| The following info on the game Race Into Space was written and
sent to me by Steve Willows (a former Digital employee) and posted
here with his permission:
They just came out with one called Buzz Aldrin's Race into
Space. I tell you with my graphics and sound card this game is an
audio-visual experience! And it is fun, and accurate. You start out
in 1957 as the head of NASA, or the director of the Soviet program.
You buy 'programs' (any hardware is a program, like Mercury, Gemini,
Atlas, Titan, Explorer, Surveyor, even EVA suits) and the R&D them.
When a program reaches its maximum R&D safety/reliability level, you
can only bring it further up by actual use (1% per successful use).
Even if the mission fails, parts of it could be a success. For
example, if you launch a satellite on an Atlas but the satellite fails
to function properly, the mission fails but the Atlas reliability
factor still goes up 1% since it did its job.
Your goal is to beat your opponent to the Moon (you can play
against a human or the computer at different difficulty levels) by
1977, or before. The CIA/KGB spies for you and lets you know what the
other side is up to. The White House/Kremlin lets you know if they are
pleased or not with your efforts, even recommending you resign or
actually firing you! Your secondary task is to gain prestige for your
programs, since doing so increases governmental and private approval,
thus generating more funds for your programs and research.
You gain the most prestige by being the first to reach certain
goals like the first manned space mission, first EVA, first docking,
first two-person craft, etc. There are quite a number. You get
moderate prestige by being second if it is still a major event. Some
missions offer minimal prestige even if you've already done it.
Of course, the fun of the game, and as you know this is quite how
it was, is deciding when stuff is safe enough to use, balanced by the
need to beat out your foe at every opportunity. For example, maximum
R&D safety for the Mercury capsule is only 78%. At 1% per success,
it could take years to get past 90%. Obviously, neither extreme is
desirable, but the question is still when to pull the trigger so to
speak.
The game uses what they call 'multi-media', or mini-movies. All
mission sequences are portrayed by actual NASA or Soviet footage, with
occasional animated sequences. On the launch pad, you see the correct
launch vehicle/payload combination regardless of what you are
launching or for which side! Your hear mission control throughout the
mission. Depending on what you are doing, you will see multiple action
sequences. For instance, a typical Gemini mission could be a Joint
Orbital Docking EVA Duration, which would take you to these sequences:
Atlas/docking ring launch from pad A, orbital injection, Titan/Gemini
launch from pad B, orbital injection, docking sequence, EVA sequence,
duration sequence, de-orbit burn sequence, re-entry sequence, and
recovery sequence.
Naturally, if something goes wrong, that is simulated as well.
Everything from catastrophic launch pad explosions, to crews being
roasted alive upon re-entry... you name it. And boy, do things ever go
wrong at times! Truth be told, even with my knowledge of the race in
to space, I have not yet won in about 10 games, even with the computer
on the wimpiest level of play. Closest I came was a month. I had done
it all, and had even scheduled the actual landing, when the Soviets
landed a month before. You get no warning except for some general CIA
data which may or may not come to pass.
After playing this game, I'm VERY glad I was not the one weighing
lives against the 'need' to beat the other guy. Sometimes you get a
comfy lead, and have time to R&D stuff to the max, and do several
dummy launches before doing some useful missions. Other times, you'll
be fired if you don't make something happen. Sounds pretty lousy,
doesn't it? Deciding to send some man or woman on a mission with only
an 80% chance of success, all because *I* might get fired. Like I
said, I'm glad it wasn't me. In any case, if you do have a
catastrophic failure, you lose mucho prestige, and the responsible
system's reliability percentage drops to about 5%, in effect scrapping
the project. It may be some time before you get in to space again.
The footage is real whenever possible, animation otherwise. So if
something blows up on the pad, you'll see real footage, if in space
(or re-entry) it's always been animation from what I've seen. I
probably haven't seen it all.
You can launch Ranger flybys of the Moon and planets. The
lunar flyby is what is called a 'primary milestone' that, if not
accomplished, causes certain missions to be more difficult and
dangerous (in this case recon of the lunar surface. You may need to
send multiple probes and or Surveyor landers to up your recon
percentage. Manned flybys and lunar orbitals improve recon as well).
There are a few obscure things you can do aside from skipping
major milestones (which was done successfully - Apollo 8 going directly
to lunar orbit instead of Earth orbital testing, for example) such as
developing an advanced and expensive system like Apollo right away, or
building systems that were proposed, but never used. There were three
major ways to get to the moon. LOR, EOR and direct ascent. As you
know, Lunar Orbital Rendezvous was chosen for reasons of payload
considerations, and the fact that the entire mission vehicle could be
launched on one rocket booster. Earth Orbital Rendezvous would have
required 15 (!) separate launches, and Direct Ascent would have
required the Nova rocket. While DA had the advantage of simplicity,
the world class Nova launch vehicle would not be ready until 1973 or
so. Further, LOR makes the most of available technology. However, if
you want to try these approaches, you are able to. The focus of the
game is to present the player with all the options both sides had,
and to run with it. You could even try to develop the re-usable XMS
mini-shuttle!
Also, the way the program is managed may have a lot to do with
your success. Again as you know, the Soviet program was hindered by
multiple political rather than scientific considerations. While this
proved their undoing historically, the player is challenged to
overcome these political obstacles and make his program work. Can
you make the infamous N-1 fly?
It is interesting the way the computer plays the Soviets. You are
not sure if the milestones they achieve are the technologically empty
prestige missions they were historically, or if the Soviets are truly
developing a dependable and useful space inventory. Is that three-man
craft they just earned a bunch of world prestige with a useless
political VOSKHOD mission, or something else?
An update for the game is available in the Compuserve GAMEPUB B
forum, library 4 (INTERPLAY). It is also available somewhere on
Genie, and may even be posted in the PICA::GAMES Notes Conference by
now for all I know.
% From: "Steven M. Willows" <[email protected]>
|
| From: US1RMC::"[email protected]" "MAIL-11 Daemon" 12-SEP-1994 14:18:24.20
CC:
Subj: http://www.uptime.com:2350/homepage.html (was: www) (URL:
http://www.uptime.com:2350/homepage.html)
This is a test version. Please mail any comments to [email protected]
You don't need to send URLs (like http://info.cern.ch/ ) any longer!
To see the documents referred to, just reply (you must preserve the subject)
with a message body containing their numbers (eg: 4 1 3)
The Apollo 11 Moon Landing
BUZZ ALDRIN'S (TM) SPACE WATCH
HOME PAGE
___________________________________
[IMAGE][1]Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 Lunar Module Pilot
___________________________________
SPONSORED BY BUZZ ALDRIN'S (TM) 25TH ANNIVERSARY SPACE WATCH
Welcome! In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the first lunar
landing, and due to much interest in that unique event, this Web-Site is
being established for the purposes of exchanging information, providing
resource and reference material, and to offer those interested a very
unique commemorative memento of this historic flight.
This will be a Limited Duration Web-Site. Material, resources and
references will be added to the site as it becomes available. You might
compare the site to a temporary exhibit at your local museum. Its intent
is to help celebrate the past exploration success of the Apollo 11
Mission, of which Buzz Aldrin was a part, and to stimulate thought, ideas
and discussions on future space policies and possible exploration goals.
Your participation is warmly encouraged.
Just as the first landing on the moon 25 years ago marked a major
technological event, so does the instantaneous transmission of
information throughout the world via the Internet and the World Wide Web
represents a major technological advancement today.
Find out more about the Apollo 25th Moon Landing Anniversary.[2]
Learn how you can purchase the unique 25th Anniversary Moon Landing
Collectible Watch[3] containing actual pieces of metal flown on Apollo 11
Spacecraft Columbia and Eagle that took astronauts Armstrong, Aldrin, and
Collins on their historic Apollo 11 mission that resulted in the first
landing of man on the moon.
Use E-mail[4] to access Buzz Aldrin's records of the Apollo 11 mission
and plans for future space travel.
Access Space Exploration Information Resource Centers,[5] including 20
additional resource sites.
We hope you enjoy this look into history and will participate with us in
looking toward the future of space and planetary exploration. Buzz
Aldrin is currently involved in a project with the Jet Propulsion Lab to
recover surface samples from Mars, and perhaps 25 years from now we'll be
celebrating man's first flight to that planet and others in our solar
system. You can become involved in influencing the future of space and
planetary exploration now through this Buzz Aldrin's (tm) 25th
Anniversary Space Watch Web Internet site.
Remember, this is a limited edition 25th Anniversary Apollo 11 timepiece
containing metals actually flown on Columbia and Eagle Spacecraft during
that historic mission is only available in very limited quantities.
___________________________________
Copyright (c) 1994 National Response Corporation[6] [email protected]
Last Update: September 3, 1994
*** References from this document ***
[1] http://www.uptime.com:2350/buzz1.html
[2] http://www.uptime.com:2350/buzz8.html
[3] http://www.uptime.com:2350/buzz2.html
[4] http://www.uptime.com:2350/buzz10.html
[5] http://www.uptime.com:2350/buzz7.html
[6] http://www.uptime.com:2350/nrc.html
% ====== Internet headers and postmarks (see DECWRL::GATEWAY.DOC) ======
% Date: Mon, 12 Sep 1994 18:10:43 +0200
% Message-Id: <[email protected]>
% Reply-To: [email protected]
% From: [email protected] (The CERN WWW Team)
|
| From: US3RMC::"[email protected]" "MAIL-11 Daemon" 12-SEP-1994 18:16:04.39
CC:
Subj: About Buzz Aldrin (URL: http://www.uptime.com:2350/buzz1.html)
This is a test version. Please mail any comments to [email protected]
You don't need to send URLs (like http://info.cern.ch/ ) any longer!
To see the documents referred to, just reply (you must preserve the subject)
with a message body containing their numbers (eg: 4 1 3)
About Buzz Aldrin
[IMAGE][1]
BUZZ ALDRIN - A BRIEF SUMMATION OF HIS PLACE IN THE HISTORY OF SPACE
___________________________________
In October of 1963, Buzz Aldrin was selected by NASA as one of the early
groups of astronauts. On November 11, 1966, Buzz and James Lovell were
launched into space on the Gemini 12 flight, during which time he
established a new record for extravehicular activity by spending 5 and
1/2 hours outside the spacecraft.
After landing the Apollo 11 Lunar Module on July 20, 1969, a lunar
surface reconnaissance was conducted. During a two hour and fifteen
minute lunar EVA, Buzz assisted in the collection of lunar surface
samples, the deployment of lunar surface experiments, and an extensive
evaluation of the life supporting extravehicular mobility unit.
Completing man's first ascent from the lunar surface, Aldrin and
Armstrong maneuvered their lunar module to a rendezvous with Command
Module pilot, Michael Collins, who had remained in lunar orbit in the
Command Module.
Buzz Aldrin's military experience also includes being a graduate with
honors from West Point, a fighter pilot in the Korean War, and a key
recipient of worldwide assignments ranging from piloting jets in Germany
to becoming Aide to the Dean of Faculty at the Air Force Academy. Buzz
Aldrin retired from the Air Force in 1972, following 21 years of active
duty, and now pursues his interest in space by promoting the growth of
new ideas regarding how we can make a more meaningful presence in what is
often called the "final frontier".
___________________________________
BUZZ ALDRIN'S VISION OF SPACE AND THE FUTURE
Buzz was seen recently wearing a shirt stating "The meek shall inherit
the Earth. The rest of us are going to space."
And Buzz Aldrin is full of ideas on space and what it could mean to the
world. Among his ideas are: the placing of panels on the Moon that would
reflect solar energy to Earth, a "taxi" type service to take people to
Mars, and an international space station.
More recently, Buzz has become involved in exploring whether the
government should create a two-stage "fly-back" booster rocket to lift
people and into orbit. As a pioneer of the orbital rendezvous, Aldrin
believes the U.S. could use this "fly-back" booster to get people into
space less expensively and more often while at the same time more safely
than the rockets that the space shuttle currently utilizes. "What we
need is a "fly-back" booster that would lift things to near_ orbit, then
peel off and return to Earth, landing on a runway. The booster would be
totally reusable."
Few will doubt that incorporating an older idea like the booster into the
future of space exploration has its attractions. These attractions are
not exclusive to the government and scientific industries either; Buzz
has stated that if placing advertisements on such boosters is what is
needed to get the necessary investment dollars, then so be it. And
tourists as passengers? Why not!
Buzz's two-stage booster does not garner nearly as much support as the
"single stage" booster concept does. But this is unimportant in
comparison to the main goal of Buzz Aldrin's campaign: to see the United
States expand space exploration projects and campaigns which would result
in a meaningful presence in space. All this begins with the individual
and the individual's capacity to wonder and be in awe.
___________________________________
BUZZ ALDRIN-COMMERCIAL ENDEAVORS
Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, Jr. is President of Research and Engineering
Consultants.
Buzz has also served as an advisor to a number of major corporations
including TRW, Inforex Computer Company, Mutual of Omaha, Wescom, and
Xonics Electron Radiography. Most recently he has worked on the
preflight training phase of the Space Shuttle program and is involved
with the Jet Propulsion Lab in a project dealing with the recovery of
surface samples from Mars. He has also consulted for nine companies and
nonprofit organizations.
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission Aldrin has
created a collectible historical timepiece: The First Men on the Moon
Watch. Each watch dial contains metals flown on the Columbia and Eagle
Spacecraft during the Apollo 11 mission.
___________________________________
Access information about the Limited Edition Moon Watch.[2]
Return to the Home Page[3]
Copyright (c) 1994 National Response Corporation[4] [email protected]
*** References from this document ***
[1] http://www.uptime.com:2350/buzz1.html
[2] http://www.uptime.com:2350/buzz2.html
[3] http://www.uptime.com:2350/homepage.html
[4] http://www.uptime.com:2350/nrc.html
% ====== Internet headers and postmarks (see DECWRL::GATEWAY.DOC) ======
% Date: Mon, 12 Sep 1994 21:08:36 +0200
% Message-Id: <[email protected]>
% Reply-To: [email protected]
% From: [email protected] (The CERN WWW Team)
% Subject: About Buzz Aldrin (URL: http://www.uptime.com:2350/buzz1.html)
|