Introduced 2 mechanics
Asteroids
Vector momentum plus three initials in RAM: the first persistent player identity.
Mechanics this game introduced
These are recorded as first appearing here. Each links to a full history of where the idea went next.
Space & Locomotion · 1979
Wraparound Topology
Wraparound topology joins opposite edges of the playfield so that leaving one side returns you at the other, turning a…
Origin: Asteroids
Progression & Persistence · 1979
Persistent High-Score Table
A persistent high-score table stores the best results and the initials of whoever set them, creating the first player …
Origin: Asteroids
Mechanics it built on
Ideas Asteroids inherited rather than invented — each traceable back through the ontology to a root.