For gamers, 1998 is definitely the year of the 3D card. If you play flight simulators or action games, you probably know that a 3D graphics card is a necessity to get the best visuals and smoothest gameplay with many of today's games. Even strategy games such as Myth and the upcoming wargames take advantage of 3D hardware. It's only a matter of time before 3D becomes as necessary a feature for game PCs as CD-ROM drives and mice.

If that's a given, why are so many games not supporting 3D graphics cards? And why do some games work only with specific 3D chips and often not the chips that today's off-the-shelf computers include in the box?

Computer Gaming World interviewed over a dozen major developers to get the scoop on exactly what's involved in adding 3D support to today's games, some of the problems they face in doing so, and what the future holds for 3D support. We talked to the developers of two high-profile simulations, one that includes 3D support and one that doesn't, to discuss some of these issues.

Brent Oster and Todd Fiala recently went through the "3D experience." They were the 3D software engineers, helping to orchestrate that experience in Jane's Longbow 2, CGW's and GameSpot's 1998 Simulation of the Year. The game shipped with spectacular 3D support, but support that worked only on 3Dfx-based graphics cards. Since that time, Jane's Combat Simulations has been working on a patch to add Direct3D support, so it's familiar with the advantages of the generic API versus the 3Dfx-specific Glide interface.

Longbow 2 Interview

Dynamix's Graeme Bayless, Scot Bayless, Hugh Diedrichs, and Scott Rudi worked on Sierra's Red Baron II. Although that sim has one of the most engrossing campaigns in recent memory, its graphics had a dated look due to lack of support for any 3D hardware. Now the team is working on a patch to add 3D support to the sim. The patch is expected to ship in the second quarter. We talked with the team about the difficulties of adding 3D to an existing game.

Red Baron 2 Interview