August 2004 Archives

I was ready to blame my earlier installation issues on an aging system. Now I can say that again - Doom III has serious issues with its installation procedure.

I spent the past 3 days rebuilding my PC - new motherboard, new CPU and memory, new main harddrive, new CD player. Tonight, most of my software has been reinstalled. Time to bring Doom back to life on this new system and see how it feels compared to the old one.

The result was the same :

- Norton Anti Virus had to be disabled (or it stops the installation dead in its tracks)

- The windows installer had to be updated with the runtime components available on the CD1.

- All three CDs had to be copied in a single folder on the harddrive for the installation to run smoothly.

It took only 45 minutes this time, instead of 2 hours, but it is still not an acceptable behavior from such an expensive game. After being in the making for 4 years, you would think they could have spend some more time testing the installation procedure.

Ok... the rave reviews were right after all. Doom III is an amazing game.

From the beginning, the game is a claustrophobic, oppressive experience. Like in the best horror movies, it takes you through a constant flow of creepy sounds, menacing shadows and flickering lights. Everything conspires to give you that nagging feeling that something is right behind your back.

They were not joking when the Mature Rating displays a warning about 'strong horror sequences'. The game should also carry a Surgeon General Warning about the effects it can have on your nerves.

A lot of people have complained about having to switch between using a flashlight or a gun, to the point that someone even created a mod for the game to simulate attaching a flashlight to some of the guns with duct tape. While this mod adds some realism of its own, having to decide between light and firepower is a great way to create terror.

Like Horror Master H.P.Lovecraft repeatedly said, there is nothing more terrifying than what you can imagine. The true horror of this game comes from what you cannot see. You are never quite sure there is not  something lying in the shadow of a room. The sounds behind your head could be the screams of a demon or just steam rushing through a valve. In this category, Doom III is an extraordinary achievement.

The game is not without defaults of course. The story and interactivity are kept to a minimum (but at least, there is a story unlike other mindless shooting games). I can just imagine what it would be like to recreate a game like System Shock II with this technology. Hopefully someone will create that mod.

The artificial intelligence of the creatures is a little light compared to games like Far Cry or the upcoming Half Life 2 (if I can believe the videos). But the creatures pack in brutality what they lack in intelligence. As the game unravels, new and more powerful creatures start showing up. I can't wait to see what the end looks (and feels) like.

So far, about a third into the game, Doom III definitely deserves the title of the best survival game ever made.

Here is something you are not likely to read in the mountains of amazing reviews of Doom III - a $60 game should not take 2 hours of battle to install.

Like legions of other fans, I waited patiently the arrival of a new level of experience in PC games. I even avoided the rush of the first couple of days in a video game store and get my copy from a well supplied store. I finally got home with the precious box in my hands, opened and ploped the CD into my drive and.... nothing.

Two seconds into the installation sequence, Windows installer decides this game is too evil for me and just rolls over... dead. Windows soon follows and begs for a reboot.

Second attempt - I disable Norton Anti Virus in case it was the source of my problems... same result.

Third attempt - the README file on the CD make a vague reference to the fact that the windows installer will detect if the PC has an older version and will install a new version automatically. Like that was going to happen... An installation and a reboot later, I finally get past the first CD. This time, the installation hangs on  the second CD. Back to the drawing board...

Fourth attempt - Copied all three CDs in separate directories (Disk1, Disk2 and Disk3) on my harddrive only to find out the installer cannot find the other folders after taking care of Disk1.

Fifth attempt - Copied all CDs in a single folder, disabled Norton AntiVirus just in case and.... finally ! The installation went through... that is, until it reminded me that I had to install DirectX9b.

A last reboot later, I can finally watch with anticipation Mars Station coming to life on my screen in all glorious colors, shadows and nightmarish screams.