Not to be confused with FreeDoom.

Freedoom is a project to create a free software/open source Doom 2 IWAD file. Combined with the free source code, this results in a complete Doom-based game. All material in the Freedoom project is released under a modified BSD license, so other projects may reuse any of the Freedoom material for their own purposes as they wish. In fact, this is a secondary goal of the project.

As of version 0.11, levels for Freedoom require a Limit removing source port to play. As such, Freedoom cannot be played with the original source code or executables.

Two subprojects also exist. One is to create a free shareware WAD file as a smaller demo of the project, and the other is FreeDM, which uses the resources from Freedoom to create a free deathmatch game.

The project was started and originally maintained by Simon Howard and Jon Dowland in 2001. FreeDM was originally maintained by Jim "Rellik" McDougald. Both are now collectively maintained by Mike RS. The Freedoom player marine is given credit as Dragon Master Jimmy Lee from the Double Dragon series(An important inspirational character of the original Doomguy), Codename Snake, a special forces soldier in the Prisoners of War title, and the same in Marvel Comics, Jimmy Lee is also the Doomguy in Doom Playstation Edition only shown on the boxart front in the Unit M Ikari Warriors blue vest and SWAT pants(The whole special appearance is credited reference to Commander Keen " Billy Blaze " inspiration connected with Billy Lee from Double Dragon), the other Freedoom titles like Brutal Doom, and the Darkstar mod for Doom III.

Freedoom and FreeDM are still under development.

Freedoom produces three independent IWADs:

• Freedoom: Phase 1 is made up of four chapters, and is compatible with The Ultimate Doom PWADs.
• Freedoom: Phase 2 is an entire 32-level chapter, and is compatible with Doom II and Final Doom PWADs.
• FreeDM is a deathmatch game, containing no monsters in its entire mapset. Like Phase 2, it is also compatible with Doom II and Final Doom PWADs.

Freedoom after version 0.13 is vanilla-compatible with the exception of save game buffer overflows, before this version some Boom-dependent features were used. Freedoom is still under active development, not having yet reached a version 1.0, which should signify a complete set of resources, including sprites, textures, levels, music, etc, and some form of quality control over all of the project. The game is also aiming for a more direct science fiction setting to differentiate it from Doom.

General Changes

Weapons

• The Double Barrel Shotgun receives a new look which is similar to the old one.

• The Polaric Energy Cannon now has a reloading animation.
• The Minigun has a received a new look
• The Pistol now has a new design and it is being held by two hands.

• The First has a new punching animation

• Enemies

• The Zombieman is now more zombielike, with black pants, metal shoes, and wields a pistol instead of a rifle.

• The Sargeant looks rather similar to The Zombieman, but with a black jacket, a robot jaw, and wields a shotgun.
• The Heavy Weapon Dude looks like the player, but with a red visor, grey bloodstained armor and now wields a minigun instead of a rifle.
• The Imp has been replaced with a tall, worm-like alien with tentacles instead of arms.
• The Demon has been replaced with a worm-like creature with no visible eyes and one big mouth.
• The Lost Soul is a alien larvae.
• The Cacodemon looks like a meaty ball with 1 eye.
• The Hell Knight and Baron of Hell have been replaced by a large creature wearing plated armor and a beaked helmet wielding an arm cannon.
• The Arachnotron appears as an organic spider with the head high like a scorpion where it fires the plasma, and has 6 (possibly) metal legs.
• The Pain Elemental now looks like a floating alien mother.
• The Revenant is now a Former Human Being but with Armor, a Red Visor and a Helmet, 4 Tentacles and 2 Rocket Launchers
• The Mancubus has been replaced with a slug-like monster with a distorted face, with the fireball launcher on each "shoulder".
• The Arch-Vile is replaced with a grey alien with 1 eye and an exposed brain.
• The Spider Mastermind now looks like a tank with 6 legs, with the visible head, body, and arms seemingly controlling the tank, the chaingun located in the stomach of the monstosity.
• The Cyberdemon is replaced with a spider-like mech with an ugly creature at the helm. It is armed with 2 rocket launchers, yet only fires one.
• The Player is a marine, composed of iron shoulderplates, a grey helmet with a green visor shaped like a "V", and a green chestplate with iron boots, similar to the Zombieman's.
• "UAC" has been replaced with "AGM", to prevent copyright infringement.
• The maps are different, with some parts of them similar to the original maps of Doom. They are also more complex, with more twists and turns.
• The difficulty levels have been replaced with:

1. Please don't Kill Me!
2. Will this Hurt?
3. Bring on the Pain.
4. Extreme-Carnage.
5. Mayhem!

• The final boss is now textured to appear as a human skull.
• Different weapon sprites.

Name Changes

Weapons:

• The shotgun is renamed, "Pump-Action Shotgun".
• The super shotgun is renamed, "Double-Barreled Shotgun" (Freedoom Phase 2 Only)
• The chaingun is renamed, "Minigun".
• The rocket launcher is renamed, "Missile Launcher".
• The plasma gun is renamed, "Polaric Energy Cannon."
• The BFG-9000 is renamed, "SKAG-1337" (Super Kick Ass Gun 1337).
• The Chainsaw is now, "Angle Grinder."

Enemies:

• Zombieman- "Zombie", Previously wearing yellow shorts
• Sargeant- "Shotgun Zombie", Previously shirtless
• Chaingunner- "Mini-Gun Zombie", Uses the same base as the player sprites, both of which are retouched as of 0.13
• Imp- "Serpentipede", Previously more cobra-like and termed a "footsoldier"
• Demon- "Flesh Worm", Originally a frog-like pink biped, and previously called the "slither-beast"
• Cacodemon- "Trilobite", Previously more crustacean-like called the "orb monster"
• Pain Elemental- "Matribite", Previously the skull-like "skull"/"deadflare"
• Hell Knight- "Pain Bringer", Previously a tanned bulbous humanoid; a theropod design called the "nukeptile" has been worked on
• Baron of Hell- "Pain Lord", Previously a pale bulbous humanoid; a theropod design called the "lavamander" has been worked on
• Mancubus- "Combat Slug", Previously called the "hellslug". Sprite cleaned up as of 0.13.
• Arachnotron- "Technospider"
• Spider Mastermind- "Large Technospider"
• Cyberdemon- "Assault Tripod", Previously called the "mechabomination"
• Lost Soul- "Hatchling" Previously the skull-like "skull"/"deadflare"
• Revenant- "Octaminator", Previously a gargoyle-like being called the "undead servant" and "dark soldier"
• Arch-Vile- "Necromancer", Previously a skeletal figure called the "flamebringer"
• Wolfenstein SS - "Spanish sailor", Same initials (S.S.)

Easter eggs

• A big alien brain features as the replacement for the boss brain (sprite).
• The texture SP_FACE1 is derived from pictures of prominent members of the Doom community (texture).
• In versions up to 0.5, the pink fish popular in some Doom community forums is used instead of Commander Keen (sprite). The sprite was removed after 0.5 due to trademark concerns. The Commander Keen sprite is now replaced by a small alien trapped in a cage, which is then freed when it "dies." The Wolfenstein SS are replaced with Sailors.

Commercial derivatives

The BSD-type license used by Freedoom allows reuse in commercial projects; and at least two different companies combined Freedoom with the Doom Classic port to create games sold for the iPhone or iPad.

External links

• Official website
• Official Git repository
• Automatic Git builds
• Official forums (hosted on Doomworld.com)
• Debian package page for Freedoom
• Fedora Wiki Freedoom Page
• Doomworld thread about "Hell of Earth II" for the iPhone
• Doomworld thread about "Doomsday: Hellraiser HD" for the iPad