Where does Strafe come from

  • I've noticed on all the voxel games I've seen that move right or left is shown as strafe left or right. It's no big deal but where does strafe come from. I always understood strafe as something aircraft do , attacking a ground target. I wondered if it was German for move but it means punishment. As I say it's no big deal but I'm curious on it's origin.

  • Most games use the term "strafe", it has nothing to do with voxel games ;) It's a specific term in gaming: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strafing_(gaming)
    It always describes "walking sidewards", while "walk left" could also mean "turn left" (i.e. change your camera direction).
    Maybe a native English speaker can tell you more about the origins of this word, at least I think it has nothing to do with the German language^^

  • Quote from Red51

    Most games use the term "strafe", it has nothing to do with voxel games It's a specific term in gaming:

    Aye well they've passed me by, voxel gaming is as close as I've been to action games, probably since Elite (the original :)) , I've been a long time strategy gamer. It's the building and crafting side that's the main pull to me.


    Quote from Meltron

    As far as I understand, strafe can also mean to shoot at someone. Maybe it is because you can still shoot in most source games and in quake when you are in air and strafe

    Yes that crossed my mind too.


    Cheers guys.

  • Quake is the first time I've seen it used. Although I didn't know it was because of the glitch which helps ya move a bit faster haha. But yeah since then pretty much every game which has buttons for moving sideways without turning, has called it strafing.


    Which strategy games you play most there supershanks?

    Haste is the enemy of knowledge.

  • Hi,
    Football manager probably most, have the run 2012 to 2015. Enjoy trading games and city building, always get suckered in to the latest SimCity. I like the Anno series, The Kalypso Patrician and Rise of Venice are ok.
    Have just found the Endless titles Space and Legends, was getting into them until I got into these sandbox games just after Xmas. Of course there's Civ though I'm still steaming about Beyond Earth.

  • I tried Anno a bit and meant to get back into at some point. No Empire Earth or Medieval Total War? Command and Conquer? I haven't planned SimCity in a LONG time haha. Love the old Age of Empires too. ahh.. gaming memories lol Might want to check out Company of Heroes. It's a good strategy game. Multiplayer can get a little crazy.. I still with singleplayer.


    And yeah of course there is Civ. What's wrong with Beyond Earth? I haven't gotten any of the newer ones. Just don't have time in recent years for all these games... even in one genre!

    Haste is the enemy of knowledge.

  • Quake is the first time I've seen it used. Although I didn't know it was because of the glitch which helps ya move a bit faster haha. But yeah since then pretty much every game which has buttons for moving sideways without turning, has called it strafing.


    Which strategy games you play most there supershanks?


    The games before quake also called it "strafe", so it seems to be not related to quake :whistling:

  • I tried Anno a bit and meant to get back into at some point. No Empire Earth or Medieval Total War? Command and Conquer? I haven't planned SimCity in a LONG time haha. Love the old Age of Empires too. ahh.. gaming memories lol Might want to check out Company of Heroes. It's a good strategy game. Multiplayer can get a little crazy.. I still with singleplayer.


    And yeah of course there is Civ. What's wrong with Beyond Earth? I haven't gotten any of the newer ones. Just don't have time in recent years for all these games... even in one genre!


    I*'ve got Empire Earth, but not really got into it likewise Medieval total war though I play that a bit more than EE, I prefer, Crusader Kings II which is my favourite Medieval game atm, though like most I think, I struggle to win. I saw the thread about medieval engineers and am certainly up for that.
    If I'm in warmonger mode I like Panzer Corps and the Unity of Command series, the latter is about the best unit icon/map war games I've ever played. Haven't played C&C for years, but have very many fond memories of it :)


    Beyond Earth should be renamed What on Earth. Civ's developers have developed a habit of releasing their games with poor AI and gameplay, then redeeming their reputations with patches and updates. They have a mountain to climb on this one.
    I was initially taken with the game, graphics are great, music atmospheric was really hooked. Until I got into it. The AI is virtually non existent, trading admin is clumsy. Seems I'm not the only one, Steam diplomatically give it "mixed" review, but if you scroll down to the detail [url="http://store.steampowered.com/app/65980/#app_reviews_hash"][Steam Beyond Earth] mixed looks pretty optimistic.

  • Which games before quake? castle wolfenstein 1? can't remember if we could strafe in that game lol. Doom 1? can't remember which of these came first to be honest lol damn beers...


    @supershanks had some great lan games of empire earth! sins of a solar empire also. I think i have one crusader kings.. gotta check the box of old games lol.


    Yeah I had hopes for Beyond Earth. I guess we shall see what the devs do with it....

    Haste is the enemy of knowledge.

  • Beyond Earth should be renamed What on Earth. Civ's developers have developed a habit of releasing their games with poor AI and gameplay, then redeeming their reputations with patches and updates. They have a mountain to climb on this one.
    I was initially taken with the game, graphics are great, music atmospheric was really hooked. Until I got into it. The AI is virtually non existent, trading admin is clumsy. Seems I'm not the only one, Steam diplomatically give it "mixed" review, but if you scroll down to the detail [Steam Beyond Earth] mixed looks pretty optimistic.


    I think a lot of people were expecting Beyond Earth to be Alpha Centauri 2 (Sid Meiers Alpha Centauri is my personal favourite strategy game ever) which was a factor in some of the less than favourable opinions when it finally came out. It is OK, but really not much more than another expansion for civ 5.

  • @waveshapr It was more to find the original game that strafing was used, or called that in. But yeah the term comes from an aircraft slightly moving sideways back and forth, I suppose generally while firing.


    @RobertL Ya know, I don't think I ever tried Alpha Centauri but have meant to for years. Should get that lol. It's sad when the big companies put in less effort then a small dev team. But of course when you're more corporation then a group of people who loving making games... it's all about the money.

    Haste is the enemy of knowledge.

  • supershanks had some great lan games of empire earth! sins of a solar empire also. I think i have one crusader kings.. gotta check the box of old games lol


    I looked at Sins late last year was after a 4x space game, got Endless Space instead as it was on offer at the time. Will have to dig out Empire Earth again sometime, when I'm not building :). Yes I've got a box of old games like that, a lot of fond memories in that box. :thumbup:


    According to wiktionary 'strafe' originated in WWI "to attack (ground troops, for example) with a machine gun or cannon from a low-flying aircraft." As a noun, it means, "an attack of machine-gun or cannon fire from a low-flying aircraft."
    It originated from the german word for punishment.
    en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Talk:strafe

    That's interesting As I said in my first post I checked out the German translation, but hadn't looked on strafing as punishment to the receiving folk on the ground.


    I think a lot of people were expecting Beyond Earth to be Alpha Centauri 2 (Sid Meiers Alpha Centauri is my personal favourite strategy game ever) which was a factor in some of the less than favourable opinions when it finally came out. It is OK, but really not much more than another expansion for civ 5.


    Yes Alpha was a brilliant game, pretty certain it's in that box I just mentioned, I think your right about that comparison though.
    Myself I wasn't looking to compare Beyond Earth with Alpha was just genuinely disappointed that there is at the moment.
    I hope that any expansion pack will improve the game, but will certainly won't be buying it until I've seen a good few reviews first.

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