Doom is your basic first-person shooter. You walk around, killing enemies and picking up items and weapons. If you run out of health, you die. This page explains how Doom works for beginners. If you are a beginner to Doom, there are some things you should know to play it.
Every Doomer has his own way of controlling his character. In the old DOS days, the controls weren't very customizable, but with today's ports a player's configuration can be as unique as his suit color.
Whatever configuration you choose, there are a few aspects of control in Doom you will simply not survive without.
*Strafe, strafe, strafe - Strafing, or sidestepping, is vital to avoiding fireballs and rockets, or simply being a moving target to a human opponent. Strafing allows you to dodge projectiles while you return fire. I recommend setting two adjacent keyboard keys to left and right strafe, while rotating with the mouse.
*Run! - If you use the mouse at all, it's probably a good idea to enable auto-run if you use a port that allows it. Of course, this makes you more difficult to hit, and is preferable when stuck in where's-that-damn-key Hell.
*Just use the mouse - When I switched over to playing Doom on Windows ports, I was stubborn and nostalgic for my DOS-induced keyboard-only play. Needless to say, I sucked at multiplayer, and Ultraviolence difficulty was a distant dream. Using the mouse gives you immense freedom with your turns.
In Doom, you usually have to open doors to get to other rooms. To open a door, just walk up to it and press [space] or right-click. Some doors require keys to be opened.
Switches
Switches do all kinds of things. Some open doors, some raise and lower floors, and some activate crusher ceilings. To activate a switch, walk up to it and press [space] or right-click. Switches are always on walls.
The Status Bar
The status bar is on the bottom of the screen. It shows how much ammo, health, and armor you have, as well as which keys you have. It also shows the player's face. This usually isn't very useful, except for letting you know which direction enemies are (see above screenshot). Also, the face gets bloodier as you lose more health.
Background Music From Doom 2 -- Level 2 -- Underhalls
