If you had a time machine to go back in time, what would you change in the original DOOM?

[Doom-X-Machina]

Mouse look.

That is all.

[cybdmn]

Less hardcoded stuff, i.e. sky textures depending on the "episode", mapnames and map specific tags (666, 667).

True boss in map30.

Giving the Baron of Hell a red projectile instead of the same green one, the Hellknight has, just like in Doom64.

[Starduster]

To get rid of the freaking blockmap bug, man. I hate that bull when you're firing at a monster and the shot passes right thru them or disappears into thin air. 

[Doomkid]

I'd fix all of the annoying bugs source ports fix (medusa, blockmap, tutti frutti, all that crap I could happily do without) but I'd keep cool stuff that accidentally became a "gameplay feature" like wallrunning, glides, and plasma bumping. I'd also want all of the limitations raised! No VPOs, custom sprites added easily with no drama, secret exits on any map, text crawls after finishing any map...

 

So basically I'd just tell them to make ZDoom from any point after about 2006-2007. Keep the demo compat, though.

 

Oh, also an officially endorsed deathmatch megawad, or at least episode, would be swell. The iwad maps suck major buals for deathmatch. It's a good thing we at least had the kinda-sorta-not-really official DM wads that Team TNT made as well as the Dwango series.

Edited August 24, 2020 by Doomkid

[Buckshot]

It's one of those scenarios where going back in time and changing things may have a drastic ripple effect on everything we now know & love about DOOM almost 30 years later.... which may have drastic consequences down from the popularity of the game, stability or performance of the game on the early 90 era systems, to the rapid growth and longevity of the most productive gaming community, to it ever being released in timely fashion, etc etc.

I say leave it as it was. For it's age and technical limitations of the time... it exceeded everyone's expectations and many of those limitations already. Don't fuck with the OG. We have mods, wads, source ports, reboots & remakes for that sort of thing.
 

Edited August 24, 2020 by Buckshot

[Shpunk_Scrump]

cyber imps 

[GarrettChan]

7 hours ago, AD_79 said:

Genuinely curious, why would people want Doom's damage RNG to be removed? It's a big part of what keeps the game feeling unpredictable and interesting, and gameplay mods that remove that aspect end up falling rather flat to me as a result.

This thing is actually kind of funny to me is that I would think a lot of UV Max runners will complain about this since... you know... you need to grind for a good run, but probably they are used to is and never say anything about it. However, on the other hand, it seems a lot of other players seem to don't like it. To be honest, the variance is not really that crazy, and I personally won't say it's a gamble or whatever.

 

However, again, from a run standpoint (not speedrun, single segment plays in general), it's more fun to have the variance instead of everything will merge into a complete "finalized" strategy.

 

On topic, the only thing I'll change is probably the collision box of Spider Mastermind. Right now, it is only useful in limited situations. Making it a more versatile monster will have more interesting design choices.

[Maes]

How about supporting sprites and flats in PWADs without requiring that dreaded "IWAD merging" drudgery?

[Chip]

18 minutes ago, Buckshot said:

I say leave it as it was. 

I think you took the title too far.

[D4NUK1]

I take John Romero, John Carmack and Sandy Peterson to a Bill and Tedd adventure to make the perfect Doom 2.

Maybe instead they will come with Quake 2 but with a icon of sin, but i tried.

[DNSKILL5]

3 hours ago, Loud Silence said:

I would bring ID Software to middle ages. Imagine people in that time reaction to Doom... That definitely would change the world.

Well, I think there would’ve been two possible outcomes if they went back in time to release Doom back then. They’d be treated by society like nobility or they’d be treated like “witches”... more than likely it would’ve been the latter option back then lol. 

[TheHambourgeois]

1 hour ago, Buckshot said:

It's one of those scenarios...
 

this is basically the reasoning i kept mine simple lol. im guessing most of the things people want to change were done for technical reasons since iirc the game was intended to run quickly even on mid tier computers

Even on the height clipping stuff i have a feeling they didn't implement that for performance reasons its just that annoying to me

[SaladBadger]

bugfixes and optimizations, mostly. I'd just bring solutions ports developed to some things that don't work 100% right in the original game. Beyond things like fixing some hitscan bugs, I don't think the scope of it would be too great. Optimizations definitely interest me, since fastdoom and similar projects have demonstrated that the game isn't quite as fast as it could be.

 

I know everyone's going to bitch about how bad the game would be if hitscans didn't just randomly go through targets based on where they are on the blockmap, or if punching was more difficult than it needs to be, but at the same time, I can't imagine anyone going on the newly created timeline "gee, this doom game sure would be better if hit checking was shittier"

Edited August 24, 2020 by SaladBadger

[Zulk RS]

Now's my time to be the agent of Chaos. I would go back and tell them to base the Doom game off the Doom Bible and make it more like an RPG than Doom. Just to see how badly the butterfly effect hits. *Evil Laughter intensifies*

 

In all seriousness though, I'd probably do what the others are saying. Remove Infinite height for monsters and decorations. Buff the pistol slightly. I think the ideal version of the Chaingun and the Pistol would be like the version in Valiant. Though honestly, I think I've gotten used to how it feels so maybe not.

 

What I would do that others would not like would be to change some of the Maps from Doom 2. I really hate some of later levels so I'd tell them that the map needs to be changed with something else. The victims of my wrath would be Blood Falls and Monster Condo for sure. Maybe Catacombs and Courtyard but I don't hate those maps that much.

[Graf Zahl]

Add MAPINFO support. The most sorely missing but essential feature.

 

[Doomkid]

1 hour ago, SaladBadger said:

I know everyone's going to bitch about how bad the game would be if hitscans didn't just randomly go through targets based on where they are on the blockmap, or if punching was more difficult than it needs to be

These are two bugs I have literally never heard anyone wax nostalgic for.. I've heard it for infinite height, wallrunning, silent west-facing spawns, even medusas and HOMs for chrissake, but NEVER the dreaded "punching anything that isn't anorexic is impossible" and "hitscans magically pass through enemies for no reason" bugs. I think they are universally reviled and if anyone claims to like them - if indeed there is anyone on the face of the Earth, which I doubt - then they're full of shit!

Edited August 24, 2020 by Doomkid

[Vermil]

I deliberately avoid punching Mancubus, Aracnotron etc in ports that fix or don't replicate the 'punching anything that isn't anorexic is impossible' bug.

 

Just personal preference, as I don't play with infinite height etc on.

Edited August 24, 2020 by Vermil

[Redneckerz]

12 hours ago, deathz0r said:

Retaining and refining the Alpha 0.3 HUD would be the biggest thing I'd change.

Now here's a veteran user from the old days i'd never see again. Its good to see you back!

[Zulk RS]

15 minutes ago, Doomkid said:

I've heard it for infinite height, wallrunning, silent west-facing spawns, even medusas and HOMs for chrissake, but NEVER the dreaded "punching anything that isn't anorexic is impossible" and "hitscans magically pass through enemies for no reason" bugs.

 

Hold up! What's the medusa? This is the first time I heard about such a bug.

[Hellektronic]

I wouldn't do anything... god knows, my actions may have unintended effects and create a time paradox or something.

 

You fix a minor Doom bug in the past, you might just return to the present and everybody has become like a lizard alien hybrid or something, that's just not cool.

[Cruduxy Pegg]

Make the spider mastermind shoot grenades in addition to the chaingun. 

[Wagi]

Deathmatch but with weapons stay AND respawning items.

[maxmanium]

I'd probably just fix the obnoxious engine bugs. Also, prevent use of DMX sound library.

[Rainne]

Ideally, it'd be quick and easy to add a custom texture or two to a map with PNAMES then TEXTURES containing just your new stuff, without having to import all the IWAD data too or use tools like DeuSF to "merge" with the IWAD. Similarly, add a system like MAPINFO so you can define map name, music, skybox, etc through the map WAD itself rather than needing exe hacks (Dehacked).

 

Speaking of MAPINFO, I'd use my time machine to go to Raven in 1995 and tell them to put Hexen's map music track selection in MAPINFO where it belongs rather than SNDINFO where it doesn't. 🙅🏻‍♀️

Edited August 24, 2020 by Rainne

[Artman2004]

Remove ammo, health, and armor limits.

[Steve D]

For me, it's simple. If there's only one thing to change, get rid of infinite height. If 2, get rid of the Archvile Bug as well. This wouldn't make Doom perfect, but that solves most of the serious problems.

 

If I had the option for more input, I'd tell the gang, "Spend a little more time putting your maps together, especially all the really ugly ones in Doom 2 that are desperately in need of help."

 

Beyond that, I reckon we're in Wishful Thinking territory. Plus, it's nice to have a few problems to complain about.

[Pokemanic33]

7 hours ago, Lippeth said:

...knowing that they're toys only adds to the charm of the whole package.

 

Definitely this. One of the things that makes me love Doom so much is how homegrown and cobbled-together it feels. From all the stock sound effects to the digitized photographs to the weird engine quirks it all feels very humble and real (for lack of a more descriptive term) in a way games don't really anymore.

[Rei is now real]

I would add an Assault Rifle, not to replace the chaingun, but to be its own weapon catagory

[eirc]

Find a way to differentiate the pistol & chaingun, essentially saving the pistol from obsolescence. Better aim? More damage per bullet? Wind-up animation for chaingun? All of the above? And same for plasma vs BFG. More damage for unberserked fist, basically a non absolute shit option for when running out of ammo. Regarding level design add one more rule to the romero list of rules: DONT LET THE PLAYER GET LOST. No weird ass switches lowering random walls on the other side of the level. If anything that's my biggest gripe with the og and tbh a lot of wads too.

 

And yea no infinite height, the collisions thing, lost soul hp and RNG is fine just make the rev rocket deal 30-60 dmg.

 

 

[[HotPocket]]

This is a game of 5D chess I'd be playing. I'd make it so whoever was designing the cacodemon would be in some creative block for a while, changing the look of the now iconic flying monster until it'd be unrecognizable to the original one we have now. My changes would include two eyes or the removal of horns. Why would I do so much harm in form of ruining a sprite? Because it'd increase the odds of the pain elemental never coming into concept for Doom 2, nor existing in the first place.

 

TL;DR, I'd do my best to make sure pain elementals would never exist in Doom 2 by influencing the appearance of the cacodemon. Also, I'd get rid of infinite height too.