• Some users have recently had their accounts hijacked. It seems that the now defunct EVGA forums might have compromised your password there and seems many are using the same PW here. We would suggest you UPDATE YOUR PASSWORD and TURN ON 2FA for your account here to further secure it. None of the compromised accounts had 2FA turned on.
    Once you have enabled 2FA, your account will be updated soon to show a badge, letting other members know that you use 2FA to protect your account. This should be beneficial for everyone that uses FSFT.

DOOM: The Dark Ages

zandor said:
I'm not sure this one is worth bothering with path tracing. It's too slow or needs too much DLSS since it's a fast paced game, and it's just not pretty. Maybe not the fastest paced, but it's still a shooter that's all about combat. Also it doesn't look nice. The graphics are sometimes impressive from a "technical" point of view, but it's just not pretty. Of course it's a Doom game. It's supposed to be ugly. Doing an excellent job rendering ugly doesn't really excite me.

I'll use path tracing in CyberPunk whenever I get around to playing Phantom Liberty and will use it in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, but I'm not sure about this one. Performance in CP2077 seems to be a bit better, and IJ&tGC is a slow paced game so 60fps would be fine and I get a bit more than that, plus it looks great.
Click to expand...

Really depends on if you can tolerate DLSS frame gen. I have had mixed results, though in this game it works well. I made it to the forest chapter in chapter 7 (or 8) and my frame rates did drop to around 90 though. I don't think it is a horrible looking game, though it just doesn't look cutting edge. Even with path tracing it still looks like a game from a few years back. Another game where ray tracing or in this case path tracing isn't enough to make the game look great but has heavy performance hits. I'm on a 5070ti, which would be the minimum if you want to use path tracing at 2560x1440.
 
I messed around with it on my 4090 and it works fine if you set DLSS to balanced rather than quality. At the same time, IMO the game world looks vastly better with DLSS set to quality and my FPS is more consistent, so I just turned it back off.

As far as the game goes, turning the difficulty down to "Hurt Me Plenty" and starting completely over has helped me tremendously. It's pretty easy to die in this game, and in some cases there so much shit onscreen that you can't really even tell what's happening. Plus, I'm rocking a pad and I don't have instant 180 turns to constantly check my six, too. I'm having a good time and making solid progress now. Gameplay is a little bit of paper/rock/scissors with enemy weaknesses (and a little overly reliant on shield parries), but I'm not minding it yet. I can imagine things getting a little overwhelming eventually, though.
 
Someone several pages ago said
"The music sucks for obvious reasons"

I have no experience with any Doom games, but my wife wants to try this one, and I know music has historically been on of the draws of doom.

What's the problem with the music in this one?
 
The music has a "mid-00's white trash industrial" vibe to it. The kind of thing that you'd hear blaring from a tweaker's van in the parking lot for a motocross event. At least minus any vocals. I liked some of the darker industrial stuff they started doing with Quake and such, but Dark Ages is like a caricature of that. It's skulls, fire, meth, homemade tattoos, and gasoline music.
 
Tried the new Path ray tracing option they just added. Holy cow game went from smooth as butter to choppy and way low frames with that enabled.

And I could barely tell the graphical difference. Turned it off and game was smooth and fast again.

My system is a 4080 FE + 9800X3D + 64GB DDR-5
 
I don't know what happened with 576.80 but it made the game unplayable for me. Horrible lag and this is the first time in over a decade I've had to roll back an Nvidia driver!
 
craigdt said:
Someone several pages ago said
"The music sucks for obvious reasons"

I have no experience with any Doom games, but my wife wants to try this one, and I know music has historically been on of the draws of doom.

What's the problem with the music in this one?
Click to expand...

people are just going to say that without any reason behind it...the main issue people have is- no Mick Gordon so that means the soundtrack cannot be good
 
craigdt said:
Someone several pages ago said
"The music sucks for obvious reasons"

I have no experience with any Doom games, but my wife wants to try this one, and I know music has historically been on of the draws of doom.

What's the problem with the music in this one?
Click to expand...
2016 and Eternal had instances where the music would come in and amp up an already badass scene to an 11/10 and all I could think is "THIS GAME IS FREAKIN AWESOME!!!!".

That never happened in the Dark Ages for me. The music was just... there. Background noise.

But I also think Dark Ages is the worst of the three modern Doom games, so maybe I'm just a hater.
 
Domingo said:
I messed around with it on my 4090 and it works fine if you set DLSS to balanced rather than quality. At the same time, IMO the game world looks vastly better with DLSS set to quality and my FPS is more consistent, so I just turned it back off.

As far as the game goes, turning the difficulty down to "Hurt Me Plenty" and starting completely over has helped me tremendously. It's pretty easy to die in this game, and in some cases there so much shit onscreen that you can't really even tell what's happening. Plus, I'm rocking a pad and I don't have instant 180 turns to constantly check my six, too. I'm having a good time and making solid progress now. Gameplay is a little bit of paper/rock/scissors with enemy weaknesses (and a little overly reliant on shield parries), but I'm not minding it yet. I can imagine things getting a little overwhelming eventually, though.
Click to expand...
I turned on frame gen with DLSS Quality and it really messed me up with the timing of parrying. I never had as much issues with the increased latency in other games.
polonyc2 said:
people are just going to say that without any reason behind it...the main issue people have is- no Mick Gordon so that means the soundtrack cannot be good
Click to expand...
No, the soundtrack is just bad. It's generic metal riffs constantly. There hasn't been anything that matches the atmosphere or action the entire time I have been playing this game. The menu music is honestly better than any of the tracks I've heard in game. I just wonder what id did to chase away Andrew Hulshult.
 
Armenius said:
I turned on frame gen with DLSS Quality and it really messed me up with the timing of parrying. I never had as much issues with the increased latency in other games.
Click to expand...

Seems okay on my end (I'm doing the same), but I'm on a pad and playing on the default difficulty now. Pretty sure the parry window is gigantic for me. The only times I've struggled with it were on the dragons. For some reason those have a pinpoint window of only a few frames.
 
Domingo said:
Seems okay on my end (I'm doing the same), but I'm on a pad and playing on the default difficulty now. Pretty sure the parry window is gigantic for me. The only times I've struggled with it were on the dragons. For some reason those have a pinpoint window of only a few frames.
Click to expand...
I'm on the default Ultra Violence settings. I think the parry window is only one click down from max by default.
 
I was using frame gen and DLAA and didn’t have any issues on ultra violence. This was running at 150 fps for the most part. FG on.

With path tracing I had to go down to DLSS Q to maintain about 120 fps. FG on.

No issues in latency etc. for me as it was sub 30 ms which is very playable.
 
Game-wise, I'm enjoying it way more than I figured I would after the first 2 levels. Initially I figured it was just going to be the same 'ol thing over and over, but I appreciate the new added mechanics and the level designs as you progress further, too. The open world siege level was really well done and super fun. It's definitely not the most original game in the world, but it isn't stale or phoned in, either. Even it wasn't a Gamepass title, I'd still recommend it at full price.
 
Domingo said:
Game-wise, I'm enjoying it way more than I figured I would after the first 2 levels. Initially I figured it was just going to be the same 'ol thing over and over, but I appreciate the new added mechanics and the level designs as you progress further, too. The open world siege level was really well done and super fun. It's definitely not the most original game in the world, but it isn't stale or phoned in, either. Even it wasn't a Gamepass title, I'd still recommend it at full price.
Click to expand...
Word.
 
CaptainClueless said:
That never happened in the Dark Ages for me. The music was just... there. Background noise.
Click to expand...
Yeah the loss of Mick Gordon was keenly felt. His music was one of the standout features of Doom 2016 and Doom Eternal, as was its dynamic nature that reflected what was currently going on in the games. With Doom TDA the music is some generic-ass metal that barely amounted to more than background noise. It's not terrible but it really doesn't stand out or make much of an impact. I barely noticed it. Same deal for my friends who went through the game. Mick Gordon's music had presence, and made an impact.

CaptainClueless said:
But I also think Dark Ages is the worst of the three modern Doom games, so maybe I'm just a hater.
Click to expand...
No I agree. I've got about 40 hours put into it now. I beat the game after about 22-23 hours, then I spent another 12-13 hours getting 100% in the game. Now I'm just f*cking around in the levels for fun. I spent MANY hours doing that in Doom 2016, and I'm surprised that I even put a lot of post-game hours into Doom Eternal considering I was disappointed with it. But I highly doubt I will be spending anywhere near as much time with Doom TDA.

Armenius said:
There hasn't been anything that matches the atmosphere or action the entire time I have been playing this game. The menu music is honestly better than any of the tracks I've heard in game.
Click to expand...
Haha yeah, agree with that too.

Armenius said:
I just wonder what id did to chase away Andrew Hulshult.
Click to expand...
I'm surprised they didn't get him to do the soundtrack (or at least part of it) for TDA.

CaptainClueless said:
The music sucks, for obvious reasons, and it really detracts from the experience compared to 2016 and Eternal.
Click to expand...
I don't think it sucks, but it's not great either, and yeah it does detract from the experience compared to the past two games.
 
Last edited:
craigdt said:
Someone several pages ago said
"The music sucks for obvious reasons"

I have no experience with any Doom games, but my wife wants to try this one, and I know music has historically been on of the draws of doom.

What's the problem with the music in this one?
Click to expand...
Basically I've played through the game and I don't even remember there was music.It doesn't contribute anything to the game IMO. A good sountrack contributes to the mood of the levels and elevates the experience.
 
CaptainClueless said:
2016 and Eternal had instances where the music would come in and amp up an already badass scene to an 11/10 and all I could think is "THIS GAME IS FREAKIN AWESOME!!!!".

That never happened in the Dark Ages for me. The music was just... there. Background noise.

But I also think Dark Ages is the worst of the three modern Doom games, so maybe I'm just a hater.
Click to expand...

Seems the same to me. Was loud metal music in the first two games more or less. It sounded good for the games but it was in no way music that would setup a scene because there were no scenes to setup. Essentially just mindlessly slaying enemies. Which is what you'd expect from this type of retro shooter. I find the Dark Ages music to be more or less the same and fits good. If you're referring to getting louder when certain enemies spawn it does happen in Dark Ages.

For the gameplay itself I think I prefer TDA the most but have yet to finish it. I liked Eternal more than 2016, but when it came time for the expansions I hated the parkour. TDA seems like a decent mix between the two. Constant weapon switching is not required, but it does have some melee. Platforming returns in a toned down way which isn't annoying.

Edit: Finished the last few chapters off. I see what people were saying about the music. The last 3 chapters were quite basic, same thing over and over again that would just stop and start when in a fight or when one ends. The earlier chapters had more variety. Seems like as the game went on they rushed the sound track for later levels.
 
Last edited:
The ambient music isn't too bad and it even has a little bit of an original Quake NIN vibe to it. It's just whenever you run into a pack of enemies you're treated to musical personification of Ghost Rider drinking a Monster energy drink while breaking and entering into a trailer.

Based upon the game having 22 chapters per Google, I'm around the halfway point. I thought the first 2-3 levels were pretty "meh," but then things picked up a lot around 4. So far the levels have mostly stayed strong and varied, although it has been a minute since they've introduced anything cool and new. Hopefully the back end doesn't fall off like some of id's other games have been known to. I always felt Epic was better at keeping story-based shooters fun.
 
Domingo said:
The ambient music isn't too bad and it even has a little bit of an original Quake NIN vibe to it. It's just whenever you run into a pack of enemies you're treated to musical personification of Ghost Rider drinking a Monster energy drink while breaking and entering into a trailer.

Based upon the game having 22 chapters per Google, I'm around the halfway point. I thought the first 2-3 levels were pretty "meh," but then things picked up a lot around 4. So far the levels have mostly stayed strong and varied, although it has been a minute since they've introduced anything cool and new. Hopefully the back end doesn't fall off like some of id's other games have been known to. I always felt Epic was better at keeping story-based shooters fun.
Click to expand...
I don't know about that. Gears of War typically becomes an annoying test of one's patience by the end, especially the first game.
 
Word. I am slowly chipping away at it as well trying to 100% everything. Running DLSS Q and FG.
 
For those wondering, 20.7 hours to complete (including piss breaks). Plenty of levels and I'm glad it ended when it did otherwise it would have gotten stale. Solid game, my favorite of the three. Seemed a good bit easier though maybe I had the difficulty setting too low.
 
Last edited:
I finished it a couple days ago, and while I enjoyed it more than Eternal, I was really disappointed in the direction they went with the Dragon and Robots. As someone who's been playing Doom since the original in '93 I didn't enjoy the Rock 'Em Sock 'Em robot levels or the How to Train Your Dragon stupidity. However, I did like the shield and flail more than I expected and found both to be really useful in taking down large enemies as well as many enemies at once. The graphics at 4K Ultra Nightmare were a literal sight to behold and I'm looking forward to seeing what the DLC holds.
 
according to the Steam stats, the all-time peak for Dark Ages is currently 31,470...Eternal's peak was 104,891...there's actually more people playing Eternal right now than Dark Ages...I'm sure Dark Ages will get more players as it drops in price but I don't think it'll ever be as popular as Eternal
 
polonyc2 said:
according to the Steam stats, the all-time peak for Dark Ages is currently 31,470...Eternal's peak was 104,891...there's actually more people playing Eternal right now than Dark Ages...I'm sure Dark Ages will get more players as it drops in price but I don't think it'll ever be as popular as Eternal
Click to expand...
A lot of players got this through Gamepass which I’m sure is part of this equation.
 
Niner said:
A lot of players got this through Gamepass which I’m sure is part of this equation.
Click to expand...

that's true but isn't Eternal also currently on Game Pass? (I realize Eternal came to Game Pass later on and not at launch)...but it's a very telling stat that more players are playing Eternal today on Steam than Dark Ages...today meaning July 3rd 2025...both games are on Game Pass while Dark Ages only recently came out while Eternal came out over 5 years ago...you would think the Steam numbers would still favor Dark Ages
 
Last edited:
polonyc2 said:
that's true but isn't Eternal also currently on Game Pass? (I realize Eternal came to Game Pass later on and not at launch)...but it's a very telling stat that more players are playing Eternal today on Steam than Dark Ages...today meaning July 3rd 2025...both games are on Game Pass while Dark Ages only recently came out while Eternal came out over 5 years ago...you would think the Steam numbers would still favor Dark Ages
Click to expand...

Game Pass most likely. Ruining gaming by keeping sale prices higher (for the people that still prefer keeping over renting, helps offset losses by Game Pass) and being risky for developers. I'm really doubting the developers are getting the same amount of money as they would if they sold those copies instead.
 
I gave this thing like 5 hours and it just didn't feel like it was grabbing me in the slightest.

I just don't think it or eternal are that fun.

1751579203951.jpeg
 
As mentioned before, the game didn't really grab me until mission 6. I don't know how long it took me to get there. I really loved the semi-open mission structure and the battles with the commanders. Also, plenty to find and explore. More Cyberdemons spawn here and they're really fun to fight.
 
I shouldn't of played Stalker 2 before Doom, the graphics are far superior in Stalker, I just couldn't get over how bad some of the graphics in Doom were. They are definitely not next gen graphics.
 
killroy67 said:
I shouldn't of played Stalker 2 before Doom, the graphics are far superior in Stalker, I just couldn't get over how bad some of the graphics in Doom were.
Click to expand...
IMHO the problem with Doom's graphics is that they're just plain not pretty at all. It's all brown, gray, rock, stone, demons and blood. Turn on path tracing and you get some well rendered fires and reflections off of pools of blood, but they're still little spots in a brown gray mess. At any rate Doom won't impress no matter how well it's rendered. It'll still be ugly.
 
Last edited:
zandor said:
IMHO the problem with Doom's graphics is that they're just plain not pretty at all. It's all brown, gray, rock, stone, demons and blood. Turn on path tracing and you get some well rendered fires and reflections off of pools of blood, but they're still little spots in a brown gray mess. At any rate Doon won't impress no matter how well it's rendered. It'll still be ugly.
Click to expand...
My issue was how bad the textures "or lack of" was on the rocks, the leaves on the trees were something they ported from 2010, no realism whatsoever, plus the way the trees and branches moved was totally unnatural. The grass as well looked very early 2000's games, plus it was growing out of the rocks in places. I don't care how much ray tracing or patch tracing is used, the game just like what you said ugly brown grey mess. I'd rather play Stalker a 3rd time than look at that mess.
 
polonyc2 said:
DOOM: The Dark Ages | Update 2 | Now Available

Features include:

-Ripatorium Endless Arena Mode
-New Combat Enhancements for Dragon, Atlan, and Slayer
-Full-Campaign Balance Changes and Refinements

https://slayersclub.bethesda.net/en-US/article/doom-the-dark-ages-update-2-release-notes


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzrP9aoE8VE
Click to expand...

What's with all the nerfs? I do like the ability to turn off the slow down from perfect parries and dodge now, though.

Rail Spike Impaler

    • Balance adjustments including:

    • Reduced Impaler damage vs. Hellknight and Vagary demons
    • Reduced Impaler damage vs. armored demons
    • Put further emphasis on Impaler headshots by increasing headshot damage, and reducing non-headshot damage vs. various demons
    • Shield Throws that deflect off of larger demons no longer drop Impaler ammo when the Stalwart upgrade is equipped
    • Reduced the amount of Mace charge received from headshots with the Lobotomy upgrade
Plasma Rifle Class
  • Lowered base ammo on Plasma Rifle Cycler
  • Adjusted value of ammo capacity increase earned through Demonic Essence upgrades
  • Lowered maximum ammo capacity of Plasma Rifle Cycler
Super Shotgun
  • Reduced Super Shotgun damage vs. Hellknight, Mancubus, Pinky Rider, Cosmic Baron
  • Reduced Super Shotgun damage vs. armored demons
  • Player can now interrupt the Super Shotgun reload to perform executions
Chainshot
  • Lowered starting ammo capacity
Dreadmace
  • Executions performed with the Dreadmace equipped now drop the same amount of ammo as executions performed with other melee weapons. The amount of ammo dropped as a result of other Mace attacks has not changed
  • Reduced Dreadmace AOE damage, increased Dreadmace direct-hit damage to compensate for AOE damage reduction
  • Parrying a Hell Surge attack drops less Dreadmace charge
  • Drops triggered as a result of Impaler headshots with the Lobotomy upgrade equipped drop less Dreadmace charge
Gauntlet
  • Lowered the amount of charge received via Duelist upgrade
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top