Classic DOOM 1993

Classic DOOM is Now Playable in Microsoft Word and a PDF

Joining the current list of “DOOM is now playable on” is Microsoft Word and your average PDF. The classic shooter is known for being playable in all sorts of strange ways. The latest even included the Nintendo Alarmo digital alarm clock.

Wojciecj Graj has now developed a custom version of the game that makes use of Visual Basic for Applications in Microsoft Word. Essentially, you can get the game running on the Office Suite program, and instead of wading through pages of text during the day, you can shoot through a legion of demons.

Of course, getting the game running through Microsoft Word isn’t the simplest thing on the planet. It also isn’t the safest thing either. That’s because the game file itself is 6.6MB, and running a file of this size on Word isn’t the most practical thing around. The whole process also then relies on you ignoring various security warnings that come with Visual Basic for Applications.

The game is then rendered by a DLL that is creating a bitmap image of the game for every frame. These frames are displayed in Word itself. It then uses the GetAsyncKeyState function to detect the input keys. According to the video, the game doesn’t run pretty smoothly. However, injecting code into Word isn’t the most natural way to use the application. But it is still cool to see.

As for the PDF method, this was done last week when a GitHub user, ading2210, managed to port the game into a PDF file. PDF uses JavaScript, which then enables functions like 3D rendering and motion detection.

This PDF method is not the way you want to play the game. That’s because even at DOOM’s 320×200 resolution, the game requires thousands of lines of text for each frame. A PDF uses small text boxes for each pixel. This means each frame is overloaded with text, which in turn, renders the game. As a result, the game is slow and has an 80ms delay. It is also in black and white and has no sound. Still, it is a cool project to see working.

If you have nothing better to do, you can visit the various GitHub pages to get this all up and running yourself. The Microsoft Word version of DOOM is here and the PDF version of DOOM is here.

Marco is the owner and founder of GLITCHED. South Africa’s largest gaming and pop culture website. GLITCHED quickly established itself with tech and gaming enthusiasts with on-point opinions, quick coverage of breaking events and unbiased reviews across its website, social platforms, and YouTube channel.

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