Back cover for the 3DO version of Doom
A screenshot from the 3DO version of Doom
The 3DO version of Doom was published by Logicware and Art Data Interactive in 1996. The level set is identical to that of the Atari Jaguar version, though unlike the Jaguar version, Spectres are included. This version is single-player only.
Many fans consider this to be the worst console port of Doom since it runs in a small screen at a low frame rate. The game offers 6 screen sizes, the 2 largest only available via a cheat. The advantage of selecting smaller screen sizes is that the game runs faster and at a higher frame rate, though performance issues still manifest even on the lowest resolution.[1]
The game includes an autosave feature, which allows the player to start at any previously reached level and retains all sound and graphics settings. Its updated soundtrack features remixed versions of the original music.
Development[]
Pre-production on the 3DO version began when Art Data Interactive purchased console rights to Doom for a large sum of money, but without a staff to actually develop the port, Art Data's CEO shopped around for a team. The project eventually wound up with Rebecca "Burger Becky" Heineman at Logicware, who had already impressed Art Data with her 3DO port of Wolfenstein 3D, and who Art Data assured the project was already well underway and just needed some fine tuning. Heineman would then find that virtually no work had actually been done on the project, and that the CEO of Art Data had grossly underestimated how much work it would actually take to develop the game, boasting about brand new levels, enemies and weapons in the press when all he had was mock-up art assets. With no support from Art Data, Heineman acquired the PC and Jaguar source code for Doom straight from id Software and created a quick-and-dirty conversion in just ten weeks.[2]
Full-motion video cutscenes were also planned to take advantage of the 3DO's media streaming capabilities and increased CD-ROM storage medium, but these never came to pass.[3] In its stead the 3DO port features a newly remixed soundtrack, created to replace the Jaguar-specific audio drivers that Heineman was unable to port, and recorded by a band that Art Data's CEO was a part of.[4]
Other differences from the original version[]
- The HUD’s primary color is brown instead of gray. It also specifies which level the player is occupying.
- The Invulnerability Sphere merely inverts the color, rather than rendering it both inverted and monochrome.
- The enemies are less aggressive (except on Nightmare! difficulty), attacking more sporadically as they engage the player.
- E2M7 uses different textures and the basement is absent.
- There is no exposition upon beating an episode, other than the campaign’s end text that displays after beating E2M9.
- Completing the campaign from beginning to end rewards the player with a cast sequence.
Soundtrack[]
The complete soundtrack is as follows:
| Song | PC Doom equivalent | Where it is used |
|---|---|---|
| Demons on the prey | E1M7 | Title screen, Credits, Menus, Map 7, Map 18 |
| At Doom's Gate | E1M1 | Intermission, Map 1, Map 12 |
| The Imp's Song | E1M2 | Map 2, Map 13 |
| Dark Halls | E1M3 | Map 3, Map 14 |
| Kitchen Ace (And Taking Names) | E1M4 | Map 4, Map 15 |
| Suspense | E1M5 | Map 5, Map 16 |
| On The Hunt | E1M6 | Map 6, Map 17, Map 22 |
| Sign Of Evil | E1M8 | Map 8, Map 23, Victory screen, Casting |
| I Sawed The Demons | E2M1 | Map 9, Map 19 |
| Donna To The Rescue | E3M2 | Map 10, Map 20 |
| Untitled | E3M1 | Map 11, Map 21 |
| Hiding The Secrets | E1M9 | Map 24 (Secret map) |
Gallery[]
Available screen sizes:
Trivia[]
- According to Rebecca Heineman, the reason the two largest screen sizes are locked behind cheat codes was to allow for compatibility with the 3DO's successor system, the Panasonic M2. Both the 3DO Company and Logicware had hoped that the faster processor of the M2 would allow the game to run faster and automatically enable the larger screen sizes if the game was running on the M2, but the system was eventually cancelled, so these plans never came to pass.
External links[]
- Information about the port on ClassicDOOM.com
- Video footage of the 3DO version of Doom
- The game's source code