Doom64 Emulation
How to play the original Nintendo Doom64 on your PC:



For many, playing Doom64 Absolution will be the only way you will ever get to enjoy Doom64. The Nintendo64 console was long ago replaced by the GameCube, which has now been replaced by the Wii. Even if you happen to own one of the old Nintendo64 consoles and the Doom64 cartridge, it is quite likely that they no longer function due to age (unless you have taken REALLY good care of them over the years). Like any other great gaming platform however, the Nintendo64 is easy to emulate with a PC. I finally figured out how to do this, so figured this info should be included as part of my website.

There are several emulators available for the task, but this page will deal only with what I have found to work well. Here is what you need:

(1) Project64 is the emulator. It should work in any version of Windows. This link is to version 1.6 which I am using. This file can probably be found other places as well, and there will likely be updates for XP and Vista users. I have no idea if Linux is supported yet.

(2) N-Rage's Direct-Input8V22.00b is the controller plugin used. This will allow you to play with a mouse and keyboard instead of a gamepad. Add the N-Rage plugin to the "plugins" folder of Project64.

(3) My Doom64 controller file is an optional, easy way to define the controls. Using this will set the game controls as close to a normal Doom2, source-port type, configuration as I have found possible, and works for me in most FPS games.

This is the control setup you will have if you use mine:

Keyboard W = move forward
Keyboard S = move backward
Keyboard A = sidestep (strafe) left
Keyboard D = sidestep (strafe) right
Spacebar = use/open
Left tab = map
Left shift = run (not used often, but might work better as the un-used R mouse button?)
Mouse movement left = turn left
Mouse movement right = turn right
Mouse button L = fire
Mouse wheel forward = weapon select forward
Mouse wheel back = weapon select back

There never was any jumping, crouching, or free looking in Doom64, so no need to bother with other controls you might be familiar with. If you prefer to make your own control definitions, then please do.

(4) Now the hardest part, You need a copy of the Doom64 ROM. You can Google for it, but it's unlikely you'll find a link to download one. (Search for "Emuparadise" though.) This gets into tricky territory I'm not so sure of, so please forgive me if I'm wrong.

From what I've read, it is legal to download a ROM if you legally own a copy of the game from which it was made. (I own 2 Doom64 cartridges so I am entitled to do this.) If you don't own a legal copy, then you can still legally download it, but must delete it from your computer within 24 hours. (This is from legal data I read about MAME emulation.)

So, for those of you who DO own the game and are legally entitled to own a copy of the ROM, use eMule or Shareaza or some other p2p filesharing prog and you'll find it. Whether you are legally entitled to have a copy or not, you should still be able to preview it for 24 hours.

Setting this up is pretty simple. As it is, Project64 will allow you to play most N64 ROMs. Adding the N-Rage plugin and my configuration file just makes it more like what you are probably used to.

  • Open Project64 and find the "options" menu. Go to "settings" to select the N-Rage plugin from the "input (controller) plugin" menu.

  • After that, go to the "configure controller plugin" menu and load the "Doom64.cpf" configuration file.

    The standard control configuration for Doom64 is Control Pad Default: 1. If you change that, then my Doom64.cpf file will be mixed up.

    Important notes!

    Project64 uses the "escape" key to go between fullscreen and windowed modes, but using the N-Rage plugin sets things up so you can't enter the menus with the mouse, even in windowed mode.

    You will need to use keyboard commands: "alt" + "F" and then "E" to get out of the game once you're into it!

    This isn't my fault, and if anyone has a better suggestion I'll try it.

    The default brightness of the game is quite low but can be increased within the options menu. Once you get to the brightness slider control, you'll need to slide the mouse sideways with this controller scheme to change it.

    Also, please bear in mind that emulators are not always 100% accurate in duplicating everything the original Nintendo64 machine did. No emulation should be considered in any sort of technical criticism of Absolution for this reason.



    Any suggestions, comments, criticisms, additions, etc., should be sent to my email address from one of the pages below.

    DO NOT ask me to send you the ROM file!

    >>> Doom64TC page

    >>> psyren's Doom page