First ever version of Doom in Germany

[Katzimir]

25 minutes ago, Gregor said:

Are these also all German versions purchased through Pearl? Doom II could be of similar worth if it's in good condition and a complete version. Not sure about Final Doom but Ultimate Doom isn't nearly worth as much as Doom 1. And Master Levels... well, they're worth something, i guess. ;) Did your version come with the Maximum Doom disc just like the US release?

Yes, "Master Levels for Doom II" is the US version with Maximum Doom and a special poster.

 

Of "Doom II" I have the original US version and the German censored version.

 

"The Ultimate Doom" is the UK version.

 

"Final Doom" is the EU version.

 

All big boxes in Top condition.

 

In Germany, I think PEARL Agency was out after Doom I and Doom II was then only distributed by CDV Software.

Edited August 3, 2022 by Katzimir

[Gregor]

4 minutes ago, Katzimir said:

Yes, "Master Levels for Doom II" is die US version with Maximum Doom and a special poster.

 

Of "Doom II" I have the original US version and the German censored version.

 

"The Ultimate Doom" ist the UK version.

 

"Final Doom" ist the EU Version.

Cool. That means it's the original retail release and not some later re-release. The US Doom II is definitely worth a lot if it's in very good condition. Even the censored German version could be worth a nice sum to the right people. No idea about Final Doom though, but probably not worth that much.

 

This is a real nice collection you've got there. Again, i wouldn't rush to sell it; classics like Doom in the original packaging, especially the US release, should only get more valuable with time.

[thiccyosh]

In this condition, you can charge a pretty penny for it. I'd say like 450€ to 500-ish. Which is a lot, but it is a collectors item after all.

 

 

However, why would you sell it? I'm sure you'll just regret it afterwards.

[Katzimir]

8 hours ago, thiccyosh said:

In this condition, you can charge a pretty penny for it. I'd say like 450€ to 500-ish. Which is a lot, but it is a collectors item after all.

 

However, why would you sell it? I'm sure you'll just regret it afterwards.

Well, I'm 56 now and who knows. In any case, I don't want to burden my family with finding out about all this stuff and then selling it. My girlfriend recently had to sell all the model railway stuff from her father's estate - and it was a horror.

 

Maybe after I die, everything will just go in the rubbish, and then no one will have anything.

Edited August 3, 2022 by Katzimir

[thiccyosh]

16 minutes ago, Katzimir said:

Maybe after I die, everything will just go in the rubbish, and then no one will have anything.

 

Fair enough.

[Katzimir]

15 hours ago, Gregor said:

Cool. That means it's the original retail release and not some later re-release. The US Doom II is definitely worth a lot if it's in very good condition. Even the censored German version could be worth a nice sum to the right people. No idea about Final Doom though, but probably not worth that much.

 

This is a real nice collection you've got there. Again, i wouldn't rush to sell it; classics like Doom in the original packaging, especially the US release, should only get more valuable with time.

 

Master Levels For Doom II

 

https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/130642-master-levels-for-doom-ii-cd-rom-and-poster/

 

[satan]

4 minutes ago, Katzimir said:

 

Master Levels For Doom II

 

https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/130642-master-levels-for-doom-ii-cd-rom-and-poster/

 

You have a beautiful collection, condition looks phenomenal. I hope it finds a great home Katzimir.

[Katzimir]

On 8/3/2022 at 8:33 PM, satan said:

You have a beautiful collection, condition looks phenomenal. I hope it finds a great home Katzimir.

"There is life after death, unfortunately!"

Edited November 23, 2022 by Katzimir

[satan]

;)

[Katzimir]

Here is someone offering exactly my early version of PEARL on Ebay right now.

However, the Disc 4/4 has a label from PEARL and not the original from id software.

 

Doom 1 PC 1993 - Rare

 

Immediate purchase: EUR 599,00

 

The condition of the box also seems not so great and the PEARL Hintbook has been punched.

 

As I said, this is not my offer.

 

 

Edited November 23, 2022 by Katzimir

[ludicrous_peridot]

I am curious if Pearl shareware floppies would be of any collector's value or if these are just the same stuff they had on FTPs (and if shareware version was actually in English or in German!). There is no box in the listing I am looking at, nor any cover art; only hintbook and manual (both in b/w) are included.

 

EDIT: Well, I thought after all, the value comes already from these being game disks and manuals from nearly 30 years old and Doom, shareware or not, plus I finally got an IDE floppy drive installed and wanted to try some special floppies with it, so got the disks. To answer my own questions:

 

- the contents are the US Doom shareware 1.1 repackaged into two self extracting archives

- the German language text is only in the installer BAT-s and in a stand-alone interactive program to help fill and print out the mail order form; in-game, original US order details are shown

- there was also 1.1 to 1.2 update floppy for the registered version in the listing, which had the US RTP patch packed into a German language self extracting archive and launcher for that archive with Pearl logo also in German

Edited April 15, 2023 by ludicrous_peridot

[ludicrous_peridot]

Not sure there needs to be a separate thread on this, so posting here.

 

I have just figured out that the shareware version of doom 1.1 on the floppies does not match 1 to 1 with the one on FTP sites. The DOOM.EXE and DOOM1.WAD are actually different, so for example 1.1 to 1.2 Shareware patch does not work on the floppy version. Also this one is dated Dec 15th, and not Dec 16th as the FTP version (also on the wiki).

Otherwise, demos look similar and saving into 5th and 6th slot saves into the first two instead, so it behaves like a 1.1.

 

Is this the same as with other known SW versions that they were shipped ahead of the "final" 1.2?

 

I'll check how the IWADs are different in the meantime...
EDIT: Okay... so credits, help1 and help2 use red letters in the floppy version; they use blue and green letters in the download version... and that's it.

Edited August 2, 2023 by ludicrous_peridot
IWAD

[ludicrous_peridot]

So... I decided to not be lazy and tried comparing decompiled source of 1.0, PEARL 1.1, 1.1 proper and 1.2. That did show some changes in a handful of functions, that made PEARL different from both 1.0 and 1.1, and the changes do not "come back" in 1.2. 

 

I had hopes for figuring out what these functions were, but cannot fathom that really, as they do not seem to belong to the game engine code, which I am familiar with.  One deals with parsing of semicolon separated numbers, the other reads from port x81 (which similar functions in 1.0 and 1.1, which are also much shorter, do not actually do). EDIT: that looked weird, and with debugger and cross-referencing code decompiled from debugger actually running - and oops, I think I just saw a ghost, or was misled by a hiccup of the decompiler tool. There's one seemingly legitimate difference I am still double checking though.

 

EDIT-EDIT: Spending some more time with the debugger, the difference in the EXE seems to be due to a bug, that was fixed before 1.1 proper was shipped (like, in a day). When making platforms work after loading the game, id have made a blanket change to P_UnArchiveSpecials, updating corresponding sector's reference to special thinker func for all special types. This fixed the floors, but broke glow, flicker and such. 1.1 proper removes this, leaving thinker setting only for non-light-related specials. 

 

Here's a small map showing how sectors that have light special effects on them cannot be raised after loading from saved game in Pearl version. Same test map works just fine in downloadable 1.1.

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

Edited August 6, 2023 by ludicrous_peridot
oops

[Azuris]

That is pretty interesting.

Someone with Time should add that Information to the Wiki.