Startopia Missions

NEW: 'User Missions' option in front-end-User Missions. To create your own missions for Startopia, you will need to go into the StarTopia 'Missions' folder and create a new folder there with the name of your mission. Then you will need to create several text files inside the folder containing scripts, trading data and so on. Browsing on the Eidos forums and various Startopia fansites back in 2004, I found a grand total of twenty nine user missions and four mods.

While obviously inspired by building simulations such as SimCity, Startopia owes much of its gameplay and solid mechanics to another wildly fun and hilarious simulation, Dungeon Keeper 2. Instead of being stuffed in a claustrophobic dungeon, players graduate to the more complex high-tech world of space station construction and the high-tech headaches associated with it.

After a cute nod to 2001: A Space Odyssey, players are led through five tutorial missions on the basics of setting up ship. It takes a few missions to understand the unpacking system, but soon a basic facility is up and running. Basic amenities, however, won't satisfy any civilized race for long. The game gradually introduces new buildings to incorporate on the three different levels of the station: Engineering, Entertainment, and Bio-Decks.

If Dungeon Keeper 2 was a devil's food cake, then Startopia is the three tiered anniversary cake with all the tasty frosting. The buildings are imaginative and well designed. Especially nice is the Love Nest, a bordello of sorts for sensuous telepathic individuals who sit on heart shaped Love Chairs and sell good vibes.

Jurassic World Evolution is a sandbox game. Yet the sandbox mode is unplayable from the beginning, as you either need to have cleared certain conditions within the campaign mode, or you need to purchase DLC maps with your money, in order to access maps that do not have campaign restrictions. Jurassic World: Evolution is a great park builder, but has a few irredeemable flaws that sort of hinder its awesome-factor. Those flaws don't Jurassic World: Evolution is a great park builder, but has a few irredeemable flaws that sort of hinder its awesome-factor. Those flaws don't ruin my entire view on the game, but they do disappoint me. Jurassic World Evolution is in a tricky spot. It's a gorgeous game—especially in terms of how the dinosaurs look—but it's beholden to the movie franchise in ways which disrupt management sim play. Place yourself at the heart of the Jurassic franchise and build your own Jurassic World. Bioengineer dinosaurs that think, feel and react intelligently to the world around them and face threats posed by espionage, breakouts and devastating tropical storms in an uncertain world where life always finds a way. Jurassic World Evolution. Jurassic World Evolution: Claire’s Sanctuary - Available Now! Jurassic World Evolution: Claire’s Sanctuary is the second paid major campaign expansion, featuring Bryce Dallas Howard reprising her role of Claire Deering.

Denizens are both customers and workers with basic needs like food, sleep, and love. Each alien has a unique name and hobbies, which adds to the experience of caring for them. Keeping everyone happy and healthy is quite a chore, but ultimately rewarding.

Having three different playing fields to run simultaneously becomes somewhat of a juggling act. One mission has managers set up a hospital on the first level and entertain those who are healed on the second deck. Neglecting the second deck will garner several warnings from health inspectors, who discover it's full of trash and infested with space rats. The constant running between decks is another facet of the challenge and increases the toughness and depth. As if babysitting three levels aren't a handful, managers must eventually take over adjoining deck sections of the giant donut in the sky. Beware of rival managers also looking to expand.

The graphics and sounds are excellent and enhance the ethereal feel of the station. The music is unique per deck and the Entertainment Deck's rocking beats from the cosmic disco are just what the game's gray Roswell alien doctors ordered. The aliens are alternately cute and menacing, peaceful and violent. Each animation is indicative of the race as well; the four-armed farmers of the galaxy are laid back dudes with a cool stroll, while the brutal Kasvagorians stomp about the station with purpose and vengeance.

One of the album's many solo highlights comes during 'Proof,' where turns in a poignantly lyrical trumpet solo that is followed by an electrifying, steadily intensifying solo. 's rhythmic agility and sensitivity is featured throughout, particularly on 'The Gathering Sky,' which begins as a sparkling, piano-led number and then transforms into a grooving band jam. This is complex, intricately detailed music that reveals additional layers with each listening. Seems to delight in discovering the myriad means by which his prodigiously accomplished bandmembers can provide coloration to the compositions, both within the larger group and in solo spotlights. The gathering sky pat metheny. Vocals have long been part of the sound, but now he is utilizing them in new ways; 'Another Life' opens with and harmonizing on a chorale that leads into the artist's delicate acoustic guitar work, while provides sweet vocalizing over 's guitar on the beautiful, soaring 'You.'

Random events spice up life in space. Spies will sneak aboard and try to assassinate your alien population or sabotage buildings. They're easy to spot with their trademark creeping, but hard to stop if they prowl to a different deck during a harried time of building. Solar flares provide welcome energy, the currency of the galaxy which visiting traders will be happy to take off your hands, especially the main trader Arona. Arona's deep Aussie voice and laughable wit will distract you from his sky-high prices. Other events, visitors, and witty comments from your computer assistant abound.

There are minor issues within the game that distract you from the mounting challenges. The camera swivels with the right control key, but often the view strays towards the ceiling or plummets to the floor, a minor irritation that becomes a large problem when frantically fending off attacks or hunting spies. Robot AI is decent, considering the number of areas to patrol, but the amount of trash generated is hard to control, causing you to set aside pressing matters in favor of menial micro-management. These inconvenient frustrations don't destroy the game but may force some station managers into early retirement. The intense gameplay, though, will likely call said retirees back to active duty.

After finishing the single player missions, you can seek human competition for control of the station via the Internet. Startopia also offers a sandbox mode where you can dictate the conditions of the station. Those who can handle the furious pace and are addicted to the frantic fun will undoubtedly return to the game repeatedly for more enjoyable governing fun.

Startopia represents a paradigm shift from a single playing field to three or more. Gamers have to balance developing existing areas with expanding into new ones to achieve success. Finding the perfect balance isn't easy, but those who do will discover a subtle style of gameplay that demands more than other programs of the genre. While not for the uninitiated, the title is well worth the time and energy invested in learning. Any manager worthy of his or her salary should be reprimanded for missing this one.

Graphics: Sharp alien animations and building design. Bio-deck landscapes are incredibly detailed.

Sound: Each level has its own theme and appropriate music. Aliens grunt, squawk, and roar their needs, complaints or approval with startling humanity.

Enjoyment: The minor bugs that crop up don't spoil the game. Gameplay can be complex to the point of pulling hair, but gives way to unusual depth of gameplay with experience.

Replay Value: Lots of single player levels provide the required practice needed to take on human rivals later. Sandbox mode gives gamers control over goals and conditions.

People who downloaded Startopia have also downloaded:
StarCraft, Starship Troopers: Terran Ascendancy, Sudden Strike, Sudden Strike 2, Space Colony, Stratosphere: Conquest of the Skies, Zeus: Master of Olympus, Sudden Strike: Resource War

Startopia is a video game by Mucky Foot Productions (formed by ex-Bullfrog employees) and published by Eidos in June 2001, in which the player administers various space stations with the task of developing them into popular hubs. The game has a comical overtone, with lighthearted humour and cartoonish aliens. The game was re-released on GOG.com in September 2012, and was added to the Steam catalogue in October 2013.

Startopia was shortlisted for BAFTAPC Game of the Year in 2001.^[1]

Gameplay[edit]

The player is tasked with developing a series of space stations according to the wishes of various employers. The game is set after an apocalyptic galactic war, and many of the stations are in a state of considerable disrepair. It is hinted that these space stations are essentially the last few space-based environments available to the denizens of Startopia, as most of them had been destroyed during the galactic war.

The player has no direct control over the aliens that wander about the station. Instead, it is the player's job to construct rooms and hire aliens to staff them. The rooms provide basic necessities as well as recreation, encouraging visitors to remain on the station and continue spending money. Each type of alien is suited to a particular kind of task, and individual aliens have a set of statistics that determine their value as an employee. The actual goal for the player varies from one scenario to the next; in some scenarios, the player is expected to meet an economic goal, while in other scenarios the player is required to perform a specific task such as converting a certain number of aliens, or taking over the entire station by force. A sandbox mode is also available.

As with most business simulation games, the player builds facilities and hires workers to operate them. Some rooms take care of basic necessities such as food, sanitation, and health care, while others provide entertainment or love. Visitors may be hired by the player to remain on the station and attend to its facilities.

In addition to normal visitors, the station can also receive enemy agents. An agent can be disguised as a normal alien or appear as a shady human character sneaking around the station.

Each space station is subdivided into a number of segments into which the player may expand. These segments are initially isolated by bulkheads, which can be opened for a fee if the segment is vacant.

Startopia draws inspiration from and makes frequent references to mainstream science fiction, such as Star Trek, 2001: A Space Odyssey (the player's assistant computer VAL is a parody of Space Odyssey's HAL), Red Dwarf, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Startopia is dedicated to the memory of Douglas Adams, author of The Hitchhiker's Guide, who died during the game's production.

Reception[edit]

John Lee reviewed the PC version of the game for Next Generation, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that 'Although a bit short on missions, it turns out to be a real kick to build your own luxury hotel in space.'^[2]

Startopia received generally favorable reviews upon its release. It holds an average of 85% and 86/100 on aggregate web sites GameRankings and Metacritic.^[3][4]

Startopia sold approximately 110,000 copies.^[5]

Legacy[edit]

During the August 2019 gamescom, Realmforge Studios and Kalypso Media announced Spacebase Startopia, a new game based on Startopia. The new game, slated for release in Q3 2020, will include both competitive and co-operative multiplayer elements.^[6]

Notes[edit]

1. ^'British Academy of Film and Television Arts 2001 Interactive Entertainment Award Nominees'. BAFTA. 2001. Archived from the original on 2002-10-03. Retrieved 2009-09-11.
2. ^Lee, John (October 2001). 'Finals'. Next Generation. Vol. 4 no. 10. Imagine Media. p. 99.
3. ^'Startopia for PC'. GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
4. ^'Startopia for PC Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
5. ^Gillen, Kieron. 'Footprints'. The Escapist. Retrieved 16 June 2011.
6. ^Morton, Lauren (August 19, 2019). 'Goofy strategy sim Spacebase Startopia announced for late next year'. PC Gamer. Retrieved August 19, 2019.

External links[edit]

• Startopia at MobyGames