Although DOOM Eternal is scheduled to release next week, it isn’t the only DOOM game coming out on March 20. A port of the classic DOOM 64 is headed to all modern consoles the same day and it will come with a number of enhancements that give it a modern touch. It will also come with an additional chapter made specifically for the port. Other visual improvements to the assets and and increased frame rate will both be added, too.
In regards to DOOM 64’s new chapter, Senior Developer James Haley said it will take place after the events of the main campaign. He explained:
On our end, persistent players will have the opportunity to unlock a new chapter in the Doomguy’s saga, taking place shortly after [Doom 64’s] original campaign concludes. The Mother Demon you defeated in that outing had a sister, and since you’ve been messing up Hell non-stop, she tries to get rid of you by sending you away. If you can make your way back and take revenge, you’ll be rewarded with a bit of lore that fans of both series, new and classic, should enjoy.
Speaking with USGamer about the visual improvements coming to the game, DOOM 64’s lead engine developer Samuel Villarreal said:
There were many subtle things that were missed when I initially reverse engineered the game, such as enemies being able to trigger the dart traps in Even Simpler. Enemies having different falling physics compared to the player’s. Delays in scripted events being one-frame shorter—the split door in Breakdown is a good example of that—and [the] slightly different line-of-sight logic. Getting those right also made it possible for the demos to sync up, which was something that I struggled with for years, so now users will be able to use the ‘RunHecticDemo’ password [a code used to watch a successful playthrough of Doom 64’s hidden level Hectic]. In addition to this, the game is also capable of supporting frame rates for monitors beyond 60Hz, meaning you can choose to run the game at 120 FPS or even above 1000 FPS. Everything is now interpolated to run as silky smooth as possible.
Additionally, the way sprites are rendered is now more true to how the original game rendered them, so no more seeing the bottom of sprites being clipped by the floor or explosion sprites being partially clipped by walls. I’ve even employed a technique that was suggested by John Carmack in his release notes when the source code to Doom was released back in 1997. These things are pretty subtle but I am definitely proud of it.
Villarreal also added that the port will not have much in terms of bug fixes since the original ran so well. He did say:
A lot of the bugs were carry-overs from the [Midway-developed] Jaguar port of Doom and PSX Doom. However, there were a few bugs that were addressed in Doom 64, such as a check to prevent spechits overflow and checks to prevent Lost Souls from getting ejected out of the level when Pain Elementals explode.
Originally released for the Nintendo 64 in 1997, DOOM 64 was developed by Midway in conjunction with id Software. Unlike many other games in the series, DOOM 64 has never been ported to other consoles, so this will be many players’ first times experiencing the classic shooter. DOOM 64 will be available to purchase digitally on PS4 for $4.99. Alternatively, those who preorder the upcoming DOOM Eternal gain access to DOOM 64 for free. Both will launch on March 20, 2020.
Next week will no doubt be an exciting week for DOOM fans. Whether you’re a fan of classic DOOM, heavy metal, or a modern take on the series, you’ll have plenty to look forward to next week.
[Source: USGamer]
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