5 ms·

Interestingly I've always thought that Elite was the first game with 3d graphics, but the timeline doesn't seem to agree. Elite was developed in 1982 (published

Interestingly I've always thought that Elite was the first game with 3d graphics, but the timeline doesn't seem to agree. Elite was developed in 1982 (published in 1984), while MSFS was developed in 1976. I wonder why Elite is still considered by many to be the first game with 3d graphics. https://www.frontier.co.uk/our-games/our-gameography/elite https://www.frontier.co.uk/our-games/our-gameography/elite > "Elite set many firsts, and was the first genuine 3D game on home computers. Even many years after its release it is fondly remembered. For example "Probably the best computer game ever" (The Times, December 1988). It went on to sell around 1,000,000 units, and is popular still, having appeared on most popular formats."

tverbeure 4y ago
I don't think I've spent more hours on a single game than Elite on a Commodore 64. Back in the day, it wasn't clear what were the requirements to level up your rank. I never made it past Deadly, which IIRC was the last level before Elite. I later played it on a 286-based PC, and made Elite level in a few days, which was a huge disappointment. It was supposed to be an incredibly achievement to make it that far! Turns out that leveling up was based entirely on the number of ships you shot down. They probably just dialed it down for the PC? Either way, it was a fantastic game.
flohofwoe 4y ago
Probably because home computers like the C64 were a lot more popular (and cheaper) than boring "office PCs" in the 80's (at least in Europe, don't know how it was in the US).
- pjmlp 4y ago
  The Iberian Peninsula shared UK's love for the speccy. Followed by Amigas and PCs afterwards, with some occasional Atari STs here and there.
  - anthk 4y ago
    This, and maybe some Master Systems in late 80's. Early 90's were the place of cheap Chinese NES clones, with testimonial SNES presence. Later eveyone got into the Play Station. The Game Boy was far more ubiquitous on the Pokémon era. On IBM PC computers, these in early-mid 90's were a thing for uni students and white collar workers. Maybe for writers, technicians, engineers and press people. Not a thing for the common folk. In early 00's everyone got a PC.
- wkat4242 4y ago
  But flight simulator was made for 8 bit computers. It only came to PC after. The first version was made for the Apple II by Sublogic.
layer8 4y ago
Your quote says “on home computers”. IBM PCs, on which MSFS ran on, were not considered home computers [0]. In the 1990s, home computers were finally displaced by the PC (and by consoles) for gaming, and the PC effectively took over the role that home computers used to serve. But the term “home computer” wasn’t used any more, at least partly because PCs were always also business computers. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_computer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_computer
- pjmlp 4y ago
  I am quite sure that on my part of the globe Amiga and Atari ST ruled alongside the PC with almost zero presence from game consoles.
- tstrimple 4y ago
  That makes sense. I missed the early days of home computers, but still cut my teeth on a hand-me-down Tandy 1000 in 1995. So I was playing games like Star Trader, Elite and Kings Quest on a decade old computer a couple decades after the games were released. I was fortunate that my initiation into PC gaming coincided with the end of life for all of these games (thanks to the shift to CD installation) so bargain bin software was a GOLD MINE for me.
- NikkiA 4y ago
  Even on home computers, Psion Flight Simulator would have been earlier than Elite, although calling the graphics in Psion's '3D' is perhaps stretching the term a little far.
  - layer8 4y ago
    There’s also 3D Monster Maze from 1981, but the above says “genuine 3D”, which I think is fair enough for Elite.
- goosedragons 4y ago
  MSFS was based on subLogic's Flight Simulator which was originally released on the Apple II in 1979.

tverbeure 4y ago

I don't think I've spent more hours on a single game than Elite on a Commodore 64. Back in the day, it wasn't clear what were the requirements to level up your rank. I never made it past Deadly, which IIRC was the last level before Elite. I later played it on a 286-based PC, and made Elite level in a few days, which was a huge disappointment. It was supposed to be an incredibly achievement to make it that far! Turns out that leveling up was based entirely on the number of ships you shot down. They probably just dialed it down for the PC? Either way, it was a fantastic game.

flohofwoe 4y ago

Probably because home computers like the C64 were a lot more popular (and cheaper) than boring "office PCs" in the 80's (at least in Europe, don't know how it was in the US).

pjmlp 4y ago
The Iberian Peninsula shared UK's love for the speccy. Followed by Amigas and PCs afterwards, with some occasional Atari STs here and there.
- anthk 4y ago
  This, and maybe some Master Systems in late 80's. Early 90's were the place of cheap Chinese NES clones, with testimonial SNES presence. Later eveyone got into the Play Station. The Game Boy was far more ubiquitous on the Pokémon era. On IBM PC computers, these in early-mid 90's were a thing for uni students and white collar workers. Maybe for writers, technicians, engineers and press people. Not a thing for the common folk. In early 00's everyone got a PC.
wkat4242 4y ago
But flight simulator was made for 8 bit computers. It only came to PC after. The first version was made for the Apple II by Sublogic.

layer8 4y ago

Your quote says “on home computers”. IBM PCs, on which MSFS ran on, were not considered home computers [0]. In the 1990s, home computers were finally displaced by the PC (and by consoles) for gaming, and the PC effectively took over the role that home computers used to serve. But the term “home computer” wasn’t used any more, at least partly because PCs were always also business computers. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_computer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_computer

pjmlp 4y ago
I am quite sure that on my part of the globe Amiga and Atari ST ruled alongside the PC with almost zero presence from game consoles.
tstrimple 4y ago
That makes sense. I missed the early days of home computers, but still cut my teeth on a hand-me-down Tandy 1000 in 1995. So I was playing games like Star Trader, Elite and Kings Quest on a decade old computer a couple decades after the games were released. I was fortunate that my initiation into PC gaming coincided with the end of life for all of these games (thanks to the shift to CD installation) so bargain bin software was a GOLD MINE for me.
NikkiA 4y ago
Even on home computers, Psion Flight Simulator would have been earlier than Elite, although calling the graphics in Psion's '3D' is perhaps stretching the term a little far.
- layer8 4y ago
  There’s also 3D Monster Maze from 1981, but the above says “genuine 3D”, which I think is fair enough for Elite.
goosedragons 4y ago
MSFS was based on subLogic's Flight Simulator which was originally released on the Apple II in 1979.