So this post is about John Carmack and Doom, but it is also about the history of a data structure: the binary space partitioning tree (or BSP tree). I’ve also wondered where binary space partitioning first came from and how the idea found its way to Carmack. On a spectrum from Homer Simpson to Albert Einstein, how much of a genius-level move was it really for Carmack to add binary space partitioning to Doom? I’ve long assumed that what Carmack did was a clever intellectual leap, but because I’ve never understood what binary space partitioning is or how novel a technique it was when Carmack decided to use it, I’ve never known for sure. Obviously, the story is impressive because “binary space partitioning” sounds like it would be a difficult thing to just read about and implement yourself. He deserves to be known as the archetypal genius video game programmer for all sorts of reasons, but this episode with the academic papers and the binary space partitioning is the justification I think of first.įurther Reading The original Doom, one of 64 Objects that shaped video game history It is my explanation for why Carmack has become such a legendary figure.
That story about Carmack applying cutting-edge academic research to video games has always impressed me.
He eventually implemented a technique called “binary space partitioning,” never before used in a video game, that dramatically sped up the Doom engine. So Carmack, realizing the problem with his renderer was fundamental enough that he would need to find a better rendering algorithm, starting reading research papers. This was unacceptable, because Doom was supposed to be action-packed and frenetic. This is a loose gloss of the story (see below for the full details), but essentially, early in the development of Doom, Carmack realized that the 3D renderer he had written for the game slowed to a crawl when trying to render certain levels. I read Masters of Doom a few years ago and don’t remember much of it now, but there was one story in the book about lead programmer John Carmack that has stuck with me. The game is now considered one of the most influential games of all time.Ī decade after Doom’s release, in 2003, journalist David Kushner published a book about id Software called Masters of Doom, which has since become the canonical account of Doom’s creation.
In 1993, id Software released the first-person shooter Doom, which quickly became a phenomenon.
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