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Scorched 3D

Scorched 3D is a free and open-source turn-based artillery video game that serves as a three-dimensional remake of the classic MS-DOS game Scorched Earth, featuring destructible landscapes and support for up to 25 players (one local and up to 24 others) in multiplayer battles.^[1]^[2]^[3] Released initially in 2001, Scorched 3D was developed by Gavin Camp as a cross-platform title programmed primarily in C++ using OpenGL for graphics rendering, and the latest version is 44, released in August 2014.^[3]^[4]^[5] The game is licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2 or later, allowing for free distribution and modification, and it is available on Microsoft Windows, Linux, and macOS operating systems.^[2]^[3] In gameplay, players control tanks on procedurally generated or custom 3D terrains, taking turns to select weapons, adjust aim and power, and fire projectiles while accounting for factors like wind, gravity, and environmental destruction that alters the battlefield in real time.^[1]^[5] Key features include a wide array of weapons such as missiles, lasers, and nukes; an economic system for purchasing upgrades and shields; animated elements like birds, water, and exploding effects; and modes like the Apocalypse mod for intensified, simultaneous combat.^[1]^[2] The game supports both single-player against AI opponents and online multiplayer via public servers, with a tutorial mode to help newcomers learn its mechanics, emphasizing strategy in resource management and tactical positioning over the course of matches that can last from minutes to hours.^[1]^[5] Its enduring popularity stems from its accessibility, nostalgic appeal to fans of artillery games, and active community contributions to maps, mods, and servers, making it a staple in the free software gaming ecosystem.^[2]^[3]

Gameplay

Core mechanics

Scorched 3D is a turn-based artillery game where players control tanks positioned on a 3D landscape, taking turns to aim and fire projectiles at opponents. The primary objective is to destroy enemy tanks over a standard match of 10 rounds, with victory awarded to the player or team achieving the highest score based on kills and damage inflicted.^[1] Players adjust their tank's turret angle, rotation, and firing power while accounting for factors like gravity, wind, and terrain elevation to calculate accurate trajectories.^[6]^[2] The game's arsenal includes a variety of projectile weapons, ranging from basic missiles that follow parabolic paths to more advanced options with specialized effects. Basic missiles deliver direct damage on impact, while weapons like the Funky Bomb release secondary bomblets upon landing to cover a wider area, and MIRVs deploy multiple submunitions in mid-air for splash damage across a radius.^[1]^[7] Other examples include land-hugging Rollers that roll down slopes toward targets, napalm strikes that incinerate areas over time, and nuclear weapons like tactical nukes that create large craters with high blast radii.^[2] Each weapon has unique properties, such as damage output, splash radius, and flight trajectory, requiring players to select based on distance, terrain, and defensive setups.^[7] Defensive tools allow players to evade or mitigate incoming attacks, enhancing survival in prolonged engagements. Shields absorb or block damage from most projectiles, with variants like magnetic or force shields capable of repelling or reflecting shots back at attackers.^[1] Parachutes deploy to slow falls and prevent damage from heights, while teleportation devices enable instant repositioning to safer terrain.^[2] Batteries provide repair functionality to restore tank health between turns, and automated defenses can activate shields or parachutes reactively.^[7] These mechanics emphasize tactical positioning, as damage reduces a tank's power output and mobility.^[6] An in-game economy governs resource management, where players earn prize money each round proportional to damage dealt and enemies eliminated—typically starting with a base amount and scaling with performance.^[1] Funds are spent on weapons, defenses, and mobility items like fuel for tank movement, with costs varying by item potency; for instance, basic missiles might cost minimally, while advanced nukes or shields require substantial investment.^[2] This system encourages strategic budgeting, as unspent money carries over but limited per-round earnings force trade-offs between offense and survival.^[7] Earning rates can be customized, but standard play rewards aggressive play with higher yields for kills.^[6] Environmental interactions add depth to combat through a fully destructible 3D terrain that deforms from explosions, creating craters, trenches, or collapsed hillsides that alter lines of sight and trajectories.^[1] Water bodies affect shots by slowing or redirecting projectiles, while animated elements like jets, birds, and naval vessels can intersect paths, potentially blocking or influencing fire.^[2] Tanks can move across the landscape using fuel, allowing repositioning to exploit new terrain features formed by prior blasts, which integrates destruction as a core tactical element.^[7]

Modes and features

Scorched 3D supports multiple game modes to accommodate various play styles, including single-player campaigns against AI opponents, hotseat multiplayer for local play, and network-based multiplayer supporting up to 24 players combining human and computer participants.^[1]^[2]^[5] In single-player mode, users can engage in turn-based battles on generated maps, while hotseat allows players to share a single device for offline multiplayer. Network play enables online sessions via public servers or local area networks, fostering competitive matches with customizable player counts.^[1]^[5] The game incorporates real-time strategy elements alongside its core turn-based artillery mechanics, such as simultaneous actions in multiplayer scenarios and counter-weapon accessories like shields to defend against incoming attacks.^[1]^[2] Players can deploy tactical items during turns to disrupt opponents, adding layers of strategic depth beyond simple aiming and firing. These features encourage proactive defense and resource management within the flow of combat.^[1] Map generation in Scorched 3D includes random procedural terrains that create diverse 3D landscapes, alongside support for user-designed maps to enable custom scenarios.^[1]^[2] Environmental conditions are highly customizable, with variables like wind strength and gravity levels affecting projectile trajectories and overall gameplay dynamics.^[1] This flexibility allows players to tailor matches for different challenges, from high-wind skirmishes to low-gravity environments that alter aiming precision. A built-in tutorial mode guides new players through essential mechanics, covering controls for aiming, movement, and weapon selection to build foundational skills.^[1] Additionally, the game bundles the Apocalypse mode, which expands on standard play with enhanced weaponry tiers and access to custom maps for more intense, destructive battles.^[1] Visually, Scorched 3D features detailed 3D tank models with customizable appearances and realistic projectile animations, complemented by destructible landscapes that respond dynamically to explosions.^[1]^[2] Stunning explosion effects include particle-based debris and environmental deformation, enhancing the immersive quality of impacts. Audio design contributes to the 3D experience through contextual sound effects for weapons, movements, and destructions, providing auditory feedback that reinforces the spatial depth of battles.^[1]^[8]

Development

Origins and history

Scorched 3D's development began on April 29, 2001, when lead developer Gavin Camp initiated the project as a simple 3D landscape generator for Windows platforms.^[5] The tool was designed to create destructible terrains, but Camp soon pivoted the focus toward transforming it into a complete artillery game, drawing direct inspiration from the classic MS-DOS title Scorched Earth to modernize its turn-based mechanics with three-dimensional graphics and enhanced interactivity.^[3] This shift emphasized fully destructible environments and strategic weapon deployment, aiming to retain the original's addictive simplicity while appealing to contemporary audiences through visual depth and multiplayer potential.^[4] The first public release occurred later that year, marking the game's transition to a playable artillery experience hosted on SourceForge.net, where it has remained available as an open-source project.^[2] Early milestones included cross-platform compatibility expansions by 2003, enabling support for Linux and other Unix-like systems alongside Windows, which broadened its accessibility and encouraged initial community testing and feedback.^[9] Over the subsequent decade, development progressed through iterative updates, with major stable releases such as version 43.3d on March 5, 2012, introducing bug fixes, new features like improved networking, and refinements to gameplay balance.^[10] Version 44 was released on August 1, 2014, adding minor enhancements to rendering and mod integration while maintaining the core artillery framework.^[11] Released under the GNU GPL-2.0-or-later license from its inception, Scorched 3D's open-source nature facilitated community contributions, including bug reports, translations, and custom content shared via forums and the project's repository.^[2] However, periods of developer inactivity, particularly after the 2014 release, posed challenges, leading to reliance on user-driven patches and unofficial adaptations to address compatibility issues with newer operating systems and hardware. In March 2025, an unofficial fork released version 44.2, integrating community patches from 2014–2024 to improve compatibility with newer systems. These dynamics underscored the game's evolution as a collaborative effort, with Scorched Earth's influence persisting through features like economic weapon purchasing and environmental destruction, elevated by 3D elements such as animated scenery and multi-angle views for strategic depth.^[12]

Technical implementation

Scorched 3D is developed in C++ to ensure cross-platform compatibility across Windows, Linux, and macOS systems.^[2] This choice allows the game to leverage low-level system access for performance while maintaining portability without platform-specific codebases. The core graphics and input handling rely on the Simple DirectMedia Layer (SDL) library, which provides cross-platform abstractions for audio, keyboard, mouse, and joystick inputs, as well as basic 2D rendering capabilities.^[2] For the user interface, wxWidgets is employed to create native-looking menus, dialogs, and configuration panels that adapt to the host operating system's style.^[2] Three-dimensional rendering, including the visualization of destructible landscapes, utilizes OpenGL for hardware-accelerated graphics, enabling smooth display of complex scenes with particle effects and environmental animations.^[2] The game's physics simulation is implemented customarily, without reliance on external physics engines, focusing on essential artillery mechanics. Projectile trajectories are calculated using numerical integration to model parabolic paths influenced by initial velocity, launch angle, and environmental factors such as gravity and variable wind forces, which alter direction and speed in real-time.^[1] Terrain deformation occurs through voxel-based or heightmap modifications upon impact, allowing landscapes to crumble realistically and create craters that persist across turns, enhancing strategic depth without compromising simulation speed.^[1] Networking supports both LAN and internet multiplayer via a server-client architecture, accommodating up to 24 players in sessions that blend human and AI opponents.^[1] The implementation synchronizes game states, including tank positions, weapon firings, and terrain updates, using UDP for efficient packet transmission to minimize latency in turn-based exchanges.^[2] To maintain performance on low-end hardware, the engine incorporates optimizations such as level-of-detail rendering for distant animated elements like jets and water surfaces, which use simplified shaders and reduced polygon counts.^[1] Particle systems for explosions and debris are culled based on visibility, ensuring frame rates remain stable even during intense multiplayer battles with dynamic environmental interactions.^[2]

Release and community

Versions and platforms

Scorched 3D began development with an initial alpha release in April 2001, marking the start of its evolution as a cross-platform artillery game. The project saw steady updates through the 2000s, culminating in stable version 43.3d released in March 2012, which included minor feature enhancements and bug fixes.^[10] This was followed by preview version 44 in August 2014, introducing further refinements to gameplay and rendering while maintaining compatibility with existing systems.^[3] The game supports native builds across multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS (formerly OS X), Linux, and other Unix-like systems such as FreeBSD, Solaris, and BSD variants. Portable versions are also available, allowing execution from removable media without full installation, enhancing flexibility for users on varied hardware setups.^[2]^[13] Installation is straightforward, with download sizes around 37 MB for version 44 binaries, suitable for broadband or dial-up connections. System requirements emphasize OpenGL support for 3D rendering, enabling operation on modest hardware including older processors and graphics cards, though a dedicated GPU improves performance. On Linux, installations can leverage package managers like RPM for distributions such as Fedora and Red Hat, or DEB packages for Debian and Ubuntu, simplifying dependency management.^[1]^[4] Distribution primarily occurs through SourceForge.net, where source code and pre-built binaries are hosted under the GNU General Public License version 2.0, ensuring free access and modification rights. Additional builds appear in official repositories, such as Fedora's package updates in early 2025 and Debian's stable inclusions, providing integrated installation options for those ecosystems.^[2]^[14]^[15] As a free and open-source title, Scorched 3D imposes no digital rights management, allowing unrestricted sharing and play. Its lightweight design, relying on efficient OpenGL implementation, supports execution on legacy hardware, broadening accessibility for users without high-end systems.^[2]^[1]

Modding and multiplayer

Scorched 3D includes built-in modding support that enables players to create and integrate custom weapons, maps, and scenarios, extending the base gameplay with user-generated content. The game's map editor allows for the design of personalized landscapes and environmental setups, while the modding system supports alterations to economy mechanics, weapon behaviors, and overall game rules. This framework facilitates the addition of new features without requiring external tools beyond the game's interface.^[1] The Apocalypse mod, bundled with the core game installation, exemplifies this system by introducing apocalyptic-themed landscapes and an expanded arsenal of advanced weaponry, including team-based gameplay options updated for version 41 compatibility. Community-driven mods further diversify the experience; for instance, the Sniper mod, released for version 40.1, emphasizes precision targeting mechanics, while Scavenger Hunt, also tailored for version 40.1 and added to the community's version control repository in 2006, incorporates resource scavenging elements into matches. The Best of Scorched3D pack once compiled select community mods but was discontinued following updates to version 40.1. These mods, hosted on dedicated project repositories, demonstrate how the community leverages the game's open-source structure under the GNU General Public License version 2.0 to innovate on core artillery dynamics.^[16]^[17]^[18]^[19] Multiplayer in Scorched 3D is facilitated through public online servers accessible via scorched3d.co.uk, supporting up to 24 simultaneous players in turn-based artillery battles across destructible 3D environments. Local play options include LAN setups for networked sessions and hotseat mode, where players alternate turns on a single device, blending human and AI opponents on custom or random maps. Community tools, such as the phpBB2 forums historically linked from mod repositories, served as hubs for sharing custom content, discussing server configurations, and coordinating mod development.^[1]^[20]^[21] The latest official release, version 44 from August 2014, maintains compatibility with existing mods from earlier versions like 40.1 and 41, ensuring seamless integration of community content into its real-time strategy extensions, where players can deploy countermeasures like shields alongside artillery. This version preserves the modding infrastructure while incorporating the game's dual turn-based and real-time elements, allowing mods to enhance strategic depth without breaking prior customizations.^[3]

Reception and legacy

Critical reception

Scorched 3D received positive coverage in early reviews for its innovative 3D take on classic artillery gameplay. A 2006 review on Dedoimedo highlighted the game's lively destructible landscapes, support for up to 24 players in multiplayer modes, and superb dynamics, describing it as "huge fun" that elevates turn-based community gaming.^[22] The following year, Linux.com awarded it an 8 out of 10, praising its ease of learning, comprehensive documentation, and status as one of the best free software games available, while noting minor annoyances with camera controls during play.^[23] Subsequent evaluations continued to commend the game's core strengths in multiplayer engagement and environmental destruction, though some pointed to areas for refinement. In a 2011 revisit, Dedoimedo lauded the simple yet effective 3D visuals, diverse weapons, and cross-platform accessibility, voting it the best game of 2010 despite critiques of overly challenging difficulty levels on higher settings and potential for excessive damage from special weapons.^[7] Reviews consistently emphasized the appeal of its open-source nature, enabling broad adoption across Windows, Linux, and Mac platforms. Quantitative metrics underscore its popularity within free software circles. On SourceForge, the game holds a 4.9 out of 5 rating based on 22 user reviews, reflecting sustained appreciation for its strategic depth and replayability.^[24] Recognition as a leading open-source clone of Scorched Earth has appeared in community compilations of notable libre games.^[3] Later assessments, particularly around version 44 released in 2014, affirm the game's stability and enduring mechanics without major graphical updates, maintaining its niche as a reliable multiplayer artillery title amid critiques that its visuals feel dated by modern standards. The project's ongoing availability and occasional forks, such as a 2025 unofficial update to version 44.2, indicate continued relevance in free gaming communities.^[2]

Community impact

Scorched 3D has maintained a dedicated community since its inception, with forums historically available on the official website since 2001 for discussions, mod sharing, and player interactions.^[25] Community-driven mod creation persists, exemplified by collections of user-generated content like enhanced weaponry packs available through dedicated repositories.^[20] The game supports public servers for multiplayer sessions with up to 24 players, blending human and AI opponents.^[1] The game's legacy extends to revitalizing the artillery genre, serving as a modern 3D successor to the 1991 classic Scorched Earth and inspiring nostalgia among longtime fans through its destructible environments and strategic depth.^[3] It has contributed to open-source modding education by providing a GPL-licensed framework that encourages users to experiment with custom maps, weapons, and rules, fostering skills in game modification within free software communities. This accessibility has helped sustain interest over more than two decades, evidenced by unofficial forks such as version 44.2 released on March 1, 2025, which address compatibility issues for contemporary systems. Player engagement is bolstered by integrated systems for tracking statistics, global rankings, and achievement medals, which are displayed on community platforms to promote competitive play and replayability.^[25] These features have cultivated a loyal user base focused on both casual and tournament-style matches, contributing to the game's enduring appeal in open-source gaming circles. On a broader scale, Scorched 3D has supported free gaming ecosystems by offering a high-quality, no-cost title under the GNU GPL-2.0-or-later license, encouraging distribution and adaptation across platforms. Its cross-platform design, including native Linux support, has aided in promoting Linux adoption among gamers seeking accessible artillery experiences without proprietary restrictions.^[23] The project also inspires indie developers through its model of community-maintained evolution, demonstrating how open-source principles can sustain a niche game long-term.^[2] As of 2025, Scorched 3D sees continued downloads via SourceForge, with the game downloaded over 2.2 million times between 2003 and May 2017, and integration into Linux distributions such as Fedora's rebuilds for version 44 in 2025.^[14] Despite no major official releases since version 44 in August 2014, community efforts like the 44.2 fork maintain vitality, underscoring the game's resilient user-driven ecosystem.^[3]

References

[1]
Scorched3D | A free Scorched Earth game
Scorched3D is a free, turn-based artillery and real-time strategy game with destructible 3D landscapes, up to 24 players, and an Apocalypse mod.
[2]
Scorched 3D download | SourceForge.net
Rating 4.9 (22) · FreeDownload Scorched 3D for free. A simple turn-based artillery game and also a real-time strategy game. Scorched3D incorporates lively, fully destructible 3D ...
[3]
Scorched 3D - Libregamewiki
Apr 30, 2023 · HistoryEdit. The first build was announced on April 29th, 2001. However it is unclear whether this was a real, actual release.
[4]
Scorched 3D is one hot battle game - SourceForge Community Blog
Apr 27, 2010 · Camp originally built the application in 2003 using Microsoft Visual C++. “At the time it seemed easier than its competitors, and Scorched 3D ...
[5]
Scorched 3D (2001) - MobyGames
Nov 26, 2007 · Scorched 3D is a free, cross platform, 3-D remake of the artillery game Scorched Earth, that has been continuously updated and improved ...Missing: development | Show results with:development
[6]
Scorched 3D RTS Clone - Scorched Earth - Foss Games
Jun 7, 2025 · A simple turn-based artillery game and also a real-time strategy game in which players can counter each others' weapons with other creative accessories.
[7]
Games/Scorched3D - Debian Wiki
Feb 28, 2018 · At its lowest level, Scorched 3D is just an artillery game with two or more tanks taking turns to destroy opponents in an arena.
[8]
Scorched3D review - As great as ever - Dedoimedo
Apr 11, 2011 · Scorched3D is a turn-based artillery game. You and a handful of other players, humans or bots, are landed onto a geographically challenged map.Missing: core mechanics<|control11|><|separator|>
[9]
Scorched3D for Windows - Download it from Uptodown for free
Rating 4.0 (2) · Free · WindowsDownload Scorched3D for Windows for free. Stunning 3D graphics for a great action game. Scorched 3D is an spectacular and addictive game based on the...Missing: website | Show results with:website
[10]
https://sourceforge.net/p/scorched3d/news/2012/03/scorched3d-version-433d/
[11]
Scorched 3D / News: Scorched3D: Version 43.3d - SourceForge
It gives me great pleasure in announcing the release of Scorched3D version 43.3d. This is a minor new feature/bug fix release. Posted by Gavin Camp ...
[12]
https://sourceforge.net/blog/potm-2007-05/
[13]
Scorched 3D release history - Libregamewiki
Mar 13, 2018 · This page list all the releases made by the Scorched 3D development team.
[14]
Project of the Month, May 2007 - SourceForge Community Blog
Apr 30, 2007 · Scorched 3D is an artillery game based on the classic DOS game Scorched Earth. Scorched 3D updates the original game, adding among other new features a 3D ...
[15]
Scorched 3D Portable 43.3d (turn-based artillery game) Released ...
Scorched 3D Portable 43.3d has been released. Scorched 3D is a turn-based over-powered artillery hardware game based on the original Scorched Earth game.
[16]
scorched3d - Fedora Packages
Source Package scorched3d. Builds · Updates · Bugs · Sources · Crash Reports · Koschei. Subpackages. scorched3d - Game based loosely on the classic DOS game ...Missing: distribution Debian
[17]
Debian -- Details of package scorched3d in trixie
3D artillery game similar to Scorched Earth. Scorched3D is a game based heavily on the classic DOS game Scorched Earth "The Mother Of All Games".Missing: 43 | Show results with:43
[18]
Scorched3d Mods - Apocalypse
The Apocalypse mod adds a series of new landscapes and weapons to the game. The mod generally follows an apocalyptic theme.
[19]
Sniper - Mods Of Scorched3d
Mods Apocalypse · ShockMod · Jdog Mod · todo list · Sniper · Roofmod · Toy Box · Scavenger Hunt · R@ptor Mod · SF Home · SourceForge.net Logo. Sniper. Sniper.Missing: community | Show results with:community
[20]
Scorched3d Mods
Oct 24, 2007 · Almost all mods have been updated to work with scorched version 40.1. New mods, Sniper and Scavenger Hunt. Best of scorched3d mod has been ...
[21]
Mods of Scorched3d
### Summary of Community Mods for Scorched 3D
[22]
Mods of Scorched3d - Browse Files at SourceForge.net
Scorched3d-Mods is a collection of comunity made mods for Scorched3d. You can find Scorched3d at http://sourceforge.net/projects/scorched3d.
[23]
https://www.linux.com/news/scorched-3d-makes-tank-battles-fun/
[24]
Scorched3D - Nostalgia in three dimensions - Dedoimedo
Dec 2, 2006 · Scorched3D is a free, cross-platform 3D game, a resurrection of the old Scorched Earth, with normal and apocalypse modes, and simultaneous ...
[25]
Scorched 3D makes tank battles fun - Linux.com
Jun 9, 2007 · Scorched 3D is an extremely well-done game, one of the best free software offerings I've found. It's not only fun, it's also well-documented.Missing: 2004 review
[26]
Scorched 3D Reviews - 2025 - SourceForge
Rating 4.9 (22) · FreeDec 15, 2014 · Scorched 3D user reviews and ratings from real users, and learn the pros and cons of the Scorched 3D free open source software project.Missing: critical | Show results with:critical
[27]
Scorched 3D - Codex Gamicus - Fandom
Scorched 3D is a turn-based artillery game modeled after the classic DOS game Scorched Earth "The Mother Of All Games".
[28]
Scorched 3D - Wikipedia
Scorched 3D is a free and open source artillery game modeled after the MS-DOS game Scorched Earth. Scorched 3D is licensed under the GNU GPL-2.0-or-later, and ...
[29]
scorched3d-44-39.fc43 - Fedora Packages
Changelog ; 2025-07-25, Fedora Release Engineering <releng at fedoraproject dot org> - 44-39, - Rebuilt for https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Fedora_43_Mass_Rebuild.