Original doom platform?

[Inferno2539]

i/ve been wanting to try the original doom but i don't know the best platform to play it on. I want a version as close to the original as possible

[ptoing]

For ease of use I would suggest Chocolate Doom (as in the sourceport) on any modern PC or whatever else it was ported to.
You can just buy Doom on Steam or wherever, and then you can use the wad file from there.

Edited January 22, 2020 by ptoing

[Bauul]

Chocolate Doom is the most widely use "proper vanilla" way to play the game.  It replicates everything that the original DOS experience would have been in 1993, but working on modern operating systems.

 

If the low resolution is too low for you though, Crispy Doom is pretty much the same thing but with higher resolution support (plus a few extra you can choose to turn on if you like).  

[Redneckerz]

Whilst ChocoDoom is the most compatible choice, ill implore a few other options, based on your "as close to the original" part.

• DJDoom is a reference educational port of the Linux Doom code, with minimal changes to function in a Windows environment. It does not get much closer than this.
• It is based off the ideas from DIYDoom, an ongoing series to create your own source port.

[warman2012]

What those other guys said. I'd use Crispy, as Choco Doom, I think (and could be wrong), has only shitty 90's 300x200 resolution. 

 

Use Crispy, won't let ya down. It has modern resolutions in mind, just maybe not 4K.

 

Now if ur brave and want "the works" later on, come see us at the ZDoom side. We'll take care of ya nice and good.

[Rainne]

+1 for Chocolate Doom. It's as old-school as you can get, short of running vanilla Doom itself in DOSbox. It even has a separate setup program cut from the same cloth as the original's setup program (rather than integrated into the in-game menus), and you generally have to launch it from a command prompt and specify parameters yourself (or set up a shortcut that does the same thing). Its only extensions to vanilla Doom are things that you could still do in DOS with separate programs, such as the -merge option (for playing PWADs that change textures/sprites) rather than having to use DeuSF.

 

It's not necessarily the best way to play, but it's useful if you plan to get into mapping/modding: if it works in Chocolate, it'll work in anything and thus sets a universal standard in a way that other ports can't. All the fancy modern ports have cool features but they all have their own special-snowflake charging cables standards, so you basically have to port your own mod in order to make it work well with a half-dozen or so different ports. (Look at the Sigil WAD for example and it has to define the level names like three different times in three different formats just to cover all the bases.)

 

Also its aspect ratio correction works really nicely; looks sharp without being wobbly. I don't run it fullscreen, but typically in an 800x600 or 960x720 window, still large enough to see, small enough so the pixels form a coherent image rather than dazzling you with giant blocky pixels.

Edited January 22, 2020 by Rainne
elaborating second paragraph

[Scorpius]

9 hours ago, Bauul said:

If the low resolution is too low for you though, Crispy Doom is pretty much the same thing but with higher resolution support (plus a few extra you can choose to turn on if you like).  

 

Huh, I didn't know that. I guess I'll be switching to Crispy Doom then. :)

[unerxai]

9 hours ago, Inferno2539 said:

I want a version as close to the original as possible

Chocolate Doom is the answer.

[seed]

If you want 1:1 vanilla, then Crispy and Chocolate Doom are the answer.

 

For something vanilla accurate but more modern and with high res support, PrBoom and Eternity, and for something with lots of fancy features and advanced, GZDoom.

[doomsucksass]

dosbox lol

[Loud Silence]

Original Doom's platform is DOS PC, but it's not worth to invest time and money to it. Best choice for original Doom experience is Chocolate Doom. Also Eternity Engine (best modern port for Doom IMO).

[Master O]

12 hours ago, Inferno2539 said:

i/ve been wanting to try the original doom but i don't know the best platform to play it on. I want a version as close to the original as possible

 

https://www.chocolate-doom.org/wiki/index.php/Downloads

 

1) Extract the contents of Chocolate Doom into a folder.

 

2) Place doom.wad in the same folder as the chocolate doom executable. (Get Ultimate Doom from either Steam or GOG to acquire doom.wad legally).

 

3) Use the setup exe to set up your controls.

 

4) Click on chocolate doom executable.  Enjoy.

Edited January 22, 2020 by Master O

[Gez]

3 minutes ago, Master O said:

2) Place doom.wad in the same folder as the chocolate doom executable. 

This step is not needed if you downloaded a Doom game from Steam or GOG.com.

 

Several ports are now able to autodetect GOG/Steam installations, so you only need to extract the port somewhere and double-click its exe. This includes the Choco family (Crispy, Retro), Eternity, and the ZDoom family (GZDoom, Zandronum).

[Master O]

18 minutes ago, Gez said:

This step is not needed if you downloaded a Doom game from Steam or GOG.com.

 

Several ports are now able to autodetect GOG/Steam installations, so you only need to extract the port somewhere and double-click its exe. This includes the Choco family (Crispy, Retro), Eternity, and the ZDoom family (GZDoom, Zandronum).

 

I prefer to do it that way since you don't have to install all the other files that come with a GOG install.  All you really need is doom.wad and doom2.wad anyway.

Edited January 22, 2020 by Master O

[Gez]

That's if you want to uninstall the Steam/GOG game afterwards.

[drfrag]

For the full original experience i'd say Doom 1.1 with PCem but setting it up it's a bit complicated so either Choco, RUDE or Crispy.

[BBQgiraffe]

Chocolate Doom is pretty accurate, but unless you like staring at 320x200 all day, I would recommend trying Crispy Doom or PrBoom

[P41R47]

Doom Retro, my friend, vanilla experience enhanced a little to be more refined and whats best is that all the little changes made are toggleable in the config file to taste that vanilla flavor. It has a launcher that let you select iwads or pwads and it one of the sourceports that is constantly updated with new possibilities to make it even better.

And for taking the first step into the modding community, here are a list of some excellent pwads that don't deviate much from the original Doom experience:
Demonfear (load it with this MIDI pack for an amazing experience).
Doom 2: The way Id Did

Icarus: Alien Vanguard

Revolution! (with MIDI pack is even better)

2002: A Doom Odyssey (needs doom.wad)

Crimson Canyon

Congestion 1024

Wonderful Doom (needs doom.wad)

Whispers of Satan
Reverie

Bloodstain
No End in Sight (needs doom.wad)

And when you tasted all of the vanilla flavor, just try this ones, as they are enhanced and meant for experienced players (hence, they are pretty hard, but are some of the best out there):

 

ETERNAL DooM

Alien Vendetta
Plutonia Revisited (needs Plutonia.WAD)
Back to Saturn X EP.1
TNT: Revilution (needs TNT.wad

STRUGGLE: Antaresian Legacy

Eviternity

With Doom Retro you can play all of this from the get go.
So don't waste more time searching around.
Go and play! 
Rip and Tear!

[Master O]

3 hours ago, Gez said:

That's if you want to uninstall the Steam/GOG game afterwards.

 

The program innoextract, which I use, allows you to extract individual files from GOG installers.

 

https://constexpr.org/innoextract/#download

 

You don't even need to completely install via the GOG installer.  Just take the files you need.

Edited January 22, 2020 by Master O

[chungy]

1 hour ago, Master O said:

The program innoextract, which I use, allows you to extract individual files from GOG installers.

It works for you and that's great, but it is many times more complicated than just installing the game and letting Chocolate Doom figure out where the install is without any user intervention. :)

 

We have the code there specifically to make it easy on users.