Doom v0.5a

• Download Doom v0.5a from Archive.Org
• http://www.doomworld.com/idgames/?file=historic/doom0_5.zip

In order to create a complete collection of historic DOOM versions, as
released to testers at the time, id Software has allowed to place this
file, the May 22, 1993 alpha version of DOOM, in the official idgames
archive.

This file is collected here because of the historic interest shown in it,
and is not supported by id Software in ANY way.  Please do NOT contact
id Software about this file.  If you ignore this request, you will be
summarily BFG-ed :)
--
Frans P. de Vries | [email protected] | Doom/Quake archive backup maintainer

Below are two posts to the Doom newsgroups that comment on various aspects
of this alpha version.  They are included for your perusal, feel free to
explore further.
--
Frans P. de Vries | [email protected] | Doom/Quake archive backup maintainer



From: [email protected] (Robert Densie)
Newsgroups: rec.games.computer.doom.misc
Subject: Re: Doom 1.0 or lower?!?! Love to see it!
Date: Sun, 03 Dec 1995 13:25:05 +1200

Theodore Duffy ([email protected]) wrote:
: I read something recently around here, someone was talking about having
: played the original beta release .99 or maybe 1.0 , with no barrels and
: other weird stuff. Anyone know where I could find a copy of it? Just for
: nostalgia's sake, and curiousity...

: ForkLord (who still has his Doom 1.2 disks around here somewhere)

I have seen and played the 0.99 version of Doom, I think I deleted
the 0.99 version having upgraded it to 1.00.

BUT ALSO

I have here a version here (doom05-1.arj & doom05-2.arj)

It's an ALPHA version of doom (I just run it to make sure)
called "Doom: Evil Unleashed".  Start up screen says Doom Alpha by
Id Software.

It has the basic Doom engine, but
* The imps and pink demons are in the game they don't move or anything
  just stand there
* No barrels (as noted above)
* A lot of graphics from wolf is used (eg medic kit, gold treasure cup)
* The map key is "a" not tab
* The strafe and open door key are both alt
* No sounds!
* The two weapons you start with are (1) bayonet and (2) rifle
* There is no run key (that I could find, so makes getting around really
  slow)
* It is quite easy to recognise some of the structures in the game
  (so the whole map structure is now over two years old).  I can't
  quote exactly were they are from but I do recognise them
* In the screen options there is high, medium, low, <another one>, and
  HIGH RES, so it looks like there use to be a high res mode that was
  taken out in the official release.

I other thing I did notice while looking through the doom.exe file is
that there is reference to "E1M10 E1M11 E1M12 E1M13", so it looks like
there was original more than 9 levels per episode

The files included in the archives are
config.lmp        152   3-12-95  12:43
doom.exe       471452  22-05-93  17:49
doom.wad      3522207  22-05-93  18:00
dos4gw.exe     231179  11-11-92   9:01

I know this version is really really old (as per the dates above),
but I am still worried about what could happen if I did post it,
It is now over two years old so who would really care it I did.

--> What does everyone else think?? <--

----------------------------------------------------------------------
PLEASE, just follow-up this article in this news group, don't email me
It costs me to send and receive email so I don't want my mail box full
of "please post these files" from every Doom fanatic out there
----------------------------------------------------------------------

--
| Robert Densie, Christchurch, New Zealand |   OS/2 Warp Supporter   |
| [email protected]                                      |
STRESS, The confusion created when one's mind  | To err is human, to
overrides the body's basic desire to choke the | really foul things up
living shit out of some asshole who needs it!  | requires a computer


From: [email protected] (Frans P. de Vries)
Newsgroups: rec.games.computer.doom.misc
Subject: Re: Doom 1.0 or lower?!?! Love to see it!
Date: 21 Dec 1995 21:42:19 +0100
Organization: Home

Robert Densie ([email protected]) wrote:
} It's an ALPHA version of doom (I just run it to make sure)
} called "Doom: Evil Unleashed".  Start up screen says Doom Alpha by
} Id Software.

Thanks for posting it (and to Chris for you know what ;-).  I had a look
at it too, and noted:

} It has the basic Doom engine, but
} * The imps and pink demons are in the game they don't move or anything
}   just stand there

There are 2 Barons of Hell in E1M12.  If you shoot a monster with your
rifle, it just disappears, i.e. there are no death frames yet.

} * No barrels (as noted above)

There are barrels in one level but not as we now know them.  Like all
things (monsters, treasures, ammo, etc.) they just disappear when shot
with the rifle.

} * The map key is "a" not tab
} * The strafe and open door key are both alt

The 'm' key toggles between normal viewing point and a viewing point at
floor level.  You can continue to run around like this, but I presume this
is a preliminary hack at the death players' viewing point.

The '[' and ']' keys increase and decrease the viewing area.  Full screen
mode (w/o status bar) is already implemented.

} * The two weapons you start with are (1) bayonet and (2) rifle

There is a chainsaw in one level but it can't be picked up.  There's a
shotgun (using a rough version of the pump-action graphics) and a missile
launcher (that uses the shotgun graphics), but you can't shoot anything
with these.

} * There is no run key (that I could find, so makes getting around really
}   slow)

I found that the diagonal strafe run makes you run quite fast.

} * It is quite easy to recognise some of the structures in the game
}   (so the whole map structure is now over two years old).  I can't
}   quote exactly were they are from but I do recognise them

See below for a list.

} * In the screen options there is high, medium, low, <another one>, and
}   HIGH RES, so it looks like there use to be a high res mode that was
}   taken out in the official release.

The keys 'q', 'w' and 'e' switch to the first three modes high, medium, low.

} I other thing I did notice while looking through the doom.exe file is
} that there is reference to "E1M10 E1M11 E1M12 E1M13", so it looks like
} there was original more than 9 levels per episode

Most of the levels made it into the final game:

 -run <level>   final level
     1           not used
     2           E2M2
     3           E2M3
     4           E1M7
     5           E3M3
     6           MAP10 (DOOM II !)
     7           E1M4 (no inverse swastika in the "swastika room" yet ;)
     8           E1M2 (rough)
     9           E1M6 (rough)
     10          E1M3 (partly)
     11          E2M7
     12          E1M8 (really rough)
     13          E2M4
    E2M1         crashes too early into the level to recognise it, but I
                 agree with Alden Bates that it could be E3M7


The engine doesn't allow the player to jump off ledges that are higher than
what the player can climb back on.  Thus some parts of the levels can't be
accessed, and there are a lot of moving elevators where different techniques
have been employed later.

The cheat codes don't work, obviously, because these were implemented by
Dave Taylor and he joined id sometime in the second half of 1993, I think.

Every level consists off:  ExMy, FLATNAME, POINTS, LINES, SECTORS & THINGS.
FLATNAME lists the floor and ceiling textures, which were of course later
merged into SECTORS.  The others are pretty obvious.  Structures like SEGS,
BLOCKMAP and NODES were apparently added later to improve performance.

There is something that looks like a "-savepcx" parameter in the .exe, and
messages like "IO_ScreenShot: Couldn't create an LBM" and "Screen saved",
but I haven't found a way to actually produce screen shots.  There must be
a way, since the doompix1.exe screen shots are older than this .exe.  The
same goes for recording demos, as there are 4 demos included in the .wad.

The frame rate dots (-devparm in the final game) are permanently enabled.
At the start of each level, the four players (all green) are already there,
but of course only one moves.

There are references to "actors" in the .exe, so some terminology from the
Wolfenstein 3D engine was inherited into id's next engine.

And this concludes my nostalgia trip. :-)
--
Frans P. de Vries | [email protected] | Rec.Games.Computer.Doom FAQ maintainer

In order to create a complete collection of historic DOOM versions, as
released to testers at the time, id Software has allowed to place this
file, the May 22, 1993 alpha version of DOOM, in the official idgames
archive.

This file is collected here because of the historic interest shown in it,
and is not supported by id Software in ANY way.  Please do NOT contact
id Software about this file.  If you ignore this request, you will be
summarily BFG-ed :)
--
Frans P. de Vries | [email protected] | Doom/Quake archive backup maintainer