
Doom - bpierre
http://notch.net/2014/09/doom/
======
drzaiusapelord
>Games weren’t as big serious business back then.

I'm not much of an gamer but I have an Xbox One and bought Destiny last night.
The marketing was way too much, but I figured it should be a decent game.
Well, it is, its something of a milquetoast Halo-clone shooter with some
tacked on multiplayer/MMO stuff, but, my god, the game is drenched in
Hollywood-esque overly-done orchestral music, big dramatic overtures, epic-
style storytelling, etc. Its a lot of art and music that really doesn't need
to be there. Setting the scene shouldn't be this big of a job, nor as serious.
Its just a game- Let me play it.

I doubt AAA games will ever go back to not being movie-like, but it just seems
like a huge waste of money and time (yet another 10 minute intro to sit
through for example). A part of me would just rather dive into a simpler game
that gets me to the gaming parts quickly instead of hitting me over the head
telling me how awesome the game will be via cutscenes and dramatic scores.

Simplicity can be its own reward and can be just as emotionally fulfilling, as
many low budget and simple-graphic indie games have shown. When Destiny is
almost forgotten, we won't be reminiscing about its cutscenes or whatever
currently popular actors they got to do the voice-overs. We'll be talking
about our battles and accomplishments. Shame the focus on these games is more
towards the aesthetic than the actual gameplay.

Notch as our collective gaming conscience is kinda nice. I think someone who
has a high profile should be saying these things. A lot of lower profile indie
guys certainly have, but they don't have the gaming cred to make the front
page of HN, reddit, etc.

~~~
ntaso
My favorite game right now and over the last couple of months is King Arthur's
Gold. There's really no other game that draws me in like it. It doesn't have
AAA graphics, it has great pixel graphics, good gameplay and is a lot of fun.
That's all it takes for a great game.

[https://kag2d.com/en/](https://kag2d.com/en/)

~~~
javajosh
Very good - the KAG trailer[1] reminds me a lot of the graphics and gameplay
of the video game episode of Community[2].

[1]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6Eom7IGLRw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6Eom7IGLRw)

[2]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEr8sO6auIA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEr8sO6auIA)

------
nathanb
I find it a little disturbing how many people are commenting saying that Notch
shouldn't be wasting his time on such pursuits or that he should really be
focusing on something new and big.

You don't become great by doing big things, you become great by doing little
things and fooling around and starting projects and then abandoning them when
you've gotten everything out of them you want to get. Then, when the big
things find you, you will be ready.

I would expect a site called Hacker News to understand this. That most of
those comments are at the bottom of the page indicates that many do.

~~~
bobajeff
I don't think it works like that exactly. While I don't believe a phenomenon
like Minecraft can be predictably and consistently churned out, I also don't
believe it's a given that it'll happen as long as you're not trying to make it
big and stay humble or what ever.

And actually, Minecraft was ambitious, just not in the ways the game industry
would think of as ambitious. The infinite open world, the surprisingly
challenging combat, the varying ways to play the game.

Still, putting it on Notch to duplicate the success of Minecraft is ignorant
of the reality that phenomenons don't happen very often. And I don't believe
he even knows what made it a phenomenon. I don't think any people involved in
the creation of such things understands what made them big.

~~~
nathanb
Actually, I completely agree with you. I'm just saying that you can't figure
out a priori what's going to be awesome and what's going to be lame. The best
way to be "consistent" is to be consistently doing a lot of stuff and then
prune the lame. The next Minecraft won't spring fully-formed from Notch's
brain, it will be the result of some tomfoolery he's involved in that hits him
in the right way and becomes amazing because it's still something he wants to
work on day after day until it has evolved into a great game.

Thus, criticizing Notch for "messing around" and having "no focus" is actively
interfering with the creation of the next Minecraft!

------
zura
This is why most of us need significant recurring revenue - to have a time to
work on things like this :)

~~~
moskie
Am I the only one that is rubbed the wrong way by this "recurring revenue"
phrase? It seems like a fancy way saying, "I wish I was rich." Why not just
say that?

~~~
SlipperySlope
Yeah, I'm not rubbed the wrong way either. Was a frugal programmer all my life
and now am an early retired landlord programming what I want to.

Delayed gratification, a like-thinking spouse, and compound interest is the
answer.

~~~
reledi
_> Was a frugal programmer all my life and now am an early retired landlord
programming what I want to._

I often think about following this path. Do you have any regrets? Do you get
enough time to program?

~~~
SlipperySlope
No regrets about postponing indulgences. What seemed so desirable as a youth
has lost its appeal with age.

I program about the same amount of time now as when I was last paid a salary
back in 2006, i.e. about 40 hours a week.

------
PopsiclePete
God I miss Doom. To me, the pinnacle of FPS games.

Pick an episode, pick a difficulty, and literally 3 seconds later you've
blasted somebody in the face. And the _music_. Phenomenal. Why is everything
orchestral now?

It was a _game_. Not a semi-interactive movie. You could play it for 30
minutes or 3 hours, didn't matter. Dozens of enemies on screen, shooting you,
insane fun.

What did we arrive at? Overly-dramatic, Michael-Bay-inspired "Saving private
Ryan"-wannabe's with "realism" and "grit" and a 50 minute intro, with 5-minute
levels, separated by 5-minute cut-scenes....ugh.

I would, immediately, pay $60 for a game like Doom, with retouched graphics,
Fast-paced, fast-moving, maze-like levels you have to actually _explore_ ,
with secrets (yes, I know it's not realistic) and just dozens of baddies you
can blast to smithereens. And when you die, get this - you respawn in 3
seconds or less. No dying animation, no "Loading..." screen.

$60, right now.

~~~
bane
You should probably check out the Serious Sam games. No real plot, just run
and gun.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmIzCztjSRQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmIzCztjSRQ)

~~~
miah_
+1 Excellent recommendation; I picked up a few Serious Sam games back in the
day and they are totally new 'Dooms'.

IIRC the "plot" involves time travel, aliens, and how fast you can shoot them.
Loads of fun, pretty difficult, decent 3d graphics, none of that other
bullshit.

~~~
chunkstuntman
Painkiller is based along similar lines but retains Doom's darker demonic
palette whereas Serious Sam is very light-hearted and colorful. A number of
people have mentioned that it is essentially what Doom 3 would have been if ID
hadn't changed the series' genre to horror rather than staying an action
shooter.

~~~
nailer
Painkiller trailer, for anyone else interested:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jwF5oQx_p0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jwF5oQx_p0)

------
cousin_it
It would be cool if more hobbyist game developers started making retro FPS
games in the style of Doom or Wolfenstein. It's only marginally more effort
than making pixel art platformers, which is a wildly popular aesthetic these
days, and I feel that the retro 3D aesthetic has a lot of untapped potential.
The Vlambeer game Gun Godz is a good recent example, it's pretty much Wolf3D
with a nice art style.

Also, these kind of games make it feasible to write a random level generator
that actually makes okay levels (there are such generators for Doom), and
allow users to create their own levels with custom art styles in a day or so.

~~~
phoboslab
I recently made a Wolfenstein like 3D shooter with HTML5/WebGL, called
Xibalba[1]. It's based on a 3D Plugin[2] for the 2D Game Engine Impact[3] that
I released as open source. With this, it should be really simple to make a
similar game.

Also, in case you're interested, I created a making-of video for Xibalba[4]
that explains the tech and level editor a bit.

[1] [http://phoboslab.org/xibalba/](http://phoboslab.org/xibalba/)

[2] [http://phoboslab.org/twopointfive/](http://phoboslab.org/twopointfive/)

[3] [http://impactjs.com/](http://impactjs.com/)

[4]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEP7zJ9cQfw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEP7zJ9cQfw)

~~~
idoco
Wow, great games! Just clicked to check it out and found myself playing for 30
minutes. Great sound and game design, very immersive experience.

------
corbinpage
I definitely thought this post would be about the Microsoft deal...

~~~
ac29
I think it is... "I have driving lessons to take" might be his subtle way of
saying "I'm moving to the US, where people have to drive everywhere".

~~~
scott_karana
It could be, or it might simply mean that he now has time to catch up with
things on his to-do list. :)

------
kyberias
This is inspirational. The guy is just openly doing his thing, experimenting
with software and making the process and results very public. Sometimes he
ends up creating something cool, sometimes not and I think he just enjoys the
process without too much pressure to "succeed".

~~~
shaurz
He must have nerves of steel to live stream programming. That terrifies me.

~~~
tobiasu
I record myself every once in a while. Makes for very depressing video.

------
minouye
If you want to learn more about the genesis of Doom/id software, Masters of
Doom is a fantastic read (also an amazing audiobook narrated by Wil Wheaton).

[http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Doom-Created-Transformed-
Cultu...](http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Doom-Created-Transformed-
Culture/dp/0812972155)

------
chippy
Interesting that he live streams his development. Do you think that people
would be interested in regular / open source development of code being
streamed? If so, how about a Twitch / Hitbox site where there are categories
of language / framework / vertical?

~~~
angersock
I've been really wanting to do something like this, but every site I've looked
at pisses me off. Any good alternatives?

"Coding With Angersock" could be a thing.

~~~
chippy
Why do the sites piss you off?

~~~
angersock
They aren't focused at developers.

I've got to sign up and maybe pay to 'cast.

There's no simple "This is how you get started...push buttan receive broadcast
link."

etc.

I'm _super super_ lazy.

------
jiggy2011
Notch should take some of that $2B he gets from Microsoft, buy all of the doom
IP from id/Zenimax and make the next sequel.

~~~
jawns
Context: "'Minecraft' Creator Markus Persson Notches Billionaire Status On
Rumored Microsoft Deal"

[http://www.forbes.com/sites/maxjedeurpalmgren/2014/09/10/min...](http://www.forbes.com/sites/maxjedeurpalmgren/2014/09/10/minecraft-
creator-markus-persson-notches-billionaire-status-on-rumored-microsoft-deal/)

------
bluedino
>> My current project is a Doom level renderer in Dart/WebGL, implemented with
trying not to look at the original source code. Instead, I use an old document
from 20 years ago called The Unofficial Doom Specs.

That brings back memories of playing around with WAD files, pulling out
graphics and palettes, reading level data and drawing it with LineTo() and
MoveTo() calls, and running into all the limits of a 16-bit C compiler (Turbo
C)...

~~~
azmenthe
For my high school's CS class final project, we made a street brawler using
doom characters. All the doom art was captured via opening a game and using
print screen, then hoping the sprite was in the right position.

In retrospect, our sprites had their own lofi charm but yea, I never thought
to just open up the WAD files.

------
janitor61
I'm pretty sure this post is not about Doom at all - it's about Minecraft, and
confirmation regarding the recent rumors about Microsoft buying Mojang. He's
probably not allowed to talk about the deal, but he's using this post as an
allegory to tell Minecraft fans why he's bailing on Minecraft.

~~~
erbo
What I found interesting was a quote from his _previous_ post:
[http://notch.net/2014/06/literally-worse-than-
ea/](http://notch.net/2014/06/literally-worse-than-ea/)

 _Mojang does not exist to make as much money as possible for the owners. As
the majority shareholder, I’d know. Every time a big money making deal comes
up that would make a lot of money, it’s of course very tempting, but at the
end of the day we choose to do what either makes the most sense for our
products, or the things that seem like fun for us at Mojang._

This seems to be in conflict with the whole "selling Mojang to M$ for two
gigabucks" thing.

------
wildpeaks
We all have unfinished pet projects started because we wanted to experiment
with something, it's the side-effect of an active mind :)

I enjoyed his livecoding streams for Ludum Dare and on hitbox, so I'm sure
it's still be fun whatever other project he wants to tackle on next.

------
ihuman
Is it playable yet, or is it still a work in progress?

------
CmonDev
"...

PS: less importantly, gonna sell Mojang."

------
LeicaLatte
Fascinating. Notch is going retro in his own unique way!

------
krat0sprakhar
Does anyone have a link to his channel on hitbox.tv?

~~~
citricsquid
[http://www.hitbox.tv/notch](http://www.hitbox.tv/notch)

From his channel there is a link to the project repository:
[https://github.com/xnotch/dark/](https://github.com/xnotch/dark/)

~~~
huhtenberg
Does anyone else get just a blank page on the hitbox.tv link?

~~~
maxsilver
It loads for me, but the video is blank. (He's not livestreaming right this
instant, and he doesn't usually have hitbox record his streams)

~~~
chrisan
What does he normally use to record? And when typically? I've just been
getting into Dart and have a long lived Doom obsession since the first
shareware I received.

------
mindstab
Ahhh now MS's $2B buyout makes more sense!

------
fasteo
Great about page

------
VikingCoder
Is there a playable link somewhere?

------
chiph
Driving lessons?

~~~
ygra
Some countries do indeed have cities where things are in walking distance, or
a working public transport network. In those cases you can get by without a
driver's license just fine. (In the city where I studied getting anywhere with
bike and/or public transport was often faster than by car.)

~~~
alexhawdon
This is me. I live near the centre of an English town that, due to local
geography, isn't far from some quite rural areas and is well-connected via
rail links to two decent cities (20-30 mins). I can drive, but I've simply not
needed a car. Other than the odd inconvenience (trips to IKEA or day trips off
the rail network) I love it.

EDIT: Google's recent inclusion of bus services in the public transport
routing information for Maps has made it even better. Cheers for that, Google!

------
ilaksh
So he is going to let Microsoft make the announcement I assume. When are they
going to do that?

------
Touche
This is a head's up that he's going to bail on the project like he always
does. When he quit 0x10c it was because he wanted to work on smaller projects.
I guess this WebGL project is not small enough though.

It seems like Notch just likes doing the fun initial work on games but gets
bored once he's worked out all of the hard problems. I can hardly blame him
for that, most of us are guilty to some degree, but he shouldn't market his
projects so strongly if he is just going to ditch them.

~~~
weego
Is a rather brief blog post really strong marketing? Other than this and his
stream, I've not seen anything but other people ascribing their own defined
importance to what he does with his time.

~~~
Touche
> Other than this and his stream

His stream is a big deal watched by a heck of a lot of people. If he just
wants to experiment he should turn the cameras off like most of us do.

~~~
kyberias
Why exactly SHOULD he turn of the cameras if he is just experimenting? You're
just inventing these weird rules for people. Have you considered people enjoy
watching his coding without any idea what the end result will be?

~~~
Touche
Because by living in the public and being a well known person you are inviting
expectations. If you don't want to continually let people down because you
don't like the pressure of finishing things then don't let them down. You
can't have your cake and eat it to. You can't say "here's this cool thing I'm
working on, watch me work 24/7" and "bored with this, sorry".

~~~
kyberias
What... what weird obsession is this? You continue inventing requirements for
this particular person out of thin air. Try to understand that there is
absolutely no reasonable requirement, whatsoever, for Notch to continue doing
some pet-project that he has publicly started. None! Just because he is a well
known person does not truly remove any of his normal rights to decide what to
do with his spare time.

~~~
Touche
These are not requirements. These are criticisms for continually treating his
fans poorly.

------
minikites
Just what the world needed, another way to play Doom. How many more chances
are we going to give to Notch before we admit Minecraft was a lucky accident?

~~~
kyberias
Why do you feel we as a community or any group of people have to give Notch
some "chances" or determine whether Minecraft was a lucky accident or not? I'm
sure most people, including Notch, understand that Minecraft success (as all
games) have a certain element of luck..

~~~
minikites
It's the programmer who cried wolf, in my opinion. If any non-famous person
did this, it might get a few points and comments, but because it's Notch, it
gets 119 points and 61 comments (as of right now). At what point does he use
up all of his goodwill and turn into John Romero?

~~~
weavie
I don't see Notch running around calling anyone his bitch. He's just happy
coding, doing what he's doing and not trying to prove anything.

Very zen.

------
zzzzz_
Seems like Notch could do with a degree of focus - if not through strong
discipline from within, than from external influences.

I think the ability to work on what you feel like and creative exploration is
fine, but when there's a considerable gap between your last qualified success
(or a lengthy period since you last actually completed something you were
interested in), it should be a warning sign that you need to knuckle down a
little.

~~~
weego
That is one of the stupidest diatribes I have ever read in HN.

Success is a thing in of itself, it doesn't require repetition for validation.
If notch is in a place where he never needs to meet your criteria of success
ever again I'm sure he would be quite happy.

One second thoughts, having been on the sidelines of gaming communities for a
number of years, I imagine that not having to feel like you need a success
ever again is probably the best possible outcome as an indie game dev.

