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Marine Finds Duct Tape on Mars

mhore writes "It seems that one of the biggest complaints about Doom 3 has been resolved. Thanks to Glen Murphy, you may now use your flashlight and weapon at the same time, thanks to the ingenious 'Duct Tape' mod! While some may think this ruins the game play, I disagree and think it is worth noting." There's plenty of other Doom 3-related coverage over at PlanetDoom, including a pointer to a new IGN review, which PlanetDoom considers "a lot more fair and balanced than some of the reviews we've seen so far", with an overall 8.9/10 score.

19 of 536 comments (clear)

  1. Thank the lord by Rooked_One · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I kept wondering why, why why why, that marines in the year 2195 didn't have flashlights standard on their helmets.... or why for that matter our hero in this game didn't have a helmet. =/

    1. Re:Thank the lord by atomicdragon · · Score: 5, Funny

      Although I know it is mainly to make the game darker and scarier, which is more enjoyable to some people (and I rather take fun over realism), I think that it is still not too unconceivable. I am sure they have all of the technology there, but they don't always have their stuff together. One email in the game mentions how they got a shipment of chainsaws by mistake and there seem to be other logistical blunders. So I would guess things don't always run too smoothly there. Maybe their shipment of gun lights and night vision equipment was sent to the moon by accident.

      That, and I have to wonder how many flashlights do they need. It is in the future when they would think power should be readily available and everything is supposed to be brightly lit.

      And as to the question of why there was no duct tape around, I think the demons knew what they were doing. The first thing they probably did was take all of the duct tape, since they knew its awesome power. Why else would stuff all of sudden start breaking and failing through out the base? Hell does tend to break loose when you can't find any duct tape to hold it in place.

  2. Poor guy... by Compholio · · Score: 5, Informative

    "In anticipation of a slashdotting due in 10 minutes (god bless being a /. subscriber), the images have been removed from the front page. You may still view them here, if you're interested: screenshot 1, screenshot 2 (image quality has also been reduced)."

  3. Flashlight + Pistol by HungSquirrel · · Score: 5, Informative

    There is another mod that gives just your pistol a flashlight.

    http://dlx.gamespot.com/pc/doom3/moreinfo_610416 8. html

    --
    $ whatis themeaningoflife
    themeaningoflife: not found
  4. Thank the lord-A vain attack. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    " I kept wondering why, why why why, that marines in the year 2195 didn't have flashlights standard on their helmets.... or why for that matter our hero in this game didn't have a helmet. =/"

    Flashlight on helmet==target.
    Helmet==messes up hero's hair.

  5. Darkened room = less need for this mod by IvyMike · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I've found that by playing only at night, in pitch black, so that my eyes start to adjust to the dark, the extreme darkness of this game isn't that annoying.

    If I play in the morning before work, when the sun has risen, my eyes can't dynamically adjust from the light room to the dark screen, and I can't see anything. Maybe I need to eat more carrots or something.

    In any case, the bonus about doing it this way is that the game is way scarier at night. :)

    1. Re:Darkened room = less need for this mod by Fellgus · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I've always felt that the eye's light adaptation should be simulated by the game. If you play in a well lit room, your eyes won't adapt to changing light levels in a computer game, so I wonder, why doesn't the game increase the lighting when the majority of the scene is dark? It would even be possible to create "blinding" effects when entering daylight from a dark room. It would also create the impression of an even higher dynamic range of light than what is actually possible on a monitor.

      --

      -larsch

  6. Author's Comments by FrenZon · · Score: 5, Interesting

    While this mod is not for everyone, I've tried to maintain a certain level of paranoia by making the flashlight only attach to your smaller guns (but not the pistol - that would spoil the early early game), and making the cone of projection much smaller than the hand-held flashlight. This leads to situations where you're in a pitch black room, but can only see a very small area, which for some is much more claustrophobic than holding the default wide-angle flashlight. This especially applies when swinging your view around, and catching a glimpse of an enemy, who you are then unable to find as they've run off into the abundant darkness.

    Granted, as you can still use the current flashlight it does make things slightly less scary, but Doom3 has plentiful amounts of scariness to spare. Like playing the marine in Alien vs. Predator, I know of several people who still can't play it even using this mod, due to fear.

  7. Re:Sorry, correction by kubrick · · Score: 5, Funny

    where said marines are not likly to be properly equiped ... to fight wars at night. We in the Space Marines expect all our wars to be fought in well-lit conditions!

    --
    deus does not exist but if he does
  8. Flashlight=Greatest Weapon Ever by porp · · Score: 5, Funny

    Look at the flashlight from the viewpoint that it is a weapon. It shines light and lets you see shit. That's its purpose. This marine travelled to Mars, not expecting a hell intrusion. Instead he gets one, has few weapons, picks up a flashlight and some other weapons and starts kicking ass. Awesome.

    Okay, it's the future. Dudes in the future should have high tech badass gear. I mean, nightvision, we have, but in the future, shit, man, there should be some crazy shit that looks through walls and sees DEMONS. And, it sees them in the dark! Damn, in the future, they might even have dogs that wear electric turbons that allow them to focus energy that allows them to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. WOW.

    This is a game. He went in without a weapon. Apparently, which is plainly obvious, there are idiots that work on Mars and do stupid shit. They're conjuring Hell and demons and crazy ass spiders. It's clear they care little for their own safety; and, therefore, they have not duct taped flashlights on their machineguns.

    I'll continue playing without a pussy flashlight taped on. I'm in hell, and I'm kicking demon ass. F a flashlight, and F this mod.

    Down with the DEMONS.

    porp

  9. Poor guy...Eulogy for a server. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "If the access logs prove to be interesting, I'll summarise and post them, as I was always curious what it was like to be slashdotted."

    Well first the room lights dim to red, and a warning klaxon goes off. Then there can be heard the increasing sound of steam escaping, with the gagues on front registering overload. Then the server case starts bulging, rivets popping and flying across the room. There's a call for evacuation over the intercom, while solid steel pressure doors drop down. Standing outside five minutes latter, a muffled boom can be heard. A moment of silence, then a call is placed to Dell.

  10. Re:Way to be prepared. by FrenZon · · Score: 5, Funny
    I'm sure the guy had fair warning.
    Yeah, I'm a Slashdot subscriber, so I saw it highlighted in red 10 minutes before it went live :D

    Not that I .. erm .. refresh slashdot every 5 minutes or anything.
  11. maybe now... by ltwally · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe now I'll stop shitting my pants every time I play DOOM 3.

    John Carmack should have thought to include toilet paper with the game.

    --



    /dev/random
  12. Don't do it! by Fiz+Ocelot · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Ok I'm sure someone already posted this sentiment, but I'm compelled to post :P

    First off I've beaten Doom3 with no mods or outside info of any sort, it was awsome. Now about the flashlight....

    Needing a seperate flashlight ADDS a LOT to the feeling of vulnerability, that something could jump out and attack you when you are most vulnerable!

    Lets put it this way, How do you feel when you have your gun out with light, versus having no light? You can't see well, you're not sure about your surroundings...something may be over there...but it still provides a sence of security.

    Taking away the gun takes away that sence of security. You can see better, but now you're vulneable, you'd feel better if you had that gun out wouldn't you?

    So basically I think it's great game design. It greatly enhances the feeling of insecurity and vulnerability. I think even having this mod is great proof that id made a design that makes some people feel a little too insecure :)

  13. In case anyone missed it. Beta Catalyst 4.9. by OwP_Fabricated · · Score: 5, Interesting

    http://www.ati.com/support/infobase/4547.html

    I tried them out of curiosity, and I am indeed seeing improvement in framerates in Doom 3. I wonder though, if these tweaks are designed for OpenGL, will they translate over to other OpenGL games like Call of Duty?

  14. Hardware req's by DaveKAO · · Score: 5, Funny

    Wow... I can't beleive I just spent $1,700 on a new machine just to display all this damn darkness. My old video card displayed a screenful of black just fine.

  15. HOW-TO: Fix your Gamma in game by Jonah+Hex · · Score: 5, Informative
    ..for those of you still playing, hell I would of quit in the first level without adjusting the engine's gamma. This doesn't do anything to my framerate, YMMV

    Pull up the console (Ctrl + Alt + ~)
    type "r_gamma 2" (max is 3, default 1)
    Adjust brightness downward a notch or two
    ; especially if you cranked it up while looking for the fucking gamma control like I did.

    And here's a bonus hacking tip, the developer's own config files (keybindings, video settings, etc) are stored in one of the *.pk? files (in D3's case pak000.pk4). Usually you can pull out some interesting command usage, especially when one developer has binds to useful commands and functions as in-game editing menus. From the johnc.cfg file, a few lines out of many such as rebinding console to a normal "~" and Flashlight Batteries (MP option?), plus the fact that he doesn't mind his game dark.
    bind ~ "toggleconsole"
    seta si_flashLightBatteries "0"
    seta si_allowFlashLight "1"
    seta r_customHeight "486"
    seta r_customWidth "720"
    seta r_gamma "1"
    Jonah Hex (aka [TFO]DogMeat to my MOHAA old mod friends :)
  16. Combat survival 101 by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 5, Informative
    Lesson 1: DO NOT SIGNAL YOUR PRESENCE TO THE ENEMY.

    One of the things any real soldier knows is that once you give your position away you MOVE. So a sniper never stays in one place after a shot (make note snipers who are suprised that after they shoot me I kill them in computer games). With night fighting the flash of your weapon means that after you fire a round you move since the enemy now knows exactly were you are.

    Same deal really with search lights. Sure they make it easier to see but the poor guy operating it will probably be the first to die as he is the easiest to target.

    Putting lights on your body or weapon is a big NO-NO. Why not just paint your self a big fluorescent target on your chest and be done with it?

    The only ones who use lights on their guns are special forces like swat teams. They operate at such speed and with such overwhelming force that the enemy doesn't have time to respond. A swat team could go in with sirens on their head since they are not supposed to stay still and engage a heavily armed enemy.

    Watch the movie ET and the opening scene where all the cops are walking with their flashlights shining. Now imagine they are soldiers and you are the enemy waiting in ambush. Who do you think is going to win?

    There is also an other reason why not to use a flashlight at night. Your eyes can adjust to the dark and make use of what little light there is available. Start shining a flashlight around however and your eyes won't adjust. You will see very good in the small cone of the flashlight and be blind outside. Not good.

    So lights on weapons or worse the body are a clear sign you are watching a movie. They can only really be used when you are reasonably certain that you are operating at such speed against a less prepared enemy that the giving away your position and presenting a brightly lit target makes up for you being able to see.

    How does this relate to doom3? Well what happened is pretty realistic. The marine realises he is not in a normal combat scenario so he uses duct tape to adjust to the situation. So the question is not why the marins do not have lights on their weapons or body pre-fitted. The question is why ID did not give their soldier some duct-tape after he learned of the changed situation. Then again how many FPS have you seen where the hero tapes clips together for faster reload, tapes two guns together for extra fire power? We seen it in the movies, gotta be sound tactics or they wouldn't use it.

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

    1. Re:Combat survival 101 by Draeven · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I do agree with your commentary and logic on lights, but as far as Doom3 is concerned, it doesn't apply. Things simply know where you are, once they are alert to your presence (Froms ound, etc) There is no place to hide, they seek you out. We have tactical rails on everythying from pistols to rifles these days, it doesn't make a lick of sense to me that we'd go over 100 years in the future only to downgrade our tactical weaponry. If the guy wasn't meant to shine a flashlight around in the first place, they wouldn't have given him one at all. It should have been on his rifle and or handgun to start with. Maybe an optional item to pick up, but still.

      And were this a better simulation of reality, eyes adjusting to the darkness would be a useful thing, but since the game doesn't program such things into it, and thus it's not possible to see into that dark corner now matter how long you stare at it, using that kind of logic for doom3 is simply flawed.

      More duct tape, less stupid story driven programming.