game developer Sam Chiet (opens in new tab) found another use for Microsoft Notepad. The ingenious creator used Windows’ boring text editor to make Doom (1993) run at 60 FPS.
Chiet emphasized that he didn’t have to change the Notepad application. Dubbed “NotepadDOOM”, the project is fully playable. Chiet didn’t explain how the mod works, but he promised to launch NotepadDOOM for other his Doom fans to try out. tweets after (opens in new tab) “It will take some work to get NotepadDOOM ready for release, but it will almost certainly happen in the next few days.”
John Romero, one of Doom’s creators, was impressed and replied to Chiet: Tweet (opens in new tab) That the mod was “incredible”.
You can see the iconic 1993 shooter in its prime. Chiet’s YouTube (opens in new tab) channel. Since this is a notepad, Chiet obviously replaced the graphics with letters and numbers. Gameplay looks very smooth, but I did notice some screen tearing.
Doom was created over 20 years ago, but it still holds a special place in the hearts of gamers. Bethesda updated Doom in 2020 to support 60 FPS and other add-ons. Over the years, fans have used Raspberry Pi Picos, CaptionCall phones, his $15 Nokia N-Gage-esque PCs, or in his BIOS on motherboards.
