The Machine Gun, also known as the MG-88 Enforcer, is a weapon introduced in Doom 3. It is essentially an assault rifle, drawing inspiration from the Chaingun in the classic games. It is the third weapon the player obtains, first found at the Mars City Underground, and only obtainable at the near end of the same level after the demonic invasion, when the player accesses through T. Brook's office to unlock the storage cabinet outside where the weapon is displayed.
Weapon schematics[]
A blueprint of the Machine Gun
The Machine Gun's primary strength comes from its high rate of fire, firing multiple bullets in rapid bursts with great accuracy.
The Machine Gun's magazine comes in a total of 60 bullets. If all 60 bullets are depleted or the player chooses to manually reload, the back compartment of the weapon is opened to replace the empty clip with a full one before re-closing the compartment. When the current clip has been reduced to 10 bullets, the weapon will immediately "buzz" from its built-in alarm, suggesting the user to reload.
Ammunition for the Machine Gun can be obtained by finding a grey magazine or a pack of double magazines, as well as from deceased Machine Gunner Z-Secs.
The ammo counter is on the weapon itself and not on the game HUD - similar to the Chaingun, Plasma Rifle, and BFG 9000.
Tactical use[]
The Machine Gun is an ideal weapon to use against either a single or multiple lightly armored foes. It is useful in dispatching against a horde of Zombies, as well as lesser demons like Trites, Cherubs, and Lost Souls, which come in even larger swarms. It is also effective in taking out Z-Secs, Imps, and Maggots very quickly from a reasonable distance.
While a very versatile weapon, the Machine Gun has its drawbacks. Each bullet does a lot less damage than the Pistol. Therefore, it isn't effective against tougher enemies such as Demons or Commandos in close range, as they can easily withstand a couple of bullets before rushing in to finally attack you. The Machine Gun also burns through its magazine quickly, requiring you to reload the weapon occasionally before every firefight. When facing against a swarm of lesser demons like the Trite, make sure you have a full clip active to avoid reloading while in combat. Otherwise, take the safe time and place to reload before you engage them again.
Overall, while the Shotgun is an ideal defensive weapon for close range, the Machine Gun is an ideal defensive weapon for mid to long range scenarios, whenever an enemy surprises the player from a distance.
Trivia[]
- A "machine gun" in specific terms, often refers to heavy mounted automatic rifles that fire through an ammo belt. The in-game weapon of this name-sake is essentially an assault rifle rather than an actual machine gun.
- An assault rifle was originally going to be used in the original Doom game. First-person sprites for it exist in both the 0.4 and 0.5 alphas. Its 0.4 appearance appears to have been a modernized MP40 (an obvious callback to Wolfenstein) but its later 0.5 appearance is similar to some sort of 7.62mm Assault Rifle.
- In Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil, it's now the main starting weapon in Multiplayer, while the pistol acts as the Sidearm.
- The Machine Gun is probably based on the FN P90 personal defense weapon, with an UAC design. Strangely, the in-game weapon only has rear sight notches up the front, with no front sight present on the gun, making them unviable outside of close quarter combat.
- In reality, such weapon with aesthetics cannot be used for long range combat.
- Although the Marine is commonly seen with the Shotgun in most cutscenes, only few instances depict him holding a Machine Gun. He is seen holding it on the introductory cutscenes of the Wraith, Revenant, and the Hell Knight. He also holds it in Monorail: Facility Transport, in the cutscene where the tram crashes.
- The model of the Machine gun has three barrels present in a similar arrangement (albeit compacted) to the Nailgun from Quake, however this does not affect the firing rate or amount of fired projectiles.
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