Difference between revisions of "Doom (32X)/Comparisons"

From Sega Retro
 
(2 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 23: Line 23:
 
| desc=''Doom'' on the 32X does not hold up well when placed side-by-side with the original IBM PC version. The title screen lacks a background (and a Cacodemon) and has been blindly ported over from the PC version, with no attempt to adjust for the different aspect ratio (IBM PC ''Doom'' runs at 320x200 while the 32X attempts 320x224, so all ported graphics appear "fatter" than they should). As a result of this, there is a 12 pixel horizontal border at the top and bottom of the image, meaning the space marine's legs are abruptly chopped off.
 
| desc=''Doom'' on the 32X does not hold up well when placed side-by-side with the original IBM PC version. The title screen lacks a background (and a Cacodemon) and has been blindly ported over from the PC version, with no attempt to adjust for the different aspect ratio (IBM PC ''Doom'' runs at 320x200 while the 32X attempts 320x224, so all ported graphics appear "fatter" than they should). As a result of this, there is a 12 pixel horizontal border at the top and bottom of the image, meaning the space marine's legs are abruptly chopped off.
  
−
The 32X version arguably fares well against the 3DO and Jaguar versions, however, which opt not to have the space marine in the title screen at all. Only the Super NES has a complete version of the original title screen, albeit in fewer colours.
+
The 32X version arguably fares well against the 3DO and Jaguar versions, however, which opt not to have the space marine in the title screen at all. The 3DO in particular makes no attempt to adjust itself for its 320x240 display, with permanent black borders on the top and bottom. Only the Super NES has a complete version of the original title screen, albeit in fewer colours.
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{Comparison
 
{{Comparison
Line 58: Line 58:
 
| image1=Doom 32X Level1 End.png
 
| image1=Doom 32X Level1 End.png
 
| image2=Doom IBMPC E1M1 End.png
 
| image2=Doom IBMPC E1M1 End.png
−
| image3=Notavailable.svg
+
| image3=Doom 3DO E1M1 End.png
−
| image4=Notavailable.svg
+
| image4=Doom Jaguar E1M1 End.png
 
| image5=Doom SNES E1M1 End.png
 
| image5=Doom SNES E1M1 End.png
 
| game1=32X
 
| game1=32X
Line 66: Line 66:
 
| game4=Atari Jaguar
 
| game4=Atari Jaguar
 
| game5=Super NES
 
| game5=Super NES
−
| desc=Most versions of the game present less information when completing a level.
+
| desc=Most versions of the game present less information when completing a level. It's likely that the developers did not think it was worthwhile to go through and set new "par" times.
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{Comparison
 
{{Comparison
 
| image1=Doom 32X Level2 Transition.png
 
| image1=Doom 32X Level2 Transition.png
 
| image2=Doom IBMPC E1M2 Transition.png
 
| image2=Doom IBMPC E1M2 Transition.png
−
| image3=Notavailable.svg
+
| image3=Doom SNES E1M2 Transition.png
−
| image4=Notavailable.svg
+
| game1=32X
−
| image5=Doom SNES E1M2 Transition.png
+
| game2=IBM PC
 +
| game3=Super NES
 +
| desc=And likewise, most sacrifice the map. Although given that stages are not played in the correct order in some ports, this would make sense. The game's successor, ''Doom II'' also ditched these maps screens, so perhaps they had fallen out of fashion at id Software. The 3DO and Jaguar ports have no dedicated "next level" screen, much like ''Doom II''.
 +
}}
 +
{{Comparison
 +
| image1=Doom 32X Level2.png
 +
| image2=Doom IBMPC E1M2 Start.png
 +
| image3=Doom 3DO E1M2 Start.png
 +
| image4=Doom Jaguar E1M2 Start.png
 +
| image5=Notavailable.svg
 
| game1=32X
 
| game1=32X
 
| game2=IBM PC
 
| game2=IBM PC
Line 79: Line 88:
 
| game4=Atari Jaguar
 
| game4=Atari Jaguar
 
| game5=Super NES
 
| game5=Super NES
−
| desc=And likewise, most sacrifice the map. Although given that stages are not played in the correct order in some ports, this would make sense. The game's successor, ''Doom II'' also ditched these maps screens, so perhaps they had fallen out of fashion at id Software.
+
| desc=E1M2 "Nuclear Plant" neatly demonstrates the cutbacks and changes the Jaguar-derived ports have made. The three steps leading to the first structure are missing and most of the walls use the same texture. The altered position also means you can see a Zombieman on the right.
 
}}
 
}}
  

Latest revision as of 13:01, 7 December 2019

Back to: Doom (32X).

Localisation comparisons

Doom 32X Level1.png

NTSC-J/NTSC-U

Doom 32X EU Level1.png

PAL

The PAL version technically runs in the full 320x240 resolution (versus 320x224 for NTSC), but the extra 16 rows of pixels are only used to extend the height of the HUD, making it less accurate compared to the original IBM PC version in the process. The real gameplay window is 256x144 in both versions (or 128x144, as there is a pseudo-doubling of pixels on the horizontal axis).

Version comparisons

Doom 32X Title.png

32X

Doom IBMPC Title.png

IBM PC

Doom 3DO Title.png

3DO

Doom Jaguar Title.png

Atari Jaguar

Doom SNES Title.png

Super NES

Doom on the 32X does not hold up well when placed side-by-side with the original IBM PC version. The title screen lacks a background (and a Cacodemon) and has been blindly ported over from the PC version, with no attempt to adjust for the different aspect ratio (IBM PC Doom runs at 320x200 while the 32X attempts 320x224, so all ported graphics appear "fatter" than they should). As a result of this, there is a 12 pixel horizontal border at the top and bottom of the image, meaning the space marine's legs are abruptly chopped off.

The 32X version arguably fares well against the 3DO and Jaguar versions, however, which opt not to have the space marine in the title screen at all. The 3DO in particular makes no attempt to adjust itself for its 320x240 display, with permanent black borders on the top and bottom. Only the Super NES has a complete version of the original title screen, albeit in fewer colours.

Doom 32X Level1.png

32X

Doom IBMPC E1M1 Start.png

IBM PC

Doom IBMPC E1M1 Start Border.png

IBM PC (border)

Doom IBMPC E1M1 Start Border Low.png

IBM PC (border; "low" graphics detail)

The 32X version does not run in full-screen. You can simulate a similar look in the IBM PC version by adding borders (pressing "-" twice) and setting the graphics detail setting to "low" (which doubles the width of in-game pixels).

While perhaps a crude way to play today, Doom on the PC officially supports Intel 386 processors with as little as 4MB of RAM. For many users in 1993/1994, achieving stable performance (maxing out at 35FPS) required that these memory-saving measures were used, so at a quick glance, the 32X's visuals would not have been out of the ordinary for the time.

To get the game running on the Atari Jaguar (and by extension, this 32X port), a further round of cost-cutting was introduced, with simplified geometry, fewer textures and less static scenery (such as the dead space marine in the opening of E1M1, assuming this is not console censorship). It creates an "emptier" and a less colourful Doom experience, with more browns and greys rather than, for example, the blue carpet seen above.

On top of the Jaguar changes, the 32X has to make do with a lower colour count for its HUD (owing to the fact this section is being drawn by Mega Drive hardware, not 32X) and a lower average frame rate.

Doom 32X Level1.png

32X

Doom IBMPC E1M1 Start.png

IBM PC

Doom 3DO E1M1 Start.png

3DO

Doom Jaguar E1M1 Start.png

Atari Jaguar

Doom SNES E1M1 Start.png

Super NES

However, while 32X's shortcomings are obvious, they are not unique among other consoles of the era. The 3DO, which on paper should greatly surpass the 32X's specifications, runs with a thicker border (albeit without pixel width doubling), and alongside the Jaguar, share the same frame rate issues. The Super NES which is not based on Jaguar code, chose a different approach, sacrificing floor and ceiling textures.

Doom 32X Level1 End.png

32X

Doom IBMPC E1M1 End.png

IBM PC

Doom 3DO E1M1 End.png

3DO

Doom Jaguar E1M1 End.png

Atari Jaguar

Doom SNES E1M1 End.png

Super NES

Most versions of the game present less information when completing a level. It's likely that the developers did not think it was worthwhile to go through and set new "par" times.

Doom 32X Level2 Transition.png

32X

Doom IBMPC E1M2 Transition.png

IBM PC

Doom SNES E1M2 Transition.png

Super NES

And likewise, most sacrifice the map. Although given that stages are not played in the correct order in some ports, this would make sense. The game's successor, Doom II also ditched these maps screens, so perhaps they had fallen out of fashion at id Software. The 3DO and Jaguar ports have no dedicated "next level" screen, much like Doom II.

Doom 32X Level2.png

32X

Doom IBMPC E1M2 Start.png

IBM PC

Doom 3DO E1M2 Start.png

3DO

Doom Jaguar E1M2 Start.png

Atari Jaguar

Notavailable.svg

Super NES

E1M2 "Nuclear Plant" neatly demonstrates the cutbacks and changes the Jaguar-derived ports have made. The three steps leading to the first structure are missing and most of the walls use the same texture. The altered position also means you can see a Zombieman on the right.

References


Doom (32X)

Doom 32X Title.png

Main page | Comparisons | Maps | Hidden content | Development | Magazine articles | Video coverage | Reception | Region coding | Technical information


Retrieved from "https://segaretro.org/index.php?title=Doom_(32X)/Comparisons&oldid=543784"