Doom Inside Hytale Before Release
The long awaited sandbox RPG Hytale is not even officially out yet, but modders are already doing wild things with it. One modder known as "tr7zw" has managed to get classic Doom running fully inside Hytale, turning the already creative sandbox into a retro gaming showcase.
Hytale is heavily inspired by Minecraft and is being built with modding as a core feature. Many of the people behind the game come from the Minecraft modding scene, so it is no surprise that modders have been given early access to tools. What is surprising is just how far they are already pushing the tech before launch.
According to the modder, this Doom project was not even planned. After just a few sleepless nights of experimenting, they ended up with a working version of Doom rendered entirely inside a Hytale mod. Even one of Hytale’s co founders reacted with a simple and confused "what" when shown the result.
How Doom Actually Runs Inside Hytale
This is not a simple video texture or a fake demo. Doom is actually running for real under the hood. The mod uses a full Java port of Doom as the game engine. Each frame from Doom is then converted into something Hytale can display in world.
The way it works is both clever and a bit brutal on performance. The mod downsamples Doom’s image and sends it into Hytale at around 20 frames per second. Inside the game, an 80 by 60 grid of blocks is used as a giant low resolution display. Every block in that grid changes to the nearest color that matches the pixel coming from the Doom frame.
The end result looks like a massive pixel art screen inside Hytale, constantly updating to show Doom gameplay. It is very chunky, very retro, and surprisingly readable considering it is made out of blocks. It also clearly shows what is possible when a game is built with modding and scripting in mind.
Input is handled fully in game as well. You are not just watching a stream. You actually control Doom from inside Hytale. According to the modder, using it feels "a bit like a broken keyboard" which makes sense. Commands have to travel through Hytale and into the Doom port, then wait for the next frame update on the block screen. That means there is noticeable input delay and a very different feel from playing Doom natively on your PC.
From a technical and performance perspective, this is not something you would do to get a smooth Doom experience. It is more of a proof of concept that shows how flexible Hytale’s systems are. To drive a live 80 by 60 block display at 20 frames per second with color matching and input handling, the engine needs to be pretty capable. Even if actual frame times and latency are rough, this is an impressive stress test for scripting and rendering inside the game.
The Long Tradition Of Running Doom On Everything
Getting Doom to run on hardware and platforms it was never designed for has become a long running joke and a fun technical challenge in the PC gaming community. Over the years, fans and developers have managed to run Doom on things like:
- The firmware of a motherboard BIOS
- A single Lego brick with an embedded display
- A home pregnancy test screen, heavily modified to show basic graphics
- Even inside Doom itself, with one version of the game running inside another
Each of these projects is less about actually playing Doom comfortably, and more about proving that if a device can accept inputs and display some kind of pixels, someone can probably hack Doom onto it. Hytale now joins that club before most players have even touched the game.
For PC gamers and tinkerers, this is also a good sign for the future of Hytale mods. If the game can host something as complex as a whole other game engine running inside it, then more performance friendly mods like quality of life tools, visual overhauls, or custom game modes should be very achievable. It hints at a future where players build not just new maps and quests, but full blown mini games and experiences inside Hytale itself.
Of course, this early Doom mod is not something everyone will want to set up or actually play for long. The low resolution block screen, reduced frame rate, and input lag mean it is more of a fun tech demo than a new way to enjoy Doom. But as a statement about what is possible for PC gamers who love to experiment with hardware and engines, it is powerful.
With Hytale still on the way and modders already exploring the limits of its systems, PC players who love custom content and creative builds have a lot to look forward to. If Doom can run inside Hytale before launch, it will be exciting to see what happens once the full community gets their hands on the tools.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/one-modder-has-already-got-doom-running-inside-the-voxel-sandbox-hytale-and-its-not-even-out-yet-it-plays-a-bit-like-a-broken-keyboard/
