The iconic first-person shooter Doom has been ported to countless platforms over the decades. Yet, two developers have taken this trend to an unexpected level. They’ve brought Doom to the PDF format. In separate projects, these programmers have successfully created a playable version of the game that runs in PDFs. This achievement showcases both creativity and technical ingenuity.
The PDF version of Doom works by rendering the game at 12 frames per second using ASCII characters. The visuals are not traditional graphics. They are displayed in six shades of gray. This makes it possible to discern the game’s action in a minimalist style. Each frame is composed of text fields filled with ASCII symbols to simulate the look of the game. The original Doom resolution was 320×200 pixels. Creating individual text fields for every pixel would have been impractical. So, this innovative method was devised.
This version of Doom is playable in Chromium-based browsers. It offers a fascinating glimpse into how far developers can push the boundaries of unconventional platforms. It’s not just a technical achievement but also a testament to the enduring legacy of Doom.
