Discussing the new GOG release and Redux 2.1 news

Changes from the Steam version and minor issues

For the most part, the new release seems to be pretty much the same as the original digital version on Steam. However, I did spot a few things that are different: the Resurrection of Evil expansion pack is now automatically installed with the base game and doesn't require an additional download, which should be more practical, but I seemed to have some issues registering the included CD keys at first and had to fill "doomkey" and "xpkey" manually. The same could happen with the Steam release.

Being a GOG release this is a DRM Free version with the executable seemingly being lifted from patch 1.3.1, which could already be used to make the Steam version DRM Free. But not having to go through any steps for that to happen is pretty great, and it will help with setting up mods that require their own executable while still running the game through Galaxy.

Another change in this release comes in the form of an autoexec file that GOG has included in both the "base" and "d3xp" folders. It's mostly positive, with the included tweaks preventing the texture quality issues of the Steam release due to modern hardware not being properly recognized by the game.

seta r_renderer "best"
seta com_videoRam "1024"
seta com_machineSpec "3"
seta r_shadows "1"
seta r_skipBump "0"
seta r_skipSpecular "0"
seta r_skipNewAmbient "0"
seta r_multiSamples "8"
seta image_anisotropy "8"
seta image_lodbias "-2"
seta image_filter "GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_LINEAR"
seta image_ignoreHighQuality "0"
seta image_roundDown "0"
seta image_forceDownSize "0"
seta image_downSize "0"
seta image_downSizeBump "0"
seta image_downSizeSpecular "0"
seta image_useCache "0"
seta image_usePrecompressedTextures "0"
seta image_useNormalCompression "0"
seta image_useCompression "0"
seta image_useAllFormats "1"
seta g_showBrass "1"
seta g_decals "1"
seta g_doubleVision "1"
seta g_bloodEffects "1"
seta g_projectileLights "1"
seta g_muzzleFlash "1"

However, GOG has forced the lodbias to a negative value, which is confusing: the new value of -2 doesn't help texture clarity in any way but it does introduce a ton of shimmering that the multisample anti-aliasing of Doom 3 simply cannot address. MSAA has also been forced to x8, which is overkill for any resolution beyond 1920x1080 and is going to cause uncommon but noticeable performance issues when rendering at 4K, regardless of the hardware. MSAA already has a dedicated option in the main menu, too, so there was no point in forcing it externally.

To fix these issues, it's recommended that you delete the line below from both "autoexec.cfg":

seta r_multiSamples "8"

You can then change the lodbias value from -2 to 0, so that it looks like this:

seta image_lodbias "0"

With this, you should get a pleasant experience with no more tweaking required. It would be nice to see someone at GOG update the autoexec to remove the lodbias and MSAA overrides, but still, there's been at least some attempt to address the most common issues with this version of the game.

What does it mean for Doom 3 Redux ?

Apart from the aforementioned weirdness, the new release doesn't seem to change anything that could affect existing mods, which is a breath of fresh air after the Panic Button re-release of the BFG Edition branch of Doom 3 introduced yet another version with varying degrees of compatibility. On top of that, being a DRM free release makes it the definitive edition in my book, so this is the version of the game that I will be recommending from now on: the only reason to get the Steam release over this one is if you're playing on the Steam Deck or Desktop linux and want to use Valve's Proton compatibility layer.

Bonus stage: a sneak peek and some news of version 2.1

Three months ago, I wrote that production work on the next version was slowing down and that I had some hopes for a release in February. Given that this article is written on the 28th of February, that was obviously a lie. But with my folders indicating that around 200 textures have been added or replaced since the november status update, that's the good kind of a lie !

The bulk of the new assets are either final edits of previously work-in-progress maps or part of a new batch of redrawn specular maps for Wulfen's sets, with the remaining third being new replacements that are more complex than usual (due to the dense, but extremely low-resolution geometry of the original normal maps, that still needs to be redrawn nearly 1:1 in order to preserve the original mapping and avoid creating new seams and tiling issues).

Other additions since the last status update also include another wave of various fixes for minor issues of the original game. This includes guis fixes, corrections for typos and spelling errors as well as some adjustments to normals and material files for vanilla textures. Those issues were unlikely to ever be noticed by the average player, but fixing a 19 years old bug is always nice.

I'm still working on a real progress report and will post a couple of updates before that so see you then !