Doom 0.4

This is a sub-page of Proto:Doom (PC, 1993).

Compiled on April 2nd, 1993, there are many changes to the engine, though the game is still very different. It should be noted that there is no sound at all.

Changes from Doom 0.3#

• Doors are finally present, and they can be opened.
• This build only has two usable weapons, the bayonet and the rifle, as the shotgun and machine-gun are no longer selectable.
• The two HUDs from the previous alpha have been replaced by a single, unfinished HUD bar.
• Items are still non-functional, but now appear correctly on the floor.
• The high color mode from the previous alpha is still present.

Controls#

1 to 9 (at the main menu) - Select a level.
Esc - Main Menu.
Q (at the main menu) - Quit.
Arrow keys; Number Pad (2, 4, 6, and 8 keys) - Move.
Control/Pause - Shoot.
Right Shift - Run.
Alt - Use; Strafe.
1 (in-game) - Use Bayonet.
2 (in-game) - Use Rifle.
Q - High Quality.
W - Medium Quality.
E - Low Quality.
R - High color mode.
T - Causes the player to turn in order to measure the rendering frame rate ...and crash the game after five seconds.
P - Start a profile (written to profile.dat); pressing it a second time causes Doom to crash.
Z - Render Ceiling, Wall, and Floor textures.
X - Render Wall and Floor textures.
C - Render only the Wall textures.
M - Causes the player to shrink down to floor level. Attempting to climb something while in this mode will crash the prototype.
S and ~ (In order) - Takes a screenshot in LBM format.

HUD#

Alpha 0.3	Alpha 0.4	Final

The helmet HUD has been entirely removed, and an equally non-functional status bar with various empty fields is present. This does mean this build entirely lacks an automap.
This build no longer has the reduced view mode, or an alternative HUD.

Weapons#

Weapons cannot be picked up at this point of development.

Bayonet

Alpha 0.4	Final

The bayonet is visually identical to the previous prototype. It still replaces the fists as your only melee weapon.

Chainsaw

Alpha 0.4	Final

Alpha 0.4	Final

Alpha 0.3	Alpha 0.4/Final

The chainsaw's view sprites are here, though the view idle animation was updated in the final game to animate more, the attacking frame was animated, and the chain was made more clear.
The chainsaw also now has its final pickup sprite.

Rifle

Alpha 0.4	Final

The rifle is also visually identical to the previous prototype and still replaces the pistol in this build.

Shotgun

Alpha 0.4	Final

Alpha 0.3	Alpha 0.4	Final

The shotgun's view sprite remains visually identical to the previous build. The pickup sprite on the other hand, has completed half of its remodel towards becoming the final game's chunky shotgun, though the stock is still shaped similarly to the 0.3 pickup.

Title Screen	Ch4 End

This pickup sprite seems to be where the shotgun design for the final game's title screen and episode 4's ending picture were drawn from.

Machine Gun

Alpha 0.4	Final

Alpha 0.3	Alpha 0.4	Final

The Machine Gun's view sprite has remained the same as in the previous build and it still takes the place of the chaingun.
The pickup sprite is the same silhouette from the 0.3 build, but now fully drawn.

Missile Launcher

Alpha 0.4	Final

The missile launcher is still not implemented, and the placeholder gradient silhouette remains until the next alpha.

BFG (2704)

Alpha 0.4	Final

The BFG is also still not implemented yet, and still has its placeholder pickup graphic.

Dark Claw

Alpha 0.3	Alpha 0.4

The Dark Claw is still not implemented, but it has had its pickup sprite completely redrawn.

Items#

Armor

The four colored armors are out and we have the final assortment of Regular and Mega Armor. The Regular Armor sprite is identical to the final, but the Mega Armor is nothing more than the Regular Armor sprite with a pair of boots at this stage.

Stimpack

Alpha 0.3	Alpha 0.4	Final

The stimpack is still a syringe, though the sprite has been modified and the syringe body now matches the handles and plunger.

Medkit

Alpha 0.3	Alpha 0.4	Final

The 'X' on the medkit has been colored red, otherwise it remains the same, and still very different from the final design.

Clip

Alpha 0.3	Alpha 0.4	Final

The clip has been redrawn to a different and slightly distorted angle in this build.

Box of Bullets

Alpha 0.4	Final

The larger bullet pickup appears for the first time in this build, using 3 pistol clip sprites stacked on each other.

Shells

Alpha 0.3	Alpha 0.4	Spear of Destiny	Final

For some reason, the smaller shell pickup in this build uses an edited version of the ammo box sprite from Spear of Destiny, which makes no sense given it does not portray shells. The loose pile of shells was used for the larger pickup instead, albeit in the form of a larger sprite.

Box of Shells

Alpha 0.4	Final

The large shell pickup is a sizeable pile of shells, similar to the smaller shell pickup from the previous alpha, but larger. The final game would pack these neatly into a box.

Rockets

Alpha 0.4	Final

The rocket pickup appears, has no top, and is less detailed overall. Both the small and large pickups use the same box sprite, meaning there is no single rocket pickup sprite in this build.

Cells

Alpha 0.3	Alpha 0.4	Final

All cell pickups use an early version of the large cell pack graphic, completely scrapping the battery design from 0.3. The final game's large cell pack graphic, with its yellow indicators, is actually present among the sprites of this build, but goes unused.

Soul Sphere

Alpha 0.4	Final

The Soul Sphere remains a jar for now, identical to the last build.

Powerups

The jar-based powerups have been pruned from 10 to 5 in this build. They've also had their symbols redrawn in red.

Light Amplification Visor

Alpha 0.4	Final

The light amplification visor was redrawn as a single unit and given an animation frame in the final.

Shield Generator

Alpha 0.3	Alpha 0.4	Final

The various shield pickups had at this point been replaced with a singular animated shield generator.
This item was cut from the final game, and the sprite was later reused for the small cell pickup, without its animation.

Treasure

The treasures have all been redrawn, with the dagger and candle being replaced with a soul jar and chest respectively. The skullchest would eventually make it into the press-release pre-beta, but then scrapped in the final release. However, most notably, it would be recycled for Quake's first Mission Pack: Scourge of Armagon with the chest being recycled as a bookcase placed on a bookshelf instead.

Enemies#

Demon#

Alpha 0.4	Final

Most of the Demon's sprites remain the same as in Doom 0.3.

Alpha 0.3	Alpha 0.4	Final

Their back sprites have been flipped and redrawn.

Alpha 0.3	Alpha 0.4	Final

Alpha 0.3	Alpha 0.4	Final

Alpha 0.3	Alpha 0.4	Final

And some of their side sprites have also been redrawn.

Baron of Hell#

Alpha 0.4	Final

The Baron of Hell's graphics have still yet to be updated since 0.2.

Lost Soul#

Alpha 0.4	Final

The Lost Soul's sprites are identical to the last build, and they're still the only monster who has a full sprite set in the .WAD.

Zombieman#

Alpha 0.4	Final

The Zombieman's first sprite appears in the files for 0.4, though it is an obvious placeholder drawn from the player sprite.

Imp#

As the Imp's sprites were completed in the last build, they are identical to the final game here as well.

General Artwork#

Decorations#

Alpha 0.4	Final

Barrels of various colors. Replaced by the singular explosive barrel in the final game.

Alpha 0.4	Final

This tech pillar was shortened in the final game.

A nice rotating, decorative, office chair.

Unused and unfinished warning lights in various colors.

Unused floor lamps, including breaking frames for one of them.

A storage canister that is mentioned in the Doom Bible, with incomplete shading and a temporary breaking animation. Removed in the final game.

A zapper thing that would be mounted on the ceiling.

An unused hologram of the moon of Tei Tenga.

Unused wires dangling from the ceiling.

These sprites were cut out from some of the tech wall textures. It's likely they were used as decorations.

Walls#

Alpha 0.4	Final

DOOR2_1 is completely different in the alpha version; even the UAC logo was changed.

Alpha 0.4	Final

DOOR2_3 had its gradient cleaned up a bit.

Alpha 0.4	Final

DOOR2_4 was re-drawn a little bit, and extended vertically.

Alpha 0.4	Final

WLA128_1 was changed completely from a perforated gradient to a more generic tiled wall piece.

Alpha 0.4	Final

CYL1_1 also had its UAC logo changed.

Alpha 0.4	Final

W16_1 was expanded for the final game's WALL79_1. It's also the source for the SW2_1 graphic.

Alpha 0.4	Final

W18_1 is the source for the final game's W94_1 wall.

Alpha 0.4	Final

The gradient was altered here to seem a bit less jagged.

Alpha 0.4	Final

The exit sign was given a gradient.

Alpha 0.4	Final

This bezel has slightly more subtle shading in the final.

Several of these walls will have tiny little alterations, mostly to remove green and white spots.

Alpha 0.4	Final

The wall is slightly wider in the alpha, but is identical to the final version, otherwise.

Alpha 0.4	Final

TTALL1_2 was shortened.

The cabinets from the last alpha have been completed here, though this is the last build that has these textures.

Alpha 0.3	Alpha 0.4	Final

WALLBC_2 has been removed and repurposed as part of PLAT1_1, which would be further modified into the final game's PLAT2_1.

LABWAL1 and LABWAL2 appear only in this prototype.

W20_1 is another wall exclusive to this build, and a trippy one at that.

These walls appear in future prototypes, but not in the final game.

Alternate techno-stucco.

A really squished door.

According to the filename, this is a ladder. Ladders would later make their way into TNT: Evilution.

Alternate versions of the silvery wall gradient.

Two monitors, one showing earth, and the other having a big hole in the screen.

Switches. In the final, switches only have 2 states (on and off). However, These have 4.

Color-coded signs that would be dotted around various techbases. Green denotes a room's purpose, Blue gives directions, Purply-pink indicates a switch is either needed or nearby, and red lacks a general theme.

Signs for hazards not seen in the final. "VOLTAGE" may have been for the unused ceiling zappers, and "EXPLOSIVE" was likely for barrels of nukage.

Supports, for all your load-bearing needs.

A door. The non-brown parts are actually see-through.

A shinier version of the hexagon floor.

Flats#

Alpha 0.4	Final

FLAT22 is quite different, with an uglier gradient and less embellished border.

TLITE6_5 and TLITE6_6 both had their lights redrawn into a smoother gradient.

Alpha 0.3	Alpha 0.4

FLOOR5_8 has had its brown square reduced in size.

The rest of the FLOOR5 set has been replaced entirely, with the exception of FLOOR5_7.

The consoles are complete as of this build, with a new gradient, more generic screen, and less colorful lights.

The rest of the flats for the console set have also been completed in a similar manner, though these would be excluded from the final game.

Alpha 0.4	Final

The green SEWAGE flats from the last build have been renamed to NUKAGE, a name they would keep to the final version, but they are otherwise the same.

Alpha 0.4	Final

The BLOOD flats are still named NUKAGE, and are just a recolor of the green NUKAGE flats.

Alpha 0.4	Doom 2

There is also a set of brown SEWAGE flats utilizing the name from the previous build, albeit these are more reminiscent of the SLIME flats from Doom 2.

Alpha 0.3	Alpha 0.4	Final

FLAT20 has been updated, giving the cards far more detail and spreading them around the texture. Still bearing no resemblance to the simple pattern this slot was later used for.

CONVNA and CONVSA are a set of animated flats that appear exclusively in this build (they're in 0.5 by name, but the flat is dummied out). Conveyors aren't found in the base Doom engine, but would later be found in Heretic, Hexen, and the Boom source port

The rest of these flats begin to appear in later builds starting here, but not in the final game.

Hexagonal tiles with drains.

Larger versions of the rhombus lights. Dario and Milo might've liked these.

More blue techno-stucco. CEIL4_2 and CEIL4_2, with similar patterns, would remain in the final game, but not this one.

A gradient silver with some green thing in the corner.

Levels#

To do: Map descriptions, with comparisons between the alpha and the final.

This prototype comes with a couple of maps one can explore.

Levels 12 and 13 are mentioned in the readme file, but they are completely absent, here. Also, by default, you can only access the first nine levels. In order to access levels 10 and 11, you need to type DOOM E1Mx, with 'x' being any number between 1 and 11.

E1M1#

Watch on YouTubeThere are a couple of marines sitting around a desk, playing some cards. It's an early version of the final's E2M7.

E1M2#

Watch on YouTubeAn early version of the final's E2M2.

E1M3#

Watch on YouTubeBecame E2M3 in the final game; has some temporary textures.

E1M4#

Watch on YouTubeBecame E1M7 in the final game; it's mostly a layout of how the level might look like.

E1M5#

Became E1M6 in the final game; it is largely identical to the final version, but there is some octagon structure that mostly got cut out.

E1M6#

Watch on YouTube

E1M7#

Watch on YouTubeThis eventually became the final's E1M4; however, this version has showers with demons hiding in them.

E1M8#

Watch on YouTube

E1M9#

Watch on YouTube

E1M10#

Watch on YouTube

E1M11#

Watch on YouTubeThis level did not make it into the final game.