While the original game might be playable in DosBox, there are more modern ports of the game engine with greater stability and offer wide platform support. One of the ports, prboom, is available for Mageia Linux (and MS-Windows and many other platforms). Based on the release of the original source code; it uses the SDl library.
prboom is one of those rare Linux things that has been fixed enough that everything works. It offers a true-to-the-original gameplay rather than updating the game with modern features like ZDoom, EDGE, and Eternity Engine. GZDoom offers OpenGL support. The prboom engine emulates the different games engines from the different versions of DOOM providing an authentic retro experience; it is also compatible with the demo version of DOOM.
To install in Mageia:
$ sudo urpmi prboom
installs the game in /usr/games and when run the first time with no arguments creates ~/.prboom in your home directory, which is where you will place your *.wad files (referred to as IWADs).
Mageia also provides the freedoom iwads in the freedoom package and installs them at
/usr/share/games/doom/freedoom1.wad
/usr/share/games/doom/freedoom2.wad
To install the freedoom IWADS,
$ sudo urpmi freedoom
The freedoom Docs are worth a read and can be found in /usr/share/doc/freedoom/README.html
So, in answer to the classic meme "Can it run Doom?", launch the first game:
$ prboom -iwad /usr/share/games/doom/freedoom1.wad
Yes, this was considered groundbreaking in 1993, but you can see how far 3D gaming has progressed in a quarter century.
Graphical Frontend for DOOM
Mageia does not provide a graphical frontend for launching Doom games. There is one available from enyo-doom, Doomseeker, Super Shotgun Launcher, qzdl, and DoomLauncher.
I chose to use DoomLauncher (download) . As a java jar, it should work cross-platform. Placing it in ~/bin/, I wrote a script simply named doom to launch it (and don't forget to chmod +x.)
#!/bin/sh# launch DoomLauncherjava -jar ~/bin/DoomLauncher.jar
Once running, initial configuration is not obvious at first.
Begin by clicking on Engine: ... and select the path to prboom. You can install multiple different game engines if you desire.
Next, click on Iwad: ... and select the path to your IWADs.
Once you have selected your game engine and your IWAD, click on Launch to start the game.
NOTE: In my experience, the GUI does not behave well upon your exit from the game. You need to close it and start it again. Otherwise, it appears to function well.
RESOURCESNOTE: In my experience, the GUI does not behave well upon your exit from the game. You need to close it and start it again. Otherwise, it appears to function well.
MODS
Brutal Doom is a gore-themed gameplay mod for Doom that was created in 2010 by Marcos Abenante.Doom at Wikipedia
ArchLinux Wiki
Zandronum Wiki
Playing SDL_mixer games with soundfonts
PrBoom+
Troubleshooting JAR File Associations for DoomLauncher
Doomworld Wiki
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