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Doom has been one of the most ported games (and software) of all time, ranging from anything like console ports, to obscure and niche pieces of hardware, like refrigerators and even pregnancy tests.

Since its release back in 1993 , some of the console ports of Doom have seen an open source release, like that of the SNES port by Randal Linden.
In a similar vein, he whole source code of another port project has been released by the developer, Rebecca Ann Heineman, over at GitHub, this time for the 3DO release of the game released in 1996.

The 3DO port was one of the most infamous and obscure console ports of Doom. The port featured the same levels as that of the Jaguar port, a really small screen resolution view of the game, and ran at really low framerates. While many consider this to be one of the worst console ports of the original Doom, one of its most interesting factors is the remixed tracks of the original soundtrack exclusive to this port.

Rebecca Heineman shared the source through Twitter:

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The ReadMe of the project shares an interesting insight on the game's development, with words from Heineman herself, who goes by "burgerbecky" on GitHub:

Yes, this is the infamous port of DOOM for the 3DO. Firstly, this was the product of ten intense weeks of work due to the fact that I was misled about the state of the port when I was offered the project. I was told that there was a version in existance with new levels, weapons and features and it only needed "polishing" and optimization to hit the market. After numerous requests for this version, I found out that there was no such thing and that Art Data Interactive was under the false impression that all anyone needed to do to port a game from one platform to another was just to compile the code and adding weapons was as simple as dropping in the art.

Uh... No...

My friends at 3DO were begging for DOOM to be on their platform and with christmas 1995 coming soon (I took this job in August of 1995, with a mid October golden master date), I literally lived in my office, only taking breaks to take a nap and got this port completed.

One of the most noticeable things within the repository are the inclusion of a set of photos which apparently were taken from FMV sequences that were planned for the port, which were added less than a month ago. Some of the images depict what seems to be a full-body costume of a demon.

Source

 

[Asdolo]

wonder if the AVGN episode referencing these scenes potentially was the reason for this....?

I was thinking exactly the same.

 

[Kwyjor]

I don't know if it applies to the 3DO, but back on the day almost every console version of Doom was a port of the Jaguar port.

Yes, she started off with the source code for the Jaguar and PC versions.

We need somebody to port a DOSx86 core to the Analogue Pocket so we can play Doom on the device natively.

This doesn't make any sense..? It wouldn't be "native" if it's running on a DOSx86 core. Also the game has been taken apart and put back together again a bazillion times already and I'm sure if someone wanted to, a suitably "native" port could be created.

But is that really something we "need"? It's the same dang game people have played for twenty-plus years already.

 

[ShadowOne333]

wonder if the AVGN episode referencing these scenes potentially was the reason for this....?

Not really.
It came to my attention due to Rebecca's tweet, and when I checked the GitHub I saw the latest commit being 20+ days ago, with that commit including the pics, and that preceedes the AVGN episode by quite some days.
I stopped following AVGN stuff ever since the shift to Screenwave, or whatever those guys are called.

 

[Jayro]

Yes, she started off with the source code for the Jaguar and PC versions.

This doesn't make any sense..? It wouldn't be "native" if it's running on a DOSx86 core. Also the game has been taken apart and put back together again a bazillion times already and I'm sure if someone wanted to, a suitably "native" port could be created.

But is that really something we "need"? It's the same dang game people have played for twenty-plus years already.

The CPU in the Pocket needs a logic core to process any of the code. And since the PC version is the most well-documented and ported version, it just makes sense to use that version of Doom to be ported. Should feel plenty native, since it's using FPGA.

 

[SylverReZ]

I stopped following AVGN stuff ever since the shift to Screenwave, or whatever those guys are called.

I stopped subscribing to AVGN because I started to find his episodes quite boring as time went on imo.

 

[ShadowOne333]

I stopped subscribing to AVGN because I started to find his episodes quite boring as time went on imo.

Yeah same, for me it was around the Screenwave guys started appearing when it became quite boring to me, so yeah it's most likely the same reason.

 

[SylverReZ]

Yeah same, for me it was around the Screenwave guys started appearing when it became quite boring to me, so yeah it's most likely the same reason.

That's probably why then.

 

[pedro702]

Rebecca is such a cool gal, she's told story after story about 3DO Doom's development and it's just incredible how solid the port came out despite having less than 12 full months to work on it.

i wouldnt call it a solid port... it barely runs on original hardware, all she did was porting the jaguar source code and made some minor alterations, none of which went to performance, since its really poor.

 

[ShadowOne333]

i wouldnt call it a solid port... it barely runs on original hardware, all she did was porting the jaguar source code and made some minor alterations, none of which went to performance, since its really poor.

From what I read, she tried to salvage what she was given at that point.

 

[SylverReZ]

From what I read, she tried to salvage what she was given at that point.

She had only until October to finish it up in time for Christmas.

 

[pedro702]

From what I read, she tried to salvage what she was given at that point.

She had only until October to finish it up in time for Christmas.

doesnt matter the time she had, calling it a solid port is like calling any broken game a solid port because the devs had a time window to finish the game so they rushed it and came out playing like crap.

Any broken game probably had little staff a a small development window, that isnt an excuse or then there arent broken games and we need to pat in the back every dev that releases a broken game because they didnt had time...

 

[tatumanu]

Will I find the 3do port of Doom inside my chocolate bar next hallowe’en?

 

[LainaGabranth]

i wouldnt call it a solid port... it barely runs on original hardware, all she did was porting the jaguar source code and made some minor alterations, none of which went to performance, since its really poor.

Considering what tools she had and what timeline? Yeah, it's pretty solid.

 

[ChiefReginod]

One way or another this is one of the most interesting Doom console ports ever. No one ever talks about the Jaguar version, despite being a competent port.

 

[Jokey_Carrot]

We need somebody to port a DOSx86 core to the Analogue Pocket so we can play Doom on the device natively. The GBA port sucks with it's resolution cut way down and stretched. Even the PC conversion mod ain't great.

Dos on a system with like four buttons sounds fun lmao.

 

[SylverReZ]

Dos on a system with like four buttons sounds fun lmao.

I believe you can setup a controller with "DOOM" on DOS.

 

[Jayro]

I believe you can setup a controller with "DOOM" on DOS.

Or at the very least, remap the buttons to "keyboard keys".

 

[eduall]

Each news about doom is pure gold.

 

[SylverReZ]

Each news about doom is pure gold.

Anything can run "DOOM" if you put your mind to it.

 

[Jayro]

I just want a fresh Doom port for the GBA that plays at the native 240x160 resolution, instead of being halved and then "stretched to fit".

And after seeing cool shit like OpenLara and Quake for the GBA, there's definitely no excuses about optimization... The default GBA port sucks, and the PC total conversion mod just makes it suck a little bit less.