Moonbase Alpha
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)NASA Learning Technologies
EngineUnreal Engine 3[1]
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • WW: July 6, 2010
Genre(s)Simulation
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Moonbase Alpha is a simulation video game based on potential Moon base programs. It was made by the Army Game Studio, developers of America's Army, and Virtual Heroes, Inc. in conjunction with NASA Learning Technologies. The game was released on July 6, 2010, as a free download on Steam.[2] At the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference in 2010, the game won the top honors in the government category of the Serious Game Showcase & Challenge.[3]

Moonbase Alpha remains available on Steam, and a modified version has been playable at an exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, Florida since 2012.[4][5]

Plot

Moonbase Alpha is set in the year 2025. As a meteor impact damages an outpost near the Moon's South Pole, the player must take control of a member of the outpost's research team and repair the outpost in order to save the personnel on board. These tasks include repairing vital components of the life support system, solar array and oxygen units, and can be accomplished with a wide variety of tools ranging from robotic repair units to the lunar rover.

Development

Moonbase Alpha was designed as a precursor to Astronaut: Moon, Mars and Beyond, NASA's massively multiplayer online game that was never released. The game intended to encourage interest in space exploration in young children. Because the game is meant to be a collaborative effort, the repair mission can be conducted by six players with an additional six observers. An online leaderboard is included, encouraging players to use teamwork to help repair the station faster and earn high rankings.[6]

The game was designed using the Unreal Engine 3.[1]

Reception

Moonbase Alpha was released to mixed reception. Gameplanet gave the game a score of 6/10, feeling that it was too short and needed more diverse missions, but noted that it was still quite well-made for a free game.[7] Common Sense Media said the game "shows students practical challenges of space", but that it was held back by poor introductory tutorials.[8]

Moonbase Alpha also spawned a meme surrounding the DECtalk text-to-speech functionality within its internal chat system, where users would spam certain nonsensical phrases and words into its chat rooms, parsed by the TTS system in a humorous manner.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 "Moonbase Alpha". NASA. Retrieved December 8, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Moonbase Alpha on Steam". Steam. July 6, 2010. Retrieved November 9, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Virtual Heroes' Moonbase Alpha Wins Top Serious Gaming Honor at I/ITSEC". Archived from the original on April 3, 2011. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  4. ↑ "NASA Moonbase Alpha". Virtual Heroes. September 29, 2020. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Explore MOSI". Museum of Science and Industry. July 1, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Moonbase Alpha". Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  7. ↑ Cheer, Dan (July 8, 2010). "Moonbase Alpha review". Gameplanet. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Moonbase Alpha Review for Teachers". Common Sense Education. March 5, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  9. ↑ "NASA's latest game makes you a network admin… in space!". Geek.com. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2012. NASA's previous game release, Moonbase Alpha, [...] was perhaps best known for a text-to-speech feature in its in-game chat channel[...]
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