id software announced recently that they are releasing the source codes for Doom Classic and Wolfenstein 3D Platinum on the iOS. Gamers everywhere will be able to get their hands on the coding for these games. The only question now is whether or not there will be a significant amount of interest in these older games. Certainly, by this point, many of those who keep up with coding skills will be able to make some amazing mods, considering what people have been able to do with more recent games.
With even complex games like Fallout, World of Warcraft, Oblivion, Minecraft (somewhat complex, anyway), Modern Warfare, and others having such a successful base of modding, even without access to most of the information, the new concepts that could arise from this are simply mind-boggling. Directly changing the source code could allow many programmers to make their own games off of the coding, and with John Carmack’s impressive coding skill there will doubtlessly be quite a few ways for them to change things.
More importantly, it will allow insight for those programmers not experienced with the iOS, letting them have a chance to see how the games actually work. With the iOS such an open system, who knows if this might create a batch of new iPod and iPad games in the future weeks.
id has also announced that they will be releasing the source code to Doom 3 this year. The 2004 horror-based first person shooter was one of id’s best received titles, and the source code will likely prove valuable to those who are interested at all in modifying more recent, though still last-generation games.