Hovertank 3D
Encyclopedia
Hovertank 3D is a vehicular combat game
developed by id Software
and published by Softdisk
in April, 1991. It is considered a significant precursor of the first-person shooter
genre, made popular by id Software
's subsequent releases, Wolfenstein 3D
and DOOM
. It is sometimes inaccurately claimed to be the first 3D game for MS-DOS
, although it was preceded by several others which incorporated free movement within 3D environments, including Interphase
, Mech Warrior, Corporation
, Microsoft Flight Simulator
, Elite, Alpha Waves
, Starglider
, and Starglider 2
. The game used the same combination of scaled sprite
s and drawn walls that would later show up in Catacomb 3D
and Wolfenstein 3D
, but the walls in Hovertank 3D were in solid color, without any textures.
hired by an unknown organization (referred to by the game as the "UFA") to rescue people from cities under the threat of nuclear attack (largely political activists), both by the government and by large corporations. However, the cities are also full of mutated humans, strange creatures, armed guards, and enemy hovertanks.
s and other games that had more detailed environments, were noticeably slower. John Carmack's research in the game's engine took six weeks, two weeks longer than any id engine before it. Afterwards, the id staff decided the nuclear Armageddon theme and developed the game. Adrian Carmack
is said to have enjoyed drawing the monsters and other ghoulish touches.
The credits are John Carmack and John Romero
(programming), Tom Hall
(game design) and Adrian Carmack (artwork).
Vehicular combat game
Vehicular combat games are typically video or computer games where the primary focus of play concerns automobiles or other vehicles, normally armed with guns or other weaponry, attempting to destroy vehicles controlled by the CPU or by opposing players...
developed by id Software
Id Software
Id Software is an American video game development company with its headquarters in Richardson, Texas. The company was founded in 1991 by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and artist Adrian Carmack...
and published by Softdisk
Softdisk
Softdisk is a software and Internet company based in Shreveport, Louisiana. Founded in 1981, its original products were disk magazines...
in April, 1991. It is considered a significant precursor of the first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
genre, made popular by id Software
Id Software
Id Software is an American video game development company with its headquarters in Richardson, Texas. The company was founded in 1991 by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and artist Adrian Carmack...
's subsequent releases, Wolfenstein 3D
Wolfenstein 3D
Wolfenstein 3D is a video game that is generally regarded by critics and gaming journalists as having both popularized the first-person shooter genre on the PC and created the basic archetype upon which all subsequent games of the same genre would be built. It was created by id Software and...
and DOOM
Doom
Doom may refer to:* dōm, the Anglo-Saxon word meaning "judgment", "law"** Doom book the Laws of King Aelfred, Legal Code of Alfred the Great, Code of Alfred 893* Doom , a painting that depicts the Last Judgment...
. It is sometimes inaccurately claimed to be the first 3D game for MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
, although it was preceded by several others which incorporated free movement within 3D environments, including Interphase
Interphase (video game)
Interphase is a 1989 3D first-person and puzzle video game developed by The Assembly Line and published by Image Works for multiple platforms....
, Mech Warrior, Corporation
Corporation (video game)
Corporation is a video game for Amiga, Atari ST and DOS, later ported to the Mega Drive/Genesis. It was developed for Core Design by Dementia Productions by Bill Allen with graphics and design by Kevin Bulmer.The PC and Sega versions were published by Virgin Games...
, Microsoft Flight Simulator
History of Microsoft Flight Simulator
Microsoft Flight Simulator began as a set of articles on computer graphics, written by Bruce Artwick throughout 1976, about flight simulation using 3-D graphics. When the editor of the magazine told Artwick that subscribers were interested in purchasing such a program, Artwick founded subLOGIC...
, Elite, Alpha Waves
Alpha Waves
Alpha Waves is an early 3D game that combines labyrinthine exploration with platform gameplay. By most definitions of the genre it could be considered to be the first 3D platform game, released in 1990, 6 years before the genre's seminal classic Super Mario 64...
, Starglider
Starglider
Starglider is a 3D video game released in 1986 by Rainbird. It was developed by Argonaut Software, led by programmer Jez San. The game was inspired by Jez San's love of the 1983 Atari coin-op Star Wars, It was a fast-moving, first-person combat flight simulator, rendered with colourful wireframe...
, and Starglider 2
Starglider 2
Starglider 2 was an early 3D space simulator/flight simulator video game released in 1988 by Argonaut Games and was the sequel to Starglider...
. The game used the same combination of scaled sprite
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
s and drawn walls that would later show up in Catacomb 3D
Catacomb 3D
Catacomb 3-D is the third in the Catacomb series of video games , and the first of these games to feature 3D computer graphics...
and Wolfenstein 3D
Wolfenstein 3D
Wolfenstein 3D is a video game that is generally regarded by critics and gaming journalists as having both popularized the first-person shooter genre on the PC and created the basic archetype upon which all subsequent games of the same genre would be built. It was created by id Software and...
, but the walls in Hovertank 3D were in solid color, without any textures.
Story
Hovertank 3D is set during a Nuclear War. In Hovertank 3D, the player controls Brick Sledge, a mercenaryMercenary
A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...
hired by an unknown organization (referred to by the game as the "UFA") to rescue people from cities under the threat of nuclear attack (largely political activists), both by the government and by large corporations. However, the cities are also full of mutated humans, strange creatures, armed guards, and enemy hovertanks.
Gameplay
The player must drive a hovertank through the levels and try and find the people Brick is supposed to rescue. There are also many enemies in the levels, who are hunting down the people as well as the player. The player can keep track of both people and enemies in the radar box at the bottom of the screen. There is also a timer that counts how long until the nuke is dropped. Once all the living people are collected a yellow teleporter appears somewhere in the level, and the player must find it to win. Then the player receives their fee, based on the amount of people safely rescued, and how fast the operation was completed. All damage to the hovertank is repaired at the end of the level.Development
This title is a landmark in first person game graphics. Other 3D games at the time, such as flight simulatorFlight simulator
A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and various aspects of the flight environment. This includes the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they react to applications of their controls and other aircraft systems, and how they react to the external...
s and other games that had more detailed environments, were noticeably slower. John Carmack's research in the game's engine took six weeks, two weeks longer than any id engine before it. Afterwards, the id staff decided the nuclear Armageddon theme and developed the game. Adrian Carmack
Adrian Carmack
Adrian Carmack is one of the four founders of id Software, along with Tom Hall, John Romero, and John D. Carmack . He had worked there as an artist. He was a major stock owner of id Software until he left the company....
is said to have enjoyed drawing the monsters and other ghoulish touches.
The credits are John Carmack and John Romero
John Romero
Alfonso John Romero is a game designer, programmer, and developer in the video game industry. He is best known as a co-founder of id Software and was a designer for many of their games, including Wolfenstein 3D, Dangerous Dave, Doom and Quake...
(programming), Tom Hall
Tom Hall
Tom A. Hall is a game designer born in Wisconsin. He attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he received a B.S. in Computer Science. In 1987, he worked at Softdisk Inc., where he was both a programmer and the editor of Softdisk, a software bundle delivered monthly...
(game design) and Adrian Carmack (artwork).