A message about a new game for iPad, Android and Kindle.:

200 CLICKS UP… 17,000 MILES PER HOUR

LEO – LowEarthOrbit  is a prerequisite for wannabe space pilots, a place where the rules work differently than here on Earth. Don’t feel bad if you don’t get it straight away…

 Back in 1965 Gemini astronaut Jim McDivitt attempted the world’s first orbital rendezvous. 

After reaching orbit, 17000 miles per hour through the black sky, he aimed his capsule toward a discarded booster and squeezed on some thrust. He expected the booster to grow in his windscreen, but it got smaller.  Jim tried again – test pilots don’t give up easy – until all of his spare fuel was expended.

The laws of physics did not seem to apply! They learned an important truth that day racing around our planet… the faster you go, the further you will fall behind.

You’ll be able to try this stuff, and more.  LEO – Low Earth Orbit is a game for your iPad, Android tablet or computer. It lets you fly in space, learning hands-on the lessons of orbital mechanics that confounded the early astronauts. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist, but you are going to need perseverance!

You’ll cover simple lessons, like how and when to fire your engine to make your elliptical orbit circular. How do you transfer from one circular orbit to another? How do you get back to Earth? That’s kind of important, to your family at least, and all space odysseys start with training!

Get that stuff squared away and we’ll give you some real work to do. Space Station rendezvous sounds easy but it isn’t. Docking isn’t so bad, and giving the Station a push out to a new orbit should be a piece of cake.

Occasionally one of those crazy space walking astronauts needs rescuing, and then there’s the space junk — debris left up there by people who don’t treat space like a National Park . Darned dangerous stuff, and you’ll want to get out of the way.  Who needs a collision at 8 kilometres per second?

Luckily, the geniuses at head office have got a plan. Have you heard of the Space Junk bounty? They’ll be putting missiles on your ship so you can blast some of that debris into space-dust. I’m sure there’s nothing at all wrong with that plan!

So it’s time to fire up LEO – Low Earth Orbit and get to work. Pay attention to your lessons because wishful thinking will not save you, and physics doesn’t care who your Daddy is!

Visit LEO-LowEarthOrbit.com for release data, product information, media resources and the LEO blog.

Mars Colony Challenger from HyperKat Games, mentioned here the other day, has been posted on the Steam Greenlight site where it can be voted on for inclusion in the Steam store’s online collection of games for sale: Steam Greenlight :: Mars Colony: Challenger.

Here is a video displaying various features of the program:

HyperKat Games has released the Mars Colony Challenger

Mars Colony: Challenger is a 3D first / third person game that offers you the challenge of setting up a remote base on the surface of Mars. At its core, the game was derived from a simulator where everything is interactively tied together. You will have to setup and maintain the equipment that supplies pressure and a breathable atmosphere to the base. You are also tasked with growing food, setting up communications and extracting resources in order to make the base self-sufficient. The game offers three zones, each with their unique challenges. There are 7 phases to each mission. Each of the phases expands the base and offers a new set of orders for you to complete. You advance through the ranks as you score points for your performance.