This page is for the original release. For the BFG Edition from 2012, see Doom 3: BFG Edition.
Warnings
- The macOS (OS X) version of this game needs a fix to work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later (see API for details).
Key points
- EAX support suffers from frequent visual glitches.[1] See visual twitch bug with OpenAL/EAX for a solution.
- The game does not properly recognize the available VRAM on modern graphics cards, and as such forces the game to use lower image quality settings. See Forcing Ultra quality settings for a workaround with modern graphics cards.
General information
- Doom Wiki
- Steam Community Discussions
- Steam Community Discussions for Resurrection of Evil expansion pack
Availability
- A faithful higher resolution icon for Windows can be downloaded from the Files section.
- DOOM 3 demo. Also available on Steam.
Monetization
DLC and expansion packs
| Name |
Notes |
|
| Resurrection of Evil |
Includes and requires Patch 1.2. No longer sold separately on Steam due to being already included with the base game after August 10 2022. |
|
Essential improvements
Skip intro videos
Patches
- Patch v1.3.1 updates retail versions to the latest version. Digital distribution versions are already patched.
Source ports
| Name |
Description |
|
| dhewm3 |
Aimed at bringing DOOM 3 to all suitable platforms with the help of SDL. Supports 64-bit, widescreen resolutions and uses OpenAL EFX for improved EAX support. |
|
| fhDOOM |
Modernized source port of DOOM, featuring support for Widescreen resolutions, soft cascading shadows, soft-particles, extended graphics options and improved editor tools and more. |
|
- A series of bugfixes and QOL improvements for the original Doom 3 game and its expansions Resurrection of Evil and The Lost Mission.
- Active development.
- Compatible with dhewm3.
- Bugfixes and QOL without drastic changes to the game.
- Rebalanced Weapons and enemy AI.
- Shader/map fixes, restored visual and sound effects and textures improvements for the original Doom 3 game and its expansions Resurrection of Evil and The Lost Mission.
- Autoexec for automatic ultra settings (widescreen still requires to set manually).
- Fixed and improved ARB lighting for new systems (optional).
- Compatibility with other projects and source engine.
Game data
In-game general settings.
Configuration file(s) location
- This game does not follow the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux.
- Resurrection of Evil configs are stored in
<path-to-game>\d3xp\.
Save game data location
- Resurrection of Evil save games are stored in
<path-to-game>\d3xp\savegames\.
- dhewm3 moves save game location to
%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\dhewm3\base\savegames\.
| System |
Native |
Notes |
| Steam Cloud |
|
Syncs save games. Applies to the base game and expansion. |
Video
In-game general video/audio settings.
In-game advanced video settings.
|
Manually edit DoomConfig.cfg[10]
|
- Go to
<path-to-game>\base\ and open DoomConfig.cfg with a text editor (e.g. Notepad).
- Search for the lines
seta r_customHeight "<value>" and seta r_customWidth "<value>" and change them to desired resolution values (e.g. seta r_customHeight "1080" and seta r_customWidth "1920" for 1920x1080).
- Search for the line
seta r_mode "<value>" and set this to "-1" to enable custom resolutions in the game.
- Search for the line
seta r_aspectRatio "<value>". For 4:3 resolutions (e.g. 1024x768), set this to 0. For 16:9 or 21:9 resolutions (e.g. 1920x1080), set this to 1. For 16:10 or 15:9 resolutions (e.g. 1920x1200), set this to 2.
Notes
- This method assumes the latest patches are installed as it involves setting a game variable that did not exist in the earliest retail versions, otherwise this will not work.
- If these lines are not available in the
DoomConfig.cfg file, then add them manually.
- 21:9 ultrawide users will also need to install an aspect-ratio FOV fix for both Doom 3 and Resurrection of Evil.
- These values can be set in the developer console. Omit the command
seta when doing so, and use vid_restart to apply changes.
- HUD, menus, and FMV cutscenes are stretched unless played on CstDoom3. dhewm3 can also fix menu scaling.
|
|
Set FOV manually[11]
|
- Open the developer console with Ctrl+Alt+~ (Doom 3) or ~ (dhewm3).
- Type in
g_fov <value> to the desired FOV value.
Notes
- Alternatively,
g_fov <value> can be manually edited in DoomConfig.cfg.
- In multiplayer,
g_fov can only be changed between 90 and 110.
|
- Anisotropic filtering scales with the "Video Quality" option.
|
Set AF manually[11]
|
- Open the developer console with Ctrl+Alt+~ (Doom 3) or ~ (dhewm3).
- Type in
image_anisotropy <value> between values of 1-8.
- To apply new settings, type in
vid_restart to restart the renderer.
|
- The game's frame rate is capped at 62.5 FPS.
|
Unlock the frame rate cap[12]
|
- Open the developer console with Ctrl+Alt+~ (Doom 3) or ~ (dhewm3).
- Type in the following commands:
com_fixedTic 1, com_preciseTic 0.
Notes
- Unlocking the frame rate can introduce issues such as audio desyncing during cutscenes or the game speed becoming too fast without a frame rate cap on high refresh displays. The issue can be mitigated by externally forcing Vsync from the GPU's control panel and locking the game's frame rate to 60 FPS.
|
Gamma
|
Set gamma manually[11]
|
- Open the console with ~ (dhewm3) or Ctrl+Alt+~.
- Type in
r_gamma X where X is the desired value (default 1).
|
Disable head bobbing
|
Disable head bobbing through these settings[13]
|
- Create
autoexec.cfg file in <path-to-game>\base.
- Add the following commands, and save the file.
seta pm_runbob "0"
seta pm_runpitch "0"
seta pm_runroll "0"
seta pm_walkbob "0"
seta pm_bobpitch "0"
seta pm_bobroll "0"
seta pm_bobup "0"
seta pm_crouchbob "0"
|
Enable plasma gun projectile shadows
|
Edit lights.mtr found in pak000.pk4[14]
|
- Open
<path-to-game>\base\pak000.pk4 with 7-Zip or a similar program.
- Go to
materials folder.
- Open
lights.mtr with a text editor (e.g. Notepad++).
- Search for the line
plasmaglow, and delete the noshadows line under it.
- Save the changes and update the contents of
pak000.pk4 when prompted by 7-Zip.
|
Input
In-game key map settings.
Audio
| Audio feature |
State |
Notes |
| Separate volume controls |
|
|
| Surround sound |
|
5.1 (software), 7.1 (EAX hardware accelerated)[15] |
| Subtitles |
|
A Subtitle mod is available here and its readme can be viewed here. This mod also seems to be incompatible with many other mods. |
| Closed captions |
|
|
| Mute on focus lost |
|
|
| EAX support |
|
EAX 4[15] (Patch 1.3 and OpenAL required[16]). DirectSound otherwise.[17] |
Localizations
| Language |
UI |
Audio |
Sub |
Notes |
| English |
|
|
|
See doom 3 CC mod. |
| French |
|
|
|
See doom 3 CC mod. |
| German |
|
|
|
See doom 3 CC mod. |
| Italian |
|
|
|
Retail only. Patch for digital release here. |
| Polish |
|
|
|
Retail only. Patch for digital release here. Fan translation for Resurrection of Evil here. |
| Portuguese |
|
|
|
Fan translation, download. |
| Russian |
|
|
|
Retail only. Patch for digital release here. |
| Spanish |
|
|
|
Retail only for the Resurrection of Evil expansion; patch for digital releases here. Also see doom 3 CC mod for subtitle support for base version of the game. . |
Network
Multiplayer types
Connection types
Ports
| Protocol |
Port(s) and/or port range(s) |
| TCP |
27650, 27666 |
| UDP |
27650, 27666 |
- Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.
VR support
Issues fixed
Visual twitch bug with OpenAL/EAX
- Using OpenAL (
seta s_useOpenAL "1" in DoomConfig.cfg), which was added with patch 1.3 and is automatically engaged when EAX is turned on, results in frequent visual twitching/screen shifting. It is currently unknown whether this happens on all configurations, but the problem persists in the latest patch. A video of the glitch in action can be seen here (0:07, 0:11).
|
Use a SoundBlaster Audigy card.[18]
|
- If this still doesn't work, try the old
SBA2_BETADRV_US_2_05_0000 drivers (works only on windows XP).[19]
|
|
Use the patcher provided in EAXEFX.
|
Incorrect EAX effect in Doom3: Ressurection of evil with OpenAL/EAX
- X-fi and audigy 2 Sound card are not affected by this problem.[citation needed]
- Post X-fi card, that use Host openAL drivers from Creative and OpenAL Soft are concerned by this bug.
- The patch 1.3 has been shipped with incorrect EFX files for the expansion Ressurection of Evil, these files control EAX effects to apply in each zone of a level. The problem is due to a missing parameter "air absorption hf" in each zone of each level file.
|
Use the patcher provided in EAXEFX.
|
Weapons sound being "drowned" or near inaudible
- OpenAL scales down all sounds temporarily if the mixed result would be too loud. This could happen in doom3, especially when using EAX. The patcher below will provide a fix that consist of scaling down volume of all sounds to prevent the issue (just set your system speaker volume a bit higher if needed).
|
Use the patcher provided in EAXEFX.
|
Textures are low-resolution, even on Ultra quality
|
Force Ultra quality settings via autoexec.cfg[20]
|
- 1. Go to
<path-to-game>/base/
- 2. Create a new file called
autoexec.cfg if one did not already exists.
- 3. Add the following lines in the
autoexec.cfg file:
seta r_renderer "best"
seta com_videoRam "512"
seta com_machineSpec "3"
seta r_shadows "1"
seta r_skipBump "0"
seta r_skipSpecular "0"
seta r_skipNewAmbient "0"
seta r_multiSamples "8"
seta image_anisotropy "8"
seta image_lodbias "-2"
seta image_filter "GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_LINEAR"
seta image_ignoreHighQuality "0"
seta image_roundDown "0"
seta image_forceDownSize "0"
seta image_downSize "0"
seta image_downSizeBump "0"
seta image_downSizeSpecular "0"
seta image_useCache "0"
seta image_usePrecompressedTextures "0"
seta image_useNormalCompression "0"
seta image_useCompression "0"
seta image_useAllFormats "1"
seta g_showBrass "1"
seta g_decals "1"
seta g_doubleVision "1"
seta g_bloodEffects "1"
seta g_projectileLights "1"
seta g_muzzleFlash "1"
- 4. Save the file. The game should now default to Ultra quality every time it is launched.
-
com_videoRam must be set explicitly. Value "-1" does not work in some cases.
- For Nvidia users set seta r_multiSamples "8" to seta r_multiSamples "16"
|
Micro stuttering
- This issue is caused by the game's internal ticrate being tied to 62.5 FPS cap on 60 Hz displays.
Fix interface font scaling
- By default, some of the game's text fonts render at a lower resolution due to a font scaling limiter.
|
Remove the font scaling limit[21]
|
- 1. Add the lines to
autoexec.cfg or change it manullay in DoomConfig.cfg:
seta gui_mediumFontLimit "0"
seta gui_smallFontLimit "0"
- 2. Save the file. The game should now render the text in higher quality regardless of resolution.
|
Performance improving for low-end systems
|
Configuration Files[citation needed]
|
- Open DoomConfig.cfg file
seta image_useCache "1"- Set
image_cacheMegs to about 1/4 of your total system RAM.
- Set
image_cacheMinK = "image_cacheMegs" × 128
- Save the file and start the game.
- Assuming you have 1 GB of system RAM:
seta image_useCache "1"
seta image_cacheMegs "256"
seta image_cacheMinK "32768"
|
Mouse not working
|
Change Executable name[citation needed]
|
or
|
Wireless gaming mouse[citation needed]
|
- Set the mouse's rate to at least 250
|
Poor performance/"slow-motion" effect on Nvidia cards
- Doom 3 and other id Tech 4 games suffer from a potential driver-related issue on modern Nvidia GPUs that causes the game to go into what appears to a "slow-motion" phase during some intensive scenes, where the framerate technically remains the same but game logic is slowed down and negatively effects performance, and it persists even when using the dhewm3 sourceport and/or microstutter fix. This issue can potentially be fixed through using an
autoexec.cfg file containing the necessary CVar tweaks.
Game won't launch correctly (Linux on Retail)
|
Remove the included libgcc_s.so.1 and libstdc++.so.6 from the installation folder[citation needed]
|
No Sound (Linux)
|
Use the OSS wrapper for specific audio device[citation needed]
|
|
Specify the default audio output[citation needed]
|
- Open and edit the config file
- Find
seta s_alsa_pcm and replace default with the name of your ALSA audio output for example hw:0,0
- Save the file
|
Other information
API
| Technical specs |
Supported |
Notes |
| OpenGL |
2.0 |
|
| Executable | PPC |
32-bit |
64-bit | ARM |
Notes |
| Windows | |
|
| |
A source port is required for 64-bit. |
| macOS (OS X) | | |
| |
Intel support was added in a patch, but is 32-bit only.[22] A source port is required for 64-bit or ARM. |
| Linux | | |
| |
A source port is required for 64-bit or for other architectures like ARM or PPC. |
Middleware
Linux Installation
To install Doom 3 on Linux create a doom3 folder and then copy the following retail pk4 files to your doom3/base folder:
base/pak000.pk4
base/pak001.pk4
base/pak002.pk4
base/pak003.pk4
base/pak004.pk4
If installing the expansion pack you must also copy the following retail pk4 to your <path-to-game>/d3xp folder:
:d3xp/pak000.pk4
After copying all pk4 files to your hard drive run the Linux patch and direct it to your doom3 folder. You can start the game with the command: doom3. To launch the expansion use: doom3 +set fs_game d3xp
For Arch Linux, two PKGBUILDs are available in the AUR for Doom 3; one that builds from source and one that provides a binary (if keeping to the Arch Way, you should prefer to build from source).
Modifications
Doom 3 has a small, but very knowledgeable mod community that is still very active and covers most id tech based games.
Tools and Information
- Modwiki - An unofficial id tech informational wiki created by members of Doom 3 World
Featured modding websites
- CstDoom3 is a gameplay mod for Doom 3 and Resurrection of Evil.
- Corrects GUI/HUD scaling for widescreen resolutions, adds adjustable FOV, Carmack's Reverse, grenades toggle, and more.
- For ATI/AMD video card users, see here for a fix.
- Adds the following features and improvements while retaining vanilla gameplay:
- Widescreen support and resolutions up to 4K using a custom build of Sikkmod.
- High resolution textures, menus, UI, and HUD.
- Improved audio design for enemies, audio logs, weapon sounds, and cutscenes.
- Features options for field of view, texture resolutions, anisotropic filtering, FXAA, motion blur, and screen blood.
- Restores cut content and alpha version features.
- Resurrection of Evil compatibility patch here (mirror).
- A port of the BFG Edition campaign 'The Lost Mission' for 2004's Doom 3 release.
- Requires the Resurrection of Evil expansion pack.
- Active development.
- New maps based on the Doom 3: BFG Edition expansion pack.
- The Duct Tape Mod is a small patch for doom 3.
- Adds flashlight to all the guns except the pistol.
- Does not work with other mods like Redux.
- Alternative for Duct Tape Mod.
- Light is attached to the head.
- Works with all weapons.
- Weapons don't lose muzzleflash.
- The mod contains its own configuration folder after launching it once, separate from its actual folder, any resolution or other configurations must be made in the DoomConfig file the mod creates inside the folder yafm-hl it auto generates in the root folder when launched.
- Allows up to 4 players to play through the entire game + expansion pack together. Works both online and LAN.
- It also adds in challenge maps, and 42 custom maps.
- Patch 1.3.1 is required for this mod.
- Expansion pack here, unofficial patch here and compatibility patch for Enhanced Edition here.
Advanced tweaks
- It is possible to easily change many things in the game simply by modifying text files located in
<path-to-game>/base/pak000.pk4 (.pk4 files can be opened with 7-Zip or similar programs). Particularly the def folder contains definitions of monster health, gun damage, ammunition amount and lots of other tweakable game values.
- TweakGuides has created a comprehensive guide for tweaking the game.
Cheats
Visit GameFAQs for list of cheats.
System requirements
| Windows |
|
Minimum |
Recommended |
| Operating system (OS) |
2000 |
XP |
| Processor (CPU) |
Intel Pentium 4 1.5 GHz
AMD Athlon XP 1500+ | |
| System memory (RAM) |
384 MB | |
| Hard disk drive (HDD) |
2.2 GB plus 400 MB for swap file | |
| Video card (GPU) |
64 MB of VRAM
DirectX 9.0b compatible | |
- Windows 98 and ME have been tested to work with Doom 3 using this hack, but are not officially supported.
| macOS (OS X) |
|
Minimum |
Recommended |
| Operating system (OS) |
10.3.8 | |
| Processor (CPU) |
PowerPC G4 1.5 GHz
| PowerPC G5 2 GHz |
| System memory (RAM) |
512 MB | |
| Hard disk drive (HDD) |
2 GB | |
| Video card (GPU) |
ATI Radeon 9600
Nvidia GeForce FX5200
64 MB of VRAM
| 128 MB of VRAM |
| Linux |
|
Minimum |
Recommended |
| Operating system (OS) |
2.4 kernel |
2.6 kernel |
| Processor (CPU) |
1 GHz or higher | |
| System memory (RAM) |
256 MB | |
| Hard disk drive (HDD) |
2.2 GB | |
| Video card (GPU) |
OpenGL hardware acceleration
64 MB of VRAM
OpenGL 2.0 compatible | |
- Supported AMD Radeon chipsets: 8500, 9000, 9200, 9500, 9600, 9700, 9800, X1600, X1900, 2400XT, 2600, 3870, 4670, 4850, 5670, 5750, 5770, 5870, 6630, 6750, 6970
- Supported Nvidia chipsets: GeForce 3/Ti series, GeForce 4MX series, GeForce 4/Ti series, GeForce FX series, GeForce 6800, 7300, 7600, 8600, 8800, 9400, 9600, GT 120, 320M, 330M
- The game supports Intel HD Graphics 3000 and greater
- The game does not support the GMA 950 and GMA X3100 integrated video chipsets
Notes
References
