Reach for the Stars
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| Reach for the Stars | |
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| Developer(s) | SSG |
| Publisher(s) | SSG |
| Release date(s) | 1988 |
| Genre(s) | Strategy game |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS, Windows, Apple II, Commodore 64, Amiga |
| Media | 5ΒΌ" disk |
| Input | Joystick, Keyboard |
Reach for the Stars is one of the earliest of the '4X' (Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate) computer games, written by SSG of Australia in early 1980s for the Apple II and Commodore 64 platforms which used the MOS Technology 6502 series microprocessors. Version 3 added a DOS port as well, though the DOS port did not share all of the features of that the other platforms had. The game was eventually ported to pre-OS X versions of the Macintosh operating system, such as System 6. It was also ported to the Amiga, though which version was ported is not known.
The game had a science fiction theme, in which players commanded a home star in the galaxy and then could expand their forces out, with proper colonization and research.
Graphics were minimal, yet the tactical and strategic elements provided countless rich combinations for colony development and interstellar warfare. The software's AI also offered a challenging opponent in single-player games. It is not uncommon for a Reach for the Stars game to take over twelve hours to complete in single-player mode and 24 hours with multiple players.
The game was re-written for the Windows platform in 2000. However, the new version was a commercial failure, as the new graphical interface detracted from the down-to-earth gameplay that made Reach for the Stars a gaming classic.
[edit] Basic Game Play
In Versions 1 to 3 the player started off with one planet, that had level 1 technology, and a middle level environment. Three types of ships were available:
- Scouts - very inexpensive, incapable of fighting or carrying colonists
- Transports - incapable of fighting, but can carry colonists
- Warships - incapable of carrying colonists, but can fight
Starting players had limited funds, and deciding where to invest the funds (technology upgrades, ships, environmental upgrades) was difficult. Upgrading planetary environment for example meant that your population would grow, however this was a mixed blessing, as if your population grew higher than the maximum allowed for that planet your costs to feed the population went up dramatically as well. Building a lot of ships early could win you the game, if you could find your enemies home planet before they managed to upgrade they military technology, or it could loose the game for you if they upgraded first and hit you with superior ships.
Since you could upgrade several things at once, the apparently limited number of choices in effect was infinite. It was quite possible to save a game on the first turn, and have it play out differently each time you tried to finish it.
Each turn was divided into two sections - a development phase, and a movement phase. In the development phase you worked on planetary production, deciding what each planet would produce that turn. In the movement phase you had the option to send ships to other star systems, to explore, colonize, or conquer.
[edit] Hacking
The basic save game file was fairly simple, and could easily be hacked by any Hex editor. Experimentation showed that the game could be won on turn 2 by the simple expedient of playing turn one, saving, editing the save game file so that 255 Level 4 warhips arrived at each star on turn 2 (The number of ships in transit in one fleet was limited to 255 or "FF" in hexadecimal), and then reloading the game.
