At the conference, a project titled “Non-euclidean doom” was presented, showcasing how circles in the game cease to be circles. The video demonstration, starting from 7:33, illustrates how adjusting the value of pi can significantly impact the gameplay. For instance, setting pi equal to 3 results in “the walls look slightly wrong, and the objects do not move as expected.” Changing pi to E makes the game even more intriguing, while a value of PI at 0.0001 complicates the game entirely.
Constants and Mathematical Functions
The value of Pi is a constant with an unchanging value, crucial for graphic programming where visualization relies on Pi, trigonometry, and other mathematical methods. In the original code of the first-person Doom shooter, an incorrect PI value was utilized. The conference delved into the consequences of errors in mathematical functions and constants within the game.
Changing the Gameplay
Doom, a classic first-person shooter, released its source code under the GPL license in 1999. The presentation explored how the game is altered with the improper value of Pi and the adjustment of other trigonometric functions and constants. The impact on perception and navigation within the virtual world was of interest, along with the potential for creating games with non-Euclidean geometry.
Optimization and Resources
The presentation briefly touched on optimization techniques that allowed the game to function on hardware at that time. Towards the end, references to other games and public source code repositories were provided, showcasing the use of incorrect Pi values. Instructions were given on how to create a customized version of the game with inaccurate mathematical calculations.
Good News
Despite the alterations, players can still achieve accurate shooting in Doom, as the aiming system is independent of shot trajectories.