Someone Got Doom to Play on a Smart Light Bulb | Game Rant
Ever since the release of the original Doom in 1993 for MS-DOS, the game has inspired creativity in the programming and level design field for its fans even now to this day. With the game's modding and custom map options being incredibly accessible, along with the source code being easily found online, all sorts of things can be done with the game; such as this one fan getting Doom to run on a smart lightbulb.
Doom has been widely known for how the engine can run on almost anything, and the source code is just as easy to modify as its custom maps are. For years, fans had fun with just making new maps to keep playing the game over and over, but when the source code was put onto the internet in 1996, those with programming knowledge have made it a constant idea in their heads to try and get Doom ported to as many devices as possible.
That was an idea that struck a fan who bought an Ikea Trådfri GU10 345 RGB LED smart light bulb, who decided to try and get the incredibly popular arena shooter title to run on it to find success with the help of mods on top of the source code. Since it's a light bulb, one of the problems that needed to be solved was how to actually play it. Thankfully, the programmer found a controller for the light bulb through the MGM210L RF board that helps operate the bulb's normal features.
To make sure it could run on the make-shift gaming device, the version of Doom used on it is modified for many workarounds such as RAM and the audio limitations that come from operating a game on a lightbulb.
Where just a small impulse idea in this one fan's head seemed impossible, with a few tricks and some programming knowledge, it turned out to be completely doable, even if just for the sake that it turned out to be possible. Doom fans can write down yet another device that the game can run on, such as iPods and Smart Fridges, and calculators.
Unfortunately, for the fans curious to see it in action and to understand the details as to know the port was possible, the website that hosted the YouTube video and article of information on how it worked was told to remove it and all "public material." While the "request" that lead to the removal is unknown, thankfully, a photo of the make-shift device with Doom on its screen is still available. Even if the information on how it was done never surfaces again, the fact that it was done is still there and makes its mark in the long lineup of strange devices that can play the original Doom.
Post a Comment