4K, 120 FPS, and more
Is 4k at 120 FPS really that impressive for Doom? My gut feeling is that at least source ports can run 4k at hundreds of fps.
It isn’t. GZDoom has been doing this for years and years
It’s not impressive, but it’s nice to get a mainstream release that maxes it out within reason for the vast majority of people with zero effort or inside knowledge. If you aren’t happy with anything less than 8k 144Hz, then you can make that happen for yourself by other means. But for the millions of people with 120Hz TVs from a Memorial Day sale, this really is a meaningful offering.
Does it even really make a difference, given the low-res resources?
I think it is. It’s more akin to a renovation project. Like when venues have a 1920’s pipe organ upgraded and refurbished to keep it playing. Sure the keyboard is now midi, the pump is electric instead of manual and the valves are electrically controlled now. But it keeps a masterpiece in working order and modernized for today’s enjoyment. While an engineer definitely lost nights of sleep and lots of elbow grease to make it possible. It’s not easy to keep such old code modern and playable.
Nah, the community has been keeping it alive for decades, much better than any corporation could.
The community updates for these sorts of things never seem to be interested in controller support and split-screen, so when those things are well supported, that’s when I get excited.
Not to mention native console ports with crossplay multiplayer
Both controller support and splitscreen are available in source ports.
I just tried GZDoom from Flathub to try to see if these things were there, because they weren’t last I checked (which was admittedly a long time ago). The game couldn’t find my WADs after a few tries of trying to get it to work, even after using Flatseal. Flathub reviews indicate that those who managed to get it running were having trouble getting the game to recognize their controller. The Steam version just works. Having community source ports is great, but there’s value in the company updating their official version.
I tried this on my Steam deck, and the launcher that opens the specific game (DOOM, DOOM 2, etc) was so pitifully sluggish.
I think it was struggling to load the screenshot or to stop playing a demo video to move onto showing a screenshot.
Absolutely abysmall performance for something so unbelievably simple by a large studio.
No problems here on PC or my ROG Ally X. Maybe a compatibility issue on Steam Deck.
There’s also updated music for the games by Andrew Hulshult (who worked on the music for Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods DLC)
That’s nice! This explains that: 11 Years in the making…IDKFA (DOOM + DOOM II) is now official / @AndrewHulshultOfficial / YouTube.com
This is what the 2019 re-release should have been
And yet the Kex engine still doesn’t offer QoL improvements like multiple quick saves, auto saves, and control configuration is very limited, especially for mods/games that offer extra controls like jumping or inventories. No free mouse look or free aim.
Cross multi-player is neat but it was running kind of janky when I tried it. There’s also a pretty severe bug that enemies forget what state they were in after you load a save (they default back to idle). I don’t think that was an original bug, other ports (and pretty sure this one prior to this update) don’t have that bug.
I get that Doom at this point is more community platform than game, but other ports make clearer their intent at either upgrades-and-options (gzdoom) or attempting to stick close to the original (chocolate, eternity). I don’t think the Kex port makes clear it’s position on this. Controller support, cross-multiplayer, and some graphical options (like the weapon icons) make it seem like a QoL port but then things like no freelook make it seem like it wants to also be traditional.
Edit:
I feel like I’ve only talked about the engine a few times now. The new episode, Legacy of Rust, is excellent and a worthwhile addition to the core game. New enemies slot in well, new weapons are fun, and mainly the levels are just gorgeous and extremely hard. I muddled through episode 1 on UV but episode 2 stomped my face in right out of the gate. They weren’t playing on this one. Lots of nice touches too like brand new inter-mission screens, some new and expanded texture work, and the architecture is just really stunning. Some of meanest archvile placement since Plutonia as well. I really can’t recommend the new missions enough, though I might see if they’ll run in GZD, haha.
