The initial release of Zugnaex on Steam raised many concerns within the DOOM®(1) community. When the game went live last year, it included Freedoom(2) assets, didn't disclose how AI was used, and caused anger by charging for something that made use of freely available code and assets. Years of work developing this tech, the battle modes, and the online service were all devalued. So I retired it.

I spent the next several months revamping the game. All Freedoom(2) assets were removed. The store page was rewritten to try to exactly describe the game. Details were added about the included source code. AI usage was fully disclosed. A standalone battle example was included that players could use to run their own battles. The backend service was upgraded to improve the gameplay experience for players around the world. And many more changes including bug fixes, performance improvements and new battle modes.

However, there are still concerns from the community. I want to hear those concerns, but action must be taken regarding the misinformation and negative comments. I understand why they are here. But I have acted on that feedback. I’m asking the community to respect that and continue to provide actionable, constructive and informational feedback based on the game as it is today.

This is a deep question. It’s about understanding the difference between free and freedom. In my opinion, the Free Software Foundation (FSF)(3) promotes freedom but understands that there is a cost associated with software development. In the case of this game, in addition to thousands of hours spent developing the software, there is also a cost to operate the online service. I felt it was fair and reasonable to charge a fee for the Steam distribution. Whether it can cover operational costs or not, as long as players are playing, I’ll try my best to keep it running.

This entire mod was developed and initially released in the summer of 2022 with no AI usage at all. It was only in the last 1.5 years or so of development that I started using AI. I used it to help create the initial store page and that was a huge mistake for many reasons but mainly because it was not me. You learn from mistakes and move on. I continue to use AI tools but with much more restraint. As I am a programmer by trade, I didn’t use AI to generate the code in this mod. I wrote it. I did use AI to help answer technical questions which allowed me to write the code more efficiently.

There was a recent discussion on x.com (4) related to AI where two iconic figures in FPS history made some very strong comments on AI that are relevant here. They both happen to be programmers too, which is also interesting.

In response to a post discussing this recent AI tech demo,

“Microsoft has created an AI-generated replica of Quake II that you can play in browser.”
-- Geoff Keighley (link to full post)[x.com] (4)

Both John Carmack & Tim Sweeney shared their thoughts on modern AI.

“AI tools will allow the best to reach even greater heights, while enabling smaller teams to accomplish more, and bring in some completely new creator demographics.”
-- John Carmack (link to full post)[x.com] (4)

“AI will ultimately be a powerful tool in the toolbox of every programmer, artist, and designer, just as high level languages, paint programs, and visual scripting were in previous eras. The opportunities available to everyone should ultimately increase as a result.”
-- Tim Sweeney (link to full post)[x.com] (4)

Great question! The goal of this tech was to allow other modders to bring their stories online. It’s not there yet but with community support, it will happen!

---

Do you have more questions, comments or concerns?
Post and I’ll try to answer them...

Otherwise, please help. Zugnaex grows stronger as we speak. Only together can we defeat the demon and save humanity! See you in battle.

1. DOOM®, DOOM II®, and id Software® are worldwide registered trademarks of Microsoft, Inc. Zugnaex and DoomBattle.Zone are not affiliated with or approved by Microsoft, Inc. or id Software LLC.
   
2. The Freedoom game data files (WADs) are compatible but not included. Zugnaex is not endorsed by Freedoom. It is a separate project. Copyright © 2001-2024 Contributors to the Freedoom project. All rights reserved. (see https://freedoom.github.io )
   
3. The Free Software Foundation (FSF) is a nonprofit with a worldwide mission to promote computer user freedom. (see https://www.fsf.org/ )
   
4. These are partial quotes from posts made on x.com. Please see the links next to each quote for the full post details, context and credit.