Buzz Aldrin's Space Program Manager (first screenshots)

[jomni]

Matrix revealed the first screenshots on their Facebook page.  Hope you guys can access.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.593633280657560.1073741840.143046602382899&type=1and

[steve58]

Looking forward to this one (probably a Day 1 buy for me) as well as Race to Mars (though their Kickstarter is looking a little anemic :-\)

[James Sterrett]

The original got recoded on Sourceforge - legally - and you can get it from this page and practice, while you wait for the others to finish:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/raceintospace/

[steve58]

...lots more new screenshots from Historicon.  Its really looking great...

http://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=3369693

Early Access Program

We are pleased to announce we are launching an early access program that lets eager players pick up the game for just $19.99 compared to the usual price of $29.99 and more importantly help shape the way things develop.
The early access program will be launching for PC and Mac in September this year. We expect there to be a period of 2-3 months before we have the full final launch on PC, Mac, iOS and Android.

We are offering 3 tiers in the early access program
○   Mercury Tier - $19.99 for the digital version of the beta supplied immediately and updated throughout, private beta forum access to report issues and discuss the game with the dev team and other early adopters and your name in the beta tester credits
○   Gemini Tier - $34.99 includes everything in the Mercury Tier plus a boxed copy of the game at final release (usually $44.99) which includes a personalised disk with your name and serial number plus a full colour manual/art book with a collection of gorgeous renders for the game.
○   Apollo Tier - $99.99 includes everything in the Gemini Tier plus your name and photo in the game as one of the SET personnel, a flight controller or an astronaut and the game sound track in MP3 format. Instead of a beta tester credit you will be listed as a contributor. This option will not be available post release.

[Nefaro]

Awesome.

Evidentally the Early Buy-In program is set to start in September..?  I'll definitely be picking it up early and at that price I may even get a physical copy since it comes with a manual.

[tgb]

In.  My only concern (from what I read somewhere) is that there is no competition from, or race against the Soviets, which added so much flavor to the original.

[bbmike]

Buzz Aldrin?

[Steelgrave]

^I like. And I agree   ;D

[Nefaro]

In.  My only concern (from what I read somewhere) is that there is no competition from, or race against the Soviets, which added so much flavor to the original.

So is it just a race against budget expenditure limits now?  :-\

It makes sense for a modern period, but at least one of those screenshots lists "1955" as the date.   I suppose it was just easier to not have to change the whole space race victory system into something completely different after the collapse of the CCP.  In other words - only needing one victory system compared to two.

[JudgeDredd]

I don't get it  :-\

This and Kerbal - is there that much variety in them?

I can't help but wonder where the "game" part is...I see it looks like you have to buy buildings and employ people - so I guess there's a budget you have to take care of...but in terms of making a space ship - what exactly is involved in the game? Presumably you get steered towards components and once a component is built there's another component you have to research and build...then you have a ship...then what?

I don't get it  :-\

This does look sweet though

[JudgeDredd]

Well Kerbal Space Program (which was on sale on Steam until recently!) has a demo - so I'll download it and see what all this Buzz (pun intended) about space games is all about

[MikeGER]

I don't get it  :-\

This and Kerbal - is there that much variety in them?

I can't help but wonder where the "game" part is...I see it looks like you have to buy buildings and employ people - so I guess there's a budget you have to take care of...but in terms of making a space ship - what exactly is involved in the game? Presumably you get steered towards components and once a component is built there's another component you have to research and build...then you have a ship...then what?

I don't get it  :-\

This does look sweet though

+1
in strong opposition to Kerbal, it looks like a deep business/resources management 'simulation'
with the benefit that it has some very detailed spaceflight history lessons build in, that are approved and enhanced by the guy who was actually up there.

i miss screens where YOU actually 'do' the missions in space.
i fear that if you did all the RD and build the hardware and groundsupport infrastructure and employed and trained and shuffled around the specialists to operate it, whith the goal to get to a decent mission-success proability
... you get a nice rendered video (without any interaction beyond camera view) of the mission   
then get rewarded with money / prestige / resource's points  and an unlock ... and then its resource-management struggle to the next step to achievements.

...when i see the Slitherine placeholder pictures... i had to chuckle and thought of a mod of the game  ;D
called JD McNeil's Wargame Publisher Manager, where instead of spaceflight you manage development production and sales of games, ...recruit new indy studios, had to deal with bad employees of an add platform, patchover Matrix, keep the community happy, acquire more studios, has to make the transition from PC to the growing iOS and Android markets, and so on   ;)

     

[bbmike]

So is it just a race against budget expenditure limits now?  :-\

It makes sense for a modern period, but at least one of those screenshots lists "1955" as the date.   I suppose it was just easier to not have to change the whole space race victory system into something completely different after the collapse of the CCP.  In other words - only needing one victory system compared to two.

I don't get it  :-\

This and Kerbal - is there that much variety in them?

I can't help but wonder where the "game" part is...I see it looks like you have to buy buildings and employ people - so I guess there's a budget you have to take care of...but in terms of making a space ship - what exactly is involved in the game? Presumably you get steered towards components and once a component is built there's another component you have to research and build...then you have a ship...then what?

I don't get it  :-\

This does look sweet though

You guys don't remember Space MAX (Starbyte) or even Project Space Station (Commodore 64)? In both you were trying to keep your program going by bringing in more $$$ or you would get the axe. I spent hours on both of those!
One of my fondest memories is sending a space shuttle to my space station to evacuate it ahead of a solar flare. Imagine my surprise when I discovered (the hard way) that I accidentally left an astronaut behind! Yeah, they stopped my program.  :P

[JudgeDredd]

^ nope  :)

So is it just a budget management game based on space research and travel and a history lesson?

It sounds kind of cool - but I'm still lost as to the gaming aspect. I think it would be pretty cool if you could actually be in the launch...or maybe not - I don't know. I think I'm just thinking about something to make it seem more interesting as a game.

I guess I may likely take the Mercury Tier early access at £15(plus that damned VAT!)

[tgb]

In the original you managed a budget, allocated R&D, hired and trained astronauts, and planned and scheduled missions. The missions themselves were non-interactive grainy video, but were real nail-biters as you waited on the success or failure of each stage. The goal of the game was to beat the other side (USSR or USA) to a moon landing.

Without the "race" aspect, this seems like just a sandbox game.