LittleZone is a tribute to the 1980 online game Battlezone

Again in 1980, the online game Battlezone was launched, and it marked a significant development on this planet of laptop graphics because it was the primary recreation with a 3D first-person perspective. In it, the participant should pilot a tank round a battlefield and hearth at targets in an try to rack up the very best rating doable. In order a strategy to commemorate the groundbreaking recreation, Mark Wilson created an approximation that runs on an Arduino Uno.

Wilson has earlier expertise with vector graphics on embedded targets, as evidenced by his work on ElitePetite, an approximation of the loading screens from Acornsoft’s Elite recreation. Primarily based on prior effort, he began the undertaking by trying to reverse engineer the unique 6502 meeting and replicate its conduct. This course of was a problem owing to the complexity of the code, however after designing a intelligent sparse pixel encoding algorithm, the sport could possibly be accomplished, albeit with some minor graphical issues that seem when the sport is being displayed on the connected 320×240 LCD defend.

Wilson’s LittleZone undertaking is a formidable feat that showcases how 3D graphics with a first-person perspective may be generated. And though some options haven’t but been carried out, it’s nonetheless a really well-done tribute to Battlezone.

For extra particulars on how Wilson designed this undertaking, ensure learn his Hackaday.io write-up right here and watch his demo beneath!