History Main / MasterConsole

* ''ColossalCave Adventure'' had a "MAGIC MODE" command that allowed the game manager, when the game was running on a shared computer such as a mainframe, to restrict times that the game could be played, set the welcome message, and optionally change the password to access magic mode.

Note the term "master console" is being used here to keep from confusing with game consoles, the dedicated hardware used to play games. Should not be confused especially with the Sega Master System console, which was one of those dedicated hardwards.

* ''HalfLife'', originally based on the ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'' engine, continued to include a console on the Source engine games (''Half-Life 2'' onwards) which allows you to enable or disable certain features. ''VideoGame/{{Portal}}'' adds additional features to change some of the functionality of the portal gun. And as ''Half-Life'' before, other games produced on Source carry on the convention.

* Several source ports of [[VideoGame/Doom Doom]] such as ''[=ZDoom=]'', add a console.

* Several source ports of ''VideoGame/Doom'' such as ''[=ZDoom=]'', add a console.

* Several source ports of ''VideoGame/Doom'', such as ''[=ZDoom=]'', add a console.

!!Games that have a master console include

* The ''{{Unreal}}'' series' console added an entry-line pop-up version that did not obscure the screen. Unreal engine games frequently implement chat commands by popping up a command line pre-loaded with a "say" command. In later engines, the drop-down hotkey has migrated to F10.

* The ''ElderScrolls Morrowind'', ''Oblivion'', and ''Skyrim'', as well as ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' and ''FalloutNewVegas'' all made use of the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamebryo Gamebryo]] engine, and thus, shared a lot of command codes. These games were also all developed by {{Bethesda}}.
* By contrast, the ''MassEffect'' series ''does'' have game manipulative codes entered via a command line, but this unlocked system is not as refined or varied as the one above.
* The ''NeverwinterNights'' series.

* By contrast, the MassEffect series ''does'' have game manipulative codes entered via a command line, but this unlocked system is not as refined or varied as the one above.

* The ''ElderScrolls Morrowind'', ''Oblivion'', and ''Skyrim''.
** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Battlezone|1998}}'' has probably one of the most powerful consoles out there, capable of doing stuff like ''swapping the skybox''. In fact, basic console knowledge is required for mappers since the second game's built-in map editor is not exactly user-friendly.

* The ''ElderScrolls Morrowind,'' ''Oblivion,'' and "Skyrim."

** ''{{Fallout 3}}''.

Note the term "master console" is being used here to keep from confusing with game consoles, the dedicated hardware used to play games. Should not be confused especially with the Sega Master Console, which was one of those dedicated hardwards.

Note the term "master console" is being used here to keep from confusing with game consoles, the dedicated hardware used to play games.

* The ''ElderScrolls Morrowind'' and ''Oblivion''.

Many video games have a master console as well. In this case, the master console is enabled either by a command-line option or a special key, such as the tilde "~". When the master console is enabled, one can change many of the features of the game, including changing internal variables (such as the weight of gravity), enable special GodMode features, give [[BottomlessMagazines infinite ammo]], or virtually anything the programmers choose to put in the master console subsystem.

* ''{{Battlezone}}'' has probably one of the most powerful consoles out there, capable of doing stuff like ''swapping the skybox''. In fact, basic console knowledge is required for mappers since the second game's built-in map editor is not exactly user-friendly.

Many video games have a master console as well. In this case, the master console is enabled either by a command-line option or a special key, such as the tilde "~". When the master console is enabled, one can change many of the features of the game, including changing internal variables (such as the weight of gravity), enable special GodMode features, give infinite ammo, or virtually anything the programmers choose to put in the master console subsystem.

* ''HalfLife'', originally based on the ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'' engine, continued to include a console on the Source engine games (''Half-Life 2'' onwards) which allows you to enable or disable certain features. ''{{Portal}}'' adds additional features to change some of the functionality of the portal gun. And as ''Half-Life'' before, other games produced on Source carry on the convention.

* ''Game/{{Quake}}'' might have been the first FPS to use a drop-down command-line console. The game's configuration files were actually shell scripts for the console, run through during startup just like your autoexec.bat or .bashrc.
* ''HalfLife'', originally based on the ''Game/{{Quake}}'' engine, continued to include a console on the Source engine games (''Half-Life 2'' onwards) which allows you to enable or disable certain features. ''{{Portal}}'' adds additional features to change some of the functionality of the portal gun. And as ''Half-Life'' before, other games produced on Source carry on the convention.

* The ''Dungeon'' game (a clone of ''Zork'', with changes) for the PDP-11 minicomputer, had a debugger that could be used to change things, variables and constructs in the game.

* ''{{Unreal}}'''s console added an entry-line pop-up version that did not obscure the screen. Unreal engine games frequently implement chat commands by popping up a command line pre-loaded with a "say" command. In later engines, the drop-down hotkey has migrated to F10.

* ColossalCave adventure had a "MAGIC MODE" command that allowed the game manager, when the game was running on a shared computer such as a mainframe, to restrict times that the game could be played, set the welcome message, and optionally change the password to access magic mode.

* {{Quake}} might have been the first FPS to use a drop-down command-line console. The game's configuration files were actually shell scripts for the console, run through during startup just like your autoexec.bat or .bashrc.
* HalfLife, originally based on the Quake engine, continued to include a console on the Source engine which allows you to enable or disable certain features. {{Portal}} adds additional features to change some of the functionality of the portal gun. And as Half-Life before, other games produced on Source carry on the convention.
* {{Unreal}}'s console added an entry-line pop-up version that did not obscure the screen. Unreal engine games frequently implement chat commands by popping up a command line pre-loaded with a "say" command. In later engines, the drop-down hotkey has migrated to F10.

* The HalfLife series, which was based on the Quake engine, continued to include a console which allows you to enable or disable certain features. {{Portal}} adds additional features to change some of the functionality of the portal gun.

* The ''ElderScrolls'' series.
* The ''{{Fallout}}'' series.

* The ElderScrolls series.
* The {{Fallout}} series.