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2026-04-22T15:33:24Z

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= Doom on a 1640 Computer =

== Concept ==

On '''22 April 2026''', the game [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doom_(1993) Doom] (id Software, 1993) will be executed on a "computer" — not as we understand the term today, but as it was understood in '''France, circa 1640''': a human being whose occupation is to compute.

== The 1640 Computer ==

In the early 17th century, the word ''computer'' (French: ''calculateur'' or ''ordinateur'' in ecclesiastical contexts) referred to a person who performed mathematical calculations by hand. These individuals were typically:

* Astronomers computing planetary tables
* Navigators calculating routes
* Tax officials computing liabilities
* Military engineers computing trajectories

== System Requirements ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Component !! 1993 PC !! 1640 Human Computer
|-
| Processor || Intel 386 || One trained ''calculateur''
|-
| RAM || 4 MB || Working memory (approx. 7±2 numbers)
|-
| Display || VGA (320×200) || Large sheets of vellum, updated by a team of ''enlumineurs''
|-
| Storage || 20 MB HDD || Ledgers and folios
|-
| Input || Keyboard/Mouse || Verbal commands, written instructions
|-
| Frame Rate || ~30 fps || ~1 frame per '''3 to 5 business days'''
|}

== Implementation ==

The "execution" proceeds as follows:

# A team of '''calculateurs''' manually performs the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_casting raycasting] algorithm using trigonometric tables and compass-and-straightedge construction
# Each wall segment's height and position is computed on paper using basic arithmetic and lookup tables
# A team of '''enlumineurs''' (illuminators) renders the computed frame on vellum using period-appropriate pigments
# The '''player''' (a separate individual) issues movement commands in writing
# Each command requires a full recomputation — approximately '''72 hours''' for a single step forward
# Demon positions are tracked in ledgers and updated each "frame"

=== Raycasting by Hand ===

The core algorithm requires computing, for each of 200 column-pixels across the field of view:

# Angle of ray (arithmetic)
# Distance to nearest wall (trigonometric lookup + comparison)
# Wall strip height (division)
# Texture column selection (modular arithmetic)
# Light level (simple subtraction)

A skilled ''calculateur'' can complete one column in approximately '''45 minutes'''. A full frame thus requires roughly '''150 hours''' of continuous labor, or about '''3 weeks''' with a single computer working daylight hours.

== Projected Performance ==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Metric !! Value
|-
| Time to complete E1M1 || Approximately '''34 years'''
|-
| Staff Required || 200 ''calculateurs'', 50 ''enlumineurs''
|-
| Ink Consumed || ~12,000 liters
|-
| Vellum Consumed || ~80,000 sheets
|}

== Historical Context ==

This project sits comfortably within the tradition of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaise_Pascal Blaise Pascal]'s era. Pascal would invent his mechanical calculator (''Pascaline'') in '''1642''', just two years after our nominal date. One wonders whether a Pascaline could accelerate the raycasting computation by perhaps '''0.3%'''.

== See Also ==

* [[Doom ports]]
* [[History of computing]]
* [[Artisanal computation]]

[[Category:Computing history]] [[Category:Doom]]

Doom on a 1640 Computer - Revision history

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