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Odamex 0.5.4 is a rather hefty release that will ultimately serve to bridge the gap between the 0.5 series and 0.6. Along with the usual bug fixes, it features a number of experimental features expected to be complete for the 0.6 release.

Odamex 0.5.4 features a number of important fixes over the last official version. A bug introduced by the client "death camera" causing incorrect spawn angles has been fixed. Issues that occur specifically in CTF such as ghost flags and the sound origin bug have been fixed as well. Other similar changes include improvements to the scoreboards, improved ZDoom compatibility, and changes to default settings.

The most notable of the new features found in Odamex 0.5.4 are both the inclusion of unlagged support and early net demo support, both of which have been a long time coming. These features are both currently in experimental stages, so while we encourage you to give them a try, we also encourage you to report any issues or bugs that you run across while using them so that the Odamex team can do its best to stamp out these issues going into our next major version.

Odamex 0.5.4 adds options for a number of ZDoom competitive standards as well. The addition of the new cl_nobob and sv_allownobob allows players to turn off the swinging of the hud weapon if the server allows it. Another new server variable, co_zdoomsoundcurve, increases the distance players can hear sound to that used in ZDoom engines. The existing co_zdoomphys server variable now also adds support for two-way wall running. As always, these enhanced features all defaulted to off in a default server configuration.

Other changes and additions for players include the ability to turn the music system off entirely through the sound menu (snd_nomusic). This should serve as a temporary remedy for players who experience music issues on Windows Vista and Windows 7. Odamex 0.5.4 also features support for 5-button mice.

For a more in-depth look at the changes in Odamex 0.5.4,  check out a more extensive list on the release page or the complete listing using our svn changelog.


There are two changes in this release that server administrators should take note of.

1) Odamex will be phasing out the -config command line moving toward our next major version. This is likely the last official release that will support it. Please begin using the new +exec parameter to read from configuration files.

2) There was a very important change to our CTF system in this release. The cvar ctf_flagtimeout, which determines how long it takes before an untouched dropped flag returns to its pedestal, underwent a significant change in this version. Originally, ctf_flagtimeout was measured in 'tics'. The default was 600 tics. To streamline this cvar to be more inline with our other variables, the unit of measurement was changed to seconds. Although the new default is 10 seconds, this change will not take place unless you update your configuration. IF YOU DO NOT UPDATE YOUR CONFIGURATION FROM 0.5.3, IT WILL TAKE 600 SECONDS FOR THE FLAG TO AUTOMATICALLY RETURN TO THE BASE. Please take note of this and make the appropriate changes where necessary!


The Odamex project is still very much in need of updated documentation and encourage anyone with the time and desire to help to get in touch with us. Experience with editing wikis is preferred but certainly not a requirement. If you feel that this is something you would be interested in, please do not hesitate to contact me through our IRC channel (irc.oftc.net #odamex) or through a forum private message.

We would also like to again remind our users that the Odamex project thrives off of user input, particularly when it comes to resolving bugs in the engine. If you would like to be involved in helping Odamex's development move forward, please take a moment to sign up for the Odamex Bug Tracker. The team refers to the bug tracker to determine how development should move forward. If you come across something odd or broken that is not already listed or resolved in the tracker, please submit as much information as you can! Odamex can only succeed with the help of dedicated users!

If you are interested in tracking official Odamex news more easily, you can subscribe to updates in a variety of ways:

1) Subscribe to the new Odamex Mailing List, which will give you immediate updates on Odamex bugs and their status as changes occur. You can do this by signing up here or email odamex-bug-reporter-request@freelists.org with "subscribe" in the subject field.

2) You can subscribe to the Odamex releases rss feed.

3) You can receive email alerts on official Odamex releases (requires a sourceforge account or an openid).

what are commands to record/play netdemos? do demofiles have specific names/extensions? where do you guys hide all this vital for odamex info?

Commands should be the standard commands, -netplay and -netrecord.  Demo files have .odd extension.  Netdemos are considered experimental and there is no complete documentation for them currently.  We are working on documentation and expect it to be done soon.