Id Software Talks Doom 3: BFG Edition on PS3

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Id Software Talks Doom 3: BFG Edition on PS3

The full Doom experience comes to PS3 for the first time

Doom 3: BFG Edition is set to launch on PS3 in October of 2012, bringing with it the first two games in the iconic series. It means you’ll be able to play the entire Doom series on PS3 for the first time and see for yourself why many consider these games to be some of the most influential shooters of all time.

We caught up with Eric Webb, producer from game developer id Software, at E3 2012 to talk about how the game has been buffed up for PS3.

PlayStation.Blog: How do you think all three games stand up today on PS3?

Eric Webb, Producer, Doom 3: BFG Edition: I think they all stand up really well. One of the first things we did when we first started work on it was pay attention to how the controls feel. There’s something about the DualShock 3 controller and its dual analog sticks that feels really good when you’re holding it in a game like this. It gives it a different life and almost makes it an entirely new experience. So I think it’s really cool on PS3.

PSB: What does stereoscopic 3D bring to the game?

EW: We were really surprised when we first had a look at it in 3D. John [Carmack, co-creator of the Doom series] went through quite a few different iterations of the game to help us figure out how best to fit the technology in. Just like adding DualShock 3 controls to the original Doom, 3D really brings Doom 3 to life. It’s interesting when you’re playing; you almost lose all of your peripheral vision and get sucked into the experience. I’d go so far as to say it’s the best implementation of stereoscopic 3D I’ve seen in a game so far. It really does draw you in.

PSB: Did you ever talk about PlayStation Move functionality?

EW: No. We didn’t really want to touch the core mechanics of the game. PlayStation Move is really cool technology but we’d have had to fundamentally change how the game works and we wanted to keep it as close to the classic experience as we could.

PSB: How about the first two games – was anything tweaked there for PS3?

EW: They are pretty much straight ports, but I will say that they run really fast at 60 frames per second, even with four-player split screen play going on. If you’ve got a big TV that’s really going to stand out. The guys basically wrote it from scratch to get it working on PS3.

PSB: What would you say attracts players to Doom 3 over games like UNCHARTED and the Call of Duty series?

EW: Working in the art department back when we made the original the version of Doom 3, one of the things that I’m really proud of personally is the fact that id Software was one of the first studios to bring in a film animator to add that movie aesthetic to games. I think we see other games coming out that are maybe a little bit derivative of that kind of thing – people are co-operating now between film and games and bringing that same type of look to it.

I think the game feels fresh. It was very modern and very aggressive, and you had to have a very high end PC to run it back in the day whereas now it’s running happily on PS3 in 720p high resolution. It’s really the best conversion we could have done for the game, I’m confident to say. It has good gameplay, good art, good style. It just lasts.

PSB: So there’s the addition of the mounted flashlight to the game. Has anything else been modified for PS3?

EW: We’re making textural improvements to the characters and demons. We’ve completely rewritten the network code so that multiplayer is a better experience. In addition there’s also the Lost Mission Pack, containing seven new levels. They pick up from a certain part of the story line in the main game – without giving too much away, it’ll all make sense when you play it. You’re a different guy in a different part of the base but it’s the same world.

PSB: The Doom games are the formative experience for many shooter fans. What’s been the reaction to this version?

EW: We’ve been incredibly surprised with the feedback from the show floor. Doom is obviously very important to us and we feel very passionate about it, but you never really know until you bring it to an event like E3 what the reaction is going to be. We were convinced it was a good idea to rework the game like this, and it was great that John [Carmack] was so passionate about the 3D stuff – because that added some new tech and got the team’s creative engine running again, so to speak – but you just never know. So the response has been really humbling.

It’s funny. You start to hear really interesting stories about people’s first experiences with the games. The first time I played the original Doom, my dad brought it home on a floppy disc. That told me two things: first, my dad was cooler than me at that point; second, I didn’t know how they were doing it but I had to get involved with it.

PSB: Much of the team who worked on the futuristic shooter, Rage, contributed to this. What do you think they brought to Doom 3: BFG Edition?

EW: Those guys learned a lot of lessons about how to work with AI and craft it into something really believable. When they came across to work on Doom 3: BFG Edition they had this incredible toolkit at their disposal, and they could focus more on making the experience great as opposed to fighting the technical hurdles on the way to finishing the game.

PSB: How do you balance staying true to the original game with making improvements?

EW: Your first inclination is to make big sweeping changes because it’s something that you’ve looked at for a long time, so it doesn’t feel fresh anymore. We’ve really focused on keeping the core experience there. From talking to people on the show floor, a lot of them weren’t too happy with the idea of the flashlight as something separate. So integrating the flashlight into your main weapon seemed like a no-brainer, yet even then we still had people say they wanted to play the original way.

Another piece of feedback we had was that the game was too dark, so we’ve lit it some more here and there and tried to lead the player’s eye a little more. So there’ll be two modes – the original, unchanged version of Doom 3 and the updated one.

PSB: And trophy support must have been a fun feature to implement…

EW: Yeah, we sat down with the design team and really just let them riff. It was a little tricky adding trophies to a game that’s so well established, but I think fans will be impressed.

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65 Comments

  • with LPCM 5.1ch and Platinum Trophy?

  • What means “BFG”… ? o_o

  • Yes! Thank you! I’ll never forget the time I was working nights at a hotel in the 90s and realized this game called “Doom” was installed on my boss’s computer. A lot less work got done from then on!

  • Am I the only one who would love to see this released on the Vita? Cross play with the PS3 version would be useful, but it would also just add to the Vita’s cred as a handheld that can do FPS games better than anything else. Light touchscreen integration would be possible, especially for DOOM 1&2 – imagine using the extra space on the left and right of the 4:3 picture for weapon icons so that weapon changing would be easier. Not to mention that given the relatively primitive nature of those old games, 3G multiplayer might well be more possible than with a modern game.

  • Three Doom games in one pack seems like a great deal.

  • Is the only game that has trophies Doom 3 or all three games?

    PSN release? I prefer my games digital. =)

  • Never had the chance to play this, may have to pick it up. I agree with BreakAtmo 100%.. All games that aren’t PS3 specific should be required to be compatible on the Vita. It would increase the Vita’s library and expand the PS experience to two platforms instead of limited to one.

  • “four-player split screen play going on” ? For ‘DOOM 2’ i think is that? If so i will buy it! :P (or is it for DOOM 3 as well?)

    + You couldn’t do ‘Quake 3: Revolution’ HD update with Trophies id please? ? ? :P :P :P
    That was one BRILLIANT 4 player split-screen game(with Bots) on the PS2(+ i still play it on my PS2 with mate round) ;)

  • @2 Big f’in gun, the best weapon from the Doom series

  • I’m so stoked on to playing this on the ps3 :D

    and yeah what does BFG mean ? BEST FREAKING GAME ? lol

  • This is great news, but I have a question and a concern:

    My concern is the new mounted flashlight. Yes, the flashlight was a polarizing thing when Doom 3 came out, but at the same time it’s hard to imagine Doom 3 without it. Hopefully id can pull this off without compromising the Doom experience.

    My question is, what exactly will be included in this package? Ultimate Doom? Final Doom? Master Levels? Resurrection of Evil? Some clarification there would be nice.

    Can’t wait to see more on this.

  • Ok now i want Heretic too hehehe XD

  • BFG = Big F***ing Gun for all you too young to remember :P

  • “Doom 3: BFG Edition is set to launch on PS3 in October of 2012,”

    Yeah, well I’m not holding my breath for a 2012 launch date… but I will buy it for PS3 when it comes out. I hope the game does well on PS3, it already had a huge fanbase on PC, but I prefer to play on consoles since I spend the entire day working on computers.

  • Is this the PC version of the game or the terrible, god awful, satanic, painful to play xbox port?

  • I grew up playing this game (which I was heck scared of lol) with PC controls. That’s my ‘classic experience’, which can’t really be reminisced with a PS3 controller. I don’t see why they shouldn’t might as well add Move support with this awesome game.

  • Please Sony Take infamous 2 and Resistance 3 one move set and send it to every developer, we don´t want to change the core mecanics well these two games are amazing whit move and no one of them was made for move.

    No move no buy, FPS , TPS

  • I enjoyed Doom 3 on Xbox (still got my copy) and WILL most definitely pick up this BFG edition on the PS3. I would’ve loved some sort of Move functionality specially with the sharp shooter. Imagine using the move as your flashlight, that would’ve added another selling point and a great touch to the game.

  • What I want to know hasn’t been answered yet: is it only Doom 3 that has trophies or do the first two games also have them?

  • nice, i am a really big fan of Doom, and to be able to play it on the PS3 now makes it way better, i hope they have trophies for all the games

  • Now this is most interesting,i’ve never played this game but i have heard about it.I’ll definately check this out.

  • i LOVED Doom 3…i will get this day one…and play it on my PS3 for sure!

  • This game came out like 7 years ago and the PS3 can only run it in 720p? Seriously? Fail. If the the 360 version is 1080p, I’m buying it there instead.

  • I can’t help but wonder how well the earlier Doom titles would do for the Vita. Simple FPS action. Spread the interest, Simon. Also, great interview!

  • Is the only game that has trophies Doom 3 or all three games?And thanks for 3d support :-)

  • month is almost over how about hat youtube vita app

  • Sold! I was sold when I first read about the DOOM 3 BFG Edition. I am so proud to have already beat the PC version with not much trouble! I was so in the zone when DOOM 3 was released I was like a fish in water! The control was amazing along with the one button flash light to weapon switch. It just felt right to me. I never complained about the flash light not being on the guns. However, this interview just makes me even more happy. Love everything you are doing Id Software!

    But………of course there’s a but……..

    Can you please release a version of this on the PS Vita? What a great combo that would be! First dual analog stick handheld and the DOOM 3 BFG Edition would be a match made in HELL!! See what I did there :)

    Can you please elaborate if there are trophies for DOOM and DOOM II?

    Thanks again, cannot wait to throw some money your way in October!

    Long Live Play!!

  • hot shots golf world invitational 1.04 “PLEASE”

  • Twitter

    Spektrum Sieci ‏@SpektrumSieci
    @ID_AA_Carmack @DOOM is there any chance to see more “next gen effects” like DOF and a bit more tessellated meshes in Doom3BFG on PS3?

    12 Jun John Carmack ‏@ID_AA_Carmack
    @SpektrumSieci @DOOM Just getting Doom 3 BFG to 60fps on the PS3 is more challenging than you would think. Stencil shadows are raster pigs.

    Well John Carmack is having a hard time right now getting DOOM 3 BFG to run at 60FPS on PS3, RAGE ran poorly on PS3 as well at 60FPS .

  • Rage really was a great looking game, it’s a real shame it didn’t work out so well.

    I know my interest plummeted very sharply with the evasive maneuvers and high damage threshhold of the simpletons in the demo, and fetchiness aside, I just wasn’t interested in playing a game that set a pace of making a hassle of the controller that early in the game. I mean, the same animation and everything, I’d see a dude and he’d just roll toward me and be a pain in the butt to target, and all the AI had the same tactics and shallow animation pool. But wow did it LOOK good.

  • Not to seem greedy or anything as this is a fantastic collection, but do we get the expansions for Doom II (Master Levels for Doom 2, Final Doom, etc.) or is it just the regular game?

  • Is there a price point set for this BFG Edition yet? I certainly hope it’s not full retail this late in the game, or for that matter more expensive on the PS3 than PC.

  • first off rage was awesome*cough*upuntilthelastbit*cough* whew sorry about that where was I? oh yeah, second why is this game not for pre-order yet? I want to give my money to someone who’s going to give it to you so you can give them the game so they can give it to me. make it happen I.D oh and I want a collectors edition with a doom guy bobble head that would be sweet.

  • I WANT THE 90 FOV VR headset!

  • Thanks to iD Software for all their hard work over the years. I’ve been a fan since Wolf3D. Your pasion and hard work show in your games.

    I’M SOOOO excited for the BFG Ed. I played DOOM 3 on PC but have always prefered gaming on consoles and I didn’t have an original Xmachine to own that version. Though I did play it, and while it was a good port, it was noticably off the mark of the PC version. I hope with the more powerfull console hardware out now, this BFG Edition is a port of the PC version more-so than the original console version.

    This will absolutely be a Day 1 buy for me on PS3, though I have a question about DOOM1&2 if I may. You mentioned here that they will have 4-player split-screen. And that’s great for many, but few-none of my RL friends are gamers. Will they also have online support? If so will they be both co-op and DM? I hope so, I played DOOM for probably 10 years, but never got to play them online.

    Thanks, and I can’t wait.

  • @ 31 eternal cmo

    the game is $29.99

  • Oh, btw I LOVED RAGE. It’s the only game since the original DOOMs to bring me back to that feeling of playing those games. Pure old-school. I loved it. I just wished there were more online co-op missions. I think RAGE was all aces aside from the megatextures. Great tech for sure but current consoles just couldn’t stream them fast enough, at least when they’re stock. RAGE on my PS3 has absolutely ZERO texture loading problems, but that is only because I’m lucky enough to have gotten a good size Solid State HDD.

    Solid State drives completey cure the texture loading/pop-in issues not only in this game, but also games like Dragon Age Origins which had pop-in issues because BioWare packed the PS3 version’s blu-ray with the higher rez textures of the PC version, not the muddy low rez textures of the other console. Cured those too. It’s a shame Solid State Drives are dropping in price so slowly. They really are amazing in PS3s.

  • Finally, as excited as I am for this game, if I had one critique it would be that you aren’t also including Final DOOM. At least on the PS3 version, since it was a PS1 game as well. With the difficulty in all the Final DOOM levels, that game (the PS1 version anyway) is CRYING for proper analog stick support.

    Maybe since there’s so much time before this BFG Edition comes out, you could consider also throwing in Final DOOM. Then all gamers can have the complete DOOM collection on a single disc. Something to think about.

    Again, thanks for all your hard work over the last couple decades. Kudos.

  • @ 2 @ 10 lol its BIG F…..N GUN.. BFG!!!!

  • but im reallllllllllly excited about this iteration in 3D!!!!!!

  • I also loved Rage. That game was so incredibly underrated, but perhaps the audience for a pure shooter of the id Software variety is smaller than it used to be in the 90s. Maybe this Doom re-release will rekindle people’s interest in the genre and lend some attention to Rage.

    Like some of the commenters here, I agree that this would be amazing on the Vita. In fact, the relative resolution would look better than the PS3 version at 720p. There might be some criticism that the game won’t be released at 1080p, but considering that the source art was for standard definition, 720p will do just fine. More important than that discrepancy is how smoothly the game runs. Part of the success of the COD franchise has been the consistently high refresh rate, and most if not all of those games were generated at 720p. If Doom runs at a consistent 60fps like Rage, then it’s going to be a great experience.

  • I for one can’t wait for Doom 3 BFG Edition. And for those that never played the original Doom 3, BFG means BIG.F***ING.GUN . It’s a really powerful weapon that you get later on in the game.

  • This is, by far, my most anticipated release of the year. I’m so glad to finally have the entire Doom series on PS3.

    Would it be possible to get some Doom-related avatars on PSN at some point?

  • Nationalistaswse

    Hey anybody send FR XD.

  • Ah, memories. The only thing that would make this better is a .WAD editor / the ability to share created levels.

  • Oh man!!! I haven’t play Doom since the third game (I have it on PC). I might get this one because it has both the first and the second game (which I love when I was a little kid). From reading Wikipedia about this, I’m glad you put the expansion, “Resurrection of Evil” in this collection (I never bought it for PC). The Lost mission is a nice add for console. I think this version is a improvement over the one I had on PC. Thanks, Id software, can’t wait for this and Doom 4. I love the series since I was a kid.

  • wolfetempest8469

    So really the question is, why release the strongest handheld system, and not even release it for the VITA? it has been shown by hackers, that doom will clearly play on it, and yet you ignore this fact. I cannot even believe this. Why do you give PS3 users such amazing attention? You guys there at Sony can be nothing but a bunch of stinking pile of crap sometimes. Thanks for caring about all of us.

  • @45 Are you serious? you do realize it’s up to id whether they want to port it to Vita or not, right? Calling Sony a stinking pile of crap because one game isn’t coming to Vita (which has more than enough ports as it is) is pretty immature.

  • On-topic; someone should tell the guys at id that they don’t have to change the game at all to incorporate Move controls. Look at Killzone 3, inFamous 2, Resistance 3, Socom 4, LittleBigPlanet 2, Hydrophobia, and Resident Evil 5. Even Portal 2, Dust 514 and Bioshock Infinite are getting Move controls.

  • It would be great if Doom and Doom II were released as standalone downloads on PSN. I would love to play through them again on the PS3, but have less than zero interest in Doom 3 just as I have less than zero interest in any FPS after Doom II. I really don’t want to have to buy a game I have less than zero interest in just to be able to play two old games I would love to be able to play through again especially since Doom and Doom II can’t be played on modern computers.

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