“Can it run DOOM?” is a phrase usually reserved for hardware, which usually can run Id Software’s iconic 1993 FPS with some mind-bending technical trickery. As it turns out, the classic, genre-shifting shooter can also be played within the brand-new Minecraft-like survival game Hytale.
Created by a team of crazed Minecraft modders in the first place, Hytale has been built with modders in mind. Released today in early access, the survival game has already received a mod that allows players to rip and tear their way through the iconic boomer shooter without leaving the title… but you’ll have to deal with some quirky controls.
Developed by modder tr7zw, the game’s DOOM mod was released before Hytale even launched meaning you can pick up the new $23.99 survival game and immediately ravage through hordes of demon scum.
“I’ll be honest, I didn’t plan for this…two to three nights with not enough sleep later and here we go: Doom running 100% inside a Hytale mod, before Hytale is even released,” the modder said in the description of their YouTube video.
The new DOOM port is fully rendered and controlled in game with audio created on the server-side. With the game forced to be controlled via the game’s existing controls, the modder admits that it “controls a bit like a broken keyboard”, but it is playable
Additionally, the game is at a very low resolution as Hytale “can only update so many blocks a second”. With this in mind, the DOOM port runs at 80×60 blocks at 20fps with a higher resolution forcing the game to run even slower which “looked way worse”.
Tr7zw explained that the mod “runs in its own thread, basically providing a screenshot each frame”. This screenshot is then downsampled “into a size Hytale can hanle 20 times-per-second to place, convert it to blocks with the nearest colour, [and] place them”. Then the mod hecks for player interactions to provide input to the version of DOOM running in the background.
The Hytale modder explains that this is the exact same logic someone would use to bring DOOM to Minecraft, although fans have actually made the FPS game now playable in Mojang’s game using entirely redstone… which is insane.
As a mod released before Hytale even went live, this does show a promising future for the new survival game. While the title is in early access with years of updates planned, the fact that it has been designed around modding means that players should be able to create whatever they want… provided they’re skilled enough.
