Quake gets a lot of the buzz, but classic Doom and Doom2 still have a
loyal following. I like Doom because it's not so insanely hyperactive
as Quake and the later games; they give me overload. Plus I don't have
many really fast machines on my network that will run newer games at
insane speeds.
I own Doom2 and usually run the
PRBoom port which runs on my linux box and the wife's win2k box.
jason's generic tips
Engaging multiple enemies:
Stay on the perimeter, if possible. This will give the monsters a limited chance to see and attack you. Getting in the middle of a bunch of monsters is a surefire way to die in a hurry.
If possible, arrange yourself so the monsters are in a rough line with you at the end. MONSTER MONSTER MONSTER YOU This will force the closer monsters to block projectile attacks from the farther monsters. Although they may not actually injure each other, they will block some of the damage from getting to you. If you're lucky they'll start killing each other; get out of the way and let them do the dirty work for you.
A useful way to get them in a line is to initiate an attack, and then back into a narrow hallway. As the monsters follow you they have to go single file; internal fighting frequently occurs, particularly if you stay away and don't attack (which could distract them). The hallway method is brilliant for fighting multiple [demons/specters] or other non-projectile creatures with a chainsaw... they line up for the slaughter, and only the front one is any danger to you.
Keep moving! Keep running, and don't backtrack. If you backtrack you'll be hit by missiles that were aimed where you used to be.
Learn to circle strafe: strafe in one direction while using your arrow key in the opposite direction. With practice, you can circle the monster constantly while shooting him and he can't shoot you back. Only works well with one big monster in the room; otherwise the other monsters attack you. D'oh!
If you can retreat into a room, do so and stay at an oblique angle to the doorway (so there's just a slot to shoot through). This minimizes your exposure while still allowing full shooting ability.
Engaging powerful enemies Luckily for us, powerful enemies are also frequently physically large. Sometimes you can arrange yourself in such a way that you can see the edge of the monster without him being able to scoot over far enough to shoot at you (the wall blocks his projectiles). Try shooting at the exposed legs of a spider as it tries in vain to get into a tight hallway or corner.
In this example, I can shoot at a cyberdemon, but he can't hit me because a lamp post catches the edge of the rockets and blows them up. Works against all large-diameter weapons (green balls, fireballs, rockets etc). Be sure to stand back far enough that the blast doesn't get you.
Engaging the Cyberdemon He's tall, which may keep him away from you. Duck into/behind whatever is available to shield you from the rockets. Remember to stay away from a rear wall so blast behind you will not hurt your health.
Engaging the spider mastermind Tough to survive the massive ammo assault, but he's slow to lock on. So as long as you pop out for brief amounts of time he won't be able to acquire the target.
Engaging the revenant Use fireball tracking to your advantage; when a smoker heads toward you duck toward something so the fireball will track you and harmlessly hit a wall or other item.
Engaging the arachnotron they hunker down and glow right before they start shooting...
Engaging the ArchVile
This dude sucks! He moves very fast and has that killer attack (in addition to resurrecting monsters). If there is a ArchVile present, kill him first or he'll keep undoing your work.
IMO, one of the best ways to engage a 'Vile is to peek out from around the corner of a building or other cover. When he starts to sizzle you, strafe behind cover where the attack can't harm you. In that image, I am about to strafe to the left where that wall will protect me.
It is critical that you stay behind cover until the sizzling stops. It's 2-3 seconds or so. If you peek your head back out the attack can still crush you. Stay put, then strafe back out and lay it on him until he sizzles you again (and you strafe into safety again). Rinse, repeat as necessary.
Ammo conservation:
barrels: use barrels to your advantage. You can do massive damage by shooting barrels and then using your ammo to clean up the survivors. Remember to destroy any barrels you have to stand next to, or you might get blasted.
bursts: shoot the chaingun and plasma gun in short bursts to preserve ammo. Learn to tap the mouse/kb to get 2-3 round bursts. You will be surprised how many rounds you were wasting after the enemy was already dying.
moving monsters: use bullet (instantaneous) weapons instead of rockets, plasma, or BFG.
distant targets: use bullet (tightly grouped) weapons instead of shotguns, as the latter will disperse more.
close quarters: the plasma gun is a disaster in tight hallways. The rounds get attracted to corners and are wasted. Use the chaingun or shotgun instead.
Find invisible enemies: the plasma guns attraction to targets can help you located distant or out-of-sight enemies. The stream will go to the target.
Use the chainsaw against biting/clawing attacks, anything that attacks only in close quarters. The chainsaw doesn't run out of gas, so it's a great way to save ammo. Same with the berserk pack.
Get monsters to attack each other. See "engaging multiple monsters, above.
Supply management:
Suck up all the health potions and armor helmets you can, until you max out those values.
Grab health packets and boxes of rockets/ammo only when you can get full use of them (ie, don't grab a box of ammo if you currently have 209 bullets.)
All things being equal, use the weapons for which you have lots of ammo. If you are maxed out on bullets then use the chaingun, etc. This will help you keep ammo for each weapon. This is important because... [next item]
Be aware that when you run out of ammo, the game will load the next available weapon down regardless of the ammo you have for it. It can take seconds to cycle out of an empty weapon to the next one.
Misc:
Engaging fireball enemies: If it is safe to do so (you've already cleared the area behind you) back off so you will have time to dodge the fireballs.
Engaging bite/scratch enemies: retreat while firing at them if they are aggressing toward you. This will separate you from them so they cannot harm you while you are killing them. Retreat into previously-cleared area, backward.
Going through doors or narrow spaces: when going through a door or narrow passage for the first time, run straight in a few steps and run back out immediately. Do not attempt to look around or do anything but run in and out. Your goal is to draw out any monsters that might be in the room. If they are present, you will hear them make noises or begin to attack. They don't have enough time to attack, so you pull back obliquely and wait for them to come through the doorway: fish in a barrel.
Alternate method of entering unknown rooms: especially if the room is obscured (you can't see very well), you can lure out the monsters by going up to the entrance and firing off a round of cheap ammo (bullet rather than shotgun shell). The monsters will hear the noise and come out where you can shoot them.
Going through doors or narrow spaces backward: if you suspect there are monsters hiding on the other side of the door off to the side but there are no visible monsters, you can line up straight then do a 180. Run backward through the door and you are immediately able to see/engage any monsters hiding against the door or wall. Feels weird, but works.
Peeking around corners: learn to strafe (move sideways) so you can keep your guns pointed in the right direction when you peek around corners...
Traps: beware if it look like there are goodies in dangerous places like the end of hallways or any other place where trapdoors could spring open for an ambush...
Use to save ammo or when you have the berserker (red) pack.
1 chainsaw
Non-shooting monsters like specters and demons
particularly good in a hallway of dogs, since they won't be able to get beside you.
2 pistol
Great for precise shooting, like popping barrels without wasting ammo.
3 shotgun
ex-human targets.
Good for all-around short and medium range use.
3 double shotgun
Specters, Demons.. One pop with the double will kill them.
Large fireball monsters like revenants, knights, barons. Get in pretty close and circle strafe them with the double.
Room clearing. Get 3x the damage for only 2x the shells (compared to single shotgun). Only good for short ranges, as it disperses too much for medium or long range.
4 chaingun
Imps and revenants seem to be stunned by sustained fire, so use the chaingun on them.
Great for shooting through narrow slits (oblique doors and windows) where the shotgun and plasma can't squeeze through. Great for long-distance shooting.
5 rocket
Best for medium range work; too close and you sustain damage. Too far and the monsters have moved by the time the rocket gets there.
6 plasma gun
Keeps Lost Souls at bay nicely.
Wide, open areas. A total wreck in close quarters because the wide ball will nick the walls and be stopped. Never use the plasma gun in hallways.
Also don't use against arachnotrons or cyberdemons, as your plasma will hide their oncoming weapons from view.
7 BFG
Hard to use properly; has long delay and is not precisely targeted.
the mousepad
