.gif)
Outpost (computer game)
Encyclopedia
Outpost is a video game developed and published by Sierra On-Line
. In general terms the game is a science-fiction version of SimCity
, taking place on a distant planet. The game was noteworthy for having a hard science fiction
approach, with one of the main designers being a former NASA
scientist.
Outpost was released simultaneously for DOS
and Windows 3.1
, and was also released for the Macintosh. It was followed by a loosely related sequel, Outpost 2
.
named Vulcan's Hammer is detected to be on a collision course with Earth
, and all attempts to divert it from this path have failed. The last attempt, firing a large nuclear warhead at the asteroid, actually ended up splitting it not into five chunks as humanity hoped, but rather two asteroids. Now, instead of destroying
the earth, it will simply wipe out nearly all life on Earth's surface. Extinction
is not an option, and so a mission is organized to create a colony
on a world elsewhere in the galaxy
as the last hope for mankind's survival. The player is in charge of that mission.
rated the game at 93%, one of its highest ratings ever for the time. It was later made known that the reviewers had in fact played beta versions of the game, and had been promised certain features would be implemented, but never were.
Indeed, many of the features described in the game's own documentation simply did not exist in the game at all. These included the ability to enter diplomatic relations with the rebel colony and the ability to build roads, among other things. Many of these gameplay aspects were later patched in, though in appearance only, as many of them failed to have any meaningful effect on gameplay.
Following the release of the game, the game's general bugginess
and perceived mediocre gameplay, along with the lack of features described in most of the game's reviews and the game's own documentation led to a minor backlash against the computer game magazines of the time by consumers who bought the game based on their reviews.
Sometimes, players will find the colonists on the planet dying en masse unexpectedly, thus causing the game to end when everyone has died. The colonists' death rate during this occurrence is one of exponential growth, following the equation 2^n, where n is the number of turns passed since the widespread death bug began.
The algorithm to calculate recyclable resources was also exploitable. If one built enough residential units, the resulting recyclables produced by the colony would be more than the resources going into the colony.
The game files contain information for several buildings which are not available during gameplay. This was a result of cutbacks made by the game's developers due to a rushed release date.
A player cannot build a working mass driver
, as the option to create the rail is nonexistent.
Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment Inc. was an American video-game developer and publisher founded in 1979 as On-Line Systems by Ken and Roberta Williams...
. In general terms the game is a science-fiction version of SimCity
SimCity
SimCity is a critically acclaimed city-building simulation video game, first released in 1989, and designed by Will Wright. SimCity was Maxis' first product, which has since been ported into various personal computers and game consoles, and spawned several sequels including SimCity 2000 in 1994,...
, taking place on a distant planet. The game was noteworthy for having a hard science fiction
Hard science fiction
Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by an emphasis on scientific or technical detail, or on scientific accuracy, or on both. The term was first used in print in 1957 by P. Schuyler Miller in a review of John W. Campbell, Jr.'s Islands of Space in Astounding Science...
approach, with one of the main designers being a former NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
scientist.
Outpost was released simultaneously for DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
and Windows 3.1
Windows 3.1x
Windows 3.1x is a series of 16-bit operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers. The series began with Windows 3.1, which was first sold during March 1992 as a successor to Windows 3.0...
, and was also released for the Macintosh. It was followed by a loosely related sequel, Outpost 2
Outpost 2
Outpost 2, fully titled Outpost 2: Divided Destiny, is a real-time strategy computer game developed by Dynamix, released in 1997 by Sierra Entertainment...
.
Story
A massive asteroidAsteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
named Vulcan's Hammer is detected to be on a collision course with Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, and all attempts to divert it from this path have failed. The last attempt, firing a large nuclear warhead at the asteroid, actually ended up splitting it not into five chunks as humanity hoped, but rather two asteroids. Now, instead of destroying
Risks to civilization, humans and planet Earth
Various existential risks could threaten humankind as a whole, have adverse consequences for the course of human civilization, or even cause the end of planet Earth.-Types of risks:...
the earth, it will simply wipe out nearly all life on Earth's surface. Extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
is not an option, and so a mission is organized to create a colony
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
on a world elsewhere in the galaxy
Galaxy
A galaxy is a massive, gravitationally bound system that consists of stars and stellar remnants, an interstellar medium of gas and dust, and an important but poorly understood component tentatively dubbed dark matter. The word galaxy is derived from the Greek galaxias , literally "milky", a...
as the last hope for mankind's survival. The player is in charge of that mission.
Critical reaction
Initial reviews of Outpost were enthusiastic about the game. Most notoriously, the American version of PC GamerPC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
rated the game at 93%, one of its highest ratings ever for the time. It was later made known that the reviewers had in fact played beta versions of the game, and had been promised certain features would be implemented, but never were.
Indeed, many of the features described in the game's own documentation simply did not exist in the game at all. These included the ability to enter diplomatic relations with the rebel colony and the ability to build roads, among other things. Many of these gameplay aspects were later patched in, though in appearance only, as many of them failed to have any meaningful effect on gameplay.
Following the release of the game, the game's general bugginess
Software bug
A software bug is the common term used to describe an error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault in a computer program or system that produces an incorrect or unexpected result, or causes it to behave in unintended ways. Most bugs arise from mistakes and errors made by people in either a program's...
and perceived mediocre gameplay, along with the lack of features described in most of the game's reviews and the game's own documentation led to a minor backlash against the computer game magazines of the time by consumers who bought the game based on their reviews.
Bugs and exploits
Outpost can sometimes end abruptly, as players who choose the wrong star system in the beginning can find him/herself in a star system with no habitable planets.Sometimes, players will find the colonists on the planet dying en masse unexpectedly, thus causing the game to end when everyone has died. The colonists' death rate during this occurrence is one of exponential growth, following the equation 2^n, where n is the number of turns passed since the widespread death bug began.
The algorithm to calculate recyclable resources was also exploitable. If one built enough residential units, the resulting recyclables produced by the colony would be more than the resources going into the colony.
The game files contain information for several buildings which are not available during gameplay. This was a result of cutbacks made by the game's developers due to a rushed release date.
A player cannot build a working mass driver
Mass driver
A mass driver or electromagnetic catapult is a proposed method of non-rocket spacelaunch which would use a linear motor to accelerate and catapult payloads up to high speeds. All existing and contemplated mass drivers use coils of wire energized by electricity to make electromagnets. Sequential...
, as the option to create the rail is nonexistent.
External links
- Outpost Universe - The Outpost Universe is a community for the Outpost series games by Sierra/Dynamix. This community is still active as of January 2010.
- IE PC game review - Outpost (1994), Interactive Entertainment, hosted on YoutubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, uploaded: 11 April 2010, Retrieved: 1 April 2011.