Doom Has Been Ported to a PDF File

by

Summary

  • A high school student has ported Doom (1993) to a PDF file, offering a slow but playable experience.
  • Doom’s compact size allows players to run it on unconventional devices, like the Nintendo Alarmo and within other video games.
  • Players continue to explore endless possibilities to run Doom, highlighting its lasting legacy and ongoing relevance.

One diligent high school student successfully transferred the groundbreaking 1993 game, “Doom”, into a PDF format. This unusual move joins the long list of unanticipated platforms where “Doom” has previously been played.

Originating from id Software, Doom is renowned as one of the most impactful video games ever, particularly within the First-Person Shooter (FPS) genre. In fact, the inception of Doom sparked the coinage of the term “FPS,” and for a considerable period, games of this type were often referred to as “Doom clones.” Over recent years, an intriguing trend has emerged, where developers and gaming enthusiasts alike have endeavored to operate Doom on an array of unconventional devices. This quirky yet impressive movement encompasses everything from fridges, alarm clocks, and car stereos to practically any device boasting a modicum of technology. This amusing yet remarkable trend has since escalated to new heights.

A high school student who goes by the name ading2210, also known for using GitHub, has successfully converted the iconic game Doom into a PDF file. The unique aspect of this conversion is that the PDF format includes JavaScript capabilities, allowing functions such as 3D rendering, making HTTP requests, and monitoring user’s screens. Typically, interactive PDFs use small text boxes as pixels; however, due to Doom’s resolution of 320×200, which requires a significant amount of data for each frame, it’s impractical. To make the game playable despite its slowness, ading2210 employs one text box per screen row. In a video shared by the creator, the game appears in black and white, without sound or text, and it has a 80ms response time per frame.

High School Student Ports Doom (1993) to a PDF

One of the reasons for this incredible feat is the small file size of Doom (just 2.39 megabytes). Recently, a programmer successfully made Doom playable on the Nintendo Alarm clock by using the dials at the top to control movement and the side buttons for navigating the game’s menu. However, fans haven’t stopped at devices; instead, they’ve gone even further and managed to get Doom running in Balandro. In this adaptation, players can enjoy the classic first-person shooter experience across the spread cards of Balandro, although there are noticeable performance issues, similar to the PDF version.

The aim of these projects isn’t strictly about enjoying a seamless gameplay of ‘Doom’ on uncommon platforms. Rather, it underscores the boundless ingenuity that creative gamers can discover to make it work. The fact that ‘Doom’ remains relevant after over 30 years is simply another testament to its lasting impact. As players continue to innovate, it’s likely that ‘Doom’ will be adapted for even more unconventional devices in the future.

Read More

2025-01-14 22:24