History First-person shooter

1 history

1.1 origins: 1970s late 1980s
1.2 first-person shooters: 1987–1992
1.3 rise in popularity: 1992–1995
1.4 advances in 3d graphics: 1995–1999
1.5 online wars , return of console: 2000–2006
1.6 2007–present

history
origins: 1970s late 1980s

before popularity of first-person shooters, first-person viewpoint used in vehicle simulation games such battlezone.

the earliest 2 documented first-person shooter video games maze war , spasim. maze war features on-foot gameplay evokes modern first-person shooter games. development of game began in 1973 , exact date of completion unknown. spasim had documented debut @ university of illinois in 1974. game rudimentary space flight simulator, featured first-person perspective. distinct modern first-person shooters, involving simple tile-based movement player move square square , turn in 90-degree increments. spasim led more detailed combat flight simulators , tank simulator, developed u.s. army, in later 1970s. these games not available consumers, however, , not until 1980 tank video game, battlezone, released in arcades. version of game released in 1983 home computers , became first successful mass-market game featuring first-person viewpoint , wireframe 3d graphics, presented using vector graphics display.

early first-person shooters: 1987–1992

midi maze, first-person shooter released in 1987 atari st, featured maze-based gameplay , character designs similar pac-man, displayed in first-person perspective. later ported various systems—including game boy , super nes—under title faceball 2000, featured first network multiplayer deathmatches, using midi interface. relatively minor game, despite inconvenience of connecting numerous machines together, multiplayer mode gained cult following: 1up.com called first multi-player 3d shooter on mainstream system , first major lan action game .

id software s hovertank 3d pioneered ray casting technology in may 1991 enable faster gameplay 1980s vehicle simulators; , 6 months later catacomb 3-d introduced advance, texture mapping, in november 1991. second game use texture mapping ultima underworld: stygian abyss, march 1992 action role-playing game looking glass technologies featured first-person viewpoint , advanced graphics engine. in october 1990, id developer john romero learned texture mapping phone call paul neurath. romero described texture mapping technique id programmer john carmack, remarked, can that. , , feel motivated looking glass s example same in catacomb 3-d. catacomb 3-d introduced display of protagonist s hand , weapon (in case, magical spells) on screen, whereas aspects of player s avatar not visible. experience of developing ultima underworld make possible looking glass create thief , system shock series years later.

rise in popularity: 1992–1995

although not earliest shooter game first-person perspective, wolfenstein 3d credited establishing first-person shooter genre.

wolfenstein 3d (created id software , released in 1992) instant success, fueled largely shareware release, , has been credited inventing first-person shooter genre. built on ray casting technology pioneered in earlier games create revolutionary template shooter game design, first-person shooters still based upon today. despite violent themes, wolfenstein largely escaped controversy generated later doom, although banned in germany due use of nazi iconography; , super nes version replaced enemy attack dogs giant rats. apogee software, publisher of wolfenstein 3d, followed success blake stone: aliens of gold in 1993. game well-received sales rapidly declined in wake of success of id s doom, released week later.

doom, released shareware in 1993, refined wolfenstein 3d s template adding improved textures, variations in height (e.g., stairs player s character climb) , effects such flickering lights , patches of total darkness, creating more believable 3d environment wolfenstein 3d s more monotonous , simplistic levels. doom allowed competitive matches between multiple players, termed deathmatches, , game responsible word s subsequent entry video gaming lexicon. according creator john romero, game s deathmatch concept inspired competitive multiplayer of fighting games. doom became popular multiplayer features began cause problems companies networks used play game.

doom has been considered important first-person shooter ever made. highly influential not on subsequent shooter games on video gaming in general, , has been available on every video gaming system since. multiplayer gaming, integral first-person shooter genre, first achieved on large scale doom. while combination of gory violence, dark humor , hellish imagery garnered acclaim critics, these attributes generated criticism religious groups, other commentators labelling game murder simulator. there further controversy when emerged perpetrators of columbine high school massacre fans of game; families of several victims later unsuccessfully attempted sue numerous video game companies - among them id software - families claimed inspired massacre.

in 1994, raven software released heretic, used modified version of doom engine allowed vertical aiming, inventory system store , select items, , gibs. on macintosh, bungie s release, in same year, of marathon, , subsequent sequels, set standard first-person shooters on platform. marathon pioneered or adopter of several new features such freelook, dual-wielded , dual-function weapons, versatile multiplayer modes (such king of hill, kill man ball, , cooperative play), friendly npcs, , strong emphasis on storytelling in addition action. star wars: dark forces released in 1995 after lucasarts decided star wars make appropriate material game in style of doom. however, star wars: dark forces added several technical features doom lacked, such ability crouch or , down, apogee s duke nukem 3d, released in 1996, last of great, sprite-based shooters winning acclaim humor based around stylised machismo gameplay. however, found game s (and later whole series ) treatment of women derogatory , tasteless.

advances in 3d graphics: 1995–1999

in 1994, exact released geograph seal japanese sharp x68000 home computer. obscure import title far western market concerned, nonetheless 3d polygonal first-person shooter innovative platform game mechanics , free-roaming outdoor environments. following year, exact released successor playstation console, jumping flash!, placed more emphasis on platform elements. descent (released parallax software in 1995), game in player pilots spacecraft around caves , factory ducts, three-dimensional first-person shooter. abandoned sprites , ray casting in favour of polygons , 6 degrees of freedom.

shortly after release of duke nukem 3d in 1996, id software released anticipated quake. doom, quake influential , genre-defining, featuring fast-paced, gory gameplay, used 3d polygons instead of sprites. centered on online gaming , featured multiple match types still found in first-person shooter games today. first fps game have following of player clans (although concept had existed in mechwarrior 2 (netmech) battletech lore amongst mud players), , inspire popular lan parties such quakecon. game s popularity , use of 3d polygonal graphics helped expand growing market video card hardware; , additional support , encouragement game modifications attracted players wanted tinker game , create own modules. according creator john romero, quake s 3d world inspired 3d fighting game virtua fighter. quake intended expand genre virtua fighter influenced melee brawling, dropped final game.

based on james bond film, rare s goldeneye 007 released in 1997, , of 2004 best-selling nintendo 64 game in united states. first landmark console first-person shooter , highly acclaimed atmospheric single-player levels , designed multiplayer maps. featured sniper rifle, ability perform head-shots, , incorporation of stealth elements; (and these aspects used in game s spiritual sequel perfect dark) virtua cop-inspired features such reloading, position-dependent hit reaction animations, penalties killing innocents, , aiming system allowing players aim @ precise spot on screen.

though not first of kind, tom clancy s rainbow 6 started popular trend of tactical first-person shooters in 1998. featured team-based, realistic design , themes based around counter-terrorism, requiring missions planned before execution , in it, single hit enough kill character. medal of honor, released in 1999, started long running proliferation of first-person shooters set during world war ii.

valve s half-life released in 1998, based upon quake s graphics technology. met mild anticipation, went on become unprecedented commercial success. while previous first-person shooters had focused on visceral gameplay comparatively weak plots, half-life had strong narrative; game featured no cut scenes remained in first-person perspective @ times. featured innovations such non-enemy characters (featured earlier in titles such strife) did not employ power-ups in traditional sense. half-life praised artificial intelligence, selection of weapons , attention detail , has since been recognized 1 of greatest games of time according gamespot. sequel half-life 2 (released in 2004), less influential though arguably more impressive game .

starsiege: tribes, released in 1998, multiplayer online shooter allowing more 32 players in single match. featured team-based gameplay variety of specialized roles, , unusual jet pack feature. game highly popular , later imitated games such battlefield series. id s quake iii arena , epic s unreal tournament, both released in 1999, popular frenetic , accessible online multiplayer modes; both featured limited single player gameplay. counter-strike released in 1999, half-life modification counter-terrorism theme. game , later version counter-strike: source (2004) went on become far popular multiplayer first-person shooter , computer game modification ever, on 90,000 players competing online @ 1 time during peak.

online wars , return of console: 2000–2006

at e3 game show in 1999, bungie unveiled real-time strategy game called halo; @ following e3, overhauled third-person shooter version displayed. in 2000, bungie bought microsoft. halo revamped , released first-person shooter; 1 of launch titles xbox console. runaway critical , commercial success, , considered premier console first-person shooter. featured narrative , storyline reminiscent of bungie s earlier marathon series told largely through in-game dialog , cut scenes. received acclaim characters, both protagonist, master chief , alien antagonists. sequel, halo 2 (2004), brought popularity of online-gaming console market through medium of xbox live, on played game 2 years.

deus ex, released ion storm in 2000, featured levelling system similar found in role-playing games; had multiple narratives depending on how player completed missions , won acclaim serious, artistic style. resident evil games survivor in 2000 , dead aim in 2003 attempted combine light gun , first-person shooter genres along survival horror elements. metroid prime, released in 2002 nintendo gamecube, highly praised console first-person shooter, incorporated action adventure elements such jumping puzzles , built on metroid series of 2d side-scrolling platform-adventures. taking massive stride forward first-person games , game emphasised adventure elements rather shooting , credited journalist chris kohler breaking genre free clutches of doom .

world war ii online, released in 2001, featured persistent , massively multiplayer environment , although ign said full realization of environment still few years away. battlefield 1942, world war ii shooter released in 2002, featured large scale battles incorporating aircraft, naval vessels, land vehicles , infantry combat. in 2003, planetside allowed hundreds of players @ once compete in persistent world, , promoted world s first massively multiplayer online first person shooter. serious sam series, first released in 2001, , painkiller, released in 2004, both emphasized fighting waves of enemies in large open arenas, in attempt hearken genre s roots.

doom 3, released in 2004, placed greater emphasis on horror , frightening player previous games in series , critically acclaimed best seller, though commentators felt lacked gameplay substance , innovation, putting emphasis on impressive graphics. in 2005, film based on doom featured sequence emulated viewpoint , action of first-person shooter, critically derided deliberately unintelligent , gratuitously violent. in 2005, f.e.a.r. acclaimed combining first-person shooter gameplay japanese horror atmosphere. later in 2007, irrational games bioshock acclaimed commentators best game of year innovation in artistry, narrative , design, calling spiritual successor irrational s earlier system shock 2.

finally, crytek games far cry (2004) , crysis (2007) ubisoft s far cry 2 (2008) break new ground in terms of graphics , large, open-ended level design, whereas call of duty 4: modern warfare (2007), resistance: fall of man (2006) , sequel resistance 2 (2008) presented increasingly refined linear levels , narratives, fast pace , linearity of call of duty games bearing resemblance rail shooters. in 2006, gamasutra reported first-person shooter 1 of biggest , fastest growing video game genres in terms of revenue publishers.

2007–present

in 2010, researchers @ leiden university showed playing first-person shooter video games associated superior mental flexibility. compared non-players, players of such games found require shorter reaction time while switching between complex tasks, possibly because required develop more responsive mindset rapidly react fast-moving visual , auditory stimuli, , shift , forth between different sub-duties. use of motion-detecting game controllers – particularly wii s – promised make fps controls more approachable , precise interface simple literally pointing aim , dramatically reshape first-person shooter. however, technical difficulties pertinent functions other aiming – such maneuvering or reloading – prevented widespread use among first-person shooters.

the pointman user interface combines motion-sensitive gamepad, head tracker , sliding foot pedals increase precision , level of control on 1 s avatar in military first-person shooter games.