Desert Tank was one of the earliest MODEL 2 games made, I think it was 2nd, right after Daytona USA.
http://www.ibiblio.org/GameBytes/issue21/creviews/destank.html
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1295/is_7_63/ai_54968180/pg_4
A negative comment about the Martin Marietta/Lockheed Martin Real3D developed game from a Quantum3D guy? They were the high-end commercial/industrial arm of 3Dfx, a direct competitor of Lockheed /Real3D at the time, no wonder...
I don't think Desert Tank was boring, I found it to be pretty fun even though its no Daytona or VF2. I'm actually enjoying it more than Alien Front Online. The only game of it's kind that can crush Desert Tank is Namco's Tokyo Wars.
http://www.gameai.com/r3dgames.html
It's true about Desert Tank being one of the first few 3D polygon games that does not restict where you go. About 2 years before Mario 64. It's really amazing for the time.
http://www.n-sider.com/articleview.php?articleid=485
After playing it in Nebula a bunch of times, I started imaging a what a sequel could've been like. Maybe with some added strategy to the simulation. I thought, why not a Desert Tank II that's a blend of Desert Tank, Herzog Zwei and Return Fire? Then I remembered they rarely make sequels to unpopular games (or do they
Anyway for now I'm just glad Desert Tank is emulated in playable state in Nebula.
http://www.ibiblio.org/GameBytes/issue21/creviews/destank.html
DESERT TANK by Sega
Coin-op Arcade
Reviewed by Nathan Cochrane
Desert Tank combines all the playability of the evergreen Battlezone with the latest hi-tech imagery of Sega's Model 2 CG texture-mapping technology. Placed in the role of a tank commander you must take on the might of a sinister computer intent on destroying civilization.
Developed by America's Martin Marietta, one of the world's foremost military simulation designers, the player has the choice of either a beginner's desert course or the expert canyon. The graphics are superb, using the same 32-bit 300,000 polygon/sec engine as found in the acclaimed Daytona.
Screen layout is simple and functional, with score and armour strength listed in top left hand corner, a map of the area in the bottom left and mission time countdown in the top right.
VR buttons control the viewing aspect, which can be placed just behind the tank, inside the turret or for a more strategic approach in a high, overhead tracking plane.
The directional controls consist of a steering yoke and fire buttons. Fire buttons control either the high powered cannon or lethal machine guns. A gear stick and acceleration pedal control speed and forward momentum.
Desert Tank represents an unparalleled gaming experience that will be enjoyed by cyber-grunts of all persuasions. If war is your thing, but getting killed isn't, then Desert Tank is the game that will make all your wet dreams come alive.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1295/is_7_63/ai_54968180/pg_4
In 1995, defense giant Lockheed Martin spun off a subsidiary game technology company called Real 3D that sells graphic boards to leading game companies, including Sega.
The contractors sound a little defensive when asked if it's a good idea that they are selling war technology to the same people who brought you Sonic the Hedgehog. "There is nothing secret, nothing defense-sensitive about the technology," says Lockheed spokesman Carlton Caldwell.
In fact, by developing video game technology through Real 3D, Lockheed Martin has gotten so much better at making fast, cheap chips that they have been able to sell some of this technology back to the Department of Defense, a process they call "defense conversion-reinsertion."
It turns out that the games designed by the defense contractors aren't all that popular. Reality is simply too mundane for garners. While enthusiasts may appreciate a simulator that has the buttons and switches of a real tank, the players usually don't want it to move or reload as slowly as the real thing. "Lockheed did probably the worst tank game ever done," says Quantum3D's Smith. "It was very realistic but boring. Sega had it on their arcade machines for about a week, and that was that."
A negative comment about the Martin Marietta/Lockheed Martin Real3D developed game from a Quantum3D guy? They were the high-end commercial/industrial arm of 3Dfx, a direct competitor of Lockheed /Real3D at the time, no wonder...
I don't think Desert Tank was boring, I found it to be pretty fun even though its no Daytona or VF2. I'm actually enjoying it more than Alien Front Online. The only game of it's kind that can crush Desert Tank is Namco's Tokyo Wars.
http://www.gameai.com/r3dgames.html
Desert Tank
The first Real3D game was Desert Tank, an arcade shooter/simulator in which you must guide a tank through a series of dangerous missions. Regrettably I didn't have a thing to do with it, but I envy the guys who did. It's one of the very few 3D polygon games that doesn't restrict where you can go; you're pretty much free to explore as much of the world as you wish (until your time runs out or you're killed, of course). The game is only available as a 'deluxe' cabinet style game (much like the larger single-seat Daytona games). It runs on the Sega Model 2 board, pushing 300,000 polys/second at 30Hz.
Some screen shots from the game are to the right. Since it came out just before the Web "got big", you probably won't find anything on the Web about it (I sure can't, anyway). You'll have to go to a large arcade (such as a Dave and Buster's) to find it due to the size and expense of the cabinet, but it's a fun game and well worth it. Trust me.
It's true about Desert Tank being one of the first few 3D polygon games that does not restict where you go. About 2 years before Mario 64. It's really amazing for the time.
http://www.n-sider.com/articleview.php?articleid=485
The History of n-Space
n-Spaces beginnings can be traced back much further than its founding in 1994. Surprisingly, Erick S. Dyke dreamed of owning his own video game company all the way back in the fifth grade. I was like a little kid in fifth grade and I wanted to do video games from doing work on TRC to using Intellipipes, and all that stuff. My parents were reminding me this morning of this Commodore pet they bought me, recalls Mr. Dyke. I wanted to do games. Then I went to college and reality set in.
Upon completing school at Michigan Tech, Erick landed himself a job at General Electric Aerospace (GE Aerospace) in Daytona Beach, Florida. Once there, he promptly began work helping to create advanced military simulators for the United States government to help train the next generation of soldiers for the 21st century. I was going to be happy doing military simulations at GE Aerospace. Then they got the contract with Sega and I got on that project, explains Erick. I was able to get into the blood again, had a window of opportunity, and here we are.
During the early 1990s, these advanced computer-imaging systems were extremely expensive and basically limited entirely to Defense Department contracts. In 1991, GE Aerospace began to explore the possibility of retooling their space age 3D graphics technology for commercial applications. This very same technology can trace its roots directly to the first Visual Docking Simulator used for the Apollo lunar landings in the late 1960s and early 1970s. At the same time, Sega Enterprises Limited was actively researching new ways to push its arcade hardware to produce much more photo realistic graphics. This led to a contract between the two companies that would ultimately result in the development of the now famous Model 2 arcade board and its flagship title, Desert Tank. They were working on a project with Sega doing the Model 2 arcade chip and making a game for Sega called Desert Tank, tells Geist producer, Ted Newman. All three of them (Erick Dyke, Dan O'Leary, and Sean Purcell) spent two months in Japan working at Sega trying to get Desert Tank done on time. They actually worked right under Yu Suzuki.
After playing it in Nebula a bunch of times, I started imaging a what a sequel could've been like. Maybe with some added strategy to the simulation. I thought, why not a Desert Tank II that's a blend of Desert Tank, Herzog Zwei and Return Fire? Then I remembered they rarely make sequels to unpopular games (or do they
Anyway for now I'm just glad Desert Tank is emulated in playable state in Nebula.