● Covered by 2 sources · 2 reportsLow impact2 neutral
Microsoft Azure CTO Develops DoomPaint, Running Doom in MS Paint at up to 35 FPS
Key points
- Mark Russinovich, Microsoft Azure CTO, developed DoomPaint.
- DoomPaint runs the original shareware Doom in MS Paint.
- Frames are rendered to clipboard and pasted into Paint.
- Achieves up to 35 frames per second with sound and music.
- Project resources and instructions are available on GitHub.
Doom Runs in Microsoft Paint
Mark Russinovich, the Chief Technology Officer for Microsoft Azure, has developed a project named DoomPaint. This project enables the original shareware version of the game Doom to run, utilizing Microsoft Paint as its primary display interface. The implementation includes both sound and music from the game.
Technical Implementation
DoomPaint operates by running the actual Doom engine (ViZDoom) with the DOOM1.WAD file. Each frame generated by the engine is placed onto the Windows clipboard. Subsequently, this frame is pasted into Paint's canvas as a document edit. This method allows the game to achieve frame rates of up to 35 frames per second, though performance can vary.
Project Details and Availability
Russinovich has made the files, resources, and instructions for DoomPaint available on GitHub. Users can access these materials to run the game on their own systems. The project highlights the adaptability of the Doom engine, which has been ported to various unconventional platforms since its release in 1993.
Performance and Context
While the frame rate can fluctuate, reaching up to 35 FPS is considered a decent metric, especially when compared to PC gaming standards of the 1990s. Russinovich noted that the relatively low frame rate is part of the project's appeal. The project uses BSD-licensed Freedoom WADs to cover episodes not included in the shareware version.
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Primary sources
GitHub markrussinovich/DoomPaintHow outlets covered it
Mark Russinovich, CTO of Microsoft Azure, developed DoomPaint, a project that runs the original Doom shareware release using Microsoft Paint as the display. This implementation achieves up to 35 frames per second and includes sound and music, demonstrating the game's adaptability to unconventional platforms.
Mark Russinovich, Microsoft Azure CTO, released DoomPaint, a project that runs the original Doom game using MS Paint as the display viewport. This is achieved by rendering each frame to the Windows clipboard and pasting it into Paint's canvas, allowing the game to run at up to 35 frames per second.