About
This is id Software's official GPL source-code release for the original 1992 Wolfenstein 3D, covering the DOS engine built with Borland C++ 3.0/3.1. It was originally distributed via the DEICE self-extracting-zip floppy-disk installer, and running the resulting binaries still requires the actual game data from a released version of Wolfenstein 3D or Spear of Destiny (the shareware version is sufficient).
History
The release notes include retrospective commentary from id's John Carmack, who describes the ray-casting rendering architecture as still reasonably appropriate, calls the dynamically compiled wall-scaling routines a performance liability on processors newer than the original 486 target, and criticizes the page-manager caching scheme as unnecessarily complex. He also suggested follow-on project ideas such as new monsters or weapons, taller walls with vertical motion, a 32-bit compiler port, and multiplayer support via DOOM's serial/IPX setup drivers.
Additional notes
- License
- The accompanying license restricts use of the source to non-commercial 'Educational Use' only — commercial exploitation of the code is explicitly prohibited.