Shuttle: the Space Flight Simulator (Virgin game)
Encyclopedia
Shuttle is a space flight simulator game
developed by Vektor Grafix
and published by Virgin Games. It has been praised as a reasonably accurate simulation game of piloting the NASA
Space Shuttle
.
to returning to Earth at the Shuttle Landing Facility and displayed almost every switch, knob and display of the real shuttle control panels while simulating most of their respective functions.
That said, only a subset of the controls actually worked and a number simply made the shuttle explode; however, it's quite likely that many of the same controls (e.g. separating the Solid Rocket Boosters
while they were still burning during the launch) would make a real shuttle explode, as well. The operation of the General Purpose Computers (GPC) required the input of the according program commands for the current flight situation, albeit in a simplified fashion.
'Shuttle' for the PC was released on two 360k floppy disks, however it could be copied to a single 1.44MB floppy and installed or run from there. Gameplay consisted of flying through simulations of a number of different space shuttle missions, starting with the Approach and Landing Tests where the original space shuttle, Enterprise
, was flown from the back of a modified Boeing 747 to a gliding landing at Edwards Air Force Base
, through to launching the Hubble Space Telescope
, building a space station, using the Manned Maneuvering Unit
to capture satellites for repairs, and launching 'secret' military satellites. The level of detail went so far, that the External Tank (ET) painted in white color was only diplayed in the earliest available scenarios while the later one displayed the brown it wore later on.
As the missions themselves were fairly complex, the game would optionally provide a high level of hand-holding. Instructions were passed to the player on a 'teleprinter', and when those instructions required the player to use the shuttle controls, the appropriate switch or knob would be indicated by a flashing box. As such, the normally massive amount of material the player would be required to read through in order to know how to accurately and safely pilot a shuttle were condensed into something the average player could understand, another point of praise for the game by its users.
To further ease gameplay, the game supported multiple different camera views, more than the standard control panel and external view found in most simulators of the time, the player could also look out of any of the cockpit windows, including back into the payload bay when retrieving or releasing satellites, and some of the CCTV cameras on the Remote Manipulator System. In addition, for those who wanted to know a little more about the shuttle but did not wish to read NASA technical details, the developers also provided an in-game primer giving a few pages of information and some diagrams on each of the major Space Shuttle
systems. Finally, the publishers supplied a thick game manual and a large poster showing the control panels.
Given the scope and complexity of the game it shouldn't be surprising that it was released with a few bugs. In particular the autopilot could get confused and fly some very unusual re-entry trajectories. In early releases, it was impossible to fly the last mission. Fortunately there was an easy workaround for the latter bug, as putting /ALL on the DOS command line when starting up the game gave one access to every available mission.
Shuttle has been out of production for many years now, the original systems requirements being easily exceeded on modern systems. However, it is possible to make it run on emulated systems with a little effort.
applauded the level of detail accomplished in Shuttle, and ran it in their "Simulation of the year", which ultimately went to Falcon 3.0
by Spectrum Holobyte
.
Space flight simulator game
A space flight simulator game is a genre of simulation video games that lets players experience space flight. Highly realistic examples lacking any sort of combat include Orbiter and Microsoft Space Simulator...
developed by Vektor Grafix
Vektor Grafix
Vektor Grafix was a United Kingdom-based computer game development company led by Andy Craven, and taken over by MicroProse in 1992. The company was based in the city of Leeds, and after the takeover became MicroProse's Leeds development studio....
and published by Virgin Games. It has been praised as a reasonably accurate simulation game of piloting the NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
.
Description
The software is noted for simulations of the space shuttle in many situations in a 3D environment, from leaving the Vehicle Assembly BuildingVehicle Assembly Building
The Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center was used to assemble and house American manned launch vehicles from 1968-2011. It is the fourth largest building in the world by volume...
to returning to Earth at the Shuttle Landing Facility and displayed almost every switch, knob and display of the real shuttle control panels while simulating most of their respective functions.
That said, only a subset of the controls actually worked and a number simply made the shuttle explode; however, it's quite likely that many of the same controls (e.g. separating the Solid Rocket Boosters
Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster
The Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters were the pair of large solid rockets used by the United States' NASA Space Shuttle during the first two minutes of powered flight. Together they provided about 83% of liftoff thrust for the Space Shuttle. They were located on either side of the rusty or...
while they were still burning during the launch) would make a real shuttle explode, as well. The operation of the General Purpose Computers (GPC) required the input of the according program commands for the current flight situation, albeit in a simplified fashion.
'Shuttle' for the PC was released on two 360k floppy disks, however it could be copied to a single 1.44MB floppy and installed or run from there. Gameplay consisted of flying through simulations of a number of different space shuttle missions, starting with the Approach and Landing Tests where the original space shuttle, Enterprise
Space Shuttle Enterprise
The Space Shuttle Enterprise was the first Space Shuttle orbiter. It was built for NASA as part of the Space Shuttle program to perform test flights in the atmosphere. It was constructed without engines or a functional heat shield, and was therefore not capable of spaceflight...
, was flown from the back of a modified Boeing 747 to a gliding landing at Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...
, through to launching the Hubble Space Telescope
Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by a Space Shuttle in 1990 and remains in operation. A 2.4 meter aperture telescope in low Earth orbit, Hubble's four main instruments observe in the near ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared...
, building a space station, using the Manned Maneuvering Unit
Manned Maneuvering Unit
The Manned Maneuvering Unit is an astronaut propulsion unit which was used by NASA on three space shuttle missions in 1984. The MMU allowed the astronauts to perform untethered EVA spacewalks at a distance from the shuttle. The MMU was used in practice to retrieve a pair of faulty communications...
to capture satellites for repairs, and launching 'secret' military satellites. The level of detail went so far, that the External Tank (ET) painted in white color was only diplayed in the earliest available scenarios while the later one displayed the brown it wore later on.
As the missions themselves were fairly complex, the game would optionally provide a high level of hand-holding. Instructions were passed to the player on a 'teleprinter', and when those instructions required the player to use the shuttle controls, the appropriate switch or knob would be indicated by a flashing box. As such, the normally massive amount of material the player would be required to read through in order to know how to accurately and safely pilot a shuttle were condensed into something the average player could understand, another point of praise for the game by its users.
To further ease gameplay, the game supported multiple different camera views, more than the standard control panel and external view found in most simulators of the time, the player could also look out of any of the cockpit windows, including back into the payload bay when retrieving or releasing satellites, and some of the CCTV cameras on the Remote Manipulator System. In addition, for those who wanted to know a little more about the shuttle but did not wish to read NASA technical details, the developers also provided an in-game primer giving a few pages of information and some diagrams on each of the major Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
systems. Finally, the publishers supplied a thick game manual and a large poster showing the control panels.
Given the scope and complexity of the game it shouldn't be surprising that it was released with a few bugs. In particular the autopilot could get confused and fly some very unusual re-entry trajectories. In early releases, it was impossible to fly the last mission. Fortunately there was an easy workaround for the latter bug, as putting /ALL on the DOS command line when starting up the game gave one access to every available mission.
Shuttle has been out of production for many years now, the original systems requirements being easily exceeded on modern systems. However, it is possible to make it run on emulated systems with a little effort.
Reception
Computer Gaming WorldComputer Gaming World
Computer Gaming World was a computer game magazine founded in 1981 by Russell Sipe as a bimonthly publication. Early issues were typically 40-50 pages in length, written in a newsletter style, including submissions by game designers such as Joel Billings , Dan Bunten , and Chris Crawford...
applauded the level of detail accomplished in Shuttle, and ran it in their "Simulation of the year", which ultimately went to Falcon 3.0
Falcon (computer game)
The Falcon line of computer games is a series of simulations of the F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter aircraft. The games were developed and published by Spectrum HoloByte...
by Spectrum Holobyte
Spectrum HoloByte
Spectrum HoloByte, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher originally based in Alameda, California.The company was founded in 1983 and was most famous for its simulation games, notably the Falcon series of flight simulators and Vette!, a driving simulator from 1989...
.