probably optimizations of blockmap grids can lead to speed up?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IYz6-KnvWU&a … nnel=coincident

This is a quote from Game Engine Black Book: DOOM.

Collisions could have been detected via the BSP. However it was only after Bruce Naylor visited id Software that John Carmack became aware this was possible. By then, DOOM had already shipped with its collision detection data structure called the blockmap.

So there's another way to do collision detection, but I don't know if it's faster.

Thanks for the ideas @Calvero and @RaVeN-05. Any blockmap optimization would make the port faster, i've checked that the game slowdowns a lot on 386 processors when there are lot's of enemies, maybe due to the complexity in those calculations. The main issue with blockmap changes or optimizations it's that it usually makes the demos desync, but maybe it's a good tradeof if the gains are big.

If you are a fan of retro games then you are no doubt a fan of Doom, so I hope you find this useful! I just tried a new-ish Doom port called FastDoom. FastDoom is highly optimized for use in DOS environments, and is specifically geared toward 386/486 computers. However, you will see a massive boost even on better hardware. It's also a very vanilla experience, as it only contains optimizations for more FPS and more smoothness.

RetroLiz wrote on 2021-01-05, 18:21:

If you are a fan of retro games then you are no doubt a fan of Doom, so I hope you find this useful! I just tried a new-ish Doom port called FastDoom. FastDoom is highly optimized for use in DOS environments, and is specifically geared toward 386/486 computers. However, you will see a massive boost even on better hardware. It's also a very vanilla experience, as it only contains optimizations for more FPS and more smoothness.

Moved post 😁 FastDoom's origins... are on VOGONS, basically 😉

Stiletto wrote on 2021-01-05, 18:56:

RetroLiz wrote on 2021-01-05, 18:21:

If you are a fan of retro games then you are no doubt a fan of Doom, so I hope you find this useful! I just tried a new-ish Doom port called FastDoom. FastDoom is highly optimized for use in DOS environments, and is specifically geared toward 386/486 computers. However, you will see a massive boost even on better hardware. It's also a very vanilla experience, as it only contains optimizations for more FPS and more smoothness.

Moved post 😁 FastDoom's origins... are on VOGONS, basically 😉

WOAH! I should have known! That's great. Really impressed by this project.

Hey, nice work on this! It's about time someone did something to make this old game run better on pre-Pentium systems. 😀

I was wondering if it would be possible to add a stereo flip option? Some sound cards have messed up output and output left samples to the right speaker and vice-versa.

Eep386 wrote on 2021-01-05, 22:31:

Hey, nice work on this! It's about time someone did something to make this old game run better on pre-Pentium systems. 😀

I was wondering if it would be possible to add a stereo flip option? Some sound cards have messed up output and output left samples to the right speaker and vice-versa.

You can use the command line parameter -reverseStereo to reverse stereo 😁

I just love that you have a "Potato (Cam)" mode.....I might have to try this out on my Versa 40EC 486 DX2-40.

Could someone try this on 386?

I used to play Doom on 386DX 40MHz ca. 93-94 and it was smooth enough that I do not remember any stuttering or slowdowns. However, when looking on the internet these days, it seems barely playable on 386. Either my memory is seriously failing me or there 's some other explanation.

OldCat wrote on 2021-01-28, 16:08:

Could someone try this on 386?

I used to play Doom on 386DX 40MHz ca. 93-94 and it was smooth enough that I do not remember any stuttering or slowdowns. However, when looking on the internet these days, it seems barely playable on 386. Either my memory is seriously failing me or there 's some other explanation.

I recorded this video on my 386DX 33MHz (256Kb cache, Oti 087X ISA video card), using FastDoom 0.6 with potato mode and flat visplanes. Vanilla Doom is slow on 386DX processors without resizing and lowering the video quality, and near impossible to play on 386SX processors.

https://youtu.be/Oi20FDX8V9w

everything is in perspective. And nostalgia. In the old days I would play Doom with a 386DX40 or a slow 486 and i had a blast (You know, all Doom versions 1.2 and lower also feel a little bit faster...). But now at least a later Pentium for my Dooming. And I remember that I played Half-Life with a Pentium 133 with a Voodoo 4MB and it was excellent, nowdays I would never...

But yeah nice work, potato mode is just so funky, I love it. Add EGA palette EGADOOM.WAD, and you have a nice 16bit nostalgia trip 😁

or add real 16 color mode (4bit) with dithering and without so it also can speedup in theory =)

Yes, that would be nice. Hardware 16 color Doom. There was a beta version of 16 color Wolfensten 3D, i have seen screenshots and story, but never a real download. A 256 color beta version does exist in the wild. And is super hard and has no LIM cheat.

PS. Good thing is that there are still coders who make stuff for DOS. I always wanted a Rendition Verite just for playing hardware 3D Quake in DOS. But now there is a DOS Voodoo version available, we had to wait ca. 20 years for it. Good Times.

ViTi95 wrote on 2021-01-28, 17:14:

OldCat wrote on 2021-01-28, 16:08:

Could someone try this on 386?

I used to play Doom on 386DX 40MHz ca. 93-94 and it was smooth enough that I do not remember any stuttering or slowdowns. However, when looking on the internet these days, it seems barely playable on 386. Either my memory is seriously failing me or there 's some other explanation.

I recorded this video on my 386DX 33MHz (256Kb cache, Oti 087X ISA video card), using FastDoom 0.6 with potato mode and flat visplanes. Vanilla Doom is slow on 386DX processors without resizing and lowering the video quality, and near impossible to play on 386SX processors.

https://youtu.be/Oi20FDX8V9w

Thank you!

https://youtu.be/b2B8PnDj-DI

Here is a little update of what i'm currently developing for FastDoom. Text video modes rendering at 80x25 and 80x50 (and maybe more hidden modes such as 132x44) with 16 colors. It's missing all menus / intermissions / text messages and HUD but rendering is done nearly 100%. I have to solve the flickering (by using multiple video pages), fix some off by one errors and use better the 16 color palette.

It's really fast for a 386SX processor at 33 MHz (without any cache) and a 8-bit ISA Paradise VGA (80x50). It should even work with CGA and EGA cards in the 80x25 mode. Having 16 color support will let me port FastDoom to CGA (160x100) and EGA (320x200) :D

Damn ViTi95 you are a "Godlike Maniac" this port is gonna be crazy. Make sure you add 320x200x16c but for VGA with better palette than standard EGA. this would be the best of the best.

PS. Maybe in the future digitized sound effects from PC-Speaker like in unofficial Wolfenstein 3D setting.

wow this is crazy, text mode doom 🤣
nice!

ViTi95 wrote on 2021-02-16, 22:17:

https://youtu.be/b2B8PnDj-DI

Here is a little update of what i'm currently developing for FastDoom. Text video modes rendering at 80x25 and 80x50 (and maybe more hidden modes such as 132x44) with 16 colors. It's missing all menus / intermissions / text messages and HUD but rendering is done nearly 100%. I have to solve the flickering (by using multiple video pages), fix some off by one errors and use better the 16 color palette.

It's really fast for a 386SX processor at 33 MHz (without any cache) and a 8-bit ISA Paradise VGA (80x50). It should even work with CGA and EGA cards in the 80x25 mode. Having 16 color support will let me port FastDoom to CGA (160x100) and EGA (320x200) :D

Absolutely amazing!

ASCII characters have half height/width symbols, so you could, if you want to, have double resolution in width or height by having half-characters and 2 colors per characters.
Similarly, ASCII also has dithered block characters (2 kinds, third is just inversion of one) so you could emulate more than 16 colors by mixing background and foreground colors.

But again, absolutely amazing!

ViTi95 wrote on 2021-02-16, 22:17:

https://youtu.be/b2B8PnDj-DI

Here is a little update of what i'm currently developing for FastDoom. Text video modes rendering at 80x25 and 80x50 (and maybe more hidden modes such as 132x44) with 16 colors. It's missing all menus / intermissions / text messages and HUD but rendering is done nearly 100%. I have to solve the flickering (by using multiple video pages), fix some off by one errors and use better the 16 color palette.

It's really fast for a 386SX processor at 33 MHz (without any cache) and a 8-bit ISA Paradise VGA (80x50). It should even work with CGA and EGA cards in the 80x25 mode. Having 16 color support will let me port FastDoom to CGA (160x100) and EGA (320x200) :D

This is profoundly ugly and unplayable and I think it's amazing. Bravo you mad lad.