Doom 3 Demo Available

You mean by OverlordQ · 2004-09-19 05:51 · Score: 4, Insightful

they're just *now* getting a demo out? Doesn't that usually come *before* the game is released?

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Re:You mean by phantomAI · 2004-09-19 05:52 · Score: 2, Insightful

I think id's strategy was to get people to buy the game first, even if it meant that their systems couldn't handle it.
Re:You mean by Jonny_eh · 2004-09-19 05:56 · Score: 5, Insightful

They always said that the game would get released 'When it is done'. 'It' wasn't the demo, 'it' was the full game. The demo is a nice thing to have but if they waited till the demo was done, the game would only see a release now.
Now, only if they hired an extra person to work concurrently on the demo so it could've been ready in August...
Re:You mean by sinergy · 2004-09-19 05:56 · Score: 4, Insightful

Creating a demo before the final product just pushes back the final product's release date.

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Re:You mean by Hi_2k · 2004-09-19 06:07 · Score: 2, Insightful

Not for ID. Video games are becoming mainstream, but ID is still a "Hardcore" gamer's company. They know that their market is the kind of people who hang out in IRC and play 6-8 hours daily. Sure, some "Normal" people will buy it, but their fanboy base is huge.

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Re:You mean by Finkbug · 2004-09-19 06:20 · Score: 2, Insightful

"they're just *now* getting a demo out? Doesn't that usually come *before* the game is released?"

Let's see. I've got a game that millions pre-ordered years in advance. It's arguably the most anticipated computer game ever. It will sell out on the first day.

What exactly do I gain with a pre-release demo?

Seriously folks: why on earth would they demo DOOM 3 before the release? People were going to buy it anyway. Heck, a demo might well have decreased early sales as some (such as me) found it maybe the third best FPS released so far this year. An early demo would have gained them *nothing*. Releasing one now will help pick up a second wave or purchasers.

Demos are essential for selling WidgetMaster: The Velvet Antenna of Dragondom. DOOM 3 didn't need one.

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Feeling so good natured I could drool
Re:You mean by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-19 06:23 · Score: 1, Insightful

You're apparantly not a fanboy, since you don't know it's "id".
Re:You mean by bheading · 2004-09-19 06:28 · Score: 3, Insightful

No, the strategy was to get people to buy the game first, as it isn't actually all that good.

When you've got stuff like FarCry doing all kinds of mindblowing things with the visuals and the gameplay, and compare that with how far Doom3 has come given how long it has supposedly been in development, Doom3 is a huge let-down. I suspect ID were well aware of this, so they delayed the demo by a month and kicked a huge marketing machine into place behind the game to shift as many copies as humanly possible, banking on the fans of the previous versions (ie folks like me) to snap it up straight away.
Re:You mean by C0rinthian · 2004-09-19 07:31 · Score: 5, Insightful

Not being able to use the flashlight with guns is INTENTIONAL. Wishing desperately that you could use both is the intended effect. You are not supposed to be comfortable. Honestly, if you could use both at the same time, you'd never turn the flashlight off!

As for multiplayer, I have 2 points. First: DOOM3 is primarily a SINGLE PLAYER game. They added multiplayer as an extra. If you bought it for multiplayer, you're stupid. Second point: Check out the maps. They're small, dark, and close quarters. (much like the single player game) 4 players is a good limit for the maps that shipped with the game. I know that limit is not hard coded, and player made stuff has already upped that player limit.
Re:You mean by kannibal_klown · 2004-09-19 09:01 · Score: 2, Insightful

You mean they're just *now* getting a demo out? Doesn't that usually come *before* the game is released?

That used to be the case. First the demo, then the game. The demo would drive sales.

But recent events have proven the Demo is either un-necessary or can even hurt sales.

If a game has such a major fan base, like the people drooling over DOOM 3, then you have their sales already without the demo. They're going to buy the game opening day whether they've played a demo or not.

Besides, nowadays there are so many sites with screenshots and video clips of betas, not to mention the sheer number of reviews, the demo isn't AS necessary to make the decision.

After the first couple of weeks, you have to then draw in future purchases, and a demo is a good way to attract them (assuming the game is any good).

Now, look at "Deus Ex: Invisible War." People were drooling over that game because of the greatness the first one possessed. However, the "DX: IW" demo showed a lot of people how horrible it was. It came nowhere near meeting their (our) expectations, so a lot of people decided not to buy the game.

Yeh, demos are great for the consumer. But for the seller, sometimes they are useless in the beginning, or can hurt sales.

Re:Uh...the game is out by Syzar · 2004-09-19 05:52 · Score: 5, Insightful

To test how well game works on your comp, that is without pirating it.

Re:oh the power by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-19 05:55 · Score: 1, Insightful

min. requirements aren't that bad.
bad are only the poor models. hands look like fist-gloves with a texture wrapped around them. and even in the beginning where all people are supposed to be alive their skin looks like they've became zombies 2 years ago.

the only neat things in doom3 are the light effects. and yeah the darkness!!! ;)

Short review of the game by Reducer2001 · 2004-09-19 05:55 · Score: 5, Insightful

Bought it, played it, didn't like it. It tries to be too much like Doom2, but doesn't make it....at all.

I played Doom 1 & 2 for many hours when they came out, both solo, co-op and deathmatch. I played Doom 3 through once and had no desire to play it again.

Once you realized that when you picked up that 'too good to be true' item, you'd be blitzed by ten monsters suddenly spawning, it got old REAL quick. And yes, it does look pretty. But so did Matrix Revolutions.

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Re:Short review of the game by EpsCylonB · 2004-09-19 06:14 · Score: 5, Insightful

I was dissapointed as well, fanboys will tell you that you have no right to criticise as this is "the original Doom updated, you knew exactly what you were going to get".

That just isn't true, there was more variation between the different levels in the original game than in Doom 3. The dark corridors do their job, this is an incredibly scary game, but gameplay wise it becomes boring and repetitive very quickly.

Graphically it is astounding and no doubt some great games will be made with the engine. But ID is now just a tech house if the lack of gameplay innovation in Doom 3 is anything to go by. We have all laughed at Romero's failings since leaving ID but they need more really creative people like him.

Doom3 isn't a awful game, just not a trailblazer like Doom and Quake were.
Re:Short review of the game by Osmosis_Garett · 2004-09-19 06:15 · Score: 4, Insightful

So in other words, you had preconceptions about this game which weren't met and therefor you set it aside. Personally, I found the element of surprise to be the main attraction. This is a horror game, along the lines of the original Resident Evil games and the like. Doom and Doom2 were full on FPS games with no 'terror moments', but Doom3 is full of them. The spawning monsters are anything but surprising; the teleportation process takes a second or 2 and by then you should be in a good vantage point to mow them down with whatever weapon you choose. The real fear comes from the creatures that are already there, lurking in shadows and not making BAMPH noises when they attack.
Try playing it when you're in the mood, and with a bit of effort put into getting absorbed in the game such as a darkened room, headphones, etc. Also, try not to make broad generalizations such as saying "when you pick up that 'too good to be true' item you get blitzed by 10 monsters". This game is anything but a one trick pony and if that is all you saw I really wonder if you spent any time at all examining the game. Doom3 is rich with backstory, interwoven into the game System Shock2 style with logfiles and email communications, not to mention the videos explaining the whole purpose of the lab installation.

Its too bad you couldn't look at the game carefully enough to notice these things. Doom3 is a work of art.
Re:Short review of the game by EpsCylonB · 2004-09-19 06:37 · Score: 3, Insightful

Both Doom and Quake 1 had fantastic level design that really broke new ground. ID also are responsible for basically creating the online multiplayer FPS genre (usually credited to Quake 2, it was present earlier but Q2 was the breakthrough).

But creatively they haven't done anything interesting since Quake 1.
Re:Short review of the game by Plugh · 2004-09-19 07:02 · Score: 4, Insightful

That just isn't true, there was more variation between the different levels in the original game than in Doom 3.
Agreed 100%. At this point, I'm counting on people making their own levels to save this game. Ahh, if only I had the kind of time I used to have in High School and College.
Contrast Doom 3 levels with the level designs in Quake 2. I'll never forget the alien scientists doing Mengele-style operations on the Marines, while they cried out "Make it Stop!"... now THAT was FUCKING SCARY.
The dark corridors do their job, this is an incredibly scary game
Sorry, I disagree. Yes, even after setting the Brightness control to a pretty high value, I am still left asking: why the fuck did I shell out the cash for a Radeon9800 Pro, just to see a fucking 90% BLACK SCREEN?

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Re:Short review of the game by drinkypoo · 2004-09-19 07:33 · Score: 2, Insightful

id started out making great games with great engines, ever since quake 2 (including it mind you) they've been making great game engines and crappy games. Quake 2 actually played pretty well but it looked like shit, everything was washed out. I still feel that Quake is the pinnacle of id so far. You could play it pretty smoothly over a decent modem connection and it was truly a breakthrough in graphics.

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Re:Short review of the game by Elminst · 2004-09-19 08:29 · Score: 1, Insightful

but there's nothing really new in [HL],

Of course there isn't!! The game is 6 years old!
You can't compare it to every thing that has come out since. That's like comparing a model-T to a Camaro- "I drove a model-t yesterday, it's got wheels and runs, but it's nothing new." DUH!

Compare HL to anything that was out 6 years ago, and you'll start to understand why it won every possible award there was.

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This isn't gonna increase sales by goneutt · 2004-09-19 05:58 · Score: 5, Insightful

If you put out a preview that lets people discover their computer doesn't have the power to keep up they deffinatly don't buy the box.(I know, thats what those software nutrition labels are for, but they can get vague.)
Those that buy the software, install and discover their computer needs $300+ worth of upgrades are stuck with the software due to the no open returns policies. Thus hype sells more games if you don't put out a preview.

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Re:This isn't gonna increase sales by KDR_11k · 2004-09-19 06:23 · Score: 2, Insightful

If you have a reasonable CPU (if you haven't you'd have noticed with games much older than Doom 3) you can get a graphics card that can play the game for 60-80 bucks (Radeon 9550, I played it on a 8500 without much of a problem), which isn't much more than you pay for a game.
Seriously, Doom 3 isn't that demanding, a system that cannot keep up with Doom 3 likely has problems with other current games as well.

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demo after release by Paralizer · 2004-09-19 06:01 · Score: 3, Insightful

I suspect they are doing this so that those who are/were skeptical about the performance of the game on their machines will have a chance to test it out before purchasing the full version.

Linux? by isNaN · 2004-09-19 06:07 · Score: 4, Insightful

But where are the linux binaries? Aren't ID supposed to be the big linux supporters?

When they release them I will probably buy the game just for supporting them back but are they comming anytime soon??

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Demo later than release -- seems normal to me by IronChefMorimoto · 2004-09-19 06:08 · Score: 5, Insightful

Releasing the demo nowadays AFTER the release seems, to me, like a great way to find out if you want to buy the game, without the majority of bugs that might plague a BETA-quality demo.

In my mind, a game software manufacturer will release a demo POST-release to entice those who haven't decided yet to purchase the game. Someone who downloads, say, the Doom3 demo, can decide if the software will work on his/her machine without some of the pre-release bugs that might plague the product. ATI vs. Nvidia compatibility immediately comes to mind.

On the other hand, if you're releasing something that's entirely new (in terms of a game/concept), then you could potentially risk lack of interest by releasing the demo AFTER the game itself. A new product can benefit greatly from a demo, I think, and in this regard, it would be wise to release it with some bugs.

In the case of Doom3, I must admit, though, that making people wait another month or two for a demo for a game that took 4-5 years to develop is a little dumb. Reviewers and gamers alike have been mediocre about the game -- for it being more of a technology demo (the Carmack engine -- hehehehe) than a good game with a good story. This sort of reviews, I think, would make a buyer think twice about getting the game at initial release prices.

If the demo had been out beforehand, perhaps potential buyers would not have pre-conceived notions of what to expect of the game overall because they would only play a small portion of it in the demo. The graphics would ooh and ahh and really get the idea of buying such a terrific looking game in the minds of potential buyers. It would be a buyer's remorse thing (after iD has pocketed the sale) if the buyer then decided that, "Yeah, the graphics rock, but it was kind of bland and the story was OK."

I am one who read the Doom3 reviews, waited until a friend bought a copy and got tired of trying to finish the bland story, and played it for him. I enjoyed the experience, but given my expectations after reading reviews, I am still glad my friend shelled out the $55 for the game. He has the discs back now, and I will most likely wait until the game drops to $30 or something to buy it. There are other things to play right now.

My two cents.

IronChefMorimoto

Re:Demo later than release -- seems normal to me by IntergalacticWalrus · 2004-09-19 06:57 · Score: 2, Insightful

Yeah, in a perfect world, releasing a polished demo after the game instead of some unfinished product is a great idea, unfortunately in reality this practice hurts even more, because it encourages more people to pirate the game so they can get their "demo" early. And then a good part of those people might not buy the game, and therefore have just pirated it.

Re:The real 'demo' by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-19 06:14 · Score: 2, Insightful

Sorry, this is for the *non*-criminals. Nothing for you to see here.

Re:Getting your hopes up. by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-19 06:58 · Score: 1, Insightful

Being a DirectX 9.0 card refers to its capabilities. Whether or not the game uses OpenGL doesn't come into it.

Remember all the news about D3 P2P "theft"? by Zooka · 2004-09-19 07:05 · Score: 2, Insightful

I wonder how much difference a demo would have made in the number of pirated copies being traded via P2P, had it been available before or at the time of the game's release?

Re:Pretty Crappy Demo by wed128 · 2004-09-19 08:09 · Score: 4, Insightful

this kind of annoys me. The fact that people refer to BitTorrent as their means for software/music/movie piracy, when in fact Suprnova and other sites are at fault. You people are tarnishing the name of an otherwise brilliant protocall.

sorry for the rant, but my college just firewalled off the use of BT because of piracy, rendering the entire protocall useless for legit purposes. 1 million times better than FTP, and yet i have to wait for linux ISO downloads...tsktsk

Totally Agree. by guidryp · 2004-09-19 08:14 · Score: 2, Insightful

One of my friends downloaded to see what the hype was about. If there had been a demo, he would have DL that instead.

I can't even play FPS games, becaue of the motion sickness they cause me, and I still thought of DL the real version. But I decided to wait for the Demo to slake my curiousity.

But really if there were a demo first some who bought the game, might have just DL the demo to see what is up instead and it would have been lower sales. So this is really not in Id's best interest.

Certainly if there were a demo on the same day vast amounts of the "piracy" would have disappeared as well. But I am not sure this would be in Id's best interest either. This gives the the BSA and thier ilk more ammo.

Re:Getting your hopes up. by Chandon+Seldon · 2004-09-19 08:26 · Score: 2, Insightful

Actually, you probably saw better performance with your Ti 4400 than someone with an FX 5200 would see.

First, the Ti 4400 just doesn't support some of the slower stuff that the game is trying to do - you miss out on stuff like heat effects, while the FX 5200 will try to do all of that.

Second, I'm pretty sure the 4400 actually has more render pipes on it than the 5200, which means it's slightly faster overall.

Between those two effects, I wouldn't be supprised if there was a 10-15 FPS difference between the two cards, in favor of the 4400.

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-- The act of censorship is always worse than whatever is being censored. Always.

Re:Pretty Crappy Demo by wed128 · 2004-09-19 10:36 · Score: 2, Insightful

i'm not mad that people pirate IP on it, i just don't like that they refer to it as their source for pirated materials. When you download something from a site, and someone asks you where you got it, you don't say "FTP" or "HTTP", you say the name of the site. when asked for a source of IP, people say BitTorrent, not Suprnova etc.
This is wrongfully incriminating.

Defect rate by tepples · 2004-09-19 13:34 · Score: 3, Insightful

I tried to take the game back but of course, they refused because I opened it.

Exchange it, and exchange the copy they give you. Repeat until the store finally runs out of copies and gives you a $50 gift card. Retailers watch products' return rates; an abnormally high rate of exchanges for a given title will raise suspicion of a real defect in the title.

Re:Getting your hopes up. by Anonymous Coward · 2004-09-19 13:35 · Score: 1, Insightful

The FX5200 would do that much better
No, it won't. Go read reviews comparing the GF4TI series and the FX5200 boards. The GF4TI's are far superior in most aspects.

man I feel ripped now... by tabby · 2004-09-19 18:31 · Score: 2, Insightful

Free demo? Huh, I bought the demo months ago for $100AU. Oh you mean that was supposed to be a game?

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