what are the playstyles of Doom, and what is yours?

[Fonze]

Sometimes one rocket to the face of a skull, immediately killing him is better than wasting more than 1 second firing at him with other weapons. And using cells against a skull is almost blasphemy, save rare instances (which I like to see). We all have a pretty good handle on the basics and intermediates of Doom strategy, but the counterintuitive strategies are some of the most fun to explore.

[RobinSena]

Where are all the Compet-n style players?

My objective is to get 100% kills and secrets as fast as possible, resulting in an aggressive style of play. I was very defensive for a while after I started playing Doom again, but seeing those record runs changed my style forever.

[shotfan]

Fonze said:

Sometimes one rocket to the face of a skull, immediately killing him is better than wasting more than 1 second firing at him with other weapons. And using cells against a skull is almost blasphemy, save rare instances (which I like to see). We all have a pretty good handle on the basics and intermediates of Doom strategy, but the counterintuitive strategies are some of the most fun to explore.

Do not care if this is blasphemy or not. As I said, an enemy dead to a plasma volley or even a BFG blast is better than enemy dead to few rockets PLUS 30-40 points of health lost. If God dislikes me for this, why does "HE" shower me with ammo like manna on the desert? :D

Examples of PE tight spots? Hmm...
- Barrels O' Fun, after coming out the second teleporter
- The Chasm, the space after the blue door

Still, I am afraid we will not come to agreement, since each of us have different playstyles in singleplayer (do not play multiplayer in Doom). The only way for me to change my tactics here is a WAD with scarce ammo. So can we just agree to disagree?

[Fonze]

shotfan said:

So can we just agree to disagree?

Ummm... No?

BURN THE HEATHEN AT THE STAKE!

[MrGlide]

shotfan said:

Do not care if this is blasphemy or not. As I said, an enemy dead to a plasma volley or even a BFG blast is better than enemy dead to few rockets PLUS 30-40 points of health lost. If God dislikes me for this, why does "HE" shower me with ammo like manna on the desert? :D

Still, I am afraid we will not come to agreement, since each of us have different playstyles in singleplayer (do not play multiplayer in Doom). The only way for me to change my tactics here is a WAD with scarce ammo. So can we just agree to disagree?

Lol no ones forcing you to always use rockets on PE's, we're just pointing out the PE is a high threat target and plasma is something many of us hold onto tightly in newer harder megawads ( archvilles mainly). Also with the way the plasma rifles dps turns out it's more effecient to use it on monsters with high health.

[VGamingJunkie]

Pain Elementals' spawning ability is treated as an attack so utilize corners when you can and wait for it to get close. That's a great way to prevent it from spitting out Lost Souls. The third computer demo for Plutonia even shows this as the guy was able to effectively stunt the PE by just poking behind corners with the SSG.

[Deleted_Account]

If you want to spray your plasma all over the place thats your business and nobody else's.

[shotfan]

Fonze said:

Ummm... No?

BURN THE HEATHEN AT THE STAKE!

Ouch. I would prefer a revenant spam over that :)

MetroidJunkie said:

Pain Elementals' spawning ability is treated as an attack so utilize corners when you can and wait for it to get close. That's a great way to prevent it from spitting out Lost Souls. The third computer demo for Plutonia even shows this as the guy was able to effectively stunt the PE by just poking behind corners with the SSG.

I reckon that is certainly possible. However, you have to keep in mind that SSG+corner=overkill on everything :D
But seriously, my experience tells me to just use something rapid-fire on those. So, well, I rest my case.

[DoomzRules]

[VGamingJunkie]

I think a mod to make the Pain Elemental just spit out Lost Souls randomly as long as it's active, even if it doesn't have line of sight with you, and to have a strong melee attack would make it far more imposing. Also, annoying.

[shotfan]

DoomzRules said:

I don't really save unless it's autosave, and to be honest I generally use ~ "resurrect" a lot in Doom....

Does it really make sense to use "resurrect"? No, but I like to use it. :3'

"It is not like you will get some bonus weapon for getting 3x100% on all levels."

That should be a mod though.... would be pretty cool. :D

It does not have to make any sense. It is your game, you play it as you wish.

I am not sure if Doom engine allows to implement any New Game+ content. This is one modern feature I would like to see in modded Doom.
(beat Nightmare!, you get the beta BFG that spams a myriad of plasma bolts :D )

[scifista42]

shotfan said:

I am not sure if Doom engine allows to implement any New Game+ content.

Doom engine and its source ports generally don't support features that would restrict the user, like disabling cheating or forbidding access to some part of the available content until the player unlocks it by winning the game properly, etc.

[PseudoGold]

Generally, I have a list of target to go for first:
1) Arch-viles (Don't think I need to explain why)
2) Pain Elementals (Ditto)
3) Lost Souls (to remove rocket threat)
4) Demons (preferably with melee attacks to conserve ammo)
5) Hitscanning enemies (former human/sargeant and chaingunner, in reverse order)
6) Enemies who launch projectiles (Everything else)
7) Bosses

I tend to use hitscan weapons unless the plasma cannon is available and the BFG isn't, in which case I'll go for the plasma to deal with Mancubi and Revenants.

All of this is preferably done with cover until hitscanners are dead, at which point I'll use whatever space to prevent getting boxed in.

[DoomzRules]

shotfan said:

It does not have to make any sense. It is your game, you play it as you wish.

I am not sure if Doom engine allows to implement any New Game+ content. This is one modern feature I would like to see in modded Doom.
(beat Nightmare!, you get the beta BFG that spams a myriad of plasma bolts :D )

Or maybe even upgrades for your already existing weapons so that they have alt-fire modes?

Quad shotgun? Stuff like that would be cool. New game + feature would make it a lot like the really hard JRPGs like Dark Souls and Bloodborne. :D

[RobinSena]

I think what's gotten lost in this thread is that we're assuming that we're all playing on Ultraviolence. Different weapons and styles of play are warranted for different skill levels. I've noticed that in many Ultraviolence playthroughs on youtube, the plasma gun isn't used that much - a choice mirrored by others here. But I would make the argument that the plasma gun is arguably the best weapon on the Nightmare! skill level (perhaps this should get its own thread for discussion), while the SSG is arguably the best all-around weapon on Ultraviolence. The plasma gun's relative power coupled with rapid fire rate make it not only a very versatile weapon, but the ideal weapon for Nightmare! You can see this in action on the superb Nightmare! run of Doom II's the Living End by rybacksda on youtube.

The extreme speed warranted by Nightmare! make the BFG a less than ideal weapon due to the slow rate of fire. Same for the SSG.

Just my two cents.

[MrGlide]

RobinSena said:

I think what's gotten lost in this thread is that we're assuming that we're all playing on Ultraviolence. Different weapons and styles of play are warranted for different skill levels. I've noticed that in many Ultraviolence playthroughs on youtube, the plasma gun isn't used that much - a choice mirrored by others here. But I would make the argument that the plasma gun is arguably the best weapon on the Nightmare! skill level (perhaps this should get its own thread for discussion), while the SSG is arguably the best all-around weapon on Ultraviolence. The plasma gun's relative power coupled with rapid fire rate make it not only a very versatile weapon, but the ideal weapon for Nightmare! You can see this in action on the superb Nightmare! run of Doom II's the Living End by rybacksda on youtube.

The extreme speed warranted by Nightmare! make the BFG a less than ideal weapon due to the slow rate of fire. Same for the SSG.

Just my two cents.

for Iwad play, then ya pull out the plasma rifle and go ham, there is almost no shortage of ammo. Iwad uv is much different then what most current mappers's uv is.

[joe-ilya]

I speedrun, but also kill and take what I should.

My gameplay.

[Optimus]

I also remember when I was a keyboarder I mapped the nummeric keyboard, 8426 and then 7,1 as next/previous weapon. So, I would be very careful whether there are imps and humans to switch to shotgun, but when there are demons to SSG. In few occasions where there where mixed and it matters that there is delay to switch, I might keep with SSG. I see many people playing doom and going just with SSG because it's better, but blasting one single human enemy with SSG wasting ammo. Now even with mouse keyboard I still switch between the two with mouse wheel or as I am at WAXD by hitting 3. Sometimes I prefer simple shotgun but when I change from another weapon to 3 it defaults to SSG first so I have to hit 3 twice (I am curious how to change that).

p.s. I also used to take care of not tripping over ammo boxes while almost full, or health while 99%. Or thinking my strategy, if I am over boxes of shotgun shells, maybe fight with chaingun so that I don't automatically pick them up. Sometimes I am getting bored of this, it's tedious and makes me not take care of other aspects of battle.
p.p.s. One other thing I did was the, how many seconds can I last in a new level before taking the first hit. So, initially at start of levels I'd try to be very very careful, strafe shoot and back behind wall if hit scanners. Then I was more relaxed if I took a hit.

[MrGlide]

Optimus said:

I also remember when I was a keyboarder I mapped the nummeric keyboard, 8426 and then 7,1 as next/previous weapon. So, I would be very careful whether there are imps and humans to switch to shotgun, but when there are demons to SSG. In few occasions where there where mixed and it matters that there is delay to switch, I might keep with SSG. I see many people playing doom and going just with SSG because it's better, but blasting one single human enemy with SSG wasting ammo. Now even with mouse keyboard I still switch between the two with mouse wheel or as I am at WAXD by hitting 3. Sometimes I prefer simple shotgun but when I change from another weapon to 3 it defaults to SSG first so I have to hit 3 twice (I am curious how to change that).

p.s. I also used to take care of not tripping over ammo boxes while almost full, or health while 99%. Or thinking my strategy, if I am over boxes of shotgun shells, maybe fight with chaingun so that I don't automatically pick them up. Sometimes I am getting bored of this, it's tedious and makes me not take care of other aspects of battle.
p.p.s. One other thing I did was the, how many seconds can I last in a new level before taking the first hit. So, initially at start of levels I'd try to be very very careful, strafe shoot and back behind wall if hit scanners. Then I was more relaxed if I took a hit.

That's cool, I'm real anal about ammo as well. I hit 3 twice as well but most source ports you can change it so weapons don't stack and get their own button, should be in options or your key config, as for dos doom you can just edit the config file. I kinda like it how it is personally, if I'm close corners I'll keep shotty out, and I'll only pull out the ssg if theres alot of enemies or I hear a threatening monster like rev or manc.

[nxGangrel]

As a deathmatcher I usually player under "all round" (in Unreal Tournament terms). I usually try to stock up on weapons and armor before jogging around the map, going for the people that's close.

For single player, it depends on my mood, and the wad. I usually just play like what I imagine is an "average" player. Though my favorite is cranking the gamma to low and turning the volume high, and playing the game at a slow pace. Or just go around shooting things like a maniac but results for that vary.

Doomkid said:

respawn protection is frustrating as balls.

How so? I find being spawn killed irritating.

[VGamingJunkie]

shotfan said:

However, you have to keep in mind that SSG+corner=overkill on everything :D

Well, you can't really do that with Archviles, especially in a room full of corpses. Unlike the PE, the Archvile's resurrect will happen regardless of line of sight. You don't have the luxury of taking it slow, you have to zerg rush those bastards.

[Silverforte]

Im the opposite of a speedrunner, I like to take things slow, exploring the level and being resourceful with ammo and pickups. My favorite parts of doom are the exploration so going fast just kinda ruins that for me.

[40oz]

I like to do reckless things with the intention of getting myself into precarious situations I need to fight my way out of. It keeps my reflexes sharp. Improvisation is a very resilient skill. I often throw myself into harms way to activate traps and do some reconnaissance of the monster placement on a map. Die a few times then give it a serious go. As obvious as it sounds, the most important trait of any strategy is avoiding taking damage. Let go of the fire button for a second or two so you can focus strictly on dodging attacks or escaping from getting cornered. Its always more important to protect yourself before killing the monsters. Situations where killing monsters as fast as you can is the only way to secure your survival are rare.

[kuchitsu]

I've been playing exclusively in no saves mode for more than 6 years now. Naturally, my main priority is to exit the level with as few deaths as possible. I never do that reconnaissance stuff 40oz is talking about because every death feels like a loss to me. I also want to make sure that I've seen a significant portion of the level and killed most of the monsters. I've seen some Twitch streams where people get through 20+ levels in one sitting by skipping as much stuff as possible and basically doing a blind speedrun. I've never understood that, to me it looks like the guy isn't enjoying himself and just wants to get the hell out. Different strokes and all that.

So yeah, I play somewhat cautiously but still try to be relatively fast (perhaps this is an old habit from back when I would often compare my FDA times with other players, hoping to beat them). If I feel like the level is pretty easy\safe, of course I speed up even more. Sometimes I also try to get 100% secrets in every map, but usually I give up on this as soon as I encounter the first cryptic secret.

[baja blast rd.]

In first playthroughs, I play quite cautiously, cheesing everything I can, instigating infighting to save ammo, et cetera, except when a level is easy and small, where I'll play a lot more aggressively. I train combat skills via repetition, as if Doom is a musical instrument. On Saturday I two-shotted cybers for two hours, for example. I also watch demos to pick up on things to emulate and practice. A combination of stuff like this and playing without saves has allowed me to raise my skill level quite substantially in recent times. Just a little over half a year ago I found this challenging (7/10): https://www.doomworld.com/vb/post/1407300. But I'm sort of confused now, because it feels trivial (1/10). I have more mechanical control over the player these days. :)

[pavera]

Lately I've really been enjoying Doom a lot more when I play with as little information about my current situation as possible. I turn off the HUD completely and hide all level stats (except for the name obvs) from the automap. The only time I can see how much health/ammo I have is when I look at the map.

I really like this because suddenly the only information my eyes have to constantly pay attention to on the screen is the actual gameplay and the level itself. It's helped me get more immersed in the level design, and I think it's brought back a sense of dread and suspense to the gameplay for me. I might even go a step further and disallow the automap to myself, but I'm not sure about that yet. :P

[RyoAsuka]

I Fight Like Hell.

But if you want something more informative I tend to use the shotgun/SSG on lone low/mid-tier monsters and use the chaingun to mow down a group of hit scanners. For the boss monsters I just use the BFG obviously. I rarely use the plasma rifle. Whenever I obtain a berserk pack, I try to utilise my fist as often as I can. For enemies in the distance, I use the chaingun to snipe them off.