DOOM 64 (Nintendo 64)
Password Mechanics FAQ
Created by: PSXDRIVERPLAYER
Any questions, comments, corrections or some more-or-less great feedback and
those complaints saying "Urgh mon just get a fricken sourceport und the TC dude
it's [CURRENT YEAR]" and those comments saying you understood that reference and
those comments telling about "THAT THING" I don't cover here can be sent at me
e-mail box which is in here: dave.snooper@gmail.com
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Sites that are authorized to show this FAQ:
sites.google.com/site/psxdriverplayerssite (author's own site - wayback it)
gamefaqs.com
neoseeker.com
classicdoom.com (with Mr. Ledmeister as your host)
Table of contents:
1. Introduction to Doom 64 software password madness
2. How-to Password 64
3. So, what affects the Password then?
4. Things actually get rounded
5. Five interesting quirks of the system
6. Trivia
7. Thanks and stuff
----------------------------------------------------
1. Introduction to Doom 64 software password madness
----------------------------------------------------
Passwords are the other mean of "saving" and "loading/restoring" your progress
in the Doom 64 software game. This FAQ takes a look at the mechanics used.
So why passwords? Likely an alternative to the Controller Pak saving.
Do note that this applies to all regions and possible revisions, which are the
following:
DOOM 64 - PAL (Europe)
DOOM 64 - NTSC-U/C (America) - v1.0
DOOM 64 - NTSC-U/C (America) - v1.1
DOOM 64 - NTSC/J (Japan)
What version this FAQ was mostly tested with is the PAL version.
NOTE: This guide uses some terms seen at the Doom 64 software manual. Your
region manual may also use those.
---------------------
2. How-to Password 64
---------------------
Whenever you complete a level, you are shown an ACHIEVEMENT SCREEN and on it, a
Password which depends on your statistics(, just not the ones shown on it).
There's a Password option inside the Options menu at the main menu and on the
Pause menu (this accessed by pausing and then choosing Password).
If you get a Password, you can enter this Password in one click in the Password
menu as long as you don't turn the console off or erase any characters when the
final character is any other than B or erase more than one character when the
final character is B.
Otherwise you'll have to input it all over again. Hopefully not fifteen times
over again.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: You can also save to the Controller Pak, and you can think of
this being the Password saved to it, as it behaves the exact same way as the
password system does.
Password menu controls are the following:
D-PAD: Move the selection
ANALOG STICK: Move the selection
C-BUTTON UP: Accept character
C-BUTTON DOWN: Accept character
C-BUTTON RIGHT: Accept character
Z: Accept character
A: Accept character
B: Accept character
L: Accept character
R: Accept character
C-BUTTON LEFT: Erase character
START: Exit back to previous menu
NOTE: After the final input, if the code is valid, the game starts to load the
map automagically.
TIP: To erase any full passwords fast, HOLD C-LEFT AND CIRCLE THE D-PAD with
your fingors [sic] or HOLD C-LEFT AND PRESS REPEATEDLY A D-PAD DIRECTION.
--------------------------------------
3. So, what affects the Password then?
--------------------------------------
The following things DO affect your Password:
- Health
(Between 1% and 200%)
- Armor
(Between 0% and 200%)
- Which type of armor
(This is "None" when your armor is at 0%, it changes to "Green" when you take
the SECURITY ARMOR and/or SPIRITUAL ARMOR (ARMOR BONUS), it changes to "Blue"
when you take the COMBAT ARMOR.)
(When "Blue", SPIRITUAL ARMOR doesn't make it go to "Green", only taking another
SECURITY ARMOR does.)
- What weapons other than Fist and Pistol you've picked up
(Shotgun, Super Shotgun, Chaingun, Rocket Launcher, Plasma Rifle, BFG9000,
Chainsaw, Unmaker)
- Your ammo amount on weapons
(Between 0 and whatever the highest amount is, even if you don't have weapons
for it)
- What evil artifacts you have picked up
(1, 2, 3)
- Having the total ammo capacity doubled
(Means you having obtained at least one Backpack at some point)
- Skill (difficulty) you play on
(Gentle, Bring, Own, Die)
- Which exit you took if multiple
(Normal or when available Secret)
- Which level completed
(Between 1 - 32)
- Certain Features -menu options activated
(Toggling Invulnerable ON (indirectly), Health Boost 100%, Weapons 100%)
The following things DO NOT affect your Password:
- Kills %
- Items %
- Secrets %
- Game settings
- Features -menu option Map Everything
The only things the password saves are your health, armor, weapons, ammo, armor
type, backpack, artifacts, skill and level.
Any changed settings and Features -toggles are not saved.
------------------------------
4. Things actually get rounded
------------------------------
Your stats are always rounded up somewhat when applicable. They are only rounded
up, never down in any occasion, oddly enough. However, rounding only takes the
effect after using the password itself. Here's how everything is rounded by the
Doom software Password system:
(READ: YOUR PERCENTAGE/AMOUNT BEING X TO Y: YOU START WITH X AMOUNT OF Y.)
-------
Health:
-------
--------------------------------------------
|AMOUNT LEFT | AMOUNT WITH THE PASSWORD |
--------------------------------------------
| 1% - 25%: | You start with 25% Health.|
| 26% - 50%: | You start with 50% Health.|
| 51% - 75%: | You start with 75% Health.|
| 76% - 100%: | You start with 100% Health.|
|101% - 125%: | You start with 125% Health.|
|126% - 150%: | You start with 150% Health.|
|151% - 175%: | You start with 175% Health.|
|176% - 200%: | You start with 200% Health.|
--------------------------------------------
------
Armor:
------
-------------------------------------------
|AMOUNT LEFT | AMOUNT WITH THE PASSWORD |
-------------------------------------------
| 0%: | You start with 0% Armor.|
| 1% - 25%: | You start with 25% Armor.|
| 26% - 50%: | You start with 50% Armor.|
| 51% - 75%: | You start with 75% Armor.|
| 76% - 100%: | You start with 100% Armor.|
|101% - 125%: | You start with 125% Armor.|
|126% - 150%: | You start with 150% Armor.|
|151% - 175%: | You start with 175% Armor.|
|176% - 200%: | You start with 200% Armor.|
-------------------------------------------
------------------------
Ammo without a Backpack:
------------------------
--------
Bullets:
--------
-------------------------------------------
|AMOUNT LEFT | AMOUNT WITH THE PASSWORD |
-------------------------------------------
| 0: | You start with 0 bullets.|
| 1 - 25: | You start with 25 bullets.|
| 26 - 50: | You start with 50 bullets.|
| 51 - 75: | You start with 75 bullets.|
| 76 - 100: | You start with 100 bullets.|
| 101 - 125: | You start with 125 bullets.|
| 126 - 150: | You start with 150 bullets.|
| 151 - 175: | You start with 175 bullets.|
| 176 - 200: | You start with 200 bullets.|
-------------------------------------------
-------
Shells:
-------
-----------------------------------------
|AMOUNT LEFT | AMOUNT WITH THE PASSWORD |
-----------------------------------------
| 0: | You start with 0 shells.|
| 1 - 6: | You start with 6 shells.|
| 7 - 12: | You start with 12 shells.|
| 13 - 18: | You start with 18 shells.|
| 19 - 25: | You start with 25 shells.|
| 26 - 31: | You start with 31 shells.|
| 32 - 37: | You start with 37 shells.|
| 38 - 43: | You start with 43 shells.|
| 44 - 50: | You start with 50 shells.|
-----------------------------------------
--------
Rockets:
--------
------------------------------------------
|AMOUNT LEFT | AMOUNT WITH THE PASSWORD |
------------------------------------------
| 0: | You start with 0 rockets.|
| 1 - 6: | You start with 6 rockets.|
| 7 - 12: | You start with 12 rockets.|
| 13 - 18: | You start with 18 rockets.|
| 19 - 25: | You start with 25 rockets.|
| 26 - 31: | You start with 31 rockets.|
| 32 - 37: | You start with 37 rockets.|
| 38 - 43: | You start with 43 rockets.|
| 44 - 50: | You start with 50 rockets.|
------------------------------------------
------
Cells:
------
-----------------------------------------
|AMOUNT LEFT | AMOUNT WITH THE PASSWORD |
-----------------------------------------
| 0: | You start with 0 cells.|
| 1 - 37: | You start with 37 cells.|
| 38 - 75: | You start with 75 cells.|
| 76 - 112: | You start with 112 cells.|
| 113 - 150: | You start with 150 cells.|
| 151 - 187: | You start with 187 cells.|
| 188 - 225: | You start with 225 cells.|
| 226 - 262: | You start with 262 cells.|
| 263 - 300: | You start with 300 cells.|
-----------------------------------------
-------------------
Ammo with Backpack:
-------------------
--------
Bullets:
--------
-------------------------------------------
|AMOUNT LEFT | AMOUNT WITH THE PASSWORD |
-------------------------------------------
| 0: | You start with 0 bullets.|
| 1 - 50: | You start with 50 bullets.|
| 51 - 100: | You start with 100 bullets.|
| 101 - 150: | You start with 150 bullets.|
| 151 - 200: | You start with 200 bullets.|
| 201 - 250: | You start with 250 bullets.|
| 251 - 300: | You start with 300 bullets.|
| 301 - 350: | You start with 350 bullets.|
| 351 - 400: | You start with 400 bullets.|
-------------------------------------------
-------
Shells:
-------
------------------------------------------
|AMOUNT LEFT | AMOUNT WITH THE PASSWORD |
------------------------------------------
| 0: | You start with 0 shells.|
| 1 - 12: | You start with 12 shells.|
| 13 - 25: | You start with 25 shells.|
| 26 - 37: | You start with 37 shells.|
| 38 - 50: | You start with 50 shells.|
| 51 - 62: | You start with 62 shells.|
| 63 - 75: | You start with 75 shells.|
| 76 - 87: | You start with 87 shells.|
| 88 - 100: | You start with 100 shells.|
------------------------------------------
--------
Rockets:
--------
-------------------------------------------
|AMOUNT LEFT | AMOUNT WITH THE PASSWORD |
-------------------------------------------
| 0: | You start with 0 rockets.|
| 1 - 12: | You start with 12 rockets.|
| 13 - 25: | You start with 25 rockets.|
| 26 - 37: | You start with 37 rockets.|
| 38 - 50: | You start with 50 rockets.|
| 51 - 62: | You start with 62 rockets.|
| 63 - 75: | You start with 75 rockets.|
| 76 - 87: | You start with 87 rockets.|
| 88 - 100: | You start with 100 rockets.|
-------------------------------------------
------
Cells:
------
-----------------------------------------
|AMOUNT LEFT | AMOUNT WITH THE PASSWORD |
-----------------------------------------
| 0: | You start with 0 cells.|
| 1 - 75: | You start with 75 cells.|
| 76 - 150: | You start with 150 cells.|
| 151 - 225: | You start with 225 cells.|
| 226 - 300: | You start with 300 cells.|
| 301 - 375: | You start with 375 cells.|
| 376 - 450: | You start with 450 cells.|
| 451 - 525: | You start with 525 cells.|
| 526 - 600: | You start with 600 cells.|
-----------------------------------------
Knowing all this, for example let's say you get a Password with:
- 101 Health
- 13 Armor
- 123 bullets
- 21 shells
- 7 rockets
- 256 cells
- Backpack collected
These stats would get rounded to:
- 125 Health
- 25 Armor
- 150 bullets
- 25 shells
- 12 rockets
- 300 cells
As one did see, there are eight possible starting values for each listed thing
at any given time, nine if we include 0, when a game is started from a Password.
Also do note that depending on the occasion when you enable certain cheats, it
affects the password the game gives you.
----------------------------------------
5. Five interesting quirks of the system
----------------------------------------
--
#1
--
The game doesn't normally show these to you, but you can start the game by
entering a right password that takes you straight to level 1 of Doom software.
Even with varying states you normally won't have.
--
#2
--
If you manage to hit the exit switch while you also die, you are given a
password to start the level you enter as usual. What also happens is that you
start the next level as if you have already restarted it or warped to it. If you
try to enter the password you get in the Password menu, Doom 64 software says to
the user that it's an INVALID PASSWORD. Now, I presume this is simply because:
you have 0% health and you can't start a level while being dead.
--
#3
--
Entering ANY password that takes the player to level 1 also gives access to the
Features -menu for whatever reason.
--
#4
--
Entering "RVNH 3CT1 CD3M 0???" as a password exits the player to the previous
menu after entering it. It adds a fourth demo to the opening demo loop.
--
#5
--
The title screen is actually a level (33), but you can't use a password to get
to it.
---------
6. Trivia
---------
------
Saving
------
Saving the game to the Controller Pak and then loading it gives you the same
result as getting a password and then entering it.
------------------
Armor system fixes
------------------
Apparently, you can't have armor type None if you have any % of armor.
-------------------
7. Thanks and stuff
-------------------
This FAQ was done with:
- Windows XP (no, quite very seriously)
- Notepad (as using EDIT on MS-DOS 6.22 with a virtual PC would be annoying)
- A few other things for brief testing
PSXDRIVERPLAYER is...
Mr. PSX - a one man unit doing everything
Mr. PSX here would like to thank:
- Myself for making this here FAQ for yous to read after playing some PS1 Doom.
- Midway for developing the game.
- GT Interactive Software for publishing the game in Europe side.
- GameFAQs user peach_freak for a code seen here.
- James "Quasar" Haley for the PlayStation DOOM Password Editor which helped a
bit and then some more and can be used to check some password states, such as
the 0% health one.
https://eternity.mancubus.net/d64pw/
- Ledmeister for having patience with all me antics with these FAQ thingies.
(C) 2026-04-09 PSXDRIVERPLAYER. All Rights Reserved.
THE END
[INSERT CREDITS HERE]
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