Catacomb 3-D (also known as
Catacomb 3-D: A New Dimension,
Catacomb 3-D: The Descent and
Catacombs 3) is the first in a series of
3-dimensional3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
computer games (after two earlier
2-D2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
games) in the
Catacomb series created by the founders of
id Softwareid Software is an American video game development company from Mesquite, 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...
. The game was originally published by
SoftdiskSoftdisk is a software and Internet company based in Shreveport, Louisiana. Founded in 1981, its original products were disk magazines...
under the Gamer's Edge label.
Catacomb 3-D is a landmark title in terms of
first-person graphicsIn video games, first person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, ranging from adventure games to flight...
. The game was released in November 1991 and is arguably the first example of the modern, character-based
first-person shooterFirst-person shooter is a video game genre which centers the gameplay around gun- and projectile weapon-based combat through the 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...
genre, or at least it was a direct ancestor to the games that popularized the genre. It was released for the
PCIBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
platform with
EGAThe Enhanced Graphics Adapter is the IBM PC computer display standard specification located between CGA and VGA in terms of color and space resolution. Introduced in 1984 by IBM for its new PC-AT, EGA produces a display of 16 simultaneous colors from a palette of 64 at a resolution of up to...
graphics. The game introduced the concept of showing the
playerA player of a game is a participant therein. The term 'player' is used with this same meaning both in game theory and in ordinary recreational games....
's
handThe hands are the two intricate, prehensile, multi-fingered body parts normally located at the end of each arm of a primate. They are the chief organs for physically manipulating the environment, used for both gross motor skills and fine motor skills...
in the three-dimensional viewport, and an enhanced version of its technology was later used for the more successful and well-known
Wolfenstein 3DWolfenstein 3D is a video game that is generally regarded as having popularized the first person shooter genre on the PC. It was created by id Software and published by Apogee Software. Released on May 5, 1992 for MS-DOS, the game was inspired by the 1980s Muse Software computer games Castle...
. The game's more primitive technological predecessor was
Hovertank 3DHovertank 3D is a first-person shooter computer game developed by id Software and published by Softdisk in April, 1991 that is the first first-person shooter and is sometimes inaccurately claimed to be the first 3D game for MS-DOS, although it was preceded at least by Microsoft Flight Simulator,...
.
Production
The origins of the games are
Catacomb by John Carmack for the PC and Apple II. This is a
two-dimensional2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
game utilising a third-person view from above, released in 1989-1990. It was followed up with
Catacomb II, which used the same
game engineA game engine is a software system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and desktop operating systems such as Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X...
with new
level-Places:*Levél, a village in Hungary*Level, Ohio, a former community in the United States*Somerset Levels, a wetland area of central Somerset, England-Engineering-related:*A floor of a building or a mine...
s. The first release of the 3D version was called
Catacomb 3-D: A new dimension, but it was later re-released as
Catacomb 3-D: The Descent, as well as
Catacombs 3 for a re-release as commercially packaged software (the earlier versions had been released by other means such as
disk magazineA disk magazine, colloquially known as a diskmag, and also known by the portmanteau magazette , is a magazine that is distributed in electronic form to be read using computers. These had some popularity in the 1980s and 1990s as periodicals distributed on floppy disk, hence their name...
s and downloads). The game creators were John Carmack,
John RomeroAlfonso 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 personal computer games including Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, and Quake...
, Jason Blochowiak (
programmersA game programmer is a software engineer who primarily develops video games or related software . Game programming has many specialized disciplines; practitioners of any may regard themselves as "game programmers"...
),
Tom HallTom A. Hall is a game designer born in Wisconsin. He attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison and there 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...
(
creative directorA game designer is a person who designs gameplay, conceiving and designing the rules and structures of a game. It is essentially the game equivalent to a screenwriter. The term applies to the designer of any game, whether a video game or tabletop games such as board games or card games...
),
Adrian CarmackAdrian 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....
(
artistA game artist is an artist who creates art for one or more types of games. Game artists are responsible for all of the aspects of game development that call for visual art...
), and
Robert PrinceRobert Prince, also known as Bobby Prince, is a composer and sound designer. He has worked as an independent contractor for several gaming companies, most notably id Software and Apogee/3D Realms....
(
musicianA musician is a person who performs or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument.* A singer uses his or her voice as an instrument....
).
id Software's use of
texture mappingTexture mapping is a method for adding detail, surface texture, or colour to a computer-generated graphic or 3D model. Its application to 3D graphics was pioneered by Dr Edwin Catmull in his Ph.D. thesis of 1974.-Texture mapping:...
in
Catacomb 3D was influenced by
Ultima Underworld. Conflicting accounts exist regarding the extent of this influence, however. In the book
Masters of DoomMasters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture is a book by David Kushner about id Software and its influence on popular culture, focusing chiefly on John D. Carmack and John Romero.-Content:...
, author
David KushnerDavid Kushner is a writer who has contributed to publications including Wired, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, IEEE Spectrum and Salon. From 1994 to 1996 he worked as a senior producer and writer on the SonicNet website. The first edition of his non-fiction book, Masters of Doom, was published...
asserts that the concept was discussed only briefly during a 1991 telephone conversation between Paul Neurath and John Romero. However, Paul Neurath has stated multiple times that John Carmack and John Romero had seen the game's 1990 CES demo, and recalled a comment from Carmack that he could write a faster texture mapper.
Catacomb Fantasy Trilogy
Catacomb 3-D was followed by three games, in the so called
Catacomb Fantasy Trilogy. They were not developed by id Software, though they were credited in some of the games.
Catacomb Abyss
Catacomb Abyss was the sequel to
Catacomb 3-D, and featured the same main character in a new adventure. It was the only game in the series that was released as
sharewareThe term shareware, popularized by Bob Wallace, refers to proprietary software that is provided to users without payment on a trial basis and is often limited by any combination of functionality, availability or convenience. Shareware is often offered as a download from an Internet website or as a...
. It was released by
SoftdiskSoftdisk is a software and Internet company based in Shreveport, Louisiana. Founded in 1981, its original products were disk magazines...
in 1992.
The game was developed by Gamer's Edge. The credits are Mike Maynard, Jim Row, Nolan Martin (programming), Steve Maines (art direction), Steve Maines, Carol Ludden, Jerry Jones,
Adrian CarmackAdrian 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....
(art production), Jim Weiler, Judi Mangham (quality assurance), and
id Softwareid Software is an American video game development company from Mesquite, 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...
(3D imaging effects).
Catacomb Armageddon
Catacomb Armageddon is the sequel to
Catacomb Abyss, set in the present day. It was later re-released as
Curse of the Catacombs. It was developed by
SoftdiskSoftdisk is a software and Internet company based in Shreveport, Louisiana. Founded in 1981, its original products were disk magazines...
and published by Froggman.
Catacomb Apocalypse
Catacomb Apocalypse is the final game in the
Catacomb Fantasy Trilogy. It was later re-released as
Terror of the Catacombs. It was set in the distant future and mixed fantasy and sci-fi elements, pitting players against robotic necromancers and the like. It is also the only game in the Trilogy to have a Hub system. It was developed by
SoftdiskSoftdisk is a software and Internet company based in Shreveport, Louisiana. Founded in 1981, its original products were disk magazines...
and published by Froggman.
External links