Doom for Symbian mobiles - in my case the Nokia N95

I have written about old skool gaming on the N95 before, but I am about to get as old skool as I possibly can: »Doom« for both Symbian S60, S80 and S90.

I think this post could only be more old skool if it was about »Doom«'s predecessor -  »Wolfenstein3D«, but unfortunately, there is no version of »Wolfenstein3D«* available for the N95. As far as I know…

So »Doom« it is!

I am pretty sure »Doom« needs little introduction. The game was released by idSoftware in 1993 and for me, it was the game that introduced me to the concept of first-person shooter - FPS - games. Come to think of is, I can actually attribute the oceans of time I have wasted away in front of the computer playing FPS games directly to my discovery of »Doom«.

But let us not go there - »Doom« was a killer game for the PC when it was released and it is actually a pretty cool game for the mobile phone…even for 2007. Among other things because the mobile version »C2Doom« both supports switching WADs and online multiplayer mode.

One-line description of the plot of »Doom« - get hold of powerful weaponry and kill as many monsters as possible - plus maybe discover a secret or two in the process.

To install »C2Doom« on a compatible mobile phone is quite simple:

1. Download the appropriate installation file for your mobile (link at the end of the post).
2. Create a folder 'wads' at the root of your phone's memory card.
3. Copy the file 'doom1.wad' into the just-created folder 'wads'.
4. Install the game from the downloaded installation file.
5. Feuer Frei!

 

Additionally, there a few things worth mentioning: Two versions are offered of »Doom« for Symbian - a free »core« version and a commercial, full version. The full version comes at the low cost of €5 (< $8), but a license is specific to an installation of the game. If you change mobile you have to pay and acquire a new license. The main differences between the two versions are as follows: The »core« version does not include multiplayer mode; only the first episode can be played (just like the shareware version of original »Doom«) - regardless of wether you have the full .wad version. Furthermore, it is somewhat cumbersome to switch between WADs, and customize key mappings in the »core« version.

I have used the »core« version for the purposes of this post.

WADs (.wad files) can be found in many places on the net. If you do not have the original »Doom« game CD it is possible to download the shareware version, or buy and download »Doom« directly from idSoftware for $20.

As mentioned, it is somewhat tricky to customize the key mappings in the »core« version of  »C2Doom« - the table below lists the default controls:

^C2Doom Controls

S60 key	S80 key	Function
'1′	'1′	Next weapon
'2′	'2′	Previous weapon
'3′	'3′	Gamma correction (brightness)
'4′	',' or 'chr' + left arrow	Strafe left
'5′	'ctrl'	Fire/Attack
'6′	'.' or 'chr' + right arrow	Strafe right
'7′	'space'	Use, open doors, flick switches etc.
'0′	'tab'	Open map
'9′	'f'	Toggle follow mode in map (full version only?)
'pen'	'shift'	Run, Forrest!
'c'	N/A	Press four times in quick succession (within a second) to activate a cheat dialogue. Type in a cheat code and press 'Ok' to activate it (full version only?).

 

By default, the »Core« version of »C2Doom« looks for the »doom1.wad« - the WAD file for the original game. It is possible, however, to specify which WAD file the »core« version should use and the way to do it is to create a text file - 'c2doomexe_info.txt' - at the root of the memory card. When »C2Doom« starts this text file is "picked" up by the game and the WAD specified in the file is used. In this process the text file itself is deleted and »C2Doom« will use the WAD until a new text file is created, specifying a new WAD to use. So, it is no problem to have several WADs in the 'wads' folder, but they can only be used one at a time. See a sample 'c2doomexe_info.txt' file.

Being able to switch between WADs means that »C2Doom can also be used to play »DoomII«, or official WADs like »TNT« and »Plutonia« - pretty cool!

The 'c2doomexe_info.txt' text file can also be used to customize key mappings, but it is rather cumbersome. If you open the sample 'c2doomexe_info.txt' (see link above), you can see how both keys and key functions are referenced by special codes. I have not been sufficiently annoyed by the default key mappings to bother figuring out what these codes mean.

So, how is »Doom« working on the N95? Pretty good, actually - the graphics flows without any problems; sound is surprisingly good - the biggest hassle is to get used to play using the phone keypad. I usually use left/right strafing a lot, but find it difficult to use »4« and »6« keys for these funtions. The result is imprecise and clumsy maneuvering.

My ideal setup therefore consists of using a TV with N95's tv-out capability and a Nokia SU-8W bluetooth keyboard. Playing with the keyboard unfortunately does not work in practice - I can use the keyboard to play, but if too much action takes place at the same time (e.g. when being attacked by a whole group of monsters), the keyboard input fails. I do not think it is caused by a RAM problem (mainly because the problem is equally bad in both firmwares v12.0.013 and v20.0.015 - despite Demand Paging and all…), but rather a question of the SU-8W driver not getting any "CPU-time", when the CPU comes under pressure. It is actually a great pity since the problem cripples the potential of the N95 - and Symbian S603rd - as a gaming platform.

I can therefore not show a video featuring both N95, TV-out and SU-8W, but have to settle for only the first two:

 

Link: Download C2Doom for your Symbian mobile phone.

*Bonus link: Wolfenstein3D for older Symbian S60 1st & 2nd handsets.

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