Makes sense. I've always been disappointed that instead of using better processing power to make bigger, more complex games, we used it to make the same games with more complex animations and details. I don't want a game that only differs from its predecessors through use of graphical upgrades like individual blades of grass swaying in the wind, or the character starting to sweat in relation to their exertion; I want games with PS1-PS2 graphics and animation quality, but with complex gameplay that the consoles of that era could only dream of being able to handle.

Triple AAA games are usually very polished. But polish doesn't make games fun. Polish is important with accessibility, and it's easy to see why accessibility is important for a big studio casting a wide net.

But fun? That comes from creativity and innovation. Big studios are averse to risk taking, and struggle to attract creative individuals, because the corporate culture seeks to stamp out individuality in the name of process and procedure.

So yeah, more evidence of this. My money is going to Indy devs who prioritize fun over polish. (But polish is good to have too).

Doom wads and hacks in recent years have been doing some absolutely insane things, and it's only been getting better as more and more people are realising the things they can do with it. I'm not surprised in the slightest.

Total Chaos has got to be the most mind-blowing to me, it's a total conversion mod built of GZDoom. https://youtu.be/L7IITZDBvqE

Started playing it and I’m liking it so far! The low health regen is very clever. Solves the problem in Half Life 1 where the player is always finishing encounters at 1 HP without the need for excessive health pickups. Now the player is guaranteed to have at least 35 HP.

The immersion is really great as well. Often I forget that all the enemies are just 2D sprites.

The Demo was great, Im going to play this today

Been on my wishlist since 2001! I can't wait to have time to play.

Anybody that played the Aliens Total Conversion on the original Doom engine (best Aliens themed shooter oriented FPS) knows just how awesome things can turn out.

/yes I'm old

https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Aliens_TC

Most. But there’s a small problem: Us console peasants can’t play it yet. So… Yeah.

If anyone wants a complete GZDoom game (or 2 or 3 depending on how your counting) right now to try, Hedon is really great. Also, made by a solo dev(music and VA work was outsourced), so absolute flex on AAA game companies.

FYI: Cross-platform cloud save sync is currently not working. Developers are working on a solution. ~~Workaround is to enforce Proton.~~

Edit: The workaround I've read somewhere is wrong. Currently the only workaround is to either manually copy the save data or to set up a 3rd party sync solution (which for Steam Deck means to enter desktop mode).

This game is great. Feels kinda like Half Life with the fast paced combat of Doom. The exploration is just as good as the gun play and some of the solutions to secrets feel so clever

I put it on my Syeam wishlist, until I can get some tasty wifi.

I feel like it's a little disingenuous to call it "Doom Tech" when it's modern GZDoom with proper full 3D and shit.

But it is true that it's way more systemic than anything AAA in the genre.

Sure it "looks old", but it's sooooo smooth. Kinda reminds me of the Quake remaster in this regard, and that one holds up pretty well in this day and age.

Steam Summer sale's lookin' pretty good this year on my end.

Watched a YouTube video on this last night. https://youtu.be/_rcuZvU-BiQ?si=3uYytK4vkOA-5yJx

Plan to buy it later. Lol