Do you ever think that Doom is "repetitive" for you?

[Gore]

Personally, No. Doom is the way to go.

[LuciferSam86]

It depends, the original episodes for me are kinda repetitive. But when I play various pwads , not 

[lunatic01]

I've played through the original IWADs with vanilla gameplay so many times that sometimes the levels feel like knocking down a set (or sets?) of dominos in a particular order. That's the way I like to think of it. Shoot these demons first, then work on this other group of enemies next, etcetera etcetera, profit. I pretty much end up doing things to progress in the same order most playthroughs.

[BGreener]

Sure, it may literally be “repetitive” since I’ve been using the same weapons against the same enemies for a large number of years, but the endless variety of level design has kept it fresh. You can then take that endless variety of level design with an endless variety of mods; there’s mods that turn the game into a more realistic tactical simulator, and ones that turn you into Wario.

 

It’s not the negative kind of “””repetitive””” that people associate with when talking about a game they want to disparage.

[Shepardus]

Yes, but that's not a bad thing.

[Arrowhead]

The moment I feel like it's become repetitive, I just change WADs. :)

[Sena]

It can happen, but I find that's usually an issue of just bad level design, not something inherent to the game itself. Some levels can feel repetitive and like they're incapable of doing anything new or interesting within 5 minutes, others can go for an hour and be engrossing enough that you don't even think about how long it's been.

[roadworx]

i mean, there's elements of repetition to it...you're killing the same monsters with the same weapons, with the same style of movement and such. however, what makes doom so special is that all of those elements can be arranged in ways that makes each and every map a highly unique experience.

 

or not, if it sucks lol

[Uncle 80]

I don't play Doom all the time, I kinda "binge play" for a week or so, then I usually get tired and do something else until i eventually get back to it. Is has been this way since '96. The nature of the game is repetitive yes, but it's still fun getting back to. What kills my interest in the game are mods/maps that don't appeal to me - so I often end up replaying those really good map sets again and again. There's always a map or two I haven't actually beaten in a [mega]wad since my preferred playstyle is saveless, pistol start, and randomly chosen maps one at a time.

[tomas7777]

2 hours ago, lunatic01 said:

I've played through the original IWADs with vanilla gameplay so many times that sometimes the levels feel like knocking down a set (or sets?) of dominos in a particular order. That's the way I like to think of it. Shoot these demons first, then work on this other group of enemies next, etcetera etcetera, profit. I pretty much end up doing things to progress in the same order most playthroughs.

This is me playing through the first episode of Ultimate Doom. I've played it a gazillion times already, the routes I take in each level have changed over the years, but generally I stick to the same for a long time. It's (very) repetitive, yes, I already know these maps like the back of my hand, and they're very easy on UV, especially when you know where every Soulsphere, Blue Armor, and weapon is. But I still find it satisfying to blaze through the episode over and over again, perhaps precisely because I feel like I've "mastered" it.

 

But of course, I like to play other maps too. I would get bored if Doom were just 9 maps.

[sandwedge]

if I feel it getting repetitive I just play another style of wad, a mod etc.  That's the beauty of it, the base game has been tiring to me for a while.

[The BMFG]

its feels repetitive if im playing on the stock doom 2 maps but that's probably just because I've played them so much

[Redneckerz]

These questions? Yes.

Doom? No.

[garu32]

What do you mean by...

boring?

I enjoy everything relationated with DooM.

Even 3DO-om.

[Unregistered User]

Like all activities, when done too frequently, Doom may get boring. But my answer is no, because:

 

The rng in this game is phenomenal. Sometimes a hellknight's punch might just be a glancing blow, other times they go One Punch Man on me and annihilate my very soul.

 

This keeps playthroughs unique which has been proven to be a reason for many games' popularity. Valorant developers understood this when they made gun spray patterns rng, knowing such a change was an improvement over CSGO's fixed patterns. Casinos know this.

 

I'm uneducated on the subject, but I'd guess that humans have a biological predilection for gambling. Something to do with dopamine responses, probably. Or maybe just that, the lack of repetition. 

 

After looking into after thinking about this topic, I learned that Doom's values are not truly rng, but a table of values that is shuffled. This being known, I think a great mod or source port idea for Doom would be to have true rng values. The mean damage would be the same, but there would be a vastly greater gradation. It could be another one of the limit-removing improvements to the game that ID would have implemented if not for technical limitations. Also add an option to change value parameters!

 

 

 

[BerserkerNoir]

only If you replay the IWADS, otherwise no.
The Combat can be more complex depending on the enemy and Item Placement, making it a neverending source of fun.
Not to mention what the modding department has, where the gameplay changes make a familiar map a different experience.

[Thelokk]

Depends on how widely we define 'gameplay'. If we look beyond kill demons / get key / exit as the end all be all, there is still mileage to be had out of Doom's mechanics. 

[Murdoch]

Doom's mechanics are actually extremely repetitive. But much like certain other things you can do I can think of, repetition isn't always a bad thing.

[Tyler-J]

Not as repettive as this website and it's decade old threads that are being used as a means of sharing content.. I love the idea of a website for doom enthusiasts but I don't love it's outdated design. Also not being able to delete your own thread is a lousy flaw... I seem to enjoy doom Facebook groups better lately. Especially because my content actually gets seen instead of being buried by same old damn resurrected thread once again. 

[ArchVain]

Like doom 2 map 01.... Go back get the chainsaw yehh

[3t0]

@Tyler-J you should go kneel in the corner of a room on sharp edged stick, for even suggesting such heresy here you treacherous fiend!

[TheMagicMushroomMan]

Repetition isn't always a negative thing - especially in not only gaming, but art in general. I can think of a number of repetitive things I enjoy:

 

-Musou games

There's nothing more satisfying than mowing down thousands upon thousands of helpless enemies to level up your characters and weapons, and charging up your special attack meter.

 

-Grinding/farming in RPGs

Relaxing, and I enjoy the luck aspect as well as leveling up the characters. 

 

-Mario Kart

Critically acclaimed game where you're playing the same tracks over and over, even if you regularly rotate them out. Improving on your previous record is satisfying

 

-Music

As a big doom metal fan, I love hearing a slow and crushing riff repeated sometimes for several minutes. I also can't be the only one known for repeatedly rewinding a song just to hear a thirty second portion I liked.

 

-The intro of certain TV series

I never skip the episide intro of The Sopranos wherever I rewatch the series, even though I'd never listen to the song outside the series. The repetition here serves to reset your brain after the previous episode.

 

Humans in general are wired to appreciate repetitive things, so long as the experience remains positive. Work is repetitive, which sucks because most people hate their job. Sex is repetitive, which is good because most people enjoy sex. People will eat the same food until they get bored with it, but some people never do.

 

@Tyler-J Do the groups on Facebook allow members to hijack other people's conversations by bringing up shit nobody asked about? If so, you should stick to that place, because such behavior is generally frowned upon not only here but on discussion forums in general. If your threads are getting buried, it's because you're either not doing enough to make them interesting, or you're posting about things most people here aren't interested in. Taking a glance at your threads, it looks like you are into spritework - maybe the ZDoom forums are a better place if you aren't getting attention here. 

Edited June 18, 2022 by TheMagicMushroomMan

[enigma101]

I've more often found that after playing the same style of map for a while I get bored of them, but I just move on to another style of map or another form of Doom entirely. There's so many maps or total conversions that you can't really get bored, at least in my opinion.

[CherryPoptartzzz]

I don't think repetitive gameplay is bad per se, rather how you approach it. I really enjoy the gameplay of classic doom as simple and repetitive as it is yet I always get burnt out if I play for nonstop. Back in 2020 when quarantine started id pretty much exclusively play doom every day, and there was nothing stopping me because I didn't have to go to school and I didn't have many other games to play, and that combination of nothing happening in my life and constantly doing the same thing over and over would always get me burnt out after 2 weeks. I love doom a lot but I think I just need more balance in my life, having too much repetition regardless of what it is just burns me out, and that's less to do with repetition in gameplay but more so with life in general

 

If you play the same game every single day over and over and don't have much else going on in your life then what's the point, if I have all the time to do something then it loses all value for me, and not that you necessarily need to constantly playing or doing something new all the time but I think having some balance in your life in general makes you value things much more. I always enjoy playing games more when I come home from being out all day or whatever, it actually makes me excited to come home and play, I enjoy doing most things a lot more in general when its not the only thing I do

 

I know what what I said isn't specifically about doom's "repetitive gameplay" but I think its still relevant in a way as it affects my enjoyment of playing

[Sneezy McGlassFace]

From a game design stand point, yes. It's a very pure game, focusing solely on the moment to moment experience. The experience of shooting demons with an SSG just doesn't get old. That's also what id spent a lot of time and effort perfecting. Everything has to serve the main gameplay loop. Keys and doors and switches are all there only to facilitate/aid shooting more demons in the face. 

Contrast that with more modern games with crafting and collectibles, overarching story, countless customisation options.. if the primary gameplay isn't rock solid, and fun on its own, all these features are not going to help. 

Doom is very focused, it has a very clear identity, and has no bells and whistles that would only distract from what actually masters most - shooting demons in the face. 

Is it repetitive? Yes. Is that a problem? Not at all, the opposite, actually. 

[Teo Slayer]

When I feel like Doom is getting repetitive, I change to an another WAD or I just play a mod or a TC. There are also times when I switch to a completely different game like Super Mario Bros. or Pokemon for example

[SilentD00mer]

Every game is kinda repetitive when you play it for some time. But with Doom I don't feel when it's repetitive for some reason.

[Jaccident]

Personally I have gotten a bit bored of doom as of late, but I think that's mostly burnout from exams.

 

However, some of the more experimental doom stuff like The Given and Jumpwad have been really enjoyable for me, so I think there's still plenty to appreciate even if I struggle to enjoy the normal stuff atm.

Edited June 21, 2022 by Jaccident

[Kokoro Hane]

It really depends on the wads. And what type of map you're in the mood for. In general, I still love the original 1&2 maps, but if I want anything fresh then there's a wealth of user-made content ~

[Archanhell]

Not limiting myself to DooM/Doom, I can talk about how many, many games out there can feel repetitive, yet their mods and user-made content makes the game feel fresh again over and over, giving the players unlimited choices to enjoy the game they wish to without getting bored.

This is very notorious with sandbox games like Minecraft and Terraria, which despite being sandbox and all (Exploit your creativity and do whatever you want), they end up getting boring after a while and you must get mods or stuff to keep having fun.

 

DooM is the same, at least the classic games, when you finish the campaign and all, unless you give yourself fun challenges like "I will play without saving and healing throughout all first episode" or "The only method for fighting will be having friendly demons", then you will end up getting bored after completing the main game and all.

 

But that's where the community comes in, kicking the door and throwing a big pile of gold on the floor, for us.

That is, mods, Total Conversions, new campaigns, pseudo-TCs, gameplay mods and other kind of WADs (Like reskins, but I guess that would count as a pseudo-TC), which is one of the reasons Doom as a whole has been thriving for so, so many years, because every day there is a new chance of replayability, new experiences and fun moments to have, because there is SO MUCH community content out there made with love, and every day there is ALSO someone who wakes up and says "Today I will break the limits of this engine" just to allow us playing Total Chaos on a fridge or something, you know, that's the beauty and marvel of this game.

 

So that's why DooM is not really repetitive, not since the day we got to enjoy what others offer to us with a smile.