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Starscape

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Starscape
File:NovaBombs.jpg
Developer(s)Moonpod
Publisher(s)Moonpod
Designer(s)Mark Featherstone
Platform(s)Windows
Release29 June 2004
Genre(s)Multi-directional shooter
Mode(s)Single player

Starscape is a 2D space combat shoot 'em up game developed by Moonpod games and published in 2003 as shareware. The plot provides a framework for the action: The player is the sole remaining fighter pilot on the space station Aegis after its warp drive is influenced by aliens, ripping it into another dimension. The objective is naturally to survive and to return.

Most of the game time is spent in a top-down view as the player's ship fights off attackers and collects resources from asteroids and from some of the destroyed enemy vessels. The setting is divided into areas of varying sizes, and the fighter can freely maneuver in one but not cross the boundaries.

While in essence quite simple, the addition of the space station enriches gameplay considerably. The Aegis is present in all non-boss battles and while it's quite durable, its destruction loses the game. Docking with it is necessary to unload resources, perform repairs on either the ship or the station and to travel between areas. In addition to the aforementioned repairs, the Aegis can spend acquired resources on both researching and constructing new tools and weaponry, which require allotments of the station's limited manpower that in turn can be increased by finding and rescuing rare survivors in the action sequences. The player also designs the fighters, balancing attack and defense with power, maneuverability, available size and costs. The station can maintain up to three craft, though only one can be flown at a time. Over time, the Aegis can be outfitted with turrets and a cannon, while the fighters go from - essentially - airtight bathtubs to fearsome forces.

Starscape also features a plotless skirmish mode and a difficulty level where save games are automatically updated to reflect the loss of ships. Though the asteroid mining has been criticized as too tedious and time-consuming, the battle sequences and graphics have received praise.

In Russian speaking territories, Starscape is named 'Космическая одиссея' (literal translation: 'Space Odyssey') and features Russian voice acting. It was published by Snowball.ru .

Critical Acclaim

Characters

Aegis Crew

Rin Fubuki, Captain of The Aegis
Rin Fubuki, Captain of The Aegis

Rin Fubuki - Captain of The Aegis

Graduated top of her class in training, Rin was the only academy trainee ever to beat the infamous Feathersone-Griffiths, impossible battle simulation. A gifted navigator and pilot, her leadership abilities were only realised during conflict, when after the entire command crew of her ship were killed in a trap, the captain's seat fell to her. Leading a reduced crew, she managed to hold off an attack force of five destroyer ships until help arrived. Not one to make snap judgments, Rin often errs on the side of caution, and tries to avoid sending her ship and crew into battle by all means necessary. Once she does make the decision however, she is a force to be reckoned with, and will use any means available to secure victory.

Jenna Johnson, Deputy Engineer
Jenna Johnson, Deputy Engineer

Jenna Johnson (JJ)- Deputy Engineer

Orphaned at an early age, JJ grew up on a poverty stricken backwater colony planet. Still very young, she managed to find work at the planet's Stardock, and quickly learned everything there was to know about repairing starship engines. Her abnormally high IQ and burgeoning mechanical prowess would have gone unnoticed if a ship carrying Maya Rendon hadn't stopped at the planet for refueling. Immediately recognising JJ's potential, she offered her training at the Stardrive Research Institute. On the long journey to Earth, the two fast became great friends, and Maya decided JJ should not train at the Institute, and instead should become her apprentice.

Bud Weisman - Head Of Security
Bud Weisman - Head Of Security

Bud Weisman - Head Of Security

A veteran officer of many campaigns, Bud's courage and tactical genius quickly earned him great respect amongst his men and fellow officers. Unfortunately his disrespect for the antiquated military protocols employed by the Earth Security Force high command, caused his career to be sidelined. For this reason he was assigned as sole security officer on the Aegis research mission, a token post he considers to be a caretaker role. Whilst bitter about his position, Bud still applies the same strict ideals to his work, he is proud of what he does, and always tries to give his best.

Max Von Braun - Head Of Research / Dimension Drive Inventor
Max Von Braun - Head Of Research / Dimension Drive Inventor

Max Von Braun - Head Of Research / Dimension Drive Inventor

Max has led a life secluded from human contact. After winning a Nobel prize for his inter-dimensional space travel theories, he disappeared for more than ten years. During this time he became obsessed with proving his theories worked (many in the scientific community doubted there were any practical uses). There were many problems for him to overcome, but he eventually unveiled his designs for the Dimension Drive to the world. Often finding it difficult to relate to people, Max is only ever at home in his own world of multidimensional physics. Nevertheless he is without peer, possessing an intellect that cannot be measured on any existing scale.

Maya Rendon - Head Of Engineering
Maya Rendon - Head Of Engineering

Maya Rendon - Head Of Engineering

As daughter of two of the most influential starcraft designers, Maya Rendon was always destined to follow in her parents footsteps and become a great engineer. Rather than joining one of the big industry giants, Maya started her own small starship building company. No one believed it could be able to compete, but they were quickly proved wrong. The company brought a string of innovations to the industry and quickly took the biggest share of the market. Maya used her success, and her own money to build the Stardrive Research Institute, pushing forward the limits of science.

Races of The Warp

The Xenarch
The Xenarch

The Xenarch

Ancient machine servants of a long dead ship trapped in the grid, they are true machines, but sentient and strangely sad, tired and defeated. For some reason, the Archnid appear to ignore them and they are very secretive about their true motives. Their numbers are unknown, but it seems they are dwindling. However, technologically they appear to be quite advanced, and gaining their secrets may prove advantageous in the battle against the Archnid.


The Archnid
The Archnid

The Archnid

After absorbing so many other life forms and changing themselves so drastically the Archnid have lost their identity and embraced madness. Totally isolated they even fear their own kind and surround themselves with mindless drones. Taking pleasure in cruelty and driven by the need for power they are quite mad.


  • Max's surname is widely believed to have been inspired by German rocket scientist Wernher von Braun. Also, the starship from System Shock 2 was called the Von Braun (though it too may be dervied from the source mentioned earlier)
  • Bud's name is widely believed to have been inspired by Czech beer Budweiser.
  • Rin's second name was inspired by Japanese AV model Akira Fubuki. Source.
  • JJ's name is widely believed to have been inspired by adult video star Jenna Jameson.
  • JJ's pink hair and iris colour is due to multiple generations of poverty on her home planet where the poor predominantly consume a krill/plankton hybrid grown in vats which is high in alpha and beta carotene (the same mechanism behind the pink coloring of flamingo feathers and salmon flesh). Source.
  • The forenames of 'Max' Von Braun and 'Maya' Rendon were inspired by 3d modelling packages 3D Studio Max and Alias Maya. Source.
  • The default character name of 'Jameson' is taken from the game Elite Source.

Similar games

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