After the GZDoom implosion, the remaining developers have split off to form UZDoom. The first preview release of UZDoom has now rolled out, featuring several essential improvements. This release serves as a direct follow-up to GZDoom 4.14.2, with UZDoom continuing the versioning from there, bumping it up to UZDoom 4.14.3.
As noted in the changelog, updating to this new version is considered *critical* due to multiple security fixes included in the update. Beyond security, UZDoom aims to address some historically contentious issues within the ZDoom community by adjusting several default settings to better reflect how Doom originally appeared. These changes also aim to simplify the user experience, which has become somewhat overwhelming with the numerous available options.
### Key Updates in UZDoom 4.14.3
– **Security Fixes:** Multiple security vulnerabilities have been patched, making this update highly recommended for all users.
– **New Game-Based Cursors:** Designed by Nash Muhandes, these cursors are more intuitive for pointing and clicking.
– **Balanced Defaults:** Default settings have been adjusted to strike a better balance between the vanilla Doom experience and modern enhancements.
– **Master Volume Adjustment:** The master volume has been lowered to prevent audio distortion and muffling, particularly with loud sounds like the Plasma Rifle.
– **Automap Color Option:** A new “Default” option allows the automap to automatically adjust colors based on the game being played.
– **Rocket Explosion Render Style:** Rocket explosions now use an additive render style by default, offering a visual style that fits better with other projectiles.
– **Mouse Sensitivity Improvements:** Mouse sensitivity in menus is reduced after short periods of inactivity to prevent accidental selection shifts.
– **Powerup Fade Control:** Added the `powerup_fade_scalar` cvar to let users control the strength of power-up fades (such as the Radiation Suit’s green tint).
– **ACS Support:** Added support for the `BUSY` script flag in ACS.
### Bug Fixes and Other Improvements
– Fixed audio issues where sound wouldn’t mute properly when the game lost focus, which could cause audio buildup, especially in multiplayer.
– Corrected master volume application for music at game startup.
– Fixed incorrect music tracks during Strife’s bad endings.
– Restored missing opening subtitles in Strife.
– Corrected the Iron Lich’s whirlwind damage target assignment.
– Fixed broken textured automap displays.
– Resolved mid-texture clipping issues when skewed.
– Fixed crashes related to VisualThinkers when loading saves.
– Corrected display problems with IQM models that use decoupled animations.
– Fixed gun flash effects for MBF21 weapons.
– Addressed a bug where `CreateTossable` items were not removed when their amount dropped to zero.
– Fixed JIT errors thrown by Quat’s Conjugate and Inverse functions.
– Made the `BrokenLines` class serializable.
– Ensured proper clearing of level data fields (such as sectors) when transitioning between levels.
You can also follow UZDoom on Bluesky to stay updated with future developments. Hopefully, this marks the beginning of many improvements and a long, successful life for UZDoom and the ZDoom community.
*Article sourced from GamingOnLinux.com.*
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https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/11/gzdoom-successor-project-uzdoom-gets-a-first-preview-release/