0:00:03.006,0:00:07.062
Two dimensions are all very well and good,[br]but even the earliest game developers yearned

0:00:07.062,0:00:09.991
to extend into the third.

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The ability to craft a virtual space. The[br]forging of a polygon realm.

0:00:18.041,0:00:23.570
Of course, with limited hardware it was no[br]mean feat - early 3D games were burdened with

0:00:23.939,0:00:26.400
heavy compromise.

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The very first were limited to wireframe representations[br]- and although simple, games like Atari's

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Battlezone could paint an immersive scene[br]with just a few vector lines.

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Similar tech was used to great effect in 1983's[br]Star Wars Arcade: putting the player in the

0:00:44.033,0:00:50.046
pilot seat of an X-Wing to recreate the attack[br]on the Death Star, complete with trench run.

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Even the 8-bit home micros managed to get[br]in on the wireframe action: space trader Elite's

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visuals might have been spartan, but the game[br]offered a huge swathe of space to explore.

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The next logical step from wireframe polygons[br]was to fill them with flat shading: a simple

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effect, but still tricky to achieve on early[br]systems without dropping the frame rate to

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unacceptable levels.

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The very first flat-shaded polygonal game[br]was arcade title I, Robot all the way back

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in 1983.

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It was definitely ahead of its time, but a[br]new paradigm is a tough sell, and the game

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would not prove a financial success.

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The advanced hardware needed for 3D games[br]and the decline in arcade interest over the

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next few years rendered them prohibitively[br]expensive - so it wouldn't be until the end

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of the decade that 3D games would become more[br]prevalent.

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As home computers became more powerful, certain[br]genres would embrace flat-shaded polygons:

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a trademark of early flight simulators, which[br]valued full freedom of movement over arcade

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action or graphical detail.

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Some driving games employed this technique,[br]too: Geoff Crammond's Stunt Car Racer in 1989

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had you driving at breakneck speed round a[br]fanciful track complete with three dimensions.

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Not content with dull flat-shading, some turned[br]to hardware tricks to simulate 3D worlds:

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and the Super NES' Mode 7 could be considered[br]a rudimentary form of texture mapping.

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It was only a half-measure, but an ideal way[br]to introduce a 3D feel to classic 2D action:

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and games like Super Mario Kart maintained[br]a healthy frame rate while still giving the

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illusion of into-the-screen racing.

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The SuperFX coprocessor included in carts[br]like Star Fox enabled polygonal 3D graphics,

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blended with sprite scaling effects and other[br]2D elements.

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Offloading graphics onto another processor[br]would prove a useful technique in the future:

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but some machines would rely on sheer grunt[br]instead.

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IBM-compatible PCs had the benefit of a modular[br]design - along with a price point far aloft

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from console hardware.

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This meant that by the early 90s, they could[br]start to push graphical boundaries.

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However, early PC games could be pretty ugly:[br]4-colour CGA and 16-colour EGA modes often

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left games with a distinctive, simple look.

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VGA graphics were a step up, offering 256[br]colours with far more nuance and a break from

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unnaturally bright shades.

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Early PC titles would sometimes make use of[br]prerendered backgrounds - games like Alone

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In The Dark reserved polygons only for the[br]player and enemies, with the remainder of

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the world painted as a bitmap.

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This technique is a useful one for preserving[br]limited graphical power: instead of rendering

0:03:56.079,0:04:03.079
a full 3D scene, you can instead divert attention[br]to more detailed character models.

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Some early games were more ambitious, taking[br]a first-person perspective instead of a fixed

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camera view.

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Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss was an[br]impressive game that took RPGs into the third

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dimension - and in turn would influence the[br]rise of the first person shooter.

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One technique that made early texture-mapped[br]games viable was raycasting.

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It's an efficient approach to scene rendering[br]that focusses solely on what the player can

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see, and when combined with simple level geometry[br]can be made quite performant.

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Wolfenstein 3D's levels were built on a simple[br]square grid, all on a single level: this meant

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that the walls could be fully texture mapped,[br]while the game remained playable even on a

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modest PC.

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Wolfenstein is the grandfather of 3D shooters,[br]but in terms of overall impact: Doom was the

0:04:58.018,0:05:00.053
daddy.

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Building on the Wolfenstein engine, Doom extended[br]its featureset to permit levels with more

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organic design: no more fixed grid maps, the[br]addition of variable lighting, and elements

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at different elevations.

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As a result, Doom was more atmospheric, its[br]locations more believable - and paired with

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high-octane action it proved quite the success.

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It inspired a huge number of clones, and paved[br]the way for the FPS genre as we know it today.

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Many of these early games were reliant on[br]tricks to simulate a 3D world - limited geometry,

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the use of sprites - or other time-saving[br]hacks.

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True texture-mapped 3D games required a great[br]deal of processing power, and so it wasn't

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really until the second half of the 1990s[br]that such games took hold.

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Vanguards of hardware, the arcades led the[br]way with titles like Ridge Racer: although

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dated today, at the time it was universally[br]praised for its sound and graphics.

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Treading in the arcade's footsteps, the fifth[br]generation of consoles could more confidently

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tackle full 3D graphics, and so platforms[br]like the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 saw the

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rise of the polygon within a home setting.

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Super Mario 64 transplanted the previously-planar[br]plumber into a colourful 3D world: and would

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prove to be arguably the first successful[br]3D platform game.

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It blended the finest elements and charm of[br]previous Mario titles with new technology

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- full freedom of movement and a dynamic camera[br]system that permitted exploration without

0:06:41.005,0:06:43.074
frustration.

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The PlayStation had its own 3D platforming[br]heroes, with games like Crash Bandicoot: and

0:06:49.044,0:06:53.136
despite the low-polygon count afforded by[br]the hardware, its characters are expressive

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and its artstyle charming.

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These games were not only technically impressive[br]- they were fun to play: true 3D games were

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a novelty no more, and instead an integral[br]part of mainstream gaming.

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While console hardware arrives in discrete[br]generations, the pace of PC development is

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continuous: and with the popularity of PC[br]gaming post-Doom, there was no shortage of

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3D titles.

0:07:24.159,0:07:27.235
Magic Carpet was an interesting attempt at[br]transplanting Bullfrog's earlier god-game

0:07:27.919,0:07:30.993
formula into a third-person perspective.

0:07:31.659,0:07:36.300
Hugely impressive from a technical perspective,[br]although its gameplay was slightly lacking

0:07:36.003,0:07:41.048
and was otherwise overshadowed by more conventional[br]games of the era.

0:07:41.075,0:07:45.084
Descent was notable for its six degrees of[br]movement, permitting full exploration of its

0:07:46.065,0:07:47.614
maze-like mines.

0:07:48.199,0:07:54.218
A peculiar blend of space shooter and Doom[br]clone, it stands as an important example of

0:07:54.389,0:08:01.389
early software rendering - full 3D without[br]shortcuts or compromise.

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Id software were prime innovators within the[br]PC gaming space: and not content with the

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countless clones their creations spawned,[br]they set the bar even higher with the release

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of Quake.

0:08:13.199,0:08:18.246
Quake was very much a true 3D game: gone were[br]the sprites and lack of vertical aiming of

0:08:18.669,0:08:25.030
Doom, replaced with polygonal enemies, weapon[br]viewmodels and biaxial aiming.

0:08:25.003,0:08:31.672
Quake, in all its brown-hued lovecraftian[br]glory, was a prelude to the next wave of 3D

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graphics development.

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One final footnote worth a mention are voxels:[br]volumetric pixels, an alternate approach to

0:08:41.669,0:08:44.310
polygon construction.

0:08:44.030,0:08:50.043
Instead of triangular faces, objects are built[br]from 3D pixels: essentially building blocks,

0:08:50.043,0:08:52.082
in a manner similar to Minecraft.

0:08:52.082,0:08:58.093
Ideal for carving out terrain from heightmaps,[br]games like Delta Force and Outcast are an

0:08:58.093,0:09:01.149
interesting example of what would prove to[br]be an evolutionary dead-end.

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Although voxels showed some promise, any progress[br]was nipped in the bud by the rise of 3D acceleration.

0:09:12.079,0:09:16.151
With dedicated hardware games now had the[br]power to construct smooth and detailed worlds

0:09:17.051,0:09:19.069
without compromise.

0:09:19.069,0:09:26.069
The magic of hardware acceleration was about[br]to unfold.

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Join me in part four, as the pace of 3D technology[br]quickens and we near our approach to the modern

0:09:35.069,0:09:36.086
era.

0:09:36.086,0:09:37.154
Until then, farewell.