DOOM Retro v4.0 is now available to download as either a 32 or 64-bit Windows app. Here’s a list of what’s changed since the last one:

• DOOM Retro now uses SDL v2.0.14.
• DOOM Retro now uses the Windows Audio Session API (WASAPI) rather than the deprecated DirectSound API. Sound effects are now louder and clearer than before.
• Minor improvements have been made to DOOM Retro’s splash screen.
• Optimizations have been made to further improve the overall performance and stability of DOOM Retro.
• Non-QWERTY keyboards are now properly supported.
• DOOM Retro now has improved support for wide and ultra-wide displays:
  • When the r_screensize CVAR is 7 and the vid_widescreen CVAR is on, a new widescreen mode complete with status bar will be displayed that horizontally fills displays of any aspect ratio.
  • When the r_screensize CVAR is changed to it’s new maximum value of 8, a widescreen mode with an optional HUD instead of a status bar, and a greater vertical field of view, will now be displayed.
  • You may still press the + and – keys during a game to toggle these new widescreen modes.
  • The + and – keys may now also be pressed on the title screen to toggle widescreen mode.
  • Certain official widescreen assets, such as those for the title screen and status bar, will now be displayed if the vid_widescreen CVAR is on.
  • The default of the vid_windowsize CVAR has been changed from 768×480 to 854×480.
• The following changes have been made to support the IWADs from the latest rereleases of The Ultimate DOOM and DOOM II: Hell On Earth on Steam:
  • The WAD launcher will now look for these new IWADs when DOOM Retro is run for the first time.
  • The par times for E1M8, E2M8 and E3M8 have changed.
• A crash will no longer occur when trying to display a patch with a height greater than 200 pixels. These patches will now be cropped instead.
• Centered messages are now better centered vertically.
• The player’s gender identity can now be specified using the new playergender CVAR. It can be male, female or other, and is male by default. If the playername CVAR is changed from its default of “you” as well, the pronouns used in several player messages and obituaries will be affected.
• The following changes have been made to the menu:
  • A subtle scanline effect is now applied to the menu’s background.
  • When opening the menu during a game, a brief deceleration effect is now applied to the player’s rotating view in the menu’s background.
  • A bug has been fixed whereby the sky in the menu’s background wouldn’t be stretched correctly in some instances when the mouselook CVAR was on.
  • Navigation of the main menu will now behave correctly when there are no savegames for the currently loaded IWAD or PWAD.
  • A bug has been fixed whereby using the left mouse button to navigate the menu could cause the player to continuously fire when starting a new game.
  • The F5 key may now be pressed to toggle the graphic detail while the menu is open.
  • Screenshots may now be taken while entering a savegame description in the save game menu.
• If the player has their fists equipped, a berserk power-up, and god mode is enabled, the screen will no longer flash red when they are attacked.
• Monsters may now walk under other flying monsters when the infiniteheight CVAR is off.
• The following changes have been made to the console:
  • The scrollbar now extends to the top of the screen.
  • The scrollbar’s grip is now translucent.
  • A slight shadow is applied to the text along the top of the console.
  • Minor changes have been made to text that is output to the console.
  • Long lines of text will now always wrap to the next line rather than be truncated.
  • Timestamps during the hour after midnight will now be displayed correctly.
• The following changes have been made to the automap:
  • A bug has been fixed whereby marks in the automap would reappear in wrong positions when panning far enough to the left or right.
  • Panning in the automap is now restricted to the dimensions of the current map when the am_rotate CVAR is on.
  • The player arrow is now slightly more translucent when the player has a partial invisibility power-up.
  • Thing triangles will no longer be affected by frame interpolation when the IDDT cheat has been entered, the console is open, and the vid_capfps CVAR is not 35.
  • Fade transitions will now be applied when performing various actions in the automap when the fade CVAR is on.
  • A smaller crosshair is now displayed when the am_followmode CVAR is off.
  • The player’s path is now thinner when the am_path CVAR is on.
• The correct CREDIT lump is now displayed when finishing any of the first four episodes of The Ultimate DOOM, and SIGIL has been automatically loaded.
• The intermission screens displayed once the player has finished a map will now always transition correctly when the fade CVAR is on.
• The wipe CVAR has been renamed to melt.
• Fade transitions will now be applied when a melt transition normally would, but the melt CVAR is off and the fade CVAR is on.
• The default of the s_musicvolume CVAR has been increased from 67% to 100%.
• Further improvements have been made to the support of both DEHACKED and UMAPINFO lumps.
• DeHackEd support has been extended further to allow for an additional 200 sound effects (numbered 500 to 699, and named DSFRE000 to DSFRE199).
• Music that has been changed because of a MUSINFO lump is now remembered in savegames.
• The player’s health and ammo will now only flash in the widescreen HUD (or change color in the alternate widescreen HUD) when less than 10.
• More blood is spawned when the player is injured.
• Minor improvements have been made to the rendering of blood splats in some instances.
• The movement of lifts is now smoother in some instances.
• Improvements have been made in determining if the player or a monster is standing in liquid or not.
• Monsters will no longer unnecessarily drop from high ledges.
• The current map’s music will no longer restart when loading a savegame for the same map.
• Music will no longer continue to play if DOOM Retro crashes.
• Player messages are now slightly translucent again when the r_hud_translucency CVAR is on and the vid_widescreen CVAR is off, but not while vanilla mode is enabled.
• SSAA (supersampling anti-aliasing) is now applied to the help screen’s background when the F1 key is pressed.
• Minor improvements have been made to the status bar when the r_detail CVAR is high.
• The bezel around the player’s view when the r_screensize CVAR is less than 7 is now only displayed if either all or none of the relevant graphics have been replaced in a PWAD.
• The number of times the player uses their fists and chainsaw are now displayed by the playerstats CCMD. The player’s fists and chainsaw may now also then be displayed as their Favorite weapon.
• More fixes have been applied to certain maps when the r_fixmaperrors CVAR is on.
• The crosshair will now be larger when the crosshair CVAR is cross or dot, and the r_detail CVAR is low.
• Improvements have been made to the fuzz effect of the player’s weapon when they have a partial invisibility power-up.
• A spectre now appears again in DOOM II’s cast sequence.
• A bug has been fixed whereby the player would move slightly slower when using a gamepad rather than the keyboard.
• The +console action may now be bound to a control on a gamepad.
• Improvements have been made when the player uses the kill CCMD to commit suicide.
• The blood of barons of hell and hellknights is slightly lighter.