Underworld - (another) Cross Platform Doom Launcher

[ataco]

Underworld - (another) Cross-Platform Doom Launcher

Obligatory XKCD

I've been working on my own Doom launcher that fits my personal wants from a launcher, and I'm hoping to share it to encourage community feedback

What is Underworld?

Underworld is a cross-platform launcher (Linux, Windows, macOS) built with Avalonia UI that aims to make managing your Doom installations, mods, and configurations as painless as possible. It's designed with a focus on profile management and automatic WAD discovery.

Key Features:

• Profile System with Isolated Save Directories
  Each profile gets its own save folder (./saves/{ProfileName}/), so you can maintain separate playthroughs without mixing saves. Profiles remember your selected executable, IWAD, and mod list. You can also lock profiles to prevent accidental changes, and now you can export/import profiles to share configurations with friends!
• Automatic WAD Discovery & Metadata
  Point Underworld at your WAD directories (or set DOOMWADDIR/DOOMWADPATH environment variables) and it'll automatically scan and catalog your IWADs and PWADs. It parses WAD files to detect map counts and metadata, caching results for performance.
• Source Port Management
  Add multiple Doom executables (GZDoom, Zandronum, Chocolate Doom, etc.) with support for custom display names.
• Easy WAD Searching
  Quickly filter your available WADs by name using the search box. Includes details such as if the WAD has maps.
  Supports .wad, .pk3 and .zip files.
• Clean, Modern Interface
  Dark theme UI with all your launch options in one window - no tab hunting required.

How Does It Compare to ZDL?

If you're familiar with ZDL (ZDoom Launcher), Underworld takes a similar approach but with some key differences:

• Profile-Centric Design: Underworld puts profiles front and center with automatic save directory management per profile
• Auto-Discovery: Unlike ZDL's manual WAD list management, Underworld automatically scans your configured directories and supports standard Environment Variables
• Modern UI Framework: Built with Avalonia for true cross-platform support (not just Windows)
• WAD Metadata: Parses WAD files to show you which ones contain maps vs. just resources
• Profile Import/Export: Share your mod configurations with others

Both launchers serve the same core purpose, so which you prefer may come down to workflow preference. ZDL is very established and feature-rich, while Underworld focuses on profiles and automatic management.

Screenshot:

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(The entire launcher fits on one screen - executables, IWADs, and profiles on top; available/selected WADs on bottom)

Download & Installation:

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From Releases (Recommended):

1. Visit the Releases page
2. Download the appropriate package:
   • Linux: Underworld-linux-x64.zip
   • Windows: Underworld-win-x64.zip
   • macOS: Underworld-osx-x64.zip
3. Extract and run the Underworld executable

Build from Source:
Requires .NET 9.0 SDK

Code: Select all

git clone https://github.com/TehFlaminTaco/Underworld.git
cd Underworld
dotnet build Underworld/Underworld.csproj
dotnet run --project Underworld/Underworld.csproj

GitHub Repository: https://github.com/TehFlaminTaco/Underworld

Getting Started:

1. Add your Doom executable(s) (GZDoom, etc.) using the "Add New Executable(s)" button
2. Go to Data → Manage Data Folders and add directories where your WAD files live
3. Select an IWAD and source port from the top section
4. Browse and select mods from the Available WADs list
5. (Optional) Create a profile to save this configuration
6. Click "Run Game"!

Current Status:

Version 1.5.1 - Stable and ready for daily use.

Changelog:

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v1.5.0

• Can now re-import profiles, which helps if you carry the launcher portably.
• Wad Lists now update automatically, dynamically adding or removing wads and iwads when data folders change.
• Added Load Order support, can be re-arranged by dragging around the wads list.
• Added new run options: Run Game (Just launch the game into the main menu), Continue Game (Immediately load the last saved game), and Mini Launcher (With map, skill, and network options). Also shows the last few saves.
• Added user preferences for when to show warnings, what default launch option is preferred, and if to close the launcher on run

v1.4.0

• Added theme support with curated themes under `themes/`
• Fixed UI Titlebar being broken on windows

What's Next?

Some features I'm considering for future releases:

• Custom launch arguments per profile
• Enhanced game info/metadata display panel
• Map selection support

Feedback and suggestions welcome!


AI Disclaimer:

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AI (GitHub Copilot with Claude Sonnet 3.5) was used to assist in the creation of this project, primarily to help with UI integration. Additionally, ChatGPT was used to help design the logo. I don't support the use of AI for commercial use.

License:

Underworld is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

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Download

Let me know what you think! I'm open to bug reports, feature requests, and pull requests.

[Deon]

Thank you for working on this!

A few comments from my experience.

1) It seems it inherits colors from somewhere, so it doesn't look the same as in screenshots for me (Windows 11). The colors are not very readable for me:
Because of that I couldn't find the menus (on top, they look black on black for me).

https://imgur.com/a/vGW4Jyu

Is it something we could configure (i.e. themes selection)?


2) Clicking "manage data folders" under "file" makes the window expand fullscreen, but doesn't open the data folders config for me.

[ataco]

@Deon Thanks for trying it out!

I'll boot up my windows env and fix this up
Themes would be nice to add in the future, I'll investigate the possibility.

Edit:
Pushed the fix, used the opportunity to properly unify the colours and implement a theme system.

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Should no-longer conflict with the system theme, and you can pick from a variety of other themes, or make your own

[skorphil]

Wow cool! I've just came here to post about the launcher i wanna make. And found there is another launcher developing at the moment!

I've tried yours and have some feedback, regarding macOs:
- It is not common to package apps this way on mac. I expected to see underworld.app, not multiple executables
- I can not add an engine. This is also related to how apps are packaged on a mac. I have uzdoom.app. And when i select it, the launcher does nothing.

I guess it is expect me to point to executable (which is in uzdoom.app/contents/macos/uzdoom) but i can not open .app contents via file picker. And this not a convention for mac

Hope this feedback will help you )