Path Tracing Makes its way to DOOM II in GZDOOM Community Mod

[AusWolf]

What I would rather call it is "a charming tech demo". And I most definitely don't like to use terms like to use derogatory terms such as "lipstick on a pig" to denigrate someone else's work (that I'm being provided for free), just because it doesn't quite tickle my fancy.

Okay, then let's stay with "it doesn't tickle my fancy". Adding one graphical feature won't change a game. Better now?

We've been talking about putting time and effort into something all along. However, Black Mesa is neither free nor is it a mod. It's a paid standalone game. You have to purchase it in order to play. Every game asset has been redone from scratch, levels have been expanded upon, numerous new ideas have been implemented. A large team of people worked on it for years. Any comparison between the two is improper and invalid.

It used to be free before Valve started sponsoring the development team. But being free or paid is besides the point here. My point here is the above: adding one single graphical feature changes nothing.

Someone may just do a mod that adds different muzzle flashes to a game because he doesn't like the default ones. He isn't being obligated to do new textures for the weapons or new weapon sounds. Nowhere is it written that if someone decides to add ray tracing to a game, he should sit down and remaster the whole game, redo the models, textures, sounds etc.

People are allowed to make smaller projects, tech demos and experiments. If one person or a very small team of people decides to do something, it's an effort just as valid as the efforts of a team of hundreds of people. Arguably even more so, when it's being provided for free.

There are many examples of smaller mods for popular games that have been combined into large "definitive remaster" mods that rival the efforts of large game studios. In a similar fashion, many of the pieces of software you use on a daily basis use in some form libraries that individuals or small teams worked on and provided for free use. It's the same idea and it works.

Please, do the others a favour and be more positive.

Of course, you can make the new muzzle flash mod for X game that everybody can enjoy for free, but if it makes headline news on TechPowerUp, I'll be sure to question why.

 

[Nuke Dukem]

Okay, then let's stay with "it doesn't tickle my fancy". Adding one graphical feature won't change a game. Better now?

That first part I agree with.

It used to be free before Valve started sponsoring the development team. But being free or paid is besides the point here. My point here is the above: adding one single graphical feature changes nothing.

Well, adding one single graphical graphics feature changes.... exactly the graphics. Gameplay wise, nothing really changes, yes. Maybe using a flashlight for areas where it's completely dark. But that's why there are different mods for different purposes.

Don't know about you, but these two images seem quite different to me.

Of course, you can make the new muzzle flash mod for X game that everybody can enjoy for free, but if it makes headline news on TechPowerUp, I'll be sure to question why.

The muzzle flash is a basic example of a simple mod. As TechPowerUp isn't ModDB, I would also wonder why a muzzle flash mod would end up on the front page. In the end, this is up to the news editors to decide. However, in the case of the DOOM II mod there are several points of interest:

• A very popular old game
• A very resource-heavy popular new technology being introduced in said old game
• Old game and new technology make for interesting juxtaposition

 

[AusWolf]

That first part I agree with.



Well, adding one single graphical graphics feature changes.... exactly the graphics. Gameplay wise, nothing really changes, yes. Maybe using a flashlight for areas where it's completely dark. But that's why there are different mods for different purposes.

Don't know about you, but these two images seem quite different to me.

The muzzle flash is a basic example of a simple mod. As TechPowerUp isn't ModDB, I would also wonder why a muzzle flash mod would end up on the front page. In the end, this is up to the news editors to decide. However, in the case of the DOOM II mod there are several points of interest:

• A very popular old game
• A very resource-heavy popular new technology being introduced in said old game
• Old game and new technology make for interesting juxtaposition

I don't completely disagree... all I'm saying is that it could be done way better with a bit more effort.

 

[phints]

I don't completely disagree... all I'm saying is that it could be done way better with a bit more effort.

Yea ok so submit the PRs to his github if it's just "a bit more effort".

Maybe he could just have an option for more light bounces to brighten it, but it's still an amazing way to make the experience of a classic game different. These armchair computer engineers are such clowns.

 

[AusWolf]

Yea ok so submit the PRs to his github if it's just "a bit more effort".

Maybe he could just have an option for more light bounces to brighten it, but it's still an amazing way to make the experience of a classic game different. These armchair computer engineers are such clowns.

I don't need more light bounces. I need better character and map models to bounce these lights off of. What good is ray tracing if it bounces off of 2D models and flat walls?

I'm not playing the "armchair engineer" game. I'm just a gamer who likes playing with quality creations. This isn't one. This isn't a remake. This is just RT added to a semi-3D game. Utterly unworthy of any hype, imo.

 

[Nuke Dukem]

Yea ok so submit the PRs to his github if it's just "a bit more effort".

That's close to what I was thinking of saying earlier. One could mail the dev and ask for said small but meaningful changes. You never know, some people take criticism well.

I need better character and map models to bounce these lights off of. What good is ray tracing if it bounces off of 2D models and flat walls?

Pay attention to the second image I posted above. Notice how the light casts shadows on the corpses on the ground. Yes, those are 3D models. The original sprites got turned into boxy voxel models. Also, there are older mods out there that replace the 2D sprites with more regular-looking 3D models.

I'm not playing the "armchair engineer" game. I'm just a gamer who likes playing with quality creations. This isn't one. This isn't a remake. This is just RT added to a semi-3D game. Utterly unworthy of any hype, imo.

• You may say this isn't high-quality, someone else may disagree. It's kind of subjective.
• Who said this is a remake?
• It's no longer semi-3D if you have the OpenGL renderer doing 3D rendering.
• You may not agree with the hype, others may like it. Again, subjective.
• Why do you come off as if someone is forcing you to play and enjoy this? Why not simply look the other way?

 

[InVasMani]

The lighting is very jarring to look at. This is not a good example of path tracing at all.

 

[Super Firm Tofu]

I just downloaded it and gave it a try and playing Doom 2 in 3440x1440 UW with path tracing is extremely cool.

I'm sure this is something that Carmack, Romero, and team would have done if the tech had been available at the time.

Massive shout-out to the modders who did this for free.

 

[AusWolf]

Pay attention to the second image I posted above. Notice how the light casts shadows on the corpses on the ground. Yes, those are 3D models. The original sprites got turned into boxy voxel models. Also, there are older mods out there that replace the 2D sprites with more regular-looking 3D models.

Not much of a difference, to be fair. By watching the video, I didn't even notice.

• You may say this isn't high-quality, someone else may disagree. It's kind of subjective.
• Who said this is a remake?
• It's no longer semi-3D if you have the OpenGL renderer doing 3D rendering.
• You may not agree with the hype, others may like it. Again, subjective.
• Why do you come off as if someone is forcing you to play and enjoy this? Why not simply look the other way?

I'm only saying what I think. You don't have to agree with me the same way I don't have to agree with you. There's no restriction of only positive opinions to be posted as far as I've checked.

If somebody enjoys the mod, that's cool, I just don't think it's newsworthy, that's all. Lots of people enjoy lots of mods without making the news on TPU. If it was a Black Mesa like total overhaul, it would be a different story.

 

[[XC] Oj101]

It's cool that it was done, but I'm not a massive fan. The worst part for me is that every bullet results in an explosion of 40 litres of blood. Other than that, I don't hate it as such.

 

[Nuke Dukem]

The lighting is very jarring to look at. This is not a good example of path tracing at all.

It's probably a small miracle that somebody managed at all to bolt this onto the engine that this is running on. If years ago somebody told me "Hey, they added ray tracing to DOOM", I would ask "Which one, 2016 or Eternal?"

I'm sure this is something that Carmack, Romero, and team would have done if the tech had been available at the time.

Absolutely! Carmack being the graphics wh*** that he is (and I'm using this in the politest sense of the word, the man is a genius), he would had 100% done it.

Not much of a difference, to be fair. By watching the video, I didn't even notice.

Let's hope you watched it on your phone. Didn't take me much to notice. I'm not bragging, just saying.

I'm only saying what I think. You don't have to agree with me the same way I don't have to agree with you. There's no restriction of only positive opinions to be posted as far as I've checked.

If somebody enjoys the mod, that's cool, I just don't think it's newsworthy, that's all. Lots of people enjoy lots of mods without making the news on TPU. If it was a Black Mesa like total overhaul, it would be a different story.

There are, of course, no restrictions on stating your mind in a negative fashion here, sans maybe being vulgar. However, it's one of those "You can, but should you?" moments. Whenever I see a "This Week in Gaming" article on the front page and happen to click on it, there will inevitably be something that will not be my cup of tea. This is the moment where instead of typing something along the lines of "Eh, great, another lame indie RPG... " or "Wow, how many more Fortnite clones can they do?!" and posting it, I actively choose not to engage and add more negativity to the world. There is more than enough of that to go around as it is.

It's cool that it was done, but I'm not a massive fan. The worst part for me is that every bullet results in an explosion of 40 litres of blood. Other than that, I don't hate it as such.

Someone above posted that the special blood can be toggled off. Hope that helps.

 

[wolf]

Article sponsored by Ngreedia.

I'd love to see your source for this childish comment.

I actively choose not to engage and add more negativity to the world.

If only more people saw the world this way, basically every community would be better for it.

This is very cool and I cant wait to try it later tonight. I certainly have something common with Carmack as I am very much a graphics wh*** too

Cheers modders for making and releasing it totally free!

 

[Kyan]

The lighting is good, but the water, no thanks. It looks like minecraft's "realistic" shaders, but the contrast between a world full of blocks/pixels and water full of rounded waves never look good.
That's why I choose shader which keeps the pixelated texture of water.

 

[Vayra86]

I wouldn't say that. We just need ulv hardware with ultra low idle power as well. We also need hardware aware eco friendly software which will force switch to lower res with RT enabled if running on older - energy inneficient - hardware longer than predefined time span - i e 5 minutes per day.

We also need eco friendly drivers which will force harware to work in energy efficient - undercloaking - regime if they detect hard gamer as a load on GPU.
And we also need to promote energy efficiency awaresness in hard gamers communities.

Cool games dont need a lot power to run on cool hardware. So if hardware is hot it means game is a crap or hardware is a crap or both.

Euh yeah. Dream on

 

[AusWolf]

Let's hope you watched it on your phone. Didn't take me much to notice. I'm not bragging, just saying.

I watched it on my PC and I wasn't overly impressed. It's the same stuff done slightly differently.

There are, of course, no restrictions on stating your mind in a negative fashion here, sans maybe being vulgar. However, it's one of those "You can, but should you?" moments. Whenever I see a "This Week in Gaming" article on the front page and happen to click on it, there will inevitably be something that will not be my cup of tea. This is the moment where instead of typing something along the lines of "Eh, great, another lame indie RPG... " or "Wow, how many more Fortnite clones can they do?!" and posting it, I actively choose not to engage and add more negativity to the world. There is more than enough of that to go around as it is.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticising the mod. I'm only criticising its newsworthiness. Other mods don't make it into the news section, but if we add RT to any game, it has to be advertised, I just don't get why.

I'd love to see your source for this childish comment.

If only more people saw the world this way, basically every community would be better for it.

Unlike honest criticism, forced positivity never facilitated positive change, but fine, have it your way, guys. You're free to love it, and I'm free to think that adding one single graphical feature doesn't make or break any game. It's either a Black Mesa style total overhaul, or I'm not interested.

 

[wolf]

Unlike honest criticism, forced positivity never facilitated positive change, but fine, have it your way, guys.

I don't remember advocating for forced positivity, and I don't think @Nuke Dukem did either, if that's what you gleaned then I feel you've misunderstood at least my sentiment.

 

[AusWolf]

I don't remember advocating for forced positivity, and I don't think @Nuke Dukem did either, if that's what you gleaned then I feel you've misunderstood at least my sentiment.

I was commenting on the "love it or shut up" vibe I was getting from you guys, mostly from @Nuke Dukem. Maybe there is a misunderstanding, I don't know. In any case, it's fine, I'll shut up.