Starcross (video game)

Infobox VG| title = Starcross


developer = Infocom
publisher = Infocom
designer = Dave Lebling
engine = ZIL
released = Release 15: September 1, 1982Release 17: October 21, 1982
genre = Interactive fiction
modes = Single player
ratings = n/a
platforms = Amiga, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Commodore Plus/4, MS-DOS, TRS-80, TI-99/4A
media = 3½" or 5¼" disk
requirements = No special requirements
input = Keyboard

"Starcross" is a 1982 interactive fiction game designed and implemented by Dave Lebling and published by Infocom. Like most Infocom titles, it was developed for many systems. It was released for DOS, as a PC Booter, Apple II, Atari ST and Commodore 64. It is Infocom's fifth game.

The game was Infocom's first in the science fiction genre. It takes place in the year 2186, when the player's character is a lone black hole miner exploring an asteroid belt. The player's ship, the "Starcross", is fitted with a mass detector to look for "quantum black holes", which are such powerful sources of energy that one could provide a wealth of riches. When the mass detector finally discovers an anomaly, however, it isn't a black hole but something else entirely: a massive craft of unknown origin and composition.

The player must dock with the mysterious ship and gain entry to its interior. Once inside, the player discovers a wide variety of alien plant and animal species and an array of unfamiliar technology.

Feelies

Before Infocom released "Starcross", it released "Zork III", and "Deadline" before that. "Deadline" included several physical items related to the game's theme, which Infocom referred to as feelies, and they continued the technique by providing feelies with "Zork III" and "Starcross".

The "Starcross" feelies consisted of the following items:
*"Log of the M.C.S. Starcross", a whimsical journal of the player's character's experiences on the ship
*A letter from the "Bureau of Extra-Solar Intelligence" providing advice for any encounters with alien lifeforms
*A partial space map of charted masses, including instructions on how to use the navigation computer

When Starcross was rereleased in "The Lost Treasures of Infocom," two errors were created in converting the original map to the user's manual. The correct coordinates are:

UM08: Range = 150, Theta = 210, Phi = 017

AX01: Range = 150, Theta = 240, Phi = 134

Notes

The original plans for this game's feelies incorporated "Astronaut Food", which was to be a small package of something edible and presumably freeze-dried. The idea presented legal problems involving health laws, however, and was dropped. The foil-wrapped package is still depicted in a picture of materials included with the game, appearing on the back of the game box.

The first box for "Starcross" was a round plastic box that resembled a flying saucer disc. This proved too costly to produce and too unwieldy for store shelves and was replaced by more conventional packaging such as the "grey box" format.

"Starcross" was rated by Infocom as "Expert" level in difficulty. This may be largely due to the scientific orientation of many of the game's puzzles. Other early Expert-level games were "Deadline" and "Suspended".

The game's working title was "A Gift from Space".

Many elements of the game are reminiscent of the Arthur C. Clarke novel Rendezvous with Rama.

Taglines

"The challenge was issued eons ago from light years away. And only you can meet it."

"Rendezvous with an alien vessel."

External links

*moby game|id=/starcross|name="Starcross"
* [http://infocom.elsewhere.org/gallery/starcross/starcross.html The Infocom Gallery entry on "Starcross"] including photos of the box, feelies and entire manual (PDF format)
* [http://www.infocom-if.org/games/starcross/starcross.html Infocom-if.org entry for "Starcross"]
* [http://hometown.aol.com/graemecree/infobugs/starcros.htm The Infocom Bugs List entry for "Starcross"]