● Covered by 1 source · 1 reportLow impact1 neutral
Developer Renders Full-Color Doom Frames Using SQL Database
Key points
- SQLDoom renders Doom frames using a CedarDB SQL database.
- A Python client handles input, output, and timing.
- Game logic is implemented with 1,300 lines of SQL queries.
- Generates 35 full-color 640x480 bitmap framebuffers per second.
SQLDoom Project Overview
Lukas Vogel created SQLDoom, a project that renders the classic game Doom using an SQL database. The system employs a small Python client for managing input, output, and game timing, while a CedarDB SQL database handles the game's geometry and state. Approximately 1,300 lines of SQL queries, spread across 89 common table expressions, implement the game's logic.
Technical Implementation
The SQL database generates 35 full-color 640x480 bitmap framebuffers per second. This approach represents an advancement over Vogel's earlier DoomQL project, which aimed to build a multiplayer Doom-like shooter entirely in SQL but resulted in raycasting-based, grayscale ASCII graphics. SQLDoom's output visually resembles the original Doom executable.
Data Conversion and Performance
Converting Doom's WAD files into a relational database was straightforward due to the game's structured breakdown of levels into vertices, lines, and sectors. Binary-space partition trees were also adapted to SQL using a pre-computed sort_key for objects. This allows a simple 'ORDER BY' statement to determine visible wall segments, contributing to performance.
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Primary sources
GitHub cedardb/sqldoomReporting from
Lukas Vogel developed SQLDoom, a project that renders full-color 640x480 frames of Doom using a CedarDB SQL database for game logic and state. This project improves upon his previous DoomQL, which only produced grayscale ASCII graphics, by leveraging SQL queries and table structures to manage game geometry and generate framebuffers.