Systems Simulator) project is a key moment in this history. To provide the visual display inside the VCASS or cockpit” helmet prototype, Sutherland developed “Super the basic architecture of the realtime generation of a moving first person view from a database of representational elements. While the VCASS’ helmeted virtual view of the operational environment was more successful as a forerunner of VR technology, the project’s flight simulator engine was a crucial plank in the development of digital simulator training systems which have become pervasive in military and commercial aviation and vehicle more generally. “piloting” The breakthrough video game to deploy this first person perspective was Atari’s (Atari, 1980). Made initially as an arcade machine, the procedurally Battlezone generated vector graphics—which use mathematical expressions of basic geometrical elements like lines, curves and regular polygons—portrayed combat between the player and enemy tanks in a sparse wireframe world with minimal but effective visual cues to orient the player in the game world (see figure 2). If by this time the most advanced military and commercial vehicle simulators displayed far richer, more illusionistically satisfying landscapes, nonetheless delivered to the Battlezone masses an equally realtime simulation of piloting a vehicle in combat. The green world evoked the hi-tech abstractions of targeting reticules, radar “irreal” monitors and computerized warfare in this immensely successful game. Something central to the person” view is readily apparent in the Battlezone: “first player’s positioning does not correspond neatly to that of the reader of the first person novel or the viewer of a point of view shot in film or television. player is Battlezone’s best understood as playing at being the tank operator, or even as the tank inasmuch as
Systems Simulator) project is a key moment in this history. To provide the visual display inside the VCASS or “Super cockpit” helmet prototype, Sutherland developed the basic architecture of the realtime generation of a moving first person view from a database of representational elements. While the VCASS’ helmeted virtual view of the operational environment was more successful as a forerunner of VR technology, the project’s flight simulator engine was a crucial plank in the development of digital simulator training systems which have become pervasive in military and commercial aviation and vehicle “piloting” more generally. The breakthrough video game to deploy this first person perspective was Atari’s Battlezone (Atari, 1980). Made initially as an arcade machine, the procedurally generated vector graphics—which use mathematical expressions of basic geometrical elements like lines, curves and regular polygons—portrayed combat between the player and enemy tanks in a sparse wireframe world with minimal but effective visual cues to orient the player in the game world (see figure 2). If by this time the most advanced military and commercial vehicle simulators displayed far richer, more illusionistically satisfying landscapes, Battlezone nonetheless delivered to the masses an equally realtime simulation of piloting a vehicle in combat. The “irreal” green world evoked the hi-tech abstractions of targeting reticules, radar monitors and computerized warfare in this immensely successful game. Something central to the “first person” view is readily apparent in Battlezone: the player’s positioning does not correspond neatly to that of the reader of the first person novel or the viewer of a point of view shot in film or television. Battlezone’s player is best understood as playing at being the tank operator, or even as the tank inasmuch as
Crogan-Vdgmes%20War%20et%20Operatnl%20Aesthtcs.docx