The Mother of All Games
Scorched Earth, by Wendell Hicken, was released as shareware in 1991. Not easy on the eyes, but one of the best multiplayer games ever!
It let you customize everything - from gravity, wind, and meteor showers. Building on earlier games like QBasic Gorillas, it took the concept to a new level, supporting up to 10 players with far more complexity and variety.
You could set the angle and power to aim, combined with a wide choice of weapons (unlike the banana in QBasic Gorillas). Computer-controlled enemies could be set from difficulty 1 (Moron) to 10 (Cyborg). No other game has named its lowest difficulty level so perfectly!
Here’s to Wendell Hicken - thank you, wherever you are!