The official DOOM 3 website has been updated, offering a few wallpapers, the previously available E3 trailer and several small screenshots. Thanks Blues News.

There's an John Carmack Q&A on Computer Gaming World, asking the id programmer about being a "Videogame Legend", DOOM 3, ATI vs NVidia, Armadillo Aerospace and a few other things. Thanks Blues News.

Computer and Video Games has posted a new interview with id's John Carmack (thanks Blue), reprinted from a recent issue of PC Zone. Questions are about the technology leap that is the DOOM 3 engine, the future of graphics, DOOM 3 gameplay, per-poly hit detection and Armadillo Aerospace.

PCZ: OK... So, do you think Doom 3's gameplay would be as interesting if it wasn't for the new technology?
JC: We decided Doom 3's gameplay is not going to be some wild innovation - it's a first-person shooter. There are a lot of arguments that can be made about game design, and I prefer simplicity and elegance. There are big arguments that happen inside id over 'do we wanna have an additional control for something like this?', and I'm always the one saying we want the minimum number of everything, because I want it to be simple and fun to play ...

A new DOOM 3 preview has surfaced at Computer & Video Games, where they have reprinted the article originally found in PC Zone magazine. The preview offers multiplayer impressions and a chat with id's Tim Willits, Todd Hollenshead and John Carmack.

One of the really significant new technical features in Doom 3 is the per polygon hit detection, which does away with the invisible hitboxes of old in favour of accurate collision detection for every projectile. "This feature had a lot more an impact than we were expecting," admits id CEO Todd Hollenshead. "We've had per poly detection in single-player for a year, but we never realised the full impact of it, of the player no longer being, effectively, a big rectangular cube. A bullet can now go under someone's arm or between their legs, or just whiz by their head. It definitely puts a premium on aiming ... "

GamePro is the latest site to post a DOOM 3 Q&A, asking id's Tim Willits and Todd Hollenshead some questions about the game (thanks HLF). And as part of their October 7 media update, PC.IGN has posted a few new DOOM 3 screenshots along with a few familiar ones. Update: Activision let us know that the images posted on IGN were not exactly official ones.

The guys at GameAxis have finally posted their coverage of the Activate Asia event, posting their own impressions of DOOM 3 as well as a Q&A with Tim Willits and Todd Hollenshead about the game. Q's are about the storyline, the graphics engine, weapons and monsters, and a couple of other things.

Following yesterday's Computer & Video Games preview/Q&A, the sites GameSpot, EuroGamer, PC.IGN and GameSpy are all offering their own impressions of a recent demonstration of the game. In addition there's a Q&A on Game Arena and PC.IGN reports through unnamed sources that the band Tool will create an original song for the game. Here's some high praise for the game from GameSpot

What we've seen of Doom 3's single-player, so far, seems extremely impressive. Its graphics are nothing short of amazing, and the game sounds fantastic as well. What's more, while Doom 3 might have previously seemed like a rather straightforward shooter, it actually seems to have a number of interesting additional gameplay elements that directly affect the game. We earnestly hope that the rest of the single-player game can be as consistently atmospheric, good-looking, and as exciting as what we've seen so far.

And in case you hadn't seen the two new screenshots yet, you can find them here.

Computer & Video Games has posted a brief DOOM 3 Q&A, asking id's Todd Hollenshead about the game's story, AI, multiplayer, the technology and console plans. Two new screenshots are included as well.

There is a video interview with Todd Hollenshead and Tim Willits of id on Gamer.nl, offering questions and answers about DOOM 3 and Quake 4. Quicktime required.

One more Carmack interview by way of QuakeCon by way of CNN to check out. There are a few familiar quips in there, but in case there was any doubt here is a direct answer from JohnnyC on what comes after DOOM 3:

"We're not doing another sequel next," said Carmack. "We will do a new title. It will be a shooter, with a different antagonist and protagonist. ... People who have been working in the company for a long time don't want to continually rehash their old work."

With the new game will come a new engine, meaning Carmack's oft-rumored retirement will remain a rumor for the next few years.

"In the coming years, I have things I want to do," he said. "The next generation of hardware and the next engine is very exciting. There's little doubt I'll be doing that."

We've got more id Software interviews over the weekend for you ladies to check out. Have a look at what John Carmack has to say chatting with GameSpy, and then what Todd Hollenshead has to say in a CNN preview, and Tim Willits chatting with HomeLAN Fed. Here is some of Johnny Carmack:

DOOM is going to be in use for a long time, but just this year, hardware has surpassed a really significant point with the floating point pixel formats and generalized dependent texture reads. These are things that demand that a new engine is written.
[snip]
With game development taking multiple years and costing many millions of dollars. I think real innovation will not necessarily come from triple-A titles. Triple-A titles have so much of an investment that it engenders a huge risk-aversion. I think that the real innovation will come from things that are done on a smaller budget, that might be targeted as budget titles. It's okay to risk $500,000 on a development budget where you might say, "This is a clever idea, lets give it a try." Risking $10 million dollars, and some development budgets are going well over that already, is a lot harder.

The guys at GameSpy have posted interviews with Tim Willits & Todd Hollenshead about DOOM 3, and also with Rick Johnson about Quake 4. They also have their own keynote highlights.

GameSpy: On the single-player end, what stage are you at with DOOM 3?
Tim Willits: The technology's mainly done, although there are still optimizations that we can do. The story's all done and the script is all done, and the guys are busy getting the fun factor into the game, creating the great scenarios and sequences and the fun events for the player to experience. And we just have to keep doing that until the game's great.

Activision has released a pair of new DOOM 3 multiplayer screenshots at QuakeCon for you guys to check out. Here are the latest shots, and of course an index of a bunch more shots:

[multiplayer] [all screenshots]

EuroGamer has a new DOOM 3 preview, based on a recent demonstration of the game at the recent Activision Activate event in England. Just impressions though, no new screenshots. Meanwhile HomeLAN Fed has some quick impressions of the DOOM 3 multiplayer demo on display at QuakeCon.

The Beserker power-up allows you to use your fists as a one-shot (one fist?) one kill weapon against your opponent. Your vision in the game becomes blurred while you have the Beserker power up and you hear yourself scream as well, which is rather bloodcurdling but very effective; it makes you sound like a banshee. The visual effect on your character as others see you is a set of red rings around your character.

Cool news for the people planning to attend QuakeCon (August 14 - 17 Dallas, TX), as id Software will be showing off DOOM 3 multiplayer there. A 4 player deathmatch level, co-developed by id Software and Splash Damage, will be on display for people to play. Splash Damage, the company behind Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, is also co-developing other DOOM 3 multiplayer levels.

"What better way to celebrate QuakeCon than to unveil to our fans a preview of DOOM 3 multiplayer," said Todd Hollenshead, CEO, id Software. "While everyone knows that DOOM 3 is the most terrifying and scary single player experience ever created, multiplayer delivers the intense competitive action that our fans can count on. It's a natural to debut the DOOM 3 multiplayer experience at QuakeCon, the world's preeminent fan-based multiplayer gaming event."

Sad news for all you guys looking forward to DOOM3, looks like we wont be seeing any DOOM3 this Christmas despite what those posters were saying at E3 2002. Grrr! The HomeLAN guys spotted the updated Activision release calendar in addition to the quarterly financial conference call. DOOM3 is pencilled in for fiscal year 2005 now (but thats just for financial stuff, it means Jan - March 2004). DOOM3 will be done "when its done". A bit more from the HomeLAN story:

Activision also had other game titles that were announced as being delayed, including True Crime: Streets of LA, which will be delayed from September until later in the fall of 2003 and the Gray Matter first person shooter Trinity which will be moved into sometime into the fiscal year 2005 (which begins on April of 2004). Activision also announced that Rome: Total War, the console Call of Duty game and Quake IV are all currently scheduled to be released in the fiscal 2005 time period. Activision execs also speculated during the conference call's Q&A session that they believe that the successors to the current game consoles won't show up until late 2005 at the earliest.

The Phobos Lab figured it would be good to know the minimum system requirements for DOOM 3 and so they asked The Carmack. You'll want at least a 1Ghz machine with 256MB of RAM and a GeForce 1 or Radeon 7xxx videocard, though of course don't expect the game to look anywhere near what it is supposed to. Thanks Ninja Wan.

There's a job listing on the Splash Damage website, mentioning that this London (England) based game developer is looking to hire a graphics programmer for a Doom 3 engine project. Splash Damage is the company behind the recently released Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, and is now another developer confirmed to be working with the Doom 3 engine. There are no details on the game itself.

We quietly got a hold of the Activision official DOOM3 trailer that was showing at E3 2003 this year for you guys last night which has already been getting hammered, but in case you didnt notice it:

- DOOM3 E3 2003 Video

note: As exciting as it may be to compare your favorite unreleased game to another unreleased game, try something new and different!

Nine Inch Nails fansite The NIN Hotline is reporting that due to the delays in getting DOOM 3 finished, Trent Reznor is no longer involved with the sound and music of the game. He is now working on a new Nine Inch Nails album instead. For reasons unknown, none of his work will end up in the game now apparently. Thanks HomeLAN Fed.