This project gives you a super easy way to develop the Zandronum source port on Windows 10/11. You'll need a working PowerShell with Mercurial (winget install Mercurial.Mercurial -e) and Git (winget install --id Git.Git -e --source winget) installed.
- In PowerShell, run:
git clone https://github.com/rc4l/zandronum-windows-compile.git cd zandronum-windows-compile
- Then run:
./build.ps1to setup everything. This'll take 5-8 minutes for the first time. You should see a runnable game inbuild/Release. - You can now make code changes in
src/zandronum(never inbuild/) and rerun./build.ps1to update your game.
- Do you want to make a new build to test your changes? Don't delete anything and rerun it.
- Do you want to wipe everything clean including code changes? Delete
/deps,/build, and/src/zandronumand then rerun it. - Do you just want to do a clean reinstall but keep your code changes? Delete
/depsand/buildand then rerun it.
build/: This is where your compiled Zandronum program and all the files it needs to run will appear. If you want to play or test, look here for Zandronum.exe inbuild/Release.deps/: This folder holds all the stuff the script downloads to make the build work (compilers, libraries, etc). You almost never need to touch this.src/zandronum: The Zandronum source code (edit your code here).
| Dependency | Version | Source/URL | Installation Type | What do? (Why is it needed?) | Notes / Portability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CMake | 3.28.1 | https://github.com/Kitware/CMake/releases | Portable | Tells your computer how to build Zandronum from the source code. | Downloaded/extracted to deps/ |
| NASM | 2.16.01 | https://www.nasm.us/pub/nasm/releasebuilds/ | Portable | Builds some low-level parts of Zandronum (fast math, sound, etc). | Downloaded/extracted to deps/ |
| Python (embedded) | 3.12.1 | https://www.python.org/ftp/python/ | Portable | Runs helper scripts during the build (not for playing the game). | Downloaded/extracted to deps/ |
| Strawberry Perl Portable | 5.40.0.1 | https://github.com/StrawberryPerl/Perl-Dist-Strawberry/releases | Portable | Required to configure and build OpenSSL from source code. | Downloaded/extracted to deps/ |
| FMOD Ex | 4.44.64 | https://zdoom.org/files/fmod/ | Portable | Lets Zandronum play music and sound effects. | Downloaded/extracted to deps/ |
| OpenSSL | 3.5.1 | https://www.openssl.org/source/ (built from source) | Portable | Lets Zandronum connect to servers securely (for multiplayer over the internet). | Built statically from source to avoid DLL dependencies |
| Opus | 1.5.2 | https://downloads.xiph.org/releases/opus/ (committed in tools/opus/) | Portable | Lets Zandronum use voice chat in multiplayer games. | Committed source archive, built during setup |
| 7-Zip (7z.exe) | Any | (Committed in tools/7z/ or system) | Portable | Unpacks all the downloaded files and tools. | Must exist in tools/7z/ |
| Visual Studio Build Tools | 2022 | https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/visual-cpp-build-tools/ | System | Actually compiles (builds) the Zandronum program from the code. | Auto-installs via winget if needed |
| Windows SDK (DirectX) | 10.x | (From local system, via Visual Studio/Windows SDK) | System | Gives Zandronum the files it needs to use graphics and sound on Windows. | Extracted from system, not bundled |
| Git | Any | https://git-scm.com/ | System | Downloads this repository and manages version control for this build system. | User must install |
| Mercurial | Any | https://www.mercurial-scm.org/install | System | Downloads the Zandronum source code from the official repository. | User must install |
| Freedoom WADs | Latest | https://freedoom.github.io/ (mirrored in tools/freedoom/) | Portable | Free game data so you can run and test Zandronum even if you don't own Doom. | Placed in build/Release |
This build system is provided as-is for convenience. Zandronum and all third-party dependencies retain their original licenses. See their respective sites for details.
Enjoy portable, hassle-free Zandronum development on Windows!