Tail Gunner
1979 · Space Shooter · Arcade
Overview
Tail Gunner (1979) puts the player in the rear turret of a spacecraft, firing at wireframe fighters rendered in 3D vector graphics.
Deep Dive
In Tail Gunner the player looks out of the back of a starship and shoots down enemy fighters as they swoop in from behind, protecting the ship's shields. Its wireframe vector graphics gave the attackers a convincing sense of depth years before 3D games were common. It came from Vectorbeam, a short-lived company devoted entirely to vector graphics, and its rear-gunner viewpoint turned up again in later arcade and flight games.
Developer Story
Tail Gunner was developed by Vectorbeam and released in 1979. It placed the player in the rear gunner position of a spacecraft, shooting at pursuing enemy fighters rendered in vector graphics. The first-person perspective combined with vector rendering created a sense of depth unusual for the era. Vectorbeam was a short-lived company focused entirely on vector graphics technology.
Did You Know?
- Tail Gunner used a first-person perspective — the player looked out the back of their spacecraft — which was extremely rare in 1979 arcade games.
- The vector graphics gave enemies a wire-frame 3D appearance, years before 3D gaming became mainstream.
- Vectorbeam folded in 1979, but their vector technology influenced Cinematronics and other companies.
- The game's rear-gunner mechanic appeared again years later in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and various flight simulators.
Sources & further reading
- Tail Gunner — Wikipedia
