A developer created an incredibly small, playable first-person shooter inspired by Doom that fits entirely within the data capacity of a QR code. The game, called "Backrooms DOOM," leverages extremely limited graphics and simple gameplay mechanics to achieve this feat. Scanning the QR code redirects to a webpage where the game can be played directly in a browser.
DeepSeek's R1-Zero and R1 models demonstrate impressive performance in language modeling, outperforming open-source models of comparable size in several benchmarks. R1-Zero, despite being pre-trained on only 1.5 trillion tokens, achieves similar performance to much larger open-source models trained on 3-4 trillion tokens. The more powerful R1 model, trained with selected data and reinforcement learning from human feedback, further improves upon R1-Zero, especially in reasoning and following instructions. DeepSeek attributes its success to a combination of improved architecture, efficient training, and high-quality data. The results highlight the potential for achieving high performance with smaller, more efficiently trained models.
HN commenters discuss the implications of DeepSeek's impressive results in the ARC (Abstraction and Reasoning Corpus) challenge with their R1-Zero and R1 models. Several highlight the significance of achieving near-perfect scores on the training set, raising questions about the nature of generalization and the potential limitations of current evaluation metrics. Some express skepticism about the actual novelty of the approach, noting similarities to existing techniques and questioning the impact of architectural choices versus data augmentation. The closed nature of DeepSeek and the lack of publicly available code also draw criticism, with some suspecting potential overfitting or undisclosed tricks. Others emphasize the importance of reproducible research and open collaboration for scientific progress in the field. The potential for such powerful models in practical applications is acknowledged, with some speculating on future developments and the need for better benchmarks.
The Video Game History Foundation has digitized and made publicly available a vast archive of old video game magazines, spanning decades and covering various platforms. This free online resource includes searchable PDFs of publications like Computer and Video Games, Mean Machines, and Edge, offering valuable insights into the history of the gaming industry, including early reviews, developer interviews, and period advertising. The archive aims to preserve gaming history and provide a resource for researchers, journalists, and anyone interested in exploring the evolution of video games.
Hacker News users generally lauded the Video Game History Foundation's digitization efforts. Several commenters expressed nostalgia for specific magazines like Computer Gaming World and Next Generation, highlighting their importance in shaping gaming culture and providing early access to information. Some discussed the challenges of preserving physical media and the value of digital archives for accessibility and research. Others pointed out the potential copyright issues with distributing ROMs and the importance of distinguishing between archiving and piracy. A few users also shared anecdotes about their experiences with these magazines and the impact they had on their interest in gaming. The overall sentiment is one of strong support for the project and appreciation for the preservation of gaming history.
Summary of Comments ( 123 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43729683
Hacker News users generally expressed admiration for the technical achievement of fitting a Doom-like game into a QR code. Several commenters questioned the actual playability, citing the extremely limited resolution and controls. Some discussed the clever compression techniques likely used, and others shared similar projects, like fitting Wolfenstein 3D into a tweet or creating even smaller games. A few questioned the use of the term "Doom-like," suggesting it was more of a tech demo than a truly comparable experience. The practicality was debated, with some seeing it as a fun novelty while others considered it more of a technical exercise. There was some discussion about the potential of pushing this concept further with future advancements in QR code capacity or display technology.
The Hacker News post titled "Show HN: I made a Doom-like game fit inside a QR code" generated a significant number of comments (over 100 at the time of this summary). Many expressed fascination with the technical achievement of fitting a functional game within such a small space.
Several commenters discussed the technical aspects of the project, including the use of procedural generation, custom rendering engines, and data compression techniques. Some inquired about the specific choices made in these areas and how the author managed to overcome the limitations of size. There was a particular interest in the level generation and how it achieved a sense of variety within the constraints.
A few commenters drew parallels to other size-constrained projects, such as .kkrieger and other demoscene productions. They discussed the historical context of these types of projects and how they push the boundaries of what's possible within limited resources.
Multiple users expressed admiration for the ingenuity and creativity displayed. Some considered it a form of art, appreciating the technical skill and the novelty of the concept.
Some commenters shared their experiences playing the game, noting its surprising playability despite the technical limitations. They commented on aspects like the controls, the difficulty, and the overall feel of the game.
There was some discussion regarding the practicality and potential applications of such technology. While acknowledging it as primarily a demonstration of technical skill, some speculated on its potential use in areas like embedded systems or extremely low-resource environments.
One compelling comment thread revolved around the ethical implications of potentially malicious uses of QR codes, where a seemingly harmless QR code could lead to unexpected or unwanted outcomes. This sparked a conversation about security awareness and the importance of verifying the source of QR codes before scanning them.
Another engaging discussion centered around the broader trend of miniaturization and optimization in software development. Commenters debated the value of such endeavors, contrasting the pursuit of extreme efficiency with the potential trade-offs in terms of development time and maintainability.
Finally, several users expressed a desire to see the source code and understand the inner workings of the project, leading the original poster to share a link to the GitHub repository. This sparked further technical discussion and analysis of the codebase.