Lightspeed (video game)
| Lightspeed | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Developer(s) | MPS Labs |
| Publisher(s) | MicroProse |
| Designer(s) |
Andy Hollis Sandy Petersen |
| Programmer(s) | Jim Berry, Andy Hollis, Greg Kreafle |
| Artist(s) | Max D. Remington III |
| Composer(s) | Allen Black, Jeff Briggs, Ken Lagace, Scott L. Patterson, Jim McConkey |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS |
| Release | 1990 |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Review score | |
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| Publication | Score |
| CGW |    |
Lightspeed is a video game developed and released by MicroProse in 1990. It features a space flight simulator game and action game elements with an emphasis on strategy and exploration. The box describes the title as an "Interstellar Action and Adventure" game. The game features space exploration, trade, combat and diplomacy in the same vein as 4X s such as Master of Orion. Lightspeed, unlike the popular series of turn-based strategy games, plays out in real-time.
A sequel, entitled Hyperspeed, was released by MicroProse in 1991. It was nearly identical to Lightspeed, except that it included two additional star clusters for veterans of the first game.
The player must help recolonize the human race after the Earth's habitability is critically reduced by an ecological catastrophe. The entire human race is being housed in huge Conestoga-class colony ships, which are waiting for the player to secure at least one planet with an Earth-like environment and to also acquire enough material resources to ensure that the colony or colonies in question can build a fledgling industrial base as soon as possible.
The player's time to accomplish this goal is limited. In addition, the player must contend with the alien races living in the area that the player is exploring. The mission's success requires diplomacy to acquire allies and the elimination of races that may be potentially hostile to humanity. The player may also deem it necessary to destroy a friendly race in order to secure enough resources to successfully complete his or her objectives.
Spaceflight is similar in style to the Wing Commander or X-Wing titles. Most races initially adopt a neutral stance towards the player, unless they ambush the player in between star systems. The player can then choose to attack or hold their fire, which can influence future relations with that species. The player may also choose to launch an unguided probe to initiate communications with neutral or friendly species. The player-controllable vehicles consist of the main Trailblazer-class cruiser (top left screenshot on box back) and small spacecraft chassis that can be quickly reconfigured for three different roles (that of a space superiority fighter, a powerful self-guided kamikaze missile with poor maneuverability or a weak homing missile with excellent maneuverability). The player can also launch an escape pod when their Trailblazer is hopelessly crippled.
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