Discussion
Levitating: Is CSS that awesome? It's still a language designed for styling webpages with 30 year of added features. I'd argue something purpose built would be a much better tool for the potential usecases people try to use CSS for now.I guess I am asking, if modern CSS is so awesome, it's awesome compared to what exactly?
sheept: Creating 3D scenes with CSS has always been possible[0], but like this project, it's required JavaScript for interactivity.But there's a lot more CSS features now. While in the past, Turing completeness in CSS required humans to click on checkboxes, now CSS can emulate an entire CPU without JavaScript or requiring user interaction.[1] So I wonder if DOOM could be purely CSS too, in real time.[0]: https://keithclark.co.uk/labs/css-fps/ [1]: https://lyra.horse/x86css/
0x737368: With how these things are going, soon hackers will be challenging themselves to run Crysis on calculators and microwaves
oopsiremembered: I think we're going to get to the point where AI will try to run Doom on humans.
OrangePilled: This page could use some "Practical CSS scroll snapping": https://css-tricks.com/practical-css-scroll-snapping/
oopsiremembered: I think the argument lies in its flexibility and versatility (regardless of it being the most efficient or effective tool for this one particular task).Duct tape is awesome for the same reason -- even though there are several effective use cases for duct tape where a different tool would technically be "better" for the job.
sbarre: What kind of system would you propose (or do you envision) for applying visual styling to HTML markup in modern web pages today?You can keep it high level but your comment makes me think you have something in mind, and I'm honestly curious.
sgbeal: It would be really interesting to see this without the texturing applied.
division_by_0: I was amazed when I first came across CSS scroll snapping. It's great for creating immersive experiences where one part of the page fills the entire screen while native browser scrolling still works. Many JS frontend frameworks (like SvelteKit) wrap everything inside the body in a div (to prevent conflicts with browser extensions), so scroll snapping can't be that easily applied to the body (scrollable containers not affected).
micromacrofoot: compared to old css, it just keeps getting better
notnmeyer: at this point i’m more interested in what _can’t_ run doom.
anthk: https://freedom.github.ioUse Deutex, GNU make and Pillow for Python to compile.Then wou will have up-to-date IWADS to be used aywhere. No need to put ID copyrights, just a mention to FreeDoom creators.
Levitating: But you don't choose CSS, it's the only tool in the toolbox. As long as you stick to the Web.
rkagerer: But where can I try it out in my browser?EDIT: https://cssdoom.wtf/
TeMPOraL: Never tried Doom on a phone before, this one is surprisingly fluid and very playable.
anthk: I ran calypso.z3, tristam_island.z3 and a few more Zmachine text adventures under an interpreter created in PostScript.Also if I want I can cross-compile a static build of Frotz for Linux/Misc and emulate it under a RISC interpreter for Linux syscalls written in... Perl, runable in every modern Perl port out there. Linux/RISC binary under Perl for NetBSD/Vax? Yes. Slow? Not much, it's a text game in the end.But, as for the ZMachine, you can run text adventures in Android, Game Boy, Amiga, MSDOS, Windows, Palm PDA's... anything 8bit and up.Also, damn Sokoban under Eforth written in Subleq, a VM which can just:- set up a 2^16 RAM size- single opcode: substract A from B, if less than 0, go to addr in C. - A < 0? Get ASCII input in B - B < 0? Put ASCII output in B - C < 0? EndThis, just this, and people wrote Subleq simulators in C, AWK, Python, TCL, FPGA's and whatnot. And it will run Eforth, and that means... you can write a ZMachine interpreter on it and be really slow if emulated in a Pentium 4 (maybe 3/5 seconds per command with a ZMachine on top of Eforth for Muxleq instead of Subleq), but the game will be playable and a great exercise on Turing completeness.If a Mandlebrot render under Muxleq+EForth (with no floats used, just integers) is as fast as a C64/Amiga with a native Forth. then having that tiny EForth+Muxleq is not that useless.https://github.com/howerj/muxleq
captn3m0: The author links to th CSS x86 project:> Yes, Lyra Rebane build a x86 CPU completely in CSS, but that technique is simply not fast enough for handing the game loop. So the result is something that uses a lot of JavaScript.
fnord77: [delayed]
MrDOS: In 2006, Ars Technica published an April Fool's article[0] declaring that the perennially-forthcoming Duke Nukem Forever would finally see the light of day... as... a browser game! Ho ho, how droll.Crazy to see how far we've come.[0]: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2006/04/forever/
jsjsjxxnnd: In recent years CSS has become closer to a full programming language through experimental features, for example in 2025 they added if statements and some math functions like modulohttps://www.simplethread.com/new-and-upcoming-css-features-i...
amelius: The only thing missing is the ergonomics of a real programming language.
socalgal2: FYI: this is a cool hack and very impressive, but ... don't do this. That fact that it runs doesn't make it a good idea. Like running DOOM in Excel (https://github.com/Pranshul-Thakur/DOOM-in-excel) or making a DIV for every pixel and rendering by changing colors of divs https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46409359Use 3D CSS to enhance a 2D page with some flair. But be aware, 3D CSS, it's trying to solve things that most realtime 3D rendering does not, like intersecting planes need to be subdivided in order to correctly handle transparency. This means 3D CSS has an O(N^2) or worse type of issue vs rendering yourself using WebGL or WebGPU where you'd avoid those issues. This demo probably does not intersect any planes but the browser itself has to check for those intersections anyway. TL;DR: If you're going to make a 3D web game use WebGL or WebGPU, not 3D CSSVery cool demo though!
nathanmills: >> CSS is awesome.>NoYes
nine_k: Works smoothly if Firefox. But the default key mapping is busted: fire at Alt means that it opens and closes the menu in Firefox with each press. Also, Alt + left arrow ends the game and goes back in history.Interestingly, it was more choppy in Chromium.I could not find a key for moving sideways ("strafing").All in all, quite mind-boggling.
The game logic runs in JavaScript
lysace: The game logic runs in JavaScript
