Discover QUOD, a 64 KB Windows shooter by Daivuk, featuring Quake-style gameplay, recipe-based textures, and optimized models. Learn about its modern hardware requirements.
© A. Krivonosov
The developer Daivuk has surprised the gaming community with the release of QUOD, a mini-shooter in the spirit of Quake that fits into a single Windows executable file of just 64 KB. The project includes three levels, a boss arena, four types of weapons and enemies, and bonuses, with all content contained in one file. Daivuk has also published a video explaining how everything was packed into such a tiny size.
QUOD's key feature is its use of "recipe-based" texture creation instead of conventional graphics files. The developer's own tool generates surfaces from small instructions for masks, fills, noise, and other parameters, which are restored during loading. This approach saves space and reduces the storage burden for resources.
Models and animations have also undergone significant optimization: vertex data, UV coordinates, and bones are packed into a minimal volume, while mirroring reduces geometry size. Lighting is generated during loading via a probe method, and sound and music are created using compact synthesizers and a tracker-like system, making QUOD a fully-featured shooter despite its minimal size.
Despite its tiny footprint, the game requires modern hardware: for comfortable play, it needs an Intel Core i5 processor, a GeForce GTX 770 graphics card, and 8 GB of RAM. It's worth noting that Quake celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, highlighting the genre's long history and the original shooter's influence on projects like QUOD.