A Schism in the House That DOOM Built
For decades, GZDoom has been the unsung hero of the classic ‘DOOM’ community. It’s a powerful, open-source engine that allows modders to create everything from simple map packs to total conversion mods that are essentially brand-new games. It is the backbone of modern ‘DOOM’ modding. But now, that backbone has been fractured. In a dramatic turn of events, a majority of the development team has walked away from the project after a major conflict with its long-time lead developer, leading to a fork of the project and a schism that has thrown the community into turmoil.
The project is now split, with the original GZDoom left in the hands of its controversial leader and the departing developers rallying behind a new engine: UZDoom. It’s a story of clashing egos, technical disputes, and the age-old problem of power in open-source communities.
The Conflict at the Core
The center of the controversy is GZDoom’s lead developer and maintainer, a programmer known as Graf Zahl. For years, Graf has been recognized as a brilliant but notoriously difficult personality. Community members describe him as having a short temper and an authoritarian style. This long-simmering tension finally boiled over when Graf returned from a year-long hiatus and began making major changes to the project without consulting the rest of the team.
According to other developers, Graf was pushing untested code directly to the project’s master branch, bypassing the usual review and testing process. The final straw came when it was discovered he was using AI language models like ChatGPT to write code. This AI-generated code was reportedly buggy, increased the project’s technical debt, and, in one instance, caused the engine to malfunction so badly that it wiped out hundreds of hours of work from another programmer.
“Feel Free to Fork the Project”
Frustrated and seeing no other way to address the issues, the other developers filed a public bug report on the project’s GitHub page. The title of the report was simply: “Project management.” It laid out their grievances, from the untested code to the use of AI. Graf Zahl’s response was as brief as it was dismissive. He wrote, “Feel free to fork the project under a”-and then simply stopped typing mid-sentence. He didn’t even finish his thought.
This curt, incomplete reply was the breaking point. Taking him at his word, the other developers did exactly that. They forked the project, essentially creating a new version free from Graf’s control.
The Birth of UZDoom
The new fork has been named UZDoom, and it is being positioned as the true continuation of the project. It’s being led by the developers who left GZDoom, and they have made their mission clear. In an announcement, they stated that UZDoom will be a direct continuation of GZDoom, inheriting all of its features, but with a crucial difference: it will have “a more stable development structure with healthy collaboration and less power given to individual ‘project leads’.”
For the ‘DOOM’ modding community, this is a bittersweet moment. While the drama is unfortunate, many are hopeful that UZDoom will provide a healthier and more community-oriented future for the engine. For now, it seems that most active development and community support will be shifting to the new project.
FAQs
1. What is GZDoom?
GZDoom is a highly advanced source port of the original ‘DOOM’ engine. It allows modern computers to run ‘DOOM’ and is the foundation for thousands of complex mods.
2. Why did the GZDoom developers leave?
They left due to a major conflict with the project’s lead developer, Graf Zahl, who they accused of pushing untested code, using AI to write buggy code, and having a toxic leadership style.
3. What is UZDoom?
UZDoom is a new “fork,” or version, of GZDoom created by the developers who left the original project. It aims to continue the development of the engine under a more collaborative and stable leadership structure.
4. Will my GZDoom mods still work?
Yes. Since UZDoom is a direct continuation of GZDoom, all existing mods should be fully compatible. Going forward, it is likely that new mods will be developed for UZDoom.
5. Is this kind of drama common in modding communities?
Unfortunately, yes. The situation has drawn comparisons to other open-source projects where a difficult but talented leader has caused a community split, such as the drama around the ‘Skyrim’ Unofficial Patch or the various forks of ‘Minecraft’ mod launchers.
6. What will happen to the original GZDoom?
While the GZDoom project still exists, it has now lost the majority of its active development team. Most of the community’s energy and future development will likely focus on UZDoom.
Conclusion
The GZDoom saga is a classic tale of open-source drama, a reminder that even the most beloved community projects are vulnerable to human conflict. While it’s a sad end for a project that has given so much to the ‘DOOM’ community, it’s also a hopeful new beginning. The creation of UZDoom is a testament to the power of collaboration and the community’s ability to self-correct. The king may be dead, but long live the king. The future of ‘DOOM’ modding is now in the hands of the many, not the few, and that might just be the best outcome for everyone.