Doom Zero - launch (and celebrating 25 years of Doom II)

[tmorrow]

I've only got one, v1 I believe, the is wad dated 5th Oct, 2019. Let me know if you need it. I'd be surprised if the map author doesn't have all of the releases backed up somewhere so maybe they can assist.

[P41R47]

42 minutes ago, tmorrow said:

I've only got one, v1 I believe, the is wad dated 5th Oct, 2019. Let me know if you need it. I'd be surprised if the map author doesn't have all of the releases backed up somewhere so maybe they can assist.

that will come in handy, thanks :)

[DASI-I]

On 2/27/2021 at 4:25 AM, P41R47 said:

does anyone have old versions of Doom Zero?

I would like to archive some for checking the differences between version.

This is ver1.5
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ey1uH5QzwCoq0ITOZ3dVRAqj87vK-DKz/view?usp=sharing

I can't seem to find all the stuff before 1.5, which really isn't that big of a deal since 1.1 to 1.5 were mainly fixes and not as drastic of a change that 1.7, 1.9, 2.0 and 2.1 were. 1.0 is exactly like 1.1 and 1.2 but less stable and with no items in certain levels on easy and medium difficulties (obviously not intended, I was in a rush to get it released ASAP).

Edited February 28, 2021 by DASI-I

[P41R47]

1 minute ago, DASI-I said:

This is ver1.5
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ey1uH5QzwCoq0ITOZ3dVRAqj87vK-DKz/view?usp=sharing

I can't seem to find all the stuff before 1.5, which really isn't that big of a deal since 1.1 to 1.5 were mainly fixes and not as drastic of a change that 1.7, 1.9, 2.0 and 2.1 were. 1.0 is exactly like 1.1 and 1.2 but less stable and with no items in certain levels on easy and medium difficulties (obviously not intended, I was in a rush to get it released ASAP).

thanks, pal!

unfortunatelly that link is locked and ask for permission?

 

Anyway, thanks for it ;)

do you remember what versions it the one published as an add-on?

I think its v1.7 but i may be wrong.

[Rathori]

@P41R47 here's a bunch of older versions I had on my hard drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1fVajDHwNlH3hCHOCnHLG49n0qyJ8yhNN?usp=sharing

The plain DOOMZERO.zip is 1.0 IIRC.

[P41R47]

8 minutes ago, Rathori said:

@P41R47 here's a bunch of older versions I had on my hard drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1fVajDHwNlH3hCHOCnHLG49n0qyJ8yhNN?usp=sharing

The plain DOOMZERO.zip is 1.0 IIRC.

thanks, Rathori, i really appreciate this :D

[Diabolución]

I have got a somewhat more primitive release (03/Oct/2019 02:20:38 [local time]).

 

DOOM_ZERO.zip

[P41R47]

12 minutes ago, Diabolución said:

I have got a somewhat more primitive release (03/Oct/2019 02:20:38 [local time]).

 

DOOM_ZERO.zip

thanks for this one, its v1.0 :)

So far i have versions

1.0

1.1

1.2

1.6

1.8

and 1.9, 2.0, and 2.1 are still downloadable from moddb, i think.

Edited February 28, 2021 by P41R47

[DASI-I]

22 hours ago, P41R47 said:

thanks, pal!

unfortunatelly that link is locked and ask for permission?

 

Anyway, thanks for it ;)

do you remember what versions it the one published as an add-on?

I think its v1.7 but i may be wrong.

Fixed the link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ey1uH5QzwCoq0ITOZ3dVRAqj87vK-DKz/view?usp=sharing

So yeah, the official release came out after 1.8. Version 1.9 is based on the official release, or rather 1.9 is most similar to it but it really came from 1.6 since that was the latest version to have most of the assets from the Doom2 IWAD since the official release of Doom Zero needed to be an IWAD in order for it to work in Doom 1


EDIT:
I've also got 1.7: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AaVN8Iso5wrlc6avI59CoDzYMGeTy9sX/view?usp=sharing

Edited February 28, 2021 by DASI-I
updated info

[P41R47]

2 hours ago, DASI-I said:

Fixed the link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ey1uH5QzwCoq0ITOZ3dVRAqj87vK-DKz/view?usp=sharing

So yeah, the official release came out after 1.8. Version 1.9 is based on the official release, or rather 1.9 is most similar to it but it really came from 1.6 since that was the latest version to have most of the assets from the Doom2 IWAD since the official release of Doom Zero needed to be an IWAD in order for it to work in Doom 1


EDIT:
I've also got 1.7: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AaVN8Iso5wrlc6avI59CoDzYMGeTy9sX/view?usp=sharing

oh, yes!

thanks for this, pal! ;)

 

Now only versions left are 1.3 and 1.4, gonna check around for those.

So far, the most importants versions are 1.0 the first release; 1.1 as is the one with the proper tweaking after release; 1.666 the version with all the tweaks and refinements and last one to have the Soul Droids; and 1.9 that included the changes of 1.7 and 1.8 and still didn't introduced the enhaced clue training for new users and olds alike, all the new assets of the official version and some tweaks to the maps and new monsters sounds along the transformation of the Soul Droids into Alpha Souls.

[DASI-I]

27 minutes ago, P41R47 said:

Now only versions left are 1.3 and 1.4.

Yeah, I hope you find them. If you want, there's also a pre-beta demo released way back in 2017 which has the first 6 maps. These 6 maps are a little different from even the 1.0 version
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1S8RuolgPLSU9iPE_mHCLksJxouGYIQlS

[P41R47]

41 minutes ago, DASI-I said:

Yeah, I hope you find them. If you want, there's also a pre-beta demo released way back in 2017 which has the first 6 maps. These 6 maps are a little different from even the 1.0 version
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1S8RuolgPLSU9iPE_mHCLksJxouGYIQlS

totally, this comes really handy!

thanks for it :D

[chexwarrior]

Just finished this on HMP in GZDoom.  Really enjoyed it overall! You did an awesome job of adding different mechanics that made the levels feel really original.  A couple of them rode the line (and some went over) between original and turning into a sort of switch hunt, however I feel these were in the minority.  Overall great megawad! Lets get it on idgames so I can give it a proper review!

[P41R47]

10 minutes ago, Chex Warrior said:

Just finished this on HMP in GZDoom.  Really enjoyed it overall! You did an awesome job of adding different mechanics that made the levels feel really original.  A couple of them rode the line (and some went over) between original and turning into a sort of switch hunt, however I feel these were in the minority.  Overall great megawad! Lets get it on idgames so I can give it a proper review!

You can give it a review in your own profile in the mean time, much like this guy over here does ;)

Then when, someday, the downloads get updated, you can just paste the status update on the wad review space :)

[DASI-I]

Finally released ver.2.2

After some more testing to make sure everything is OK, THIS WILL BE THE IDGAME RELEASE!!!
I'm also gonna contact id to see if they allow for patching of Add-ons in their official ports

Some of the changes made to ver 2.2

-Further refined the player's weapon animations and made the fist punching more aggressive
-Added berserk packs in maps that didn't have them
-Turned blue armor room into a secret in maps 01 and 32
-Added 2 simple puzzles in map01 to help teach players the role of the face switches and its mechanics
-Made 2nd switch "puzzle" less confusing in map02
-Silenced door sound effect when face switch is toggled on in map09
-Removed lights in center of map09 to prevent monsters and player from occasionally getting stuck
-Added floor pattern in the square room of map12 to help players spot an alternative way to open the door
-Made certain floors red to make it a little easier to spot platforms that the player can run on in map13
-Made locked doors' colours more noticeable in map14
-Widened corridors during platforming sections to help it not be tedious near the end of Map15
-Made it easier for players to notice the best way to solve the exploding barrel puzzle in map16
-Moved megasphere near slime pit, added rocket launcher to where the megasphere used to be in Map23
-Tweaked a platform in large cave to prevent players from cheesing the plasma gun secret in Map23
-Swapped out rocket launcher and super shotgun near slime pit with plasmagun and plasma ammo in Map23
-2 secrets tease the player more by being more visible near the large slime room in map23
-Changed the 3 story lift near the large slime room to prevent the player from waiting too long in map23
-Cacodemons are easier to see in the large slime room when viewing through both switch cages in map23
-Overhauled the order in which the player can access rooms in map25 to help find the exit more easily.
-Replaced radiation suit with a berserk pack in map26
-Tweaked the central room's floor to make it easier to telefrag the cyberdemon in map26
-Added more enemies, mostly during times when player has low health to keep players on edge in map27
-turned secret wall near the end of map26 into a lift so that the player can access the other secret quicker
-moved the keys and locked bar switches in map28 to help communicate to the player what they do.
-the shrine/temple in map30 now actually looks like a shrine/temple
-Added more plasma ammo in final archvile room in map31

Edited March 8, 2021 by DASI-I

[DASI-I]

Just found a serious problem in map20. The Demon Witch corps is sitting right next to the living demon witch! XD
Please redownload ver.2.2 if you haven't already

Edited March 8, 2021 by DASI-I

[Rudolph]

A bit confused about the reworked MAP01, namely the added switch "puzzles" at the beginning.

 

Is it there to prepare the player for what is coming or is it just you trolling?

Edited March 8, 2021 by Rudolph

[P41R47]

59 minutes ago, Rudolph said:

A bit confused about the reworked MAP01, namely the added switch "puzzles" at the beginning.

 

Is it there to prepare the player for what is coming or is it just you trolling?

Dasi-i is experimenting with what is the best way, or fastest way to accostume the player to the "marked switch activates/opens marked door/thing".

 

I do understand that its a way for new and old players alike to not get lost, but sincerely, since the maps aren't that big, someone playing it and getting lost on them is for the only reason of playing it for the first time, much like when playing Doom for the first time.

We all get kinda lost while playing e1m7 or e2m7, even on map10 or map22, but that doesn't made the experience any bad.

 

Problem is that most new and old players alike are too used to tutorials that explain all the drill.

 

Before introducing the little tutorial for understanding the visual cues, people enjoyed Doom Zero a lot, and only a few didn't catched the mentioned visual cue as a hints.

And that also happend on modern games, that people didn't pay attention to the tutorial or didn't understood it and blame the developer of making obscure puzzles and gameplay mechanics too complex.

:/

 

Doom Zero was perfect at v1.6, but the added new graphics and monsters sound and dehacked change were refined and perfected on v1.9 for me, so thats the best version for sure.

 

But i'm no game developer so my opinion may be totally wrong.

[DASI-I]

3 hours ago, Rudolph said:

A bit confused about the reworked MAP01, namely the added switch "puzzles" at the beginning.

 

Is it there to prepare the player for what is coming or is it just you trolling?

 

2 hours ago, P41R47 said:

Before introducing the little tutorial for understanding the visual cues, people enjoyed Doom Zero a lot, and only a few didn't catched the mentioned visual cue as a hints.

The changes to Doom Zero really are the result of the feedback I got from streamers and such. Ver 2.2 isn't trolling the player. I'm not saying players are stupid for not noticing the face switch mechanics, but at the end of the day, many players didn't notice it, period.

But yeah, I know that many of you enjoyed Doom Zero prior to these changes (which is why I'm keeping 1.9 up, at least for the time being) but the reality is that players need to be aware of the role of the face switches. I put in a hell of a lot of time and effort implementing them not just in a way that makes sense but they are there for the player's benefit, they are there to not waste the player's time. It's a lot more fun moving through an open level that gives you direction through visual cues rather than mindlessly wandering the map, not knowing what to do or where to go.

Also, I'm just tired of the many streamers and let's players almost constantly complaining that the maps are too confusing and don't make sense just because they didn't notice a mechanic that really is the backbone of Doom Zero, and that I really think it is a solution to a problem that Doom suffers from in general. The changes to map01 is necessary, however, I really don't think it's intrusive or a detriment to the pacing like a traditional tutorial would be. In fact it really is just par for the course where the player just does the stuff you always have done in Doom, and that is to find a switch to open a door, that's all it is.

Edited March 8, 2021 by DASI-I

[Rudolph]

@DASI-I Ah, so it is the former. Fair enough, I suppose.

[P41R47]

2 hours ago, DASI-I said:

 

The changes to Doom Zero really are the result of the feedback I got from streamers and such. Ver 2.2 isn't trolling the player. I'm not saying players are stupid for not noticing the face switch mechanics, but at the end of the day, many players didn't notice it, period.

But yeah, I know that many of you enjoyed Doom Zero prior to these changes (which is why I'm keeping 1.9 up, at least for the time being) but the reality is that players need to be aware of the role of the face switches. I put in a hell of a lot of time and effort implementing them not just in a way that makes sense but they are there for the player's benefit, they are there to not waste the player's time. It's a lot more fun moving through an open level that gives you direction through visual cues rather than mindlessly wandering the map, not knowing what to do or where to go.

Also, I'm just tired of the many streamers and let's players almost constantly complaining that the maps are too confusing and don't make sense just because they didn't notice a mechanic that really is the backbone of Doom Zero, and that I really think it is a solution to a problem that Doom suffers from in general. The changes to map01 is necessary, however, I really don't think it's intrusive or a detriment to the pacing like a traditional tutorial would be. In fact it really is just par for the course where the player just does the stuff you always have done in Doom, and that is to find a switch to open a door, that's all it is.

Please don't take what i said as that i don't appreciate your work, pal!

You know that i really love it.

But i think that, no matter what, we are all players, and we know that we make mistakes while playing, get lost or can not see the obvious, even when its on our faces sometimes.

I'm not against the introduction tutorial at the first map, but maybe that will be even something that players may not notice. :/

 

I was thinking, why not swap the CREDIT pic with the HELP pic, or make something on both of them, much like the little manual you add with the downloads, but explained there.

I know almost nobody push F1 to look for the help screen, but certainly, most players at least see the credit pic one time, just before the first demo start.

That could help, also. And if not, you give the help already, its the player that, seriously, its not looking it.

[DASI-I]

1 hour ago, P41R47 said:

I was thinking, why not swap the CREDIT pic with the HELP pic

That's a pretty good idea.

[PC2mill]

My thoughts and opinions on DOOM ZERO.

 

As of this writting I d2all doom zero twice, once in 1.8 and the second on 2.2.

TL;DR. the level design and aesthetics are awesome, the combat is good but it gets too easy too fast, but overall is a great megawad especially if you're just starting to explore doom outside the official releases. 

 

The new weapon animations

Fist/ Chainsaw - Very good and an overall improvement.

Pistol - Very nice.

Shotgun - Minor changes but good ones.

Super Shotgun -  In my head I understand the changes and can see how they are way better,the animation sequence makes more sense, the sound is better synchronized, but in my heart I still heavily dislike it.

Chaingun - Although I don't mind the animation, the way it flashes can be very annoying in dark places, maybe even cause discomfort for some people.

Rocket launcher - Nothing to say

Plasma Gun - I actually like the original sound, but I know I'm on the minority here.

BFG - I don't think there are any changes here.

 

Level Design 

The maps varie between small and medium size (which I personaly preffer), and from what I can tell they all use vanilla textures, but the new sky boxes adds a ton to the atmosphere in the cities and hell levels, giving the whole megawad a distinct felling. 
The map design is usually very clean and clear, so rarely I got lost or didn't understand what a switch did, but I've been playing doom for over 20 years now, and read/watched a lot about game design so maybe I was able to think in the same wave length as DASI-I. Unfortunally it seems I was in the minority here, since in the 2.2 patch a lot of changes were made in fist levels to make extra clear how switches and shootable walls work in this mod.

 

Individual maps worth mentioning. 

 

map 01 - I don't like how heavy handed the first level became after the 2.0 patch, but I undestand why it was done it, since DASI-I said that many people didn't  understand the mechanics of the switch.

 

map 06 - I really enjoyed the idea of starting a map with almost no heath, it creates an opressive atmosphere and forces the player to be very carefull with their movement. It's a shame that the concept didn't evolve, map 27 tried again, but at that point you're so overpowered and the health and armor are so easily obtained that it felt like a wasted opportunity.

 

map 11 - Personally I love city levels, and this one is amazing, the buildings are very distinct from one another making navigation easy.

 

map 15 - The sky box does wonder in this map, It's very unusual to see a cliffside tech base. 

 

map 19 - If you pay attention you can see the witch spying on you throught a monitor, but when you get close it changes to static, nice touch.

 

map 20 - A very unique way to introduce the final boss, but is a little too short and easy.

 

map 30 - This map is genius, and the 2.2 makes it even better, I won't go into much more details, because I don't want to spoil the ending.

 

The difficulty.

 

Both of my playthoughts of 1.8 and 2.2 were single-segment and consequentely a breeze, you receive the backpack and the higher tier weapons to early and ammo is way too abundant, so you never need to ration it for any weapon and can go balls to the wall throught out the rest of the campaing. On the other hand some pistol starts can be very tricky in the begging, but if you know where the secrets are, they too become too easy in the latter half.
The Alpha Souls, again I fell like they are wasted  potential, I can't think of a single fight that their rapid fire capabilities are put to full use, and they show all too late in the map pack to have any kind of presence when higher tier monsters are around.
I don't know of this was the intention, but all around I think Doom Zero is just a little more difficult than Doom 2, and since it is included in the unity port I found this to be a great way to introduce new players to the world of fan megawads.

[Devalaous]

On 3/9/2021 at 6:41 AM, DASI-I said:

 

The changes to Doom Zero really are the result of the feedback I got from streamers and such. Ver 2.2 isn't trolling the player. I'm not saying players are stupid for not noticing the face switch mechanics, but at the end of the day, many players didn't notice it, period.

 

I noticed earlier that No Rest for the Living also uses the face switch mechanic to unlock barriers leading to the first BFG in the map Inferno of Blood. Was this a coincedence, or did you see that and think 'thats neat' and make a ton iof puzzles around that mechanic? In NRFTL it was a one-off thing, but it definitely reminded me of Doom Zero.

[DASI-I]

9 hours ago, Devalaous said:

 

I noticed earlier that No Rest for the Living also uses the face switch mechanic to unlock barriers leading to the first BFG in the map Inferno of Blood. Was this a coincedence, or did you see that and think 'thats neat' and make a ton iof puzzles around that mechanic? In NRFTL it was a one-off thing, but it definitely reminded me of Doom Zero.

That's crazy! I didn't know that. So yeah, I only started playing No Rest for the Living a few weeks ago, never got around to finishing it.

[Devalaous]

9 hours ago, DASI-I said:

That's crazy! I didn't know that. So yeah, I only started playing No Rest for the Living a few weeks ago, never got around to finishing it.

 

There's a brand new community midi pack for it, probably worth starting over if you didn't get too far in it. But yeah, you'll definitely want to reach Inferno of Blood :p 

[Warrex]

Hi,

I am trying to run Doom Zero with MBF (https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=40857). Does not work for me (see screenshot). Tested the lastet release by germin and the latest one from crvs. Any idea what is going on? The deh-file seems to be loaded after all.

 

Edit: I am using the v1.9 doom2.wad and using the v1.9 doom2.exe works fine. Other vanilla projects like Doom 64 for Doom 2, BTSX E1 + E2 work fine in MBF.

 

Edited April 1, 2021 by Warrex

[P41R47]

5 hours ago, Warrex said:

Hi,

I am trying to run Doom Zero with MBF (https://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=40857). Does not work for me (see screenshot). Tested the lastet release by germin and the latest one from crvs. Any idea what is going on? The deh-file seems to be loaded after all.

 

Edit: I am using the v1.9 doom2.wad and using the v1.9 doom2.exe works fine. Other vanilla projects like Doom 64 for Doom 2, BTSX E1 + E2 work fine in MBF.

 

Thats strange, if it run properly on vanilla it should run on MBF, too.

have you tried loading the wad alone?

probably, not certain, some of the unknown code pointers use on tweaking the animations of the weapons is interfering on how MBF handles them.

[Warrex]

Deleting the deh-file results in the same error. Maybe DASI-I cares and takes a look to see if he can reproduce it. Even the most complex stuff like Doom 4 Vanilla works so I assume that there is either a problem with Doom Zero that MBF is strict about or I am doing something fundamentally wrong.

Edited April 2, 2021 by Warrex

[dei_eldren]

Just played through the first three levels (under Win98-MSDOS on a 133MHz Pentium) blind on HMP.  Love the gameplay, the maps, the progression, and the secrets (managed to max every level without deaths, while the biggest problem so far was the blue armor secret on map03) - and also appreciate very much that i can run this on original hardware of the era!  Adding complexity you've retained the original ambience and gameplay.  Fantastic work really, thanks for making this wad with such design principles!  No doubt this wad will push something else out of my top5 list.

 

Oh yes, only downside playing this on DOS is that i couldn't figure how to use the custom music pack with it, probably it's impossible.  Tested it shortly on ZDoom and would've really wanted to use it.

Edited April 2, 2021 by dei_eldren