DOOM 3 BFG, The positive facts

[gurkoz]

There is a lot of complaining about this new version so here is my attempt to try and give some positive feedback on what I feel is good about it. It is not without it's flaws but I think it all has to do with too high expectations. Instead, take it for what it is and make up your own mind if it is something for you.

To me personally i like the new version. I played the regular one quite a lot back in the day and enjoyed it to the fullest. Being a complete Doom nut, the BFG Edition is for me, just another reason to play it through yet again.

Here is a list and notes about some of the things that the BFG Edition affects.

RESOLUTIONS
No need to fiddle with config-files to get more resolutions. Now just about everything is supported from the start. Then again, fixing it through the config-files was never a hard thing to do, it's still a plus for this edition.

NEW ENGINE AND BETTER PERFORMANCE
Although the old version runs at ridiculous speeds this new one on id tech 5 seems more smooth. More like Rage (without the texture loading problems). Some people are complaining about 3 fps and such but I have no problems, and I am still running on a old version of the Nvidia drivers. If you are having problems I would suggest to update the video drivers.

LIGHTNING
A lot of talk about the new lightning is going around. Some people are upset about the fact that it seems brighter and they just changed some variable and that was it. I personally don't mind how they achieved it and to me it really doesn't affect gameplay in a negative aspect. It still is a pretty dark game. Check out this clip in an almost pitch black section of the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scidvXwjOkg

FLASHLIGHT
Some might say the fact that the flashlight now is mounted distracts from the horror feel of the game. I could agree to some extent. But this is a new version and it adds a new twist to it. Still, they really should have kept the old flashlight for the higher difficulty levels. That or just a setting in the options menu. Also, it seems like the dynamic shadows for the flashlight where removed in this version. Someone pointed out that the they still are intact in the multiplayer mode. Perhaps it's a bug in the singleplayer or something with performance related to consoles. In any way, it really should be activated in the PC version. In the end, a small detail. Nothing that should keep you from buying the BFG edition.

CHECKPOINT SAVE
Autosave was already present in the old version so i really don't see any difference on this new checkpoint system. Perhaps now it's more frequent than before. Important to note is that you still, like before, have the option to save when ever you want manually.

GAMEPAD SUPPORT
A lot of players cling to the fact that gamepads are for losers and hardcore PC players only use keyboard and mouse. For a long time I was of the same notion but I slowly started to use it in various games where it felt more naturally. In fps games I can't say it feels more natural but it still is fun. It adds a bit of flavor to it and of course a bit of challenge. In the end, it's a added feature and a plus for the BFG Edition. And.. You don't need to use it! Here is a clip playing with the 360-controller. I am no expert or anything, all I am saying it is possible and really quite fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzR_lAIXiz4

ACHIEVEMENTS
Again, some people like it, some don't. The fact is that it's a added feature and a plus for the BFG Edition.

INTERFACE / MENU / PDA
The old version, compared to the today standards suffer from some low resolution. The new one is obviously cleaner and better. Everything working with a gamepad if you care about those things. (There was a awesome interface mod for the old version, loved that.)

PLAYER SPEED
I don't have the exact numbers but I am pretty sure they increased the movement speed of the player. Last time I played the old version I was a bit shocked at the slow pace you where moving. In any way, the speed in this version seems more in line of games today.

AMMO, HEALTH & DIFFICULTY
It was said they added ammo and health packs throughout the game to make it a bit easier for players. Again, this would mess with the horror feel of the game and nobody likes a game without a challenge. Having played the BFG edition a few hours in on veteran difficulty I can say the health is nicely distributed and it still is pretty hard. The ammo on the other hand feels a bit off since I mostly have a few hundred rounds to spare. Not a deal breaker, I love to spend ammo.

EXPANSION & NEW LEVELS
I haven't played the new levels as of yet so I will not comment on those. Still, it's a added feature and a plus for this BFG edition.

OPTIONS
It's easy to get upset and cry about the lack of settings and options in this edition. But this being a “Remastered” version everything would already be at maximum and there would be no need to have options to lower those settings. Still, more options never hurt. The bottom line is that the things that are relevant are present.

TEXTURES
Of course it would have been nice to have the original artist sit down and touch up all the textures to ridiculous fidelity. Sadly this was not the case with this BFG Edition. If you crave high resolution textures then the old version with mods will be your thing. Still, I have no problem playing Doom 3 again with the same textures (Ultra versions included).

Here is a comparison I made of the old and new BFG Edition.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6tJqYdwfsE

FOV
The default field of view might be an issue to some people. Luckily, there is still hope since you can change that through the g_fov parameter.

CONSOLE
Some people places the lack of in-game console as a negative but there really is nothing to it. You still can enable it through command line parameter. (Never used it in BFG edition since it would disable the Achievements.)

MODS
Naturally this is a new version in a way so old mods would have some compatibility problems. It seems though that the support for mods is non-existing in this BFG Edition. A sad thing really but it is more or less the way of the future.

Although, there is still some hope. Me personally, I could play the game fine without texture packs and co-op mods. But the included default sounds drives me nuts! The weapon sounds are just pathetic. And since there are no actual mod support in this BFG Edition I have tried a different approach. A bit more complex but in the end actually possible. I used this to change the sounds of the weapons. Time will tell if it will be a viable way to mod this release. Here is a clip of my version running with custom sounds.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6tJqYdwfsE&t=2m37s

3D AND OCULUS
Nothing I can comment on since I have no way to try them out. Still a added feature and support, making it a plus for the BFG Edition.

DOOM 1 & 2
Nice to have them included but I feel I rather stick to the original standalone versions on Steam. Again, a bonus for the BFG Edition to include them. Although some re-playability in these versions since they now also supports achievements.

[Stryker]

The biggest thing I see in terms of value for me is the 3D Vision support. That in itself justifies the price of admission. I got myself into 3D gaming last year and I will no longer play anything in 2D (exception of a few games...alpha centauri). The immersion of 3D if set up correctly is simply stunning. I'd also like to add 3D gaming is not like 3D movies, they are two distinct experiences. I am not a fan of 3D movies. Anywho, I was pretty excited to fnd out that I could get some of my favorite games to work in 3D and unfortunately Doom3 was not one of them at the time due to the fact its an OpenGL game. I will buy the Doom 3 BFG edition at some point soon solely for the 3D experience, otherwise, I don't see the point since I own them already. Bottom line is if you feel it's of value, by all means purchase and enjoy it.

[the sentry [Robin CL]]

i think this game need ....
1) Steam Workshop
2) mod for the game
3) cromos