Circa 1993, a 3D game engine called "Interactive 3D" (or I3D for short) was made by Jim O'Keane. It was a game engine in the style of Wolfenstein 3D. I once found version 2.1 of I3D and decided to blog about it. I feel there is great value in discussing long lost things and somehow trying to make light of them. So this is my look into Interactive 3D.
Interactive 3D (or I3D) was designed to get people into designing first-person shooters. To that end, a comprehensive and simple approach was given to help would-be game developers the opportunity to create their own games. Several PCX files made up the picture data for the walls, sprites, and map. Different colored pixels for the world map translate into in-world objects. Material in I3D includes enemies to attack as well as some animated sprites and walls.
I3D is not a game. Instead, it is more like a demo you can freely play. It is a first-person shooter set in a futuristic setting. All you can do is explore the area and interact with it. You can explore the world provided to you as well as perform a number of different interactions. Everything from hit detection to opening doors can be done through the play area. You can toggle certain options to better suit your PC's performance. For example, you can increase or decrease the play window (larger windows mean slower performance). You can try destroying the various enemies as well as some of the props, such as the vases. There is no boss or any exit. You are simply playing this demo world for exploration purposes. So enjoy the view!
You can edit a number of things to I3D, including the PCX bitmaps. Be warned that the program will not load the map if the map's memory exceeds a certain number of kilobytes. You can edit the bitmaps as well as the sounds. Remember this program was out around in 1993, so many of the different modern things will not work for such an old program.
The older version of Interactive 3D did not have sounds to it. When I tried using I3D on modern systems, the program ran very slowly. The first version of I3D did not have any sounds whatsoever. It was strictly an exploration deal. It had only one enemy- the Bugbot. No matter how many times you shot at it, it will not die. Your "gun" is basically for hit detection.
A later version of Interactive 3D had much more stylish art as well as some sounds. There were many different enhancements to this version, including textured floors and ceilings, fog effects, and a panorama sky. It also had some diagonal walls to it- something your average Wolfenstein 3D-style engine could not reproduce. You could also kill off the enemies and destroy a number of the props. Speaking of enemies, while the Bugbot returned, this version of I3D also introduced an Android enemy. Just like the previous I3D, this is all basically a demo model you can modify.
Sometimes, I make blog posts to bring exposure to things that are scarce in detail or maybe forgotten in some sort of way. So I hope you had a chance to enjoy the content here. I'll blog about almost anything in this blog about... anything and everything. Want more? Subscribe/Follow my blog(s) in any capacity if you love my work. Share my blog post(s) with others if you enjoy my work. Support me further by connecting with me on social media; and if you are inclined, feel free to donate to me (donations are voluntary but would be appreciated). Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.
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Interactive 3D
Interactive 3D (or I3D) was designed to get people into designing first-person shooters. To that end, a comprehensive and simple approach was given to help would-be game developers the opportunity to create their own games. Several PCX files made up the picture data for the walls, sprites, and map. Different colored pixels for the world map translate into in-world objects. Material in I3D includes enemies to attack as well as some animated sprites and walls.
I3D is not a game. Instead, it is more like a demo you can freely play. It is a first-person shooter set in a futuristic setting. All you can do is explore the area and interact with it. You can explore the world provided to you as well as perform a number of different interactions. Everything from hit detection to opening doors can be done through the play area. You can toggle certain options to better suit your PC's performance. For example, you can increase or decrease the play window (larger windows mean slower performance). You can try destroying the various enemies as well as some of the props, such as the vases. There is no boss or any exit. You are simply playing this demo world for exploration purposes. So enjoy the view!
You can edit a number of things to I3D, including the PCX bitmaps. Be warned that the program will not load the map if the map's memory exceeds a certain number of kilobytes. You can edit the bitmaps as well as the sounds. Remember this program was out around in 1993, so many of the different modern things will not work for such an old program.
My Interactive 3D Experiences.
I made my own levels with Interactive 3D before along with my own textures for walls and objects. For the most part, I never made anything truly unique to where I made my own game. Most of my work was done with the 2.1 version of I3D.The older version of Interactive 3D did not have sounds to it. When I tried using I3D on modern systems, the program ran very slowly. The first version of I3D did not have any sounds whatsoever. It was strictly an exploration deal. It had only one enemy- the Bugbot. No matter how many times you shot at it, it will not die. Your "gun" is basically for hit detection.
A later version of Interactive 3D had much more stylish art as well as some sounds. There were many different enhancements to this version, including textured floors and ceilings, fog effects, and a panorama sky. It also had some diagonal walls to it- something your average Wolfenstein 3D-style engine could not reproduce. You could also kill off the enemies and destroy a number of the props. Speaking of enemies, while the Bugbot returned, this version of I3D also introduced an Android enemy. Just like the previous I3D, this is all basically a demo model you can modify.
Looking Back on Interactive 3D.
I3D was a fine package for envisioning my own Wolfenstein 3D-style experience. Being a teenager in the 1990s playing this didn't mean I was going to make the next banger of a first-person shooter, but at least I could pretend! Even my brutally slow computer at the time back then still had the power to play this game effectively. I3D helped fuel gaming dreams in ways I never thought possible. I had no programming knowledge, little digital art skill, and a big imagination. It was all I needed to try and enjoy I3D back in my youth. Anyone who was able to try out I3D got to enjoy what was possible with this package.For More Information...
The reason why I came up with this blog post is because there is very little info on this program, and I wanted to bring exposure to it from my past. So this is about the best resource I can provide in letting you see what I3D was all about. Click on the following link to get to try out I3D: I3D (Interactive 3D) Tool Kit Demo.Sometimes, I make blog posts to bring exposure to things that are scarce in detail or maybe forgotten in some sort of way. So I hope you had a chance to enjoy the content here. I'll blog about almost anything in this blog about... anything and everything. Want more? Subscribe/Follow my blog(s) in any capacity if you love my work. Share my blog post(s) with others if you enjoy my work. Support me further by connecting with me on social media; and if you are inclined, feel free to donate to me (donations are voluntary but would be appreciated). Thank you for reading! Take care and be well.
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