Doom Vanille

	Doom Vanille
Codebase	Linux Doom 1.10, PCDoom-v2
Developer(s)	Alexandre-Xavier Labonté-Lamoureux (axdoomer)
Initial release	666 (2017-05-29, 7 years ago)
Latest release	671 (2020-06-24, 4 years ago)
Development status	Active
Written in	C, Assembly
Target platform	DOS
License	GPLv2+

Doom Vanille is a source port created by Alexandre-Xavier Labonté-Lamoureux (axdoomer). It is derived from PCDoom-v2, itself a port of Linux Doom to DOS. It aims to enhance the stock executable with new features and fixes to reduce the risk of crashes, premature program exits and certain visual problems, while maintaining full compatibility with the original executable, including sound features of the DMX sound engine (but not DMX itself).

It has a version that increases static limits and adheres to the Doom2-plus template of raising limits, allowing several WADs to be playable in the vanilla engine that would previously require a limit-removing source port to run.

History[edit]

The first release was based on PCDoom on May 29, 2017 as version 666. It introduced new parameters for Doom: -iwad, -pitch, -dm3, altfinal and -mb. Development for the port was slow, with a second release called version 667 on November 20, 2018. Version 668 took almost a year to release on October 14, 2019. It fixed a bug where grid lines were disappearing near the automap boundary and the executable with the extended limits is improved so it has less chance of crashing when saving the game.

It was in 2020 when Doom Vanille picked up pace. Version 669 released on May 24, 2020 is a maintenance release without changes, but 670 could be considered a major version. Released on May 30, 2020, it fixes a bug that prevented the Phase 1 IWAD of Freedoom from loading, but it also included a second executable, based on Doom2-plus limits by Andrey Budko (entryway).

The last and current release is version 671, from June 24, 2020. It contained the fix for the buffer overflow in M_LoadDefaults and only comes with its static limits raised per Doom2-plus.

Features[edit]

Can run any version of the Doom IWADs without crashes
Will play demo4 if found but will not crash if it's missing
Ability to specify the IWAD you want using the -iwad parameter
No joystick support
Better floor and ceiling rendering
No lockups when too much lumps are loaded
Sound pitch is now working and can be activated with the -sndpitch or -pitch parameters
Support for newschool deathmatch (Deathmatch 3.0) using -dm3
Hide par times in Final Doom because they are irrelevant
Display an error message when there are too many scrolling walls
Alternative Final Doom and Final Doom Anthology compatibility using the -altfinal or -alt parameters
Support for maximum memory allocation with the -mb parameter
Doesn't crash when mouse sensitivity is higher than 30
Sector tag 666 works correctly when a boss dies
Internal demos will not desync because of revenants
Comes in a Plus version which increases the static limits akin to Doom2-plus

Fixes[edit]

In addition to the new features, Doom Vanille addresses a host of bugs through a series of fixes:

The READ THIS menu or F1 won't crash The Ultimate Doom
Can load maps from MAP35 to MAP40 (no music index error)
Super shotgun firing frame fixed
Respawn fog at wrong location fixed
Unknown map things are ignored so maps with invalid things can be loaded
Crash when trying to open a single-sided "door" linedef was fixed
"Picked up a medikit that you REALLY need!" message fixed
Dead players don't make the "oof" sound after falling
Arch-vile fire spawned at the wrong location fixed
Fix I_Error messages not being displayed and locking up the game
Fix disappearing grid lines near the automap boundary

Raised limits[edit]

The following static limits are raised in Doom Vanille in the latest release:

limit                         : old    * k   = new
-------------------------------------------------------
visplanes[MAXVISPLANES]       : 128    * 8   = 1024
drawsegs[MAXDRAWSEGS]         : 256    * 8   = 2048
SAVEGAMESIZE                  : 180224 * 16  = 2883584
activeplats[MAXPLATS]         : 30     * 256 = 7680
vissprites[MAXVISSPRITE]      : 128    * 8   = 1024
linespeciallist[MAXLINEANIMS] : 64     * 256 = 16384
openings[MAXOPENINGS]         : 16384  * 4   = 65536

External links[edit]

Doom Vanille repository hosted on GitHub

Source code genealogy
Based on	Name	Base for
Linux Doom 1.10	Doom Vanille	Russian/International Doom (pre-7.0)
PCDoom-v2	Doom Vanille	Russian/International Doom (pre-7.0)