Although "Vector Graphics" might seem primitive today, I was one of the many(?) back in the day that was MESMERIZED by Vector Graphics games. My memory is fuzzy; I don't recall if my first videogaming experience was with a "vector graphic" game such as "Space War" or with a "raster-graphic" game like "Pong," but I do recall being WOW'ed by vector graphics. I do not recall actually playing the "Space War" coin-op (unlikely, since I was 10-12 years old and had no money), but remember watching people play the game as was, as I said, MESMERIZED!
Vector Graphics came across as "hi-res" when other "raster" games of the time were blocky and inflexible (and colorless, just the same as vector graphics). I remember becoming a true "game-aholic" after "Space Invaders" came out, but in retrospect, I think these vector graphic games are what initially peaked my interest in the coin-op/videogame genre. They were the first "video" games that I saw.
My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I seem to remember that "Space War" (or whatever it was called) was like no other coin-op that came after; it allowed you to choose the type of game you wanted to play after you "inserted coin." You could choose a straight game, something akin to two "Asteroids" ships firing at each other, or have (amongst other options I don't recall) a black hole that skewed your "missiles" according to the black hole's gravity.
There were a few other "vector graphic" coin-ops that "mesmerized" me at the time. One that I recall was a game, obviously "Star Wars" inspired, where a planetary "trench" scrolled beneath you as enemy ships swooped towards you (and you blasted them, of course). Remarkably, the enemy ships came at you in "3D," scaling the ships as they came toward you. The sound effects were appropriately "spacey" as they came toward you, and when you blasted them, they split up into several smoothly-animated pieces. It was very, very cool.
These coin-ops had to have come out circa 1979 or before, as I remember playing them before my family moved to Japan (in 1979).
Like I said, vector graphics seem primitive today, but back then, they were notable for their VERY smooth animation an high resolution. Apparently it was easy, in vector graphics, to scale and rotate objects smoothly in hi-res, and nothing in "raster" graphics would match it until a decade (decades?) later.
I don't mean to harp on the "old guy" perspective, but video games, particularly the "vector graphics" games, were absolutely, jaw-droppingly amazing in the 70's!!! Microwave ovens came out then, home "Pong" came out then, "Star Wars" came out then, etc. It was an amazing, "futuristic" time, and video games, if nothing else, seemed "futuristic!" I cannot explain the sense of "wow, I'm in the FUTURE!" feeling that I felt at seeing these (now primitive) videogames!!! There WERE no videogames before then; I was a FIRST GENERATION videogamer at just the right age!
I guess the closest analogy I can come up with is "Star Wars." When "Star Wars" first came out (before it was called "A New Hope"), I sat in the theater STUNNED at what I saw. Wow, how did they do that? Were those spaceships really flying through space? Especially, was R2-D2 real? I was especially mesmerized by R2-D2! How many more times can I sit through this movie before I figure this all out? (I think it was 18 viewings !!!) A 36--year-old woman my parents knew sat through over 60(!!!) viewings of "Star Wars!!!" Yet, a modern (year 2000+) kid I knew basically said "yeah, 'A New Hope' was cool, but too bad the FX sucked......"
In the same fashion, I sat STUNNED at the videogames like "Space War" (or whatever it was called) and other "vector graphic" games. "Wow, that's a COMPUTER behind this game!" I thought to myself. It was amazing! The 70's were an amazing time, knocking my socks off in many respects. I don't think you younger gamers can imagine the "wow" factor at seeing a "video game" for the first time! That's a COMPUTER in there! What is a computer, anyway? Wow, listen to those spacey sound FX! WOW, I blasted that ship into a bazillion pieces!
I suppose it's the equivalent of showing a caveman the secret of fire! WOW! HOW DID THEY DO THAT? AMAZING! There's a COMPUTER in there??!?!? WOW!
Although "Vector Graphics" might seem primitive today, I was one of the many(?) back in the day that was MESMERIZED by Vector Graphics games. My memory is fuzzy; I don't recall if my first videogaming experience was with a "vector graphic" game such as "Space War" or with a "raster-graphic" game like "Pong," but I do recall being WOW'ed by vector graphics. I do not recall actually playing the "Space War" coin-op (unlikely, since I was 10-12 years old and had no money), but remember watching people play the game as was, as I said, MESMERIZED!
Vector Graphics came across as "hi-res" when other "raster" games of the time were blocky and inflexible (and colorless, just the same as vector graphics). I remember becoming a true "game-aholic" after "Space Invaders" came out, but in retrospect, I think these vector graphic games are what initially peaked my interest in the coin-op/videogame genre. They were the first "video" games that I saw.
My memory is a bit fuzzy, but I seem to remember that "Space War" (or whatever it was called) was like no other coin-op that came after; it allowed you to choose the type of game you wanted to play after you "inserted coin." You could choose a straight game, something akin to two "Asteroids" ships firing at each other, or have (amongst other options I don't recall) a black hole that skewed your "missiles" according to the black hole's gravity.
There were a few other "vector graphic" coin-ops that "mesmerized" me at the time. One that I recall was a game, obviously "Star Wars" inspired, where a planetary "trench" scrolled beneath you as enemy ships swooped towards you (and you blasted them, of course). Remarkably, the enemy ships came at you in "3D," scaling the ships as they came toward you. The sound effects were appropriately "spacey" as they came toward you, and when you blasted them, they split up into several smoothly-animated pieces. It was very, very cool.
These coin-ops had to have come out circa 1979 or before, as I remember playing them before my family moved to Japan (in 1979).
Like I said, vector graphics seem primitive today, but back then, they were notable for their VERY smooth animation an high resolution. Apparently it was easy, in vector graphics, to scale and rotate objects smoothly in hi-res, and nothing in "raster" graphics would match it until a decade (decades?) later.
I don't mean to harp on the "old guy" perspective, but video games, particularly the "vector graphics" games, were absolutely, jaw-droppingly amazing in the 70's!!! Microwave ovens came out then, home "Pong" came out then, "Star Wars" came out then, etc. It was an amazing, "futuristic" time, and video games, if nothing else, seemed "futuristic!" I cannot explain the sense of "wow, I'm in the FUTURE!" feeling that I felt at seeing these (now primitive) videogames!!! There WERE no videogames before then; I was a FIRST GENERATION videogamer at just the right age!
I guess the closest analogy I can come up with is "Star Wars." When "Star Wars" first came out (before it was called "A New Hope"), I sat in the theater STUNNED at what I saw. Wow, how did they do that? Were those spaceships really flying through space? Especially, was R2-D2 real? I was especially mesmerized by R2-D2! How many more times can I sit through this movie before I figure this all out? (I think it was 18 viewings !!!) A 36--year-old woman my parents knew sat through over 60(!!!) viewings of "Star Wars!!!" Yet, a modern (year 2000+) kid I knew basically said "yeah, 'A New Hope' was cool, but too bad the FX sucked......"
In the same fashion, I sat STUNNED at the videogames like "Space War" (or whatever it was called) and other "vector graphic" games. "Wow, that's a COMPUTER behind this game!" I thought to myself. It was amazing! The 70's were an amazing time, knocking my socks off in many respects. I don't think you younger gamers can imagine the "wow" factor at seeing a "video game" for the first time! That's a COMPUTER in there! What is a computer, anyway? Wow, listen to those spacey sound FX! WOW, I blasted that ship into a bazillion pieces!
I suppose it's the equivalent of showing a caveman the secret of fire! WOW! HOW DID THEY DO THAT? AMAZING! There's a COMPUTER in there??!?!? WOW!
qoj hpmoj o+ 6uo73q 3Jv 3svq jnoh 77V