Where is Zandronum Going? (Follow-up to the Mapping Standards Thread)
Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2025 10:17 am
I’m making this thread as a follow-up to the conversation that started here: the “On the topic of newer mapping/modding standards” thread. That discussion covered a lot of ground: licensing, visibility, modding barriers, lack of infrastructure, and the engine’s long-term viability. If you missed it, I highly recommend reading it. A lot of people, not just the usual names, showed up with strong perspectives and serious concerns.
And then… nothing.
Weeks of input, multiple pages of thoughtful posts, and we got zero dev or staff response. Not even a “we’re reading this” or “we’ll get back to you.” Just total silence. And in the two weeks that followed? The only visible “development” was an attempt to update the site logo, which crashed the forums. That’s not a joke. That actually happened. No rollback, no communication, just the entire forums completely broken until someone quietly patched it. That would be funny if it weren’t so bleak. A rainbow logo broke the forums and it stayed that way, while the team couldn’t spare a single message to acknowledge a thread full of people raising serious concerns about the port’s future. If that doesn’t scream neglect, I don’t know what does.
Meanwhile, we’ve got people pointing out that Sgt. Mark IV, whether you like him or not, has a game with potentially over 50,000 wishlists on Steam. He has a proven track record, a massive following, and wanted to ship Zandronum with his game. But because of the licensing mess, he couldn’t. That’s a huge missed opportunity. One that could’ve brought attention, contributors, and momentum to Zandronum, without anyone even having to lift a finger. All it had to do was not be a legal minefield. So not only is there no modernization, no vision, no roadmap, we’re also failing to maintain the most basic level of trust or stability.
That became painfully obvious when a few users made heated (yes, inflammatory) posts, and instead of being moved to the Trash like this forum has always done for transparency, they were quietly deleted. No archive, no context, no explanation. Just gone. That’s not how you handle moderation in a project that’s supposed to be open and community-driven. If you want people to speak up, you have to make it safe to do so. Even if someone crosses a line, there should be process, not a silent purge. When posts vanish without trace, it doesn’t “clean things up.” It creates fear. It erodes trust. And when people no longer feel safe contributing, they stop showing up at all.
This isn’t drama. It’s about basic communication and leadership, and right now, neither is happening.
People gave their time to write feedback, propose solutions, and show that they still care about this port. What did we get in return? Silence. A forum-crashing logo. Deleted posts. That’s the message being sent from the top. Zandronum has survived this long thanks to a few people doing their best, and that deserves praise. But at some point, “keeping the lights on” becomes indistinguishable from just letting it rot. And right now, we’re losing even the last active projects that kept Zandronum relevant. Mods like Death and Decay are moving to GZDoom, not because of features, but because there's no confidence left in this port’s direction. Ivan, one of the most dedicated contributors this ports had, is ready to walk away. That should upset anyone who still thinks this engine has a future. This isn’t just about losing future potential, we’re actively bleeding out the last remaining reasons to care. And at this point, it’s hard not to feel like something deeper is wrong.
I’m not saying there’s active sabotage going on… but if someone were trying to sabotage the project, what exactly would they be doing differently? They’d ignore the biggest thread of the year. Avoid every serious question raised. Push a tone-deaf site update that breaks everything. Refuse to fix the licensing issues driving creators away. Quietly delete posts to bury symptoms instead of facing problems.
That’s what this looks like.
And I say that not to start drama, but because perception matters. When everything looks like it’s being mismanaged, and the people in charge say nothing, people will start assuming the worst. Whether or not it’s true doesn’t matter. The result is the same: creators leave, players check out, and what’s left is a skeleton with no direction. That’s the fire we’re sitting in. And until someone at the top acknowledges it, people are going to keep assuming the worst, because right now, that’s all we’re being shown.
And then… nothing.
Weeks of input, multiple pages of thoughtful posts, and we got zero dev or staff response. Not even a “we’re reading this” or “we’ll get back to you.” Just total silence. And in the two weeks that followed? The only visible “development” was an attempt to update the site logo, which crashed the forums. That’s not a joke. That actually happened. No rollback, no communication, just the entire forums completely broken until someone quietly patched it. That would be funny if it weren’t so bleak. A rainbow logo broke the forums and it stayed that way, while the team couldn’t spare a single message to acknowledge a thread full of people raising serious concerns about the port’s future. If that doesn’t scream neglect, I don’t know what does.
Meanwhile, we’ve got people pointing out that Sgt. Mark IV, whether you like him or not, has a game with potentially over 50,000 wishlists on Steam. He has a proven track record, a massive following, and wanted to ship Zandronum with his game. But because of the licensing mess, he couldn’t. That’s a huge missed opportunity. One that could’ve brought attention, contributors, and momentum to Zandronum, without anyone even having to lift a finger. All it had to do was not be a legal minefield. So not only is there no modernization, no vision, no roadmap, we’re also failing to maintain the most basic level of trust or stability.
That became painfully obvious when a few users made heated (yes, inflammatory) posts, and instead of being moved to the Trash like this forum has always done for transparency, they were quietly deleted. No archive, no context, no explanation. Just gone. That’s not how you handle moderation in a project that’s supposed to be open and community-driven. If you want people to speak up, you have to make it safe to do so. Even if someone crosses a line, there should be process, not a silent purge. When posts vanish without trace, it doesn’t “clean things up.” It creates fear. It erodes trust. And when people no longer feel safe contributing, they stop showing up at all.
This isn’t drama. It’s about basic communication and leadership, and right now, neither is happening.
People gave their time to write feedback, propose solutions, and show that they still care about this port. What did we get in return? Silence. A forum-crashing logo. Deleted posts. That’s the message being sent from the top. Zandronum has survived this long thanks to a few people doing their best, and that deserves praise. But at some point, “keeping the lights on” becomes indistinguishable from just letting it rot. And right now, we’re losing even the last active projects that kept Zandronum relevant. Mods like Death and Decay are moving to GZDoom, not because of features, but because there's no confidence left in this port’s direction. Ivan, one of the most dedicated contributors this ports had, is ready to walk away. That should upset anyone who still thinks this engine has a future. This isn’t just about losing future potential, we’re actively bleeding out the last remaining reasons to care. And at this point, it’s hard not to feel like something deeper is wrong.
I’m not saying there’s active sabotage going on… but if someone were trying to sabotage the project, what exactly would they be doing differently? They’d ignore the biggest thread of the year. Avoid every serious question raised. Push a tone-deaf site update that breaks everything. Refuse to fix the licensing issues driving creators away. Quietly delete posts to bury symptoms instead of facing problems.
That’s what this looks like.
And I say that not to start drama, but because perception matters. When everything looks like it’s being mismanaged, and the people in charge say nothing, people will start assuming the worst. Whether or not it’s true doesn’t matter. The result is the same: creators leave, players check out, and what’s left is a skeleton with no direction. That’s the fire we’re sitting in. And until someone at the top acknowledges it, people are going to keep assuming the worst, because right now, that’s all we’re being shown.