The Unsung Hero of FPS: Remembering Catacomb 3-D

The Wild Beginnings of Catacomb 3-D

Picture this: id Software was just starting to dip its toes in the first-person shooter pool and instead of making waves, they made a pocket change of about $5,000. Yep, that’s right! A blockbuster like Doom could have been nonexistent if it weren’t for a particular moment where a developer literally fell out of his chair in awe while playing. How crazy is that?

Fast forward 35 years, and we’re celebrating id Software’s legacy with a little retrospective from co-founder John Romero. He took a trip down memory lane to revisit one of the studio’s hidden gems: Catacomb 3-D. This gem doesn’t sparkle like Doom, but it was pivotal in shaping the genre we love today.

From Two-Month Rush to Immersive Gameplay

So, how did Catacomb 3-D come to life? It started in a frantic rush after the team wrapped up another title. They worked their magic in October 1991 while bouncing around different states—oh the life of an indie studio! Armed with a deal with Softdisk, id created games in a dizzying two-month timeframe. Talk about development on a caffeine high!

Now, notice how Catacomb wasn’t their first FPS? That honor goes to Hovertank One. But Catacomb was where things got spicy. John Carmack was busy tinkering with technology that made it possible to bring 3D graphics to life on consumer hardware—something that was once only feasible on million-dollar machines. It felt like magic! However, back in the day, calling it an FPS was a bit of a stretch. Carmack humorously compared it to an arcade game you’d drop quarters into for fun but in a more immersive way.

When the crew decided to go for the first-person view, it was partially due to challenges—who wants to slow down gameplay drawing big graphics, right? Tom Hall pointed out the brilliance of this decision; it made aiming easier and cranked up player immersion like no other. “It felt like you were in there!” Hall quipped—with a little chuckle, you bet!

Still, here’s the kicker: they only raked in $5,000 from all that hard work through their limited distribution deal. Now that’s not exactly cashing in big for a team of six after two months, is it? Commander Keen, on the other hand, was a cash cow, so off they went to launch the next chapter—Commander Keen 7. But deep down, they felt like they had cracked a code, one that Tom Hall characterized as a major shift in gaming direction!

Romero spilled the beans about a breakthrough moment when artist Adrian Carmack had a near-miss with a troll in-game. That moment wasn’t just a hilariously scary memory; it was an epiphany! Adrian told the tale of how the graphics sucked players right in, almost hypnotizing them with their charms. It wasn’t just about gameplay anymore; it was an experience!

Eventually, they ditched Commander Keen 7 after just two weeks of development—an effort overshadowed by the ambitious future they envisioned. One night, they decided Catacomb 3-D was just the tip of the iceberg, leading them towards their next monumental title: Wolfenstein 3-D. And thus, the first-person shooter genre was born, blending everything they had learned into the heart of gaming as we know it today.