The first glimpse of the much-anticipated Doom movie - as first seen by Comic-Con attendees - is now available for your viewing pleasure over at IGN`s media center. Though the creatures are supposed to be mutants, some of the beasts shown in the trailer are eerily reminiscent of the baddies that scared our shorts off in Doom 3.

The guys over at LMS (Last Man Standing) have released their official 1.0 version of their popular mod, with many new features, bug fixes, new weapons and maps, and more! Not only a full fledged mod in its own right, LMS is popular as one of the most enduring and reliable Cooperative mods out there, allowing players to run and gun their way through the single player game with friends. Find out more about the mod at their website at http://lms.d3files.com.

For those of you unfortunate people "doomed" to play Doom III on the Macintosh, Aspyr has released a patch for the game to 1.3. New in the patch is functioning 5.1 surround sound, support for Punkbuster, and more! Patch up here, and get ready to frag in 1.3 style!

Ever wanted to crush the Rock? Maybe you`ve always thought GI Joe ripped off the DOOM marine from his proper recognition as an American toy icon. Either way, you`ll get your wish. First 4 Figures has announced they will be making toys based on the upcoming DOOM movie, and even if you`re not a toy person, some new screens of the movie are also available on the official First 4 Figures website.

Recently, the Mod N Mod team took Last Man Standing for a test drive and gave it a snazzy 9.3 out of 10 score. Their review covers what they liked and did not like about the mod, as well as what they thought the mod needs. You should check out the review here, or download it here and give it a try for yourself!

Official Benchmarks Show the NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra and the GeForce 6800 GT GPUs Outperform Comparable Competitive Solutions in Blockbuster PC Gaming Title

SANTA CLARA, CA—NVIDIA Corporation (Nasdaq: NVDA), the worldwide leader in visual processing solutions, today announced that independent third-party testing confirms that the NVIDIA® GeForce™ 6800 Ultra and the GeForce 6800 GT graphics processing units (GPUs) deliver faster performance than comparable competitive offerings in Doom 3™, regarded as one of the most highly-anticipated PC games in history. The testing reveals that the NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra GPU offers the best performance in the upcoming Doom 3 title, with GeForce 6800 GT running a close second, outperforming the high-end graphics chip offered from the leading competitor that costs approximately $100 more. In the testing, the NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra beat the comparable competitive offering by up to 40%. The GeForce 6800 GT performed up to 70% better than the competitor’s comparable offering¹.

“From the simple data here we see that the GeForce 6800 Ultra and GeForce 6800 GT are in a class of their own, putting some very good distance between themselves and the competition’s flagship,” stated Kyle Bennett editor in chief for HardOCP in the article. “If I had to make a list of high end video cards to purchase to play Doom 3, the GeForce 6800 Ultra and GeForce 6800 GT would easily take the number one and number two spots...”

The official benchmarks were released by the creator of Doom 3, id Software™, with the help of HardOCP.com (www.hardocp.com), a leading hardware enthusiast’s Web site. The NVIDIA GeForce 6800 Ultra and GeForce 6800 GT took the top two spots in every PCI Express test. The GeForce 6800 Ultra and GeForce 6800 GT GPUs also finished at the top of their respective categories in every AGP test, missing another sweep of the top two spots by a mere one tenth of a second.

“All that considered, for those of you that are in the high end video card market, the GeForce 6800 GT looks to very much be the sweet spot when it comes to playing Doom 3 with all the eye candy turned on at high resolutions. Obviously the 6800 Ultra is even faster for those of you that need the best no matter the cost,” the article states.

The entire article can be viewed at the HardOCP Web site here.

Apparently the Director of Competitions at QuakeCon decided to take a mulligan and do the Doom III Tournament rules over again. Some rather major changes are in, including the addition of a single elimination 1on1 to reduce the players from 128 to 64, whereas originally QuakeCon had planned to do four player Free For Alls all the way from 256 to 64. Some other rule changes (and more explicit rule wording) have been added as well. Head on over to the official rules on QuakeCon, or keep reading here for the new ruleset.

The 256-player tournament includes three sets:

Set 1 – One Round of Free-For-All (4 players) reducing number of players from 256 to 128.

Set 2 – Single Elimination One-On-One reducing number of players from 128 to 64.

Set 3 – Double Elimination One-On-One reducing number of players from 64 to 1.

Compliance with all general rules and game-specific rules of the event are a mandatory condition of participation in The NVIDIA Doom 3 Deathmatch Championship .

Tournament Maps

The map for the Free-For-All rounds will be d3dm1. Maps for the double elimination parts of the tournament must be chosen from the approved list and include: d3dm2, d3dm3, d3dm4 and d3dm5.

One on One matches will be played on a single map, lasting 15 minutes. In the event of a tie, the match will automatically enter sudden death overtime (next frag wins)

During double and single elimination matches, the players may mutually agree to play their scheduled matches on any of the approved maps. In the event they cannot mutually agree on a map, a map will be selected for them via simulated dice roll. All maps will be included in the roll, maps may NOT be removed.

* You may lose one match in Set 3 and stay in the tournament. Those who lose a match enter the loser`s bracket and are then reduced by single elimination. Winner of the loser`s bracket may still win the tournament by winning two matches against winner of the winner`s bracket.

Rank is based on the number of frags. If there is a tie in an FFA round, players will advance according to the following criteria: most frags then least amount of deaths and finally, damage given.

If there is a tie in the 1v1 rounds, the match will automatically enter sudden death. Next frag wins.

Menu, Console Commands, and Cheating

Players may change nearly any item in the GUI prior to the match beginning with the following exceptions:

System Options:

* High or Ultra Quality Video Setting ONLY

Advanced Tab:

* High Quality Special Effects set to YES
* Enable Shadows set to YES
* Enable Specular set to YES
* Enable Bump Map set to YES
* Vertical Sync set to YES

Game Options:

* Show HUD set to YES
* Show Gun Model set to YES
* Show Decals set to YES

THE IN-GAME CONSOLE MAY NOT BE USED AT ANY TIME

A batch script will be provided allowing players modify:

* Sensitivity (Default is 7)
* FOV - must be between 90 and 110 (Default is 90)

• Device drivers which permit players to see through walls, or enable any form of transparency not intended by id Software, are strictly forbidden and grounds for immediate removal from the tournament. Players may use aliases, however, no alias may be used which assists players in determining spawn times, or performing any action which in any way inhibits the ability of an opponent to perform a legal action in the game.

• Except for control drivers and device settings, no commands are allowed outside the game or in command line. Except for control drivers and device settings, no alteration, deletion, or addition of files is permitted. Your player model, colors, and name must remain the same throughout the match. Any commands or combination of commands that allow seeing through walls, player warping, message spamming, auto-aim, radar, or similar action will be considered cheating and grounds for disqualification. Questions regarding setting of variables and commands and how they relate to cheating should be brought to a tournament official before your first match. NVIDIA Driver settings may NOT be modified in any way. You may change the game`s resolution setting.

• Players shall not use any external program to alter computer video settings. Video settings must remain at a high level of quality throughout the competition. Specific questions regarding quality of video may be directed to tournament staff. Graphic fidelity will be maintained.

The CDoom (Classic Doom - Doom3 Mod) Developer chat was a huge success. Gazz, Kazahana, Deadite4 and Sonicclang all turned out from Flaming Sheep Software to make the event. We`d like to thank everyone who showed up and submitted questions. We would also like to thank all the guys from Flaming Sheep Software for making it. The full Transcript can be found by clicking HERE

The Developer Chat with Flaming Sheep Software was a big success with over 120 people in the channel at the time of the event! We would like to thank everyone who showed up to attend the event. We would also like to thank Gazz, Kazahana, Sonicclang, and Deadite for taking the time out their busy schedules to answer everyone`s questions. The full question/answer transcript will be posted shortly, so that those of you who were unable to attend will be able to read it at your convenience.

Though they were lacking in QuakeCon`s rule release a little while back, the official tournament rules for Doom III at QuakeCon have been released. The tournament is free for all deathmatch, and the game console settings that will be mandated are in the rules as well. So head on over, grab the rules, and get used to it, because it might not be what you normally look at. You can get the rules straight from the QuakeCon site, or keep on readin`!

Doom 3 1v1 Tournament Rules

The 256-player tournament includes two sets:

Set 1 – 2 Rounds of Free-For-All (4 players) reducing number of players from 256 to 64 .

Set 2 – Double Elimination One-On-One reducing number of players from 64 to 1 .

Compliance with all general rules and game-specific rules of the event are a mandatory condition of participation in the NVIDIA Doom 3 Deathmatch Championship.

Tournament Maps

The map for the Free-For-All rounds will be d3dm1. Maps for the double elimination parts of the tournament must be chosen from the approved list and include: d3dm2, d3dm3, d3dm4 and d3dm5

During double elimination matches, the players may mutually agree to play their scheduled matches on any of the approved maps. In the event they cannot mutually agree on a map, a map will be selected for them via simulated dice roll. All maps will be included in the roll, maps may NOT be removed.

* You may lose one match in Set 2 and stay in the tournament. Those who lose a match enter the loser`s bracket and are then reduced by single elimination. Winner of the loser`s bracket may still win the tournament by winning two matches against winner of the winner`s bracket.

Rank is based on the number of frags. If there is a tie in an FFA round, players will advance according to the following criteria: most frags then least amount of deaths and finally, damage given.

If there is a tie in the 1v1 rounds, the match will automatically enter sudden death. Next frag wins.

Menu, Console Commands, and Cheating

Players may change nearly any item in the GUI prior to the match beginning.

Drawgun will be forced ON.

Graphics settings must stay at “High”.

The console may not be used at any time . A batch script will be provided to modify:

• Sensitivity

• Device drivers which permit players to see through walls, or enable any form of transparency not intended by id Software, are strictly forbidden and grounds for immediate removal from the tournament. Players may use aliases, however, no alias may be used which assists players in determining spawn times, or performing any action which in any way inhibits the ability of an opponent to perform a legal action in the game.

• Except for control drivers and device settings, no commands are allowed outside the game or in command line. Except for control drivers and device settings, no alteration, deletion, or addition of files is permitted. Your player model, colors, and name must remain the same throughout the match. Any commands or combination of commands that allow seeing through walls, player warping, message spamming, auto-aim, radar, or similar action will be considered cheating and grounds for disqualification. Questions regarding setting of variables and commands and how they relate to cheating should be brought to a tournament official before your first match.

• Players shall not use any external program to alter computer video settings. Video settings must remain at a high level of quality throughout the competition. Specific questions regarding quality of video may be directed to tournament staff. Graphic fidelity will be maintained.

Ah, DOOM. Knee-Deep in the Dead. The Shores of Hell. Inferno Classic names that inspire fond memories in practically any seasoned FPS veteran. Even if you never played the original PC game, chances are you`ve played any one of its derivatives on your computer, or possibly one of its ports on just about any console you can name. DOOM revolutionized the way we saw first person shooters (anyone who is a serious FPS junky and can remember games like Blake Stone: Aliens of Gold and Ken`s Labyrinth can attest to how much the scene changed after DOOM). DOOM inspired so many copy-cats and clones it`s not even funny. DOOM gave every fanatic religious zealot who only saw the demons and the pentagrams an excuse to march on their local software vendor. It was blamed for Columbine. It became the new excuse for not doing your homework. It smashed the first dates of untold numbers of over-eager geeks who showed it to their new girlfriends. For whatever reason, DOOM holds a special place in our hearts. So, when I read that Flaming Sheep Software was releasing a "Classic DOOM" mod for Doom III, you can imagine the excitement. I immediately downloaded the .25 alpha version that was available at the time and was floored. And it`s only gotten better in their latest offering, the .56 beta.

The Story
It`s pretty standard for anyone who remembers the DOOM series, but here goes for those of you who are uninitiated (or those who never surfaced from the game to read the plot): You`re a lone marine, sent to Phobos (that`s one of Mars` moons, by the way) to serve as security. Assigned to a squad and bored with your daily routine, you duck out for some quick coffee (they have Starbucks on Mars, right?). When you get back, the place has literally gone to Hell in your absence. Your former comrades in arms have all become crazed demons, and the technological marvel that was the moonbase has been twisted and warped towards the end of opening a gate to Hell (this should sound strikingly familiar to anyone who`s played Doom III, because Doom III was almost a "re-imagining" of the original DOOM storyline).

Armed only with a pistol and an ugly mug, you valiantly stride forth... your goal: retake the moonbase and maybe save some of your friends. At the very least blow something up.

Gameplay
This game`s got game, to say the least. There`s nothing like reliving found DOOM memories live and in full 3-D. Watching those pixilated sergeants with shotguns who you could sleep through in the original DOOM turn into clever opponents who duck behind corners and work together to advance on you. Even if you`ve never played the original DOOM, the flow of Classic DOOM is exactly that: classic. Starting off relatively mild and rapidly building up to an in-your-face experience, Classic DOOM throws the book at you: possessed marines, imps, pinkies, ghost pinkies (who retain their startling appearances), you name it, chances are it`s gonna try to eat you in Classic DOOM. The mod is a reconstruction (with serious creative liberty, to say the least) of the riginal DOOM levels, from E1M1 to E3M9. As of the beta .56 release, up to E1M5 was completed (with E1M9 implemented as well), but look for more to come.











The best part about the gameplay in Classic Doom isn`t just that the levels are remakes from DOOM, but that the levels are logical, coherent remakes from DOOM. Gone are the secret doors that open in walls that are just a different color. Gone are the brown hallways that look more like you`re inside a tree than a demon-possessed base on a Martian moon. In their place is a living, breathing world: the locations in Classic Doom look like they could actually function as real facilities. And while this means a great amount of creative re-envisioning has been done by the Flaming Sheep staff, I`m confident that once you try it out for yourself you`ll be just as awed as I am.

On a technical note, the game does alter gameplay a good bit besides just maps. Both the chaingun and the rocket launcher have been changed, graphically, audibly, and in feel and performance, to more mirror their original DOOM cousins. The chaingun is slower but more powerful, with a wider spread, while the rocket launcher is a quicker reloading, more focused explosive hurling technological candy bar (who doesn`t love rockets?). The mod promises to do the same for all the weapons, eventually.

Graphics
Ah yes, the graphics. In any first person shooter (or any mod for same) the graphics are key, because it`s what you`re looking at. Even when you mute your sound as not to wake your fiancé/girlfriend/boyfriend/dog/neighbors (or imaginary versions of any of the previous), you`re still looking at the graphics. They shape your experience with the game and thus are extremely important to get right. And let me tell you this, Flaming Sheep got it right. Oh yes. If you remember being able to waltz through the original DOOM`s well-lighted hallways and corridors, prepare for a rude awakening: you`re gonna wish you had the flashlight more than a few times in this. With well-done shadows, dark areas, rotating lights, warning beacons that flash, and more, Classic DOOM definitely does well in the lighting department. The levels themselves feel like realistic remakes of the original DOOM, with a non-descript panel of wiring from the original DOOM becoming a control panel with a definite purpose.

Special care has been taken to make the levels more immersive, as well. Gone is the bland secret door you just push to open... in its place, a control panel you activate to overload the coolant pipe and cause an explosion, through which ruptured remnants you can enter the same courtyard the original secret door lead to. All throughout Classic DOOM touches like that keep you in the game and feeling like you really are reeling through a Hell-infested moonbase.

Sound
If the original DOOM music holds any special place in your heart (despite its age, the tunes are very likely stuck in any veteran`s head), you`re in luck. High quality tracks of music have been painstakingly hand done to inhabit Classic DOOM. You`ll catch yourself humming the Hangar music tune inside 10 seconds of loading up. Throughout the mod, the music keeps bringing back memories and will have you replaying levels just to listen to the music again; an awesome effort by the Flaming Sheep guys and definitely deserving high marks.

As mentioned previously, the chaingun and rocket launcher now sound more like their original counterparts, as well. The map layouts have more sound effects than the original DOOM levels (ambient sound was rather rare in the original DOOM) as well, with a lowering platform with the chainsaw that made one grinding metal noise becoming an entire technological control room, complete with beeps, whirrs, and the sounds of all kinds of techy monitoring, and a satisfying electrical notification that the chainsaw has been lowered. The sound, as well as the graphics, keep the mod immersive and help to bring those memories of the original DOOM back in technicolor and surround sound.

Ah, Phobos and Deimos. Back when Doom was new and hadn`t yet acquired its massive following nor its two sequels, those names sounded like "Home, Sweet Home" to avid marines from the original Doom. The trip to Mars in Doom III was nice, but for some it lacked the all-out brawl that happened on Mars` moons years prior. If you`ve ever wished you could have all the intense firefighting of Doom I in your Doom III, then we have got some great news for you. Thanks to some guys known collectively as Flaming Sheep Software, you might just get your wish.

In their upcoming mod entitled "Classic Doom," they promise to bring you exactly that: an in-your-face revisitation of the original Doom episodes, freshly envisioned within the Doom III game. For many it`s like a long lost friend finally coming home, the chance to once again run rampant through the likes of Hangar, Military Base, Tower of Babel, House of Pain, Mt. Erebus... oh my!

The guys at Flaming Sheep already have a playable download available on their site of the first five levels of the classic "Knee Deep in the Dead," for those of you who have already started reminiscing before even finishing this news post. Grab your shotgun, suit up, and head on over to http://cdoom.d3files.com for all the latest and greatest on the mod!

Want a chance to tell `em what you think about it afterward? Want to see where they plan to take it? Don`t miss the exclusive Flaming Sheep upcoming interview live in #doom3 on Wednesday, June 22nd, at 7:00pm EST, only on Enterthegame.com!

According to a post from GD Hardware Via Gamers have slammed home a new custom Doom 3 Benchmarking Map and Demo.

"Available from VIA Gamers Arena, the latest custom DOOM 3 map offers an ideal multiplayer environment for benchmarking high-end gaming systems, while a multiplayer demo allows for simple yet effective performance testing.

VIA Technologies, Inc, a leading innovator and developer of silicon chip technologies and PC platform solutions, today released viavga_d3_bench, a compact DOOM 3 multiplayer map crammed with heavy geometric detail and striking lighting effects designed to test PC system performance to the full.

Built from the ground up to push today’s high-end systems into breaking a sweat, the map was developed by renowned mapper Josh ‘b0rg’ Holmes, the editor of VIA’s official games website VIA Gamers Arena, to offer a glimpse at what to expect from tomorrow’s games using DOOM 3 technology, the world’s most technically advanced PC gaming engine. The multiplayer demo recorded for benchmark testing is approximately twice as demanding as the default single player demo packaged with DOOM 3. The map is suitable for 2-4 player deathmatch games and demands an impressive system to run smoothly, such as one based on the latest VIA K8 or PT series core logic chipsets."

You can read all about it and download to your hearts content on the Via Gamers Site.

Despite all the rumors, wishful thinking, and threats of grevious bodily harm, very little has come to light about a Doom movie, much to the chagrin of fans of the franchise (that`s us, by the way). That`s all about to change, however. Apparently, with a level of invisbility that would make even ghost pinkies from Doom II blush, Universial Studios has teamed up with Andrzej Bartkowiak and Dwayne Johnson to produce a Doom movie, which has completed filming already in Prague (that`s in the Czech Republic, incidently), and is set to hit American theatres soon.

Andr-who and Dwayne wha? Okay, try it this way. Dwayne Johnson is more commonly known as "The Rock," and Andrzej Bartkowiak is the mouthful of un-pronouncable responsible for such popular films as "Lethal Weapon 4," "The Devil`s Advocate," and "Exit Wounds." Together with other blockbuster names like Karl Urban (Lord of the Rings, The Bourne Supremacy) and Rosamund Pike (Die Another Day), you can bet there`ll be some supercharged action and acting in this latest Doom offering.

Details of the plot apparently are a blending of all the Doom movies, with heavy leanings towards the original Doom (which might have a mixed reaction among the diehards). A Special Ops squadron of Marines is dispatched to the planet Olduvai when the station falls under attack from a mysterious group of mutant beings (this sounding familiar?); you can bet there`ll be plenty of explosions, hellspawn, and even the famed BFG is purported to make an appearance in the film.

A more thorough cast and crew listing can be found on IMDB, and more details will be posted here as they become available. And no, we don`t know an exact release date yet. So go ahead and send the Cyberdemon somewhere else, we`re not talkin`.

John Carmack, game programmer extraordinaire at id Software made a post to Slashdot regarding video game patents. The following is what he posted:


"I`m proud that there is "a relative dearth of patent applications for the video game industry, especially considering how technology-dependent the video game industry is, and given its size in terms of annual sales."

Before issuing a condemnation, I try hard to think about it from their point of view -- the laws of the land set the rules of the game, and lawyers are deeply confused at why some of us aren`t using all the tools that the game gives us.

Patents are usually discussed in the context of someone "stealing" an idea from the long suffering lone inventor that devoted his life to creating this one brilliant idea, blah blah blah.

But in the majority of cases in software, patents effect independent invention. Get a dozen sharp programmers together, give them all a hard problem to work on, and a bunch of them will come up with solutions that would probably be patentable, and be similar enough that the first programmer to file the patent could sue the others for patent infringement.

Why should society reward that? What benefit does it bring? It doesn`t help bring more, better, or cheaper products to market. Those all come from competition, not arbitrary monopolies. The programmer that filed the patent didn`t work any harder because a patent might be available, solving the problem was his job and he had to do it anyway. Getting a patent is uncorrelated to any positive attributes, and just serves to allow either money or wasted effort to be extorted from generally unsuspecting and innocent people or companies.

Yes, it is a legal tool that may help you against your competitors, but I`ll have no part of it. Its basically mugging someone.

I could waste hours going on about this. I really need to just write a position paper some day that I can cut and paste when this topic comes up."

According to a news post (included below) made by GD Hardware, Creative Labs has announced its participation with id Software in providing a patch that includes a significant audio upgrade for the top-selling PC game, Doom 3 and its expansion pack, Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil.

This upgrade will offer gamers using the Sound Blaster Audigy family of PCI-based sound cards substantial audio improvements, primarily through Creative’s 3D audio and EAX (Environmental Audio Effects) technology, which provides gamers a far more realistic representation of the acoustic environment, and sense of where they and their enemies are in the game. In addition, patch 1.3 delivers higher-fidelity audio for cleaner, crisper sound that can be experienced through multiple audio channels, all the way up to 7.1 surround sound. Most importantly, gamers will be able to experience this enhanced audio while enjoying the same in-game frame rate as before. All of these substantial improvements come in the now available 1.3 patch for Doom 3 and the accompanying Sound Blaster drivers.

According to an article from Computer Gaming Magazine, RoE has soared to the top of the charts for #1 sales for the week of April 9.

Here`s the top ten selling games that were reported by the NPD Group:

1. Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil Expansion Pack - Activision $31
2. World Of Warcraft - Vivendi Universal $49
3. The Sims 2 University Expansion Pack - Electronic Arts $34
4. The Sims 2 - Electronic Arts $48
5. The Sims Deluxe - Electronic Arts $20
6. Tom Clancy`s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory - Ubisoft $43
7. Half-Life 2 - Vivendi Universal $53
8. Doom 3 - Activision $31
9. Galaxy Of Games 350 JC - eGames $10
10. Halo: Combat Evolved - Microsoft $30

Glenda Adams, Director of Development at Aspyr Media, recently gave an interview concerning Doom 3 goodness for the MAC, as well as optimization process issues concerning Apple, ATI and NVidia.

For those of you who`ve never heard of Ms. Adams, Glenda has a very impressive resume -- before joining Aspyr she co-founded Westlake Interactive, and also worked for LookingGlass Technologies, TechWorks, and Impressions software. The titles she has worked on as programmer or lead programmer ranges over many high profile titles such as Duke Nukem, Tomb Raider (I, II, Chronicles), Railroad Tycoon II, Deus Ex, Unreal & Unreal Tournament, Everquest, and the Harry Potter games.

You can check out the interview in its entirety -- right here.

Not content to merely open a portal to Hell, send legions of hellspawn through it, slaughter countless unnamed scientists and scare the bejeebus out of millions of gamers, id Software has teamed up with Nerve Software (the name behind Return to Castle Wolfenstein and its successor, Enemy Territory) to bring you Resurrection of Evil, which operates on the simple premise that after handily defeating the legions of Hell and restoring peace and order to Mars, you`ll be more than happy to see the whole place get blown to Hell (quite literally) all over again.

The expansion has something for everyone, single and multiplayer. On the single player side, the story line from the original Doom III kicks up with a vengeance. Though not the same marine from the original Doom III, you nevertheless will interact with many of the names from the original, including Dr. Elizabeth McNeil, which anyone who paid attention to the emails in Doom III (that`s everyone, right?) will know as the "whistleblower" that originally suspected Dr. Bertruger of being up to something less wholesome than warming Mars up a bit. She actually has an office in the original Doom III, which alluded to the Resurrection of Evil. Never let it be said that this game didn`t scream sequel. Without giving too much away, you will eventually acquire new abilities as well, such as "Hell Time," a sort of Matrix slo-mo that lets you run circles around hellspawn and empty six hundred rounds into them as they are almost completely frozen in time. On a less violent note, Hell Time will also be intregal to many of the puzzles in the Resurrection.

On the multiplayer side of things, prepare for the brawl to get even bloodier as the game`s "official" maximum player count rises from four to eight. In addition, a new Capture the Flag mode (care of infamous Threewave Software, the name behind numerous other successful CTF mods) helps to break up the monotony of accidently blowing your teammate away (woops), and new DM maps promise a new level of intense competition.

Apart from the plot and multiplayer aspects, however, the expansion gives old and new alike a lot to cheer about. New enemies like the Vulgar (think Imp on crack) and plenty of new zombies give you lots of new targets to pincushion with that chaingun. The old classic double barreled shotgun makes its triumphant return as well, promising lots of two shelled carnage for those who can`t get enough (again, that`s everyone, right?) On a slightly brainier side is the "gravity gun," a sort of electronic gizmo that lets you fling barrels, incoming projectiles, small defenseless hellspawns, and the like about the room and at each other. And when you`re not tossing imps out windows for the fun of it, it`s also useful for getting around, too.

The Resurrection of Evil is a great expansion to what was already a great game, offering plenty for single and multiplayer fans. Check it out! It`s $29.99 at your favorite local software store (and conveniently located in the vicinity of the original Doom III), or order it online and await its arrival as you gird yourself for a return trip to Hell.

Whole heap has been going on, but here are some quick updates.

Aparently there is a doom3 mission pack on the way more info at planet doom.


Planet doom also have a list of new maps out, a remake of q3dm6 is out, a personal favourite, so go check it out.


The doom3 Fortress guys have been kicking along, there is heaps of new screenies and info, i`ve just noticed they`re running a soundtrack competition, so if making mp3`s is your thing go over here and check it out, the mod looks preety kick ass.

Oops, how`d this go by with out being posted, the CPL: Winter Championships website has gone live. It`s basically a $50 000 tournament, sponsored by nvidia.


And now a quote from the site, "The tournament started as a 32-person competition but because of unprecedented participation interest it was doubled to 64, then to 128 and lastly to 256 competitor spots."

stfuandplay is a doom3 tournament that has 20 invited players, in 4 groups, and is played over 2 days. According to daler, it`s going to have shoutcast from itg and everything, the player list looks preety damn good too.


It starts in 2 days so join #stfuandplay and join in the chat, and head over to the official website here.

News is out that there is a new patch, the patch was anounced in Robery Duffys .plan update. He also anounced that as soon as the patch is final, the SDK, and linux server will be released.

Here`s a link to the fileplanet page with the patch on it. Link to the patch

Thanks to ]69[^Gas0linE- for pointing it out.

ClanBase will be holding their first Doom3 1on1 and 2on2 NA Cup!

The signups will open at Friday, 20 August and will close 10 days later on Monday, 30 August. After that there is 3 weeks to decide on divisions and poule`s and the cup will start at Monday, 20 September. During this period ClanBase will also decide on which games get an EuroCup. Clanleaders and wararrangers can signup then via their admin page or by clicking on this link

So far we haven`t mentioned this up comming mod, no idea why, so far every fortress mod has ROCKED.

This is a personal favourite for my self, and alot of other players. So head on over here and check it out, it should be heaps of fun.

The CPL recently anounced the distribuition of the money for their winter championships, and they increased the tourney size from 128 to 256. More info can be found over here at the CPL site.

The list of players randomly selected to enter the doom3 tournament at quakecon has been anounced, see this post over at ESReality for more info.

I just found this and realized it DEFINITELY needed to be brought out in the open with the recent news of several DooM 3 ladders about to start.

Apparently, DooM 3 locks most cvars in MP, but radea of the www.d3-center.com forums has found an ENORMOUS bug in the MP cvar protection that threatens to make MP unplayable till a patch is released. To quote radea`s post, which includes screenshots of these cvar exploits,

"TBH, I really do not know where else to post this - I could not locate an idsoftware bug-email or anything.

Anyway, theres a huge error in the MP-cvar protection for Doom3. Typically, games allow you to only change certain cvars - when you attempt to change some that you can not (Such as r_shownormals), the console returns the message `CVAR not available in MP mode` or some such, to prevent possible exploits."

For the rest of the information, and a clear explanation of why this is so important to competitive play, go here for the thread.

Let`s hope there`s an emergency fix for this, cuz none of you want any of that GGL Doom 3 Ladder prize money to go to a cheater.

What would Quake 3 have been without OSP for competitive play? I venture to say it would have died a horrible death! Now, it seems Orange Smoothie Productions is taking suggestions on their forum for a DooM 3 OSP mod! Do you realize how much that owns? :D Head over there and give those guys some input. WTNOW!

Is your DooM 3 experience too dark? Don`t know how to bind flashlight to a key? Tired of wheeling through weapons to get to the flashlight while under duress?

Well, fear no more mere mortals! Glenmurphy.com has the answer for you!
"Under the crazy presumption that a roll of duct tape has to exist somewhere on the Mars facility, the Duct Tape mod allows you to do the obvious, and stick a flashlight onto to your machinegun."

Bon Appetit!

Now you can!

The directions have been graciously posted by Gouki at the DooM 3 Dedicated Server Guide. They even have sample server configs. As with everything, though, scan it with a virus scanner (preferably Norton 2k4 Pro) that has the latest program and definition updates installed.

This guide is kickass! If you have a beefy box and a quality, dedicated internet connection (read: more than 128kbit adsl upload), make sure and use the 32-Person Server Mod as a template for breaking the restriction on maxplayers per server.

Let`s hope the Linux server binaries for DooM 3 are released soon so we can start seeing an influx of backbone quality servers up from the major game-hosting companies out there.

ClanBase has opened up a series of ladders for doom3.

1v1 North America

1v1 Europe

The european ladder already has games played, so lets hope the american one kicks off soon too. There`s more info over at this post on ESReality

Anandtech is my favorite all-time hardware review site, and these two reviews show why:

First off, Anandtech`s DooM 3 video card showdown confirms what we all knew a week ago thanks to [H]ardocp.com`s official DooM 3 benchmarks article. Anand and crew, however, take a fresh look at comparing price vs. performance from both the video card and cpu sides of the coin to help you find the sweetspot for your hard earned jack.

Secondly, Anand shows what to expect from your PC`s cpu. For reference, [H]ardocp.com`s official DooM 3 hardware guide can be found here. By the way, both sites agree - AMD`s K8 line smokes Intel in DooM 3 performance.

This is the sort of comedic gold you can enjoy by joining us at #doom3 on irc.enterthegame.com:

[00:37] [postal] i played the sims 1
[00:37] [postal] for like.... 3 days
[00:37] [postal] and i was like... "what the fuck"
[00:37] [postal] i cant take care of myself, let alone like 5 people at fucking once, who piss and shit themselves to death
[00:37] [postal] the only good thing to do in that game, is to become a serial killer.
[00:38] [postal] create a shed in your backyard and invite friends over to the shed, then get them into the shed, and pause the game. delete the door entrance and build a wall there and leave them til they piss,cry, and shit themselves to death
[00:39] [postal] my guys name was manson haha

Surely you`ve seen the hype about DooM 3`s Co-op Mod supposedly containing a Russian-coded, cd-key stealing trojan. This bs was purported by several DooM 3 websites and noted in a post over at esreality.com. It started the rumor mill churning about why all you ASSHOLE THIEVES who downloaded the game and generated cd-keys illegally suddenly got "cd-key already in use" errors when joining a MP game.

It`s a hoax, folks! :D The file contained in the Co-op Mod is just a normal .pak file, and once extracted is, according to staff member Slave, [18:21] [Slave`]> just a maps.def , just a map list for the multiplayer mode thats all.

So, enjoy with a friend once more, it`s safe!

Just when you thought the storm had blown over, the torrential downpour renews its vigor.

MP3.com has a really good interview with Chris Vrenna on the Doom 3 audioscape. Many of you will recognize Chris from his work on the score for American McGee`s Alice. Chris was formerly in NIN with Trent Reznor, and has produced or remixed albums by Weezer and U2. With the help of his partner, Clint Walsh, this might be the biggest accomplish in his career.

In other news, G4techTV has an interesting featured article titled Doom 3 - Spreading a Message of Hate? Don`t believe the hype, this article is 100% a parody. It is a funny read, though, with lines like, "We must put a stop to the violence in our children’s entertainment before a pre-teen ends up following the example he’s been given and busts a cap in some innocent demon." Good stuff, head on over there.

I want to welcome www.d3-center.com to the web. Their site has just launched and will be covering the CAL Doom3 leagues, as well as other leagues` gaming news. D3-Center.com is part of a fairly large network of gaming websites and I`m sure will enjoy success as the growth of the DooM 3 community increases.

We at #doom3 on irc.enterthegame.com wish D3-Center.com nothing but the best. <3`s and go visit them.

(gimme a fraggin break, it`s midnight for christ`s sake :)

And now, on to the news.

Gamespot.com has their quick and dirty three-page DooM 3 review up.

Kyle from [H]ardocp.com writes a nice article on that annual summer phenomenon we all love, QuakeCon. WE LOVE YOU, KYLE! <3s

Andy Chang of id Software has some pictures from the midnight madness (lines around the friggun block!) at what appears to be a Dallas metro area Best Buy when DooM 3 was released at midnight, Tuesday. Check it out, there`s a funny video there too.

While snooping around id Software`s public website directory, I found some really funny stuff in Patrick Thomas` folder. First, we have an UNHOLY UNION and then we have a shaved pussy!!!. Browse around, this PROVES BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT that id Software employs real people, not just evil demons from some interstitial gateway to other dimensions. I swear!

Last but not least I want to present to you our first #doom3 idler`s own DooM 3 benchmarking. Thank you halcyon for doing the insane amount of testing frequired for these, and for letting me post your benchmarks.

Lots of people have been posting info about tweak guides all over the net. I`ve found on my machine, one single setting gives the biggest increase in performance with no image quality penalties:

In your DooM 3 directory, typically C:\Program Files\Doom 3\base, open the file called "DoomConfig.cfg" in Notepad. Find the line that reads

seta image_cacheMegs "32"

Setting this to "128" (for users with 512 megs ram) or "256" (for users with 1 gig ram) boosts performance a TON! Make sure and save the file after your done and see for yourself.

The two most pasted DooM 3 tweak guides from our #doom3 channel the last day and a half are the following:

http://www.d3euro.com/guide.php a HUGE compendium with almost every setting currently available in DooM 3
and
Upset Chaps` informative guide to getting the best IQ and/or framerates from your machine. These Upset Chaps have also created an overview guide for all tweaks and tricks associated with DooM 3.

If you know of more expansive or better guides, or just any new cvars, post them in our technical forum here.

I`m not familiar with the site www.cyberfight.org but they`re hosting some pretty damned cool mini-mods and a fix for users wanting to install DooM 3 on their Windows 98/ME systems.

UnofficialWin98/ME Fix with the instructions of, "To install this feature take the first disk of the game, replace the default .exe file and then write what you`ve got on a new CD."

Coop Mod. Want to play SP with a friend? Now you can! OWNED!

32-Player Server Mod!! This breaks the 4-player limit on servers.

Other select mods:
Super-powered RL-only mod
Fight Club mod
Chainsaws Only mod

As always, please install at your own risk. And, remember folks, your mileage may vary.

I`m sure there are others out there, but this grabbed my attention right away.

The good folks at doom3hq.net have posted a demo showing VarpoS & GoiracH doing some pretty decent jumps and midair rocket frags.

Here is the download page for the demo.

Enjoy

During last night`s 900-person launch party at #doom3 on irc.enterthegame.com, GGL-Red_Barchetta announced that the Global Gaming League will be hosting a $10,000 online Doom 3 ladder.

For all the details, head to their official press report.

Thank you, Red and all the staff at GGL.

We, the staff of #doom3 on irc.enterthegame.com are proud to announce the official release of id Software`s highly-anticipated Doom 3 today, August 3, 2004.

Spanning over four years of development and planning, the outstanding team at id presents you, their fans, with an amazing achievement. Doom 3 heralds a new era of cinematic-quality gaming on your PC. Doom 3 sets a new standard for thrilling action, suspense, horror, and all-out gaming goodness.

Today also marks the re-launch of this website, the official #doom3 on EnterTheGame site. Please take a look at the wealth of great information here, post your praise and/or suggestions on the forums, and most of all, visit us at #doom3 on irc.enterthegame.com for the latest info and join the greatest Doom 3 community on the net. Also, for those of you playing DM, join us at #doom3pickup.

For all the staff of #doom3, as well as the staff of ETG, I would like to extend our sincerest thanks and deepest respect for the development teams at both id Software and Activision, Doom 3`s publisher.

You asked for it, now you have one. Click here for the Doom III FAQ or on the left menu to view the most complete Doom3 FAQ available. Alot of work went into it so we hope you find it useful. It will be updated frequently with extra questions and answers. Feel free to leave questiosn or comments on our forums of any additions you would like to see made to it.

A very Happy New Year to all you dedicated Doom fanatics! If we`re lucky, this will be the year that store shelves will be graced by the presence of our favorite game!

In other news, idsoftware.com has unveiled a store, where you can buy all of your favorite id Software games, including the original Doom and Doom II, and id`s first FPS, Wolfenstein3D and it`s lesser-known sequel, Spear of Destiny. You can even buy the original Commander Keen!

id Software has finally gone live with the http://www.doom3.com site where you can find the latest trailer, screenshots, desktop wallpapers, as well as pre-order the game.

Big news, but we still have no "official" launch date.

Stay tuned for more information.

A new Doom 3 movie trailer has been released! This footage contains many scenes already shown in previous trailers from QuakeCon and E3; however, if you look closely, the artwork seems more polished. There are also a few new scenes in it, including a brief encounter with the dreaded Revenant, and some footage of a grenade launcher in action.

Be assured we will have it available soon, in three different sizes for your downloading convenience. Unfortunately we`re currently experiencing some problems with the server though, and can`t post the files. Stay tuned, and we`ll have it for you in the next few days!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! There are lots of things to be thankful for, no doubt.

Personally, I`m thankful for John Carmack, and the intense gaming he`s brought us. ComputerGamingWorld seems to be fairly thankful for him as well, and John was gracious enough to grant them an interview. Read all about it here.

Also, it looks like next month`s issue of CGM will feature a full hands-on preview of Doom 3, with new SS`s and comments about the multiplayer experience.

Activision has announced that it is planning for Doom 3 to be released in their 2005 fiscal year (which actually starts April 1, 2004). id Software hasn`t yet commented on the possible delays, so this may just be a way of safeguarding Activision`s investors (read as: padding their 2005 earnings).

The full article can be found here.

Let`s all hope we don`t have to wait another six months!

Gamer`s Depot has some speculative info concerning the latest video cards` performance on Doom 3, as well as a couple other DX9 games.

Quote:
GD: John, we`ve found that NVIDIA hardware seems to come to a crawl whenever Pixel Shader`s are involved, namely PS 2.0..

Have you witnessed any of this while testing under the Doom3 environment?

"Yes. NV30 class hardware can run the ARB2 path that uses ARB_fragment_program, but it is very slow, which is why I have a separate NV30 back end that uses NV_fragment_program to specify most of the operations as 12 or 16 bit instead of 32 bit."

John Carmack

The entire article can be found Here.

Please remember that this is just speculative info, but it`s VERY interesting considering three separate game developers have chimed in concerning the poor performance of the NV30 in DX9, something highly touted by nVidia. Stay tuned for more updates about this hot topic.