Date   : Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:01:10 -0500
From   : jules.richardson99@... (Jules Richardson)
Subject: Elite on '5'

Rob wrote:
> Surely the likes of "3D Monster Maze" (for the ZX81) must be a better
> contender for "earliest 3D game", if we are talking games sold to the
> public, rather than arcade games, although I'm sure even that would
> have built on existing "3d maze"-style games..  I'm sure I used one of
> those on the TRS-80...

... although thinking about it, it seems to say "first 3D game created in a 
bedroom", so maybe that is technically correct. Hard to prove, though, and I'm 
sure the public will be left thinking it was the first 3D game ever.

Mazewar's typically recognised as the first true 3D game, and hails from an 
earlier decade.

> As far as games for the Beeb go, I'm afraid to say I never really
> 'got' elite. 

No, I didn't either. It was better than the PC version for sure, but I still 
found it incredibly dull. I think it was something to do with the limits of 
the technology available; I could immerse myself in a good platform game 
because it didn't *need* any realism - but I wanted a 3D space game to have 
realistic-looking* scenery and models (in a similar way, the limited 
vocabulary of adventure games in the 80s has put me off the genre for life)

* I don't think we're there yet, either. Modern 3D games are a lot more 
colourful, but somehow they still look far too clean and clinical. Someone 
needs to produce a graphics chip with the express purpose of generating 3D 
dirt, rust, scratches and dents :-)

cheers

Jules