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Doom 3

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Revision as of 00:57, 24 August 2018 by Ø (talk | contribs) (dhewm3's official homepage is dhewm3.org)
Template:Infobox game/row/osxporterTemplate:Infobox game/row/osxporter
Doom 3
Doom 3 cover
Developers
id Software
Splash Damage
Resurrection of Evil Nerve Software
Publishers
Activision
Japan CyberFront
Engines
id Tech 4
Release dates
Windows August 3, 2004
Linux October 5, 2004
macOS (OS X) March 14, 2005
Doom 3 guide on StrategyWiki
Doom 3 on Wikipedia

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).
Doom (1993) 1993
Doom II: Hell on Earth 1994
Final Doom 1996
DRL (unofficial game) 2002
Doom 3 2004
Doom 64 EX (unofficial port) 2008
Doom 3: BFG Edition 2012
Doom (2016) 2016
Doom VFR 2017
Doom I Enhanced 2020
Doom II Enhanced 2020
Doom Eternal 2020
Doom 64 2020

This page is for the original release. For the BFG Edition, see Doom 3: BFG Edition.

Key points

EAX support suffers from frequent visual glitches.[citation needed]

General information

Doom Wiki
Steam Community Discussions
Steam Community Discussions for Resurrection of Evil expansion pack

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
Disc check removed in Patch v1.2.[1]
Previously had SafeDisc DRM[Note 1].
Windows
Linux
macOS (OS X)
GamersGate
Icon overlay.png
Windows
GamersGate
DRM details are not known
macOS (OS X)
Green Man Gaming
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Humble Store
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Mac App Store
Icon overlay.png
Updated for Intel Mac compatibility
macOS (OS X)
Steam
Icon overlay.png
Using the Doom3.exe executable from the retail v1.3.1 patch allows the game to become playable without Steam.[4]
Windows
SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows Vista and later (see above for affected versions).

DLC and expansion packs

Name Notes
Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil
Windows
Linux

Essential improvements

Patches

Patch v1.3.1 updates retail versions to the latest version. Digital distribution versions are already patched.

Game data

In-game general settings.
In-game general settings.

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\base[Note 2]
macOS (OS X)
Linux ~/.doom3/base
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/9050/pfx/[Note 3]
This game does not follow the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux.

Save game data location

System Location
Windows <path-to-game>\base\savegames[Note 2]
macOS (OS X)
Linux
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/9050/pfx/[Note 3]

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
Steam Cloud
Syncs save games.

Video settings

In-game general video/audio settings.
In-game general video/audio settings.
In-game advanced video settings.
In-game advanced video settings.

Template:Video settings

Widescreen resolution

Widescreen resolutions[5]
This method assumes you have the latest patch. It involves setting a game variable that did not exist in the earliest retail versions.
  1. Go to <path-to-game>\base\
  2. Edit DoomConfig.cfg.
  3. Find these lines:seta r_customHeight "xxx" seta r_customWidth "xxxx". Change the x's to set your resolution.
  4. Now find this line: seta r_mode "x". Change the "x" to "-1".
  5. Find this line: seta r_aspectRatio "x". If your screen aspect ratio is 16:9, change the "x" to "1". If your screen aspect ratio is 16:10 or 15:9, change the "x" to "2".

Notes

If you cannot find any of these lines in your DoomConfig.cfg file, add them manually.
These values can be set in the command console. Omit seta when doing so, and use vid_restart to apply changes.
HUD, menus, and FMV cutscenes are stretched.[6]

Anisotropic filtering (AF)

Changing Anisotropic filtering[citation needed]

In Doom 3, anisotropic filtering is bound with "Video Quality" option. Therefore:

  • Low Quality - Disabled Anisotropic Filtering
  • Medium Quality - Anisotropic Filtering x1 (?)
  • High Quality - Anisotropic Filtering x8
  • Ultra Quality - Anisotropic Filtering x8

It's possible to set up custom amount of anistropic filtering.

  1. In order to do it, open a console, by pressing Ctrl+Alt+~.
  2. Type in image_anisotropy X, where X is a value between 1-8.
  3. To apply new settings, type in vid_restart, to restart the renderer.

Disable head bob

Disable head bob[7]
1. Create autoexec.cfg file in <path-to-game>\base.
2. Add the following commands:
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"
3. Save the file.

Tweaking video settings

TweakGuides has created a comprehensive guide for tweaking the game.

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). For example, to turn on plasma gun projectile shadows, go to materials folder, open lights.mtr (use WordPad or other text editor), search for plasmaglow and delete the noshadows line under it, then save the changes. Particularly the def folder contains definitions of monster health, gun damage, ammunition amount and lots of other tweakable game values.

Input settings

In-game key map settings.
In-game key map settings.

Template:Input settings

Audio settings

Template:Audio settings

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
French
German
Italian
Polish
Only available in Polish retail release.
Russian
Retail only. Patch for digital release here.
Spanish

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
Local play
Co-op
Use Doom 3 Splitscreen Edition mod.
LAN play
16 Co-op, Versus
Use the OpenCoop mod (alpha) for 4-player co-op.
Online play
16 Co-op, Versus
Use the OpenCoop mod (alpha) for 4-player co-op.

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

3D modes State Notes
Native 3D
Nvidia 3D Vision
TriDef 3D
iZ3D
Devices
3RD Space Gaming Vest
Novint Falcon
The official game-specific 3D Touch Add On (Base game) (Resurrection of Evil expansion) is required.

Issues fixed

General

Textures are low-resolution, even on Ultra quality

Configuration Files[citation needed]
1. Go to <path-to-game>/base/
2. Create a new file called autoexec.cfg.
3. Add the following lines to the new autoexec.cfg file:
seta r_renderer "best"
seta image_ignoreHighQuality "0"
seta image_downSizeBump "0"
seta image_downSizeSpecular "0"
seta image_usePrecompressedTextures "0"
seta image_useNormalCompression "0"
seta image_useCompression "0"
seta image_roundDown "0"
seta image_downSize "0"
seta image_lodbias "-2"
seta image_anisotropy "16"
seta image_filter "GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_LINEAR"
seta com_purgeAll "1"
seta com_machineSpec "3"
seta com_allowConsole "1"
seta g_showBrass "1"
seta g_doubleVision "1"
seta g_bloodEffects "1"
seta g_projectileLights "1"
seta g_muzzleFlash "1"
4. Save the file.

Micro stuttering

Configuration Files[citation needed]
1. Add the following lines to the autoexec.cfg file:
seta r_swapInterval "1"
seta com_fixedTic "1"
2. Save the file and start the game.
Doom 3's tickrate is capped at 60FPS. com_fixedTic 1 removes the cap. r_swapinterval controls VSync.

Performance improving for low-end systems

Configuration Files[citation needed]
  1. Open DoomConfig.cfg file
  2. seta image_useCache "1"
  3. Set image_cacheMegs to about 1/4 of your total system RAM.
  4. Set image_cacheMinK = "image_cacheMegs" * 128
  5. 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"

Linux

Game won't launch correctly (Retail)

Remove the included libgcc_s.so.1 and libstdc++.so.6 from the installation folder[citation needed]

No Sound

Use the OSS wrapper for specific audio device[citation needed]
Specify the default audio output[citation needed]
  1. Open and edit the config file
  2. Find seta s_alsa_pcm and replace default with the name of your ALSA audio output for example hw:0,0
  3. Save the file

Issues unresolved

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).


For Audigy cards a fix has been reported in the form of running an old beta driver, however this is only applicable to this series of sound cards and Windows XP.[8]

Other information

Cheats

Visit GameFAQs for list of cheats.

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
OpenGL 2.0
Executable 32-bit 64-bit Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)
Linux

Middleware

Middleware Notes
Multiplayer PunkBuster

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).

Mods

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

  • Doom 3 World - An unofficial id tech community
  • Modwiki - An unofficial id tech informational wiki created by members of Doom 3 World
  • iddevnet - Official, but limited, Doom 3/Quake 4 informational site

Doom 3 Mod Lists

Doom 3: Redux

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.
Not available for Resurrection of Evil.

Co-op mod

The OpenCoop Mod 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.

The Dark Mod

The Dark Mod is a total conversion mod for Doom 3 turned into its own standalone game, turning it into a dark and moody stealth game inspired by the Thief series. There is a PCGamingWiki article for this mod as linked.

Open Source Engine

The source code to the engine was released under the GPL license in November 2011. There have since been several modifications. You can view the different branches and changes, as well as download them, from the github repository, if you are willing to compile the code yourself. The same group that worked on ioquake3 has said they will add features to the code and release compiled binaries under the title iodoom3. You will have to obtain the art assets separately.

Another available source port is dhewm3, which adds 64-bit support, EFX on all platforms, and other features.

System requirements

Windows 98 and ME have been tested to work with Doom 3 using this hack, but are not officially supported.
Windows
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 2000
Processor (CPU) Intel Pentium 4 1.5 GHz
AMD Athlon XP 1500+
System memory (RAM) 384 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 2.2 GB
Video card (GPU) 64 MB of VRAM
DirectX 9.0b compatible
macOS (OS X)
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 10.6.8
Processor (CPU) Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz
System memory (RAM) 1 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 2 GB
Video card (GPU) ATI Radeon x1600
Nvidia GeForce 7300
128 MB of VRAM
Linux
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) 2.4 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
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

  1. SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows 10[2] or Windows 11 and is disabled by default on Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 when the KB3086255 update is installed.[3]
  2. 2.0 2.1 When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).
  3. 3.0 3.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/9050/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (9050) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References