Ryan Chan

A0086931
Games that defined the start of a new genre:

Doom, defining the Sci-Fi First Person Shooter.

Introduction
Created by ID Software, Doom is a First Person Shooter (FPS) set on Mars where
you play as Doomguy and fight hordes of monsters and demons from hell.
Though some critics might argue that the true genesis of the FPS could be
Wolfenstein 3D (1992), or even Battlezone (1980), I feel that the FPS genre truly
began and solidified with the creation, release and subsequent rise to fame of
Doom in 1993, due to its superior game design, storytelling and then realistic
world building. In fact, in the late 1990s, the term Doom-clone was more widely
used than the term First Person Shooter1, further pushing the idea that Doom
set the standard and properties that defined an FPS. The concepts and
constructs displayed and exercised would later become the mainstay of FPS
games in the modern era of games. It is noted that for its time and technology,
Doom had many breakthroughs in terms of programming and gameplay,
overcoming slow computers and optimizing for smaller RAMs, and yet
introducing many new concepts and approaches to shooters that inspire and are
still somewhat relevant in modern games.
In this essay I will begin by describing how Dooms game mechanics were novel,
the notable points of Dooms game design later relating how each of these
aspects of game design have impacted games in the modern era, as a starting
point or otherwise.
Why not Wolf3D or Quake?
I feel that Doom is a better genre definer than Wolfenstein 3D (Wolf3D) as the
former brings in more mechanics and brings more to the table than Wolf3D, by
introducing many more different aspects in FPS games that are still used today.
However I do acknowledge that Doom is a result of improving Wolf3Ds engine
and also the lessons theyve learnt its production. In the same light, I dont think
that Quake is a genre defining game as it borrows and builds on many of the
mechanics and design concepts that premiered in its predecessor, making Doom
the game that defined the FPS first, for the benefit of Quake, and the rest of FPS
history.

Mechanics and Design

FPS games are games played from the first-person perspective of the
protagonist. The basic mechanics of the game are moving and shooting, and
ultimately reach a goal (a score, an exit, killing a boss). However within these
basic mechanics lie many nuances and different gameplay elements that could
be attributed to Doom.
Movement and Free look
In Wolf3D, the movement controls were somewhat simple (forward, backward,
turning left and right), and suited the grid-like environment sufficiently. Doom
took this a step forward, with advances in technology allowing more freedom in
1. http://gadgetopia.com/post/6771

level design and thus player movement. In Doom, more control was given to the
player in terms of movement, possibly in response to more varied level design
and different ways AI would attack you; the player was made to move diagonally
and move dynamically in order to avoid damage from oncoming projectiles, and
also manoeuvre through complex mazes with environmental hazards or timed
doors. Player movement speed was also fairly quick, which further enabled the
player to exercise more control over his character, as opposed to the slower tank
movement of Battlezone, or the more constrained movement in Wolf3D. This
focus on player movement set the stage for future FPS games as it opened up
opportunities for interesting levels, boss AI, intense fire fights between monsters
and also the famed multiplayer death matches, which saw its beginnings with
Doom, and later Quake. The speed and freedom given to players also opened up
the ability for more finessed gameplay and increase mastery of the game,
subsequently leading to a sub-group of players known as Speed Runners, who
breeze through games at insane speeds up to today.
Using the mouse is one of the most easily overlooked mechanics in FPS games
today; using the mouse to look and aim is arguably one of the most intuitive
game controls anywhere. Doom was one of the earliest games to employ the free
look, though allowing the player to look up and down only came later in other
games. By allowing the player to use the mouse, controlling the character ingame became more intuitive and removed the grid-like feeling of the map that
was apparent in early first person based games. Coupling this with strafing (the
ability to step to the side in either direction, while still facing front), Doom
provided the option of side-stepping to avoid incoming fireballs and manoeuvre
dangerous terrain while still maintaining sights on the enemy. Subsequently, this
ability to look and run popularised the tactic for competitive FPS games called
Circle Strafing, which is one of the mainstays of FPS death matches today.
Weapons
In a game about shooting, one of the most important pieces of the game would
have to be the weapons, and Doom represents one of earliest occurrences of
varied weaponry in FPS. Doom makes a wide variety of weapons available to the
player as they progress through the game, with different categories, from Melee
Weapons (fists and the famous Chainsaw), hit-scan weapons (pistols, shotguns
and miniguns) and projectile weapons (plasma rifle, rocket launcher and the
BFG9000). These different weapons had different properties and drawbacks
which added a layer of complexity for the player to get around. Examples include
the shotgun, which had a high burst damage with multiple points of contact,
however it had a long reload time, which meant that players had to run around
to avoid enemy fire more often. Or weapons with high splash damage like the
rocket launcher which required careful thought when fighting in close quarters.
The weapons had different ammo pools (bullets, shells, rockets and cells),
improving on the design used in Wolf3D, where all 3 of the players weapons
shared the same ammo. By giving such variations in the game, players are given
choice in the armaments they use and the context they use it in, along with
ammo management and positioning in a fire fight, and this defined the genre as
effective weapon choice and use is one of the most important characteristics in
any FPS game.
Level Design
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In 2015, some might feel that the level designs of Doom are dated or antiquated,
however I feel that there are many aspects of Lead Designer John Romeros
design that are apparent in many future FPS games. In a FPS, visuals are very
important especially since the game is played from the perspective of the
protagonist. Apart from dialog and narrative text, visual cues and imagery were
the only ways to tell the story. I feel that Doom defined the FPS genre by placing
heavy importance on the physical level, the visual aspect of the game and the
design of the levels as a storytelling tool.
John Romeros main design rule was to show and not tell. In essence, Doom was
considered a very minimalist game, with no dialogue and only a few screens to
establish the story. Most of the story was revealed to the player through its
visuals, and in this way, the design of the levels were as important as any other
aspect of the game. Romero strongly believed in provoking the players
curiosity, and this translated into the intended flow of the levels in Doom. By
placing visual cues such as dead soldiers and currently-unreachable power ups,
the game subtly encourages the player to thinking about how to get there.
Doom also innovated by using visual cues such as lighting and textures to give
players information about the rooms and create variation and contrast in the
level, as well as create tension when entering dark spaces. Textures give
character to the players surroundings but also serve the practical purpose of
helping the player remember the map with notable landmarks, especially when
backtracking. Lighting is used creatively in the level design to guide the player
around, (e.g. a light at the end of a dark corridor) and also to create depth and
keep the player in constant fear (e.g. dark corners around a mazed zone and
flickering lights). A depth of field effect is also applied to keep the player
wondering what is in the distance, just slightly out of sight. Having this in game
gives the player a sense of fear of the unknown, and this, coupled with a limited
field of vision, makes for a compelling game that drives players forward.
In Doom, the level itself also served as a challenge, on top of other monsters
trying to kill you. For the first time in FPS games, Doom exhibited environments
that not only served as level variation, but also as a way to vary the gameplay.
Level elements such as toxic pools, lava and bottomless pits gave the player
more dangers to manoeuvre around or die from, and also more ways to kill
enemies in multiplayer. Having environmental dangers or physical dangers part
of the map is also present in many modern games (falling through space in
Quake III Arena, fan blades in Half Life). Similar to this, Doom included level
elements such as the explosive barrel, which players could use strategically to
clear a room of enemies, and switches and conditional scripted events (shoot
triggers, gauntlet rooms) giving rise to mechanics that allow the player to
interact with their world in more ways, making FPS games a much more
interactive, whether or not in destructive ways. (Physics puzzles in Half Life 2,
paying a stripper in Duke Nukem 3D)
3D Space
Doom used height to give variation to their levels. Though looking up and down
in games wasnt implemented until after Doom, level design wasnt restricted to
a single level, as was in Wolf3D (where every element of the level was limited to
a single floor). In Doom, level designers created levels which played on multiple
depths, giving a greater sense of space and in turn, challenge, especially when
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faced with enemies attack you from different levels. Height is also used as a way
to guide players through the level as visual cues, making players ask questions
like How do I get up/down there, thus driving the play to explore the level more
thoroughly. The limitation of the free look also enabled the advent of scare
tactics by exploiting the limited perspective (enemies hiding just above/below
the line of sight), and this element of surprise carried over to many FPS games,
and also games in the survival horror genre. This development caused a shift in
level design for future games, where levels are not restricted to just mazes and
parallel floors and walls, which would later give rise to very interesting level
designs in single player (such as Mirrors Edge and Half Life) and compelling
player tactics and strategies in multiplayer games (Quake III Arena and the
Battlefield Franchise).
Conclusion
I feel that good mechanics and level design are paramount in all games, however
in the scope of FPS games, I feel that Doom demonstrated properties that set the
stage and inspired many new innovations for years to come in terms of the
abovementioned and more. In one way or another , the starndards and ideas that
Doom put out in 1993 have influenced modern FPS games heavily and that
Doom can be considered the game that defined the FPS genre.

1. http://gadgetopia.com/post/6771