freedoom.github.io/index.txt

= Home
// See COPYING.adoc for license terms of this file.

image::img/screenshots/tn_p1_3.jpg[alt="Freedoom Screenshot",link="screenshots.html",float="right"]

The Freedoom project aims to provide all the content needed to form a complete,
entirely https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html[free/libre] game for the _Doom_ engine. It is designed to be compatible
with most custom levels, music, graphics and other modifications (``mods'')
made for the original _Doom_ games by _Doom_ fans and artists over the decades.

For more information, please see the link:about.html[What is Freedoom?] page.


== Manual

Freedoom has a manual that has been translated into various languages:

  * link:freedoom-manual-en.pdf[Freedoom Manual In English]
  * link:freedoom-manual-fr.pdf[Freedoom Manual In French]
  * link:freedoom-manual-es.pdf[Freedoom Manual In Spanish]

== Project News

=== link:#freedoom-0.13.0[2024-01-29: Freedoom 0.13.0 released][[freedoom-0.13.0]]
==== General
  * Improved vanilla compatibility.
  ** Boom features removed.
  ** Hall of mirrors greatly reduced.
  ** Visplane overflows fixed.
  ** Savegame buffer overflow errors remain.

==== Levels
  * Relevant Eureka warnings fixed.
  * New levels E1M9, E2M2, E2M3, E2M4, E2M7, E2M8, E3M5, MAP07, MAP21 and MAP27.
  * Various level renames.
  * Numerous vanilla fixes and aesthetic modernizations.
  * Fixed and standardized secret exits.

==== Manual
  * French and Spanish translations.
  * Sections added to highlight project mandate and additional accessibility options.

==== Misc
  * Adds automatic labeling to pull requests.

==== Monsters
  * New minigunner.
  * The hatchling, which replaces the deadflare.
  * The matribite, which replaces the summoner.
  * The octaminator, which replaces the dark soldier.

==== Music
  * Lots of new music including most of FreeDM music.

==== Sounds
  * New boss brain sounds.

==== Visuals
  * Colorblind-friendly keys and key indicators.
  * Various revisions to sprites and textures.
  * Improved kerning for menu text.

==== Weapons
  * Improved weapon sprites generally.
  * SSG replacement restored to updated take on older version.
  * Revised polaric energy weapon.
  * Double-barreled shotgun flash timing bug fixed in built-in DeHackEd.

==== Textures
  * Esa Repo (Espi)'s old STAR* textures are now included under ESPI*.
  * A STARBR1 texture is now included as a counterpart to STARBR2.
  * Numerous additional grey and METAL2-based textures also available.
  * Boss brain wall found to have Hexen resources and was re-done.
  * Wolfenstein replacements completely redone, designed to work as
    seamlessly with other textures as possible. A few are also added.

=== link:#freedoom-0.12.1[2019-10-22: Freedoom 0.12.1 released][[freedoom-0.12.1]]
==== General
  * The HTML documentation (eg, +NEWS+ and +README+ files) are
    generated with a style based on _Freedoom_’s own website, rather
    than the default AsciiDoc styling.
  * _Phase 2_’s internal DEMO1 has been replaced, thanks to some odd
    vanilla quirks that could cause it to desync in some (but not all)
    conditions.

==== Levels
  * The sailor monster type is formally banished from _Freedoom_’s own
    levels, and remaining uses of it were removed.

==== Manual
  * Incongruities between the actual game and manual have been fixed.

==== Build system
  * The `make install` targets have been consolidated to behave more
    similarly to how the pre-built zip distributions are: a split
    between _FreeDM_ and _Phase 1+2_, rather than installing each of
    the tree IWADs independently (and thus getting their own
    +/usr/share/doc+ directories, for instance).

=== link:#freedoom-0.12.0[2019-10-10: Freedoom 0.12.0 released][[freedoom-0.12.0]]
==== General
  * We now have a manual rendered to beautiful PDF format.  Thanks to
    Simon Howard, the project’s founder.
  * A strong focus on vanilla compatibility has been sought for this
    release.  Most, if not all, levels should work now.
  * _Final Doom_ compatibility de-emphasized.  Where it creates
    conflicts with _Doom II_ mods or texture definitions, we prefer
    the _Doom II_ side of things.  _Final Doom_-specific maps and mods
    may never look completely right in _Freedoom_, as a result.

==== Levels
  * _FreeDM_ has seen a major overhaul, with most maps being modified,
    with new additions and removals of the weaker levels.  It now
    benefits from the use of Aquatex and Egyptian textures in some of
    its levels, giving a more vibrant feel than before.
  * _Phase 1_ gets a lot of mapping love in this round, fleshing out
    the levels and tweaking difficulty levels so easy, normal, and
    hard are all accounted for.  There is a new C3M5 by Mortrixs.
  * _Phase 2_ MAP01 saw an overhaul, simplifying its design in
    significant ways to improve the flow around the level.
  * Two maps in _Phase 2_ were replaced due to being recreations of
    _Doom II_ maps.  Jayexetee and GooseJelly get credits for the new
    ones, in MAP06 and MAP26.
  * Maps in _Phase 2_ in general have had some slight re-arrangement
    based on difficulty levels and themes.  A new MAP06 by Jayexetee
    is included, the old one taking the MAP18 slot.
  * All levels are now guaranteed to have co-op and deathmatch starts.

==== Graphics
  * New power-up (stealth, overdrive, and ultra-overdrive) sprites.
  * New necromancer (arch-vile) sprites by Urric.
  * Some weapon and ammo sprites have been tweaked and improved.
  * Completed and enhanced set of _Evilution_ and _Plutonia_ textures.
  * New skull-switches by MissLav.
  * New SKY4 based on an astronomy photograph.
  * Tweaked player sprites and HUD face by Ferk.

==== Music
  * New tracks in C1M2, C2M3, C2M8, MAP03, MAP12, MAP22, MAP25, MAP26,
    MAP27, DM03, DM06, DM09, DM17, DM24, DM31, and DM32.
  * All files in-tree have been renamed from *.mus to *.mid.  The file
    format must always be MIDI.  This makes it easy on music composers
    to actually work with the files.

==== Unix script and metadata
  * Metainfo (formerly appdata) and desktop files have been brought up
    to the latest standard specifications and recommendations, using
    reverse-DNS for the project identifier, and a self-evaluated
    content rating.
  * The launch shell-script changed the `PORT` environment variable to
    `DOOMPORT` to avoid conflicts with the genericly-named `PORT`.  It
    also builds a sensible default `DOOMWADPATH` environment variable
    to assist ports that do not have a hard-coded fallback.
  * The script no longer tries to look for `boom`, `zdoom`, nor
    `prboom` by default, as these are ports no longer maintained.

==== Build system
  * Freedoom’s build system now has a hard dependency on Python 3, in
    anticipation of Python 2’s end-of-life.
  * We have moved from ImageMagick to Pillow, a Python library for
    graphics manipulation.  It provides faster build times as well as
    API stability.
  * GIF files have been replaced with PNG files.  True PNG file format
    transparency is used instead of a cyan background.
  * `ASCIIDOC` and `ASCIIDOC_MAN` variables have been added to the
    Makefile to control the AsciiDoc implementation used to generate
    HTML and man page files.

=== link:#freedoom-0.11.3[2017-07-18: Freedoom 0.11.3 released][[freedoom-0.11.3]]

This point release is only to allow building from source with
https://github.com/Doom-Utils/deutex[DeuTex] 5.0, and thus is
considered unnecessary for any purpose other than distribution
packaging.  There are no level, sprite, sound, music, or other asset
changes from 0.11.2.

=== link:#freedoom-0.11.2[2017-03-15: Freedoom 0.11.2 released][[freedoom-0.11.2]]

Solving a few more issues found in the previous release, this point
release is more dry than the last one, but we hope that it just
refines the game to make it better than before.

  * Missing multiplayer starts have been added to several levels.
    No map should be lacking anymore.
  * A few mapping errors were repaired by changing sector heights.
    Speedrunners can better appreciate smooth flow through the levels.
  * Easy and normal difficulty levels have been tweaked.
  * Par times for _Phase 1_ have been added.
  * Cleaned up title screen using the _Freedoom_ font for _Phase 1_ and
    _Phase 2_ on screen.

=== link:#freedoom-0.11.1[2017-02-22: Freedoom 0.11.1 released][[freedoom-0.11.1]]

We've had quite a good reception for 0.11 and are thankful to everyone
sending feedback, both praise and criticism, we use it all for
improving Freedoom further!  This point release repairs a few
deficiencies found in the 0.11 release, and adds new resources.

  * 1% armor bonus pickups are recolored from red to green.  They were
    too easily confused for health pickups.
  * New _TNT: Evilution_-compatible textures.
  * New pain bringer and pain lord sprites, replacing old concept
    art-derived ones.
  * A few map errors are fixed, including misaligned textures,
    leftover Boom specials, and it should no longer be possible to get
    stuck between a rock and a tree in _Phase 1_ C1M1.
  * Brand new _Phase 1_ C3M1, replacing an old _Doom_-inspired
    level.
  * Widescreen statusbar for ZDoom was removed.  This created
    incompatibility with some mods, and mod compatibility is prefered
    over visual enhancements.
  * Fixed intermission text after using the secret exit in _Phase 2_
    MAP31, where obituary texts were incorrectly displayed instead.
  * More new music tracks, providing better vanilla compatibility.

=== link:#freedoom-0.11[2017-02-16: Freedoom 0.11 released][[freedoom-0.11]]

Another year, and one of _Freedoom_'s biggest updates has arrived!
One of the major developments we've had is the elimination of Boom as
the target engine for game support.  While we are aiming for an
eventual compatibility with Vanilla _Doom_, _Freedoom_ should
presently run on any limit-removing engine, which is nearly all of
them.

  * Lots of new music.
  * New levels, including C1M1 kicking off _Phase 1_.
  * Aquatex: over 200 new textures for mappers to use.
  * New intermission screens.
  * Some new weapon sprites: new pistol, new pickups.
  * New medkit and armor pickup sprites.
  * New project logo. 😀