Getting seminal first-person shooter Doom running on minimal or bizarre hardware is a sport among hackers, but the fact that Doom runs in fast, portable C makes it possible. What if Doom were instead ported to the least convenient and most inappropriate language? How about Structured Query Language, designed exclusively for use manipulating relational databases?
A computer scientist used only "pure SQL" to construct a multiplayer DOOM-like game. The resulting first-person shooter game, cobbled from a mere ~150 lines of Python code, is dubbed DOOMQL. Despite the self-imposed software architecture restrictions, Lukas Vogel, co-founder of database performance outfit CedarDB, says DOOMQL plays at "a breezy ~30 FPS." It isn't the most graphically splendid DOOM-inspired game, though.
I don't know how it works and I don't want to know how it works. If you want to play it, head over to the GitHub repo and get cracking.
Features
Pure SQL renderer: Raycasting, sprite projection, occlusion, and HUD, all implemented asVIEWS.
Multiplayer: CedarDB handles concurrent players, synchronization, and state.
Hackable game state: Change config, teleport players, or balance weapons with a singleUPDATE.
First-class cheating support: Since everyone just talks SQL to the DB, half the fun is figuring out sneaky cheating queries.
Minimal client: 150 lines of Python to capture key presses and display frames to your terminal.
The best part might be that any system administrator worth their salt will know how to cheat: UPDATE players SET hp = 100000 WHERE id = <your_id>;
