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Sure, it's the original "space trader". Unlike EV, which owes its top-down interface to an even older game (Asteroids, 1979) it is however 3D. Fighting pirates
by card_zero 2y ago
Sure, it's the original "space trader". Unlike EV, which owes its top-down interface to an even older game (Asteroids, 1979) it is however 3D. Fighting pirates is a mild test of hand-eye coordination, 3D orientation and nerve. Docking with a space station (until you buy the auto-dock device) is a severe test. Imagine you have to insert a slice of bread into a slowly rotating toaster, and if the bread touches the sides you die. Also your eyes are located in the leading edge of the bread. (This was presumably inspired by Kubrick's 2001.)
- PlunderBunny 2y agoI found that docking was trivial in the BBC Micro disk version if you got reasonably close to the space station entrance, then sped away in the opposite direction (I.e. keeping the space station centred in the read view, turned around and went straight ahead to the station - no adjustments needed.
- PlunderBunny 2y agoSorry - I meant to write “…in the rear view…”
- buescher 2y agoIt's more a brilliant fusion of earlier text space trader games with 3D space combat. Analogous to the way that Atari's Star Raiders made a 3D space combat game out of the old teletype Star Trek games.
- teddyh 2y agoArguably, the interface of Asteroids was copied from the video game Spacewar! (1962).