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Doom II: Hell on Earth

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games

This page is for the original release. For the version included in the BFG Edition, see Doom 3: BFG Edition. For the 2020 Unity re-release, see Doom II Enhanced.

Doom II: Hell on Earth
Doom II: Hell on Earth cover
Developers
id Software
Mac OS (Classic) Lion Entertainment Inc.
Publishers
GT Interactive
Engines
id Tech 1
Release dates
DOS October 10, 1994
Windows 1995
Mac OS (Classic) 1995
Linux 1995
Windows 3.x February 3, 2006[1]
Windows (DOSBox) August 3, 2007
macOS (OS X) Source ports only
Reception
Metacritic 83
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase
Microtransactions None
Modes Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Perspectives First-person
Controls Direct control
Genres Action, Shooter
Themes Horror, Sci-fi
Series Doom
Doom II: Hell on Earth on HowLongToBeat
Doom II: Hell on Earth on IGDB
Doom II: Hell on Earth guide on StrategyWiki
Doom II: Hell on Earth on MobyGames
Doom II: Hell on Earth on Wikipedia
Doom (1993) 1993
Doom II: Hell on Earth 1994
Final Doom 1996
DRL (unofficial game) 2002
Doom 3 2004
Doom 64 EX (unofficial port) 2008
Doom 3: BFG Edition 2012
Doom (2016) 2016
Doom VFR 2017
Doom I Enhanced 2020
Doom II Enhanced 2020
Doom Eternal 2020
Doom 64 2020

Doom II: Hell on Earth is a singleplayer and multiplayer first-person action and shooter game in the Doom series.

Key points

The Doom engine was made open source in 1997, making the game very mod-friendly.[2]

General information

Doom Wiki
Doomworld — A major fansite for the series
ZDoom forums — ZDoom ports official forums, showcasing new mods
GOG.com Community Discussions for game series
GOG.com Support Page
Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
DRM-free
DOS
Windows
Mac OS
GamersGate
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Gamesplanet logo.svg
Icon overlay.png
Windows
GOG.com
DRM-free
Listing title is "Doom II". Also includes Final Doom, Master Levels for Doom II, and Doom II Enhanced. Pre-packaged with DOSBox v0.74.2.1 (included in download).
Windows
Green Man Gaming
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Humble Store
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Steam
DRM-free after installation through Steam client (notes may include more details)
Listing title is "Doom II". Includes Master Levels for Doom II and Final Doom. Pre-packaged with DOSBox v0.72 (included in download). Comes bundled with Doom II Enhanced.
Windows
Bethesda.net (unavailable)
DRM-free after installation through Bethesda.net Launcher (notes may include more details)
Pre-packaged with DOSBox v0.72 (included in download). Also includes Doom II Enhanced.
Windows
Not available for sale on Humble in Germany.
Doom II: Hell on Earth is also available as part of Doom 3: BFG Edition. This version includes GOG.com and Steam achievements.
The MS-DOS version of Doom II: Hell on Earth included with Doom II Enhanced from Bethesda.net comes with two versions of the IWAD, one as a separate download, and the other is included with the re-release in the base folder. The IWAD included with Doom II Enhanced's installation is the unmodified version that is also found in the Steam release. The separate downloadable version has changes similar to Doom 3: BFG Edition, and may not be compatible with certain source ports.[3]
The Bethesda.net release is no longer available as the Bethesda.net Launcher has been retired. Users who owned games in their Bethesda.net Library are able to transfer their games to their Steam account for free, even now after the launcher has been officially retired.

DLC and expansion packs

Name Notes
Master Levels for Doom II An expansion pack of 20 WADs from various authors contracted by id Software.
DOS
Windows
Hell To Pay Unofficial commercial expansion developed by Wraith Corporation and published by WizardWorks. Not available digitally.[4]
DOS
Perdition's Gate Unofficial commercial expansion developed by Wraith Corporation and published by WizardWorks. Re-released for free by the author on his personal website.[5]
DOS

Essential improvements

Patches

All patches for the retail versions of Doom II: Hell on Earth (as well as Doom and Final Doom) can be found at doomwiki.org, the latest patch 1.9 is also available at soggi.org.

Disable vertical mouse movement (DOS)

Game forces vertical mouse movement (forward and backward movement via mouse).
Automating novert in DOSBox[6]
novert is a program that disables vertical mouse input.
  1. Download novert and extract novert.com in <path-to-game> alongside DOOM2.EXE.
  2. Edit doom2.conf and doom2m.conf with a text editor, and in the [Autoexec] section, add novert.com before the line calling the game's executable.
  3. Save the changes in the *.conf files and close.

Source ports

Since the release of the engine's source code, various source ports have been released. See the link above for details and recommendations.

Enhancement mods

DOS and all source ports

  • Minor Sprite Fixing Project - Corrects sprite offsets and other graphical errors. Compatible with both original DOS release and source ports.
  • Perkristian hi-res Doom sound pack - The hi-res sound pack contains remastered versions of the Doom sound effects which have been remade at higher sampling rates (Doom's original sound effects were sampled at 11025 Hz, which is considered fairly low-quality nowadays).
  • Doom Sound Bulb - An update to Perkristian's hi-res Doom sound pack. All 107 sound effects are remade into 16-bit sounds that are truer to their original sources. Includes a legacy 8-bit version for use with vanilla Doom executables and source ports, and an extra sounds pack for ZDoom-based source ports.

ZDoom-based source ports

  • Master Levels Menu Interface - An in-game menu that serves to replace the old DOS program that would launch a chosen WAD of the Master Level for Doom II expansion. This mod allows the ability to play them in one sitting without restarting the game or loading each individual WAD file.
  • WadSmoosh - Combines all the official classic Doom IWADs (Doom, Doom II: Hell on Earth, Master Levels for Doom II, and Final Doom) the user can provide, as well as the No Rest for the Living WAD from Doom 3: BFG Edition and the SIGIL WAD released for Doom's 25th anniversary, into a single PK3 IWAD with each game selectable as episodes. The bonus secret levels from the Xbox port of Doom 3 (which can be downloaded from here) and the widescreen assets from the 2020 Unity re-releases can also be integrated.[7]
  • WidePix - A collection of 2D widescreen replacement graphics that faithfully extends the original 4:3 assets up to widescreen resolutions. These differ from the unrelated widescreen graphics featured in the 2020 Unity ports as they are created from the ground up, support up to 21:9 resolutions, and feature an animated intermission screen for Doom's Inferno episode. Included with GZDoom as of v4.5.0. Can be used with WadSmoosh v1.3 and does not require implementing the widescreen assets from the 2020 Unity ports.[7] Also supports Heretic, Hexen, Strife, Chex Quest 3, Hacx, and Harmony as of v1.3. For widescreen assets for other PWADs, see this Doomworld thread.
  • GZSprFix - A repacked version of Minor Sprite Fixing Project for GZDoom, combining both mods into one while using GZDoom's folder filter feature to load the relevant fixes to the respective IWADs and converting the DeHackEd patches into ZScript.
  • Roland SC-55 music packs - Soundtrack for Doom II recorded on an authentic SC-55, the midi player for which the soundtrack was mixed on. Choose either OGG or FLAC; MP3 does not support proper looping.
  • Smooth Doom - Smooth Doom is a spriting project/general enhancement that adds newly drawn frames to all of DOOM's weapons and actors.
  • Cblood - Changes the blood color of monsters to match their sprite counterparts (e.g. Cacodeamon now has blue blood) without replacing actors.
  • RetroShader - A shader mod for GZDoom that replicates the low-resolution appearance and color depth of vanilla Doom without lowering its resolution or rendering scale.
  • Thematically Improved Mouse Cursors - Adds themed cursors for Doom, Strife, Heretic, Hexen and Chex Quest.

Any source port

  • Widescreen Status Bar - Designed for compatible source ports that support widescreen resolutions. In addition to removing the brick patterns that appear on the side of the bar when upscaling it, it also helps prevent graphical glitches that sometimes occurs from the upscaling process. Some source ports may require adjusting the status bar upscaling size manually in their respective options menu to retain the intended aspect-ratio.
  • SC-55 Soundfont - Special sound bank, that emulates Roland SC-55 (sound module, that was used by Bobby Prince to compose Doom soundtrack) to provide the most accurate music quality.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
DOS <path-to-game>\DOOM2
Windows <path-to-game>\Doom II for Windows 95\[Note 1]
Mac OS (Classic)
Steam <path-to-game>\base\*.conf
<path-to-game>\base\*.CFG
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/2300/pfx/[Note 2]
It's unknown whether this game follows the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux. Please fill in this information.

Save game data location

System Location
DOS <path-to-game>\DOOM2
Windows <path-to-game>\Doom II for Windows 95\[Note 1]
%USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\GZDoom\doom.id.doom2.commercial\[GZDoom source port only]
Mac OS (Classic)
Steam <path-to-game>\base\*.DSG
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/2300/pfx/[Note 2]

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
GOG Galaxy
Steam Cloud

Video

In-game options menu.
In-game options menu.
Resolution options (Doom95)
Resolution options (Doom95)

Graphics feature State WSGF Notes
Widescreen resolution
See Source ports.
Multi-monitor
Supported by GZDoom.[8] See Source ports.
Ultra-widescreen
Supported by GZDoom.[9] See Source ports.
4K Ultra HD
Supported by GZDoom.[10] See Source ports.
Field of view (FOV)
See Field of view (FOV).
Windowed
Toggle with Alt+ Enter in DOSBox or its source ports, if supported.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
See Borderless fullscreen windowed.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
See Source ports.
Anti-aliasing (AA)
See Source ports.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
See Source ports.
60 FPS
Capped at 35 FPS.[11] For 60+ FPS, see Source ports.
120+ FPS
See Source ports.
High dynamic range display (HDR)
See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Field of view (FOV)

Use the console (source ports only)
  • For ZDoom-based ports and Odamex: enter fov <1-179>.
  • For Legacy Doom: enter gr_fov <1-179>
  • For Doom Retro: enter r_fov <45-135>

Borderless fullscreen windowed

PrBoom+: Run PrBoom+ in windowed mode at the display's native resolution[12]
GZDoom: Perform the following for either Modern or Vintage branches (v3.5.0 or newer; Windows only)[13][14]
  • Modern branch: No longer supported natively as of v3.8.3. See this thread for details. Use Special K version 21.2.15.0 via .dll injection, not global injection as newer versions will crash GZDoom. Rename SpecialK32.dll (32-bit) or Specialk64.dll (64-bit) depending on the GZDoom version to OpenGL32.dll and place this file to where GZDoom is installed in the computer.
  • Vintage branch: Natively supported; set Fullscreen to OFF and Borderless Windowed Mode to ON from the Video Mode options.
Doom Retro: Enable borderless fullscreen in configuration file[15]
  1. Open the *.cfg file(s) where the Doom Retro folder is located with a text editor.
  2. Find the variable vid_borderlesswindow and set it on, then find vid_screenresolution and set it to desktop.
  3. Save the changes. Doom Retro now should run in borderless fullscreen windowed.

Input

Keyboard and mouse State Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration
See Source ports.
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
See Source ports.
Mouse Y-axis inversion
See Source ports.
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support
Supported by ZDoom and its derivatives as well as Doom Retro and Woof. See Source ports.
Controller remapping
Limited to only remapping Fire, Use, Sprint, and Strafe in the DOS version.
Some source ports feature broader controller remapping options. See Source ports.
Controller sensitivity
Some source ports have adjustable analog stick sensitivity settings. ZDoom and its derivatives also support XInput trigger sensitivity settings. See Source ports.
Controller Y-axis inversion
See Source ports.
Controller types
XInput-compatible controllers
ZDoom-based source ports and Doom Retro have XInput support.
Xbox button prompts
Use a ZDoom-based source port or Doom Retro.
Impulse Trigger vibration
PlayStation controllers
Supported by ZDoom and its derivatives as well as Doom Retro and Woof.[16]
PlayStation button prompts
GZDoom uses generic controller prompts. Doom Retro and Woof uses Xbox prompts on DualShock 4.[16]
Light bar support
Red on Doom Retro. Blue on Woof.[16]
Adaptive trigger support
DualSense haptic feedback support
Connection modes Wired
Tracked motion controllers
Use Classic Doom VR
Button/gesture prompts
Generic/other controllers
Imagineer PC Pad.
Button prompts
Additional information
Button prompts Input settings icon - Generic Controller.svg ZDoom and Doom Retro reference XInput controllers with Xbox notations.
Controller hotplugging
Supported by ZDoom and Doom Retro. See Source ports.
Haptic feedback
Doom Retro features vibration for XInput controllers.
Digital movement supported
Simultaneous controller+KB/M
ZDoom-based source ports and Doom Retro allows simultaneous inputs between controller or keyboard and mouse.

Audio

Audio configuration (Doom95)
Audio configuration (Doom95)

Audio feature State Notes
Separate volume controls
Sound effects, Music
Surround sound
See Source ports.
Subtitles
No spoken dialogue.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
See Source ports.
EAX support
Interactive Around-Sound can be hacked on WinDoom port[17]
Royalty free audio
General MIDI audio

Localizations

Language UI Audio Sub Notes
English
French
The official French localization can be found here. Alternate link.

Network

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
Local play
Use Doom Legacy.
LAN play
4 Co-op, Versus
Online play
4 Co-op, Versus
Zandronum is recommended for online play as it adds modern networking support and simplifies the process of finding games.

Connection types

Type Native Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Provided by Zandronum and Odamex. See Source ports.
Self-hosting
Direct IP
See Source ports.

VR support

Issues fixed

Game does not run in DOSBox (Steam)

Disable double-buffering in DOSBox[18][19]
  1. Go to <path-to-game>\base.
  2. Edit doom2.conf and doom2m.conf with a text editor.
  3. Under the section [sdl], look for the line fulldouble=true and set it to false.
  4. Saves and close both files.

Doom95 doesn't start on Windows 7

Use d95patch[20]
  1. Install Doom95 from the CD-ROM or shareware versions of Doom.
  2. Download d95patch here.
  3. Extract the contents of d95patch.zip to <path-to-game>, replacing all files in the process.
  4. Run Doom95.exe, then click the Advanced Options button, go to Screen Resolution tab and set the Screen Size to 320x200 and display mode to Fullscreen, then click OK to save the changes. This is to avoid distorting the image (aspect-ratio correction is handled through dgVoodoo 2) and bugs with the automap on resolutions higher than 320x240.[21]

Notes

This patch includes dgVoodoo 2 and the Doom95 Mouse Patch.

Other information

API

Technical specs Supported Notes
Direct3D
See Source ports.
DirectDraw 2 Doom 95 only.
OpenGL 2.0, 3.3 Supported by GZDoom, Zandronum, and Doom Retro. See Source ports.
Software renderer
Vulkan
See Source ports.
DOS video modes VGA
ExecutablePPC16-bit 32-bit 64-bitARM Notes
Windows
See Source ports for 64-bit. 16-bit applies to beta builds of WinDoom that were cancelled in mid-1995, but which were since found.[22]
macOS (OS X)
See Source ports.
Linux
See Source ports.
Mac OS (Classic)

Modifications

DOOM CE

A successor to the inactive PlayStation Doom Total Conversion for Doom II that converts it into the PlayStation version of Doom and Final Doom, as well as patching Doom 64's IWAD to be compatible with GZDoom. DOOM CE uses GZDoom as a base for its modernized features, adopts code from the GEC Master Edition (DZDoom) project, and incorporates various customizable features and add-ons. Requires Doom II to play PlayStation Doom CE and Final Doom CE as of v2.0.5 and the official 2020 port of Doom 64 to play Doom 64 CE as of v2.0.4.

System requirements

DOS
Minimum Recommended
Operating system (OS) MS-DOS 5.0
Processor (CPU) Intel 386
System memory (RAM) 4 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD) 100 MB
Video card (GPU) VGA graphics card


Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below %PROGRAMFILES%, %PROGRAMDATA%, or %WINDIR% might be redirected to %LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore on Windows Vista and later (more details).
  2. 2.0 2.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/2300/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (2300) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References

  1. WinDoom April 13 Build - last accessed on 26 June 2022
  2. id-Software/DOOM: DOOM Open Source Release - last accessed on May 2023
  3. DOOM: The New Official Source Port - Now on PC! (First Impressions) - last accessed on 2020-09-08
  4. doomwiki.org - last accessed on May 2023
  5. https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Perdition%27s_Gate
  6. Steam Community :: Guide :: Doom 2 Disable Vertical Mouse Movement - last accessed on August 4, 2016
  7. 7.0 7.1 WadSmoosh 1.3 - WadSmoosh by JP Breton (itch-io) - last accessed on 2020-11-07
  8. ZDoom • View topic - ZDoom 2.5.0 - last accessed on February 2, 2019
  9. ZDoom • View topic - ZDoom 2.5.0 - last accessed on February 2, 2019
  10. ZDoom • View topic - ZDoom 2.5.0 - last accessed on February 2, 2019
  11. VOGONS • View topic - Doom in DOS: Original vs Source Ports - last accessed on December 15, 2017
  12. Verified by User:AmethystViper on 2022-05-11
    Tested with PrBoom+ v2.6.2
  13. ZDoom • View topic - GZDoom 3.5.0 released - last accessed on February 2, 2019
    "(modern branch only) Fullscreen is now borderless window (which, technically, it always has been, anyhow). Removed hacks which changed the desktop resolution in order to simulate exclusive fullscreen because they were a constant stability concern."
  14. Verified by User:Axer128 on May 10, 2022
  15. Verified by User:AmethystViper on 2022-05-11
    Tested with Doom Retro v4.4.10.
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 Verified by User:AmethystViper on 2022-08-19
    Tested with a V1 controller connected via USB cable.
  17. IAS Doom Port - Earsound.com (retrieved) - last accessed on May 2023
  18. Steam Community :: Guide :: How to get DOOM to work on Windows 8 without downloading any sourcecodes or mods - last accessed on August 4, 2016
  19. Verified by User:AmethystViper on August 4, 2016
    Have tested using Windows 95 compatibility on the game's executable when using DOSBox, which did not stop the freezing issue until disabling double-buffering within DOSBox under Windows 7 and 8.1.
  20. Verified by User:AmethystViper on 2022-04-08
    Tested this patch on Windows 10 Home 64-bit 21H2.
  21. Doom95 - The Doom Wiki at DoomWiki.org - last accessed on 2022-04-08
  22. WinDoom (Microsoft) - last accessed on 26 June 2022