Wolfenstein 3D

Wolfenstein 3D is an FPS created by id Software and published by Apogee Software. It involves the adventures of an Allied soldier, B.J. Blaskowicz, fighting his way through a series of Nazi dungeons during World War II.

Inspiration for this game came from the even older 2D games Castle Wolfenstein and Beyond Castle Wolfenstein, published by Muse Software. Unlike these predecessors, Wolfenstein 3D shifted the focus away from puzzle solving in favor of more action-oriented gameplay, though id had planned to include more strategic elements seen in these earlier games (such as wearing captured uniforms and dragging bodies), these features made gameplay too complex, slowing the action down. The game still contained some arcade-style concepts though, such as lives and scoring.

The engine is fairly simple, using maps composed of tiles, which only allow 90-degree angles. Floors and ceilings are shaded with flat colors instead of having textures. However, Wolfenstein 3D was seen as very innovative and exciting at the time of its release, paving the way for the popularity of the FPS genre, and for id Software's next creation, Doom.

There is a total conversion for Doom (the Wolfendoom series) that uses the Doom engine (and DEH files) to play Wolfenstein 3D.