Nomad (video game)

Nomad (also known as Project Nomad) is a 1993 computer game developed by Intense! Interactive and Papyrus Design Group, Inc. and published by GameTek. It is a cross between a simple space simulator, a trading game and an adventure. It has only been released for PC DOS operating systems. It works properly both under Windows XP and DOSBox.

Overview

The player controls a human astronaut and member of OESI (the Organization of Earth's Special Intelligences), who was sent on a single-person space exploration mission. The craft the player receives is a rebuilt spaceship, which crashed on Earth due to unknown reasons, and had all navigational data erased. After the ship's launch, it is stranded in orbit, due to damage the engine suffered. However, the player is rescued by Granger Tinker Brin O'Keef, a representative of the Alliance, which fights a highly advanced "race" of robots, the Korok, who are bent on destroying all life within the galaxy in order to secure their survival. One of the gamer's first assignments is destroying a rogue WR-4000 Korok spacecraft threatening Earth. Afterwards, (s)he is relegated to Maka Bola, the Alliance's main world, where the real game begins.

The game features eleven races, ranging from the robotic Korok to the arrogant, beautiful feline Phelonese. Additionally, the game includes a dazzling array of trading goods, ranging from exotic goods, such as the alien Grun cattle and its derivatives (fur, milk, cheese, meat) to the mundane (car keys and a chocolate bar). The spaceship is also customizable, with different missiles (the most powerful being Phelonese Quietus missiles), loaders (Seeker Missile Loader for example), shield generators (may be an Ursor Mighty Fence Booster), engines (an ancient Warp Drive for instance) and scanners (Argus Crystal Scanner of the Chanticleer) and jamming devices (Tangle jammer). To give the player a chance to employ this equipment, the developers provided an entire galaxy with several hundred planets to explore.

The gameplay itself is centered around exploration and information gathering. This is primarily done through character interaction and asking questions. Large amounts of text were written for this game is, as every trade good and race is fitted with a description, which varies depending on the race and which member is asked about the item. However, the cumbersome talking interface makes it difficult to ask many questions in a short time. Combat, while an essential part, is simple and relies heavily on reflexes, which may discourage gamers with less gaming experience. The economic element, however, is stressed heavily, but requires experience to understand and operate, especially because the trade system is based on barter, not any currency system.

Plot

The game's plot is centered around finding a way to defeat the Korok and save the universe. The game can be roughly divided into acts, basing off the player's rank in the Alliance, which in turn, is affected by the result of missions the player undertakes.

Apart from the main plot, there are also many sub-plots, such as finding and reactivating EX Korok robots, piecing together the origin of the species or each species' history.