— Ch. 1 · Defining The Void —
Space flight simulation game.
~5 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
In 1974, a game called Spasim appeared on early online networks. Players controlled ships and attempted to destroy one another using simple vector graphics. This moment marked the first time anyone could experience space flight simulation in an interactive format. The genre split into two distinct paths shortly after that initial spark. One path sought to recreate realistic orbital mechanics and Newtonian physics for players who wanted to calculate orbits within a complete physics simulation. The other path prioritized gameplay over strict realism, bending rules of physics to streamline entertainment.
Some games like Orbiter and Kerbal Space Program aim to pilot spacecraft in ways that conform with the laws of nature. These titles require players to follow checklists or plan tasks carefully. Piloting is generally limited to dockings, landings, or specific orbital maneuvers. The reward comes from mastering real or realistic spacecraft, celestial mechanics, and astronautics. In contrast, pseudo simulators feature faster than light travel and focus on what the designer deems appropriate for fun rather than scientific accuracy.
The First Breakthrough
Doug Neubauer created Star Raiders in 1980 for Atari 8-bit computers. It became the killer app for that system by combining elements of Star Wars with text-based Star Trek mainframe games. The game used smoothly scaled 2D sprites and 3D particles to mimic a first-person view of a volume of space. Players cleared sectors of enemy ships while managing resources and damage to different systems simultaneously. A galactic map and sector scanner showed enemy and friendly starbase locations without pausing the action.
Elite arrived four years later in 1984 as one of the first home titles to feature fully three-dimensional graphics. This title made a lasting impression on developers worldwide and extended even into different genres. It resided in only 22 kilobytes of memory on a single floppy disk. Senior producers at CCP Games cited Elite as an inspiration for their MMORPG EVE Online. Þórólfur Beck, co-founder of CCP, credited Elite as the game that impacted him most on the Commodore 64. The game was named #12 on IGN's 2000 Top 25 PC Games of All Time list and ranked third most influential video game ever by Times Online in 2007.