View Full Version : id Software's best game
Reverend
24-Feb-2007, 03:58
I have a bet going with someone because id's games elicit such strong tribal responses.
The bet is the best game while considering the various elements of an id Software game : gameplay; modularity; graphics; sound; other innovations/etc.
The original Doom. For online multiplier it's GLQuakeWorld.
Skrying
24-Feb-2007, 04:09
Quake 2, then Doom, Doom 2, Quake 3, Quake.
digitalwanderer
24-Feb-2007, 04:12
Second Quake 2 as their best by far, followed by Doom.
Dresden
24-Feb-2007, 05:04
Wolfenstein in terms of innovations. Doom has always set the standard for amazing graphics.
Dersaidin
24-Feb-2007, 05:41
Wolf ET, Q3, ET:QW in that order
ET has best gameplay ever ever ever ever.
inefficient
24-Feb-2007, 07:23
Commander Keen: Goodbye Galaxy!
Torn between Doom2 and Q1 here.
SuperCow
24-Feb-2007, 10:13
wolf e.t wasnt id
LOL the first thing that pops up onto the screen when you load the game is an intro screen saying "an id Software game" :wink:
Splash Damage wrote the game but this remains an id Software game, same as Quake 4 or the upcoming ETQW.
sir doris
24-Feb-2007, 10:51
1) Doom, has to be Doom :)
2) Quake 2 multiplayer, for the Edge alone.
3) Quake III
Commander Keen: Goodbye Galaxy!
i wonder if theres a dopefish hidden in q4 ?
Final doom on the Playstation is the only ID game I've ever got "into".
I tried with all the others, quake etc.etc. and I just didn't like them anywhere near as much as I liked (Final) Doom
Skrying
24-Feb-2007, 17:23
LOL the first thing that pops up onto the screen when you load the game is an intro screen saying "an id Software game" :wink:
Splash Damage wrote the game but this remains an id Software game, same as Quake 4 or the upcoming ETQW.
But id was not the developer of the game, they simply own the series name sake, etc. Splash Damage are the ones responsible for the multiplayer, etc. It should not be counted at all as an id developed game. I would not Quake 4 nor ET:QW a id game either, just an id engine and license.
digitalwanderer
24-Feb-2007, 18:15
Is RTCW an Id game or Gray Matter? If it's Id I'll put that as second, I really liked RTCW. :)
Skrying
24-Feb-2007, 18:24
Is RTCW an Id game or Gray Matter? If it's Id I'll put that as second, I really liked RTCW. :)
Gray Matter developed the single player, Nerve Software handled the multiplayer.
digitalwanderer
24-Feb-2007, 18:26
So not an Id game, just Id engine powered. Thanks. :)
Should have a separate thread for Id engine powered games...almost every Id game is fatally flawed in some manner or another.
No knocks meant against Id as I think they're a brilliant game engine company, but they really should either steer clear of making the actual games or getting some better people in to help them make the games not suck. :yep2:
Skrying
24-Feb-2007, 18:30
Besides Doom 3 id has been doing joint games, where I believe they are doing a bit of artistic direction and of course a lot of the technical engine work. Quake 4 is a Raven game, ET:QW is a Splash Damage game, RTCW2 is a Raven game, etc.
Wolfenstein in terms of innovations.
Ultima Underworld was released before Wolfenstein though. It was a lot more innovative and had more advanced tech than what Wolf had.
digitalwanderer
24-Feb-2007, 18:50
Besides Doom 3 id has been doing joint games, where I believe they are doing a bit of artistic direction and of course a lot of the technical engine work. Quake 4 is a Raven game, ET:QW is a Splash Damage game, RTCW2 is a Raven game, etc.
True dat, and I've really liked the games they put out when the do it that way...muchly better.
(Mad props to Raven! I really like Raven. :oops: )
Single player - probably Quake2. Maybe Doom1. Doom3 doesn't hold up to other games of its own era.
Multiplayer - probably Quake1. Netquake was excellent for it's time. Quakeworld and mods like QWTF were way ahead of their time. Arguments could be made for Q2 and Q3 though. Quake2 is very good, but I think it really took a few years worth of time for players to develop it into something stunning. Comparing Q2 DM then, to Q2 DM now, it's really a totally different game. Quake3 is still being played competitively and professionally after 7 years, and it still holds up. Is probably the best balanced and polished form of DM there is. Works well with both 1v1 and TDM.
Engine - probably Q3, simply counting how many AAA titles have spawned from it. RTCW/ET, SOF2, AM's Alice, Jedi Knight 2, etc.
Overall, it's easily Q1. GLQuake, Quakeworld. Solid multiplayer, mods. Engine ending up powering games like Half-life.
It's a toss-up between Q2 and Q3A.
Im another one who has to salute Raven software
they just keep their heads down and quietly churn out high quality game after high quality game
as for best id game, the one that sucked me in the most was doom
seconded by quake 1
untill q1 i never understood the concept of a game engine to me there were just games and as i learned about q1 i couldnt beleive just how fantastic it was, it could be practically anything you wanted it to be...
Rainbow Man
25-Feb-2007, 02:10
I like RtCW SP the most. Yes I count it as an id game. I don't think it would have been released if they hadn't signed off on the gameplay experience. I also think they had considerabe input during development..
Then I probably have to say Doom 3. Many slag it off but I like it.
Quake 2 was great as well. Some fine fine levels for its time. Nice weapons and baddies too.
Doom (2 - for the extra weapon and baddies) was kinda mindless fun and stuff but it was just mindless really. You run from start to end through nonsensical levels that have no point to them.
Never liked original cAstle Wolfenstein. Too repetitive. And quake was dark uninspired and...very brown.
Peace.
and...very brown.
Peace.
A fine id tradition.....
Dr Evil
25-Feb-2007, 06:23
Ultima Underworld was released almost 2 years before Wolfenstein though. It was a lot more innovative and had more advanced tech than what Wolf had.
Make that 2 months and I agree.
DOOM II and CK: Goodbye Galaxy
SuperCow
25-Feb-2007, 11:24
Ultima Underworld was released almost 2 years before Wolfenstein though. It was a lot more innovative and had more advanced tech than what Wolf had.
As much as I love Ultima Underworld 2 and its kick-arse 3D engine for its time I would still point out that Wolfenstein's ray casting technology (which I think was actually used in Catacomb Abyss even before Wolf) was more regarded as a technological breakthrough since it paved the way for the new era of FPS: Doom of course, but also Rise of the Triad, Dark Forces, Shadowcaster, Heretic, etc. I even saw at least one book talking about implementing a ray casting technology as used in Wolf. Both are great engines, with Ultima Underworld's engine actually being a "true" 3D-engine unlike Wolfenstein which was "simply" projecting a 2D view onto a 3D viewpoint. However UU required quite a beefy computer while Wolfenstein could be played on something more moderate.
thehulk
25-Feb-2007, 12:33
Definitely Quake 3 for me. I still play it on a regular basis. :smile:
Thats a bit like discussing which of Uwe Boll`s movies is the best one :???:
has to be Wolfenstein for me.
Make that 2 months and I agree.
3 months and it's a deal. I was quite tired when I made that post, so I somehow mixed up Wolf and Doom. Sorry.
Ultima Underworld was released before Wolfenstein though. It was a lot more innovative and had more advanced tech than what Wolf had.
But you do realize that Wolfenstein was a way cooler and better game regardless? I for example spent countless hours with it, while I, as most people, won't touch Ultima with a stick.
Q2 as thats was the first game I played with a gfx accelerator...and its single player was tight back in the day. Loved the sound track too (sonic mayhem rocks). Then its MP was very good. It had a lot of great mods to keep your interest going but it did not need to as the maps were very fun!
But you do realize that Wolfenstein was a way cooler and better game regardless? I for example spent countless hours with it, while I, as most people, won't touch Ultima with a stick.
It's been so long time now but I remember playing and loving Ultima Underworld like mad. I still have the game box + diskettes and all the written notes on paper, which include the lizard language, the spells, the runes, the drawn maps with important locations and items etc..
I also, of course, played and loved Wolfenstein3D like crazy (didn't we all?) but looking back I put UU to a much higher pedestal. Wolf3D was just a simple and fun brainless shooter but UUW achieved something much, much more and profound when you look back at gaming history. It was a true revolution back then and ahead of its time (and I'm certainly not the only one to say this). Back then (1992), Ultima Underworld was officially heralded as the Dungeon Master (another classic) killer that we had been waiting for so long to arrive.
Rodéric
25-Feb-2007, 16:50
Quake II, Wolfenstein (yeah the first one)
1 - GLQuakeworld
2 - Q3 on promode
3 - Q2
Albuquerque
26-Feb-2007, 20:30
In my opinion, the order goes:
Wolf (all I could do was go OMGWTFBBQ!?!?!?!!! at how 'smart' the dudes were, how great the stereo sound was, the music I thought was great, etc)
Doom 1 (oh my, first impressions of Wolf x 10 -- graphics, sound and music, levels, OMGWTFBBQ ELEVENTY BRAZILLION!)
Quake 2 (same as above, x 10 again)
If RTCW is allowed as an iD game, I'll vote for it too. Love playing that one :)
deviantchild
26-Feb-2007, 20:45
GLQuake single player.
It's just that mish-mash of slightly surreal stuff a-la H. P. Lovecraft that I like. Although OT; for mods it would be Nehahra and the accompanying movie that I love too.
QuakeII didn't do it for me as I played it late after release. I'd already played parts of Unreal and Half-Life, which were both superior to Q2 in different ways. Although it was still unique in its depiction of a grim, desperate mission of a lone soldier in an alien base cum hell-hole. It also still has one of the best game intro movies imo.
I kind of like Doom3 and RoE. Although I want to hate them for gameplay reasons, invisi walls/bounding boxes, having no legs and still being able to carry weapons when climbing ladders. The atmos was grim and the lighting and scenery dropped me right in the game, although it had no other depth like the story or involvement of games such as Deus Ex or System Shock/2.
digitalwanderer
26-Feb-2007, 21:00
For some reason I loved the guns in Quake2, the default blaster the best. I loved how the shots looked in flight, I still remember how much it impressed me at the time. :)
Albuquerque
26-Feb-2007, 21:51
Part of the reason I liked Q2 so much was because I had just purchased an NV Riva128 (not the ZX, but the original old-school 4mb PCI wonder! w00t!) and I was able to play it in ugly-assed banded a hitchy 640x480 accelerated glory!
Nevermind that it ran faster in software ;) it was accelerated and in 16-bit color! w00t!
I think Wolf3D was the first FPS I ever played. Hell, it was almost the first to exist. LOL. Awesome game that sucked me in back in '92. Doom was obviously a phenomenon, and Quake, even with its sad storyline and disjointed levels, was as well. My 486 begged for mercy at the sight of Quake's hardcore Pentium assembly.
But, of the Quake series, only Quake 3 really did it for me. If UT hadn't existed, Quake 3 would've been THE game for me and my buds.
Reverend
27-Feb-2007, 04:33
If UT hadn't existed, Quake 3 would've been THE game for me and my buds.
Same here, which means you know which is my choice.
It is the only id game I can just fire up anytime to have good fun while the other id games really made me think "what's wrong with this game". Q3A also spawned the most inspiring id-engine mods IMHO (i.e. same as my "modularity" parameter in my original post); just lost out to Doom for sound-gameplay-immersion-thingy (but this is probably down to experience... we just expect more and more through the years...); had "shaders" (TSweeney told me he called it "neat animation", or something like that... too long ago to remember accurate terms he told me...) that not only looked amazing at that time but seemed to add to the "atmosphere" of playing the game as it was designed.
Not to mention Q3A was memorable for the way 3dfx looked ridiculous to me for trying to show off motion blur. I got scolded by A Certain Someone (way back then... what, was it 2000? 2001?) for allowing the public to download what was an unofficial-NDAed-software but then 3dfx was already dead by that time. Q3A certainly sticks in my mind for this reason, which has absolutely nothing to do with the topic :) :)
poopypoo
27-Feb-2007, 09:16
wow, color me purple and shrinking, i agree with Reverend! :O :runaway:
although doom was probably the most amazing to me at the time, with the seemingly endless supply of mods, and the hilarity that followed, i never liked Doom the game all that much. I know I'm in th minority but that's ok, I was just more of an RPG and oddball-title geek. it wasn't really until Quake 2 and 3 that MP FPS gaming really excited me, and I got started a little late, not having a 3d card for a bit.so it was really Q3A, and the amazing MP mods that I spent years playing. I still have it installed now -- it's been on probably eight or nine of my computers (partly because I had a job that facilitated having lots of PCs in the past). I still look at a lot of games and wish they were as smooth as Q3, actually. But I'm not much of a graphics whore...
For some reason I loved the guns in Quake2, the default blaster the best. I loved how the shots looked in flight, I still remember how much it impressed me at the time. :)
I know I loved how it made light go down the corridor.
gl_shadows 1
And then you just had this amazing display (at the time). I remember right at the beginning shooting thru the glass window and going down that ladder into the darkness with the blaster illuminating it as you shot it...
I know I loved how it made light go down the corridor.
gl_shadows 1
And then you just had this amazing display (at the time). I remember right at the beginning shooting thru the glass window and going down that ladder into the darkness with the blaster illuminating it as you shot it...
I always called the blaster the 'flashlight' for this reason. It was a better flashlight than a gun.
I think the only reason Quake 2 didn't hit it big with me was cuz at that time I didn't have many people to play with. Quake 3 arrived while I was at college and man does playing with 15 people in the hall spell insanity.
Quake 2 definitely has the same polish as Quake 3, IMO. The SP is the best of the series too, IMO. It also runs massively better on the K6 series cuz AMD optimized the code themselves, in that 3DNOW patch out there. John sorta screwed up 3DNOW big time in Quake 3 and it caused the game to run just terrible on those CPUs.
Reverend
28-Feb-2007, 03:39
About the only standout for me regarding Quake2 was the double-barrelled shotgun and its sound as made by a third party.
I have to say QuakeWorld because I spent 6 years of my life playing it, though I mostly played TF which isn't id's work.
If I would have to pick the best single-player game from id, it would be Doom.
bigtabs
04-Mar-2007, 17:25
I'd have to pick Q2 MP, it being my first foray into online gaming.
Doom for me. I first played it on the 32X and it was so atmospheric. I just loved popping them barrels and watching the gibs explode!
Not really that impressed with much of their stuff since, because I think Raven make better games from their tech then ID do themselves.
candle_86
05-Mar-2007, 08:06
Doom 3, it was doom 1 all over agian, except it was like it was real
Blazkowicz
05-Mar-2007, 17:57
Torn between Doom2 and Q1 here.
looks like we have the same tastes.
and quake 3 is great too (though with a number of sucky maps. but UT has maps that suck as well.)
Well, I'm more of a single-player fan. I liked Q3's looks and feel, but it should have offered a single player game as well, kinda like a Q2 sequel. Or even Q1 for that matter.
Just like to me Doom 3 should have been Doom/Doom2 maps and monsters 1:1 with totally pimped-up gfx and whatnot on the visual side of things AND with a wall of modernized Doom2 sound and music. Delicious, pity that noone will make it properly.
But I'd also go with that Deus Ex 2 reboot idea above, definitely worth a thought.
And I know what's missing for me in DX2: huge, detailed maps. That's what made Unreal engine great in the first place, the maps were much bigger than in later UE games and much more varied, thus also more "believable" IMO. You know the feeling of the flight around that Unreal castle, with the music and FX and all? It felt like a movie, sort of. That was a different league just for that fact if nothing else - I'm really tired of corridors and limited would-be outdoor areas (senseless jungle like in Far Cry doesn't count either, see "varied"). Maybe Stalker will turn out to be good, we'll see.
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