgun etc.

[Spray]

If there's no "meat shields", duck for cover or use the supershotgun, shotgun, or chaingun (in order of preference, most to least preferable) when they start firing at you. The supershotgun fires 21 pellets per shot, and a close to medium range blast with that will either kill or at least stun anything shooting at you.

If you do manage to get everyone pissed at each other, run away and come back when the shooting dies down and pick them off--they'll be weakened significantly, unless it was a bunch of pistol guys. :)

Take the time to learn to use the mouse with the keyboard, it's totally worth it.

[doomaddict]

Spray said:

If there's no "meat shields", duck for cover or use the supershotgun, shotgun, or chaingun (in order of preference, most to least preferable) when they start firing at you. The supershotgun fires 21 pellets per shot, and a close to medium range blast with that will either kill or at least stun anything shooting at you.

But what about if the monster ambushes me and/or I run out of ammo?

My weapon of choice is the supershotgun.

[Grazza]

Movement skills are the main thing. You need to be able to move your marine around the levels as freely and naturally as you move yourself around in real life. Make strafing (and that includes strafing while running forward and turning) an integral part of your game. This all comes with practice.

In a lot of levels, you can reach the exit with movement skills alone - you don't even need to fire a shot (provoking infighting and/or just running past everything). Or those same methods can cut down your workload if you do want to kill everything.

There are some damned good keyboarders (e.g. Ryback, who recorded a run through the whole of Doom2 on Nightmare), but most people use mouse+keyboard, and get best results this way. Keep on trying using the mouse - it shouldn't take too long to get used to it. I made a major config change a little over a year ago, and was very surprised by how quickly it started feeling natural.

Watching demos will certainly give you ideas about how situations can be handled, and what the Doom marine can "get away" with. Should also help your understanding of monster behaviour. If nothing else, they are entertaining and inspiring.

As for an "interactive method", well, you could watch some demos using a walkcam, and see if you can keep up with the player. Or watch one and then try to emulate it.

[Spray]

Ambushed or running out of ammo = retreat, of course. If you're out of ammo and things look desperate (well, more than out of ammo usually is, heh), try to get the enemies who do have ammo to kill each other, or make like Ikari Warriors and give it all you've got with whatever you have left!

[doomaddict]

Grazza said:

Movement skills are the main thing. You need to be able to move your marine around the levels as freely and naturally as you move yourself around in real life. Make strafing (and that includes strafing while running forward and turning) an integral part of your game. This all comes with practice.

In a lot of levels, you can reach the exit with movement skills alone - you don't even need to fire a shot (provoking infighting and/or just running past everything). Or those same methods can cut down your workload if you do want to kill everything.

There are some damned good keyboarders (e.g. Ryback, who recorded a run through the whole of Doom2 on Nightmare), but most people use mouse+keyboard, and get best results this way. Keep on trying using the mouse - it shouldn't take too long to get used to it. I made a major config change a little over a year ago, and was very surprised by how quickly it started feeling natural.

Watching demos will certainly give you ideas about how situations can be handled, and what the Doom marine can "get away" with. Should also help your understanding of monster behaviour. If nothing else, they are entertaining and inspiring.

First of all, I do use strafe.

Secondly, DOOM is no fun without killing monsters (we are talking about -nomonsters or console cheat "kill monsters". The goal of DOOM is to kill what you see and leave the level alive!

Thirdly, despite the fact that I do suck at DOOM, I was able to beat MAP01 and MAP28 on Nightmare!. (The reason for MAP28 is due to all of those Invulnerabilities). After trying so hard, I also beat Crash on Nightmare! in Quake III. (All this states is that even players that are really stink at DOOM have there moments of expertise and luck).

Finally, as I mentioned earlier, I am an interactive sort of man. Watching demos is like watching a movie. The main reason I like Video Games is because I get to control the action.

A good example of interactive learning is stunts in a movie. When watching someone perform a stunt, that person makes it look easy because they have trained. However, it is impossible to perform that stunt without training (by doing easy stunts first) for who-knows-how-long, and people that try many of these stunts without training usually end up in the hospital or in a graveyard.

[doomaddict]

Spray said:

Ambushed or running out of ammo = retreat, of course. If you're out of ammo and things look desperate (well, more than out of ammo usually is, heh), try to get the enemies who do have ammo to kill each other, or make like Ikari Warriors and give it all you've got with whatever you have left!

There have been cases where I was trapped with a "fresh" Cyberdemon with nothing but a lousy chaingun.

[Relica Religia]

Normally, impossible situations don't occur if you're playing properly and/or you're skilled enough for that difficulty level.

But before I go on, do you use any source ports when you play?

[Coopersville]

Learn to use mouselook, ffs.

[wildweasel]

Seriously, once you learn and master mouselook, the game becomes much much easier. If you think there's something behind you, then you can just whip the mouse to the side and do a full 180 turn. Think that'll get you killed? Whip it back around and look straight ahead again.

Also note: if you're playing with mouselook and are using a sourceport like ZDoom or Legacy, and are attacking a large group, aim for the middle with the rocket launcher. Aiming for the feet is also a decent tactic, especially if you're trying to lead targets.

[chilvence]

I get plenty of people on ZD or Skulltag who dont use up/down look with rockets that way. Nothing is ever said, but I'm sure it irritates them intenseley, heh.

[Epyo]

If you don't want to use mouse, then don't. Many people say necessary, but it's not when you are already used to just keyboard.

Here's a nice strategy for hitscanners, if there's a right angled wall handy you can put yourself half behind the wall and half exposed, shielding that half of your body from hits.

[killer9]

I could never use the mouse. Never.

[chilvence]

But response times are much quicker with the mouse, and thats what he says he has trouble with. Or at least implied. I remember using the keyboard only myself a long time ago, and sort of waiting patiently for the monsters to centre on the screen while they were busy filling me with bullets.

[JamesEightBitStar]

stoned said:

You mean you're playing with the keyboard only? Man, that's hopeless, can you even hit anything trying to aim with the keyboard? You'll need to learn to use the mouse and you're 50% better Doomer immediately.

I call shenanigans on this post!

Well, personally I'm a pure keyboard user (though I DO use the mouse with more modern FPS games) and I consider myself pretty adequate and I've also never had trouble aiming at stuff (at least in a single player game, but I haven't gotten a chance to try multiplayer yet due to that I have a 56K modem and everyone I know who would play me have DSL... which means that I would get fragged just because of lag alone).

[myk]

wildweasel-r3000 said:
Seriously, once you learn and master mouselook, the game becomes much much easier. If you think there's something behind you, then you can just whip the mouse to the side and do a full 180 turn. Think that'll get you killed? Whip it back around and look straight ahead again.

You don't need mouselook to make a 180° turn with the mouse. Just the mouse enabled.

[Nmn]

Try the roundabout technique.
You run around the creature, strafing, having Your gun pointed at it, and keep firing. If You're fast the monsters has no chance (if it fires projectiles, if it's a chaingunner or a spider mastermin, than I don't reccomend this tech.), You need plenty of room tough (tried it for the Cybie on E2M9: Tower of Babel-beated him with a shotgun :-), but I couldn't use this technique on D64 Map19 (Watch Your Step) because of the pillars.
NoPoet's site had some info on good fighting with the monsters. Too bad the site is gone tough.

Inoxx once said: (one of the mappers for UT from E.M.)
Learn to fight like a man with keyboard mouse combo!

Nuff' said.

[ducon]

myk said:

You don't need mouselook to make a 180° turn with the mouse. Just the mouse enabled.

You don't even need the mouse for that, you just have to hit the backspace key on standard configurations.

[myk]

Standard where? Doom doesn't have a 180° flip option. Some user-modified engines do; PrBoom, for instance, places it at the forward slash (/) key. For Doom itself you need a TSR, such as DMS. Other engines which don't have the flip key option can't do it.