Doom (1993 video game)

1993 first-person shooter video game developed by id Software

Doom is a first-person shooter video game made by id Software in 1993. It is one of the first games to use three-dimensional levels. The game is about killing demons and zombies in order to stop an invasion. Doom has traps, including crushing ceilings, radiation pools, and exploding barrels, that can kill the player. Doom was also the first game with multiplayer deathmatch. This means you can fight with other players instead of the demons and zombies. The game was made with a computer language called C using some new techniques created by John Carmack.

Doom
Developer(s)id Software
Publisher(s)id Software
Designer(s)
Programmer(s)
Artist(s)
Composer(s)Bobby Prince[a]
SeriesDoom
EngineDoom engine[b]
Platform(s)
Release
December 10, 1993
  • MS-DOS
    • NA: December 10, 1993
    • EU: December 1993
  • 32X
    • NA: November 21, 1994
    • PAL: January 1995
  • Atari Jaguar
    • NA: November 28, 1994
  • Mac OS
    • NA: December 1995
  • PC-98
    • JP: December 9, 1994
  • SNES
    • NA: September 1995
    • EU: October 26, 1995
    • JP: March 1, 1996
  • PlayStation
    • NA: November 16, 1995
    • EU: December 1995
  • 3DO
    • NA: April 26, 1996
  • Sega Saturn
    • NA: March 26, 1997
    • EU: 1997
  • RISC OS
  • Game Boy Advance
    • NA: October 24, 2001
    • EU: November 16, 2001
  • Xbox 360
    • WW: September 27, 2006
  • iOS
    • EU: October 30, 2009
    • NA: October 31, 2009
  • PlayStation 3
    • NA: November 20, 2012
  • Android, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
    • WW: July 26, 2019
  • PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
    • WW: August 8, 2024
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

It has five sequels: Doom 2 that came out in 1994, Final Doom that came out in 1996, Doom 3 that came out in 2004, Doom (2016), and Doom Eternal.

Doom is split into three basic components, the engine, the Iwad file, and the optional Pwad file. The engine contains the code needed to run the game on a computer. The Iwad file contains the default levels, sounds, pictures, and other components. Pwad files contain custom levels. The source code to the Doom engine was released in 1997 and can be downloaded for free. The full 3-episode and 4-episode Iwad files have not been released for free and must still be purchased.

Doom is a shareware game of three episodes, each having eight standard levels and one secret level. The secret level in each episode is accessed by finding a secret exit in one of the normal levels. The episodes are Knee-Deep In The Dead, The Shores Of Hell and Inferno. In the shareware version the only episode that can be played is Knee-Deep In The Dead. The expansion pack of Doom is Ultimate Doom, which has the fourth episode, Thy Flesh Consumed.

In Doom, the player can carry and use many different weapons. Each have their own special features and strengths. They are your Fists, the Pistol, Shotgun, Chaingun, Rocket Launcher, Plasma Gun, BFG-9000, and Chainsaw. The player gets new weapons by finding them in the level. Most weapons can be found in more than one level. Some weapons share ammo. For example, both the Pistol and Chaingun use bullets, and the Plasma Gun and BFG both use energy cells. The player must be careful not to waste ammo because if he or she does, there may be more than one weapon that cannot be used. The Fists and Chainsaw do not have ammo limits, so the player can use them as long as they want.

Doom was also made for the SNES, Sega 32X, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, 3DO, Atari Jaguar, and Game Boy Advance. It can also be downloaded online for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

  1. The music for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn ports of the game was composed by Aubrey Hodges,[1] while the 2024 release featured the 2016 "IDKFA" arrangement soundtrack by Andrew Hulshult.
  2. The 2019 release uses Unity, while the 2024 release uses the KEX Engine.

References

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  1. Cite error: The named reference HodgesMusic was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).