Talk:Wolfenstein 3D

Page recreation

As far as I was able to understand, this page was removed and locked from re-creation due to the following reasons:

1. MS-DOS versions of all Wolfenstein 3D games use very low-resolution sprites not allowing to tell what kind of weapon it actually is: the guides are giving hints that, for example, DOS Wolfenstein 3D uses Walther P38, and Return to Danger/The Ultimate challenge features Walther PPK, but that's barely obvious from sprites themselves. Same for its generic Minigun, generic rocket launchers used by some of the bosses and especially flamethrowers by Fake Hitlers - we can't even that weapon.
2. The game covers feature more detailed weapons such as AK47 and M16 series weapons, but since none of that appears in-game, it barely makes an IMFDB article eligible.

It seems that there was some bad rationale of why this page can be eligible. I found out some better one:

1. An official Atari Jaguar port features a better resolution. For example, it has pistol modeled after Doom's Beretta 92FS, Doom's minigun, that M16 series weapon from the cover scaled down.
2. An official Macintosh port also has a better resolution. While the weapons are kind of generic, it again has its cover in-game and features some weapon with M16-esque foresight. An official 3DO port in terms of sprites is the same as Macintosh one.

I guess that allows Wolfenstein 3D to be eligible if written this way. All the other weapons, especially all DOS ones, can be added in some "Trivia" category with the guides' explanations what are these weapons supposed to be: MP40, Walther PPK, Walther P38 and so on - but with some note that it looks like generic weapons by itself not eligible for that wiki. --MP-3008 (talk) 07:24, 15 March 2023 (UTC)

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Wolfenstein 3D is arguable the first 3D first-person shooter to gain a major popularity, first released in 5 May 1992. The hero is William Joseph (B.J.) Blazkowicz, an American spec ops agent who was captured by Nazis amid World War Two and must escape from Castle Wolfenstein. Later in the game, he is given various missions behind the German frontlines, including the elimination of the Nazi Germany scientists and, finally, even Adolf Hitler himself. In order to get to them, the player has to fight against hordes of solders, dogs, offices, SS machine gunners, and even mutants created by Doctor Schabbs, one of the targets.

A prequel to Wolfenstein 3D, Spear of Destiny, featuring mostly same graphics, released in 18 September 1992. Adolf Hitler has captured the legendary Spear of Destiny, that has to be retaken.

Later, in 1994, the Wolfenstein 3D publisher, FormGen, has additionally made two other games in a form of "mission packs": Spear of Destiny Mission Pack 2: Return to Danger and Spear of Destiny Mission Pack 3: Ultimate Challenge. In them, the Spear of Destiny is captured again, so B.J. has to fight it back twice again. Technically, they differ from Spear of Destiny mostly just by their graphics, as almost every sprite in the game has been changed, for example, every weapon having a different, ridiculously dark blue model.

General information

Most of Wolfenstein 3D ports have low-resolution graphic featuring rather generic weapons, only slightly resembling some real firearms and thus not making a videogame page eligible, even though the manuals have some hints about exact models.

However, there are more high resolution Macintosh, 3DO, Apple IIGS and Atari Jaguar ports. Among them, Atari Jaguar finally has sprites more resembling real firearms, although all of them are anachronistic: Beretta 92FS would only appear in 1984, and AR15-style rifles in 1956. This page is concentrated mostly on the Atari Jaguar port.

Atari Jaguar version

Usable Weapons

Beretta 92FS

B.J. Blazkowicz uses a heavily anachronistic Beretta 92FS pistol in this port, with sprites clearly made from Doom (1993)'s pistol, which in turn was made after a photo of toy gun colored in black.

Beretta 92FS - 9x19mm

B.J. Blazkowicz killing a nazi soldier from a pistol that would only appear in 1984, good 39 years after World War II.

Doom screenshot with that pistol for comparison.

"Machine gun"

The "machine gun" in this port appears to be a wierd hybrid of MP40 magazine and grip and AR-15-style foregrip and front sight. It uses the same pistol ammunition as the previous weapon.

MP40 - 9x19mm

Colt 9mm SMG (aka Colt R0635) - 9x19mm

In-game sprite of this weapon.

Firing a machine gun in first person view. Note that bizarre zigzag pattern on the top of the foregrip, not matching any M16 series weapon.

"Chaingun" (Tootsie-Toy "Ol' Painless"/Hand Held M134 Minigun)

In this port, the iconic Wolfenstein 3D "chain gun" (which is, however, rather a Minigun-style fictional machine gun) is clearly modered after Doom (1993)'s "Chaingun", which in turn is based on the photos of Tootsie-Toy Ol' Painless Gatling Gun.

Tootsietoy Ol' Painless Gatling Gun.

Unusable Weapons

Unknown Pistol

During the intro roll and after completing a level, the same sprite of Blazkowicz holding a pistol can be found, taken directly from MS-DOS version. The original guide book suggests it's Walther P38, but the quality does not allow to judge by the picture itself.

As a weapon, it is also used by Guards, Officers and Mutants. The first are seen unholstering the gun before firing in the player, the latter have it mounted in their chests.

Intro roll.

Level is completed.

M16-style weapon

During the intro roll, a scaled-down version of the game's cover can be seen, with dead nazi soldier dropping what appears to be an M16-series weapon. However, it barely was based off any particular model: while the length and the shape of it suggests it it Colt Carbine/Colt 9mm SMG, there weren't M16-series assault rifles to have these straight long magazines, they all have curvature.

Colt Model 609 / XM177E1 - 5.56x45mm

The menu screen.

Three-barreled machine gun

A generic three-barreled machine gun, loosely resembling the "Ripper" from the future Duke Nukem 3D and very loosely the real Russian Pribor-3B assault rifle, again appears in the scaled-down version of the cover in the main menu of Atari Jaguar version.

The menu screen.

Trivia

During intro roll, a graphic featuring the face of Adolf Hitler can be seen through a scope of a sniper rifle. It's a traditional crosshair reticle, much more common for scopes of hunting rifles rather than military ones such as ZF-39 (Kar98k) or Unertl (Springfield M1903) scopes.

Other ports

"Pistol"

All ports feature