Summary
- A high school student has successfully ported the classic game Doom (1993) to a PDF file, resulting in a playable, albeit slow, experience.
- Doom's compact size (2.39 MB) has enabled its execution on various unconventional devices, including the Nintendo Alarmo and even within other games like Balandro.
- The continued exploration of running Doom on unusual platforms underscores its enduring legacy and remarkable adaptability.
A high school student, GitHub user ading2210, has achieved the remarkable feat of porting the influential game Doom (1993) to a PDF file. This adds to the already impressive list of unexpected platforms on which Doom has been played.
Id Software's Doom is legendary, profoundly impacting the first-person shooter (FPS) genre. Its influence is so significant it essentially coined the term "FPS," with many early games in the genre often labeled "Doom clones." Recently, a trend has emerged: programmers and gaming enthusiasts challenge themselves to run Doom on increasingly unusual devices—from refrigerators and alarm clocks to car stereos—demonstrating the game's surprising adaptability. This latest achievement pushes the boundaries even further.
A high school student and GitHub user ading2210 has successfully ported Doom to a PDF. This was possible because PDFs support JavaScript, allowing for 3D rendering, HTTP requests, and monitor detection. However, the standard method of using text boxes as pixels is impractical for Doom's 320x200 resolution. Therefore, ading2210 cleverly employed one text box per screen row, resulting in a playable, albeit slow, experience. As shown in a video, the PDF version lacks color, sound, and text, with an 80ms per-frame response time.
High School Student Ports Doom (1993) to a PDF
Doom's relatively small size (2.39 megabytes) is a key factor in its portability. Recently, another programmer successfully ran Doom on the Nintendo Alarmo, using its dials for movement and buttons for menu navigation. Furthermore, a player creatively ported Doom to run within the game Balandro, utilizing its card layout, though performance limitations were evident, similar to the PDF version.
These projects aren't solely about achieving flawless performance on unconventional platforms. They showcase the boundless creativity of players and the enduring appeal of Doom. The fact that Doom, over 30 years later, remains a subject of such inventive experimentation is a testament to its lasting legacy. With players continually pushing boundaries, we can expect even more unusual Doom ports in the future.
