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Doom 3 Mini & Optimization Guide

by Bostjan Cigan

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=='    _-'     Doom 3 Mini & Optimization Guide by Bostjan Cigan      \/   `==
\   _-'        [email protected]                                 `-_   /
 `''           http://www.zerocoolguides.tk                               ``'



    Table of Contents                     Most Recent Revisions
   .---------------------------------.   .----------------------------------.
   |  1.0   Introduction             |   |   v1.1  - Changed layout because |
   |                                 |   |           of Grawls request and  |
   |  2.0   History and Next Version |   |           minor text changes.    |
   |                                 |   |                                  |
   |  3.0   Story                    |   |   v1.0  - First version.         |
   |                                 |   |                                  |
   |  4.0   General Walkthrough      |   .----------------------------------.
   |                                 |   
   |  5.0   Weapons and helpfull     |   
   |        stuff                    |   
   |                                 |        
   |  6.0   Monsters and Enemies     |        
   |                                 |        
   |  7.0   Bosses                   |        
   |                                 |
   |  8.0   Optimization Guide       |
   |                                 |
   |  9.0   Graphics cards charts    |
   |                                 |
   |  10.0  Doom III Editor          |
   |                                 |
   |  11.0  Cheats and Secrets       |
   |                                 |
   |  12.0  Unlocking nightmare      |
   |        level                    |
   |                                 |
   |  13.0  Conclusion               |
   .---------------------------------.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.0                                Introduction
==============================================================================

My name is Bostjan and I come from a little country called Slovenia that is
located in the middle of Europe. I am a guide writer but to be honest I
haven't written one for a long time so here comes my boombastic mini and
optimization guide for Doom III.

This guide is written by Bostjan Cigan ([email protected]). Every 
question, feedback, comment etc. can be mailed to the address. Put "Doom 3 
Guide" in the Subject, so I can pick out the mails easily.

Don't mail me with:

* Stuff that is covered in this FAQ
* Where to get Doom 3
* Complaining how bad the game is according to you
* If your PC will run Doom 3
* Commercial stuff - your offers on anything, I don't need them so don't
  send them!

If I get any of these mails, I'll ignore them and delete them without 
further notice.

You can mail me with:

* Stuff that is not covered in this FAQ
* Comment, questions, feedback and fan mail
* Asking if you can put this guide on your site

I'm not related to id software. This FAQ has been made for fun, not to make
any money out of it. Don't use this FAQ on your site/magazine etc. without
my permission. Copyright (c) 2004 by Bostjan Cigan. If you are reading this 
guide outside of the following sites, please let me know:

http://www.gamefaqs.com
http:://www.zerocooldesign.tk
http://zerocoolguides.slohosting.com
http://www.zerocoolguides.tk

Also, to make searches easier, I have compiled a search system, so you can
press CTRL+F and the keyword and press enter twice to find the desired
section.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2.0                            History & Next Version
==============================================================================

Version 1.1 (12/01/04) - Removed all guide related stuff that was related to
Grawl's guide, by Grawl's request of course, the complaint that was send to
my gmail account at 10.20PM at the date of 29.11.2004. Some minor updates
have been added, as you can see the layout and logo have been changed and
some text has been erased. This FAQ has been uploaded on the 29th of
November 2004 at the GMT (+1:00) local time 23:59. Till next time then. 

Version 1.0 (09/25/04) - Everything is new

The next version will probably be release in a week or so. But don't keep me
for my word. It will feature some multiplayer tips.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.0                                    Story
==============================================================================

You are a marine posted at the Union Aerospace Corporation Mars Base for 
security ... you are soon one of the only human survivors. The Aerospace 
Corportation has been doing high study research into teleportation and 
something has gone wrong with hellish demons, zombies and even fireball 
throwing imps roaming wildly around the base. Dangerous Dr. Betruger has 
opened up a portal to a hell like dimension with the intent of transporting 
them to Earth. Go through hell and back because you are the only one who can 
stop it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4.0                              General walkthrough
==============================================================================

Before we start playing the game, let me focuse on a few tweaks that can
change the difference between playing the game and madingly frowing away your
computer out of the window because of the unsatisfaction. Open the file 
called config.cfg in you base directory (please make a backup before doing
so). Somewhere in the middle of that text you will find a line marked
'r_gamma 1' and this line is causing problems when you are playing the game
itself. The game is just to dark and the gamma can't be set in the Doom 3
game itself so we must do it manually. Carmack wanted to create a dark
experience when we play the game itself but we can't see the scene so well,
and the beautiful environment that is suppost to be beautiful is just dark
so that you can't see all the beautifull thing that UAC has to offer. So 
change the number 1 to somewhere between 1.3 and 1.8 depending on your
monitor settings. The second thing that takes a lot of machine power is
antisotrophic filtering. If you don't have a Pentium 3000+ processor, this
setting should be disabled and causes less machine power to decintegrate.
So find the line called image_antisotropy 1 and change the number one to
0. And another setting needs to be tweaked, image_lodbias 1 needs to be
changed to 0,-1 or -2 for better texture quality. All these settings can
also be changed while you are playing by putting up the console. Let's 
bring up the console by pressing CTRL+ALT+TILDE (the key located left from
one). This setting of keys bothers me, so lets change the console popup
so that we can only use the tilde. When the console is brough up, type
in 'com_allowconsole 1', without the '. This will allow the console to
be brought up only with the tilde button. Another thing that bothers most
of players is also the lacking of running. Running is a life needed virtue
in Doom 3, so bring up the console by using tilde (the button left from 
one - I hope you used the tip above) and type in 'in_always run 1' without
the ', which comprehends a lot to multiplayer and single playing. Among
general tips I also have to tell you that you don't need to rush the game
and try to finish it in one afternoon by running and killing everything
that lays in you path. That kind of playing is stupid. With this kind of
playing you will loose all the story plot. Doom 3 needs to be played
slowly and you need to collect PDA's to read the story plot otherwise you
will just be playing a game without a story. Mostly players get stuck by
rushing things and forgetting an important PDA that holds the key for you
to get through a dore. Most players also complaing that there isn't enough
ammo laying around, but unless you're playing blindfolded there is enough
ammo around as long as you play the game slowly and use the flashlight.
Look through every courner, because there is a lot of ammo and health
hiding around. Don't let the games tempo saduce you, a nice example are
those little robots that help you and light the rooms, you naturally
follow them but in the rush you can miss a big storage room that holds
a lot of ammunition, health and armor. Again, play the game slow. Also,
remember, where the health stations are and return to them if that is
needed. Also if an enemy has a head, or more of them shoot in the head 
so that you can save on ammunition. Before you walk in a room always use
a flashlight on it so that you can see where your enemies are hiding.
Also you need to train you flashlight/weapon switching in order to switch
fast between them and fire at you enemies. The flashlight is a good weapon
against zombies at least until you get the chainsaw. Another tip, always
listen to background sounds, monsters will make horrific sounds that will
alert you on their presence. And always remember, this is Doom - when a
door opens, a piece of iron falls that is a signal that a monster will
attack you so always be present. When an Imp appears in front of you, be
aware that it is most likely that another one will appear behind you, so
always watch your back. The simple tactic when monsters attack you is, 
that you hide in a corner and shoot them at your will. And when zombies
with guns attack you it is always important that you shoot first. If there
are many beasts, try to lure them into an ambush and throw a grenade into
them, that will spare you ammunition as there are more grenades. If you
are running low on ammo, don't worry, you can also run because your
marine runs faster than the speeding bullet. But be careful as the stamina
isn't unlimited (unless in Hell and in the final level). Learn how to
combine running and running away form imps attacks or demonical burst
ins. The greates threat is if the monsters lure you into a corner which
might be dangerous. Always have enough space so that you can easily
run and shoot at monsters. If needed, you can shoot at the imps fire
balls as they can be shot down.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5.0                        Weapons and helpfull stuff
==============================================================================

At the weapons there is only one advice. When there are no monsters around
always RELOAD, because it can be very painful if you are in the middle of
a fight and there are only five bullets left out of twelve and you have to
reload. At the first two thirds of the game, you will use less damaging 
weapons such as the gun and the shotgun, because there is more ammo laying
around for them. If you manage to gain a powerfull weapon, save it till the
third third of the game because ammo is very low in the first two thirds.
Forget about using fists as you will have the flashlight which will inflict
more damage.

The gun is useful for destroying smaller creatures, like zombies or spiders.
You can also use it for creatures that are more far away and can't get to
you. One thing needs to be said, when the monster is near, the shotgun is
the first of weapons that needs to be used. The shotgun can also be used
for killing bigger monsters but only if you're fast enough to do so.

If the monsters are shooting you from far away or there are some marine
zombies firing at you, the sub machine gun can be very useful, but beware
on reloading it as it can run out of ammo quickly.

Use the chaingun only when there's a bigger problem near you that needs
to be cut down faster and quicker than it needs to be usualy. But note, 
that there is less ammo available for it in the first two thirds of the
game so save it and use it only when it is neccessary. The weapon also
usualy needs a second to start firing.

The Plasma Rifle is a good gun when you need to fire monsters that are 
close to you or in a middle distance away from you. But when the monsters
are far away, the gun fails and won't inflict to much damage on them. When
there are faster monsters attacking you, there is a chance that you will
use more ammo than usualy. Also note, that the realoading time is big so
keep your enemies at a safe distance.

The Rocket Launcher is an instant solution for most sudden incounters.
If there are bigger monsters near you (shoot in the ground) or if they
are far away, the rocket launcher is precise and instant. Be aware though
that the explosion doesn't also damage you. Ammo is usualy hanging around
but save it until you get to the Delta Labs Facilities. There isn't
a better cure for the armor-health-big marine zombies.

BFG9000 (The Big Fucking Gun) is one of the most powerful and one of
the most elegant weapons that I've ever seen in a game. The animation
of the shot is so elegant that you can just cry seeing it. There isn't
much ammunition laying around for it so use it wisely and save it for
bigger and more powerful creatures or if there is a horde of them
laying near you. If you hold the left mouse button the fire capacity
increases but don't hold it too long or it will blow. You hold the
left mouse button for two units if there is an archville attacking you
or you use it for four units if a hell knight or mancubus is attacking
you.

The Chainsaw is the best thing for combat on close but only if the
beast isn't so fast that it can return the damage faster than you can
inflict it. You will need a lot of practice if you will want to use
it on a Imp or a Wrath because they have long hands and they can hit
you fast enought if you simulate the Texas Chain Masacre to many
times. It can also be good for all those lost souls that attack you.

Hand Grenades aren't used so much but they can inflict a lot of damage
if there are a lot of monsters attacking you. If you are hearing sounds
that are comming from a corner you can use the grenade to kill that
monster. Or if a marine zombie with a chaingun is attacking you, you can
kill it from a corner if you are fast enought. Grenades are always
laying around so don't wory about using them.

The Soul Cube is the star of this game which makes the playing more
tactical and more fun because you needn't worry about your health
anymore once you have it. Every time you kill five zombies or creatures
it refills and you can use it on any kind of enemy and it also works
on bosses. The more you hit the monster the more extra health you gain.
Except for the bosses every monster falls down with the first hit so
it can be use against Arch Villes.

Adrenalien give us an unlimited time of stamina for a short amount
of time, when you get it there is a slight chance tha that you will
need to run fast away.

Berserker is the best util, when we get it, we can only use fists
but don't worry because you will have unlimited health and the 
monsters will go down with one hit.

Invisibility and Megasphere won't help us a lot because they are
used in multiplayer modes. Invisibility gives us invisibility and the
second one pumps us with 100 points of health for a time.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6.0                         Monsters and Enemies
==============================================================================

Before I describe the monsters and their tactical approaches, let's talk about
their AI first. The AI is made out of one code and one code only, attack. The
enemies will move based on their attack paterns which means that they will
try to get closer to you. The Doom 3 Monster Code also uses some other 
approches such as strafe or duck but the monsters don't use it because of the
weird settings and they mostly come attacking you on a straight line pattern.
Why Id chose such an approach isn't known. Strafes and ducks are usualy used
by Zombie Marines which trigger these AI scenes but you can usualy break them
by moving away and the marines will start to follow you and won't use those
patterns anymore. Even if you will be behind a box, the marine will just keep
shooting at you, because its code sees you through the box and not behind
it and it will also not run out of ammunition. When you open a door where an
Imp is standing behind it will jump on you. You can always avoide this move
by moving sideways when the door opens and just shoot at it. When Imps crawl
on the wals you can usualy just shoot them in the eyes because they won't 
attack you. Also, all the creatures can hear you and see you in the dark so
there is no use in hiding in a dark corner. The creatures are usualy set to
attack you on visual contact.

Zombies are the first enemies that you will encounter and they come, 
besides the Imps in large numbers throughout the game. There are a lot of
kinds of zombies and they can be done with quickly. At first you are
going to meet zombie workers and scientists that were made from 
innocent civilians. They come in skinny and fat modes, the first can
be done with by hitting them with the lamp or shooting at them with
a gun, while the second will have to be done with a shot or two from the
shotgun. Both can use any tools and hit you. They are slow so don't use
any powerful guns on them, just be careful that they don't push you in
a corner as they can inflict a mass amount of damage. If you want to
fight with you fists :), wait until the zombie hits you and then kick
him back, it will be like a wrestling match :). The shotgun and the 
chainsaw are both a great answer if they attack you in numbers while
a gun and the chainsaw are both a good answer if a single zombie
attacks you. They appear many times unaware from a dark corner so be
aware of them and train you reflexes. There are also two more kinds of
zombies, the first one is the fire zombie and the second one is the 
chainsaw zombie. You see them both rarely but when they are near you they
can both inflict mass damage. But they have a weakness, they run slow so
you can easily run and in the same time pump them with shots from the
shotgun. The fire zombie can fall quickly while for the white zombie you
will need two shots from the shotgun. The white zombies are different
from the normal ones only by the amount of firepower that they can 
receive, you will need twice as much to get them down.

Z-sec is a cool name for the Zombie Soldier, they usually come equiped
with a gun, shotgun, machine gun or a chain gun. The ones with the guns
aren't such a big of a problem while the others need a lot more
attention. All of them have a weakness, you can shoot them in the head
or in the chest, two shots will usually kill them (use the machine gun).
The machine gun is also useful when you need to kill a zombie soldier
which is equiped with a shotgun. If the zombie soldiers don't want to
get out of the group, just throw a grenade and shoot them all. If you
don't have anymore ammunition for the machine gun, use the grenade-
shotgun combination to wipe them out. Usualy in the game, you will run
on zombie soldiers that cary armour, shoot them in the leg, or throw
a grenade at them (they are usually slower because of the armor). The
Zombie Commandos thought can be a bigger threat especially those who
carry chainguns. The first kind of them, which have big and long hands
attached to them can inflict a lot of damage on you. Use this approach
on them, duck, shoot, stand, shoot and the zombie should be killed.
The chaingun kind though have twice as much health and their aiming
skills are very good. If you are near a chaingun zombie soldier you
are likely to be dead in 10 seconds or so. So try to lead the fight
from far so that the chaingun can't inflict so much damage. Use a 
rocket launcher, a machine gun or grenades on them.

The Imps come in large numbers throughout the game, looks like the Devil
has a large stock of them. They usualy come from dark corners, whether
they are on the ground or crawl on the walls. A screaming sound
mostly awares us that an Imp will fire a fireball. Dispose of them with
one shot from the shotgun directly in the head. The problems can come
when they come in a group where you can't manuver their shots. Then you
can use a chaingun to wipe them out.

The Maggot is a two headed creature that looks like a failed genetic
experiment. Usualy it crawls fast to you and then hits you with its big
claws, he also jumps on you. Speed is its ultimate virtue so you will
have to be carefull when passing dark spots or corners, it is also
very weak, you can put it down with one good shot from your shotgun.
They are a big problem if they appear in groups if you don't have
enough space to evade them. The Maggots put out a squeaky voice and
have red glowing eyes in the dark.

The Wraith can be easily mistaken with an Imp because it looks just
like him. It can hit you with its claw like hands, shoot him down with
a shotgun, it has the same healt capacities as an Imp. It's greatest
weakness is, that it teleports in front or behind you so that you
can easily run to it and put a bullet in his head. A bigger problem
is if they come in groups, then a machine gun isn't such a bad
idea.

Pink Demon is a new version of the most known demon in the original
Doom. In Doom 3 we don't meet them so often but when we do, these 
meetings are spectacular and full of adrenaline. Pinky is very fast
and its punch is also very powerful. When you hear his growling find
a corner where you can easily shoot it from. Usualy one shot from
a shotgun in close range will do the trick.

Trites and Ticks are two kinds of spiders that crawl from tiny
openings in the UAC facility or they drop down from the ceiling using
their spider webs. The Trites use a gentle voice while the Ticks use
a scream like voice. They aren't as fast and you can shoot them down
with two shots from a pistol (must be a direct shot in the head).
The Ticks also have an ability to explode so don't get to close when
you shoot at them.

The Lost Souls, they are the most annoying creatures. They appear
out of thin air and start attacking you in groups. Their main virtues
are speed and agility. You have to wipe them out from far, the
best weapons for this are the machine gun, chain gun or the railgun
if there are many of them. You can also use a chainsaw or a shotgun,
but they require a lot of practice. Once you hit them, they are
history.

The Revenant has first appeared in Doom II and since then it is a
living legend. Why not, as it is very fast and its shoulder rocket
launchers aren't a very good news. The modern revenant has most of
these abilities except its agility and speed have been cut down. It 
moves like a hundred year old man so you can easily outrun him and avoid
his rockets. When he fires the rockets at you, use the plasma gun to
wipe them out, if it hasn't fired the rockets yet quickly fire with your
plasma gun to keep the rockets in his mouth. If it hasn't seen you yet
and you are very close you can also use the shotgun.

The Cherubes, these you will definitely hate at your first encounter. 
These flying babies are small and very fast that will mainly reduce your
health if you aren't fast enough. If they attack in a big group don't
hesitate to use the chaingun, the BFG will also be useful if there is
a lot of them. They also appear with the Mancubuses.

Cacodemons are the mascot of the first Doom. In Doom III they can also
hit you if they are near and they can also do their first virtue, firing
fireballs. If there is only one of them, use a machine gun, shotgun or
a chainsaw. If they attack in a group, don't hesitate to use a BFG,
Plasma Rifle, chaingun or the rocket launcher.

The Mancubus is a fat creature with two fast firing cannons instead of
hands. It is the most stronges non boss creature in the game and it can
be extremely dangerous if you don't have enough manuvering space. Shoot
from far or avoid its blasts by quickly running and hiding. Don't
hesitate to use your strongest weapons like the BFG, Plasma Rifle or
the rocket launcher or the soul cube.

Arch vile, every second this creature is alive it means that it can
create any new creature around you, even a Hell Knight. Use the Soul
Cube on him if it is full otherwise use the BFG or the Plasma Rifle.
The only cure for his fire attack is a constant run around him which
disables him. He is also very vunerable to the chainsaw.

Hell Knight is the most powerful non boss creature in Doom III. The
plasma bullets which it fires have an enormous radius, so always make
sure that there isn't a wall behind you. Don't ever come near him
because two or one hit could mean a quick death. It is very slow, so
you can use any desirable weapon against him. If you have cover you
can use the shotgun but using it takes a long time to beat him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7.0                                 Bosses
==============================================================================

Vagary is the first of bosses. This spider lady has telecenetic powers
which can hit you with mass damage. If you got the railgun, use it
because you will be quickly disposed of her. If you don't have it, 
move constantly and use the chaingun to wipe her out. In the level
before the last level, two of them will hit you, then use the BFG or
the Soul Cube.

The Guardian is the chief of hell and that's an appropriate saying.
When it's near you it will hit you with its big hands and it will
inflict massive damage. From the far it will fire fireballs. Circle
around free rooms that have the L shape and find three seekers, these
are the Guardian's eyes. Wipe them all. As soon as you wipe them out
the Guardian will create new ones and between these few seconds you
will need to destroy a blue ball above him. The best tool for this
is the BFG or the Rocket Launcher.

Sabaoth is a cibernetical creature in Central Server Banks, a combined
tank and you former commander Sargent Kelly plus a BFG. The BFG is
naturally a great threat. Sabaoth shoot the BFG cannon every five
seconds, so destroy the burst with any gun (a rocket launcher or a
chaingun are both good), then before the five seconds are up shoot
like mad at him and repeat this. Hide behind the four pillars which
contain some health packages and ammo. But be aware of the electrical
pulses. The monster moves in a pattern of the number eight. On a few
occasions some side doors will open, containing some equiepment. If
you have a filled up Soul Cube this might be you best weapon.

The Legendary Cyberdemon is the final boss that you are going to
encounter and he is also the protector of the gates of hell. The
beast is gigantic and it hits you with its two rocket launchers.
You can't shoot it with anything else than a Soul Cube. The monster
is very slow and you can easily outrun it by running around the
circle. Imps and Maggots will appear and with them you will be
abble to fill up you Soul Cube. When you hit the monster about
three to four times (I don't remember) it will fall down and you
will be abble to enjoy the ending of Doom III.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8.0                            Optimization guide
==============================================================================

You can do a lot before even running the game. If your Windows is full of
trash you need to clean it. First clean the recycle bin. Your second object
is to install the latest drivers for you graphics card. Nvidia cards will
probably need ForceWare, the latest version 61.77 can be found at
www.nvidia.com. Ati cards will need their Catalyst drivers, the latest
version 4.9 can be found at www.ati.com/support/infobase/4547.html.
A very useful thing for you to do is to defrag your disk. You will also
need to update your Antivirus software as viruses can decrease loading times
and cause problems during the loading of your game. Also make shure that
there is no spyware on your computer, the best program for this is
AdAware. Also make shure that when Doom 3 is on, that Edge Softening and
Antisitrophic Filtering are both off or set on application control. The
last step before you click the red pentagram is to shut down all background
programs, these include eMule, Kazaa, Bittorent, antivirus software,
chat programs etc. All this junk takes out your system memory (RAM) and
decreases it so that you can't play Doom III the way you want it. Now
when you've finally run the game, there are four graphical setting. Low,
Medium, High and Ultra. The selection of one of them will affect your
FPS rate (Frames per Second rate) so the choice is very important. The
Low graphical setting is for Graphical Cards that have 64MB of RAM. The
game uses compressed texture sizes 512x512. The sounds aren't that good
and the graphics also. Use this setting if you have a graphical card
that is lower than GeForce FX 5700 or ATI Radeon 9600 XT. The Medium
also uses compressed textures, but the graphics is much better and the
sound is also improved. The High quality is used for all the latest PCs
and all the monstrous graphical cards that use 256MB of ram. All the
textures are uncompressed. The result of this setting is an extremely
sharped picture and very good graphics. The last setting, Ultra is
unused today and can only be used by 512MB graphical cards, none of todays
graphical cards can use this setting, not even GeForce 6800 Ultra. So,
here is the advised configuration:

LOW SETTING
Pentium 1800MHz, Amd Athlon XP 1800+
GeForce 3, Ati Radeon 9000 with 64MB ram
128MB ram

MEDIUM SETTING
Pentium 2000, Amd Athlon 2000+
GeForce 4, Ati Radeon 9600 with 128MB ram
256MB ram

HIGH SETTING
Pentium 2400, Amd Athlon 2400+
GeForce 6800 Ultra, Ati Radeon X800 XT
512MB of Ram

ULTRA SETTING
Pentium 3000 or 3500, Amd 3000+
A graphical card with 512 or 1024MB of ram
1024MB ram

The next settings that we need to tweak are in the advanced settings
section. In this menu you can change if you want to use graphical
effects, shadows, softening and vertical synchronization. The first
one can be shut down while the other three ones need to be on because
these three are the heart of Doom III.

These setting aren't all because Doom III also hides much more tricks
under its engine. One of the most used ones is to unpack all the
*.pak files with the lates version of Winrar. The files will take 3GB
more in their uncompressed state but the game will have faster loading
times and on weaker machines it will also be played more smoother.
Just make shure that the original *.pak files aren't in the base
directory anymore, move theme somewhere else but don't delete them.

The next moves require some console playing and playing with the
configurational files. You can access the console by pressing the
combination CTRL+ALT+TILDE(~). With the console you can literally
tweak every setting in the game. With it you can set the usage of the
used memory or even set if the guns will actually fire. There are a
lot of options, but only a few of them make the game faster, but more
uglier. The first thing you need to do is to shut down the antistrophic
filtering, you can do that by typing in ge_anisotropy 1. With this the
High quality will also be playable on machines that use Ati Radeon 
9800 Pro. Now type in seta image_useCache 1 which will enable buffering,
and now type in seta image_cacheMegsXX, while XX is the number which
you get by quartering your system memory, for example if your machine
has 512MB of ram, you will set 128, if your machine has 1024mb of ram,
you will set the number to 256 and so on. Now, type in
seta image_cacheMinK X, where the X is the eighth of the previous value
divided with 1024 (for example if the number is 128, the x would be
16384). You can also set bilinear texture filtering by typing in
seta image_filter GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_NEAREST. You probably won't want
to type in these setting every time you restart Doom III, so the
wisest thing is to create a configurational file. Type in all these
setting (each one in its own line) and save them as autoexec.cfg in
the Doom III\Base directory.

Here are some configurational files that you can use:

64MB Video-Cards:

seta image_usePrecompressedTextures "1"
seta image_useCompression "1"
seta image_downSizeLimit "256"
seta image_ignoreHighQuality "1"
seta image_downSizeBumpLimit "256"
seta image_downSizeSpecularLimit "64"
seta image_downSizeBump "1"
seta image_downSizeSpecular "1"
seta image_downSize "1"
seta image_forceDownSize "1"
seta image_roundDown "1"
seta image_lodbias "0"
seta r_preload "1"
seta r_useCachedDynamicModels "1"
seta r_skipBump "0"
seta r_skipPostProcess "0"
seta r_skipParticles "0"
seta r_skipSpecular "0"
seta r_skipNewAmbient "1"
seta r_multiSamples "0"
seta r_shadows "0"
seta r_useOptimizedShadows "1"
seta r_useTurboShadow "1"
seta g_projectilelights "1"
seta g_bloodEffects "1"
seta g_decals "0"
seta g_showBrass "0"
seta g_muzzleFlash "1"
seta g_doublevision "0"
seta g_showPlayerShadow "0"
seta image_anisotropy "1"
seta image_filter "GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_NEAREST"

128MB Video-Cards:

seta image_usePrecompressedTextures "1"
seta image_useCompression "1"
seta image_downSizeLimit "512"
seta image_ignoreHighQuality "1"
seta image_downSizeBumpLimit "512"
seta image_downSizeSpecularLimit "128"
seta image_downSizeBump "1"
seta image_downSizeSpecular "1"
seta image_downSize "1"
seta image_forceDownSize "1"
seta image_roundDown "1"
seta image_lodbias "0"
seta r_preload "1"
seta r_useCachedDynamicModels "1"
seta r_skipBump "0"
seta r_skipPostProcess "0"
seta r_skipParticles "0"
seta r_skipSpecular "0"
seta r_skipNewAmbient "1"
seta r_multiSamples "0"
seta r_shadows "0"
seta r_useOptimizedShadows "1"
seta r_useTurboShadow "1"
seta g_projectilelights "1"
seta g_bloodEffects "1"
seta g_decals "0"
seta g_showBrass "0"
seta g_muzzleFlash "1"
seta g_doublevision "0"
seta g_showPlayerShadow "0"
seta image_anisotropy "1"
seta image_filter "GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_NEAREST"

256MB Video-Cards:

seta image_usePrecompressedTextures "1"
seta image_useCompression "1"
seta image_downSizeLimit "1024"
seta image_ignoreHighQuality "1"
seta image_downSizeBumpLimit "1024"
seta image_downSizeSpecularLimit "256"
seta image_downSizeBump "1"
seta image_downSizeSpecular "1"
seta image_downSize "1"
seta image_forceDownSize "1"
seta image_roundDown "1"
seta image_lodbias "0"
seta r_preload "1"
seta r_useCachedDynamicModels "1"
seta r_skipBump "0"
seta r_skipPostProcess "0"
seta r_skipParticles "0"
seta r_skipSpecular "0"
seta r_skipNewAmbient "1"
seta r_multiSamples "0"
seta r_shadows "0" //NOTE
seta r_useOptimizedShadows "1"
seta r_useTurboShadow "1"
seta g_projectilelights "1"
seta g_bloodEffects "1"
seta g_decals "0"
seta g_showBrass "0"
seta g_muzzleFlash "1"
seta g_doublevision "0"
seta g_showPlayerShadow "0"
seta image_anisotropy "1"
seta image_filter "GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_NEAREST"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9.0                           Graphic Cards Charts
==============================================================================

Now a few graph charts. I've tested Doom III on some of the latest graphical
cards.

All these graphical cards were tested on the Pentium 4E 3200MHz Processor
with Intel's 875PBZ and two 256MB DDR400 Models. The tested operating system
was Windows XP with the lates ATI Catalyst and Nvidia Forceware drivers.

First test, Doom III runned on 800X600, medium quality setting

Note: Higher is better

Graphical Card                         Points

Radeon X800 XT....................... 81,3
Radeon X800 Pro...................... 80,4
Radeon 9800 XT....................... 70,8
Radeon X600.......................... 36,6
Radeon 9550.......................... 22,9
GeForce 6800 Ultra................... 81,3
GeForce 6800 GT...................... 81,0
GeForce 6800......................... 81,1
GeForce FX 5600...................... 25,3

Second test, Doom III runned on 1280x1024, high quality setting

Note: Higher is better

Graphical Card                         Points

Radeon X800 XT....................... 66,80
Radeon X800 Pro...................... 50,70
Radeon 9800 XT....................... 31,90
Radeon X600.......................... 14,20
Radeon 9550.......................... 9,40
GeForce 6800 Ultra................... 74,20
GeForce 6800 GT...................... 69,00
GeForce 6800......................... 47,60
GeForce FX 5600...................... 10,30


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10.0                            Doom III Editor
==============================================================================

The game also features an editor, but must people don't know that because
it is hidden :(. You can call it by accessing the console by pressing
CTRL+ALT+TILDE(~) and typing in editor. But it doesn't run in fullscreen
mode so we will create a shortcut that will do so.

Create a shortcut on you desktop and type in 
'placeofdoom3\doom3.exe +r_fullscreen 0 +vid_restart +wait +editor' which
automates the editor matter. The +vid_restart resets the graphical engine
and +r_fullscreen puts the editor in full screen. Another usefull addon
to the shortcut could be +disconnect which disconnects the intro animation.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11.0                           Cheats and Secrets
==============================================================================

Activate the console using Ctrl+Alt+Tilde (~). Now enter this command, so you
can open it by just pressing Tilde in the future:

com_allowConsole 1

Now use any of these codes. Please note that you can turn on this using "1"
and turning it off with "0" (showFPS, pm_thirdperson etc.):

aviDemo = Make an AVI out of a Demo-file
benchmark = Game Benchmark
com_showfps 1 = Show FPS
doomhell = Skip all levels to last
editor = Open Editor
freeze = Freeze all on screen
g_nightmare 1 = Unlock Nightmare-mode
g_showplayershadow 1 = See your shadow during Single-Player
gfxinfo = Graphics card information
give all = Full load of weapons, armor and ammo
give ammo = Max ammo
give armor = Max armor
give berserk = Berserk
give health = Max health
give invis = Invisibility
give keys = Acquire all the keys you'll ever need
god = God mode
kill = Commit suicide
killmonsters = Kill all monsters
noclip = No Clip
notarget = Invisible to most enemies
playdemo demo_name = Play a Demo
playdemo stop = Stop recording a Demo
pm_crouchspeed ### = Define how fast you can crouch
pm_runspeed ### = Define how fast you can run
pm_walkspeed ### = Define how fast you can walk
pm_noclipspeed ### = Define how fast you can navigate using the noclip-cheat
pm_jumpheight ### = Define how high you can jump
pm_thirdperson 1 = 3rd Person-view on
quit = Quit
recorddemo demo_name = Record a Demo
set g_dragEntity 1 = Grab objects/bodies when you fire at them
status = Your game status

Type6 submitted that's it's possible to find every code in the game by
pressing a letter (A, for example) and pressing TAB.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Level Select
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Add "map" in front of all of the following codes:

Single Player Levels (sorted on level, not names):

game/mars_city1     - Mars City
game/mc_underground - Mars City Underground
game/mars_city2     - Mars City Re-Visit
game/admin          - Administration
game/alphalabs1     - Alpha Labs Sector 1
game/alphalabs2     - Alpha Labs Sector 2
game/alphalabs3     - Alpha Labs Sector 3
game/alphalabs4     - Alpha Labs Sector 4
game/enpro          - EnPro Plant
game/commoutside    - Communications
game/comm1          - Communications Transfer
game/recycling1     - Monorail Skybridge
game/recycling2     - Recycling Sector 2
game/monorail       - Monorail
game/delta1         - Delta Labs Sector 1
game/delta2a        - Delta Labs Sector 2a
game/delta2b        - Delta Labs Sector 2b
game/delta3         - Delta Labs Sector 3
game/delta4         - Delta Labs Sector 4
game/hell1          - Hell
game/cpu            - CPU Complex
game/cpuboss        - CPU Boss
game/site3          - Site 3
game/caverns1       - Caverns Area 1
game/caverns2       - Cavern2 Area 2
game/hellhole       - Primary Excavatio

Multiplayer:

game/mp/d3dm1
game/mp/d3dm2
game/mp/d3dm3
game/mp/d3dm4
game/mp/d3dm5

Test Maps:

game/pdas               - Room with all the PDAs and Video Disks
testmaps/test_box       - A simple room
testmaps/test_boxstack  - Lots of boxes
testmaps/test_lotsaimps - Lots of enemies

Source: GameFAQs

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Video Disks
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

give video epd           - EPD Video
give video hydrocon      - Hydrocon Video
give video mfs           - MFS Video
give video bfg           - BFG Video
give video chaingun      - Chaingun Video
give video demon_museum  - Specimen Stasbib Museum
give video ian_report    - Teleportation Experiments
give video ipn_news      - IPV News
give video plasmagun     - Plasmagun Video
give video recycling     - Recycling Video
give video soulcube      - Soulcube Video
give video tablets       - Tablets

Source: DLH.net

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PDA
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

give pda admin_banks
give pda admin_dorweiler
give pda admin_moses
give pda admin_simons
give pda alphalabs1_berger
give pda alphalabs1_krietman
give pda alphalabs1_lipsitz
give pda alphalabs1_smith
give pda alphalabs2_chin
give pda alphalabs2_connors
give pda alphalabs3_abrams
give pda alphalabs3_lamia
give pda alphalabs3_nelson
give pda alphalabs3_poota
give pda alphalabs4_kaczynski
give pda caverns1_cody
give pda comm1_blake
give pda comm1_finch
give pda comm1_wolfe
give pda commoutside_holiday
give pda commoutside_ridge
give pda cpu_bates
give pda cpu_haskell
give pda cpuboss_tooloose
give pda delta1_mora
give pda delta1_price
give pda delta2a_cinders
give pda delta2a_raleigh
give pda delta2a_wilson
give pda delta2b_bullman
give pda delta2b_erikson
give pda delta2b_mcneil
give pda delta2b_stemmons
give pda delta3_cerano
give pda delta3_lee
give pda delta3_shultz
give pda delta4_gilbert
give pda delta5_jackson
give pda delta5_swann
give pda enpro_chasar
give pda enpro_hammer
give pda enpro_raad
give pda hell_garlick
give pda hell_hebert
give pda hellhole_id
give pda marscity2_caseon
give pda marscity2_duncan
give pda marscity2_stanton
give pda marscity2_tyson
give pda mc1_berneche
give pda mcunderground_baston
give pda mcunderground_delahue
give pda mcunderground_ryan
give pda mcunderground_young
give pda monorail_cullen
give pda monorail_harding
give pda monorail_hollies
give pda monorail_ross
give pda recycling1_garza
give pda recycling1_sadowayj
give pda recycling2_johnson
give pda recycling2_moen
give pda site3_davis
give pda site3_rogers

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monsters and Weapons
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

give weapons = All weapons
give weapon_bfg = BFG (Big Fucking Gun)
give weapon_flashlight = Flashlight
give weapon_chaingun = Chaingun
give weapon_chainsaw = Chainsaw
give weapon_handgrenade
give weapon_machinegun = Machinegun
give weapon_pistol
give weapon_plasmagun = Plasmagun
give weapon_rocketlauncher = Rocket Launcher
give weapon_shotgun = Shotgun
give weapon_soulcube = Soulcube

Add "spawn" in front of all of the following codes:

weapon_bfg = BFG 9000
weapon_chaingun = Chaingun
weapon_machinegun = Machinegun
weapon_pistol = Pistol
weapon_plasmagun = Plasma Rifle
weapon_rocketlauncher = Rocket Launcher
weapon_shotgun = Shotgun
weapon_soulcube = Soul Cube

adrenaline = Adrenaline
megahealth = Mega Health
invisibility = Invisiblity

char_betruger = Betruger
char_campbell = Campbell
char_campbell_bfg = Campbell with a BFG
char_campbell_bfgcase = Campbell with a BFG case
char_hazmat = Scientist in Hazard Suit
char_sentry = Sentry Bot
char_security_goggles_pistol = Guard with Pistol
char_swann = Swann
marscity_marine_helmet_p90_walking = Armed Guard

env_gibs_leftarm= Left Arm
env_gibs_leftleg = Left Leg
env_gibs_rightarm = Right Arm
env_gibs_rightleg = Right Leg
env_gibs_spine = Bloody Spine
env_gibs_torso = Torso

moveable_base = Base
moveable_base_fixed = Base
moveable_base_barrel = Barrel
moveable_base_boulder = Boulder
moveable_base_brick = Base Brick
moveable_base_domino = Domino
moveable_blaptop = Laptop
moveable_burger = Burger
moveable_burgerboxopen = Open Burger Box
moveable_burgerboxclose = Close Burger Box
moveable_burningbarrel = Explosive Barrel
moveable_burningtank = Explosive Oxygen-Tank
moveable_cannister = Cannister
moveable_cartonbox (1 to 8) = Cartonbox
moveable_cokecan = Coke Can
moveable_chair (1, 2 or 5) = Chair 
moveable_computer = Computer
moveable_explodingbarrel = Explosive Barrel
moveable_explodingtank = Explosive Oxygen-Tank
moveable_gizmo (1 to 3) = Gizmo
moveable_item_(any weapon here) = Any Weapon
moveable_ktable = Table
moveable_monitor = Monitor
moveable_paperwad = Wad of Paper
moveable_wrench = Wrench

monster_demon_archvile = Arch-Vile demon
monster_demon_cherub = Cherub
monster_demon_hellknight = Hellknight demon
monster_demon_imp = Imp
monster_demon_imp_crawler = Crawling Imp
monster_demon_imp_crawl_armdoor = Imp behind a door
monster_demon_maggot = Maggot demon
monster_demon_mancubus = Mancubus demon
monster_demon_pinky = Pinky Demon (Cyber dog)
monster_demon_revenant  = Revenant
monster_demon_tick = Tick
monster_demon_trite = Trite demon
monster_demon_wraith = Wraith

monster_flying_cacodemon = Cacodemon Demon
monster_flying_lostsoul = Lost Soul

monster_boss_cyberdemon = Cyberdemon
monster_boss_guardian = Guardian
monster_boss_guardian_seeker = Guardian's Seeker
monster_boss_maledict_cinematic = Maledict (from the ending cinematic)
monster_boss_sabaoth = Sabaoth
monster_boss_vagary = Vagary

monster_zombie_bernie = Zombie-on-Fire
monster_zombie_boney = Boney Zombie
monster_zombie_commando = Commando Zombie
monster_zombie_commando_cgun = Chaingun Commando Zombie
monster_zombie_fat = Fat Zombie
monster_zombie_fat2 = Fat Zombie #2
monster_zombie_fat_wrench = Fat Zombie with Wrench
monster_zombie_labcoat = Zombie in lab coat
monster_zombie_limb = Zombie missing limb
monster_zombie_jumpsuit = Zombie in jumpsuit
monster_zombie_jumpsuit_eating = Eating Zombie
monster_zombie_maint = "Yellow Jacket" Zombie
monster_zombie_maint_bald = Bald Zombie
monster_zombie_maint_nojaw = Zombie with no jaw
monster_zombie_maint_flashlight = Zombie with flashlight
monster_zombie_maint_skinny = Skinny Zombie
monster_zombie_maint_wrench = Zombie with wrench
monster_zombie_maint = Zombie
monster_zombie_maint2 = Zombie #2
monster_zombie_pipe = Zombie with a pipe
monster_zombie_sawyer = Chainsaw Zombie
monster_zombie_skinny = Skinny Zombie
monster_zombie_suit_bloodymouth = Zombie with bloody mouth
monster_zombie_suit_neckstump = Zombie without a head
monster_zombie_suit_skinny = Skinny Zombie
monster_zombie_tshirt_bald = Zombie in T-shirt
monster_zombie_tshirt_blown = Zombie in brown T-shirt
monster_zsec_machinegun = Z-sec Zombie with SMG
monster_zsec_pistol = Z-sec Zombie with pistol
monster_zsec_shield = Z-sec Zombie with shield
monster_zsec_shotgun = Z-sec Zombie with Shotgun

Source: GameFAQs, Doom3Files, IGN, GameSpot

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cabinet Codes
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Martian Buddies 1 and 2	- 0508
Weapons Storage 1 and 2	- 734
#001                    - 396
#003                    - 483
#009                    - 752
#013                    - 586
#017                    - 347
#023                    - 531
#038                    - 409
#039                    - 102
#047                    - 123
#048                    - 123
#049                    - 123
#054                    - 246
#054 (second)           - 142
#063                    - 972
#064                    - 651
#078                    - 364
#079                    - 364
#103                    - 259
#104                    - 579
#112                    - 538
#114                    - 715
#116                    - 972
#116 (second)           - 624
#117                    - 624
#215                    - 298
#213                    - 371
#317                    - 841
#386                    - 836
#387                    - 836
#452                    - 571
#666                    - 372
#669                    - 468

Source: GameFAQs.com

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12.0                         Unlocking Nightmare Level                          
==============================================================================

Many people think that the Nightmare level can only be unlocked by beating
the game. That isn't entirely true. I found a way to beat it without having
to play the game at all.

Go to the Doom III root dir\base directory and open the DoomConfig.cfg file
with the Notepad. Now go Edit->Find and type in seta g_nightmare "0" and type
in enter. Change the 0 to 1 and save the file.

Now run Doom III and you will notice that you can play on the Nightmare
level.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13.0                         Walkthrough Conclusion
==============================================================================

I hope you enjoyed my guide, I put a lot of work into it and I haven't written
a guide for a long time now.

I played Doom 3 Using an AMD Athlon 2400+, GeForce 4 Ti 4200, 512MB of RAM
and the Audigy 2 Platinum Sound system which made this game a horrific
experience. To tell you a weird thing, I played Doom III on the Ultra setting
and I didn't have any problems with the game. The game was playing smooth, 
the only thing I did was that I changed the resolution to 800x600 and
turned off the special effects.

I would also like to announce that my next project will be Crime Scene
Investigation 2. And now for the complete guide credits.


                                     CREDITS
                                    _________


                        Doom III Mini & Optimizations Guide

                                    Written by: 
                                  Bostjan Cigan

                               Idea and Concept by:
                                  Bostjan Cigan

                          - A special thank you goes to -

                         Frans P. de Vries for the original
                                     Doom logo
                     http://www.3dgamers.com/~fpv/doomlogo.html

                              - Thank you's go to -

                                 Cheat Submitters:
                                   Cheatbook.de
                                     GameFaqs 
                                     DLH.net

                      Grammar Fixers/Spelling Mistake Fixers:
                                    My mother
                                     jOYFUL
                             
                           And Massive Text Contributors:
                             The Slovenian Doom Forum
                           The Slovenian Magazine Joker

                         - And A Massive Thank You To -

                     To all the readers that are reading this
                       guide and costantly sending me mails
                                 regarding it


------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                    A restless soul awaits in the botomless pit of redemption. 
                                     Do not go there or it will eat you alive.
==============================================================================