John Carmack’s Legendary 28-Hour Coding Marathon That Changed Technology Forever
In 1991, one man coded for 28 hours straight without sleep. What he created transformed both gaming and aerospace engineering. The story of DOOM is wilder than you think. Here’s how one coding marathon changed technology forever.
The Dream at Softdisk
In February 1991, a group of programmers at Softdisk had a dream. They wanted to revolutionize gaming. But they were stuck making monthly games for a small publisher. Then John Carmack discovered something that would change everything…
The Breakthrough with Side-Scrolling Graphics
While at Softdisk, Carmack developed an efficient way to rapidly side-scroll graphics on PC. This was groundbreaking – no one had done it before. The team created a demo of Super Mario Bros. 3 with Dangerous Dave characters. Though Nintendo rejected it, something more important emerged from this moment…
Formation of id Software
The team realized they had stumbled onto something massive. They left Softdisk and formed id Software in February 1991. Their first game, Commander Keen, made more in sales than Apogee’s monthly income by nearly tenfold. But Carmack wasn’t satisfied. He saw a bigger opportunity:
The Quest for True 3D
He wanted to create true 3D environments in games. Not just side-scrolling. Not just flat surfaces. He wanted players to feel like they were actually inside the game world. This obsession led to a breakthrough that would transform gaming forever…
The Implementation of BSP in DOOM
Carmack implemented Binary Space Partitioning (BSP) in DOOM. This technique had never been used in video games before. It allowed the game engine to quickly determine which parts of the environment were visible to the player. But implementing it would push him to his absolute limits:
The 28-Hour Coding Marathon
Development of DOOM began in November 1992. The deadline was looming. The code wasn’t ready. That’s when Carmack did something extraordinary: He sat down and coded for 28 hours straight. The result would revolutionize gaming as we knew it…
The Revolutionary DOOM Engine
The DOOM engine was unlike anything before it:
- Advanced 3D rendering system
- Dynamic lighting systems
- Complex level architecture
- Support for multiplayer gameplay
But the most fascinating part was how they built it:
Innovation with NeXTStep
They used NeXTStep, a Unix-based system, to create DoomED. This revolutionary level editor let designers focus on creativity instead of coding. They could combine bitmaps without having to draw new ones. This changed how games were made, but there was an even bigger innovation:
Efficiency Beyond Gaming
The DOOM engine’s efficiency was groundbreaking. This wasn’t just a technical achievement. It set new standards for 3D graphics and gameplay. But the impact went far beyond just gaming…
From Gaming to Aerospace
The principles Carmack developed while making DOOM:
- Rapid iteration
- Modular design
- Efficient resource use
These would later influence his work in an entirely different field:
The Birth of Armadillo Aerospace
After gaming, Carmack founded Armadillo Aerospace. He applied the same rapid development principles to rocket design. Just like DOOM’s modular engine, he created modular rocket systems. The gaming industry’s methods were now revolutionizing space travel…
The Power of True Innovation
This is the power of true innovation: It’s not just about solving the problem in front of you. It’s about developing principles that can transform entire industries. But there’s an even deeper lesson here:
The Obsession with Greatness
Greatness requires obsession. When Carmack coded for 28 hours straight, he wasn’t just meeting a deadline. He was pushing the boundaries of what was possible. This is the mindset that builds billion-dollar empires.