''Moonbase Alpha'' is a

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

that provides a realistic simulation of life on a natural satellite, based on potential Moon base programs. It was made by the Army Game Studio, developers of '' America's Army'', and Virtual Heroes, Inc. in conjunction with NASA Learning Technologies. The game was released on July 6, 2010, as a free download on

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. At the

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in 2010, the game won the top honors in the government category of the Serious Game Showcase & Challenge. ''Moonbase Alpha'' remains available on Steam, and a modified version has been playable at an exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, Florida since 2012.

Plot

''Moonbase Alpha'' is set in the year 2032 and focuses on simulating a day in the life of a lunar-based astronaut. As a meteor impact damages an outpost near the Moon's South Pole, the player must take control of a member of the outpost's research team and repair the outpost in order to save the 12 years of research accomplished there. These tasks include repairing vital components of the life support system, solar array and oxygen units, and can be accomplished with a wide variety of tools ranging from robotic repair units to the lunar rover.

Development

''Moonbase Alpha'' was designed as a precursor to '' Astronaut: Moon, Mars and Beyond'', NASA's massively multiplayer online game that was never released. The game intended to encourage interest in space exploration in young children. Because the game is meant to be a collaborative effort, the repair mission can be conducted by six players with an additional six observers. An online leaderboard is included, encouraging players to use teamwork to help repair the station faster and earn high rankings. The game was designed using the Unreal Engine 3.

Reception

''Moonbase Alpha'' was released to mixed reception.

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gave the game a score of 6/10, feeling that it was too short and needed more diverse missions, but noted that it was still quite well-made for a free game. Common Sense Media said the game "shows students practical challenges of space", but that it was held back by poor introductory tutorials. ''Moonbase Alpha'' also spawned a

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surrounding the

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functionality within its internal chat system, where users would spam certain nonsensical phrases and words into its chat rooms, parsed by the TTS system in a humorous manner.

References

{{reflist , refs= {{cite web , url=https://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/national/ltp/games/moonbasealpha/mbalpha-landing-collection1-About.html , title=Moonbase Alpha , website=

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...

, access-date=December 8, 2011

External links

NASA siteMoonbase Alpha on Steam
2010 video games Windows games Windows-only games NASA online Massively multiplayer online games Simulation video games Unreal Engine games Video games developed in the United States Video games set in 2032 Video games set on the Moon Internet memes