On: John Carmack surprises fans (and his CEO) with Wolfenstein 3D for the iPhone

[nickb]

People thought you couldn’t do 3D games on the iPhone but here it is running.

Who thought that? Todd never looked at Apple's App Store.

PS: Wolfenstein 3D doesn't have a real 3D engine anyway.

[palish → nickb]

3D is not "real". The output of 3D apps are projected onto a 2D screen (VR goggles not withstanding, but even then, there are simply two outputs projected onto two 2D screens).

Wolfenstein has rasterization, just like a "real" 3D engine does. Its engine happens to be optimized for certain viewpoints, which makes it "2.5D", but it still gives a crude approximation of 3D, just like every other "3D" game.

[nickb → palish]

"which makes it "2.5D""

You wasted all those words to say what I said... it's not 3D. :)

PS: I know very well how 3D games work since I co-wrote a commercial 3D engine in 2002-3 and used to teach computer graphics course at a university.

[ConradHex → palish]

I think your comment underestimates developments in 3d hardware and software in the last 15 years or so.

[ajmoir → ConradHex]

Woosh

[palish → ConradHex]

Why? What I said and what you said are unrelated.

[jcromartie → nickb]

This particular version of Wolfenstein 3D is actually rendered using standard 3D techniques in OpenGL. It's just low on detail and the ability to look up/down.