Doom 3 Goes Gold + Specs, Release Aug 5
id Software CEO Todd Holleshead updated his .plan file with the official word that Doom 3, the long awaited first person shooter, has gone gold and will be officially released in the U.S. on August 5:
Yes, this is the official word that DOOM 3 has been code released and has been approved for manufacturing! It won't be long now until the anticipation ends and the PH34R begins ;-) We literally just hung up with Activision and have confirmed that our latest release candidate has been mutually approved and is finally GOLD. Thanks to everyone for their patience (yeah right! =) and for everyone at id, Activision and our numerous partners for helping us create what I believe is absolutely the best game we have ever made.
So, the next question is release dates. Retailers in the States will be allowed to pick up games starting at 12:01 AM on August 3rd. The official street date is actually August 5th in the U.S.A., but some of your favorite stores will probably have it early for those of you who have to have it first. Check with your local retailer for that information.
Internationally, the game will take a few more days to make it to the store shelves. The UK will probably get it first, on or about August 6th. Everywhere else will probably be Friday, August 13th (que Twilight Zone Theme) or close to that date, with just a few exceptions (e.g. Russia and Poland). This isn't because we don't have love for you folks outside the U.S., but the localization and manufacturing process takes a bit longer outside the U.S. where we will have JVC run 24/7 to get the units built. I guess the European manufacturers prefer to give their employees nights and weekends off. Go figure!
Doom 3 Center have posted the recommended system specs for Doom 3:
- 2GHz CPU or equiv Athlon
- 512MB of RAM
- Radeon 9800/GeForce FX 5600 and up
- 5 channel sound card with speakers (Sound Blaster Audigy 2)
The following graphics cards are all supported by Doom 3: GeForce 3/4/4MX/FX/6800 + ATI Radeon 8500/9000/9200/9500/9600/9700/9800/x800
MP Limit is 4! 1--2--3--4!
Ok, please tell me this is wrong:
DooM-III Review on CNN
Pretty much dead center of the review this guys says:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Morris - CNN-Money
For the most part, "Doom 3" is a single-player game. Multiplayer elements will only support up to four players, a minuscule number when compared to many of today's action games. The clever use of lighting and the more precise target areas will help it stand out, though....
Someone with the real 411 please say it isn't so! Granted CNN-Money is not likely to have the inside track to the real scoop, but dang! Without there being a public beta, or demo, especially for MP, how the heck could the stress test the engine in the "real world"? Maybe they could only test it with 4-dudes, lol. This will be the ultimate let-down if the MP aspect is castrated like that! Waaaaa!! Please say it isn't so!!!!
BoH
DOOM 3 multiplayer networking info
GameSpy has posted a brief interview with id Software programmer Robert Duffy as he talks about the multiplayer in DOOM3. He confirmed that DOOM 3's multiplayer is no longer based on a peer-to-peer model. Here is an excerpt:
GameSpy: Are there any plans to release a dedicated server?
RD: The Win32 dedicated server works out of the box and the dedicated Linux version should be available around when the game hits store shelves. That does not mean it will be available but it should be.
GameSpy: What are the current player-hosting capabilities of the game? Is it still designed around 4 players, or has that been expanded?
RD: DOOM 3 multiplayer is based around 4 players; however, internally it is not limited to that. Mod teams will be able to support more.
In addition, the official DOOM3 website has been relaunched.