Moonbase Alpha - A Series of Tubes

DietarySupplement

NASA's MOONBASE: ALPHA

Join our steam group: MY GOD, IT'S FULL OF WANGS

Source: http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/national/ltp/games/moonbasealpha/index.html

Moonbase Alpha is a game that is supposed to launch on July 6th over Steam. It's being developed by the same people that brought us America's Army, and is being funded by NASA.

Here's a trailer, showing some flex hoses, what I assume is a space porta-potty, and... all kinds of things.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI8_9eN-2Uo

Details:

The Register wrote:

Just in case standing around on the lunar surface taking spectrograph readings doesn't float your gaming boat, Nasa and developer Virtual Heroes have chucked in a bit of 'Houston, we have a problem'-style incentive: players must restore critical systems and oxygen flow after a nearby meteor strike cripples a solar array and life support equipment.

You can play on your own, or play cooperatively with others. Time-wasters and space-alien hunters need not apply.

Nasa says the game is a "proof of concept to show how Nasa content could be combined with a cutting-edge game engine to produce an experience that inspires interest in science, technology, engineering and maths - skills critical to achieving NASA's exploration goals".

At a best case, it's a new space station 13 type simulation where teams can either work together (or against each other) to maintain an extraterrestrial station. "Worst" case it's a nice time waster. Either way I am in.

I will update this OP as details become available. If anyone shows interest, we can get a Steam group going.

SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!

Cantido

Pod 6 is jerks.

psycojester

If you can't club people to death with a toolbox N.A.S.A has missed a core component of serious space simulators.

FunkyWaltDogg

Looks cool, but the facial expressions need some work.

TheKoolEagle

psycojester wrote: »

If you can't club people to death with a toolbox N.A.S.A has missed a core component of serious space simulators.

i better be able to tunnel inbetween walls and have security drop everything they were doing to try to arrest/beat me

Drake

We will be able to simulate horrible circumstances? We will be able to experience the terrifying consequences of our actions?

"Haha, silly me... I forgot to move the decimal point."
*explosive decompression*

Will this be free like America's Army?

DietarySupplement

Drake wrote: »

We will be able to simulate horrible circumstances? We will be able to experience the terrifying consequences of our actions?

"Haha, silly me... I forgot to move the decimal point."
*explosive decompression*

Will this be free like America's Army?

I'm restricted by my work firewall, but I can't find any kind of price point; I can assume that if it's a gub'ment funded project, that it would be... a la American's Army.

Shorn Scrotum Man

I will definitely be checking this out. Sounds like it could be amusing.

cwapfobrains

I will totally waste at least an hour just jumping around the moon.

Xtarath

So this is out now.

TychoCelchuuu

I'd be careful before diving right in. Because as we all know,

Drez

Does anyone want a free copy? I'm willing to buy this game for anyone who wants a free copy.

kdrudy

It is up on Steam and does indeed appear to be free

Lord Yod

Downloading this now.

BlueDestiny

Definitely gonna check this out. At least to see if our taxpayer dollars were well spent on vidjagaems.

BloodySloth

downloading the fuck out of this

Lord Yod

ok this is pretty weird

can't seem to invert my mouse either and it's driving me batty

edit: there is a text-to-speech setting for the chatbox. they can't have thought that would be a good idea.

Buttcleft

does anyone have a server

I want to play with some teams.

mad robot welder deathmatches

Renzo

Can't invert?

Uh...well it's free. I guess I can't complain too much.

Still, if I was 6 years old I'd be super-pumped for this game.

As it is I'm just normal pumped.

Ninja Snarl P

If this allows for a 3D recreation of Space Station 13, they can charge whatever they want. Every month. I will pay it.

Lord Yod

if someone wants to host a server i'll join in

my router doesn't like hosting things

Redlance

Lord Yod wrote: »

ok this is pretty weird

can't seem to invert my mouse either and it's driving me batty

edit: there is a text-to-speech setting for the chatbox. they can't have thought that would be a good idea.

You can't swear, it just goes "asterisk" with asterisks. Just did a one player offline to see how it is. Pretty simple game and time goes by a lot faster than you realize. I did enjoy it though, especially the nice ambient music they have going on. The whole game boils down to what you should repair next to what you should replace. both take time but a object in the red will take longer to repair than one in the yellow, however carrying equipment slows you down. So it's all about finding the fastest way to get the job done.

FireWeasel

Pod 6 is jerks.

Also this could be...interesting?

kdrudy

Been trying single player competitive mode, it gets kind of intense when you are low on time and just need to make a few more repairs to finish out. I'd definitely be up for some multi in this later.

BloodySloth

I guess I was kind of hoping for something a bit more freeform and more SS13/SF like in the "bad stuff happening randomly" category. Still, a pretty neat (and free) game.

Drez

I like it so far.

Where exactly do I go to control robots?

corky842

Drez wrote: »

I like it so far.

Where exactly do I go to control robots?

Go to the equipment shed and get a robot like you would with any other tool. Choose an arm or welder robot, then choose speed or battery life. Then you get a briefcase with a robot attached. Pick a place fairly close to where you'll use the robot (it has a limited range). You can move the control unit closer if needed.

Drez

corky842 wrote: »

Drez wrote: »

I like it so far.

Where exactly do I go to control robots?

Go to the equipment shed and get a robot. Then you get a briefcase with a robot attached. Pick a place fairly close to where you'll use the robot (it has a limited range). You can move the control unit closer if needed.

Doh I didn't see it in the equipment shed menu but I wasn't paying too much attention. Thanks.

SoaL

Never gets old, huh?
Nope!



It kind of makes you wanna-




Break into song?




Yep.

tube penis

Drez

So I finished single player 1-2 in 20:15. Any idea why it said I couldn't upload my score to Steam?

BlueDestiny

If you can run TF2 you can run this. At least that's my experience on an aging midlevel rig.

skitch

Lord Yod wrote: »

ok this is pretty weird

can't seem to invert my mouse either and it's driving me batty

edit: there is a text-to-speech setting for the chatbox. they can't have thought that would be a good idea.

yeah the lack of mouse invert is killing me too. i've looked around the .ini files, without much luck, but i havn't given up hope. if i find anything, i'll let ya know.

-Loki-

So I looked on the Steam site and it says this is free. Is that a mistake on the site?

spiderj24

-Loki- wrote: »

So I looked on the Steam site and it says this is free. Is that a mistake on the site?

Nope. It's free!

Ampix

I played it with a whole bunch of friends today, it really was a lot of fun. We failed miserably the first time, sucked the second time but somehow made it? And got a pretty good time the last time. Teamwork is fun!


Also, driving around the buggy thing

Ninja Snarl P

So. Toolboxes are already in the game. Moonbase and toolboxes, we're already halfway there.

If this is built using Unreal, it shouldn't be that hard to mod, right?

jonxp

Soooooo...who wants to base some moons?

Edit: If you do, jump in to vent.

LookFreeGrenade

so uh who wants to play on the moon

MegaMek

Does this game get any harder? A friend and I completed our first mission with only a few seconds to spare, but our next mission was completed with almost 15 minutes left because we knew almost exactly what to do (it seems to be a bit random, but not enough).

Remington

I made a video of this game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiBdBXky2UM

Raiden333

Remington wrote: »

I made a video of this game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiBdBXky2UM

Our tax dollars at work, ladies and gentlemen.