At long last, the source code of Doom 3 has finally been released. The source is available for download from various sources and does not contain – obviously – any game data as the game data is still covered by the original EULA and must be obeyed as usual. We should also note that you should have patched your game to the latest version in order to use this source code.

In case you were unaware of, the Doom 3 GPL source code release does not include functionality enabling rendering of stencil shadows via the “depth fail” method, a functionality commonly known as “Carmack’s Reverse”. In order to avoid any legal issues, Carmack has altered the source code.

The Doom 3 GPL Source Code is also subject to certain additional terms. Those interested should have received a copy of these additional terms immediately following the terms and conditions of the GNU GPL which accompanied the Doom 3 Source Code.

We can’t wait to see what modders and indie developers can make out of this amazing game engine. Imagine an Aliens game that is powered by the iD Tech 4 engine. Damn, now that would be interesting!

As a piece of evidence, here is the beginning of Doom 3 GPL Source’s Readme:

Doom 3 GPL source release
=========================

This file contains the following sections:

GENERAL NOTES
LICENSE

GENERAL NOTES
=============

Game data and patching:
———————–

This source release does not contain any game data, the game data is still
covered by the original EULA and must be obeyed as usual.

You must patch the game to the latest version.

Note that Doom 3 and Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil are available from the Steam store at
http://store.steampowered.com/app/9050/
http://store.steampowered.com/app/9070/

Other platforms, updated source code, security issues:
——————————————————

If you have obtained this source code several weeks after the time of release,
it is likely that you can find modified and improved
versions of the engine in various open source projects across the internet.
Depending what is your interest with the source code, those may be a better
starting point.

Compiling on win32:
——————-

A project file for Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 is provided in neo\doom.sln
We expect the solution file is compatible with the Express releases

You will need the Microsoft DirectX SDK installed as well.
If it does not reside in “C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft DirectX SDK (June 2010)”
you will need to update the project files accordingly.

Compiling on GNU/Linux x86:
—————————

The build system on GNU/Linux is based on SCons: http://www.scons.org/
Issue the scons command in the neo/ folder.

Compiling on MacOS X:
—————————

XCode 3.2 project is under neo/sys/osx/

Back End Rendering of Stencil Shadows:
————————————–

The Doom 3 GPL source code release does not include functionality enabling rendering
of stencil shadows via the “depth fail” method, a functionality commonly known as
“Carmack’s Reverse”.

John Papadopoulos

John is the founder and Editor in Chief at DSOGaming. He is a PC gaming fan and highly supports the modding and indie communities. Before creating DSOGaming, John worked on numerous gaming websites. While he is a die-hard PC gamer, his gaming roots can be found on consoles. John loved - and still does - the 16-bit consoles, and considers SNES to be one of the best consoles. Still, the PC platform won him over consoles. That was mainly due to 3DFX and its iconic dedicated 3D accelerator graphics card, Voodoo 2. John has also written a higher degree thesis on the "The Evolution of PC graphics cards." Contact: Email