CyClones

In February of 1994, Raven Software expanded it's development team and began producing CyClones. Partnered with Strategic Simulations Inc. (SSI), the CyClones team set out to make a futuristic shooter based on Raven's first in-house game technology - the STEAM engine.

Cyclones are Cybernetic Clones; the minions of aliens who devastated the Earth. The player is the cybernetic warrior Havoc, who over the course of the game, discovers that he is one of these monstrosities, reprogrammed by his masters to do their bidding. 

The STEAM engine in CyClones allowed designers to utilize moving platforms, catwalks, sloped areas and transparent textures. The game also introduced a unique mouse control system where movement could be handled independently of aiming, where any area could be targeted on screen. This control scheme was the precursor to the "mouse look" controls that are still the preferred method of control in first person shooter games today.