The first-person shooter classic “Doom” can be played with ray tracing thanks to a mod. The result impresses!
While current PC and console games usually only use ray tracing for reflections and softer shadows, older games can use the new technology for the entire lighting. Games like “Quake 2 RTX” or “Minecraft with RTX” show impressively how much ray tracing (path tracing to be more precise) affects the visual impression of the image. Now, with “Doom”, another classic has been added, which is completely illuminated with ray tracing via a mod.
light and shadow
However, the mod by sulim_t does not use hardware-based ray tracing like current PC and console games. Instead, the first-person shooter classic from 1993 uses a software solution that relies on the open-source port PrBoom. The result is impressive, even if the actual graphics look pretty simple by today’s standards. This is made possible by lighting that looks very realistic. Fireballs light up the room and hurtle through the otherwise dark levels. The textures also look much more real thanks to the real-time reflections. The dark mood of “Doom” is underlined again by ray tracing.
“Half-Life” is to follow
Anyone who still owns the original game can simply try out the ray tracing mod for themselves. However, the mod is currently only compatible with Nvidia graphics cards. The developer is still looking for helpers who will also make the mod run on AMD GPUs. At the same time he announces a similar mod for Half-Life 1 via Youtube. The 1998 game benefits even more from ray-traced lighting. The modder presents his progress so far in a teaser video.
Ray tracing: This is how the technology works
