[krvod url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SD3pSL-VONs]
Habitat is a real-time, physics-driven orbital strategy game for PC, Mac, Linux and Xbox One where you build, fly, and fight with unique space stations you create out of space junk orbiting earth. Their Kickstarter is already successful, and it may be in part due to its unique gameplay.
A thousand years into our future, the Earth is on the brink of oblivion. To save Mankind, you must use the mind boggling amount of junk in orbit around the planet to create new habitats and vehicles – and yes, weapons – to support life or to destroy it. You have to explore and manage your resources, or your brave little band of humans snuffs it. With the addition of salvaged rockets and other propulsion devices, you can build self-mobile space stations, scout vehicles and screaming metal death traps to use against your enemies.
A fascinating side note to this story is that while they were working out the gameplay and the physics it would use, they learned about a phenomenon known as the Kessler Effect or Kessler Syndrome. In 1978, NASA scientist Donald Kessler published a paper on the frequency and consequences of artificial satellite collisions in Earth orbit. This describes the point at which our sky is so full of junk that mass chain reaction collisions can occur, and to a certain degree this is already happening. That’s the core concept behind the 2013 film Gravity in which the Space Shuttle, International Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope, Russian Soyuz spacecraft and the Chinese Tiangong space station were all involved in a chain reaction debris cloud started by a Russian missile strike on a defunct satellite.
Almost unsurprisingly, there is already a rock band called Kessler Effect. They’re from Letterkenny, Ireland.
While Gravity‘s portrayal of the Kessler Effect is heavily dramatized, occurring over hours instead of years, it’s already starting to happen. Minor collisions involving bits of other satellites are already starting to happen.
The game has both Sandbox and Campaign modes, and it supports cross-platform, multiplayer action. Versions will be available for the XBox One, Windows, iOS, and Linux. Backers who join the campaign now can get their XBox One copy reserved for only $35.
– 30 –
SCIFI.radio is listener supported sci-fi geek culture radio, and operates almost exclusively via the generous contributions of our fans via our Patreon campaign. If you like, you can also use our tip jar and send us a little something to help support the many fine creatives that make this station possible.
