Some DOOM monster ideas

[Guest Cthulhu Alpha]

Here's some of my ideas for some DOOM monsters:

[Note : Any 'old-school' DOOM enemies not mentioned here doesn't mean I wouldn't want them back, just that I don't have that many ideas about how to improve them specifically in DOOM III. Assume all non-mentioned enemies are just enhanced versions of the old.]

Zombie : If it's DOOM, there's gotta be zombies! One idea is multiple basic types, combined with the AvP-style feature randomization stated in someone else's post, but not only for the features, but for their weapons amd stuff. Also, another idea would be if a zombie killed another monster, it could get preoccupied with dining on its victim, and ignore you temporarily. Also, i like that idea of the severed zombie torsos crawling towards you. Could come in these types:

Zombie Type 1 (Civilian): Human civilians 'drafted' (hehe) into Hell's armies. Would be weaker than other types, and only carry light arms (pistols, the occasional rifle\shotgun) or melee weapons like clubs or knives, even chewed-up severed limbs.

Zombie Type 2 (Military): Human military casualties turned into the Undead. Would be a little tougher than the average zombie, due to some light armor, and could carry more powerful weapons-- pistols, rifles, shotguns, machine guns, maybe a grenade launcher or energy rifle every now and then-- and would be a little slower, because, as we know, zombies are weak, and the extra equipment would bog them down.

Zombie Type 3 (Hellspawn): Souls condemned to Hell, joining Hell's forces in order to gain a temporary release from torment. They would be horribly deformed, burned monstrocities, probably with multiple arms and even heads, powerful, quick and cunning, possessing demonic attacks (claws, flames, fireballs, that kinda thing).

Spectre : Would no longer have the hard-to-see but still visible blur effect, but would be completely invisible, maybe phasing in and out or throwing a faint shadow on the floor. Basically make them extremely hard to see -- imagine being stuck in a large room with a growling, shuffling horror that you simply CANNOT locate until it's chomping on your arm!

Recruiter (dumb name, no better idea): Small, quick and agile demon, not really a powerful attacker, but with an interesting ability. It would be found in levels with a lot of the strewn marine bodies we have come to know and love, plus areas with a lot of civilian corpses. If it got near one, it would jump, stab two tubes into the corpse's back, and 'embalm' it (see the machine that killed the twin brother rentacops in Hellraiser: Bloodlines for what I mean), turning the corpse into the corresponding zombie type. This zombie may even pause to scoop up any weapon nearby to come at you with! Another spooky feature would be that this creature could dump the blood sucked out of the body onto the floor with a sick splash }:)

Sneaker (another dumb name): A step above the spectre, this demon could have two distinct advantages. One, the ability to climb along the walls and ceiling, dropping from either to disembowl you with its claws and teeth. The other, more sinister ability, would allow it actually melt and spread out against a wall, floor or ceiling, changing its colors chameleon-like, becoming completely undetectable until it detached itself and jumped out from behind you.

That's all for now. I hope you see a definate trend in these ideas towards creatures that stalk you and are hard to detect until they attack, rather than gigantic cyberdemons that stick out like a sore thumb (altho they WERE fun, and by no means do i think ALL the big, blunt, powerful enemies should be done away with!). This would make it more of a spooky, paranoid, claustrophobic game, much like the original DOOM. I'll post some of my other ideas when i get them and have time.

[Guest Cthulhu Alpha]

Oh, by the way, another thing i forgot to mention : If Id does any more biomechanical creatures, they should try for a more fluid, creepy design -- maybe get H.R. Giger to do a few monster designs (prolly not, but i'm hopeful)! I'm sick of the old style of biotech, in DOOM it was fine, but after Quake 2, any more of it will make me want to hurl. Seriously, it was that bad. heh, heh.

[Guest Toady]

Regarding the "recruiter", doesn't DOOM already have a monster that can resurrect dead creatures; the Arch-Vile? I'd simply give it the ability to resurrect bodies that are already strewn throughout the levels and not just killed monsters.

Imagine walking into a large, gloomy hall, strewn with corpses - it pains your soul to see this veritable massacre. Who could have done this?

Suddenly, you hear the wicked cry of the Arch-Vile, hid in the far end of the hall; and as It raises Its arms to the heavens and is clad in hellfire, the dozens of dead rise again and shamble soullessly towards you...

(sorry for the melodramatic description. you get the idea :))