... and our history is written by the Kilrathi! Gamasutra has posted an editorial about the history of level design in 3D computer games. The article, appropriately titled "A History and Analysis of Level Design in 3D Computer Games," makes reference to Wing Commander as a notable pioneer. This is an interesting distinction to make, because people rarely take early space combat games into consideration when talking about the rise of the First Person Shooter. You can find the piece here.
Notable efforts include Lucasfilm Games, now LucasArts, 1986 title Rescue on Fractalus!, a first-person title that used fractal generation technology to render the game world. The title is notable both for the use of a simulated 3D world, as well as for the first-person perspective. The player took the role of a pilot looking out from a cockpit, tasked with rescuing other pilots stranded on the surface of the planet Fractalus (Langston). The concept of a spacecraft based FPS would later return in LucasArts’ 1993 title X-Wing and 1994’s Tie Fighter space combat simulators, as well as Origin’s 1990 release of Wing Commander.
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