First screenshot of Doom 3 alpha !

[Lord FlatHead]

I opened up my mailbox today and boy was I surprised to find a package from my good friend John Carmack ! It turned out to be a CD with an alpha version of Doom 3 on it. Here's a sneak peek:



Sorry, just testing if the [img] tags work :) Though I am getting quite worried that screens like this may become painfully real on Doom 3's release. I mean, sure we're getting extremely cool 3D graphics for our troubles, but aren't these system specs getting a tad bit outrageous ? When the original Doom was released, it hardly mattered what type of processor or video card you had. Today, if you want to play the latest games without too much trouble, you have to spend hundreds of dollars each year just to keep up with the technology. The gap between haves and have-nots just keeps getting bigger, limiting the Doom 3 public to a relatively small games-aware group of people.

I mean, a lot of us got introduced to games seven years ago, as kids, with the shareware version of Doom. We found it on a disk or something and installed it, without worrying or even knowing about the finer details of our PC's. We just installed the game, played it, and were immersed. I can't really see ten-year olds in 2002 getting their hands on Doom 3, installing it on their parent's computer (which just happens to be a 1.5Ghz Pentium 4 with a GeForce3 in it) and being introduced to games the way a lot of us were.

The gaming community is growing up - and I'm not convinced that's strictly a Good Thing.

[NiGHTMARE]

10 years olds shouldn't really be playing violent games anyway. Sure, Doom was just about okay as it had very unrealistic graphics, but games nowadays are starting to be virtually photo-realistic. You wouldn't want 10 year olds watching 18, or even 15 rated films would you?

That's what the consoles are for. Well, okay, there's some very violent and gory games on them too, but most games suitable for kids that kind of age are on the Playstation (2) and Dreamcast.

Asides from the odd strategy game like the Settlers, there aren't really many PC games suitable for kids being made any more.

[Guest Archvile46]

Hell, I was 7 when I started playing doom!

[masterhassan]

NiGHTMARE said:

10 years olds shouldn't really be playing violent games anyway. Sure, Doom was just about okay as it had very unrealistic graphics, but games nowadays are starting to be virtually photo-realistic. You wouldn't want 10 year olds watching 18, or even 15 rated films would you?

That's what the consoles are for. Well, okay, there's some very violent and gory games on them too, but most games suitable for kids that kind of age are on the Playstation (2) and Dreamcast.

Asides from the odd strategy game like the Settlers, there aren't really many PC games suitable for kids being made any more.

um most of the people i know watched r movies when theyu wer not even 10. and if teh kids smart then they wont kill someone. remember whent they thought power rangers made kids violant? i was maybe 8 years aold and i was like. "what teh fuck? how the hell are the power rangers gonna make people fight?" i still think that way

[NiGHTMARE]

If we did a lot more to restrict young kids playing violent games, then maybe the media and the "concerned parents" would drop these stupid anti-violent game campaigns, by realising that these games are actually aimed at older people.

You'd have thought they'd have realised that from the fact that violent games say things like "for mature gamers only", or in certain countries (like the UK) they even use the same rating system as with films. But hey, you know what they say. People are stupid.

[Guest PFCGray]

NiGHTMARE said:

10 years olds shouldn't really be playing violent games anyway. Sure, Doom was just about okay as it had very unrealistic graphics, but games nowadays are starting to be virtually photo-realistic. You wouldn't want 10 year olds watching 18, or even 15 rated films would you?

That's what the consoles are for. Well, okay, there's some very violent and gory games on them too, but most games suitable for kids that kind of age are on the Playstation (2) and Dreamcast.

Asides from the odd strategy game like the Settlers, there aren't really many PC games suitable for kids being made any more.

As long as the parents raise the kids right, letting them know the distiction between reality and fantasy, then I believe its ok for the kids to play the game starting when they're 5! Hell, my parents let me see rated R movies and stuff when I was 5. But then again, that's just me.

[Guest PFCGray]

NiGHTMARE said:

If we did a lot more to restrict young kids playing violent games, then maybe the media and the "concerned parents" would drop these stupid anti-violent game campaigns, by realising that these games are actually aimed at older people.

You'd have thought they'd have realised that from the fact that violent games say things like "for mature gamers only", or in certain countries (like the UK) they even use the same rating system as with films. But hey, you know what they say. People are stupid.

True, at least 99% of the US population is stupid and thick-headed, but we guys aren't right?

[Guest RTC Marine]

Archvile46 said:

Hell, I was 7 when I started playing doom!

one time in new zealand here, they tried to ban games like doom, duke nukem and the rest, but i knew they wouldn't & they didn't!
Thank god! If theyde done that i would never be on the internet or a computer for that matter! (well, i wouldn't of been on a computer if my nanna hadn't bought me an amstrad!) hehe
anyway, wolfenstein isn't even much of a game, its basically another proggie lying around on my hard disk!
btw: wolfenstein sucks!

[Guest NiCoTiNe]

I saw a news report once that tested the effects of kids playing violent games. The kids where aged 8 and below and they were making them play M15+ rated games.

What do you think the kids did? They beat the shit out of each other afterwards.

Stupid little fuckers.

[Guest JelloBiafra]

I don't know what the problem is. I started playing Doom when I was about 7 and it didn't hurt me any. The thing is my mom told me that it wasn't real, and that it's very bad to kill people. I knew that, so I never associated Doom with real life, because my mom had told me I shouldn't hurt people. This is what parents need to do, they need to make sure that their kids know the difference between real life and video games. Personally I feel a lot less violent after a rowsing game of Doom on Ultra Violence, it helps get some adrenaline out of me and I feel much mellower. See I think that almost every human (at least males) have blood lust, it comes from when we were all a bunch of animals and we killed things to stay alive. Well, now days we don't have to kill to stay alive (usually) so the adrenaline builds up and you become more volatile, some people release this adrenaline in different ways i.e. playing sports and other activities, I find that violent games help me get rid of it. Personally I think it's a lot healthier to kill some pixels on a screen than it is to take a real gun and shoot up a school. Anyone who actually does that is obviously screwed up in the head. I just think parents need to care more about what their kids are doing when they're young and make sure their kids know that killing is wrong, then I think the kid will grow up fine. I did. Also, I just have to put this in here, since it somewhat relates to the subject. The other day I went into to Walmart to buy Deus Ex, but when I got it up to the counter this old bitch wouldn't let me buy it because I'm only 15 and you have to be 17 buy it. I just thought that this was incredible B.S.

Also, back to the main point of this post. If that is a real error message I just have to say BULLSHIT! 64 megs? I just got a new Voodoo4 for Christmas, now am I going to have to go buy a new 3d card? I'm getting a new computer and the main reason I'm getting it is so I can play Doom3, but I won't be able to if it takes a 64 meg 3D card. ID needs to decide what's more important, making a rediculously graphical game that only a few people will be able to play, or a game with very very good graphics that a lot more people can play.

Every opinion stated in this message has been just that, an opinion, so please don't flame me. If you disagree please tell me in an intelligent manner. Thank you. (Just don't want to start another flame war) :)



whew, long post...

[Drat]

NiCoTiNe said:

I saw a news report once that tested the effects of kids playing violent games. The kids where aged 8 and below and they were making them play M15+ rated games.

What do you think the kids did? They beat the shit out of each other afterwards.

Stupid little fuckers.

I think I saw that one too! It was on A Current Affair. That report was a load of shit. No test group at all.

But I recall that the boys went and played with toy guns when they went outside (which proves nothing). They didn't beat each other up as far as I can remember.

[fodders]

PFCGray said:

As long as the parents raise the kids right, letting them know the distiction between reality and fantasy, then I believe its ok for the kids to play the game starting when they're 5! Hell, my parents let me see rated R movies and stuff when I was 5. But then again, that's just me.

grandson plays doom2 when he is here 3 days a week and plays for 4 hours, even he understands its just a game

[Lord FlatHead]

JelloBiafra said:

No, it isn't a real error message - there are no Doom3 alphas available yet. About the specs - John Carmack has said that most 32 Meg cards will probably run the game fine, though 64 Meg is recommended.

[deathbringer]

Voodoo 6 and the like will seem a little quiant when doom 3 comes out anyway

[sirgalahadwizar]

NiGHTMARE said:

10 years olds shouldn't really be playing violent games anyway. Sure, Doom was just about okay as it had very unrealistic graphics, but games nowadays are starting to be virtually photo-realistic. You wouldn't want 10 year olds watching 18, or even 15 rated films would you?

That's what the consoles are for. Well, okay, there's some very violent and gory games on them too, but most games suitable for kids that kind of age are on the Playstation (2) and Dreamcast.

Asides from the odd strategy game like the Settlers, there aren't really many PC games suitable for kids being made any more.

I think you are missing the point.

The earlier someone is intorduced to these kinds of things the better, but they must also be taugt that it is not real - by that meaning that this is not the way things work in the real world, having nothing to do with story or demons (which are obviously not real). You have to learn a respect for things such as this.

Personally I was introduced to HBO when I was eight, bloody/violent games when I was 10, and wolf3d (and later doom) when I was 12.
Am I a serial killer? Did I blow my school up? Am I a violent social deviant? NO, im not any of those.

I ahve never had any record with the police (have only seen the inside of a police station once or twice, and it wasnt the business end either). Sounds like I turned out alright.

[Guest cocoon]

deathbringer said:

Voodoo 6 and the like will seem a little quiant when doom 3 comes out anyway

You are all too unmature and none of you should be playing violent games like Okémon guys. Seriously, I don't think half of the guys who posted here should.

Nightmare is the only one with some sense it seems like. So 5 years old should be able to play violent games and watch any movie? As long as the parents offers a good childhood, secure and all.

Well, face the facts kids can't judge between right and wrong in those early ages, no matter what kind of parents they've got.

My mother sees kids in kindgarten beat each other up and when she talks to them they are almost ALWAYS playing something they've seen on TV.

I used to walk my friends home when it was dark outside because they were afraid of the dark (now where did that fear come from do you think?)

I can also feel that this post is just a pointless one since none of you will EVER understand or agree with me. You might not even know what I am talking about when you turn 30. Geez

Some of you say "I've played violent games and watched rated R movies since I was wearing dypers, but nothing is wrong with me" ::face twitching::

Anyone who says that games and movies and other mdeia with adult content could be watched by kids without them taking any kind of damage is SO FULL OF SHIT!! You are plain wrong and don't bother argue with me. I know you are wrong, I simply do.

[Guest NiCoTiNe]

I agree withya buddy, seeing as you are indirectly replying to MY post which..... ah fuck it.