Multiplayer is the thorn in Doom's fleshy, purulent side. James hailed the singleplayer as a "fulfilling return to acrobatic gunplay", but players trying to get their money's worth online contend with cheaters and a lack of standard features like custom games. Speaking to Eurogamer, executive producer Marty Stratton revealed how id is tackling complaints.
"There's certainly no lack of commitment to Doom as a multiplayer game on our side," Stratton says. "We are already working on private matches with custom game settings and expect to include that in a free update this summer."
Private matches doesn't necessarily mean private servers a much-requested feature that would allow admins to police the cheating problem. At launch, private matches will be invite-only, but id is looking into implementing a traditional match browser too. Bots are also planned, albeit some way off.
"Our bot system was actually written by one of our long-time senior programmers, John Dean, known online as 'Maleficus', who also wrote the Return to Castle Wolfenstein Fritz bot and the bots in Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, so he does great work with bots. But John also just happens to be our internal lead programmer on SnapMap, so he's very busy."
I expect we'll hear more about Doom's future at Bethesda's E3 showcase on Sunday 12, 7pm PT. Here's hoping for more of that singleplayer mayhem.
The PC Gaming Show returns to E3 on Monday June 13, featuring game announcements, updates to existing favourites, and conversation with top developers. You can find out what to expect here, and also book free tickets to attend in person at pcgamingshow.com. The PC Gaming Show will be broadcast live through twitch.tv/pcgamer from 11:30 am PT/2:30 pm ET/6:30 pm GMT, but be sure to tune in beforehand to check out The Steam Speedrun, in which one lucky winner will buy as many games as they can in three minutes.