DOOM Documentary: Part 2 - Designing a First Impression

Summary

The script delves into the development of 'DOOM 2016', highlighting the challenges in crafting an opening that resonates with the game's legacy. It emphasizes the importance of the first 15 minutes in setting the game's tone, showcasing a self-aware narrative that embraces the franchise's over-the-top action. The developers' struggle to balance storytelling with gameplay is discussed, culminating in a decision to prioritize the player's expectation for demon-slaying mayhem. The summary also touches on the game's tutorial, combat mechanics, and the team's collaborative efforts to create a cohesive and immersive experience, staying true to the 'DOOM' ethos.

Takeaways

• 🎮 The beginning of the game 'DOOM' underwent significant changes, reflecting the importance of a strong start to engage players.
• 🎬 The first 15 minutes of a game are crucial for setting the tone and immersing the audience, similar to how a movie's opening grabs attention.
• 🔥 'DOOM' makes a bold statement right from the start, embracing its identity as a demon-slaying game and leaving no room for ambiguity about the player's role.
• 🛠 The development of 'DOOM' was a struggle to balance storytelling with gameplay, as the team aimed to avoid interrupting the action with excessive narrative.
• 📜 The 'Codex' in 'DOOM' was designed to be a nerd Bible, providing deep lore that fans could dive into, inspired by detailed universes like Pacific Rim and Gundam.
• 🎭 The game's narrative took inspiration from self-aware movies like 'The Last Boyscout', which play on clichés and acknowledge the audience's expectations.
• 👹 'DOOM' embraces its over-the-top nature, with the game world openly acknowledging the demonic invasion, contrasting with the usual secretive or subdued approach in similar games.
• 🚀 The opening level of 'DOOM' was crafted to be a fast-paced, action-packed experience that quickly introduces players to the game's mechanics and tone.
• 👥 The development team's collaborative efforts were pivotal in refining the game's introduction, with contributions from various departments enhancing the final product.
• 🔧 The final stages of 'DOOM' development were a rush to perfect the game, with the team working tirelessly to ensure all elements, from timing to storytelling, were seamless.

Q & A

What was the main challenge the developers faced with the beginning of DOOM?

The main challenge was finding the right tone and approach for the beginning of the game, as it needed to introduce the story, teach the player how to play, and set the tone for the adventure, while also living up to the cultural expectations of the DOOM franchise.

Why did the developers decide to have a self-aware narrative in DOOM?

The developers decided on a self-aware narrative to create a connection with the player, acknowledging that both the player and the developers know why they are there—to kill demons. This approach allowed them to have fun with the game's premise and respect the player's intelligence.

How did the developers handle the storytelling in DOOM, considering it was not the main focus?

The developers struggled with the storytelling throughout DOOM's development, as it was the last thing to fall into place. They eventually settled on a self-aware narrative that didn't take itself too seriously, allowing the gameplay to speak for itself.

What was the inspiration behind the Codex in DOOM?

The inspiration for the Codex came from the developers' desire to create a 'nerd Bible' filled with detailed information about the DOOM universe. They were inspired by the level of detail fans have for franchises like Pacific Rim and Gundam, and wanted to provide a similar depth for DOOM.

Why did the developers choose to start the game with action rather than exposition?

The developers chose to start with action to immediately set the tone for the game as an action-first experience. They believed that opening with a tutorial or exposition would set the wrong expectation for the type of game DOOM is.

How did the developers ensure the player felt powerful and feared in DOOM?

The developers used indirect storytelling and environmental cues, such as characters reacting to the player's presence and the aftermath of the player's actions, to make the player feel powerful and feared within the game world.

What was the significance of the 'demonic invasion in progress' phrase in the game?

The phrase 'demonic invasion in progress' was used to signal to the player that they were in a world overrun by demons and that their mission was to combat this invasion. It also served as a nod to the player that the game was embracing its absurd and over-the-top nature.

How did the developers create a sense of urgency and excitement in the opening level of DOOM?

The developers created a sense of urgency and excitement by carefully timing events, such as the shotgun cocking and music cueing, to coincide with the player's actions. They also used environmental storytelling and direct gameplay mechanics to immerse the player in the action.

What was the role of the 'gore nest' in teaching the player about combat in DOOM?

The 'gore nest' was used as a teaching tool to introduce the player to arena combat and the importance of movement and aggression. It was designed to reward the player for seeking out and initiating fights, reflecting the DOOM marine's character as a fighter.

How did the developers balance the need for storytelling with the player's expectation for action in DOOM?

The developers balanced storytelling and action by using subtle, indirect methods to convey the story while keeping the focus on gameplay. They respected the player's intelligence and expectation for action by not over-explaining and allowing the player to jump straight into the combat.

Outlines

00:00

🎮 The Evolution and Philosophy Behind DOOM's Opening

The opening of DOOM underwent significant changes, with the team struggling to find a balance between storytelling and gameplay. The game's beginning had to quickly engage players while setting the tone for the rest of the experience. The developers were conscious of DOOM's legacy and the expectations that came with the name. They experimented with various beginnings, including tutorials and exposition, but ultimately decided to embrace a self-aware, action-focused approach that aligned with the player's expectations. The narrative was a late addition, as the gameplay and level design took precedence. The team aimed to create an opening that was efficient, impactful, and true to the DOOM ethos, where the player's role as a demon-slayer was both obvious and central to the experience.

05:02

📚 The Codex: From Dry Guide to Self-Aware Scripture

The DOOM Codex, initially a straightforward guidebook, evolved into a self-aware, humorous, and engaging narrative device. Inspired by Hugo's love for detailed lore found in movies like Pacific Rim and the Gundam universe, the Codex became a 'nerd Bible' for DOOM. The team sought to make it more than just informative, aiming for a tone that was both self-aware and playful. They drew inspiration from movies like 'The Last Boyscout,' which similarly embraced its clichés with a wink to the audience. This approach allowed the Codex to become a unique and entertaining part of the game, reflecting the developers' creativity and their understanding of the game's tone.

10:04

🎬 The Creative Journey of DOOM's Opening Level

The development of DOOM's opening level was a creative odyssey that involved intense collaboration and last-minute adjustments. The team, with limited time and resources, focused on crafting an opening that would set the stage for the entire game. They aimed to create an experience that was action-packed from the start, avoiding lengthy tutorials or expositions that could slow the pace. The opening was designed to be efficient, with each element serving a purpose, from the rising out of the sarcophagus to the first encounter with enemies. The team drew inspiration from movies, particularly the way characters like Robocop were introduced, to create an impactful and memorable introduction to the DOOM Marine. The result was a sequence that was both a technical and creative achievement, encapsulating the essence of DOOM in a concise and exhilarating manner.

15:06

🚀 The Bold and Subtle Narrative Techniques of DOOM

DOOM's narrative is a blend of bold, direct storytelling and subtle, indirect hints. The game wastes no time in throwing players into the action, with the understanding that players are ready to face demons. The developers used self-awareness to acknowledge the absurdity of the situation, creating a connection with the player that respects their intelligence. They employed indirect storytelling, such as environmental cues and character reactions, to convey the game's world and the player's role within it. This approach allowed DOOM to maintain a fast pace while still providing a rich, immersive experience. The narrative choices were risky but intentional, designed to align with the player's expectations and to create a cohesive and thrilling gaming experience.

20:07

🛠️ The Technical Triumphs and Teamwork Behind DOOM's Opening

The creation of DOOM's opening level was a testament to the team's technical prowess and collaborative spirit. Despite numerous challenges, such as timing animations and sound effects, the team worked tirelessly to ensure every element was perfectly synchronized. The opening level was one of the last features to be completed, and it required immense patience and dedication from all involved, particularly the level designer, Brandon Souders. The result was a sequence that not only introduced players to the game mechanics but also built up the legend of the DOOM Marine through a series of impactful and memorable moments. The teamwork and attention to detail in the opening level set the stage for the rest of the game, showcasing the developers' commitment to creating a cohesive and engaging DOOM experience.

Keywords

💡DOOM

DOOM refers to the iconic first-person shooter video game series known for its fast-paced action and demon-slaying gameplay. In the context of the video, DOOM symbolizes the game's self-aware and unapologetic approach to its genre, where players embrace the role of a demon-killing marine. The script mentions the development team's struggle with the game's story, highlighting how DOOM's identity was more about the gameplay experience than a traditional narrative.

💡Tone

Tone, in the video, refers to the overall mood and attitude that the game DOOM conveys to the player. The script discusses how the developers aimed to create a self-aware and over-the-top tone, embracing the absurdity and excitement of battling demons. This tone is established through the game's narrative, dialogue, and gameplay mechanics, setting it apart from other titles in the genre.

💡Story

Story in this context is the narrative framework within which the game DOOM is set. The script reveals the developers' challenges in crafting a story that complements the game's fast-paced action without detracting from the core experience. It underscores the game's narrative as a secondary element to the gameplay, with the story often taking a 'backseat' to the action.

💡Self-awareness

Self-awareness in the video script denotes the game's intentional recognition and embrace of its own clichés and tropes. The developers use self-awareness to create a meta-narrative where the game acknowledges its own absurdity, as seen in the script's references to the game's dialogue and the developers' discussions about the game's narrative approach.

💡Tutorial Level

A tutorial level is an introductory part of a game designed to teach players the mechanics and controls. In the script, the developers discuss the challenges of creating an effective tutorial that quickly immerses players into the action without overwhelming them with exposition. It's mentioned as a part of the game's initial design that was later streamlined to fit the game's tone.

💡Glory Kills

Glory Kills are a feature in the DOOM games where players perform brutal melee takedowns on demons. The script mentions 'glory kills' as a gameplay element that adds to the game's visceral and violent nature, emphasizing the over-the-top action that the game is known for.

💡Cultural Baggage

Cultural baggage refers to the accumulated expectations, history, and reputation that a franchise like DOOM carries with it. In the video, this term is used to describe the weight of expectations the developers faced in creating a game that lived up to the legacy of the series, which had a significant impact on the genre and its fans.

💡Exposition

Exposition in the script refers to the part of the narrative that provides necessary background information to the player. The developers discuss their struggle with exposition, aiming to minimize it to maintain the game's fast pace and not interrupt the player's immersion. It's highlighted as an element they tried to reduce to keep the game's tone consistent.

💡Codex

The Codex in the video refers to an in-game encyclopedia that provides lore and background information about the game world. The script describes how the developers used the Codex as a tool for world-building and narrative delivery, aiming to make it an engaging and 'nerdy' resource for players interested in the game's deeper lore.

💡Demonic Invasion

Demonic Invasion is a central theme in DOOM, representing the game's main conflict where the player fights against an invasion of demonic forces. The script uses this term to illustrate the game's setting and the player's role, as well as the developers' decision to be overt and unapologetic about the game's fantastical premise.

💡Indirect Storytelling

Indirect storytelling is a narrative technique where the story is conveyed through subtle cues and environmental details rather than direct exposition. The script mentions this approach as a way to provide context and narrative depth without breaking the game's pace, as seen in the game's use of environmental cues and character interactions.

Highlights

The beginning of the game DOOM underwent significant changes about 4 or 5 times.

The first 15 minutes of a game are critical for setting the tone and engaging the audience.

DOOM's opening levels had to introduce the story, teach gameplay, and set the tone, all while living up to the franchise's legacy.

The development team struggled with DOOM's story throughout the game's development.

The game's narrative was an afterthought, with gameplay and levels taking precedence.

The team experimented with various story introductions but found them cumbersome and player-unfriendly.

A focus tester's question, 'Why do I want to kill demons?', led to a more straightforward storytelling approach.

The team decided to embrace the player's expectation and the game's genre, simplifying the narrative to 'I'm here to kill demons'.

The self-aware narrative and tone of DOOM were inspired by movies like 'The Last Boyscout'.

The game's Codex was intended to be a 'nerd Bible', providing deep lore and background.

Inspiration for DOOM's narrative came from unconventional sources, including movie clichés and self-awareness.

The game's opening level was refined to be action-packed and set the pace for the rest of the game.

The team aimed to respect player intelligence by avoiding excessive exposition and getting straight to the action.

DOOM's opening level was a collaborative effort, with contributions from various departments enhancing the final product.

The level design and pacing were carefully crafted to create a seamless and engaging player experience.

The game's introduction includes subtle storytelling elements that complement the action without detracting from it.

The development team's approach to DOOM's narrative was to take risks and make bold decisions to create a unique experience.

Transcripts

I would say that the beginning of the

game maybe changed, like significantly

changed, 4 or 5 times. Yyou know that the

beginning of a game is always....

You could almost do an entire

documentary on just how DOOM started

they say that the first 15

minutes of the movie the audience is

very receptive. They're like okay what

world do you want me to go to.

Like let's go there

Take the idea that i am here to kill demons and that's the story

it's making a statement it really is

about DOOM about what players want

And you're either on board with us or

you're not on board with us.

Opening levels come in all shapes and

sizes but most of them follow a

relatively tried-and-true template.

Introduce the story, teach the player how

to play and set the tone for the

adventure ahead.

Tirst impressions are critical for most

games. But for a game with the amount of

cultural baggage ias DOOM this was even

more important. Not only was DOOM the

latest game is series that defined the

very genre it was in, but it was also

called "DOOM" - the four had been thrown out

along with the 1.0 version

and with so much of the development

focused on ensuring the game lived up to

its name, the story of DOOM always took

a backseat. In fact the story was

something the team struggled with for

the entirety of DOOM's development.

We struggled with the story, we

really did. It was the last thing to fall

in place because the game is going first.

all levels fall in place, secret fall into

place, got the glory kills got all the

stuff like "how the fuck are we gonna put a story on this?"

You know what i mean?

And like I said it was getting in the way

because you stopped the player and

start trying to justify why he hates

demons and they get everybody loses

their shit. All stories they say the bad

guys have to take something away from

the good guy in order for the audience

to understand that the bad guy is bad.

They took away Robocop's life

essentially you know the the bad guy

takes away his ability to be with his

family. And you see that when he

murders them. So we were like oh the demons...

well...you land on Mars and then you

don't know it's demons yet and then you find

out its demons, and oh my god, and

somebody even asks "What do you think they are?"

and they're like "I think they're demons..."

That's what we did we laughed because

that is ridiculous you know?

Like who cares?

"They have pointy teeth, they might be vampires..."

We had versions that took

minutes to get to the killing the first

demon because kind of as a developer you

feel like we have to explain

stuff to the audience how are they going

to know what to do.

And even when run it

through people outside of the

studio that you get feedback like

"Well what's my justification for doing this?"

We actually even had

a focus tester ask

"Why do I want to kill demons? You need to tell my why"

Those are the easy ones, you're like...

It's a flippin demon! You'll want to kill it!

There was a tutorial level where a

guy stood in front of you and

told you what to do, how things worked

that was awful.

There's just so much stuff like Olivia

lecturing in front of you where she paced

back and forth and you're stuck in your

chair and then we we wanted it like

you'd find out they murdered

someone or that they took

something away from you, and all of it was

like oh my god like who cares?

Every time we did something in a more...

We added more exposition and we tried to

explain ourselves a little bit more we

tried to lead the

audience by the nose or by the

hands or something it never felt right.

There was a moment where we were working

on it where we kind came to the

thing like, somebody who knows

DOOM, they're coming to this with the

attitude "i'm here to kill demons".

The exact same thing that the player is

thinking, because there's always this

idea that in DOOM the player

feels like the DOOM marine

So lets take the idea that

"i'm here to kill demons" and that's the story.

The beginning of DOOM 2016 was

really informed by where we were

with the development of the entire

game. And again this is

pretty far in the development. We're

talking like probably in the last year

of development maybe even less maybe in

the last nine months or so.

The story of the first level of Doom is in fact the

story of the team finding the tone of

the game. The combat loop of DOOM had

been discovered relatively early on,

we'll talk more about that in the next video,

but the tone of the game, it's wonderful

self-aware narrative, that came much later.

It all started with what many might

consider an entirely disposable part of

the package. When Hugo and external

writer Adam Gascoigne tried to write the Codex.

Adam Gascoigne came in to help

us out with the writing

and Adam would would pitch

We'd give him that direction and he'd do

some stuff. I wanted

the Codex to be like a like a nerd Bible

like basically what you're doing is

you're a comic con geek going around the

world filling it with pages. So by the

end you could sit there and go through

it till your heart's content

I love that stuff, on Pacific Rim there's

a forum

and you know what kind of metal Gipsy

Danger is made out of and who made his

engine you know the Gundam universe

they just nerd out about that stuff i love

that shit. I could read that shit for days

[Danny] The original codex was a guidebook to DOOM

A sacred scripture for all things

DOOM but according to Hugo it was too dry

even to his geekish sensibilities so

Hugo did what he did whenever he hit a

creative brick wall

he looked to other forms of art for

inspiration. And for Hugo and Marty

inspiration came from the strangest of places.

Hugo is great with movie

references and probably one of the

early ones where that self-awareness

began to really take shape was "The Last Boyscout"

It came out a time when

the whole concept of doing a buddy cop

movie action movie with Bruce Willis was

so cliche because he we already

had lethal weapons and die

hards. And the writer I believe is

Shane Black I think he did an amazing

job in that he knew it was cliche and he

let the audience know that they knew

And and they would make

these little comments and I remember as

a kid it just made it all okay

It was so smart. Being self-aware.

There was this wonderful scene where the bad guy

Milo walks in and he's like you know

"We should introduce ourselves" and Bruce Willis is

smoking a cigarette you know this was when

Bruce Willis was awesome!

And Bruce Willis says "So you're the bad guy right?"

he's like "I am the bad guy"

"So I guess I'm supposed to be scared or something like that?"

and he's like

"Yea something like that. I'll quake in my boots in a minute"

And as a fan I was just like this is

awesome you know because i was totally

ready for some super cliche scene and he

just took the sauce right out of it.

And it's this great moment in a

massive Hollywood, you know movie at the

time it was one of the biggest

I think it was the most expensive

script ever optioned at that time.

It was such a good example and again

Hugo through it out there

Yea, you can be really self-aware and

and make it work

[Hugo] we were like "Everybody knows!"

We know, they know

everybody knows. So let's

play with that let's say, what if the

corporation was totally, because

you're expecting the game to be like

"Maybe it's a cult, and it's a secret"

"and no one knows" but how about as soon as

as you walk in it's playing on a fucking

megaphone like "we need volunteers for"

"the Revenant program we're going to turn"

"people into demons!"

And the idea was

The idea was hell had already taken over

so you don't like you're talking to somebody who's

like full-blown nuts about something

they got that glassy look in their eyes

and you're like "you're really scaring me with the"

"stuff you're saying right now" so it was

a little bit of a play on.

Just being so 'out and about' with your

crazy that seemed very liberating

for me and for everybody.

Adam comes back because he would stay

with us for a couple weeks at a time and

I pitched him. I was like

They know. You know?

And they're proud of it because let's

say the demons have already...

...because hell influences everybody

so they've already become members of

the cult and they're not even aware of

how crazy they are. We painted this

scene to sum up the way it was

is that they have board meetings about

human sacrifices to summon the gods

or who's gonna donate their

hearts to the summoning of

the next barron and that they have

interns applying for this stuff and

there's posters in the lunchroom

mancubus programs and

we just kept going with it.

Adam is cracking up

and you know it's right when...it's very much

like being a comedian. You kind of put it

out there and see if the audience laughs.

So we put it out there

Adam is like "dude this is...

"this is awesome"

"we can do this you know?"

So he comes back and he's like

"I'm gonna take the first half of the Codex entries"

Because they come in stages

The first one you unlock on

the imp or whatever or the

facility, is going to be the

straight-line because most cults they're

kind of normal up-front. There like

"yes everything's fine it's about finding"

"yourself and no, there's not weirdness going on"

And then you get to

the seventh level, four years in and

you get handed the book and you're like

"this shit is nuts" like "what is going on?"

so he's like let's make the second

entry be like the black book that

only certain advocates can get and

will reveal the crazy to them and

The first one he gave me was the

one "curl up in a ball and basically kiss"

"your ass good-bye" if you get attacked by and imp

Dude I lost it! I'm like this is it

You found the gear, break the shifter off

we are staying here

And so he kept doing

that and it was like, slightly normal

corporate agenda,

oh this is the access to the black book

which is totally fucking nuts because

that was right about the time when the

whole story kind of fell into place like

literally that was about when from

that came "demonic invasion progress"

All this happened at the

same time because believe me our hair

was on fire because the story

still doesn't work and

[Danny] How much time is left?

oh my god....it'll make us seem

irresponsible if I tell you how much

time was left. And I gotta be honest

Our asses were our there, I mean we were

putting ourselves out there.

But why not? I mean when you're

when you're making something

i'd rather go down swinging for the

fences than bunting like fuck that.

Like who cares, i'm not hitting singles

like I don't give a shit

Home run. Go all the way.

[Danny] Was there a worry that you were

making a joke out of this,

I mean it's DOOM, people love

this thing and they've loved it for

20 years and then and you're putting

all this is in. Was there a

little bit of reticence like "oh maybe

we're doing too much with this?"

I think the brand was so easy to work with

it was like the most pliable clay for a

sculptor to work with.

It's DOOM. Every time we worried about that

stuff which is totally fucking valid

you look at the sprites going *vomit* and

you know what I mean?

[laughter]

We could do anything. I mean have you

seen the stuff that goes on in DOOM?

We'd just play a game and

I'm like, yeah he's got a rabbit....

Like who cares?

There's a rabbit on a stake in one of the games.

Let's just go to town

With a clear direction in mind Hugo and

the team went back to the opening level

with a hatchet. Cutting what no longer

worked and adding the flavor of the new

self-aware tone. What we're going to do

next is take you on a creative journey

through that opening level. Rising out of

the sarcophagus, grabbing your candlelit

suit, the glory kill tutorial, engaging

the first gore nest, and on a short elevator

ride to Mars. A series of rooms that can

be completed in a couple of minutes but

rooms that took the team every ounce of

what little energy and production time

they had left on the project

They say that the first 15 minutes of the movie

the audience is very receptive and

they're very open. They're like

"okay what world you want me to go to?"

Let's go there. You have about 15 minutes

to convince me to what the world is

And then if you break

that later on the audience gets

super upset. So we knew that

the opening, we treated it like that.

We're going to set the

tone for the whole game. It's an action

first game so the beginning has to be

action. If we open with a tutorial

where people are talking they're gonna

be like "okay it's that type of game"

So there's the little scripture in the

beginning that says "may we never"

"need you again bla bla bla"

That kind of set the tone that there's

this biblical biblical force the DOOM marine

it's got that flavoring

and hopefully people tasted the cheese

There's a layering of cheese

to all this and we just wanted

people to exhale and be

like let's just have fun. Like seriously.

We know this is ridiculous, you know

this is ridiculous, good? Can we

shake hands on this and just have

fun? Cool. So it starts with that

little scripture and Corax Tablets

which again the "Corax Tablet"s?

Like what are the Corax Tablets. I don't know.

They're just awesome

They're just sme awesomee text somewhere that

says awesome stuff on it.

Totally metal.

I grew up with that shit

My brother, big-time metalhead

mainly listen to the Iron Maiden stuff

some of the first drawings I ever made where

Iron Maiden album covers.

I remember the opening to Iron Maiden's 666

song with Vincent Price saying

"the number of the beast"

I'm like dude the game should start like this

this would be awesome

[Marty] One of the animators

Alan Rogers he was the one that

put the zombie there and then....

Just the little touches that he grabbed it and then *biting action*

And then you smash him on the table

[Hugo] Me and Marty are just freaking out to it

like oh my god that's awesome

put that in the game

All those little nuances that's

probably the best example of of just

when everybody just kind of starts clicking

[Hugo] And then as soon as you "land"

I love watching the twitch feeds because

the players are like "oh oh my god I'm playing"

Bbut that was good it was

like DOOM - boom! Right in your face.

Ruthless efficiency - that was

the motto. Say everything

with as little as you possibly can if

you don't care justdon't even look

at it. Don't even look at the echo

Who cares what that sarcophagus is...

In robocop, in a good action movie

the characters learn

They learn about who the hero is

by what people say about them or to them

so in Robocop when you're slowly being

made into Robocop which is one of the

most phenomenal sequences I've ever seen

Everybody knows it

it goes black and then they put

the lens on and all that stuff

We studied that and it was a big

inspiration for the intro to DOOM

And there's this great scene

Just the moments where he goes to

shake his hand and he crushes his hand

and she's like "1,500 pounds of foot pressure"

"He could crush every bone in your body"

And you're like "Robocop is just fucking badass dude" and then the guy

goes up to him and he rubs his hand

and he says "You're gonna be one bad.."

"mother effer" ...

I just cursed I don't know why I said "mother effer"

Right there you knew Robocop is a badass

And the way that go into his

tracking and everything they just

indirectly are telling the audience

robocop super badass everything he does

is going to be awesome

so when you see him walk into that

grocery store and he just aims and

shoots there's all this subconscious

stuff going on of like "he's just not a guy"

Dude he's got a targeting system

it's fucking crazy you know like

Wait until he picks up that guy, it's 1,500 foot

pressure it'll crush his hand.

So when you woke up and the way they

were bowing to him. You're like "people bowed to me"

That's how badass I am

And I'm just sleeping

And later on when you touch the Slayer's

Testaments and they talk

about you like you're God I mean that

that that is basically that actor

leaning forward to Robocop and saying

"You're gonna be one bad motherfucker"

They're basically saying he's this

wrecking machine. We have to seal him away.

When you got to the

suit, and you walk out...

Giant Bomb wrote this great

article and listening to their podcast

and other people's podcast

I love when they get it. Because some people

looked at it and thought "this is ridiculous"

"Why is this thing with candles?"

But I mean, just let it go. Let's just have fun.

We knew from the very beginning we

wanted to show the suit

because we never really wanted

to go out of first person. We didn't want

to do third-person cutscenes and all

that kind of stuff so we wanted you to

really understand what you look

like and who you were

Honestly you need your characters in your story to

take the ridiculous seriously. It's ok if

I laugh at it - the audience

But when they're bowing

they're not giggling

It's very serious. It's kind of that balance

The area where we are the least subtle

about it is the whole

"demonic invasion in progress"

That's ridiculous.

It's absurd but there's a...

There's a self-awareness there that like,

don't pretend this is some

plague outbreak or anything like

that it's like, these are demons. Yfrom

You know is from the jump

That's what you're there to do

The phrase "demonic invasion in progress" is

meant to take, we're saying something

to the audience we're literally like

handing them a ticket for a train ride

and asking "Are you ready to go? Because"

"we're going we're going to leave right now!"

Forget it. You know they're demons.

I know they're demons. We both want to

shoot them in the face.

Let's just go. And then

when the guy comes on and

delivers the exposition, the rules,

like "Let's talk! I'm going to give you orders"

and you're gonna go push buttons.

And he just throws it away

We purposely wrote that in a

way that right at the moment that

the audience is like "fuck this guy"

and then DOOM Marines is like *push motion*

and you say "Nice! I was thinking the same thing!"

We want the player to know that we are

respecting their intelligence.

And we want them to know, that we know,

that they're there, to play a DOOM game,

and they're there to kill demons. So we

wanted to have this connection.

But at the same time it's a pretty risky

choice, you know?

It's a pretty bold decision to say we're

going to start some exposition like

every other game does and like every

player expects and then we're gonna just

throw it away. Literally. We're gonna grab

it and we're going to throw it aside and

is a player going to be okay, because they're

not making a choice in that

you know? We like to give players tons

of choices but this was one of the ones

where we basically said we're making a

choice for you and you're either on

board with us or you're not on board

with us. But that notion of

respecting the audience enough to

say you're here for a purpose

it's a little wink and nudge to say

we're throwing the story straight out

you know and and you're here to kill

demons so go kill demons.

You get the tutorial, you go through, you get

introduced to the first bit of arena

combat and that's really interesting

because we had a rule if you stand in

place your dead. So that imp room is

meant to teach you that like you're

skipping around your learning the

mechanics you're learning the imps which

is one of my favorites you meet the first

gore nest. What I love about the gore nest

is in a lot of games,

and we had discussions about this,

in a lot of games the gore nest would

be something you avoid

Like, that's the thing. Avoid the thing...

Oh shit I triggered the thing. And it starts the fight.

The DOOM marine is looking for a fight

It's literally like a t-bone steak. When he sees

that thing it's a t-bone steak and he's a tiger

Because he loves starting fights.

My favorite thing is to kill demons...

does this start that? Great!

When he goes in and he just rips it apart

and the blood pops out

there's this huge scream and BOOM

the fights off, but we were betting on

the audience that that was what they

wanted to do. We had 1 or 2

people say "oh well should i avoid these?"

This is early during tests and

we thought I don't think anybody who

paid $60 for a DOOM game is going

to avoid a fight.

And then when you walk through the hallway and she

says "We have to contain this. You could ruin everything"

that's that subtle indirect storytelling

like just super lean. Very efficient

I love the idea that she would say he

could ruin everything because again it's

the robocop scene of him leaning in

saying "you're a bad motherfucker"

It's basically saying I'm powerful and

I'm feared. Which makes the

player feel powerful. And I just kicked

the shit out of a bunch of imps

And when you get in the elevator was just timing. To get

stuff to work in video game development

is not easy. To get stuff timed to the

point that when the elevator opens the

shotgun cocks and the music is right there

with the lag-this and the timing of that

and the framerate this and holy cow...

It's like literally three in the morning at

Jerry's desk and we're all

sitting there like pale like "the timing is off"

"we have to get this fixed"

This was Marty's suggestion when he glances down at the

body when the guy says "it was worth the"

"risk I assure you"

"clearly things have gotten out of hand"

and then he glanced down, I love that little touch.

The the button smash and

the shotgun cock is very much

him giving the finger to the

idea that this this was all worth it

It's not. It's demons .

And i'm going to kill them all because

that's what I do.

[Hugo] I mean if I think about it

the textures broke in the glass,

then we fix the textures, then it broke

again, then there's no sound

It's just crazy.

When it finally went into the box we were like

"Don't breathe on it. It works"

"Don't even look at it!"

The opening level of Doom is a great

achievement in design. It does everything

on our opening level checklist.

It introduces the story, teaches the player

how to play, and sets the tone for the

adventure ahead. Once you cocked the

shotgun and walked out of the elevator

you knew what type of game you were

playing. And in our next episode we're

going to show you how they put all that

together. In part 3 we talk to the team

about designing combat chess and chat to

Mick Gordon about reimagining one of the

most iconic video game soundtracks.

One of y favorite things about

the intro is is it is a great example of

the teamwork that was involved in making

this because everybody from every

department contributed something totally

awesome to this it was just constantly

getting plused every time somebody put

their hands on it. We all high-fived.

It was one of the last things we did and

I think throughout any project you're

learning how to work like a team so by

the very end we were a team.

We knew how to get shit done and work

together and I mean as painful as was to

throw stuff out Brandon Souders who is

the level designer in the intro-level

was I mean it required an incredible

amount of patience but he was totally

down he kicked major ass I mean it it's

a huge credit to him the work that he did.

Movies, I love when they take the time to

put the juice into the character I think

that JAWS is powerful because

they spend so much time talking about

how badass Jaws is and they build him up

and he's the thing and "oh my god" and so

we were doing that with the DOOM marine

I love when they do that like you know

when the hero pulls out his

special gunm don't just pull it out and

shoot somebody. I want to know that that

was made out of special metal that was

forged by some fucking samurai dude.

You know what i mean? And slowly

pull it out and the gleam off the thing

like that's really what we were doing we

were milking it. Building

up the legend of the DOOM marine.

And the level that Sauders had

put together immediately following that

i thought was wonderful and introduced

you to the secrets, a little keycard

action, which I'd love to talk about more

later, and I love that it all

ends with again that little subtle nod

You're just blasting through and he says the

rging about the 221 accident free days.

You're just like "we just caused a lot of havok"

and he makes that little comment

But it's just on the side you know it's very very much out of the

way but i think it maintains that tone.

That complements the fact

that i'm ripping people's arms often

beating them to death with it.

I think that's what felt right, all

the puzzle pieces kind of coming

together make like a DOOM experience