Doom 3 alpha version (2025)

A work-in-progress alpha version of Doom 3 called the "E3 Demo Alpha" was leaked to the Internet some time in November 2002.^[1] A scripted sequence of play through this demo was used to show off the game at that year's E3 conference, and it was not intended to represent a playable product. As with most video games, this early version differed from the final retail release in many significant aspects.

History[edit]

Differences from release include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The player walks 20% slower than release and his stamina regeneration is halved. Despite no armor being found in the preset levels, his max armor capacity is 100. He also wears a helmet.
• The heads-up display (HUD) features bar for health and armor, instead of numerical values, and the ammo counter was to the left.
• While enemy models are mostly similar to their final versions, weapons feature minor and major differences, with some using Quake III Arena models as place holders.
• The three levels included are early designs of maps that are included in the final game.
• Sound effects in general differ vastly from release, as they were developed by Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails, who previously worked on the sound design of Quake.

Levels[edit]

e3_1

Based on an early concept of the recycling plant. The Marine discovers the consequences of the Delta Labs experiment gone wrong.

e3_2

A mix of areas and designs from the EnPro facility and the CPU complex. The player must get past the commandos and replace the extraction canister. The door code is 924.

e3_3

An early version of the Alpha Labs with influences of sectors 1 and 3. It ends with the Hell knight eating the Marine's head. It is thought that this would have been changed into a boss battle for the end of Alpha Labs, but this concept was later moved into the Delta complex.

e3_intro

The introductory movie, which is actually a map. It depicts early versions of Mars City and Delta Labs.

empty

An empty box with a few lights

• Commando

• Dead zombie

• Imp

• The empty level with some spawned monsters

Weapons[edit]

There are 12 weapons in this demo alpha, with some either using placeholder models from Quake III or crashing the game:

• Fists
• Pistol: shares ammo with the machine gun; the handle is light green, instead of brown.
• Shotgun: uses a completely different model, can only hold five shells at one time, but has a smaller spread of 13.
• Machine gun: shares ammo with the pistol and its projectile type as well.
• Chaingun (crashes the level but a partial model exists)
• Rocket launcher (Quake III model)
• Plasma gun (Quake III model)
• BFG 9000 (Quake III model)
• Chainsaw (Gauntlet model from Quake III)
• Grenades (No player model)
• Soul Cube (No model and does not function)
• Flares (Same model as grenades)

• Pistol

• Shotgun

• Machine gun

• Incomplete Chaingun model

• Rocket launcher using the Quake III model

• Plasma gun using the Quake III model

• BFG 9000 using the Quake III model

• Chainsaw using the Quake III model

• Grenades

• Flares. Uses the same model as the grenades

Monsters[edit]

Corpses do not disappear in this demo.

• Zombie: skinny (no limp) and fat variants only. Killed once, most will revive three times.
• Demon: two set pieces, the first from the second map, where a Demon bursts through some pipes bending them, and the second from the last map, where it is found devouring the flesh of a still-living Fat Zombie in a bathroom, aren't featured in the final game.
• Zombie Commando: both versions have fully voiced lines and distorted radio chatter. The tentacle variant lacks his leaping move, while the Chaingunner can swing his weapon in melee range, and drops a small box of 24 bullets.
• Imp: uses its leap attack aggressively and its fireballs both have a shorter range and are subject to gravity.
• Hell Knight: designed for the final set piece of the demo, only does an overhead slam with both arms that will one-shot the player even from full health.

The following entities are mentioned in the monster.def file, but do not appear in the actual levels nor are they functional in general:

• All other zombie types
• Zombie security: share the same revival mechanic of other zombies.
• Zombie Sergeant
• Spirit
• Crawler
• Spectre
• Maggot: features a second type.
• Lost Soul
• Cacodemon
• Baron
• Bruiser
• Revenant: all range attacks fire two rockets and a leap move is also mentioned.
• Mancubus
• Arch-vile
• Horde
• Sentry
• Spider Boss
• Cyberdemon
• Female Scientist Boss: features two types.
• Cult Leader Boss

Items[edit]

Mentioned in the item.defs file, but never featured in the actual maps:

• Security Armor: gives 25 Armor.
• Guard Armor: gives 50 Armor.
• Power Armor: gives 100 Armor and 100 Cells, maybe based on the Power Shield from Quake 2.
• Blue Key
• Red Key
• Data Linker
• Medkit: gives 25 Health.
• PDA
• Videocd
• Backpack: gives:
  • 10 Slugs
  • 20 Shells
  • 10 Bullets
  • 10 Rockets
  • 25 Cells

Powerups[edit]

Listed in the powerups.def file, but not used in the actual demo, as they are all non-functional:

• Berserk
• Chronocaust
• Invulnerability
• Invisibility
• Megasphere
• Soulsphere
• Haste

Plot[edit]

On the Mars Research Facility, a hurried scientist walks between a couple of guards. He rushes to a communication console and tells a mysterious voice that a teleporter's stabilization field has a problem. The voice he is speaking with says that there is nothing to worry about. Moments later, the base shakes as power wildly fluctuates. The Delta teleporter fails and opens a gateway to Hell. Many lost souls come from the gateway. Two lost souls transform a Mars-Sec guard, one of which makes his skin turn green and the other makes his eyeballs explode. He mutates into a Z-Sec and runs amok. An imp is shown watching a corridor, then an image of a disemboweled man tied to an inverted cross appears as a pentagram starts glowing behind him.

After that, an unnamed marine comes from an elevator before he puts on his helmet. He goes around the area killing zombified personnel in a recycling station. Moments later, a Hell knight appears from a dark corridor. The marine hides and the Hell knight does not notice him. The marine goes to the upper levels of a communication center and is attacked by a pinky. After shooting it down, he spots some powerful zombie commandos. He kills a few of them and goes upstairs to Alpha Labs. Seeing the corpse of a janitor in a restroom, he walks inside only to see a Pinky emerge from the shadows. The Pinky then proceeds to feast on the janitor's corpse. He kills the Pinky and the now-zombified janitor. He then is attacked by many Imps and zombies.

As he is about to leave Alpha Labs, he realizes that the exit is locked. The marine turns around and sees the Hell knight from before is directly behind him. The Hell knight then crushes the marine and proceeds to speak in an unknown demonic language before decapitating him with its claws and eating his head.

Editor[edit]

An early version of Doom 3 Radiant level editor is included with the alpha. It can be accessed by typing editor in the console or via the command line.

Screenshots[edit]

• The spawn in e3_1

• Not all monsters had ragdoll enabled by default

• The pinky demon appears in the mirror

• The Hell knight

• The main menu. Clicking on Singleplayer will crash the game

• The Doom 3 Alpha identifies itself as DOOM 0.02

• The original alpha Doom 3 2002 Hell knight texture

Links[edit]

• Collection of screenshots (archived)

References[edit]

1. ↑ Geek.com staff(4 November 2002). "Doom 3 pre-alpha leaks out." Geek.com. Retrieved 16 December 2015.