Wolfenstein 3D |
: Wolfenstein redirects here. For the
Wolfenstein 3D (commonly abbreviated to Wolf 3D ) is a computer game that is generally regarded as having popularized the first person shooter genre on the IBM PC compatible. It was created by id Software and published by Apogee Software on May 5 1992 for MS-DOS. The game was inspired by the 1980s Muse Software computer games Castle Wolfenstein and Beyond Castle Wolfenstein for the Apple II. It has been ported to many systems, including 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, SNES, Gameboy Advance and Acorn Archimedes.
=Overview=
In Wolfenstein 3D , the player is a soldier attempting to escape from the eponym Nazi stronghold; there are many armed guards, as well as attack dogs. The building has a number of hidden rooms containing various treasures, food supplies, and first aid kit, as well as three different Guns and Ammunition.
Wolfenstein 3D was originally released as called The Nocturnal Missions (consisting of A Dark Secret , Trail of the Madman and Confrontation ) was also available. Like the shareware episode, each commercial episode contained 10 levels, bringing the game to a total of 60 missions.
Each episode had a different Boss (video game) who had to be killed in the final mission in order to complete the episode. In order to complete an episode, only 9 of the 10 missions needed to be completed; hidden in one of the first eight missions was an entrance to the tenth, secret level. The secret level of the third episode was notable in that it recreated one of the original Pac-Man levels, complete with ghosts, seen by the player from Pac-Man s perspective.
A sequel (actually more of a prequel), Spear of Destiny (computer game) , was also released.
The game was originally released on the PC and then ported to Apple Macintosh computers, Apple IIgs, Acorn Archimedes and RiscPC, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Atari Jaguar, Game Boy Advance, and 3DO Interactive Multiplayer. The source code of the game was published by id Software in 1995, starting the long tradition at id Software of releasing the last engine as open source when a new one is out (only later with DOOM II did they start using the GNU General Public License for this purpose). Some enhanced ports to different platforms like Linux and Addons have been developed.
Wolfenstein 3D was the first game to use the ExMx map/level identity.
=Storyline=
The first three episodes of the game focus on the character of William B.J. Blazkowicz s attempts to escape from Castle Wolfenstein and overthrow the Nazi regime.
Initially armed only with a knife and a pistol (obtained by overpowering the guard in his cell), B.J. s initial goal is merely to escape the castle prison. Taking on SS guards, stealing their machine guns and ultimately acquiring a chain gun, he eventually finds himself face to face with the Episode One boss, the ultimate prison guard Hans Grosse.
Having defeated Grosse and escaped the castle, B.J. moves on to Operation: Eisenfaust . Immediately the episode begins, it becomes apparent that the environment is no longer that of a prison; the walls are covered in mulch, and the first enemies found are mutants with machine guns in their chests. The Operation of the title appears to be the creation of these mutants; the episode boss, the scientist Dr Schabbs, throws syringes at you. His defeat signals the end of this biological war.
Die, Fuhrer, Die! is, chronologically, the final episode. Fighting through Nazi soldiers, and attacking the bunker under the Reichstag (building), the major centerpiece of the game is reached in the final mission, where the boss is none other than Adolf Hitler himself (equipped with a robotic suit).
The Nocturnal Missions form a prequel storyline, focusing on the Germans plans for chemical warfare.
A Dark Secret deals with the initial pursuit of the scientist responsible for the development of the weaponry; B.J. s task is to enter the weapons research facility and hunt down Dr. Otto Giftmacher (Poison Maker) that fires rockets at him.
Trail of the Madman is a rather ornate episode taking place in a clean and stylish castle. Ostensibly, the episode s goal is the maps and plans of the chemical war (Giftkrieg), guarded by Gretel Grosse (Hans sister; essentially the same character, only in a pink suit instead of a blue). Hitler s image appears throughout this episode, as posters and wall mosaics, symbolising his imminent rise to power. All levels are designed with fashion, much decoration and opulence.
The story comes to a close in Confrontation ; a summation of everything that has gone before, including the mutants (in the secret level only), Hans Grosse (in the secret level only), and the overall feel . The final battle is fought between B.J. and the leader of this war, head planner and all-round very bad guy, General Fettgesicht (Fat Face).
It should be noted that, despite the presence of Hitler as an episode boss, the game bears no resemblance to any actual Nazi plans or structures. Indeed, many of the level designs are highly fanciful; at least three levels heavily feature swastika shaped room layouts and maps, going as far as having one level built entirely of a tessellation of them. However, the overall premise could be said to be loosely based on the frequent and elaborate escape attempts made by Allied POWs from such Nazi prison strongholds such as Colditz Castle.
=Legal issues=
Due to its use of Nazi symbols and the , 1994 (Az. 351Gs5509/94). (Also see [http://www.heim-im-web.de/atschie/index/idx_4000.htm].)
Due to concerns from Nintendo, the Super NES version was modified to not include any swastikas or Nazi references; furthermore, the attack dogs in the game were replaced by giant rats, and blood was replaced with sweat to make the game seem less violent. Three new weapons and a score system were added as well. However, the Super NES version was not as successful as the PC version. Many reviewers and Wolfenstein enthusiasts believed that the censorship of elements regarding Adolf Hitler and Nazis made the title incomplete and almost an entirely different game.
=Technical implementation=
To render the walls in pseudo-3D computer graphics, the game used ray casting, a special case of ray tracing. This technique sent out one ray for each column of pixels, checked if it intersected a wall, and drew texture mapping on the screen accordingly, creating a one dimensional depth buffer against which to clip the scaled Sprite (computer graphics)s that represented enemies, powerups, and props.
Before Wolfenstein 3D , the technology had already been used by id Software in 1991 to create Hovertank 3D and Catacomb 3D for Softdisk, albeit using only Enhanced Graphics Adapter 16-color graphics. Other games using the Wolfenstein 3D game engine or developments of it were also produced, including, Blake Stone , Corridor 7 , Operation Body Count , Super Noah s Ark 3D , Rise of the Triad , Shadowcaster and Hellraiser .
According to id Software programmer . Carmack claimed he could make a faster renderer. In this he was successful. The Wolfenstein engine does not have many features present in the Underworld engine, such as height changes, sloped floors and lighting, but runs well on relatively weaker hardware.
=Legacy=
Wolfenstein Series:
-Wolfenstein 3D -Spear of Destiny -Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Wolfenstein 3D is generally credited as being responsible for the first-person shooter craze that continues to this day. Released at the height of the Interactive CD-ROM era, there were surprisingly few clones until Dooms release in 1993, the most notable being Rise of the Triad in 1994 and Duke Nukem 3D in 1995. Most of these games were distributed via the same shareware strategy as the original.
The game success ensured that id Software quickly became a high profile Computer game developer. id s development efforts were closely watched by fans of the game, and when it released its next first-person shooter, Doom , it was guaranteed a receptive audience. Rather than rely on the technology that made Wolfenstein a hit, however, Doom introduced several technological leaps over Wolfenstein 3D . Doom s technology outdid that of Wolfenstein by providing multiple levels of detail and characters with more detail and animation than those in its predecessor. Wolfenstein would later be recreated in a Doom II fan modification aptly titled WolfenDoom . id again later revolutionised the FPS genre with the release of Quake in 1996, the first FPS to feature full 3D graphics.
A new first-person shooter, , which was a free full-version multiplayer-only game, featuring elements from RtCW .
Overall, RtCW bears little resemblance to its predecessor, beyond the title and the setting. A small bit of nostalgia is available to players of RtCW with a console command. Activating cg_uselessnostalgia via the in-game console overlays a replica of the original game s interface across the bottom of the screen. However, as the name of the command implies, this interface does not keep track of vital game statistics, such as the player character s health or remaining ammunition. However, the Xbox version of RtCW contains the full emulated version of Wolfenstein 3D as a bonus for beating the game.
Also, a new Castle Wolfenstein game has been announced for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360.
= Trivia =
*The game manual mentioned that maybe you would have a A story to tell your grandchildren , if you survived. William Blazkowicz s grandchild is Billy Blaze, aka Commander Keen, who is an early id Software game character.
*In another id Software game Doom 2 , there are two secret levels that are based on Wolfenstein . The blue SS soldiers make a guest apperance, demons take the place of the guard dogs and the Cyberdemon takes the place of Hans Grosse.
*Christianity game makers Wisdom Tree bought the Wolfenstein graphic engine to create a non-violent game called Super Noah s Ark 3D . The game narrative is about Noah, armed with a slingshot trying to stop the restless animals on the Ark. The game was only released for the Super Nintendo. It is commonly rumored that id Software gave Wisdom Tree the Wolfenstein 3D code, because Nintendo made id change the SNES port in order to make the game look less violent, which turned off many players and made this port very unpopular.
=See also=
*List of computer and video games by genre
=External links=
|
|