DOOM Retro v5.5 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 version:

• DOOM Retro is now built using v17.10.5 of Microsoft Visual Studio Community 2022.
• DOOM Retro now uses SDL v2.30.5.
• Several changes have been made to further improve the overall performance and stability of DOOM Retro.
• Several changes have been made to text that is output to the console.
• The mouse no longer has any effect on DOOM Retro’s window when it doesn’t have focus.
• Changing the r_mirroredweapons CVAR no longer affects the random colors of marine corpses when the r_corpses_color CVAR is on.
• These changes have been made to the support of MAPINFO lumps:
  • A bug is fixed whereby map names wouldn’t be parsed correctly in some instances.
  • EPISODE is now parsed correctly in more instances.
  • Newline characters in INTERTEXT and INTERTEXTSECRET strings are now parsed.
• These changes have been made to the support of DEHACKED lumps:
  • The values specified using Initial health and Initial bullets will now be used at the start of each map if the pistolstart CCMD or -pistolstart command-line parameter are used.
  • A bug is fixed whereby the health of spiderdemons would always be 3,000 even if a value was specified using Hit points.
• These changes have been made to the support for controllers:
  • Improvements have been made to the rumbling of controllers when the player uses certain weapons and the joy_rumble_weapons CVAR is on.
  • A bug is fixed whereby the player would continually turn to their right if the joy_analog CVAR was off (including when vanilla mode was enabled).
  • Hotplugging controllers now always works.
  • Pressing the left thumbstick of a controller is no longer bound to the +alwaysrun action by default.
  • Controllers no longer rumble if the mouse or keyboard are being used by the player instead.
• The aspect ratio of the display when in widescreen mode can now be forced by changing the new vid_aspectratio CVAR from its default auto to 16:9, 16:10, 21:9 or 32:9.
• Pressing the ENTER key to close the help screen no longer causes the previous player message to be displayed.
• The save and load CCMDs can now be used to save and load games by specifying numbers 1 to 8.
• The player’s currently equipped weapon is now translucent when they have a partial invisibility power-up and the r_textures CVAR is off.
• A bug is fixed, present in the original DOOM, whereby sprites wouldn’t be rendered if the sector they were in wasn’t in the player’s line of sight.
• Sprites also no longer disappear when drawn against the left and right edges of ultra-wide displays.
• A small amount of blood is now sprayed when a monster is gibbed. This can be disabled using the new r_blood_gibs CVAR, which is on by default and off when vanilla mode is enabled.
• The playername CVAR is now “” rather than “you” by default.
• A bug is fixed whereby the ammo the player had for their equipped weapon wasn’t displayed in the widescreen HUD while they were dead.
• The power-up bar is now displayed in the alternate widescreen HUD when the player enters the IDBEHOLDL cheat.
• These changes have been made to the menu:
  • Minor improvements have been made to the highlighting of items selected in the menu.
  • The highlighting of items selected in the menu can now be disabled using the new menuhighlight CVAR, which is on by default and off when vanilla mode is enabled.
  • Shadows cast by items in the menu can now be disabled using the new menushadow CVAR, which is on by default and off when vanilla mode is enabled.
  • The episode, expansion and skilllevel CVARs are now always updated whenever the selected episode, expansion or skill level are changed in the menu.
  • DBIGFONT lumps are now supported. This will allow more menu items to be displayed in the correct font, and CONSOLE... to be displayed in the options menu, in some instances.
  • These changes have been made to the load and save game menus:
    • The text caret in the save game menu is now larger and flashes quicker.
    • A bug is fixed whereby the text caret could become momentarily stuck at the end of a truncated savegame description in some instances.
    • To be consistent with every other menu, pressing a key that corresponds with the first letter of a savegame description now navigates to that savegame slot.
• The sound effect heard when opening and closing the console by pressing the ~ key is now slightly louder.
• Further improvements have been made to rendering liquid sectors when the r_liquid_bob CVAR is on.
• The screen’s brightness can now be adjusted using the new vid_brightness CVAR. This CVAR can be between -100% and 100%, and is 0% by default and when vanilla mode is enabled.
• The screen’s contrast can now be adjusted using the new vid_contrast CVAR. This CVAR can be between -100% and 100%, and is 0% by default and when vanilla mode is enabled.
• The screen’s red, green and blue levels can now be adjusted using the new vid_red, vid_green and vid_blue CVARs. These CVARs can be between -100% and 100%, and are 0% by default and when vanilla mode is enabled.
• The r_saturation CVAR is renamed vid_saturation, is now a value between -100% and 100% and is 0% by default.
• The vid_scaleapi CVAR is now direct3d11 by default.
• The map title in the automap is now always positioned correctly when the am_external CVAR is on.
• Additional brightness can now be applied to all of the lighting in the current map using the new r_levelbrightness CVAR. This CVAR can be between 0% and 100%, and is 0% by default and when vanilla mode is enabled.
• The infiniteammo and regenhealth CCMDs can no longer be entered when a game isn’t being played.
• The color of the bottom edge of the console now changes to reflect the color of the digits in the status bar, (or in some cases, the text in the menu), if the relevant lumps have been replaced by the currently loaded PWAD.
• The mouse pointer may now be used to move the scroll bar in the console when the m_pointer CVAR is on.
• Minor changes have been made to text in the status bar and alternate widescreen HUD.
• The r_shake_damage CVAR is now a value of on or off and is on by default. Improvements have been made to the shake effect when this CVAR is on.
• A confirmation message is now displayed when entering the endgame CCMD in the console.
• A bug is fixed whereby a controller’s left thumbstick would be too sensitive while the player was running.
• A minor improvement has been made to the rumble of controllers when the player picks something up and the joy_rumble_pickup CVAR is on.
• A bug is fixed whereby advancing the intermission screen wouldn’t work in some instances.
• A crash no longer occurs if a texture is missing a patch.

DOOM Retro v5.4 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 version:

• DOOM Retro is now built using v17.9.6 of Microsoft Visual Studio Community 2022.
• DOOM Retro now uses SDL v2.30.3.
• Minor changes have been made to further improve the overall performance and stability of DOOM Retro.
• Several changes have been made to text that is output to the console.
• A slightly brighter color is now chosen for the surrounding pillarboxes when displaying certain lumps from PWADs that are only 320 pixels wide and the vid_widescreen CVAR is on.
• A bug is fixed whereby grouping wasn’t being applied to the previous player message when displayed by pressing the ENTER key if both the messages and groupmessages CVARs were on.
• Minor improvements have been made to certain animations on the intermission screen.
• The status bar now shows when the player has picked up both a keycard and a skull key of the same color by introducing support for BOOM’s STKEYS6, STKEYS7 and STKEYS8 lumps.
• Improvements have been made to drawing thing triangles in the automap when the IDDT cheat has been entered.
• The underscores of the message displayed when the IDBEHOLD cheat has been entered now always line up.
• The shadow cast by the status bar in the automap is now low detail when the r_detail CVAR is low.
• The color of the player stats shown in the automap when the am_playerstats CVAR is on can now be changed using the new am_playerstatscolor CVAR, which is 4 by default.
• These changes have been made to the support of MAPINFO lumps:
  • Scrolling skies are now supported if a value is specified with SKY1.
  • ALLOWMONSTERTELEFRAGS = 0 now works on all maps.
  • A bug is fixed whereby map names wouldn’t be used in some instances.
• Minor improvements have been made to the parsing of DEHACKED lumps.
• The status bar and widescreen HUD are now always correctly updated when the give or take CCMDs are used to give or take keycards and skull keys to or from the player. The order in which they are given has also improved.
• The DSSAWUP sound effect is no longer heard in its entirety when the player equips their chainsaw.
• If a sound effect lump in a PWAD is 0 bytes in size, now rather than playing the IWAD’s lump it replaces, nothing is played.
• Explosions now cast shadows if the r_shadows CVAR is on.
• These changes have been made to intermission text screens:
  • A sound effect is now played when a key is pressed to advance the text.
  • A crash no longer occurs if the text is too long.
• The F1 key no longer interrupts the splash screen if pressed.
• The console can no longer be opened while a menu confirmation message is displayed.
• Further improvements have been made to the position of player messages in some instances.
• These changes have been made to the load and save game menus:
  • If any STCFNxxx lumps are present in a PWAD, the savegame descriptions are now correctly positioned vertically.
  • The correct savegame description is now always displayed in the confirmation message when pressing DEL to delete a savegame.
• The mouselook CVAR and the +mouselook action have been renamed freelook and +freelook.
• These changes have been made when using the resetall CCMD:
  • A bug is fixed whereby certain actions bound to a mouse button weren’t being reset.
  • The automap no longer closes if it was open.
• A bug is fixed whereby the sky wouldn’t be stretched if the +freelook action was bound to a button on a controller.
• The text in the console has been brought in slightly from the left and right edges of the screen when the vid_widescreen CVAR is on, and even more so on ultra-wide displays.
• Improvements have been made to the position of some elements of the alternate widescreen HUD.
• The game may now be ended during intermission by either using the endgame CCMD in the console or selecting “End Game” in the options menu.
• The number of keycards and skull keys the player picks up is now displayed by the playerstats CCMD.
• The translucency of the trail of smoke behind rockets fired by the player and cyberdemons can now be toggled separately from other sprites by using the new r_rocket­trails_translucency CVAR. This CVAR is on by default and off when vanilla mode is enabled.
• Boss actions now occur when using the kill CCMD in the console.
• Improvements have been made to displaying the disk icon when the r_diskicon CVAR is on.
• Improvements have been made to the contents of files created using the condump CCMD.
• Liquid sectors are now rendered correctly when their floor height is in line with the player’s view height and the r_liquid_bob CVAR is on.
• The help CCMD has been renamed wiki.
• Player messages no longer cast shadows when vanilla mode is enabled.
• An infinite amount of ammo for all of the player’s weapons can now be enabled by using the new infiniteammo CCMD.