joshd said:
im stuck in alpha labs. im at the bit where you go along a corridor and a barrel get thrown at you by a guy up on a balcony, and i dont know where to go next. the big door wont let me through, and i cant find anywhere to update my pda. anyone know where to go? also where do i find the code to get into the ammunition bunker not to far back from there?
I think you're in Administration (level 4).
Go back to the reception (where you started the level). If you haven't already done so, go through the door on the other side of the room...
Anyway, I think one has to be in the right frame of mind to play Doom 3 'properly', otherwise yes, it can become a linear experience*. Take your time exploring each area, listen to the PDA's and watch the videos, play on Veteran difficulty (but not Nightmare, unless you're up for a real challenge).
Gorgeous graphics are what made this game, yes. But you could say the same for Far Cry and HL2 etc; imagine if those games were based on the (allbeit a suped-up) Quake 3 engine? They'd still be great games, but without the looks, AI and physics there's no way they'd of had the same impact.
Personally my favourite area of Doom 3 is the last 1/5th of the game. Some of the most beautifull and intricate level design imaginable is contained in the final areas of this game imo.
*
Linear is often a word thrown around by gamers who don't seem to understand that the vast majority of FPS's levels are basically linear- They have explicit start and end points, there is only really one way to get there; puzzles and whatnot are thrown in to give the illusion of strategy and accomplishment (see
'Highway 17' in Half-Life 2, for example).
