DOOM (Sony PlayStation 1 & Sega Saturn) / FINAL DOOM (Sony PlayStation)
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 can
be sent at me e-mail box which is in here: dave.snooper@gmail.com
If possible include something other than just "Help" as a subject so I know what
game the subject is about.
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 software password madness
2. How-to Password
3. So, what affects the Password then?
4. Things actually get rounded
5. Four interesting quirks of the system
6. Saturn exclusive stuff
7. Trivia
8. Thanks and stuff
-------------------------------------------------
1. Introduction to Doom software password madness
-------------------------------------------------
Passwords are the means of "saving" and "loading/restoring" your progress in the
Doom software games. This FAQ takes a look at the mechanics used in PlayStation
and Saturn.
So why passwords? In the case of Sony PlayStation, there's no Memory Card (120
KB) (for PlayStation) support and in the case of Sega Saturn, there's no saving.
Do note that this applies to all regions and possible revisions.
With PS1, these are the following:
DOOM - SLES-00132 - PAL (Europe)
DOOM - SLUS-00077 - NTSC-U/C (America) - v1.0
DOOM - SLUS-00077 - NTSC-U/C (America) - v1.1
DOOM - SLPS-00308 - NTSC/J (Japan)
FINAL DOOM - SLES-00487 - PAL (Europe)
FINAL DOOM - SLUS-00331 - NTSC-U/C (America)
FINAL DOOM - SLPS-00727 - NTSC/J (Japan)
With SS, these are the following:
DOOM - T-25406H-50 - PAL (Europe)
DOOM - T-25406H-51 - PAL (Europe)
DOOM - T-25405H - NTSC-U/C (America)
DOOM - T-18610G - NTSC/J (Japan)
What versions this FAQ was mostly tested with are the only PS1 PAL versions.
(And of course then there's the PS1 PAL demo disc named Doom - One Level Demo
Disc - SLES-00157.)
NOTE: This guide uses some terms seen at the Doom / Final Doom software manual
(PAL). Your region manual may also use those.
------------------
2. How-to Password
------------------
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 is accessed by pausing and pressing SELECT (PS1) and pressing A
(SAT), 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.
NOTE: Password system is shared between PS1 / Saturn Doom and PS1 Final Doom.
However, only the first level password and final Final Doom level password can
usually be the same in normal play, since the Super Shotgun is acquired in level
1 in Final Doom and in level 57 in Doom, which exits to level 30. If you never
pick it up, however...
NOTE: Cooperative play seems to give passwords as well - at least according to
the user manual - but I've no idea how that part works. Someone capable can tell
me about that, as I don't have a link cable.
AND ANOTHER THING: Demo builds do not give you passwords and they can't be used
in them in any way anyway.
Password menu controls are the following (PS1):
D-PAD: Move the selection
CROSS: Accept character
SQUARE: Accept character
CIRCLE: Accept character
TRIANGLE: Erase character
SELECT: Exit back to previous menu
START: Exit back to previous menu
Password menu controls are the following (SAT):
D-PAD: Move the selection
A: Accept character
B: Erase character
C: Accept character
START: Exit back to previous menu
Final Doom users can also use the following buttons if they are using the Sony
PlayStation Mouse gadget:
MOVE MOUSE UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT: Move the selection
LEFT BUTTON: Accept character
RIGHT BUTTON: Erase
Final Doom users can also exit certain menus with an added EXIT button, though
SELECT or START still work.
NOTE: After the final input, if the code is valid, the game starts to load the
map automagically.
TIP (PS1): To erase any full passwords fast, HOLD TRIANGLE AND CIRCLE THE D-PAD
with your fingors [sic] or HOLD TRIANGLE 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 (weapon 0) and Pistol (weapon 1) you've picked up
(Shotgun (weapon 2), Super Shotgun (weapon 3), Chaingun (weapon 4), Rocket
Launcher (weapon 5), Plasma Rifle (weapon 6), BFG9000 (weapon 7), Chainsaw
(weapon 8))
- Your ammo amount on weapons
(Between 0 and whatever the highest amount is, even if you don't have weapons
for it)
- Having the total ammo capacity doubled
(Means you having obtained at least one Backpack at some point)
- Skill (difficulty) you play on
(Wimp, Rough, Plenty, Violence)
- Which exit you took if multiple
(Normal or when available Secret)
- Which level completed
(Between 1 - 53 and 55 - 59 in Doom, 1 - 29 in Final Doom)
- Certain cheats activated
(Toggling invincibility ON when your health is outside the 76%-100% range,
activating keys, weapons, full ammo and 200% armor -code when everything is
outside the range of getting rounded to the max)
The following things DO NOT affect your Password:
- Kills %
- Items %
- Secrets %
- X-RAY cheat, MAP ALL LINES cheat and MAP ALL OBJECTS cheat
- Game settings
The only things the password saves are your health, armor, weapons, ammo, armor
type, backpack, skill and level.
Any changed settings and cheat toggles are not saved.
AUTHOR'S SIDENOTE: If this would be based on v1.1 of MS-DOS original, then
RADIATION SHIELDING SUITS would count to your items %. They do that in v0.99 and
v1.1. -Editor's Note
------------------------------
4. Things actually get rounded
------------------------------
Quote from the manual: "If you have entered a valid 10 digit password, the game
will automatically start you at the beginning of a level with all the weapons,
ammo, health and armor you possessed at the time when you successfully completed
the previous level." -Always read the manual please. -Editor's Note
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. So the manual is not technically wrong,
you have all the stuff and potentially some more! 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:
- 113 Health
- 40 Armor
- 127 bullets
- 19 shells
- 3 rockets
- 247 cells
- Backpack collected
These stats would get rounded to:
- 125 Health
- 50 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. Four 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.
NOTE: Also applies to Final Doom software.
--
#2
--
When you complete the final level of The Ultimate Doom -side of Doom software,
the game gives you a Password as usual. If you then enter that Password in the
Password -menu, you now start Doom II -side with everything as it was when you
completed The Ultimate Doom -side.
Starting a new game from the main menu starts you with default stats as likely
intended by the developers.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Or not, as Final Doom doesn't get back to menu after you've done
a complete level series -segment.
--
#3
--
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 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.
NOTE: Also applies to Final Doom software.
--
#4
--
If you were to somehow have armor without any armor type, then the armor system
does not work. The only way to get it working again is to pick up an Armor Bonus
which changes the armor type you have to green. To get it to blue, pick up the
blue armor. As far as I know there's no way to get a situation like this with
normal playing.
NOTE: Also applies to Final Doom software.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: REMINDS ME ABOUT GBA DOOM II AND ITS WONKY ARMOR SYSTEM, NO?
SIDENOTE: You can have 200% with Green armor quite easily if you know what you
are doing, made even easier due to the rounding here. That's not an unusual
thing here. Thought I'd mention it just to stop you from asking "erm but what
about [thing goes here]".
-------------------------
6. Saturn exclusive stuff
-------------------------
Saturn has the same mechanics with the password system, however here's 2 unique
things in that version of the game:
- In level 2, PAUSE and go to Options and select Password. Then enter:
-- "JB4JH" and PRESS START. You see a RAGE SPECIAL CREDITS screen for a moment
and are then returned to the pause menu with Password selected.
-- "LYJVM" and PRESS START. You see a SEGA SPECIAL CREDITS screen for a moment
and are then returned to the pause menu with Password selected.
---------
7. Trivia
---------
-------------------
Applies to PS1 only
-------------------
Originally, the password system in Doom software was 8 characters long. This can
be seen in one of the images in the PAL user manual. This also matches an Alpha
version which is out to the public somehow, hinting that the manual uses at the
very least for some of the time, quite old images. An old score screen WITHOUT
a password on it can also be seen.
NOTE: APPLIES TO THE NTSC/U MANUAL AS WELL.
-----------------
Observed with PS1
-----------------
The only password that I can get the Doom software to recognize out of those
seen in the (PAL) PS1 user manuals is that one seen in the (PAL) Final Doom user
manual, where the player has completed map 25.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Manual passwording (Doom PAL/EngFraSpa / Final Doom PAL/EngFraGer)
------------------------------------------------------------------
BZ8Y19WG - Alpha password, don't know if legitimate
CLBDGBDCRM - Manual shows this in the context of cooperative game, both players
entering PLANT.
5X4JXX5666 - Manual shows this in the context of cooperative game, both players
entering VIRGIL.
Y2CJSG9P79 - Manual shows this in the context of single player game, player
entering AZTEC. Further analysis shows that this password has the following
stats: 25% Health, 125% Blue Armor, every weapon, all ammo full with Bullets,
Shells and Rockets, 225 Cells, playing in Skill 3 and ENTERING MAP 26.
----------------
Fiddled with PS1
----------------
In Doom, getting to the secret levels involves either finding the switch which
leads there, or using the password which starts from one are normally the only
ways to reach the secret levels. However, warp cheat can be used to getting to
those, if you can find the value and change it at will. Then again, it's as if
you loaded the default stats password for them anyway.
NOTE: Likely is the case with Saturn as well, don't know.
-------------------
8. Thanks and stuff
-------------------
This FAQ was done with:
- An original CIB Black Label (Big Box) copy of PS1 Doom
- An original CIB copy of Doom - One Level Demo Disc
- An original CIB Black Label copy of PS1 Final Doom
- Sony PlayStation (PAL)
- Sony PlayStation 2 (PAL)
- Sony PlayStation Controller (SCPH-1080)
- Sony PlayStation Controller (SCPH-110)
- Sony PlayStation Mouse (SCPH-1030)
- DAEWOO 20C9NT CRT TV (4:3, Technicolor, Mono speaker, but with SCART)
- 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.
- iD Software for the original MS-DOS game.
- Williams Entertainment for developing the PS1 port.
- Rage Software for developing the SS port.
- GT Interactive Software for publishing the PS1 port in Europe side.
- PSXDATACENTER for some useful infos.
- REDUMP for some useful infos.
- 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/psxpw/
- Ledmeister for telling me about the INVALID PASSWORD thing and hosting this
quite very nice FAQ on classicdoom.com for yous to read and sometimes noting me
about some errors, likely sooner than I eventually would the same things. And
also for having patience with all me antics with these FAQ thingies.
(C) 2019-02-13 - 2026-05-12 PSXDRIVERPLAYER. All Rights Reserved.
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