DOOM, DOOM II User Maps Now Available With Weapon Wheel, More

Game company Bethesda recently released a new update for popular classic first person shooter games DOOM and DOOM II on all platforms it is available to.

DOOM and DOOM II gets updates with new content

The new update will be introduced to all platforms and it will include the new add-on support including John Romero’s SIGIL, 60 FPS feature, added aspect ratio options, quick save and load, level select, and a lot of quality of life features and performance optimizations.

One of these particular QOL features is the added level select option. This allows players to pick an episode, map, and difficulty of their choosing. They can then play on it without having to clear the previous levels first. It is kind of cheating but it just adds to the new flavor of the game.

Another is the Weapon Carousel, which allows players to not cycle through every weapon every time they want to choose for that certain one. They can now press previous or next weapon to highlight the weapon they want. It will then immediately swap to that particular weapon.

Multiplayer is a big plus in this game and the new split screen HUD is a big plus. There will be minimal HUD that can be used when playing split screen multiplayer. The bottom status bar is removed, which allows more room for the game to be displayed in.

Here are the full patch notes of the update:

Patch Highlights:

Add-on Support: Add-ons can now be downloaded and played from the main menu. We will continue to add content that is a mixture of official DOOM and DOOM 2 add-ons, as well as some of the best community episodes and megawads released for the original DOOM games. We’ve curated the initial list and will be asking you guys for your picks for best community made wads soon! Check out the FAQ below for more info! 

60 FPS Support: For the first time, DOOM and DOOM II now run at 60 FPS on all platforms, instead of 35 FPS as in the original releases. 

Added Aspect Ratio Option: Stretches the display vertically to match the original 4:3 aspect ratio that the game was intended to be played in.

Added Quick Save and Load: Pause the game, and press R/R1/RB to immediately save where you are, and unpause the game. Load your quick save by pausing the game and then pressing L/L1/LB.

Added Level Select: Pick an episode, map, and difficulty of your choosing, and immediately play on it without having to clear the previous levels first.

Added Weapon Carousel: You no longer need to cycle through every weapon to get to the one you want. Press Previous or Next Weapon to highlight the weapon you want, and it will swap immediately to the selected gun.

Added Quick Weapon Select: The Directional Pad can now be used to quickly swap between weapons.

  • Up: Shotgun and Super Shotgun
  • Right: Chaingun
  • Down: Rocket Launcher
  • Left: Plasma Gun

Added Overall Brightness and Level Brightness: Turn up Overall Brightness to make the colors brighter, but if that isn’t enough, you can also raise Level Brightness to change the brightness of the lights in the world.

Added Random SFX Pitch Toggle: Turn off randomized sound pitches during playback, which was a feature present in early versions of the original DOOM release.

New split screen HUD: A minimal HUD will be used when playing split screen multiplayer. The bottom status bar is removed, allowing more room for the game to be displayed in. 

Changes:

Changed Health Graphics: The pill has been changed into a green plus, making the graphics closer to their original appearance.

Changed Wolfenstein Secret Level: Enemies in the Wolfenstein level have been restored to the original DOS release. The original textures and enemy audio have been re-added to the level, but with [censored] references removed.

Performance Optimization:

  • Several optimizations to DOOM’s software renderer have been made in order to better support 60 FPS and increase battery life.
  • Game rendering resolution on Nintendo Switch version now displays at 640×400 to support 60 FPS and improved battery life.
  • Improved behavior when starting the game out of sleep mode. There still may be cases that cause the game to lock up after awakening.
  • Sped up various UI animations to make navigating through menus quicker

Fixes:

  • Fixed an issue from the original DOS release where map objects would not correctly track the player after loading a saved game. This also fixes an occasional crash with loading a save game with an active BFG projectile.
  • Fixed an issue where the game would skip ahead several tics after unpausing.
  • Fixed an issue where attract mode demos would desync, causing demo playback to deviate from the original DOS release.
  • The trophy for “When I’m With You” for beating every level on Nightmare in co-operative mode has been fixed and will now be awarded properly.

Technical Info:

XB1 Patch Size: 508 MB (DOOM Fresh Install) / 503 MB (DOOM II Fresh Install) / 454 MB (DOOM from live patch)/ 460 MB (DOOM II from live patch)
PS4 Patch Size: 381.504 MB (DOOM NA & EU SKUs) / 377.152 MB (DOOM II NA & EU SKUs)

Switch Patch Size: 378.536 MG (both DOOM / DOOM II)

Android Patch Size: 343 MB (DOOM) / 399 MB (DOOM II)

iOS Patch Size: 365.5 MB (DOOM) / 352.2 MB (DOOM II)

PC Storage Size: 382 MB (DOOM) / 378 MB (DOOM II)

Known Issues:

  • Due to the new features included in this patch, the min spec for iPhone has been updated from iOS 11 to iOS 13. If you are unable to update to the latest patch, please install iOS 13.
  • I own the game on iOS, but don’t have an iOS/iPad OS 13 capable device. Can I still play the game?
    If you own the game, you can still play the previous version of the game on iOS 11 and 12, but won’t be able to play Update 3 until you have an iOS/iPad OS 13 capable device. If you have uninstalled the game, you can reinstall the previous version from the “Purchased” tab in the App Store.
  • The DOOM II Achievement/Trophy “The City” (Beat all the city levels – MAPS 12-20) does not unlock when taking the Secret Exit in MAP15: The Industrial Zone in the Single Player Campaign. Workaround – If you’re gunning for that trophy, please elect to skip the secret exit in MAP15: The Industrial Zone and you should have no problem getting it after completing MAP20.

The games are now available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS, and PC.

Source: Official Website via PlayStationLifestyle

Former News Editor