Developer Vogel has created SQLDoom, a version of the game Doom that runs entirely within the CedarDB database. The project utilizes a Python-based frontend to handle graphics, sound, and user inputs, while all game logic and mathematical calculations are processed directly by the database engine.
The implementation consists of 5,900 lines of SQL code, which is fewer than the 9,000 lines found in the original C source code. The developer converted Doom WAD files into relational tables using 1,000 lines of Python. The system uses standard SQL UPDATE statements to manage game entities in parallel.
The graphical renderer is built using 1,300 lines of code and features a complex query that spans 89 different database tables. This setup leverages Binary Space Partitioning (BSP) traversal, utilizing SQL SELECT and ORDER BY commands to sort game geometry for rendering.
Multiplayer functionality is handled by database transactions. By using START TRANSACTION and COMMIT commands, the system synchronizes game states across tables, simplifying tasks like authentication and access control. The project is currently available for download on GitHub.
