Deuteros

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Deuteros

Developer(s)	Activision
Publisher(s)	Activision
Designer(s)	Ian Bird
Release date(s)	1991
Genre(s)	Strategy
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	None
Platform(s)	Amiga and Atari ST; a PC version was under development but never released

Deuteros: The Next Millennium is the sequel to the sci-fi strategy video game Millennium 2.2, published by Activision for the Amiga and Atari ST. The game was designed and written by Ian Bird with graphics by Jai Redman and music by Matt Bates.

Ian Bird, the author of this game, confirmed the existence of a PC port of Deuteros but unfortunately the source code was lost in a hard disk crash and any chance of releasing the game to the community died with the disk.

[edit] Overview

The game is set some 800 years after Millennium, to a time where mankind has won the struggle to make the Earth habitable again but lost its spacefaring capabilities, which it's now seeking to regain. While the game shares themes of space exploration and resource gathering - plus some elements of its interface - with its predecessor, the two are highly different in gameplay. Deuteros has been noted for its uncanny sense of timing in introducing new technologies that ease and automate tasks as they become trite, a graphics style somewhat similar to the works of H. R. Giger and a high difficulty level, whereas in Millennium losing was next to impossible.

The object of Deuteros to mine and manage resources, explore the Solar System and beyond, and rid the galaxy of the evil Methanoids. To win you have to collect 8 parts of a mysterious machine as asked by a mysterious race that sends enigmatic messages to you. Upon winning the game ends in a kind of mini video clip that shows three picture-slots with icons and pictures of in-game objects changing every 3 seconds accompanied by the main music of the game.

The game was eagerly awaited by Millennium 2.2 fans, but they soon started to realise that Deuteros had its problems, such as bugs causing system hangs, a buggy save system, and an unfinished game plot.^{[citation needed]} The game was also criticized as being repetitive after leaving the Solar System.