Deuteros
Encyclopedia
Deuteros: The Next Millennium is the sequel to the sci-fi
strategy
video game Millennium 2.2
, published by Activision
for the Amiga
and Atari ST
. Ian Bird
designed and wrote the game, with graphics by Jai Redman and music by Matt Bates.
The object of Deuteros is to mine and manage resources, explore the Solar System
and beyond. For this, 3 categories of civilians are trained: Producers, Researchers and Marines, out of a pool of 6000 population. The longer these teams are used, they are advanced in three levels, required for some later action (some inventions can be manufactured only by a producer who is at "Expert" level while Pilots with the rank of "Admiral" will be more effective in battles).
New bases built on other planets must be manned with new teams of Producers in order to construct the shuttles and derrick
s needed for supply. Some of these events are "milestones" which will trigger new technology to be researched by the scientists.
The player has to take care mostly of the transaction between the planets and the factories and distribute their supply with shuttles and long-range spacecraft. New technology (such as automatisation computers or teleport
) will replace some of the player's involvement, as the player must later concentrate on war.
habitable again but lost its spacefaring capabilities, which it is seeking to regain.
Initially the player has Earth resources with which he can build ships and orbital factories. The first factory will give the player the technology to make IOSs (interplanetary operations spacecraft) which he can build orbital factories over selected planets and moons of the solar system
. First the player can use the IOS to extract material from asteroids not found on Earth (such as silver
, platinum
etc.), and later build bases on the selected planets with the orbital factories so that exotic material is steadily produced.
In the process the player will meet the Methanoids, colonists from the first game who will provide the player with Helium
.
system (for inanimate objects) will be discovered that will eliminate the need for supply IOSs.
Once the player conquers all the solar system, they will discover some alien messages and a mysterious alien artifact above Earth. New technology will allow the player to construct "star drones" and travel to Proxima Centauri
, the first of the seven star system
s that have to be conquered. In the process the technology "Hyperspace
travel" will be acquired.
Winning requires conquering 8 systems and collecting of 8 parts of a mysterious machine.
Upon winning, the game ends with a mini video clip that shows three picture-slots with icons and pictures of in-game objects changing every 3 seconds accompanied by the main music of the game.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
strategy
Strategy game
A strategy game or strategic game is a game in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome...
video game Millennium 2.2
Millennium 2.2
Millennium 2.2 is a resource management computer game by Ian Bird, released in 1989 for Atari ST, Amiga and DOS. The DOS version of the game was released as Millennium: Return to Earth...
, published by Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
for the Amiga
Amiga
The Amiga is a family of personal computers that was sold by Commodore in the 1980s and 1990s. The first model was launched in 1985 as a high-end home computer and became popular for its graphical, audio and multi-tasking abilities...
and Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
. Ian Bird
Ian Bird (software developer)
Ian Bird is a game programmer and game designer. Along with other game credits, Bird wrote the computer games Millennium 2.2 and Deuteros.-Games:*1985 - Theatre Europe*1989 - Millennium 2.2*1991 - Deuteros: The Next Millennium*1993 - Campaign II...
designed and wrote the game, with graphics by Jai Redman and music by Matt Bates.
Overview
While the game shares themes of space exploration and resource gathering - plus some elements of its interface - with its predecessor, the two are different in gameplay.The object of Deuteros is to mine and manage resources, explore the Solar System
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
and beyond. For this, 3 categories of civilians are trained: Producers, Researchers and Marines, out of a pool of 6000 population. The longer these teams are used, they are advanced in three levels, required for some later action (some inventions can be manufactured only by a producer who is at "Expert" level while Pilots with the rank of "Admiral" will be more effective in battles).
New bases built on other planets must be manned with new teams of Producers in order to construct the shuttles and derrick
Derrick
A derrick is a lifting device composed of one tower, or guyed mast such as a pole which is hinged freely at the bottom. It is controlled by lines powered by some means such as man-hauling or motors, so that the pole can move in all four directions. A line runs up it and over its top with a hook on...
s needed for supply. Some of these events are "milestones" which will trigger new technology to be researched by the scientists.
The player has to take care mostly of the transaction between the planets and the factories and distribute their supply with shuttles and long-range spacecraft. New technology (such as automatisation computers or teleport
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
) will replace some of the player's involvement, as the player must later concentrate on war.
Scenario
The game is set some 800 years after Millennium, in a time when mankind has won the struggle to make the EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
habitable again but lost its spacefaring capabilities, which it is seeking to regain.
Initially the player has Earth resources with which he can build ships and orbital factories. The first factory will give the player the technology to make IOSs (interplanetary operations spacecraft) which he can build orbital factories over selected planets and moons of the solar system
Solar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
. First the player can use the IOS to extract material from asteroids not found on Earth (such as silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
etc.), and later build bases on the selected planets with the orbital factories so that exotic material is steadily produced.
In the process the player will meet the Methanoids, colonists from the first game who will provide the player with Helium
Helium
Helium is the chemical element with atomic number 2 and an atomic weight of 4.002602, which is represented by the symbol He. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas that heads the noble gas group in the periodic table...
.
War
Once the player builds a sixth orbital factory (or gets the methanoid laser from trading a lot with the methanoids), the Methanoids will declare war, and in the process the player will have to research and manufacture battle drones and also copy the self-destruct mechanism of the enemies. A teleportTeleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
system (for inanimate objects) will be discovered that will eliminate the need for supply IOSs.
Once the player conquers all the solar system, they will discover some alien messages and a mysterious alien artifact above Earth. New technology will allow the player to construct "star drones" and travel to Proxima Centauri
Proxima Centauri
Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf star about 4.2 light-years distant in the constellation of Centaurus. It was discovered in 1915 by Robert Innes, the Director of the Union Observatory in South Africa, and is the nearest known star to the Sun, although it is too faint to be seen with the naked eye...
, the first of the seven star system
Star system
A star system or stellar system is a small number of stars which orbit each other, bound by gravitational attraction. A large number of stars bound by gravitation is generally called a star cluster or galaxy, although, broadly speaking, they are also star systems.-Binary star systems:A stellar...
s that have to be conquered. In the process the technology "Hyperspace
Hyperspace (science fiction)
Hyperspace is a plot device sometimes used in science fiction. It is typically described as an alternative region of space co-existing with our own universe which may be entered using an energy field or other device...
travel" will be acquired.
Winning requires conquering 8 systems and collecting of 8 parts of a mysterious machine.
Upon winning, the game ends with a mini video clip that shows three picture-slots with icons and pictures of in-game objects changing every 3 seconds accompanied by the main music of the game.