Game:

Shockwave (1990)

Duration: 2:58

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18

This game runs at a small resolution, so sorry the video is a bit small. This is also one of those games that runs too fast on any modern machine because the framerate is tied to CPU speed. I've turned my processor state down to 50% here to reduce that issue but it's still a bit too fast. The game only has software rendering. You can hack it to force it to use OpenGL, but this isn't intended behavior and causes the interface to become invisible.

I'm no expert at pool either, in fact - I've never even played it irl. I also had never heard of this game growing up, but I imagine it'd be nostalgic for some people. There are a number of interesting things about this game though. Much like 3D Pinball Space Cadet, the version of this game most people are familiar with is actually just a demo for the real one! It's no longer available for purchase, and has been removed from Shockwave.com .

3D Groove was a 3D game engine that was active between 1998 and 2009, with it's peak occurring in the early to mid-2000s. Many 3D Groove games were lost when 3D Groove's site shut down in 2009.

In 1995, before 3D Groove existed, programmer Jules Urbach worked at DesignFusion and helped to code the game Real Pool, a basic 3D pool game for the Mac intended to rival the Virtual Pool series. The game was published through MacSoft, and got a Windows port in 1998, which was published through GT Interactive (which would later become Infogrames.)

The assets used in Real Pool were recycled to make a web demo version, becoming the first use of the 3D Groove engine. Intended to promote the full game, the web version of Real Pool used 3D Groove SX and was published on Shockwave.com, becoming their first 3D game, where it got between 5-6 million plays according to Laufenberg. The game made over four million dollars in total sales according to Vice President of Marketing for Infogrames Paul Rinde. It was later recycled again into an advergame for Jack Daniels.

Not to be confused with Real Pool for the PS2, which shares the same logo but the game itself is completely different and doesn't even use the same game engine.

In February 2002, 3D Groove made a sequel to Real Pool called Real Pool 2, which became the first game to use the new 3D Groove GX engine version.

Related LMW Article: http://lostmediawiki.com/3D_Groove_Games_%28Miscellaneous_Unresurfaced_Games;_1998-2009%29
Download: https://mega.nz/#F!9xx1Fb6J!htG1PEOPan3QnbSB_j3m_A
Under 3D Groove SX / Games / Originals
Take your pick of the Mac, Windows or Web version. The Web version requires an NPAPI supported browser such as Pale Moon or Internet Explorer, and a full install of Adobe Shockwave - the latest version will work. You should be asked to install the 3D Groove Xtra before playing.
Alternatively, if you have difficulty playing the Web version, you can use George Compton's portable restoration of Shockmachine, which is identical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRPsCRrZ6Nc

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