First-Person Firing Squad

Back in my Atari days, first person games were rare and prized. Most games were third person you saw the action from a third-person perspective, with your little tank, man, or airplane running around on the screen just like all the other tanks, men, or airplanes. But in a first-person game, you saw the action from the point of view of your character. This was a much greater technological challenge and was seldom adequately implemented until the arrival of Doom.

Nevertheless, as early as 1980, game designers at Atari were avidly discussing the possibilities of first-person games. One wag suggested a First-Person Firing Squad game; I thought the idea had merit so I slapped something together in BASIC. Four little stick-figure men marched from the right side of the screen toward the center while a stick-figure commander waited on the left side of the screen. When they reached the center, the commander raised a hand and beeped "Halt!" Two more beeps enlivened an animation of the soldiers turning to face out from the screen, and the text "Left face!" appeared. Next came the command "Ready!" at which the soldiers presented their rifles. Another beep indicated the "Aim!" command, at which the soldiers took aim at the viewer. The third beep, "Fire!" was instantly followed by a loud bang and the screen suddenly going black. I always had fond feelings for that stupid little game, so I decided to build it into Guns & Butter. This time, however, the graphics and animation were much better (see Figure 24.5).

24.5. First-person firing squad.

LESSON 68

Hey, it's just a game! Judiciously chosen levity is entirely appropriate.