My office mate and I were having a discussion today, and came up with a
question:
What is the first computer game to utilize the "WASD" keys as directional
keys, as the standard? It's driving me crazy and thus far I'm not getting
the answer from Google.
Thinking logically, the WASD interface was used to replace the arrow keys,
for the primary reason of enabling the simultaneous use of the mouse. This
interface is almost certainly born from the "First-Person Shooter"
genre....so lets start there.
If you think back to Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, those games were still played
with the keyboard only. No free-look, no jumping. Arrow keys were used for
movement. This would be the same for early games like Hexen.
One of the first games in the first-person perspective that I can remember
jumping was Ultima Underworld. I believe a mouse was used too. So that's
one option.
I find it harder to believe that the original "Quake" was the first to
implement these controls. I could have sworn that one of the first games
utilizing the ability to free-look was "Sin".
There is also Duke Nukem 3D, which had some similar features, but I can't
place it in the timeline.
You guys are all smarter than me...any thoughts?!?! It's going to drive me
crazy now.
question:
What is the first computer game to utilize the "WASD" keys as directional
keys, as the standard? It's driving me crazy and thus far I'm not getting
the answer from Google.
Thinking logically, the WASD interface was used to replace the arrow keys,
for the primary reason of enabling the simultaneous use of the mouse. This
interface is almost certainly born from the "First-Person Shooter"
genre....so lets start there.
If you think back to Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, those games were still played
with the keyboard only. No free-look, no jumping. Arrow keys were used for
movement. This would be the same for early games like Hexen.
One of the first games in the first-person perspective that I can remember
jumping was Ultima Underworld. I believe a mouse was used too. So that's
one option.
I find it harder to believe that the original "Quake" was the first to
implement these controls. I could have sworn that one of the first games
utilizing the ability to free-look was "Sin".
There is also Duke Nukem 3D, which had some similar features, but I can't
place it in the timeline.
You guys are all smarter than me...any thoughts?!?! It's going to drive me
crazy now.