''Outpost'' is a

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

developed and published by Sierra On-Line in 1994. The game was noteworthy for having a

hard science fiction Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by concern for scientific accuracy and logic. The term was first used in print in 1957 by P. Schuyler Miller in a review of John W. Campbell's ''Islands of Space'' in the Novemb ...

approach, with one of the main designers being a former

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

scientist. ''Outpost'' was released for Windows 3.1 and the

Macintosh Mac is a brand of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple since 1984. The name is short for Macintosh (its official name until 1999), a reference to the McIntosh (apple), McIntosh apple. The current product lineup inclu ...

. It was followed by a loosely related sequel, '' Outpost 2: Divided Destiny''.

Story

A massive

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet—an object larger than a meteoroid that is neither a planet nor an identified comet—that orbits within the Solar System#Inner Solar System, inner Solar System or is co-orbital with Jupiter (Trojan asteroids). As ...

named Vulcan's Hammer is detected to be on a collision course with

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

, 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 (which would have averted disaster) 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 Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

is not an option, and so a mission is organized to create a

colony A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their ''metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often orga ...

on a world elsewhere in the

galaxy A galaxy is a Physical system, system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar medium, interstellar gas, cosmic dust, dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek ' (), literally 'milky', ...

as the last hope for mankind's survival. The player is in charge of that mission.

Reception

Initial reviews of ''Outpost'' were enthusiastic about the game. The American version of

PC Gamer ''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...

rated the game at 93%, one of its highest ratings ever for the time. James V. Trunzo reviewed ''Outpost'' in '' White Wolf'' #49 (Nov., 1994), rating it a 5 out of 5 and stated that "''Outpost'' excels in every way. It plays like a great science fiction novel reads. The graphics, sound and game play are state-of-the-art. I am extremely impressed with the game's depth and variety of approaches to problem solving. The game is also educational without being intrusive. I learned amazing (almost frightening) facts about our space program's capabilities. It was almost like looking into the future." 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. In 1996, ''Computer Gaming World'' stated "the design was so incomplete that many of the actions you took made no difference in the game’s outcome. Poor documentation forced players to buy the strategy guide-conveniently authored by the game’s designer-and the interface design was no help either" and also claimed that had been "vilified as 'the greatest screen saver of all time'". The same issue declared ''Outpost'' was the worst computer game ever released.

References

External links

Outpost Universe
- The Outpost Universe is a community for the Outpost series games by Sierra/Dynamix. * {{Authority control 1994 video games City-building games Classic Mac OS games Fiction about near-Earth asteroids Outpost Sierra Entertainment games Single-player video games Video games about impact events Video games developed in the United States Video games with isometric graphics Windows games

Story

Reception

See also

References

External links