The Origin of Flat-shading in Games
This article is concerned with the first 3D flat-shaded computer games to appear on Western computer-game machines. Flat-shaded computer games are those whose 3D objects are solid-filled with colors (as opposed to wireframe, which only outlines the polygons).
Flat-shaded objects can be light-sourced and reflective as well as cast shadows. Often, dithering or pattern-filling is employed to give the 3D objects a "texture". cf. The First Texture-mapped Computer Games.
Gouraud-shaded 3D games are technically not flat-shaded. However, for simplicity's sake I define flat-shaded as solid-filled with the absence of texture-mapping. Note that texture-mapped 3D games can be Gouraud-shaded. You can search string "Gouraud" in the f-shaded and t-mapped articles.
Flat-shaded computer games were mostly software-rendered via CPUs. And texture-mapped computer games had taken over by the time hardware-accelerated via dedicated GPUs became common.
Bit blitters and math coprocessors (8087 of 1980 / DX of 1987) were sometimes tapped by coders of flat-shaded games. For example, in fractal generation or in flight sim physics calculations.
It depends on polygon-count and countless other factors, but i80286es generally rendered flat-shaded geometry at 30 FPS in 320x200 resolution whereas 7-8 MHz Motorola 68Ks generally rendered flat-shaded geometry at 15 FPS in 320x200 resolution. It's a lot more complex than that (eg., coprocessors, no. of on-screen colors, poly-count), but what I said generally holds true.
15-30 FPS was actually an acceptable framerate in the late 80s to early 90s. People did not complain because 8-bit games had been getting similar framerates in the mid 80s -- in wireframe.
Given a typical flat-shaded 16-bit game (say, Starglider 2), 8-bit micros based on (for example) the 6510 or Z80A would be lucky to hit 5 FPS. Which is why such games were coded for 16-/32-bit micros, not 8-bit ones. Of course, there were indeed 8-bit flat-shaded games. And some 8-bit games combined flat-shading environments with wireframe objects and actors.
Number of flat-shaded computer games currently chronicled (incl. different versions): 55.
This document was last updated on the 20th of June, 2024.
1984-86 Flat-shaded Games
F-15 Strike Eagle Atari 8 Bit 1984
MicroProse released the original F-15 Strike Eagle in 1984 for the Atari 8-bit family. An exceedingly advanced computer game for 1984 -- HELLO -- F-15 Strike Eagle was coded by Sid Meier. Unbelievably, this 1984 flight sim was Meier's 15th commercially released computer game.
F-15 Strike Eagle IBM PC 1985
Randall Don Masteller ported F-15 Strike Eagle to PC Booter in 1985. Running in CGA or EGA 320x200 display mode, the IBM PC version required an i808x and 128 kbytes RAM.
Rescue on Fractalus Atari 8 bit 1985
LucasFilm Games released Rescue on Fractalus in 1985 for Atari 8-bit family. RoF has you flying through canyons rendered in real-time by fractal-generated terrain. Yeah, this game is impressive for 1985. And it is running on 1979 hardware. HELLO.
Gunship Commodore 64 & Atari ST 1986
MPS Labs of MicroProse released the original Gunship on Commodore 64 and Atari ST in 1986. The key coders of Gunship were Sid Meier and Andy Hollis. Gunship is notable for its flat-shaded terrain on the 8-bit C64/128 (brain-stormed by Hollis).
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1987 Flat-shaded Games
Project Stealth Fighter Commodore 64 1987
MIDI Maze Atari ST 1987
Michael Park and George Miller of Xanth F/X released MIDI Maze for the Atari ST in 1987. MIDI Maze is the first FPS to feature multi-player. MIDI Maze is also the origin of Deathmatch (max 16 players via MIDI-ring). You can also play solo versus up to 15 drones. 16-color 320x200. 160x100 render-field. Smooth screen updates on a 7 MHz 520 ST with 512K RAM.
Zarch Archimedes 1987
1988 Flat-shaded Games
Virus Amiga 1988
Zarch was renamed to Virus for the Amiga, ST and MS-DOS versions.
Virus IBM PC 1988
Firebird Software's Virus of 1988 is a port of David Braben's original Zarch of 1987.
IBM PC version of 1989:
Stunt Car Racer IBM PC 1989
DeathTrack IBM PC 1989
M1 Tank Platoon IBM PC 1989
Red Baron IBM PC 1990
Knights of the Sky IBM PC 1990
LHX Attack Chopper IBM PC 1990
Brent Iverson of Electronic Arts released LHX Attack Chopper for IBM PC MS-DOS in 1990.
LHX Attack Chopper requires an i808x, 512K RAM in CGA/EGA 320x200 and 640K of RAM in 256-color VGA 320x200. Low, medium and high detail can be set during the installation procedure or via in-game drop-down menu (Esc-key).
PGA Tour Golf IBM PC 1990
Apocalypse Archimedes 1990
1991 Flat-shaded Games
Jimmy White's Whirlwind Snooker IBM PC 1991
Jimmy White's Whirlwind Snooker was designed and coded by Archer Maclean for ST/Amiga in 1991. Tim Watson coded the IBM PC MS-DOS version in 1991. All three versions feature super-smooth realtime flat-shaded 3D; the viewport can be seemlessly gripped, rotated and zoomed. The intuitive interface is otherwise icon-driven.
Hunter Amiga 1991
Activision released Hunter for the Amiga and Atari ST in Feb. 1991. Hunter was conceived, designed and coded by Paul Holmes. As in Midwinter of 1989 Hunter employs fractal terrain generation; it is also an early open-world computer game.
Elite Archimedes 1991
Falcon 3.0 IBM PC 1991
RoboCop 3 IBM PC 1992
Digital Image Design's RoboCop 3 is notable for its slick presentation and early-90s, pre-Doom polygon-pushing. RoboCop 3 even featured some FPS gameplay.
Epic IBM PC 1992
Epic was released by Digital Image Design in 1992 for IBM PC MS-DOS 3.3. Epic was conceived and designed by Martin Kenwright and coded by Colin Bell and Russell Payne. i808286 and 640K RAM required. 256-color VGA 320x200.
1993 Flat-shaded Games
Frontier Elite 2 Amiga 1993
TFX IBM PC 1993
Digital Image Design released TFX in 1993 for IBM PC MS-DOS 5.0 and Amiga. TFX stands for Tactical Fighter Experiment. TFX displays in 256-color VGA 320x300. In TFX you can fly the Eurofighter Typhoon, Lockheed F-22 Raptor or Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter. TFX requires i80386DX-33 MHz and 2 megs of RAM, but 486 and 4 megs is recommended. Full install is 12 megs of HDD space.
The 3D-animated cockpit-view transitions are impressive (virtualized cockpit).
Employs math coprocessor.
Star Wars: X-Wing IBM PC 1993
Totally Games released Star Wars: X-Wing for IBM PC MS-DOS 3.1 in March of 1993. X-Wing was designed by Lawrence Holland and Edward Kilham; its flat-shaded 3D engine was programmed by Peter Lincroft.
It is recommended to run Star Wars: X-Wing on at least i80386 with 588K conventional RAM and 512K EMS 3.2 RAM.
1994 Flat-shaded Games
Zeewolf Amiga 1994
Star Fighter 3000 Archimedes 1994
Star Wars: TIE Fighter IBM PC 1994
Totally Games released Star Wars: TIE Fighter for IBM PC MS-DOS on July of 1994. TIE Fighter was designed by Lawrence Holland and Edward Kilham; its Gouraud-shaded 3D engine was programmed by Peter Lincroft.
It is recommended to run Star Wars: X-Wing on at least i80386DX with 582K conventional RAM and 2.5 megs of EMS 3.2 RAM.
1995 Flat-shaded Games
Apache IBM PC 1995
Apache Longbow was released by Digital Integration in Sept. of 1995 for IBM PC MS-DOS 5.0 Protected Mode run-time and Windows 95. You pilot the AH-64D Apache Longbow combat helicopter. Graphics-wise Apache is most notable for its low-altitude geometric detail, which is Gouraud-shaded.
MS-DOS Apache requires i80486DX-33 MHz, 512K of conventional RAM, 8 megs of RAM, 1 meg of vRAM and 64 megs of HDD space for full install. Apache will not run on <i386.
Apache displays in 256-color VESA SVGA 640x480.
Fully-3D (uses sprites for explosions and smoke).
cf.
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