Current Events > Started Doom Eternal. Damn, this game is surprisingly technical

(+) Yeah! (+)

Feels more like a devil may cry game somehow. The first game was pretty much run around blasty shooty don't stop, but this is inputting commands in the right order on the right enemy, rationing ammo. using the right special move at the right time.

Kinda exhausting but im sure it will click and once it does it will feel great.

Interesting choice of words. Exhausting is how I ended up describing the game. The first game had a better balance of random battles and "epic/big" battles. It didn't feel like Eternal had that balance and most of the battles felt big which also had the downside of keeping any one battle from feeling special. Combine this with the more technical nature of battle and the game could be surprisingly tiring to play.

Yeah I think it has way too much going on. And the story really just is nonsense. Like you're in the third act of a play but somehow missed the second

foxhound101 posted...

Interesting choice of words. Exhausting is how I ended up describing the game. The first game had a better balance of random battles and "epic/big" battles. It didn't feel like Eternal had that balance and most of the battles felt big which also had the downside of keeping any one battle from feeling special. Combine this with the more technical nature of battle and the game could be surprisingly tiring to play.

I may end up loving it or not, haven't decided yet. It's definitely different. I think one positive is it's forcing me to use different guns, which the previous games and other FPS games don't give you any incentive to do.

Kaldrenthebold posted...
And the story really just is nonsense. Like you're in the third act of a play but somehow missed the second

Yeah that is annoying me already. I have no idea what's going on, it feels like between this game and the last I missed out on several sequels that explains all of these characters and settings.

I bought it and I'll get to it eventually... still havent finished 2016

foxhound101 posted...

Interesting choice of words. Exhausting is how I ended up describing the game. The first game had a better balance of random battles and "epic/big" battles. It didn't feel like Eternal had that balance and most of the battles felt big which also had the downside of keeping any one battle from feeling special. Combine this with the more technical nature of battle and the game could be surprisingly tiring to play.

I found it exhausting too, for the first few hours, but then at some point it just clicked for me, and what was relief turned to accomplishment.

I still don't like the marauders though.

It was a bit of a learning curve at first but I loved Eternal in the end. I played and completed the DLC which is even harder than the base game. I couldn't get enough of the game in the end but had to move on due to my backlog.

I got sick of the platforming segments, but otherwise the mobility was fun. More quake than doom, but fun nevertheless.

The story is irrelevant. The combat is the BEST fps combat of all time once you get most of your toolset and u figure out the flow of combat. Crank it up to nightmare once you figure it out and enjoy! Also the platforming is cake. Idk what peoples problem is.

the breakneck speed and specific "This weapon solves this particular problem and is *dogshit* for all other problems" makes Eternal very...atypical, for a doom game. No less fun, though.

I do understand why people got very mad about Dark Ages being more 2016-and-earlier Doom though.

fan357 posted...

The story is irrelevant. The combat is the BEST fps combat of all time once you get most of your toolset and u figure out the flow of combat. Crank it up to nightmare once you figure it out and enjoy! Also the platforming is cake. Idk what peoples problem is.

It's not that I had trouble with it. I just don't want it in a doom game. The last thing I want to do in a doom game after clearing a room full of demons is a bunch of pole vaulting maneuverability challenges. It's just as stupid as their attempt to shoehorn in some grand narrative.

fan357 posted...

The story is irrelevant. The combat is the BEST fps combat of all time once you get most of your toolset and u figure out the flow of combat. Crank it up to nightmare once you figure it out and enjoy! Also the platforming is cake. Idk what peoples problem is.

Then you have people that say this. I do not think it has the best FPS combat of all time, and I beat the game. I found it to be pure nonsense and not what I wanted a Doom game to play like. I don't need color coded enemies that require faster than light weapon swapping because the devs decided they knew best on how I should deal with an encounter.

Yea, exhausting is the right word

I still remember beating the final boss. Felt like I had just finished a workout lol

Loved it, but it was my least favorite of the 3

I love the pace of combat that it created, so overall I preferred it to Doom 2016. But I think they leaned a bit too hard into the combat "puzzles" with the DLC. I get that they needed to make certain weapon mods actually useful, but there were so many enemies that needed to be dispatched in a specific way.

And the final boss of the DLCs was atrocious.

FurryPhilosifer posted...

I still don't like the marauders though.

This. I eventually got the hang of everything else, but **** that guy.

DyingPancake posted...

Yea, exhausting is the right word

I still remember beating the final boss. Felt like I had just finished a workout lol

Loved it, but it was my least favorite of the 3

Since you are one of the other 12 people that played Dark Ages, where does that rank? I find it is a nice blend of 2016 and Eternal. You get mobility with the shield but you have more options to handle enemies how you want without any real restrictions.

I think I like dark ages more than both, minus the vehicle segments which were tedious and not really challenging and the nonsense story. It had the chaotic resource management of eternal, mobility without platforming, more interesting mods that synergized with other abilities, and a larger focus on having a steady stream of things to kill versus simple "battle rooms" in between quiet hallways.

Perfect description from the OP, and the reason I found this game a 180 spin in the wrong direction over DOOM 2016. I want to engage in mindless, raging carnage when I play these games.

Yeah, it's all about keeping a resource loop going. It can be a bit much to focus on at first with how much is going on, but it becomes second nature after a while.
The jumping portions were the worst portion of the game. I hate jumping puzzles.

Kaldrenthebold posted...

Since you are one of the other 12 people that played Dark Ages, where does that rank? I find it is a nice blend of 2016 and Eternal. You get mobility with the shield but you have more options to handle enemies how you want without any real restrictions.

Out of the new trilogy? Probably 2nd right behind 2016, but its close

The shield was constantly fun, but its hard to top how the combat was handled in 2016

Also I enjoyed tge mech and dragon parts

I've been on the fence about getting Dark Ages since I'm on PS5 and don't have the game pass option. I saw it on sale for 35 bucks so I might just snag it. It'll be a backlog thing tho

FurryPhilosifer posted...

I found it exhausting too, for the first few hours, but then at some point it just clicked for me, and what was relief turned to accomplishment.

I still don't like the marauders though.

In the base game they're fine. In the TAG 1 & 2 dlc expansions, they pair them up. Which is a problem more because their AI bugs out and they stop giving you the opening to counter attack them

-Crissaegrim- posted...

In the base game they're fine. In the TAG 1 & 2 dlc expansions, they pair them up. Which is a problem more because their AI bugs out and they stop giving you the opening to counter attack them

It's just... they're so relentless. It never feels like I have more options than "wait for the opening and exploit". I've learned quick swapping and stuff but it's still just tedious waiting for that opening. Even the BFG is 50/50 on whether or not they'll decide to ignore it.

Idk if I could have gotten through TAG part 1 without the extra lives system.

The level design in The Dark Ages is soooo boring though. I suppose I can just ignore everything outwith the objective, but I don't want to do that! I want to find the secrets. But in The Dark Ages that means combing over areas the size of Wisconsin.

FurryPhilosifer posted...

It's just... they're so relentless. It never feels like I have more options than "wait for the opening and exploit". I've learned quick swapping and stuff but it's still just tedious waiting for that opening. Even the BFG is 50/50 on whether or not they'll decide to ignore it.

Idk if I could have gotten through TAG part 1 without the extra lives system.

You get them down eventually. But it's always a game of waiting for the opening.

s0nicfan posted...

I think I like dark ages more than both, minus the vehicle segments which were tedious and not really challenging and the nonsense story. It had the chaotic resource management of eternal, mobility without platforming, more interesting mods that synergized with other abilities, and a larger focus on having a steady stream of things to kill versus simple "battle rooms" in between quiet hallways.

I think I agree as well. First glance I thought 2016 was a bit better but something about DA just had me blatantly hooked. It's the only one out of the three that I beat and wanted to keep playing more. I was very done with Eternal by the time I finished, and 2016 on nightmare is wacked

DyingPancake posted...

Out of the new trilogy? Probably 2nd right behind 2016, but its close

The shield was constantly fun, but its hard to top how the combat was handled in 2016

Also I enjoyed tge mech and dragon parts

Man those segments were so...half baked. The mech parts were basically brain dead and the dragon segments were neat but pretty horrible to navigate. Nice to break a pace but they were so basic

I liked the dragon bits well enough in execution but hate the concept. Riding a mecha dragon in my sci fi demon game is dumb.

The mech bits were okay, but it really lacked weight. Felt like all the destructible environment was made of matchsticks. Actually all the destructible environment objects in the games have that problem I think, but it feels more obvious when you're in a mech the size of the capitol building.

I think Doom Eternal is one of the only games I've dropped due to outright hating the moment-to-moment gameplay, and I loved 2016. I get that some people like it but...

Exhausting is the right word. The fights are a total slog because the limited options make every encounter painfully predictable.

Plus, I'd finish a combat and be excited to move on and explore a little, only to be forced into another giant combat arena with the doors locked until I take out every enemy using their specified weakness. It just felt like filler was baked into everything.

Kaldrenthebold posted...

I think I agree as well. First glance I thought 2016 was a bit better but something about DA just had me blatantly hooked. It's the only one out of the three that I beat and wanted to keep playing more. I was very done with Eternal by the time I finished, and 2016 on nightmare is wacked

DA takes a bit too long to get going for its own good. It didn't really click fully until I had the second melee weapon and at least a couple level 2 weapon upgrades (where they start interacting with stuff like the shield throw). I think it's the weapon upgrades that make the biggest difference, though, since they fundamentally alter how certain guns interact with enemies and changes up your strategies. Do you toss your shield off an energy shield to hit a bunch of regular dudes, or do you throw your shield into the mancubus and then shoot it with the needler to kill those dudes instead? You get a shit ton of gameplay choice out of the upgrade system.

s0nicfan posted...

I think I like dark ages more than both, minus the vehicle segments which were tedious and not really challenging and the nonsense story. It had the chaotic resource management of eternal, mobility without platforming, more interesting mods that synergized with other abilities, and a larger focus on having a steady stream of things to kill versus simple "battle rooms" in between quiet hallways.

I agree with this, and I also loved how dynamic the shield was both for causing damage and for moving quickly around the battlefield. I also kinda felt like the game should have leaned less on secrets and collectibles. Upgrades should have been "kill X number of enemies to level up this weapon" instead of forcing players to scour every nook and cranny looking for currency with which to buy the upgrades. That aspect really slowed it down a lot, and made it weird to replay because every hidden area is just empty space now.

DipDipDiver posted...

I agree with this, and I also loved how dynamic the shield was both for causing damage and for moving quickly around the battlefield. I also kinda felt like the game should have leaned less on secrets and collectibles. Upgrades should have been "kill X number of enemies to level up this weapon" instead of forcing players to scour every nook and cranny looking for currency with which to buy the upgrades. That aspect really slowed it down a lot, and made it weird to replay because every hidden area is just empty space now.

The fact that they show you every single hidden collectible more or less made it not so bad at least. If they were truly hidden in the massive maps it would have been way worse.

I think DA is going to be looked on fondly over the years. A shame the reception was so tepid. I also think the soundtrack fucking rocks and the game sound mixing did it a huge disservice

Dark Ages is my least favorite but still fun.

Eternal is a god tier game and Dark Ages is also really good. 2016 feels dull and slow after playing those two.

Kaldrenthebold posted...

The fact that they show you every single hidden collectible more or less made it not so bad at least. If they were truly hidden in the massive maps it would have been way worse.

Oh absolutely
And I'm not totally opposed to collectibles I just think they should be a bit more optional, like artwork and character models. I shouldn't have to obsess over tracking down every little thing just to make sure I can get my weapon upgrades. Like, there was one big open level that took me around 2.5 hours to scour every single corner looking for upgrade money, it was incredibly tedious and boring. But when I replayed the game after having gotten all the secrets, the level took like 20 minutes to get through since I didn't have to do that. It just feels super unnecessary, and tying it to upgrades was the wrong move IMO

It is different and y'know....that's what I love about the three Doom games is they make an effort to make each one feel different. Dark Ages you have a shield and it's more 'stand and fight.'

It took a while but I got used to the need to switch up weapons.

Kaldrenthebold posted...

The fact that they show you every single hidden collectible more or less made it not so bad at least. If they were truly hidden in the massive maps it would have been way worse.

I think DA is going to be looked on fondly over the years. A shame the reception was so tepid. I also think the soundtrack fucking rocks and the game sound mixing did it a huge disservice

Isn't the PC performance a large part of the lukewarm reception?

I'm interested in it at some point for sure. I don't know if it will be as good as Eternal, but I expect it to be close at least.

FurryPhilosifer posted...

It's just... they're so relentless. It never feels like I have more options than "wait for the opening and exploit". I've learned quick swapping and stuff but it's still just tedious waiting for that opening. Even the BFG is 50/50 on whether or not they'll decide to ignore it.

This, exactly. I get how you are meant to dispatch them quickly, and they are fine in isolation, but they are a complete momentum stopper when mixed in with other enemies. They just break the otherwise working flow of combat.

GeneralKenobi85 posted...

Isn't the PC performance a large part of the lukewarm reception?

I'm interested in it at some point for sure. I don't know if it will be as good as Eternal, but I expect it to be close at least.

I think it has forced ray tracing, which really screwed with people's systems. I heard it crashed a lot, too, but I played on PS5 and it was basically flawless. Only issue I ever had was sometimes after a reload, the screen would stay black longer than it should and I would end up 2 - 3 seconds into a fight probably already being hit.

I haven't played '16 after playing Eternal but I can't imagine going back.

It's interesting to see how polarising this game is, from these comments. People either think it's the greatest FPS of all time or the worst Doom of all time.

Vengeance29 posted...

I haven't played '16 after playing Eternal but I can't imagine going back.

The whole time I was playing through Eternal I was convinced 2016 was the better game, but I replayed it immediately after Eternal and found it kind of boring tbh

DipDipDiver posted...

The whole time I was playing through Eternal I was convinced 2016 was the better game, but I replayed it immediately after Eternal and found it kind of boring tbh

I played 2016 for the first time after having played Eternal and Dark Ages and I thought it was really boring comparitively. Its not a bad game but it just doesnt match the intensity of its successors.

pinky0926 posted...

It's interesting to see how polarising this game is, from these comments. People either think it's the greatest FPS of all time or the worst Doom of all time.

It's a fantastic game. It just has some gameplay loops that you might not always be in the MOOD to indulge in.

Trying to make sense of the lore might also give you a migraine.