Motivations Philosophy Requirements Main features

THE LEGACY OF DOOM We have always dreamed of Doom sources being released ! How much days have we been talking about the features we'd put in it. In the middle of 1997, we heard a rumour that the sources of Doom would be released. Some months later the miracle happened : during December 1997, Id Software made the full source code of Doom public.

MOTIVATIONS BEHIND OUR PROJECT Think about it: Quake , Doom , Duke Nukem ... it's not the same! The gameplay, the ambiance, the design is very different. We like Doom especially. We don't want to create another doom-clone with the sources. First, we'll bring a lot of bug-fixes - updates - features that should have been in Doom since the beginning. Then, we'll try to 'refresh' Doom visual aspects so that it looks better on today's machines. And last but not least, we will extend the engine with enhancements for map and 'mods' creation.

PHILOSOPHY OF THE DOOM LEGACY PROJECT

• KEEP THE BEST OF DOOM : simple and fast. We won't add a thousands options that complicate the game and make the deathmatch slow down.

• NO CHANGE TO THE GAMEPLAY : at least there will be an 'original gameplay' mode.

• USER FRIENDLY AND AIMED AT THE PLAYERS : we do Legacy for the people who PLAY and enjoy Doom today. We won't make an adventure game out of Doom, damn!

• NO CHEATS IN MULTIPLAYER.

REQUIREMENTS : WHAT DO YOU NEED TO RUN LEGACY

• DOOM VERSION : you'll need an commercial or shareware version of either :
  Doom, Ultimate Doom, Doom2
  We require the main DOOM.WAD or DOOM2.WAD, the executable is not needed since Legacy is a new Doom exe.
• SYSTEM : as today Legacy runs on the following:
  - DOS
  - Windows 95/98/NT
  - OS/2 Warp
  - Linux port by Bell Kin
• HARDWARE : a basic 486, a standard VGA card, 8mb for full playability, a 16bit soundcard is recommended for better sound, but it works with a basic SB compatible 8bit card.
  Supports mouse, joystick.

Windows 95/98/NT :

• DirectX 3 or later installed.
• You'll need the latest 3Dfx Glide or OpenGL drivers if you want to play Doom Legacy with your 3D card.

DOS version :

• A VESA2 driver (SmartDisplayDoctor / Univbe) or recent SVGA card with VESA2 or VESA3 support is needed to enable the extended video modes).

Recommended system:

• A 16 bit sound card (today a basic SB16 is really cheap) will allow better quality sounds.
• Windows 95/98 will eat you 16mb so 24mb are more than useful under this system.
• CPU : a 486 DX2 will allow good playability in standard 320x200 resolution. A Pentium class processor is recommended for SVGA modes.

MAIN FEATURES OF DOOM LEGACY

Here's a list of the main features of Legacy, up to the current version :

• VIDEO OPTIONS MENU : play Doom in high resolutions ! You can change video mode at any time from within the game.
  

• 3DFX / OPENGL : Doom Legacy features an beta version of 3Dfx and OpenGL modes, which is quite playable as it is now, although not finished.
  

• TRANSLUCENCY ON SPRITES AND WALLS : replaces the old 'partial invisibility' effect. A selection of objetcs are now translucent : monster missiles, most weapon shots, torches, fire, bullet puffs...
  

• SETUP CONTROLS MENU : allows to set the keys/mouse/joystick buttons while in the game. The Controls have been greatly enhanced, allowing multiple keys per control (like Quake), attach any action to any key/button and supports extended keys like Win95 keys (now they'll be useful).
  

• LOOK UP AND DOWN (FREELOOK) : mouse look (using the mouse), set mouse look sensitivity, 'Invert mouse' and 'Always mouselook' toggles.
  

• CHASE-CAM : also called a 'third-person' view, or 'Tomb Raider' view.
  

• 32 PLAYERS : deathmatch, using a basic Client/Server model, during a multiplayer game, only the server is allowed to change game parameters.
  

• CONSOLE : we felt a Console like in Quake, was a really good addition to the game, because it allows to customise much more to your needs, and allows to setup nearly every in-game parameter at any time during the game. The console background displays as either a translucent-green background (lcd-like), or a picture.
  

• KEY BINDINGS : key bindings like in Quake, for advanced users.

• STATUS BAR OVERLAY : see just the vital information like Ammo,Health,Frags, ect. You will feel more involved in the game by playing in fullscreen without the status bar.
  

• MULTIPLAYER MENU : allows to choose your preferred color from 11 available (4 originals + 7 new ones) and enter your name.
  

• SKINS : choose your appearance for deathmatches, this adds a load of fun to multiplayer games !
  

• TEAMPLAY AND TEAMSKIN MODES : play by teams idnetified by colour, or by skin !

• SPLIT-SCREEN MODE : have a deathmatch with a friend on one single computer !
  

• DEATHMATCH RANKINGS which shows the player names, their color and their frags, pops up like in Quake's TAB key during deathmatches. Of course you can change your color at any time while playing a net game (your name too)!
  

• DEHACKED PATCHES SUPPORT using cmd-line option.

• AUTOAIM TOGGLE : choose either the enhanced ''autoaiming', or switch it off, and you're in total control of yer gun!

• 3 CROSSHAIRS : greatly helps for when using manual aiming, and freelook. Choose from 3 crosshairs available like in Quake2 : a cross, a triangle and a point.

• JUMP : once you've tried it you'll see that jumping doesnt lessen in any way the gameplay of Doom and only adds some more fun to the game.

• WALK OVER AND UNDER THINGS : with the improved collision checks you can now jump over yer buddies, walk under the flying cacodemons, and walk on top of things.

• ENHANCED DEMOS : now records the messages, changes of color, name, options like Autoaim and so on... a little compression is used which makes the demos about 50% shorter.

• REMAP YOUR WEAPON KEYS : shortcut weapons to any key.

• IMPROVED JOYSTICK SUPPORT : we support up to 10 buttons joystick so you can make use of the 'hat' to free look , for example.

The greatest features that we plan to add soon or later :

• MULTIPLE FLOORS : have real ledges like in Quake, make it possible to reproduce levels like Quake's DM1 to DM6 (probably using 'portal rendering')
• LIGHT SHADINGS : shade lights between sectors, adds different kinds of lightning effects.
• DOOM SERVERS : join Doom Legacy servers, join a game which is already started.

Check the complete TO-DO's list for more.