John Romero releases new Doom level

January 18, 2016 | 17:00

Tags: #doom #first-person-shooter #level #shareware

Companies: #id-software #john-romero

Seminal first-person shooter Doom has received a new level from noted designer John Romero, more than two decades after the game was first released.

While far from the first game created by id Software - fans of the company will doubtless remember the 1990 Commander Keen franchise, though the company's 3D efforts began back in 1991 with Catacomb 3-D - Doom is doubtless its most well-known effort. Using a clever engine which vastly improved on the raycasting engine used for its predecessor Wolfenstein 3D with additions like differing height levels, full texture-mapping, and variable lighting levels, Doom was the must-have game of 1994. Its impact on gaming is undeniable: for years, any first-person shooter was known as a 'Doom clone,' and to this day the game has an active community of players and content creators.

Surprisingly, this community includes one of the most well-known level designers from the original release: John Romero. Known for his brash style - highlighted perfectly during the press campaign leading up to the launch of Daikatana, Romero's first game outside id Software and a commercial failure - Romero has been indulging his nostalgia by designing another 'official' Doom level, more than two decades after gamers got to know his first efforts.

Released in a terse Facebook update, the level is Romero's first for 21 years. While most add-on levels for Doom required the use of the registered version - enforced by id in order to encourage paid registration of the freely distributed shareware episode, Knee-Deep in the Dead - Romero restricted himself to using only assets available in the shareware release, allowing anyone to experience his creation.

The WAD file can be downloaded now from Romero's Dropbox account.
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