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A variety ofcomputer graphic techniques have been used to displayvideo game content throughout thehistory of video games. The predominance of individual techniques have evolved over time, primarily due tohardware advances and restrictions such as the processing power ofcentral orgraphics processing units.
Some of the earliest video games weretext games ortext-based games that usedtext characters instead ofbitmapped orvector graphics. Examples includeMUDs (multi-user dungeons), where players could read or view depictions of rooms, objects, other players, and actions performed in the virtual world; androguelikes, a subgenre ofrole-playing video games featuring many monsters, items, and environmental effects, as well as an emphasis onrandomization, replayability andpermanent death. Some of the earliest text games were developed for computer systems which had no video display at all.
Text games are typically easier to write and require less processing power thangraphical games, and thus were more common from 1970 to 1990. However,terminal emulators are still in use today, and people continue to play MUDs and exploreinteractive fiction. Many beginning programmers still create these types of games to familiarize themselves with aprogramming language, and contests are still held even today on who can finish programming a roguelike within a short time period, such as seven days.[1]
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Vector graphics refer to the use of geometricalprimitives such aspoints,lines, andcurves (i.e., shapes based on mathematical equations) instead of resolution-dependent bitmap graphics to representimages incomputer graphics. In video games this type of projection is somewhat rare, but has become more common in recent years inbrowser-based gaming with the advent ofFlash andHTML5 Canvas, as these support vector graphics natively. An earlier example for the personal computer isStarglider (1986).
Vector game can also refer to avideo game that uses avector graphics display capable of projecting images using an electron beam to draw images instead of withpixels, much like alaser show. Many earlyarcade games used such displays, as they were capable of displaying more detailed images thanraster displays on the hardware available at that time. Many vector-based arcade games used full-color overlays to complement the otherwise monochrome vector images. Other uses of these overlays were very detailed drawings of the static gaming environment, while the moving objects were drawn by the vector beam. Games of this type were produced mainly byAtari,Cinematronics, andSega. Examples of vector games includeAsteroids,Armor Attack,Aztarac,Eliminator,Lunar Lander,Space Fury,Space Wars,Star Trek,Tac/Scan,Tempest andZektor. TheVectrexhome console also used a vector display. After 1985, the use of vector graphics declined substantially due to improvements in sprite technology; rasterized 3D Filled Polygon Graphics returned to the arcades and were so popular that vector graphics could no longer compete.[2]
Full motion video (FMV) games arevideo games that rely upon pre-recordedtelevision- ormovie-quality recordings andanimations rather thansprites,vectors or 3D models to display action in the game. FMV-based games were popular during the early 1990s asCD-ROMs andLaserdiscs made their way into the living rooms, providing an alternative to the low-capacityROM cartridges of mostconsoles at the time. Although FMV-based games did manage to look better than many contemporary sprite-based games, they occupied a niche market; and a vast majority of FMV games were panned at the time of their release, with many gamers citing their dislike for the lack of interaction inherent in these games. As a result, the format became awell-known failure in video gaming, and the popularity of FMV games declined substantially after 1995 as more advanced consoles started to become widely available.
A number of different types of games utilized this format. Some resembled modernmusic/dance games, where the player timely presses buttons according to a screen instruction. Others included earlyrail shooters such asTomcat Alley,Surgical Strike andSewer Shark. Full motion video was also used in severalinteractive movieadventure games, such asThe Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery andPhantasmagoria.
Games utilizingparallel projection typically make use of two-dimensionalbitmap graphics as opposed to 3D-renderedtriangle-based geometry, allowing developers to create large, complex gameworlds efficiently and with relatively few art assets by dividing the art into sprites ortiles and reusing them repeatedly (though some games use a mix of different techniques).
Top-down perspective, also sometimes referred to asbird's-eye view,Overworld,Godview,overhead view, orhelicopter view, when used in the context of video games, refers to a camera angle that shows players and the areas around them from above. While not exclusive to video games utilizing parallel projection, it was at one time common among2Drole playing video games,wargames, andconstruction and management simulation games, such asSimCity,Pokémon, andRailroad Tycoon; as well as amongaction andaction-adventure games, such as the earlyThe Legend of Zelda,Metal Gear, andGrand Theft Auto games.
Aside-scrolling game orside-scroller is avideo game in which the viewpoint is taken from the side, and the onscreen characters generally can only move, to the left or right. Games of this type make use ofscrolling computer display technology, and sometimesparallax scrolling to suggest added depth.
In many games the screen follows the player character such that the player character is always positioned near the center of the screen. In other games the position of the screen will change according to the player character's movement, such that the player character is off-center and more space is shown in front of the character than behind. Sometimes, the screen will scroll not only forward in the speed and direction of the player character's movement, but also backwards to previously visited parts of a stage. In other games or stages, the screen will only scroll forwards, not backwards, so that once a stage has been passed it can no longer be visited. In games such asshoot 'em ups likeR-type, the screen scrolls forward by itself at a steady rate, and the player must keep up with the screen, attempting to avoid obstacles and collect things before they pass off screen.
Examples of side-scrolling games includeplatform games such asSonic the Hedgehog andOri and the Blind Forest,beat 'em ups such as the popularDouble Dragon andBattletoads, andshooters such asR-Type and (more recently)Jets'n'Guns. TheSuper Mario Bros. series has used all three types of side-scrolling at some time in its history.
2.5D ("two-and-a-half-dimensional"),3/4 perspective andpseudo-3D are informal terms used to describe graphical projections and techniques that try to "fake"three-dimensionality, typically by using some form of parallel projection, wherein the point of view is from a fixed perspective, but also reveals multiple facets of an object. Examples of pseudo-3D techniques includeisometric/axonometric projection,oblique projection,orthographic projection,billboarding,parallax scrolling,scaling,skyboxes, and skydomes. In addition, 3D graphical techniques such asbump mapping andparallax mapping are often used to extend the illusion of three-dimensionality without substantially increasing the resulting computational overhead introduced by larger numbers of polygons (also known as the "polygon count").
These terms sometimes possess a second meaning, wherein the gameplay in an otherwise 3D game is forcibly restricted to a two-dimensional plane.
Examples of games that make use of pseudo-3D techniques includeZaxxon,The Sims andDiablo (isometric/axonometric projection);Ultima VII andPaperboy (oblique projection);Sonic the Hedgehog andStreet Fighter II (parallax scrolling);Fonz andSpace Harrier (scaling); andHalf-Life 2 (skyboxes). In addition to axonometric projection, games such asThe Sims andFinal Fantasy Tactics also make use of a combination of pre-drawn 2D sprites and real-time polygonal graphics instead of relying entirely on 2D sprites as is the norm.
With the advent of3D accelerated graphics, video games could expand beyond the typically sprite-based 2D graphics of older graphics technologies to describe a view frequently more true to reality and lifelike than their predecessors. Federica Romagnoli has stated that in her opinion, high-budget 3D game graphics "display...levels of artistry once more commonly found infilms"[3] because of their capability to render complexcinematography andCG characters and the optimization ofvideo game consoles andPCs to be able to handle such content.Perspective projection has also been used in some earlier titles to present a 3D view from a fixed (and thus somewhat less hardware-intensive) perspective with a limited ability to move.
Instead of using triangle meshes, voxel engines usevoxels.
Fixed 3D refers to a three-dimensional representation of the game world where foreground objects (i.e. game characters) are typicallyrendered inreal time against a static background. The principal advantage of this technique is its ability to display a high level of detail on minimal hardware. The main disadvantage is that the player's frame of reference remains fixed at all times, preventing players from examining or moving about the environment from multiple viewpoints.
Backgrounds in fixed 3D games tend to bepre-rendered two-dimensional images, but are sometimes rendered in real time (e.g.Blade Runner). The developers ofSimCity 4 took advantage of fixed perspective by not texturing the reverse sides of objects (and thereby speeding up rendering) which players could not see anyway.[4] Fixed 3D is also sometimes used to "fake" areas which are inaccessible to players.The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, for instance, is nearly completely 3D, but uses fixed 3D to represent many of the building interiors as well as one entire town (this technique was later dropped in favor of full-3D in the game's successor,The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask). A similar technique, theskybox, is used in many 3D games to represent distant background objects that are not worth rendering in real time.
Used heavily in thesurvival horror genre, fixed 3D was first seen inInfogrames'Alone in the Dark series in the early 1990s and imitated by titles such asEcstatica. It was later brought back byCapcom in theResident Evil series. Gameplay-wise there is little difference between fixed 3D games and their 2D precursors. Players' ability to navigate within a scene still tends to be limited, and interaction with the gameworld remains mostly "point-and-click".
Further examples include thePlayStation-era titles in theFinal Fantasy series (Square); the role-playing gamesParasite Eve andParasite Eve II (Square); the action-adventure gamesEcstatica andEcstatica 2 (Andrew Spencer/Psygnosis), as well asLittle Big Adventure (Adeline Software International); the graphic adventureGrim Fandango (LucasArts); and3D Movie Maker (Microsoft Kids).
Pre-rendered backgrounds are also found in some isometric video games, such as the role-playing gameThe Temple of Elemental Evil (Troika Games) and theBaldur's Gate series (BioWare); though in these cases the form of graphical projection used is not different.
First person refers to agraphical 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, includingadventure games,flight simulators, and the highly popularfirst-person shooter genre.
Games with a first-person perspective are usuallyavatar-based, wherein the game displays what the player's avatar would see with the avatar's own eyes. In many games, players cannot see the avatar's body, though they may be able to see the avatar's weapons or hands. This viewpoint is also frequently used to represent the perspective of a driver within a vehicle, as in flight and racing simulators; and it is common to make use of positional audio, where the volume of ambient sounds varies depending on their position with respect to the player's avatar.[5]
Games with a first-person perspective do not require sophisticated animations for the player's avatar, and do not need to implement a manual or automated camera-control scheme as in third-person perspective.[5] A first person perspective allows for easier aiming, since there is no representation of the avatar to block the player's view. However, the absence of an avatar can make it difficult to master the timing and distances required to jump between platforms, and may causemotion sickness in some players.[5]
Players have come to expect first-person games to accurately scale objects to appropriate sizes. However, key objects such as dropped items or levers may be exaggerated in order to improve their visibility.[5]
Third person refers to agraphical perspective rendered from a view that is some distance away (usually behind and slightly above) from the player's character.[5] This viewpoint allows players to see a more strongly characterized avatar, and is most common inaction andaction-adventure games.[5] This viewpoint poses some difficulties, however, in that when the player turns or stands with his back to a wall, the camera may jerk or end up in awkward positions. Developers have tried to alleviate this issue by implementing intelligentcamera systems, or by giving the player control over the camera.[5] There are three primary types of third-person camera systems: "fixed camera systems" in which the camera positions are set during the game creation; "tracking camera systems" in which the camera simply follows the player's character; and "interactive camera systems" that are under the player's control.
Examples of games utilizing third-person perspective includeSuper Mario 64, theTomb Raider series, the 3D installments of theLegend of Zelda series, andCrash Bandicoot.
Stereoscopic video games usestereoscopic technologies to createdepth perception for the player by any form ofstereo display. Such games are not to be confused with video games that use3D computer graphics, which although they feature graphics on screen, do not give the illusion of depth beyond the screen.
The graphics for virtual reality gaming consist of a special kind of stereo 3D graphics to fit the up-close display. The requirements forlatency are also higher to reduce the potential forvirtual reality sickness.
Many games can runmulti-monitor setups to achieve very highdisplay resolutions. Running games in this way can create a greater sense of immersion, e.g. when playing a video racing game or flight simulator or give a tactical advantage due to the higher field of view.
Augmented reality games typically use 3D graphics on a single flat screen on a smartphone or tablet, or in a head-mounted display. When playing an AR game on a head-mounted device, the visuals are displayed on transparent glass that overlays the real world and has 3D depth through stereoscopic display.
Technical aspects
Game genres and gameplay
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