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5th Dec '12 8:13:49 AM justanid

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The Texas-based developer/publisher [[http://www.idsoftware.com/ id Software]] is best known for [[TropeCodifier popularizing]] the FirstPersonShooter genre.

After programmer John Carmack and three of his fellow Softdisk employees -- JohnRomero, Adrian Carmack (no relation to John), and Tom Hall -- developed a ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'' mockup around a PlatformGame engine he'd created (view gameplay of ''Dangerous Dave in Copyright Infringement'' [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUJ9xWw8_lQ here]]), the group struck out on their own and founded id Software. They were major supporters of the {{Shareware}} distribution model, and it paid off; at one point in the early '90s, the first episode of ''Videogame/{{Doom}}'' was on more hard drives than MicrosoftWindows.

John Carmack is the only one of the original founders who remains with the company, and has earned a reputation as one of the industry's most brilliant programmers. As a result of his "programming first" mentality -- he once commented notoriously that stories in video games are like stories in porn; [[ExcusePlot they're expected to be there, but aren't important]] -- many id releases are {{Tech Demo Game}}s that show off the features in a new engine, which they then license out to other developers.

It's worth noting that, whenever a new [=IdTech=] engine is built, the previous one is released under the GPL licence, thus continuing id's legacy in ''Warsow, Nexuiz, Alien Arena, Urban Terror'' (previously a VideoGame/QuakeIIIArena GameMod) and ''VideoGame/OpenArena'', among others.

Currently, id Software is part of Zenimax Multimedia (who also houses developers [[{{Bethesda}} Bethesda Game Studios]], creators of the ''ElderScrolls'' saga, [[ShinjiMikami Tango Gameworks]], and others). In 2011, id announced that it would no longer be licensing out it's idTech engines (though still releasing previous engines). Instead, Carmack will focus solely on in-house development (which he loves) engine development for id and the greater Zenimax studios.

id has frequently worked together with RavenSoftware ({{Shadowcaster}}, {{Heretic}} and VideoGame/{{Hexen}}), NerveSoftware, and SplashDamageLtd (now also at Zenimax).

For the record, it's pronounced as one syllable (ID, with a short I, not EYE-DEE), after the [[UsefulNotes/IdSuperegoAndEgo part of the Freudian psyche]] that deals with instinct and pleasure-seeking. In other words, perfect for a company making games.

'''Among the games id Software has developed:'''
[[index]]
* ''VideoGame/CommanderKeen'' series
* ''Wolfenstein'' series
** ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D''
** ''VideoGame/ReturnToCastleWolfenstein''
** ''VideoGame/{{Wolfenstein}}''
* ''Videogame/{{Doom}}'' series
* ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'' series
** ''VideoGame/{{Quake|I}}''
** ''VideoGame/QuakeII''
** ''VideoGame/QuakeIIIArena'' (Also includes ''Quake Live'')
%% Quake IV and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars were developed by Raven Software.
* ''VideoGame/{{Rage}}''
[[/index]]
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2nd Oct '12 1:56:02 AM Xtifr

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29th Jun '12 2:08:02 AM FELH2

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26th Mar '12 12:58:02 PM Oreochan