DOOM, an all time classic, and one of the most influential games ever made.

Back in the days (I think those days were 96-97) I played a bit of DOOM at my neighbors place (I suspect that my parents though I had an entirely different reason for spending so much time with her...). Only the shareware version though, and neither of us were very good at the game. But we had fun.

Now I've finally had the chance to play DOOM again. I've played through the entire original game (which was both shorter and easier than expected, clocking in at 4h for all 3 episodes on "Hurt me plenty").
I did not expect to love the game. I expected to find it kinda entertaining, but very dated, but what I instead discovered was that yes, the game has held up well, and is still incredibly enjoyable. And it is not just the meaty shotgun sound that does it (though I actually used the shotgun more than 80% of the time). Not only was the action fast and satisfying, but the game did something else. It did not point me in exactly the right direction at all time, instead it gave me a map, and used the map layout to give subtle hints on where to go next. In some ways the, by all accounts, managed to still feel like it respected my intelligence. It expected me to be able to figure out what to do next, without pointing a big flashing arrow in the direction, and it made it all the more satisfying to play.
I don't think I'll be able to play many modern shooters after playing this. I have played some (it is not my main genre), and I have enjoyed them, but DOOM made me look at them in a new, less favorable light.

And as a thanks for listening to my rambling, here have a game

Wolf3D, DOOM, Duke3D, Blood, Heretic, Hexen, Witchhaven, Shadow Warrior, Strife, Redneck Rampage ... they're all better than modern shooters.

DOOM changed the way I plan and carry out school shootings. :D

It is somewhat of a shame not too many games carried on many of the game design elements that I favored from the likes of Doom, Shadow Warrior, and so on until recently. Strife will always be my favorite for creating a living world and for rewarding exploration, which was always my favorite element of those games. Hexen 1 + 2 and Dark Forces are also some of my favorite shooters for similar reasons.

And NR, +Rep. ;)

Level design back then was unbelievable. Doom 2, in particular, is king in this aspect.
I also think they're much better than the "cinematic experiences" current levels are.

But deathmatch, and online in general, today is much better. Games like Team Fortress 2 makes me happy every single time.

That was a stab at all the people who blame video games every time one of those things happen. I don't mean any offense to the lives touched or lost by those tragedies; the people who blame them on DOOM however deserve all the ridicule they can get.

Marilyn Manson tells me to do it

I liked doom, but the level design dropped off about 2/3rds into episode 3 and then episode 4's difficulty was all over the map with the toughest levels first and the easiest levels in the middle.

I still have not played Strife. I'll have to do something about that at some point. I have a soft spot for the frantic action in Quake's MP. Those rocket-launcher battles were among the most fun I've ever had in a shooter. But yea, TF2 is a stellar example of modern MP.

Something that I sometimes feel has been lost in modern game design is using the levels to gently guide you in the right direction, while still leaving them open. I was never lost for more than a few min at a time in DOOM, even though some of the levels were, at first glance, rather confusing, and some keys somewhat well hidden. And by doing it this way, they managed to make me feel like I was the one who figured things out, which gave me a sense of satisfaction. Designing levels like this does take a lot of skill & hard work though, but at least according to me, it's worth it. The 4th episode was not a part of the original game though, it was added later, in The ultimate DOOM. I'm going to start it tomorrow, to see how bad it actually is.

(Somewhat relevant)

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=4938809957639

GOG posted a video from Quakecon, so I hope they take the opportunity to try to get in closer with ZeniMax or specific subsidiaries. :)

The problem is that those people you intend to mock have no idea what you mean.
They are too stupid to understand people have weird (trying to place you nicely) senses of humor, they can only take what you do at face value.
Think of them like you will be the computers now, and probably have been for some time, monitoring you daily activity. As Amok said, donot make any urgent flight plans for anywhere with public places.

XD I live in a log cabin in the north woods. I have hair down to my ass, no friends, and I'm an obnoxious prick. TRUST ME, they already have me under surveillance, and I say fine. I am the most harmless boring person on the planet and if they want to waste their time let them. :P

Back ON topic. That is why I've always considered Doom one of the greatest games ever. Not because it's any fun to play now (for me it really isn't) but because all the shooters I enjoy now owe so much to it.

Be careful, a teenager in Canada post things like these on his facebook and got jailed with 500,000 bail money.

http://www.dailydot.com/news/justin-carter-facebook-joke-league-of-legends/

You might not have an anon with 500,000 to spare.

I saw this not long ago, what's happening with this world?