Category Archives: Simulators

Contests and Games, Simulators, Solar Sci-Fi

Hadron’s Forge – an epic space adventure role playing game

Check out the soon-to-be-released role playing game Hadron’s Forge from Arcane Logic:

An Epic Space Adventure rpg, that combines elements of Portal and Minecraft into a vast procedurally generated universe with a rich storyline.  Explore asteroids, moons, planets, and the ruins of an ancient alien civilization. Solve construction, mining and circuit puzzles to gain knowledge and experience. Mine raw resources to fill a periodic table inventory, found new materials and craft tools, stock parts and weapons.  Build your own asteroid and planetary mining bases. Your imagination is the limit as you customize your own interplanetary space ship…

Here are some recent articles about the game:

More details:

Have you ever wanted to explore an entire star system? Mine asteroids, moons and planets? Exploit space resources to build-up an interplanetary empire?  Hadron’s Forge is a new open-universe, space exploration, role-playing game that puts you at the helm of an epic space adventure!

Blending real space science and technology with an immersive procedurally generated sandbox environment, Hadron’s Forge offers a chapter-based single- & multi-player adventure! Virtually everything in the game, including the terrain, is modifiable. Fill a periodic table inventory as you mine ore and refine it down to its base elements! Forge parts and items from pure metals, alloys, carbon composites, advanced nanostructures and even “paradoxium” – the rarest material in the universe. Build bases on asteroids, moons or planets using truss, plates and utilities.

You can even customize your very own interplanetary space ship! And outfit it with propellant tanks, solar panels, ion engines and many other components.  You will need to carefully balance power supplies, fuel types and structural efficiency of your space craft in order to optimize cargo carrying capacity and range.

Arcane Logic, a new indie games developer based in Washington and spearheaded by Michael Beerman and John Savage, a duo of former aerospace industry guys, are on a mission of their own; their objective is to complete the development of this highly unique, incredibly realistic, and open-ended universe. Created using a proprietary game engine developed from the ground up, ‘Hadron’s Forge’ is scheduled to include several unique modes of play, including ‘Story-’, ‘Survival-’, ‘Sandbox-’ and several Multiplayer-Modes.

Hadron’s Forge is set in Epsilon Eridani, an actual star system 10.5 light years from Earth. Every effort will be made to recreate the star system according to the latest astronomical knowledge. For instance, astronomers have found evidence of at least two bands of asteroids and a gas giant planet in Epsilon Eridani.  But there are resolution limits to current telescopic observations, hence, the game designers will invoke creative license to add more points of interest in the game.

In the games primary ‘Story-Mode’, you take on the role of Hadron, an aspiring young “tele-op” with a mysterious past, and an unquenchable desire to uncover the secrets hidden among the planets and asteroids of Epsilon Eridani. In this campaign-like experience, players complete segments of a larger adventure beginning with a prelude and continuing through multiple chapters. You are tasked with mining, construction, trade, exploration and espionage missions as you progress through the story line. You will also encounter many challenging construction, circuit and terrain puzzles on your journeys across the star system, which you must solve in order to uncover the secrets of ancient Eridanian technology. ‘Survival-Mode’ is an experience in which players hone their skills in short-duration scenarios that happen outside of the main ‘Story-Mode’ campaign. For instance, players may find themselves trapped in a Mining Pod on an asteroid or planet surface and they must use their skills to gather resources and fabricate power supplies to maintain life-support and escape! And finally, in ‘Sandbox-Mode’, players are invited to exploit their creativity; build asteroid bases, star ships and planetary colonies in a peaceful setting with a near limitless inventory. However, you will need to earn achievements in ‘Story-Mode’ and ‘Survival-Mode’ to unlock starting maps, materials, items and structures that then become available in ‘Sandbox-Mode’. This mode also allows players to build unique challenging puzzle rooms that can be shared with friends.

Several multi-player modes are planned as well, including ‘Cooperative’ and ‘Competitive’ modes. ‘Cooperative Mode’ allows players to work together on a Sandbox or Survival map. Head-to-head (PvP) ‘Competitive Mode’ challenges may be peaceful, such as a race to gather enough resources to fulfill a trade contract, or destructive, such as a pitted battle on an asteroid to take out the other guys Mining Pod. Additional information on multi-player modes will be announced soon.

Contests and Games, Simulators, Software

The Kerbal Space Program conquers JPL

I previously posted on the Kerbal Space Program, a game which has a whimsical interface but uses realistic physics for its rockets and orbital mechanics: Kerbal Space Program – a game to create your own space program – Space-for-All.

This article describes the game and why it “is getting more and more attention recently from the space geek community”, including places like JPL and SpaceX:  Kerbal Space Program: The Spaceflight Simulator that Conquered JPL:  Program is Praised for its Orbital Mechanics and Newtonian Dynamics – Moonandback

Here’s a video tutorial on the game:

Contests and Games, Simulators

Take on Mars – new simulation game

Check out the new game Take On Mars:

From the website description:

Take On Mars places you in the seat of a Rover Operator, allowing you to control the various, fully simulated mobile Rovers and stationary Landers. With this scientific arsenal at your disposal, you will work your way through the numerous Science Missions in each location, unlocking the secrets of Mars’ distant past.

“Explore the scarred face of another world. Journey through rocky terrain and sandy wastes, pushing your vehicles to the max in this new installment to the Take On series.”

Featuring 3 main gameplay modes, explore the unforgiving Martian terrain:

  • Space Program – Explore Mars from the perspective of a science-driven Space Agency. Develop new technologies, vehicles and instruments to tackle the tasks ahead.
  • Scenarios – Head straight to the surface of Mars and complete individual missions centered around various Science Missions and objectives.
  • Editor – Create scenarios with complex missions, or just play around with whatever you wish in this limitless, free-form mode.

The most notable features in Take On Mars include:

  • Dynamic destruction system – Break off cameras, robotic arms, even individual struts and wheels, all affecting the way the vehicle handles.
  • Economy – Send missions to Mars with the budget you have available, raised by completing mission and individual tasks.
  • Realistic Terrain – Explore the surface of Mars in locations based on actual satellite data from locations such as Victoria Crater.

Last, but certainly not least, Take On Mars will be heavily aimed at modability, allowing users to create and share their own custom content, including scenarios, vehicles, and locations. Everything in the game is modifiable.

Mars, Simulators, SpaceCasts

Spacevidcast: Lacuna Passage – a Mars survival game

Spacevidcast latest Spacepod short program is about a new Mars based game seeking Kickstarter funding: Lacuna Passage – Spacevidcast

Lacuna Passage is a story-driven exploration and survival game set on Mars. Not only do you get to play a realistic game based on the red planet, but the only areas you are able to explore are those that have imagery from our martian satellites or rovers. The terrain and texture you will see is taken from actual pictures of Mars!

For details about the game, see Lacuna Passage by Random Seed Games — Kickstarter

 

Contests and Games, Simulators

Race to Mars – a space company simulation game

The Polish company INTERMARUM is developing Race To Mars

a turn-based, space company simulation game. Become the head of the newly established “New Space” company whose goal would be to establish a colony on Mars. You begin as a startup – develop cutting edge aerospace technologies and use them to achieve orbit and fly beyond Earth vicinity, blazing the trail of a space pioneer and leaving the competition far behind on your way to victory.

KEY FEATURES:

– Shape your own path to Mars: satellites or a space station?
– Discover more than two hundred pioneering technologies
– Fight for a larger budget for your space program with the help of your fans and media
– Expand your program: profit from commercial, scientific and military contracts

They have opened a Kickstarter campaign to fund its development.