Backstory

[Tijn]

#115

What’s up with the lack of backstory in Doom? I guess it’s kinda cool the game just launches you right into the action, but it’s also a bit weird to me. Like… who are you? What are you doing there? What are these things you’re shooting?

Is there a backstory available in the manual, or is there intentionally none? I suppose the game does give some hints along the way, but there’s no real text anywhere, is there?

[rnlf]

#118

The was backstory! It was just posted on IRC: http://www.wolfensteingoodies.com/archives/olddoom/manuals/Doom_-_Manual_-_PC.pdf

[vede]

#120

Yes rnlf beat me to posting it here, hehe. I recall reading the manual before playing it and thinking, oh so this thing has a story too? Cool, corporate intrigue, I wonder what the Union Aerospace Corporation will do in the game!

NOPE! I think the only part of the actual game which alludes to the UAC is some random textures which have “UAC” on them, in the storage crates in the second level if I recall correctly.

[rnlf]

#121

Hey vede!
Yeah, I wasn’t sure if you were going to post it, sorry 🙂

Welcome to DGC!

[Tijn]

#122

Wow, that link. That’s really cool! I had no idea. This is what you get from always playing pirated copies I suppose, haha.

So the backstory to Doom actually exists and it’s also remarkably detailed! Although it wasn’t uncommon in those days to include loads of backstory to the manual, it’s still a bit surprising they thought about all this stuff and then basically… put none of it in the game itself, lol.

[sorceress]

#123

The reason why none of the backstory was in the game itself?

Maybe the game design came first (let’s imagine the designers knew they wanted to use their 3d tech to make something demonic and visceral).

While that was under construction, they may have realised they needed a manual with an introduction. They many have anticipated there would be confused players asking a lot of who/what/why about the game. And maybe for PR reasons, they might have felt they needed a backstory so that the game didn’t seem as shamelessly vulgar as it might have.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by sorceress.
• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by sorceress.

[Tijn]

#135

So the backstory actually makes sort of sense. You’re on this remote research base where some experiment went haywire and now a portal opened and demons are pouring out.

So far, so good.

But what’s up with the evil soldiers then? Why are they the enemy? Aren’t they the good guys? Are they possessed by the demons? They look pretty much like normal humans, don’t they?

[pekuja]

#199

Hey, first post here. Tom Hall actually wrote quite a bit of story for the game in what was called The Doom Bible. The game was originally going to have a lot more story content, but due to time constraints and creative differences the game ended up being more of just an action game. Some of this contributed to Tom Hall leaving Id after Doom.

I highly recommend reading Masters of Doom. Lots of interesting stuff.

[dr_st]

#279

Yes, the evil soldiers are possessed humans.

I don’t remember exactly where it was explained; possibly in the manual, possibly in some FAQ. But even the sprite names used for them in DOOM.WAD make it clear:

Pistol Soldier – POSS (Possessed)
Shotgun Soldier – SPOS (Shotgun Possessed)
Chaingunner – CPOS (Chaingun Possessed, DOOM2 only)