3D Online Multi-player Gaming
I know I spend far too much time in front of a computer monitor than I should but I love it. I have been told I am obsessed and crazy as a loon but I don't care. There is so much information and so many different things to do and I love them all. One of my favorite things is 3D Online Multi-player gaming in first person, commonly referred to as First Person Shooters. It is a genre of game where you run around in a virtual world and attempt to terminate your opponents with extreme prejudice. I think part of it comes from my military training. I loved boot camp war-games too. Anyway this page is a chronological account of all the games I've loved playing. I still play some of them.
Wolfenstein 3D
| Developer: | id Software |
| Release Date: | May 5, 1992 |
| Plot: | In Wolfenstein 3D, the player sees everything through the eyes of William "BJ" Blazkowicz, an Allied spy, who during World War II was trying to find the plans for Operation Eisenfaust, and was captured, and imprisoned in Castle Wolfenstein. After overpowering a guard, Blazkowicz takes the Guard's knife and pistol and begins his attempt to escape from the Castle. |
| Note: | This game was not a multi-player game, but it was great fun and since it was released as shareware it was massively copied and distributed worldwide. My first experience with First Person Shooters was with a game called Catacombs which was actually created before Wolf 3D but it was not nearly as much fun so I guess you could say that my love affair with First Person Shooters started here with Wolfenstein 3D but it most certainly did not end here. |
DOOM
| Developer: | id Software |
| Release Date: | December 10, 1993 |
| Plot: | In this game the player takes on the roll of the unnamed DoomGuy. DoomGuy is a space marine who has been deported to Mars for assaulting a senior officer who ordered him to kill unarmed civilians. He is sent to Mars to work for the UAC (Union Aerospace Corporation) who are part of the military-industrial complex and have moved their operations into space to avoid legal and moral restrictions imposed on Earth. DoomGuy is forced into a boring security position while the UAC perform teleportation experiments between Phobos and Deimos, the moons of Mars. One day something goes horribly wrong and demons from hell come pouring thru the teleportation chambers overrunning Mars, Phobos, and Deimos until only the DoomGuy is left alive and must fight his way back to Earth. |
| Note: | The great thing about this game is that it was user customizable and before you could shake a stick users were creating custom skins and maps and packaging them into their own wad files. Another great thing about this game is that it had both single player and multi-player modes. Multi-player was limited to the LAN (local area network). I was introduced to it by Barry Coziahr, a friend that I grew up with and was working for at the time. Barry, David Deakin, and I used to sit in the office, after hours, until late at night running around those virtual martian maps trying to kill each other over the company LAN. We had a blast and I miss those days. |
DOOM II
| Developer: | id Software |
| Release Date: | October 10, 1994 |
| Plot: | The DoomGuy makes it back to earth but the demons have beat him there. DoomGuy learns that the remaining Human survivors are loaded into space craft and their only hope of survival is to make it through the space port and escape into space. There is a problem with this plan however because the demons have activated a force field of fire around the space port preventing Human escape. It is up to the DoomGuy to deactivate the force field. So he battles his way thru the demons, deactivates the force field and waits for death content in the knowledge that he has saved Humanity from destruction. The DoomGuy receives a transmission from the space ship telling him that the Humans have discovered the source of the invasion and that the possibility of stopping the invasion forever is in his hands. So the DoomGuy once more rises to the challenge and battles his way to the portal. Not seeing any way to close it from the Earth side, he dives through it to search for the solution on the other side. After fighting legions of demons from hell, the DoomGuy finds the boss demon and after killing the boss demon the chaos stops and hell is in ruins. The DoomGuy starts making his way back home to Earth. |
| Note: | The sequel was more run and gun fun. I honestly think that when Barry was back in his office that he was playing DOOM and DOOM II because David and I didn't have a chance... Barry knew the maps and all the good camping spots and we got so pwned. |
Hexen
| Developer: | Raven Software |
| Release Date: | October 30, 1995 |
| Plot: | In Hexen, Three serpent riders gain power by forcing peace upon the world through the use of controlling magics and eventually controlling the seven powerful kings of Parthoris. Only the Sidhe, an elvish race, are unaffected by the spells and thus are considered to be heretics by the disciples and followers of the Serpent Riders. When the seven kings of Parthoris combine their armies to march on the Sidhe, the Sidhe elders blow out seven candles tied to the powers of the world and the seven armies. Thus the seven armies of the seven kings were destroyed. The effort weakened the Sidhe elders and in this moment of weakness the Serpent Riders struck and destroyed the elders. With the elders gone the Sidhe dispersed and went into hiding... all except for one. In Heretic, the prequel to Hexen the player sets out after the weakest of the Serpent Riders, D'Sparil and kills him. In Hexen the player must find and destroy Korax, the second Serpent Rider who has taken over the world of Cronos. |
| Note: | This game was another office favorite! Again, somehow Barry knew where all the good powerups were... hmmmm. Barry, flying when we are searching the grounds is not fair! |
Quake
| Developer: | id Software |
| Release Date: | June 22, 1996 |
| Plot: | In the game Quake, the player assumes the role of an unnamed soldier ordered into a portal to eliminate the enemy, code-named "Quake". The government has been experimenting with teleportation technology, and unknowingly opens a portal to an unknown dimension via the "Slipgate". Death squads emerge from the Slipgate, killing and robbing as much as they can before retreating through the gate. The player's main objective is to survive and find the level exit which will take them to the next level. |
| Note: | The game's storyline is pretty weak, BUT this game introduced multi-player gaming over the internet instead of simply over a LAN (Local Area Network). So instead of being forced to stay in the office to kill each other, we could go home and do it from the comfort of our own PCs. The graphics for this game were still pretty rough as the game had a software renderer as opposed to hardware accelerated rendering. |
Quake II
| Developer: | id Software |
| Release Date: | December 9, 1997 |
| Plot: | In this game the player assumes the role of a space marine named Bitterman, who is taking part in Operation Alien Overlord. The operation is a bid to keep the aliens from invading Earth by launching a preemptive attack against their home planet Stroggos. During the attack, almost all of the space marines are killed and it is up to Bitterman to single-handedly invade the Strogg capitol city and kill the Strogg leader, the Makron. |
| Note: | Quake II is NOT a sequel to the original Quake. The game was named Quake II because of difficulties id Software was having acquiring trademarks for the alternative titles. Unlike Quake, this game shipped with a hardware accelerated OpenGL driver so the graphics quality was much better than the games before it. The single player mode of this game was a lot of fun and the multi-player was a blast! Like all the other id Games since DOOM, Players were able to create custom skins for thier players so everyone could be unique and the modification community created all kinds of kewl addons for the game. Running around the maps of this game with a rocket launcher or rail gun was great fun. |
Unreal
| Developer: | Epic Games and Digital Extremes |
| Release Date: | May 22, 1998 |
| Plot: | This is the best part the anticipation. Slowly, laboriously, but insistently you ascend toward the boundless turquoise sky. As the struggling coaster reaches the peak of the hill, you raise your hands above your head in defiance of your frantically pounding heart. Time and the entire world stand still for a moment. And then.... Woooosh! Toward the ground you plummet. The sky you faced a moment ago is now at your back. The coaster trembles as it races downward and the air fills with the delighted screams of those around you. You close your eyes and drink in the feeling of pure rapturous freedom that engulfs you. CRASH! Your eyes snap open as you are pitched violently from your bed to the cold metal floor of your cell. The ship is trembling and the air is filled with the screams and shouts of the prisoners in the cells around you. As you gather your senses you quickly remember where you really are. The Vortex Rikers. The rankest prison transport vessel this side of the Milky Way and the furthest thing in the universe from the freedom in your dreams. But something's not right. Emergency lights are flashing on and off in the walkway beyond your cell. A sulfurous burning odor invades your nostrils and stings your eyes. You pick yourself up off the ground, holding onto the iron bed frame for balance as the floor shudders beneath you. Looking through the plasma gated entryway to your cell, you see guards and officials running up and down the walkway like frantic worker ants. "Hey what the hell's going on!?" you shout. But your voice is lost among the shouts of your fellow prisoners and the wailing of the ship's alert siren. The ants tripping over each other in the walkway don't even glance at you. You know from experience that trying to break through the plasma gate will only result in frustration and a nasty headache. If this bucket is going down, I am not going to die like a caged rat in this stinking cell, you tell yourself. I've got to get to the emergency shuttle. Just then the cell blocks head guard pauses in the walkway outside of your cell to scrawl something in his ever-present log book. "Hey Ash, what the hell's going on!?" you ask. "What do you thinks going on genius? We're going down. Now shut yer yap and strap yourself in" he replies. "Are you insane?! Turn off the gates! Let us get to the shuttle!" you shout. Ash's smirk and amused snort before he walks away fills you with almost enough rage to burst right through the plasma gate and tear his head off. You continue to yell at him as he walks off, "Ash! Ash, open the damn gates! Don't leave us in here! Wait a minute! Open the friggin' gates you son-of-a--". A tremendous jolt rocks the ship and sends you hurtling across your cell into the rear wall. You feel the sickening introduction of bone to iron, and then, nothing at all. Later -- perhaps hours, perhaps days -- you wake up. Your body is battered and dehydrated, but somehow you have survived the crash. The plasma gate is disabled. Beyond the entryway of your cell freedom beckons. But where are you? Has anyone else survived? And what awaits you beyond the crumpled confines of the Rikers? There is only one way to find out you say to yourself. Slowly, laboriously, but insistently you emerge from your cell... Good Luck. |
| Note: | The main thing I remember about Unreal was the massive size of the maps. It definitely made the sniper rifle a popular weapon. The game had immense wide open spaces. Some of the user created maps reminded me of a TV show that I used to watch as a kid called "Land of the Giants" because the maps were of a room you might find in any house but the characters were only as tall as a mouse on all four feet. Both the single-player and multi-player modes of this game were a blast to play. |
Half-Life
| Developer: | Valve Software |
| Release Date: | November 19, 1998 |
| Plot: | The player assumes the role of Gordon Freeman, a recent MIT graduate and Theoretical Physicist, working at the Black Mesa Research Facility in New Mexico, USA. When the game starts, Gordon is running late for work. After getting off the tram Barney (the security guard) opens the security door and allows Gordon to enter his sector. Gordon runs around the facility finds his locker and gets into his HEV (hazardous environment) suit and proceeds to his work area. Upon arrival Gordon and his co-workers start their experiments which cause a "resonance cascade" and open up a portal to the world Xen. The violent and horrific creatures of this world come streaming through the portal killing everyone they find. When word of the breach reaches the US government they send the military into the complex on a search and destroy operation. They are ordered to exterminate all the aliens and to silence all witnesses to the event. You as Gordon must find a way to escape the facility... Good luck Gordon! |
| Note: | This game won so many Game of the Year awards. It was easily the scariest game of it's day and is still enjoyable to play even today. |
Half-Life:Counter-Strike
| Developer: | Minh "Gooseman" Le and Jess "Cliffe" Cliffe |
| Release Date: | June 12, 1999 |
| Plot: | Counter-Strike is a multi-player game where players choose one of two teams, Terrorist or Counter-Terrorist, and face off against each other. The winning team is the team who completes their objective or eliminates the other teams players. |
| Note: | This game became wildly popular. Unfortunately the game became overrun with cheaters using aimbots and wallhacks and the issues were not properly addressed until it was too widely spread. This game is a blast to play, but not if the other player has an unfair advantage. I have seen a single player run through this game and single shot kill every player on the other team in less than 30 seconds... As far as I am concerned, cheaters killed this game. The guys who waste their time creating cheats for video games are doing exactly that wasting their time. They obviously have skills that they could be putting to productive use and maybe even creating games of their own. The people who use the cheats are just lame. It doesn't take any skill or talent to download and install a game cheat. |
Half-Life:Opposing Force
| Developer: | Gearbox Software |
| Release Date: | October 31, 1999 |
| Plot: | In Opposing Force, the player assumes the role of Corporal Adrian Shepherd, a US Marine who is sent into the Black Mesa Research Facility in New Mexica USA. In the original Half-Life, a "resonance cascade" opens a dimensional rift, which causes aliens to teleport into the Black Mesa Research Facility. The surviving scientists and security guards at the facility struggle to escape. Responding swiftly, the United States military initiates a massive "clean-up" operation to eradicate the alien presence at Black Mesa as well as "silence" any witnesses. As the game begins, Shephard is part of this operation. After his transport aircraft is shot down and he is cut off from the rest of his unit, the clean-up mission is abandoned and Shephard joins forces with the scattered survivors seeking escape. |
| Note: | This game was totally kewl because it allowed the player to play Half-Life from different perspectives. In the original game the player played from Gordon's perspective and in Opposing Force the player gets to play from Corporal Shepherd's perspective. A lot of fun! |
Unreal Tournament
| Developer: | Epic Games and Digital Extremes |
| Release Date: | November 30, 1999 |
| Plot: | In the year 2291 in an attempt to control violence among deep space miners, the New Earth Government legalized no-holds-barred fighting. Liandri Mining Corporation working with the NEG established a series of leagues and bloody public exhibitions. The fights popularity grew with their brutality. Soon Liandri discovered that the public matches were their most profitable enterprise. The Professional League was formed. A cabal of the most violent and skilled warriors in known space selected to fight in a grand tournament. Now it is 2341, 50 years have passed since the founding of Deathmatch. Profits from the tournament number in the hundreds of billions. You have been selected to fight in the Professional League by the Liandri Rules Board. Your strength and brutality are legendary. The time has come to prove you are the best... To crush your enemies... To win the tournament. |
| Note: | This game took multiplayer gaming to whole new level by packaging multiple game types in the same package. You could choose between normal Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Assault, Capture the Flag, Domination, and Last Man Standing. |
Quake III Arena
| Developer: | id Software |
| Release Date: | December 2, 1999 |
| Plot: | None |
| Note: | Quake III Arena was different from other games released prior to it because it did not have a plot for the single player component. Single player was the same as Multiplayer, Deathmatch. In single-player you had a deathmatch against bots and in multi-player you had a deathmatch against internet opponents. The game was and still is a blast a play but it doesn't leave much to talk about |
Half-Life:Blue Shift
| Developer: | Gearbox Software |
| Release Date: | October 31, 2001 |
| Plot: | In Half-Life, you assume the character of Gordon Freeman, in Opposing Force you assume the character of Corporal Shepherd, and now thanks to Blue Shift you can assume the character of Barney Calhoun, security guard at Black Mesa Research Facility. |
| Note: | All of the Half-Life games are fun, this one is no different. |
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
| Developer: | id Software, Gray Matter Interactive, and Nerve Software |
| Release Date: | November 19, 2001 |
| Plot: | 1943. World War II is raging across Europe. The Third Reich will embark on any plan that will help them win the war, and this includes going far beyond conventional warfare. The game can be experienced in two very different ways, single-player and multi-player. In single-player mode, you are U.S. Army Ranger B.J. Blazkowicz. The Office of Secret Actions has assigned you to investigate strange rumors of occult activity and genetic engineering. You are about to embark on a journey deep into the heart of the Third Reich to battle the most horrific creatures ever unleashed. You must face zombies brought back from the dead through dark magic and destroy mutants created through twisted science. All the while there will be legions of Nazi soldiers battling to win the war. In multi-player mode, join the blitzkreig in an Axis vs. Allies online world war. It is critical that your team of soldiers, engineers, medics, and lieutenants work together like a well oiled machine. How well you work together when you are under the guns on an impossible mission determine your success or failure. |
| Note: | Single-Player is spectacular! Multi-player is fun. |
America's Army
| Developer: | United States Government |
| Release Date: | July 4, 2002 |
| Plot: | Complete your objectives and eliminate the opposing force. |
| Note: | This game is an admitted U.S. Army recruitment and propaganda tool, however the game is a lot of fun to play and it is FREE. One of the good points about the game is the required weapons and systems training as well as the Special Forces Evade and Escape training module. This causes the player to invest time into an account before being allowed to play online with other players. It is good because some players will come onto a server and be disruptive because they don't care about the account because they didn't have to spend any real time creating it and if it gets banned because of their bad behavior then they can just go whip up another account quick and be right back on the server causing more problems. Since AA requires an account to go through a lot of training prior to online play it acts as a deterent to players with bad attitudes. Unlike games like Counter-Strike, the AA community has actively come together to prevent cheaters from playing on the servers. Many AA admin take active roles in removing known cheaters from their servers. This was my favorite game to play until I build my Linux gaming rig. AA used to have a Linux port, but evidently the powers that be don't feel that Linux users are good enough to play the game, we are only good for hosting a bunch of their servers. So I won't be playing AA anymore. I doubt I will ever build myself another Windows computer and the one I have barely squeaks by with AA. This really sux because I have a 92 honor account and I really wanted to reach 100... oh well. |
Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory
| Developer: | Splash Damage |
| Release Date: | May 29, 2003 |
| Plot: | Pick a side, Allies or Axis, then choose a class, Soldier, Medic, Engineer, Field Op, or Covert Op and wage war against the other side. Have FUN! |
| Note: | This is a complete FREE, as in FREE BEER, game. It is great multi-player fun and is still very popular even after 5 years. |
Unreal Tournament 2004
| Developer: | Epic Games and Digital Extremes |
| Release Date: | March 16, 2004 |
| Plot: | LoL there is no plot to this game. You are in a giant arena with weapons scattered all over the place and other players who want to watch you die... that is the plot. |
| Note: | This game is a blast to play. There are numerous vehicles for you to drive and run over opponents with as well as numerous game types... Too much fun! |
DOOM 3
| Developer: | id Software |
| Release Date: | August 3, 2004 |
| Plot: | The UAC (Union Aerospace Corporation) move their operations to Mars to avoid legal and moral restrictions on Earth. Under the supervision of Dr. Malcom Betruger, they discover an ancient ruin created by an ancient civilization no longer on Mars. The civilization left behind tablets and artifacts leading to the UAC's discovery of teleportation technology. Strange events and disappearances cause many of the employees to request more security and weapons accessability. In response to these requests the UAC board sends Counselor Elliot Swan, his bodyguard Jack Campbell and a Marine to Mars. You are the Marine. Upon arrival you are ordered to report to Marine Command for an assignment. You are told to go to the old decommisioned communications facility and look for a missing member of the science team... |
| Note: | This game is a work of art. It is easily the scariest game to date. The people at id have perfected horror sci-fi first person shooters. The game is also a ton of fun in multi-player. |
Half-Life 2
| Developer: | Valve Software |
| Release Date: | November 16, 2004 |
| Plot: | You once again assume the role of Gordon Freeman, Theoretical Physicist and MIT graduate. At the end of the original Half-Life you meet the G-Man who offers you "employment" and then you are put into stasis for 10 years. As Half-Life 2 begins you have a dream about that evil G-Man, or was it a dream? As you awake you find yourself on a train headed for City 17. Earth has been occupied by an extradimensional military force known as the Combine and drones fly about collecting photos and information about everyone they see. As you get off the train and attempt to leave the train station you are detained by Combine soldiers for interrogation. You are led to an interrogation room where you are left alone with the interrogator. The Interrogator removes its helmet and you find it is Barney Calhoun impersonating a Combine. He opens a communication channel to Dr. Kleiner who you know from Black Mesa also. Barney tells Dr. Kliener that you have arrived and that he is going to be sending you to him. Barney leads you to a window tells you that you can escape via the window and to proceded to Dr. Kleiner's lab as quickly as possible... |
| Note: | This game is teh bomb! I loved it and have played it over and over. The Gravity Gun is totally rad. The physics in this game are phenomenal... Two thumbs up! |
Quake 4
| Developer: | Raven Software |
| Release Date: | October 18, 2005 |
| Plot: | Quake 4 continues the storyline started by Quake II. After Bitterman destroys the Strogg leader, the Makron, the player assumes the role of Matthew Kane, a Marine and member of the fabled Rhino squad, who are ordered to lead an effort to secure the alien home planet, Stroggos... |
| Note: | This game is a blast to play. Raven did an outstanding job. The game does require some heavy duty hardware to run well. |
Half-Life 2:Lost Coast
| Developer: | Valve Software |
| Release Date: | October 27, 2005 |
| Plot: | You assume the role of, you guessed it, Gordon Freeman and the level begins with you walking past the decaying piers underneath a large church on top of a hill overlooking the town of St. Olga. The fisherman recognizes you and directs you to the church where the Combine have a headcrab shell launcher set up... |
| Note: | Half-Life 2: Lost Coast is an additional level for Half-Life 2. It was actually supposed to be a part of HL2 that took place between the chapters "Highway 17" and "Sandtraps" but it was cut before release. On October 27, 2005 Valve released it as a free download to all purchasers of Half-Life 2. The fisherman in this level is the first character to be developed by Valve without the use of references. |
Half-Life 2:Episode One
| Developer: | Valve Software |
| Release Date: | 2006 |
| Plot: | The player assumes the role of Gordon Freeman who is awakened when he is dug out of pile of rubble by DAWG, Alyx Vance's robotic pet. Alyx contacts her father, Eli Vance, and Dr. Isaac Kleiner who inform them that the Citadel's core is unstable and could explode at any moment leveling all of City 17. The only way to survive is to re-enter the Citadel and slow or stop the core meltdown... |
| Note: | Valve games never disappoint... Awesome game! |
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
| Developer: | id Software |
| Release Date: | October 2, 2007 |
| Plot: | The year is 2060. It is the dawn of a hellish new age on Earth. Alien cyborg warriors known as Strogg have invaded Earth at the command of their leader, the Makron. They have decimated the world's major cities leaving behind only abandoned smoking ruins of twisted metal and crumbled concrete. They are technologically superior and more efficient. The combined armies of humanity known as the Global Defense Force (GDF) are all that stand between the Strogg hordes and Human extinction... |
| Note: | Enemy Territory:Quake Wars is the prequel to Quake II and is set in the early days of the Strogg invasion of earth, Years before Bitterman makes his bid to invade the Strogg capital city and kill the Makron. |
Half-Life 2:Episode Two
| Developer: | Valve Software |
| Release Date: | October 10, 2007 |
| Plot: | |
| Note: | To be honest I haven't played it yet and I would really like to play it but I am just a little bit pissed off at Valve for attempting to forcefeed me software that I have already paid for. Let me explain... When Half-Life 2: Episode Two was released it was only released as a bundled package called the Orange Box in the US which included Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One as well as Portal and Team Fortress 2. All I want is Episode Two. I have already purchased Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One and I don't feel like I should have to buy them a second time simply to get Episode Two. So unless they release it as a single title I will not buy it. A part of me wants to say "Fuck em" and not buy it anyway, but I have played every Half-Life game and episode up to this point and I would really like to see how the story ends... |
DOOM 4
| Developer: | id Software |
| Release Date: | TBA |
| Plot: | |
| Note: | This title has not been released yet and its release date is yet to be announced. It is currently under development by id Software. I really want to play this game! :) |
Half-Life 2:Episode Three
| Developer: | Valve Software |
| Release Date: | TBA |
| Plot: | |
| Note: | This title has not been released yet and its release date is yet to be announced. It is currently under development by Valve Software. I really want to play this game! :) |