Bethesda and id Software have been working together to bring the gore-fest that is Doom: Eternal to gamers on November 22nd, 2019, across PC and home consoles. However, creative heads Marty Stratton and Hugo Martin took up an interview with another publication site that sees the forthcoming FPS game ditching the classic “deathmatch mode” to keep players “happy.”
According to DSOG which picked up on gamesindustry.biz latest interview, the duo from id Software reveals that their focus is to increase player engagement with Doom: Eternal.
In addition to engagement, rumors are floating around that cannot be confirmed as of this writing claiming Doom: Eternal has microtransactions in the form of paid “power-ups” and “boosts.” Although those microtransactions are rumors at this point, it wouldn’t be something out of place in publisher Bethesda Softworks’ book.
While on the topic of engagement, DSOG highlights Hugo Martin saying to gamesindustry.biz the following when asked about player engagement:
“That was pretty much the primary goal of every decision we’ve made; how we get people engaged from beginning to end. Not even just the beginning of the level to the end of the level or the combat, but the entire game — that the third act of the single-player campaign is just as compelling if not more so than the first act was. It was challenging because people loved the last game so much. We really couldn’t use the same exact tricks as last time to engage the player. It’s like old hat to them at this point.”
The former website would relay info from the latter, which see the pair parroting themselves from QuakeCon 2019 about Doom: Eternal being a thinking man’s game that is “hard to master” and “rewarding”:
“We wanted to make sure the level design and the combat really gave you something to have to master. You master and conquer the levels just as much as you conquer the combat and encounters. And that’s what feels really empowering to the player, something that is earned. It’s very easy for us to make it, ‘Here’s a super powerful gun and some hallways; just walk down them and slaughter everything.’ That’s not a $60 game in my opinion. So I think engagement was our overriding theme for this game.”
Later, DSOG raises concern over one of the reasons why Doom: Eternal won’t feature the classic deathmatch mode by highlighting Hugo Martin telling the other publication site:
“So if we come up on each other [in a Doom 2016 multiplayer match] and all the game is relying on from a design perspective is aiming and shooting, well there are going to be people who aim and shoot better than you and there’s pretty much nothing you can do about that. That made death a frustrating experience because it meant you were just better than me. In this game, I can overcome your incredible twitch skills with teamwork and strategy, which gives me a chance. Then it allows the game to have what 2016 had none of: metas. There’s some real depth to this experience.”
With all of that said, Doom: Eternal will hit PC via Steam and other platforms such as PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on November 22nd, 2019.
