Development of Doom

Lore & Background

The concept for Doom was proposed in late 1992, after the release of Wolfenstein 3D and Spear of Destiny. John Carmack had been working on an improved 3D game engine, and the team wanted to take advantage of his designs. Several ideas were proposed, including a new Commander Keen game, but John Carmack suggested a game about using technology to fight demons, inspired by the team's Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. The initial months were spent building prototypes, while Tom Hall created the Doom Bible, a design document for his vision of the game and its story. After id released a grandiose press release touting features not yet worked on, the Doom Bible was rejected in favor of a plotless game with no design document.

Over the next six months, Hall designed levels based on real military bases, Romero built features, and artists Adrian Carmack and Kevin Cloud created textures and demons based on clay models. Hall's level designs were deemed uninteresting, and Romero began designing his own levels. Hall, increasingly frustrated with his limited influence, was fired in July. He was replaced by Sandy Petersen in September, and programmer Dave Taylor joined. The team worked increasingly long hours until the game was completed in December 1993. Doom was self-published by id on December 10, 1993, and immediately downloaded by thousands of players.

Reader's Guide

The development of Doom marked a pivotal moment in video game history, as the game became one of the most significant and influential first-person shooters ever released. The process was characterized by internal conflicts over design philosophy, particularly between Tom Hall's desire for a detailed story and John Carmack's focus on technological innovation. The rejection of the Doom Bible in favor of a plotless design reflected a shift toward gameplay-driven development. The firing of Hall and the hiring of Sandy Petersen and Dave Taylor late in development demonstrated the team's willingness to make personnel changes to achieve their vision. The game's self-publishing by id Software also represented a strategic business decision, as the company cut ties with Apogee Software to handle distribution themselves. The intense work schedule and collaborative effort among the small team resulted in a game that was immediately downloaded by thousands upon its release, setting new standards for the genre.

Did You Know?

• The concept for Doom was originally proposed by John Carmack, inspired by the team's Dungeons & Dragons campaigns.
• Tom Hall created the Doom Bible, a design document that was later rejected in favor of a plotless game.
• Hall was fired in July and replaced by Sandy Petersen in September, with programmer Dave Taylor joining late in development.