Pie in the Sky (game engine)

Pie in the Sky is a 2.5D and 3D first person shooter engine most popular in the mid-to-late 1990s by Pie in the Sky Software, also known as Power 3D and the 3D Game Creation or 3D Game Creation System engine. The engine was used in two games by the company as well as many other independent games and amateur projects after it was turned into a game creator, largely because it minimized the amount of computer programming knowledge needed to make 3D games in its editing tools.

The company, formed principally by programmer Kevin Stokes, first dabbled in 3D computer graphics by creating a modestly popular TSR 3D screen saver called InnerMission in 1987. After more developments, they developed a 3D flight simulator Corncob 3D in 1992. The game was inspired by a flight simulator for the Apple II. The game was first released as shareware and then later commercially as Corncob Deluxe by MVP Software. After seeing Wolfenstein 3D, they wrote a new 3D engine in C and used it in the first person shooter Lethal Tender in 1993. Based on that, they were hired by a German group to create a German language first person shooter.

Pie in the Sky released Terminal Terror, the sequel to Lethal Tender, in 1994. The development of this game, to be published by Expert Software, had taken precedence over the German development and thus strained the relationship. The game was relatively successful, but the company sensed they were unable to keep up and stay ahead of other first person shooter developers. To get around this and enter a niche market, they decided to create the 3D Game Creation System and market themselves to consumers who wanted to make their own 3D games. It is first used by games such as Red Babe by The DaRK CaVErN Productions and La Cosa Nostra by Slade 3D Software.

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