Zandronum is focused on multiplayer (replacing the now-defunct Skulltags) with support for up to 64 players and new game modes like Invasion, Capture the Flag and even a work-in-progress Battle Royale mode.Ĭhocolate Doom tries to keep the ‘pure’ Doom experience while ironing out bugs and making it run well on modern PCs, while Doom Legacy - though largely deprecated - supports splitscreen multiplayer. Alternativesīeyond that, there are plenty of smaller source ports to play with. It’s a prerequisite for modern, complex mods like Brutal Doom and Ashes 2063. The vast majority of Doom mods are compatible with GZDoom. Much of this is thanks to the fact that GZDoom uses the OpenGL API, hugely expanding Doom’s technical possibilities. If you want to see what a fully modernised Doom looks like, you can do so with GZDoom, which features dynamic lighting, full 3D maps, reflective surfaces, and various filtering options to smooth out animations and textures. You can still download ZDoom, but it’s officially been discontinued and replaced by the technically superior GZDoom.ĭevelopment of GZDoom began in 2005, and it has now replaced ZDoom as the go-to open-source port for serious modders. It also made huge tech improvements to Doom’s engine, adding slopes, translucency and more 3D elements. It took on many of the technical improvements of the Boom open-source port, adding a slew of new gameplay possibilities to Doom like jumping, swimming, mouse-look and crouching.

The granddaddy of Doom (as well as Heretic and Hexen) open-source ports, ZDoom originally came out in 1998, and remained continually updated until 2016. You’ll need an open-source Doom port to play mods, so which one should you pick? ZDoom You can use these source ports to play ultra-modernised versions of the base games, or to play the thousands of levels, overhauls and other mods that the community’s created over the years. Not only that, such source ports take advantage of modern gaming hardware and software to add things like dynamic lighting, full 3D mapping, mouse-look, widescreen resolutions, and all manner of technological bells and whistles.

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