Doom (2016)

"We were standing on the edge of discovery. A powerful technology with infinite possibilities. Instead, we let them in. Fused an unholy union of flesh and metal. And now this brave new world has gone to Hell."

- E3 2014 Teaser Trailer

Doom (previously known as Doom 4 and stylized as DOOM) is an upcoming reboot of the Doom franchise produced by id Software and published by Bethesda Softworks. The game is set to be released on May 13, 2016. The game will be released for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

First Iteration
Work on a new Doom game began in the years after Doom 3. John Carmack confirmed in August 2007 that the fourth Doom was in the future plans of id Software. On May 7th, 2008, id announced that the development of Doom had begun.

On June 23, 2009, ZeniMax Media, best known for Bethesda Softworks, acquired id Software and announced that all future id Software games will be published by Bethesda Softworks, Doom being one (in addition to Rage and future Quake titles).

In a 2009 interview, actor Brad Hawkins said that "I do know we are dealing with a post war/post apocalyptic event that civilians and military are fighting for their survival."

At QuakeCon 2009 Todd Hollenshead mentioned that id Software will reveal new Doom information at QuakeCon 2010, between 12-15 August. At the beginning of QuakeCon 2010, Hollenshead said the development team was not ready to give a demonstration on the game. Tim Willits did however talk to the press in May 2010 to boast that "it'll be even more awesome than Rage."

id Software technical guru John Carmack has told OPM UK anyone expecting to wait a long time for Doom will have a shorter wait than first thought. Carmack told the mag the shooter should not take as long to get out the door, unlike Rage, which was announced in 2007 at QuakeCon, and will not be out until next year, producer Tim Willits told VG247 back in May. “Well we’ve got Doom 4 going on right now below our feet here,” he said. “The Doom team are all sped up and working on this technology base – I’m not really at liberty to discuss much about it, but it’s going full steam ahead right now." He adds: “It shouldn’t take as long to ship as Rage. It’s already in the pipeline and we feel good about it.”

On August 16, 2010, id Software CEO Todd Hollenshead apologized to Stephen Totilo of Kotaku for the game not appearing at QuakeCon in 2010, before mentioning the game is being targetted for a simultaneous release on Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, saying "That's absolutely what we're thinking."

In 2011, after the release of Rage, work shifted back to Doom within id Software.

On February 29, 2012, several screenshots were leaked, these can be seen at IGDaily's website. These images, however, have been confirmed as fake by id Software's creative director Matthew Hooper via Twitter. In his tweet, Matt said "Those images have nothing to do with what you're gonna see in Doom. When we officially show things you'll see awesome."



On March 2nd 2012 a couple of screenshots were leaked []. Those images, however, have been neither confirmed nor denied as real or fake.

On August 3, it was revealed that Doom will be virtual reality-supported.

In April of 2013, it was stated that Doom was in Development Hell when Kotaku published an article revealing that, after half of a decade, the people at Id had almost nothing to show for Doom. Bethesda's Vice President for marketing and PR confirmed that an earlier build of Doom was not of the high quality that Id and Bethesda intended to deliver, and as a result the game was being rebuilt from the ground up.

The pre-reboot build of the game was supposedly compared to the infamously linear and heavily scripted campaign segments featured in the Call of Duty franchise. It was also stated by an unnamed source that the best parts of the game generally consisted of cinematic horror and shock elements, but the action segments consisted of "contrived shooting galleries of hoards [sic] of uninteresting enemies".

Second Iteration
The game was rebooted in 2013. This involved a team reshuffle under Marty Stratton, consisting of id veterans and new talent. The tone of the reboot was the first point of discussion, and it was decided that the game should emulate the first two Doom games.

Doom 4 is being built on id Software's id Tech 6 game engine. John Carmack has stated that the game will have better graphics than Rage, but is targeted to run at a lower framerate of 30 frames per second (on the PC version's multiplayer, it will run at 60 frames per second). Id Software also intends to make Doom's multiplayer mode better than Doom 3's.

Graham Joyce wrote the Doom storyline.

On 19th February 2014, It was announced that Wolfenstein: The New Order would ship bundled with a beta access key for Doom once it arrives in May 2014. On June 10, 2014, the first official teaser for the game - simply titled "Doom" - was shown. It depicts robotic components being grafted onto a large demon, creating a Cyberdemon, accompanied by a female narrator lamenting the failure of her teleportation experiments. A shotgun being cocked is heard and the door opens with the Cyberdemon looking down at what is presumed to be the Doomguy.

On July 17, 2014, a closed gameplay demo was shown to attendees at QuakeCon 2014.

On May 18, 2015, an eleven-second gameplay teaser trailer was released by Bethesda, showing approximately three seconds of footage. A quick glimpse at a loading shotgun is seen, followed by a screaming Revenant firing missiles from its shoulder-mounted launchers. A full gameplay reveal took place at Bethesda's E3 conference on June 14th, 2015. [16]

On February 4th 2016, a new trailer was uploaded to YouTube and a release date of May 13th, 2016 was announced for the game.

The game's beta opened on April 15.

Features

 * The game uses/will use id Tech 6 (also known as id Tech 666).
 * DOOM SnapMap – a robust, powerful, but easy-to-use game and level editor – allows for limitless gameplay experiences on every platform. Without any previous experience or special expertise, any player can quickly and easily snap together and visually customize maps, add pre-defined or completely custom gameplay, and even edit game logic to create new modes. Instantly play, share it with a friend, or make it available to players around the world – all in-game with the push of a button.
 * Unique power-ups allow you to play as a demon.
 * Fast-paced Deathmatch (similar to Quake III: Arena) and Co-op with waves of Demons (in the fashion of Killing Floor).
 * Multiplayer is being built in collaboration with Austin game developer Certain Affinity

Plot
The reboot has been stated to be an origin story. The game is set on Mars, with a UAC facility being invaded by the forces of Hell. The demons have been constructed through corrupt UAC experiments. The game starts as the marine awakens in a UAC bunker on Mars, and realizes that something is amiss. Making his way across the Martian surface, he enters an industrial building that houses a satellite. After re-aligning the dish array, he hopes to learn the source of the demonic invasion, and preps himself to stop it.

Dr. Olivia Pierce is a/the antagonist of the game, apparently responsible for enabling Hell's invasion.

Gameplay
The game is fast paced, with sprinting, double jumping, and mantling being possible. The marine is faster than almost every demon in the game, and it is intended that movement is the key to both offense and defense. No reloading mechanics are present (there are ammo pickups however) nor regenerating health (instead possessing health packs along with armor to reduce damage taken). Players are not limited in the number of weapons they can hold. The weapons are displayed on a weapon wheel, with time seemingly stopping or at least slowing down significantly while doing so. The gameplay is intended to harken to the classic games in the series. A "karate system" is featured where the player can engage demons in melee combat. Fatalities, also known as Glory Kills, feature in a manner similar to Brutal Doom, with the enemy glowing orange when available to do so, and blue when you are close enough to execute. Keycards are used to open doors.

Game modes
Developer id Software has teamed up with Certain Affinity to develop the multiplayer part of Doom. It is not the first time Certain Affinity has partnered with a well-known studio to work exclusively on the multiplayer segment of a game; the studio has contributed to the multiplayer development of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, Call of Duty: Ghosts, and Halo 4, among others.

The following game modes for multiplayer have been confirmed: Players can pick up a demon rune that spawns randomly on a timer during multiplayer and can become a demon for a limited amount of time.
 * TDM (Team Deathmatch)
 * Clan Arena
 * Freeze Tag
 * Domination
 * Warpath (King of the Hill)
 * Soul Harvest

Playable demons

 * The Revenant
 * The Baron of Hell
 * The Mancubus
 * Harvester
 * Prowler

Power ups
Players can also pick up power ups. Confirmed power-ups include:
 * Quad damage
 * Invisibility
 * Haste

Maps
Known multiplayer maps:
 * Excavation.  A modest-sized UAC mining outpost. Watch out for the rock grinder!
 * Infernal.  A mid-sized Hell map with both interior and exterior elements. Lots of platforms and chasms, along with teleporters.
 * Chasm.  This massive map takes you deep below the polar ice caps of Mars. A great place to play Freeze Tag.
 * Disposal.  This smaller map is the main waste processing facility for the UAC research and residential complexes. Unsurprisingly, it's full of radioactive slime.
 * Helix.  This is where they experiment on demons and develop advanced weaponry. Which, naturally, makes it perfect for a quick round of Clan Arena.
 * Perdition.  Disjointed and sadistic, this ancient arena is populated by the agonized moans of unfortunate souls who have suffered within its realm.
 * Sacrilegious.  Set within a fracture of Hell, this map offers clear lines of sight. Move fast... or die faster.
 * Heatwave.  An industrial UAC facility with glistening halls that will soon be slicked with human (and demon) blood.
 * Beneath.  Before being beamed to Earth, the energies of Hell are harnessed in this symmetrical and cavernous location.

Weapons
The weapons are intended to be a mix of futuristic and conventional weaponry. Within the E3 2015 demo, there seemed to be 8 weapons present so far. Screenshots had revealed evidence of more weapons. Confirmed weapons include:
 * BFG9000 - One of the most iconic weapons in the franchise, it seems to be similar to its Doom 3 incarnation, as it can be charged up (though in the E3 showcase, it did not have its own ammo counter).
 * Chaingun - A rotary machine gun with a very fast rate of fire, but requires a short wind up before firing. Holds 60 rounds.
 * Chainsaw - An insta-kill weapon for smaller enemies. Has an ammo counter of 6, which has been stated to be a "fuel" level which can be restocked with fuel canisters.
 * Combat shotgun - A pump-action close range weapon that fires relatively slowly. It also has a Charge Burst attachment which fires 3 projectiles in quick succession. Holds 20 shells.
 * Fists - Just fighting with your unarmed hands which include finishing kills.
 * Frag Grenade - Hand held explosive weapon.
 * Gauss Cannon - A weapon that fires a huge burst of energy forming a one shot kill.
 * Heavy Assault Rifle - An automatic rifle which features a scope that turns the weapon into a semi-automatic rifle. It also has a 'mini-rockets' alternate fire which gets rid of the scope, but in turn allowing the player to fire a barrage of fast firing rockets. Holds 60 rounds.
 * Lightning Gun - Short range energy weapon that fires a constant stream of electricity.
 * Pistol - The basic handgun which is the weakest weapon in the game.
 * Plasma rifle - An automatic directed-energy weapon that fires off a stream of concentrated plasma. Holds 150 rounds.
 * Repeater - Multiplayer-only weapon that fires a burst of three rounds at a time.
 * Rocket launcher - One of the weapons with a slower fire rate, it fire off rockets to cause massive damage to whatever meets it face to face, and also causes splash damage, dealing damage to those close to the explosion, perhaps even the player. Holds 16 rockets.
 * Siphon Grenade - The Siphon field created on impact leeches health from the enemies and returns it to the thrower.
 * Static Cannon - Multiplayer-only weapon that charges up to deal more damage as the player moves around.
 * Super shotgun - A more powerful version of the shotgun, which requires a reload after every shot. Holds 20 shells. Shares the same ammo pool as the combat shotgun.
 * Vortex Rifle - Multiplayer-only sniper rifle.

Mods
A weapons-mod system exists in the game that allows the player to customize their weapons. For instance, the rocket launcher can be equipped with a remote detonator that allows them to trigger the rocket's blast at will.

Enemies
Enemies can be dismembered and can infight. The game includes both classic monsters and new ones, such as:

Possessed Human

 * The Possessed (Zombies)
 * Possessed Engineers
 * Possessed Security
 * Undead Marines

Demon (Standard)

 * Barons of Hell
 * Arch Vile
 * Spider Mastermind
 * Hell Raisers
 * Hell Knights
 * Harvester
 * Prowler
 * Summoner
 * Imps
 * Mancubi
 * Cyber-Mancubi
 * Revenants
 * Cacodemons
 * Demons
 * Spectres
 * Lost Souls

Demon (Other)

 * Cyberdemons
 * Gore nests

Collector's edition
The game will feature a collector's edition. It features a 12' revenant statue and a steel case for the game.