Last Updated 21 August 1999
| Doom Legacy |
| id-software, a while back, released the source code for Doom (because
of legal issues relating to the sound/music code, only the Linux version
was released but it was soon ported back to DOS and had new sound/music
code added).
Doom Legacy is one of the enhanced versions of Doom based on this source code. It includes VESA support so you can play at resolutions higher than the standard 320x200, as well as a host of other features including 32-player support, TCP/IP (internet) support, CD music, Quake-style console, custom weapon preferences, map limits extended, DeHackEd support, no need for wad tools such as DeuSF/NWT, etc. The DOS version has no real rival IMO. If run under Windows, its TCP/IP support only recognizes WinSock v1 (i upgraded to v2 as an anti-WinNuke measure), but it includes DigMid which is a system where music, rather than being played by the soundcard directly, is 'rendered' by the software and then played as a sampled sound (if you get a decent GUS patch such as this 8mb one the music will almost certainly sound better). The Windows version, on the whole, i think is a bit of a comparative letdown. The current version is a lot better than the last version, but unless i was to play using TCP/IP i'd opt for the DOS version instead for now.. DoomLegacy HomePage
|
| zDoom |
| Like DoomLegacy, this is a source port of Doom. Its TCP/IP support
is not as developed as DoomLegacy, and since zDoom's DOS version doesn't
have music support, i'd only recommend the Windows version.
It includes a host of features (such as higher resolutions, doing away with the necessity for wad tools such as DeuSF/NWT, Quake-style console, etc) but is perhaps best noted for its enhanced support for end-user maps. As well as upping some of Doom's internal limits, it also supports features from TeamTNT's Boom as well as a host of its own new features (at the moment, its planned on having DoomScript - something much like QuakeC/UnrealScript. It also tends to cope fairly well with Doom .MUS format music. Worth having. |
| Memento Mori |
 This
addon pack was made during Doom's glory days. It is intended primarily
for cooperative play, and was made by some of the world's best Doom level
authors. All 32 levels are replaced (with new music and some new wall textures).
Storyline is based around earth's reconstruction shortly after where Doom2
left off, when all but one of the dimensional portals had been closed.
The levels tend to be enormous and well built.
An updated version of MM has been released, but i'm not really sure what was changed since i've only downloaded the original version. Alternatively, you can always download and run the infopack, which contains the full storyline, and some details of all the levels (including screenshots).. |
| Memento Mori 2 |
 MM2
is more single-player orientated than the first MM. This time you've been
shipped off to sort out yet another invasion from hell, this time on the
Jupiter colony. MM2 includes many more new wall and floor textures than
MM1, and does the original justice (even having new and different music
for every level). It does overdo the enemies a bit but not to any serious
extent as many of the levels are enormous (and well built), in cases obviously
made with CoOp play in mind. Unfortunately, some of the music tracks don't
play properly in any version of Doom other than the idsoftware ones (almost
all the musics are played improperly in DoomLegacy) - pity as MM2 is otherwise
one of the best level packs ever made.
As with MM1, Memento Mori 2 also includes an infopack. I'm not sure why, but MacDoom users will also need to download a bugfix patch.. |
| Icarus: Alien Vanguard |
 Typical
storyline that starts off where Doom2 left off (12 years after in this
case). Your on a lone mission to recover a vessel, either sterilizing it
of all enemies before bringing it back, or activating its self-destruct
before abandoning it.
Its a decent this 32-maps pack, even if it is rather run-of-the-mill. It includes new graphics and music (all of which i think were made from scratch - no ripped resources), and overall it is worth a glance. |
| Eternal Doom |
 This
addon does the term 'Total Conversion' real justice. In the storyline,
the powers that be had learned their lesson with the locational portals,
so instead they decided to built time portals. Not too surprising, hell
also learned a few lessons and decided this time to invade earth.. ..in
the distance past. You are part of a DeathSquad sent back through time
to stop the invasion.
Eternal Doom requires you to run an installer which takes some data from your doom2.wad and add it to the eternal.wad (which ends up being around 27mb), although some source ports (including Doom Legacy) probably don't require this. The download is 9mb, and the levels (32, plus 3 novelty maps such as a credits level) are enormous. Also includes a whole range of new graphics (new wall/floor/ceiling textures, new objects, etc) including a new-looking Imp that has a darker skin colour. Perhaps the best Doom2 level addon ever - one or two levels cause problems with DoomLegacy, but otherwise, its the best Doom2 level pack i've tried. Downside is that many (but probably only a minority) of the new graphics are ripped from Hexen, and to a lesser extent, Heretic and Quake, but all the replacement musics are original (to me, the music is a major plus-point). This is one to download. |
| Hell Revealed |
 The
usual marks of a decent level pack are here: 32 new levels, some new graphics,
and new music. It also has very good level build quality. Unfortunately,
its uninspiring. The levels generally follow the packed-with-enemies mentality
(so why does the small map22 contain three CyberDemons on the
lowest
skill level..). Although the readme states this, the replacement musics
are all ripped from Rise of the Triad (some of which fit very well, others
don't fit at all).
Perhaps inspired by Memento Mori's infopack, Hell Revealed (~2.2mb) also has an infopack, but I personally didn't bother with it - its a download almost as big as the Hell Revealed pack itself, and judging by its readme, its buggy anyway. Overall, i can't really recommend this unless you're seriously bored. |
| Parallel Dimension |
 Finding
levels for the original Doom is pretty rare nowadays, never mind an
entire episode. It even includes a DeHackEd patch, and uses some of
the exotic features in Boom and zDoom. Unfortunately, the DeHackEd patch
is buggy (caused problems with zDoom and crashed DoomLegacy outright),
but it still seems OK to play the game without it - the changes it makes
are cosmetic.
Overall, it doesn't seem like anything special. The levels have some interesting features but i don't think the build quality of top notch (at least in zDoom there's quite a few bugs). The replacement textures are few in number and are nothing to get exited about, and only one of the levels has music that isn't ripped from Doom or Doom2. It has its plus points, and being under 1MB, it might be worth a look but don't expect a masterpiece. |
| Herian |
 Seems
to be a Hexen-inspired
TC (i have little or no idea of the storyline though). It uses a lot
of graphics ripped from other games (especially Hexen, and i'm certain
the colour quantization (palette matching) hasn't worked out that well),
and the enemies that have replaced sounds/graphics are a bit unconvincing,
but the levels overall are decent (even though i am certain that at least
one is a direct rip out of Hexen and the texturing is badly chosen in places).
Overall, it isn't too bad, and quite honestly, it seems to fits together better than its sequel, Herian2. |
| Herian 2 |
 Not
sure what the storyline is but the addon seems to be a cross between Doom,
Heretic and Hexen, and it requires the latest version of zDoom (was v1.17c
at time of writing) to run. It uses a lot of resources (sounds and graphics)
hacked from Heretic, Hexen, Quake, and possibly other games (this is something
i'm a bit sick of seeing - i'm pretty certain its illegal, and its a stale
idea).
The addon is very atmospheric with some very good levels (using some of zDoom's enhanced features), though in some places things aren't that great, and it is a bit disjointed (the replacement enemy sprites and sounds tend not to work quite that well - Heretic's Maulotaur with a gatling gun sticking out of his naval is unconvincing). Overall, its a decent pack, but i get the feeling that i'm downloading 7mb of largely regurgitated data from games i bought years previously. If you've got a working zDoom setup and your the type who doesn't mind huge downloads, give this a try but i am reluctant to recommend it, especially with so many rips in it. A seperate (and optional) Music pack and weapon sprite pack (i havn't tried this option) if also available. |
| Requiem |
 This
is a Memento Mori style level
pack, and any fo the people involved in its production also worked
on one (or both) of the MM projects. Expect quality because this is one
of the few level packs that has it by the bucketload. The music is all
new (specially written for the pack) and there are very few (only 2 or
3 i think - and they are hard to spot) ripped graphics. I like the gothic
style that some of the levels use, but Requiem does have other styles of
level for those who want them.
I can't remember what the storyline is offhand, but thats just a suppliment to this set of very good levels. It even includes a MM-style infopack (1.1mb), though all the information (but not the screenshots) it includes are included in Requiem's readme. This is one to get. |
| Strain |
 The
graphics are tending quite a lot to the edited-version-of-existing-ones
(such as the baby CyberDemon thats simply a scaled down CyberDemon), but
at least there's a decent number that are new, and some of the edited ones
themselves deserve some credit for their quality. I wasn't particularly
impressed with most of the new music (which was probably not written for
use in Doom) though. I didn't like Strain
that much myself, and at 5mb, its a bit on the large side.. |
| B4 Doom |
 This
requires playing with zDoom, and uses some of its features. Storyline starts
off with you as one of the Heretic sourcerors who rather than getting killed,
was banished to a dimension in which you remained for 1000 years until
the UAC did their blunder with the teleportation experiment. From there
on you are the one who zombified/slaughtered all (but one) of the Mars
moon base personell. Unfortunatly, this pack is almost entirley made up
of rips mainly out of the original Doom and Hexen. Even all the levels
(except the first one) are basically edited versions of levels ripped out
of the original Doom, and to top it all, the auther included spite sets
for all the enemies - including the Cyberdemon that doesn't even appear.
This was a 5mb
download and it was fun for about as many minutes. Avoid. |
| Mordeth |
 Includes
a DeHackEd patch, new gfx, and naturally, new levels. One snag: since I
was testing this with zDoom (rather then id's doom2.exe - zDoom can read
DeHackEd patches as if they were .WAD files), something must've gone amiss
somewhere along the line because while some of the enemys' sounds and actions
had been replaced, their graphics had not. Also on the downside many of
the new gfx (though some have been edited) are rips (mainly from Hexen),
and probably all the new sounds are as well.
I have no incentive to give Mordeth a good review for these reasons. |