Quick Review: Moonbase Alpha
Jul. 8th, 2010 09:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalSummary: At Moonbase Alpha [1] on the Moon's Shackleton Crater, you've just returned to base when an unexpected meteor strike severely damages the base's oxygen generating system. Now you and your team have to race to restore power and repair systems before the base goes dark for good.
Review: This short game is apparently a preview of the planned NASA sponsored MMO that's to come out sometime in the next year. And it shouldn't be much of a surprise then that it's made by the same design team that brought the free US Army recruiting tool America's Army. Unfortunately the lack of anything to shoot at is likely to turn the average MMO player off.
Essentially you have 25 minutes to jog back and forth between inconveniently placed modules to grab equipment or activate robots to repair the solar panels, power couplings and the life support generator itself. While repairing items takes time, you can shorten the wait by successfully completely aconnect the dots welding minigame on the item's circuitry.
And that's it really. The game only offers the one scenario, though it's actual complexity varies depending on the number of players involved. There isn't much variety and the equipment is based on the now cancelled Constellation program, but it all looks very pretty, and it's the first game I've ever seen that attempts a realistic treatment of a hypothetical moonbase.
Basically you'd have to be a really hardcore space nut to enjoy this more than a couple of times. Otherwise you'll probably want to give it a pass.
Available as a free download from Steam
[1] No relation to its equally unfortunate fictional predecessor from Space: 1999
Review: This short game is apparently a preview of the planned NASA sponsored MMO that's to come out sometime in the next year. And it shouldn't be much of a surprise then that it's made by the same design team that brought the free US Army recruiting tool America's Army. Unfortunately the lack of anything to shoot at is likely to turn the average MMO player off.
Essentially you have 25 minutes to jog back and forth between inconveniently placed modules to grab equipment or activate robots to repair the solar panels, power couplings and the life support generator itself. While repairing items takes time, you can shorten the wait by successfully completely a
And that's it really. The game only offers the one scenario, though it's actual complexity varies depending on the number of players involved. There isn't much variety and the equipment is based on the now cancelled Constellation program, but it all looks very pretty, and it's the first game I've ever seen that attempts a realistic treatment of a hypothetical moonbase.
Basically you'd have to be a really hardcore space nut to enjoy this more than a couple of times. Otherwise you'll probably want to give it a pass.
Available as a free download from Steam
[1] No relation to its equally unfortunate fictional predecessor from Space: 1999
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Date: 2010-07-09 02:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-09 04:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-09 10:10 am (UTC)Annoyance factor is way too high.
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Date: 2010-07-09 12:38 pm (UTC)