DUDE

Before you start

You need

Not supported: the "BFG Edition" and the "Bethesda.net Edition" of DOOM 3. Those are remasters that store the game in a different format. DUDE needs the original 2004 DOOM 3. Good news: if you bought DOOM 3 on Steam or GOG, the original version is included with your purchase. The steps below show you how to find it.

How to recognise the right folder

Everything below comes down to one thing: copying DUDE into the game's folder. You are in the right place when you see:

GameThe right folder contains...
DOOM 3a folder named base with files named pak000.pk4 up to pak008.pk4 inside it
Resurrection of Evilthe same folder as DOOM 3, which also has a d3xp folder (with pak000.pk4 and pak001.pk4)
Quake 4a folder named q4base and the file Quake4.exe

If the base folder holds files ending in .resources instead of .pk4, that is the BFG or Bethesda.net version. Look for the other DOOM 3 entry.

Pick your case

🪟 Steam on Windows 🪟 GOG on Windows 💿 CD / DVD 🐧 Steam on Linux 🎮 SteamOS / Steam Deck ⚡ Quake 4 🛰️ The Lost Mission

Steam on Windows

  1. Install the original DOOM 3. Open your Steam Library and install DOOM 3 (not "BFG Edition", not "Bethesda.net Edition"). Buying DOOM 3 on Steam gives you the original game and Resurrection of Evil plus the BFG Edition; you want the original.
  2. Open the game folder. In the Library, right-click DOOM 3 > Manage > Browse local files. A window opens, usually at C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Doom 3. Check that it has the base folder with the pak000.pk4... files (see above). Leave this window open.
  3. Download DUDE for Windows: dude-win64.zip (85 MB).
  4. Unzip it. In your Downloads folder, right-click the file > Extract All... > Extract. You get a folder named dude-0.9.8-win64.
  5. Copy what is inside it into the game folder. Open dude-0.9.8-win64, press Ctrl+A to select everything, Ctrl+C to copy, then click in the Doom 3 window from step 2 and press Ctrl+V. If Windows asks about folders that already exist (base, d3xp), answer Yes. If it asks to replace files (only happens when updating DUDE), choose Replace.
  6. Make Steam's Play button start DUDE. Steam needs the full path to dude.exe, which depends on where your game is installed. Click the address bar at the top of the folder window from step 2, copy it (Ctrl+C) and paste it in the box below:
    "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Doom 3\dude.exe" %command%
    Copy the line under the box. Then in the Library, right-click DOOM 3 > Properties > General and paste it into Launch Options. (Writing it by hand: the folder path followed by \dude.exe, all in quotes, then a space and %command%.)
  7. Play. Press Play on DOOM 3 in Steam as usual: DUDE starts, with the Steam overlay and your play time. To play the original Doom3.exe again, empty the Launch Options box. You can also start DUDE without Steam by double-clicking dude.exe.

"Windows protected your PC"? DUDE is not signed with a paid certificate, so Windows SmartScreen may warn the first time. Click More info > Run anyway. Only do this for files you downloaded from this site or the official GitHub releases.

Next: first launch and settings.

GOG on Windows

  1. Install DOOM 3 with GOG Galaxy or the offline installer from your GOG library.
  2. Open the game folder. In GOG Galaxy, open DOOM 3 > click the settings icon next to Play > Manage installation > Show folder. With the offline installer, it is the folder you picked during setup (often C:\GOG Games\DOOM 3). Check that you see base with the pak000.pk4... files. If your GOG package also contains the BFG Edition, make sure you are in the folder of the original game.
  3. Download DUDE for Windows: dude-win64.zip, and unzip it (right-click > Extract All...).
  4. Copy everything inside the dude-0.9.8-win64 folder into the DOOM 3 folder (Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C, then Ctrl+V in the game folder; answer Yes to merging folders).
  5. Play: double-click dude.exe. To start it from GOG Galaxy, use Add game > Manually add game and point it at dude.exe.

Next: first launch and settings.

Original CD / DVD

The boxed game works, but it must be updated to version 1.3.1 first: the last official patch adds files DUDE needs (pak005.pk4 to pak008.pk4, and the second Resurrection of Evil file).

Windows

  1. Install DOOM 3 (and Resurrection of Evil, if you have it) from the discs as usual. The default folder is C:\Program Files (x86)\Doom 3 (or C:\Program Files\Doom 3).
  2. Install the official 1.3.1 patch for DOOM 3. It is no longer on id Software's site but is mirrored widely, for example among the DOOM 3 downloads on ModDB (look for "1.3.1 patch").
  3. Check the folder: base should now hold pak000.pk4 to pak008.pk4.
  4. Continue from step 3 of Steam on Windows: download DUDE, unzip it, copy everything inside into the Doom 3 folder, run dude.exe.

Linux

Windows discs work on Linux; you only need their data files.

  1. Make a folder for the game, for example ~/Games/doom3, with a base folder inside (and d3xp for Resurrection of Evil).
  2. Copy pak000.pk4 to pak004.pk4 from the DOOM 3 discs into base, and pak000.pk4 from the Resurrection of Evil disc into d3xp.
  3. Get the remaining files from the 1.3.1 Linux patch doom3-linux-1.3.1.1304.x86.run (see the dhewm3 FAQ for a download link). Put it in your game folder, open a terminal there and run:
    sh doom3-linux-1.3.1.1304.x86.run --tar xvf --wildcards base/pak* d3xp/pak*
  4. Continue with Steam on Linux from step 3, using this folder.

Steam on Linux

  1. Let Steam install a Windows game. DOOM 3 is sold as a Windows game, so Steam may hide the Install button. Open Steam > Settings > Compatibility and turn on Enable Steam Play for all other titles. Then install DOOM 3 (the original, not BFG).
  2. Open the game folder: right-click DOOM 3 > Manage > Browse local files. It is usually ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/Doom 3. Check for base with the pak000.pk4... files.
  3. Download DUDE for Linux: dude-linux-x86_64.tar.gz (75 MB), then right-click it > Extract here.
  4. Copy everything inside the dude-0.9.8-linux-x86_64 folder into the Doom 3 folder, merging the base, d3xp and d3le folders.
  5. Make Steam's Play button start DUDE. Right-click DOOM 3 > Properties > General, and paste this line into Launch Options: env -u LD_LIBRARY_PATH ./dude # %command% Steam starts the game from inside its own folder, so ./dude finds DUDE wherever the game is installed, on any drive or Steam library. The # tells Steam to skip its usual Windows start-up, so the Linux version of DUDE runs directly, and env -u LD_LIBRARY_PATH makes it use your system's libraries instead of Steam's older copies.
  6. Play: press Play on DOOM 3 in Steam. Empty the Launch Options box to get the original game back. Without Steam, double-click dude, or type ./dude in a terminal in the Doom 3 folder.

DUDE uses SDL2 and OpenAL from your system; nearly every desktop distribution has them already. If nothing happens, install them (Debian/Ubuntu: sudo apt install libsdl2-2.0-0 libopenal1; Arch: sudo pacman -S sdl2 openal; Fedora: sudo dnf install SDL2 openal-soft) and start ./dude from a terminal to see any error.

SteamOS / Steam Deck

On SteamOS you use the Linux version of DUDE, inside the DOOM 3 that Steam installs for you. You need Desktop Mode once, to copy the files; after that you play from Game Mode as usual.

  1. Install DOOM 3 from your Library in Game Mode (the original DOOM 3, not BFG Edition). Steam Deck installs Windows games without any extra setting.
  2. Switch to Desktop Mode: press the Steam button > Power > Switch to Desktop. A mouse and keyboard help but are not required: the right trackpad moves the pointer, R2 clicks, and Steam + X opens the on-screen keyboard.
  3. Download DUDE for Linux: open a web browser (install Firefox from the Discover app if you have none) and get dude-linux-x86_64.tar.gz. Or download it on another computer and copy it over with a USB stick.
  4. Extract it: open Dolphin (the file manager), go to Downloads, right-click the file > Extract > Extract archive here.
  5. Open the game folder: open Steam on the desktop, right-click DOOM 3 > Manage > Browse local files. On internal storage it is /home/deck/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/common/Doom 3; on a microSD card it is under /run/media/.../steamapps/common/Doom 3.
  6. Copy everything inside the extracted dude-0.9.8-linux-x86_64 folder into the Doom 3 folder (select all, copy, paste; when Dolphin asks about existing folders, choose Write Into / Apply to All).
  7. Make DOOM 3's Play button start DUDE. Still in desktop Steam (pasting is easier here than in Game Mode), right-click DOOM 3 > Properties > General, and paste this line into Launch Options: env -u LD_LIBRARY_PATH ./dude # %command% Steam starts the game from inside its own folder, so this works on internal storage and on a microSD card alike. The # tells Steam to skip its usual Windows start-up, so the Linux version of DUDE runs directly, and env -u LD_LIBRARY_PATH makes it use your system's libraries instead of Steam's older copies.
  8. Back to Game Mode with the Return to Gaming Mode icon on the desktop, and press Play on DOOM 3. To play the original game again, empty the Launch Options box.

Recommended on Steam Deck: the Medium preset with ray tracing off, which keeps the Deck's 800p screen smooth. Ray tracing and path tracing are made for desktop graphics cards.

Controls: the Deck's controls work as a standard pad. Open the settings menu (F10, or DUDE Settings in the main menu) > Bindings > Reset Gamepad Bindings to Xbox-style Defaults. Alternatively, choose Steam's "Keyboard (WASD) and Mouse" controller layout for DOOM 3.

A Steam update or "Verify integrity of game files" does not remove DUDE: it only checks the game's own files.

Quake 4

Same idea, two downloads: DUDE itself, and the small Quake 4 add-on (the Quake 4 game code, which comes under Raven's own licence and is distributed separately). Both go into your Quake 4 folder.

  1. Install the full Quake 4 from Steam, GOG or the discs (discs: update to the last official patch, 1.4.2). The demo version is not supported. On Linux, turn on Steam Play first as described in Steam on Linux.
  2. Open the Quake 4 folder (Steam: right-click Quake 4 > Manage > Browse local files). It contains q4base and Quake4.exe.
  3. Download both files for your system and extract them:
  4. Copy the contents of both extracted folders into the Quake 4 folder, so that dude.exe (or dude) sits right next to Quake4.exe, not in a subfolder.
  5. Make Steam's Play button start DUDE, exactly as for DOOM 3 but with the Quake 4 folder: right-click Quake 4 > Properties > General > Launch Options.
    • Windows: paste the address of your Quake 4 folder (from step 2) here and use the line under the box:
      "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Quake 4\dude.exe" %command%
    • Linux / SteamOS: env -u LD_LIBRARY_PATH ./dude # %command%
  6. Play: press Play on Quake 4 in Steam, or start dude.exe / dude from the Quake 4 folder. DUDE sees Quake 4's files and runs Quake 4.

Never copy Quake 4's files into DOOM 3's folder (or the other way round). Quake 4 and DOOM 3 use the same file names, so mixing them would overwrite DOOM 3's own files. Keep one copy of DUDE in each game's folder instead; DUDE stops with a message if it finds both games in one place.

Forgot the add-on? DUDE tells you which file is missing and has a button that opens the download page. Multiplayer is not supported yet.

The Lost Mission

The Lost Mission was made for the BFG Edition; the community ported it back to the original DOOM 3 engine, and DUDE runs that port.

  1. Install DUDE into your DOOM 3 folder as described above (DUDE already includes The Lost Mission's game code).
  2. Download the community Lost Mission port from ModDB and extract its d3le folder into the DOOM 3 folder, next to base.
  3. Start DUDE and choose Mods > The Lost Mission in the main menu.

First launch

DUDE starts with the classic renderer, so the first screen looks just like the original game. To turn on the new graphics:

  1. Pick a renderer. In the main menu open Settings > System and set Renderer to OpenGL 3 (works on almost every PC) or Vulkan (faster on modern cards, needed for ray tracing), then apply.
  2. Pick a Quality preset on the same page: Potato (the original look), Low, Medium, High, Ultra or Nightmare. Start at High on a recent gaming PC, Medium on a laptop or Steam Deck.
  3. Ray Tracing appears on that page with Vulkan on a card that supports it (GeForce RTX, Radeon RX 6000 or newer, Intel Arc). On adds traced shadows, reflections and bounce light; the highest setting is full path tracing, for powerful cards.
  4. Everything else, from controls to individual effects, is in the full settings menu: press F10 at any time, or use DUDE Settings in the main menu.

Resurrection of Evil: choose Mods > Resurrection of Evil in the main menu.

Updating and uninstalling

Update: download the new version and copy it over the old one in the same way, choosing Replace when asked. Your settings and saves are kept.

Uninstall: delete what DUDE added to the game folder: dude.exe/dude, base.dll, d3xp.dll, d3le.dll, q4base.dll (or the .so files on Linux), the other .dll files from the archive, base/zz_dude_menu.pk4 and d3xp/zz_dude_roe_menu.pk4. The original game keeps working either way: Doom3.exe ignores DUDE's files.

Your DUDE settings and saves live in their own folder: Documents\My Games\dude on Windows, ~/.local/share/dude on Linux and SteamOS.

Stuck? See the FAQ or ask on GitHub.