projects.md

# Projects

## Doom ML Map Generator (Active, Jan 2025–2026)

**Goal:** Train a machine learning model to generate playable Doom maps (specifically for Complex Doom/Zandronum).

**History:** Started November 2024. 14 months of failures, many architecture attempts.

**Recent developments (Jan 14-15, 2026):**
- Achieved GPU acceleration via TorchSharp (500 epochs in 42 seconds) on RTX 3060 Laptop.
- Attempted: transformer on multiple wads (DOOM2, Eviternity, Hell Revealed, MUTINY, Scythe, Sunlust) – too long (14.5h).
- Grid-based approach: failed (output box rooms like simple procedural).
- Vector-based approach: failed (tokenization issues, sequential on GPU).
- **Current approach:** VAE (Variational Autoencoder) trained on DOOM2.WAD only (32 maps). 512-dimensional latent space. Trained 200 epochs. Loss dropped from ~10k to 676. Still only learning thing placements so far. Opus implementing but struggling.

**Decision (Jan 15):** Try LSTM/GRU autoregressive decoder (Option 1) next to address sequential nature of map tokens. Possibly later implement VAE+Transformer (Option 4) with more data. Start simple, iterate.

**Tools:** TorchSharp (C#), CUDA on RTX 3060 Laptop.

**Next steps:** Implement LSTM/GRU decoder with current VAE encoder. Check sample maps from VAE (only 2/20 looked structured – verify if playable).

**Unified progress framework:** Raymond wants consistent progress output across architectures – to discuss with Opus.

## Hedz Reverse Engineering
- 1998 game; reverse engineering 126,000+ lines of assembly to C#.
- Tools: IDA Pro, Ghidra, Cheat Engine, VS Code with GitHub Copilot.
- Built custom VSCode extension for method stack tracking.
- Currently ~400 methods left to verify against disassembly. Slow progress due to Doom ML focus.

## Voxel Engine
- Started as a break from Hedz; C# (likely Unity or custom engine).
- Scale: 10 blocks per 1 player height.
- Inactive in recent days.

## AI Usage Strategy
- Claude Opus: heavy ML coding (Doom map generator). Note: Opus has had difficulty getting training to work properly.
- Claude Sonnet: conversation, coordination, medical, memory.
- Gemini: casual, memes, image generation.

## Gaming
- Complex Doom on Zandronum (Pizza Steve 2 maps).
- Played during breaks and decompression.

## Other
- Vaporeon plush pre-ordered (26-inch, ships late Jan, arrives end Feb 2026).
- Species-affirming toys search completed (Jan 15): Found two options from The Dildo Hub – Dolphin (12.4") and Orca (12.2"), both platinum silicone, flared bases, harness-compatible. RodeoH underwear-style harness identified. Tentacle/kraken designs not suitable – need cetacean anatomy. Raymond will consider when healed (late Feb 2026).