''Warhead'' is a
3D space combat simulator
A space flight simulation is a genre of flight simulator video games that lets players experience space flight to varying degrees of realism. Common mechanics include space exploration, space trade and space combat.
Overview
Some games in th ...
for
Amiga (A500 and A2000) and
Atari ST platforms. It was created by British developer Glyn Williams in 1989.
The game takes place during a war between the alien forces of
Sirius
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinized to Alpha Canis Majoris, and abbreviated Alpha CM ...
and the humans of Earth. The
player
Player may refer to:
Role or adjective
* Player (game), a participant in a game or sport
** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games
** Athlete, a player in sports
** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who ...
fights for the Earth forces. The game is played as sequential missions. Completing a mission successfully lets the player advance to the next mission. It is possible to
save the game status after each mission, but not during a mission. Typical mission objectives include
intelligence gathering
This is a list of intelligence gathering disciplines.
HUMINT
Human intelligence (HUMINT) are gathered from a person in the location in question. Sources can include the following:
* Advisors or foreign internal defense (FID) personnel wor ...
,
search and rescue missions, destroying enemies and protecting friendly forces. The player is sent for missions from "SolBase", a military base orbiting the Sun. The player must travel to different solar systems using a device that allows
faster than light
Faster-than-light (also FTL, superluminal or supercausal) travel and communication are the conjectural propagation of matter or information faster than the speed of light (). The special theory of relativity implies that only particles with zero ...
travel through quad-space, which is a form of
hyperspace
In science fiction, hyperspace (also known as nulspace, subspace, overspace, jumpspace and similar terms) is a concept relating to higher dimensions as well as parallel universes and a faster-than-light (FTL) method of interstellar travel. ...
.
''Warhead'' spawned a
spiritual sequel
A spiritual successor (sometimes called a spiritual sequel) is a product or fictional work that is similar to, or directly inspired by, another previous work, but (unlike a traditional prequel or sequel) does not explicitly continue the product lin ...
, ''
XF5700 Mantis
''XF5700 Mantis Experimental Fighter'' is a space combat simulator developed by Paragon Software and published by MicroProse under their Microplay Software label for DOS in 1992.
Gameplay
Using what was dubbed "real physics", the ''XF5700 Mantis' ...
'' in 1992.
Story
The story revolves around the fight between the forces of Sirius and the humans of Earth. The player has been enrolled as a fighter pilot for the "Fist of Earth" space force. The player is led to believe that the forces of Sirius have attacked humans for an unknown reason.
The enemy are an insect-like species from the star system Sirius. It is suspected that their present evolutionary form was achieved at the time there were non-avian dinosaurs on Earth. It is also theorised that insects on Earth and Sirius share the same ancestor.
No one knows why they attacked. It is only speculated that they may have wanted to reduce Earth back to the state of barbarism. It is speculated that the insects, or "Roaches" as they are called, may share a common ancestor with Earth's insects. They are a group-mind and have shared consciousness. Tens or even hundreds are required for any real intelligence. Some even argue that they are more like one entity than numerous individuals.
The group-mind is based on radio communication which is a natural property of the metallic parts in their bodies. It is speculated that spaceship manufacturing technology is relatively new for the Sirians and that the first Sirian vessel was launched in 1897 from Sirius Five.
The Earth was attacked in the year 2045 by a Sirian fleet. The invasion led to a planetary winter and three billion casualties, and within a few years a third of the Earth population died as a consequence.
Political unity and the dissolution of national borders on Earth were the results of the attack. The organisation called the "Fist of Earth" was formed to defend planet Earth. The most significant military base, "SolBase", was built in Earth's orbit. When SolBase became operational, it was moved to orbit the Sun. This was thought to be the most effective position to defend the Solar System as a whole. The Fist of Earth sent a fighter pilot navigating the FOE-57 spacecraft on a series of missions to stop the Sirians and protect humanity.
See also
*
XF5700 Mantis Experimental Fighter
References
External links
''Warhead''at Atari Mania
''Warhead''at Lemon Amiga
*
1989 video games
Activision games
Amiga games
Atari ST games
Space combat simulators
Video games about insects
Video games developed in the United Kingdom
Single-player video games
1990 video games
{{DEFAULTSORT:Warhead (video game)