Masters Of Doom!

[Brighter than Daz]

Just finished reading this book, the id and two johns story for those that havent heard. Absolutely astonished at the whole story, softdisk to Ion storm its incredible.

Anyone else read it? and if you have what did you think? A story of two guys, or a year by year account of how pasion is leaving the industry?


(and why doent my signature work?)

[Magnakai]

I haven't read the book, but I know most of the story, and I've read an excerpt. Sounded very intresting.

Oh, and sigs are disabled. Go check the "Comments and Suggestions" forum.

[Flabio]

I really enjoyed it, its surprisingly candid (although I imagine as with all books of this type that its not telling the whole story).

Well worth a read, if only for the wonderful description of Ion Storm going down the toilet.

[Brighter than Daz]

Yeah, Ion Storm sounded crazy, my mind was boggling at $350000 rent each month, Romero certainly lived the dream

[TheForce]

Yep, I've read it and I loved every page of it, Being a big fan of Doom and Quake this book was essential and it's great to read how these guys are... I can really recommend it to the people interested in reading about 2 game freaks going from very small to very very big....

[Ish]

I was just about to post about this myself - I finished it last night. What a superb read. Agreed it was quite candid - the size of the ego's involved is truly staggering!

I was quite surprised at the whole "Doom could be Carmack's last game / engine" thingy. I know Quake IV is on the way but it really would be weird to live in a PC world with no Carmack... I hadn't even considered it would be on the cards.

For me it really recaptured the magic of those days, the sections dealing with the whole community side of things (particularly in Ids early days) almost felt like an autobiography. I remember downloading the first Keen and boggling at how such a game could be released for free (ok, so parts 2 and 3 you had to pay for but 1 was a free download). I had Wolfenstein pretty much as soon as it was released and (I still lived at home at the time) remember yelling to my dad to get upstairs and check out this incredible game and recall ranting and raving about "how this was the future". And then Doom - I was one of the people queing on the BBSs to download it. Me and my mate camped out in his office (which had the fastest modem we could lay our hands on) with pizza and beer waiting for it to appear on the BBS.

Ahhh them were the days

[Max M]

I'll always hold Doom as the game that ruined PC gaming for me. I know it expanded the market and brought more people in, but personally I think it all went downhill from there as the industry became totally obsessed with game engines and technology. I miss the days of games like Lemmings and the early Monkey Island's. PC gaming had real imagination back then, but now it's all graphics, graphics, graphics... that's why I quit PC gaming.

[Ish]

To some extent I agree with you Max M. But DOOM!!! First time I played that I was utterly completely blown away. I still have extremely fond memories of it. In fact I still play it every now and then.

Unlike Quake - which I was as anxious for in a similar fashion but that disappointed me bitterly.

[chevkoch]

I also read it a while ago, and I think those who haven't should make this their next purchase.

It made me feel like I was sitting right next to John et John when they kicked the FPS genre into shape. In the process of indulging myself into Masters, I went out to get Pizza, loads of softdrinks, played Keen and Wolfenstein for the first time as well as Doom again. This made the experience more complete.

The book's a rush; you'll love it.

[Ish]

Yeah it made me dig out Keen too - I've not played that in, like, forever (while I'm at it why don't I add a dude on there..). Or, errrm, since it came out.

The whole thing reads with phenomenal pace. I wonder if it was intentional - kind of to mirror the id approach to there post-keen games (starts stroking metaphorical beard).

[chevkoch]

I can safely say that it's the most entertaining piece on games I read for a long time that was print on acid-free paper. David Kushner "made me his bitch". The pace used supports the atmosphere of the events portrayed very well, I agree.

[Brighter than Daz]

Take a look at the news on the id site today, looks like they are prepared to go through the whole thing again, judging by these appointments...sheeesh

[zeroboo]

just finished this book and indeed, what a great read.

could only imagine what could've happened had the two johns not gone their separate ways.

[averybluemonkey]

Been wanting to read this for awhile. I know it's a biography but does it go into much detail on the technical side or the issues they had to deal with at all?