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Starscape - Full Walkthrough with Tips and Puzzles

Starscape is a video game developed by MoonPod Games and released in 2003 in a shareware format. The game is a space shooter with elements of a flight simulator in space. In Starscape, the player controls the only remaining starfighter in an Aegis space station that has been transported to another dimension after its warp engine was damaged by aliens. The goal of the player is to survive and return to the station.

Contents

  1. Game Background
  2. Beginner’s Guide
  3. Secrets of Controlling the Mothership
  4. Weapon Guide
  5. Ship Hardware
  6. All Terran Ships
  7. All Enemy Ships
  8. Galactic Mechanics
  9. How to get all Steam achievements?
  10. All characters
  11. How well do you know space?
  12. Recommendations for Space Fans

Starscape: Game Background

In the distant year 2327, the International Space Agency completes the construction of the first interstellar station capable of moving at superluminal speed. The station is named "Shield of Zeus".

As the station is about to travel into unexplored regions of space, the expedition receives an escort of five escort ships. Shortly after the launch from the lunar orbit, the Zeus crew plunges into suspended animation, not without pleasure. Exactly ten days after the start of the journey, an experimental launch of a superluminal engine takes place.

As often happens in the history of space exploration, the new engine model does not work quite the way its creators intended. With an explosion of extraordinary power, the "Shield of Zeus" and the ships accompanying it are thrown into another dimension called the Grid.

Representatives of an unprecedented biomechanical race steal the Spatial Engine and almost all the data from the station’s computers. The station team is scattered across the vast expanses of space, and it is impossible to build a new Spatial Engine - the only miracle device capable of returning the station home.

It is necessary to find the entire missing team and restore the Engine. But stubborn and full of deceit, enemies will not part with him just like that. Not only that, they are going to build an analogue of the Engine and move to our Universe...

Starscape: Beginner’s Guide

The goal of the game is to find the "Shield of Zeus" team, which was scattered across an alien dimension, as well as to recapture the Spatial Engine from the enemies and return the station home to our Universe.

Main menu:

  1. New game - start a new game.
  2. Training - try your hand before the main game. You need to destroy the enemy barge and ten other ships before they take all the minerals. To win, you need to spend as little time as possible.
  3. Continuation of the game - return to the game.
  4. Saved Game - Load a saved game.
  5. Save - save your game.
  6. Settings - go to the sound and video settings screen.
  7. Hall of Fame - View player records.
  8. Registration - register the game on the MoonPod website.

Minimum system requirements:

  1. Pentium 166;
  2. 32MB RAM;
  3. Windows 95 or newer;
  4. Sound card;
  5. Video card (displaying 16-bit color at 640x480 resolution);
  6. 100 megabytes of free disk space.

Control

By default, the following keys are enabled in the game:

game screen

Radar. The Zeus Shield is a blue dot on the radar, your ship is green, enemies are red, and asteroids are grey. Red and gray dots can be of different shades: the brighter the dot, the larger the enemy ship or asteroid.

Yellow dots on the radar represent valuable minerals that are needed for repairs, research and construction, as well as equipment that sometimes drops from destroyed Archid flagships.

In addition, orange dots may appear on the radar - these are very important items that you need to pick up immediately: Dimensional Engine parts or devices containing important tactical information about Archids or Xenars.

station indicators. The bars above the radar show the status of the station, from left to right: the amount of green, yellow and purple minerals in the warehouse and the degree of damage received by the station. If the letter D lights up next to the indicators, it means that the docks are open at the station, and you can go aboard. If the letter F lights up, it means that the station has opened fire on enemies or asteroids. If the letter M lights up, it means that the station is in motion.

ship indicators. The bars to the left of the radar show the status of your ship, from left to right: the battery depletion indicator, the state of the electromagnetic shield, the energy supply on the ship, the amount of minerals collected and the damage received. If a small bullet lights up to the left of the indicators, it means that the stock of missiles on board is running out. You can top it up on board the station.

Game menu. If you press ESC during the game, the game menu will appear:

  1. Continue - return to the game.
  2. Exit to the menu - go to the main menu.
  3. Exit - end the game and return to Windows.
You can save the game only after entering the station and turning on the jump drives. You can’t do this during combat.

Ship control panel. The control panel opens every time you board the station. Here you can repair the ship or the Zeus Shield, transfer to another ship, see how research or construction is going in Max’s laboratory, and also turn on the jump drives and jump to another point.

Starscape: Secrets of Controlling the Mothership

Control room. After turning on the jump drives, you enter the station control room.

Grid map. Here, together with Rin Fubuki, you can calculate the further path of the station.

The "Shield of Zeus" can only move to points adjacent to the one where it is located. To move to one of the neighboring points, click on it with the mouse. When the "Shield of Zeus" is at the transition point, it can jump into the Hyper Grid and travel a much greater distance. To do this, press Fire 2, and in order to return to the normal Grid - Fire 1.

Station defense. Here you can see if the "Shield of Zeus" is securely protected and, if necessary, install a new, more powerful weapon on it.

Zeus Shield can be equipped with four turrets (A, B, C, D) and one main cannon (X). To dismantle a turret or cannon, click on it with the mouse. To install a new weapon, select it from the list by clicking on the arrows, and then press Fire 1.

Workshop. Yana is in charge here. She will be happy to help you install new equipment (if, of course, it is in stock) or even build a new ship.

Yana will help you first build a new ship, install the necessary equipment on it, and then, if necessary, remake it.

In order to build a new ship, you first need a hull. It must be built in advance. Click on the button "Ship 1, 2 or 3", select the type of ship and give it a suitable name.

After that, the body will move to the workshop. There you will begin to install everything you need on it.

If you want to add some item to the hull, click on the "Add" button, and then use the arrows to select the desired item from the list. To move an item to another cell or completely remove it, first click on the "Redo" button, and then on the desired item.

Laboratory. Here, Dr. Max von Braun will tell you about the results of his research, and at your request, his team will begin to research or build new equipment. The more people involved in research or construction, the faster it will end.

Minerals are needed for any research and construction. Max and his team can start researching or building new equipment even if there are not enough minerals in the warehouse, but then you will have to quickly get everything you need.

The rescued crew members are sent to the laboratory. The more hands Max has, the faster the work will be completed. You can start researching one item and building another at the same time. To do this, you need to divide the team into two groups.

In order to start research, click on the "Explore" button, and then use the arrows to select the desired item from the list. After that, choose how many people you need and click on the "Start" button.

Construction will begin when you click on the "Build" button. Select the desired item from the list by clicking on the arrows. After that, choose how many of these items you want to build, and how many people it will take, and click on the "Start" button.

If you want to stop the current research or construction for good, click on the "Stop" button. To stop the current research for a while, click on the "Pause" button, and to resume a paused research or construction - on the "Start" button.

Stock. This is where the equipment built at the station, as well as the equipment you obtained in battles with squadrons of Archids, is stored.

Starscape: Weapon Guide

Of course, the fighter must have a weapon. Different types of weapons require different slots on the hull. For example, only the front cells are suitable for lasers.

The weapons installed on the ship are divided into two groups. By default, the first includes blasters, ion cannons and beam lasers, and the second includes all kinds of missiles and bombs. However, if desired, this order can be changed. To do this, click on the "Remake" button in the workshop screen, then double-click on the desired weapon. In the menu that appears, click the "Group 1" or "Group 2" button, and then - OK. Group 1 guns are fired with the "Fire1" key, group 2 - with the "Fire2" key.

Some types of weapons consume a lot of energy (lasers), while others run out quickly (missiles), so the former are best fired when the ship is stationary, and the latter when it is moving, and most of the energy goes to power the engine.

Weapon typeZoneEndless?Description
Blasters1YesThey shoot with energy discharges of low power. They support the charge accumulation mode (when the "Fire 1" key is pressed, the discharge energy accumulates and its power increases many times).
rockets1NoCapable of causing great damage to the enemy, have limited ammunition. At the beginning of the game, the rocket power is low, but scientific research will allow you to create the most destructive warheads.
ion cannons2YesThey fire ionic projectiles that can bounce off surfaces and hit multiple targets. Much more powerful than regular blasters.
Drones3YesAutomatic weapons with unlimited ammo. There are three modifications: blaster drones, rocket drones and beam drones. No more than two such devices can be installed on a ship.
bombs4NoAn unsurpassed weapon in terms of lethal force. They have very limited ammunition, but are capable of hitting a large number of targets. It is best to use them in an emergency.
Beam lasers5YesThe latest weapon that requires a huge amount of energy, but is capable of inflicting significant damage to the enemy. Supports storage mode.

In order to take more missiles and bombs on board, you need to install a missile or bomb bay.

Shield - only one can be installed on a ship. Shields protect the ship from damage and, like batteries, are recharged by a generator. However, hitting too hard can pierce the shield and damage the ship.

Weapons can also be installed on the "Shield of Zeus":

  1. Turret. Corner turrets fire charged ions.
  2. A gun. The main cannon fires a powerful ion beam, but takes a long time to reload.

Starscape: Ship Hardware

Engine. The first thing to install on the ship’s hull. There can be only one engine on a ship, and a strictly defined cell is suitable for it. The larger the case, the more powerful the engine can be installed on it. Engine power determines how much other equipment your ship can pull. If a ship has a weak engine and a lot of weapons, it will fly slowly and maneuver poorly.

Generator. Any equipment installed on your ship requires energy, and for this you need a generator. There can only be one generator on a ship, and a strictly defined cell is suitable for it. The more weapons and other equipment you have, the more powerful the generator is needed to power it.

Battery. Batteries installed on the ship are charged during the flight, when power is low. When a lot of it is required, for example, during shooting or acceleration, they make up for the expense.

Gravity emitter. It is needed in order to lift various objects and even people on board.

Starscape: All Terran Ships

1. An escape pod will automatically eject from your ship if it is destroyed. There are no weapons on it, and you need to get to the station as quickly as possible.

2. Helper is a slightly improved research vessel. If you don’t have other ships, you can always fly this one.

3. The Scout is an upgraded Helper. It has additional slots for weapons.

4. Avenger is a brand new ship model. It has the same number of cells as the Scout, but it can be equipped with a much more powerful engine and weapons.

5. Devastator - This is the latest model of a fighter. You can install the most powerful engine and weapons on it.

Starscape: All Enemy Ships

Flies. Standard unmanned enemy fighters. They are difficult to hit due to their small size and are only dangerous in large numbers.

Fighters. They form the backbone of the enemy army. Fighters often appear in the form of small squadrons, accompanied by "flies". Encounters with them are quite unpleasant, especially when they are escorting large cargo ships.

Frigates. These ships are armed with powerful but slow projectiles. If even one of them hits your ship, it can deal significant damage.

Minelayer. The first of the large ships. Equipped with two double-barreled cannons that can be destroyed. This ship is designed to create minefields in outer space. Enemy mines are very dangerous and hard to see on the radar, but they only explode if your ship gets too close and are easy to destroy from a safe distance.

Mine planter. The second of the capital ships, it is equipped with impenetrable armor and four double-barreled turrets that can be destroyed. It is also designed to create minefields, but uses homing mines that will stalk your ship. In order to destroy the mine planter, you need to shoot at its central part when it starts to throw out bombs.

Gravitron. The third of the capital ships, protected by impenetrable armor. The gravitron carries entire squadrons of "flies" on board. In order to destroy this ship, shoot at its central part when it starts releasing "flies". Try not to fly too close: the gravitron can catch your fighter with a grav beam and smash it against its armor.

Regulator. The fourth of the capital ships, blocking the jump drives of the Shield of Zeus. It is not very difficult to destroy it, but as long as there is at least one such ship in the point, you cannot jump out of it.

Blocker. The fifth of the capital ships, it consists of three disks and emits very powerful laser beams. In addition, it blocks the shield installed on your ship, and without a shield, you will have a very difficult time. In order to destroy the blocker, you need to shoot first its extreme disks, and then the central one, while trying to dodge the deadly rays.

Cargo barge. This is one of the most dangerous and important enemy ships. He gathers minerals for the Archid armies and is equipped with powerful lasers that can inflict horrific damage on your ship. He is always accompanied by an escort of "flies", fighters and frigates. If there is a cargo barge in the zone, then other large ships will definitely appear, and if all the barges are destroyed, you will only have to deal with small fighters. In order to destroy a cargo barge, you need to shoot at its cargo compartments, there are twelve of them in total.

Flagship 1. This flagship emits deadly beams that can destroy your ship in an instant. It also contains a large number of "flies" on board. In order to destroy this flagship, you first need to shoot at its "legs". When they are gone, the flagship will start throwing asteroids. Don’t try to destroy them - they’re moving too fast - but start shelling the main body. After you destroy it, an enemy escape pod will be thrown from it. It has a weapon mounted on it that might be stronger than yours, so it’s best to fire at it from the rear.

Flagship 2. This flagship emits radiation beams to the right, left, up and down, so you need to fly diagonally towards it. It is also equipped with four cutting discs that periodically detach and fly around, spreading deadly energy waves. In order to destroy this flagship, you first need to shoot all four disks, and then take on the main body.

Flagship 3. This flagship emits slow laser beams, and from time to time, powerful electric waves from above and below. You need to accurately time when it will be possible to approach its two entrances, then shoot them, fly in and destroy the main body.

Flagship 4. This flagship consists entirely of cannons that fire radiation beams. You need to stay between the beams and shoot at weak spots on the hull. From time to time, the cannons will reload, and this will give you the opportunity to fly to the next position.

After all the cannons are destroyed, bombs will begin to be thrown from the flagship. In order to destroy the main body, shoot at the hatches from which they fly out.

Flagship 5. The last, most powerful flagship. He constantly fires slow, but very powerful projectiles that deal great damage. It also contains a large number of "flies" on board. You should try to shoot through the hatches as soon as possible before he releases them all.

After all four hatches are destroyed, you need to shoot the power sources: they are located under four disks, which from time to time move back enough so that you can fly inside.

From time to time, a stream of energy will be transferred from one corner disk to another, in no case should you fall into it!

And finally, you need to destroy the main body. After that, an escape pod will be thrown from it, on which the main cannon from this flagship is installed. so it’s best to shoot her from the rear.

Starscape: Galactic Mechanics

There are four ships on the station: assistant, scout, avenger and devastator. They are called Oscar, Eliot, Matisse and Leo. The following weapons are installed on them: blasters, plasma torpedoes, lasers and ion cannons, but one of them lacks a shield, another lacks batteries, the third has a broken radar, and the fourth has a gravitational emitter.

The ships are located in Hangars 1, 2, 3 and 4. Determine the name of each ship, its hangar, weapons installed on it and breakdowns, if it is known that:

  1. Plasma torpedoes are installed on the ship from hangar 4.
  2. The scout is next to the avenger.
  3. The ship between the avenger and the assistant lacks a shield.
  4. Elliott has no blasters, no shield.
  5. The avenger with a gravitational emitter is in full order, as well as with ion cannons.
  6. Blasters are installed on Oscar.
  7. Oscar is next to a ship with plasma torpedoes.
  8. Leo has no plasma torpedoes.
  9. The radar on the assistant is broken.
  10. The assistant is equipped with blasters.
Hangarship nameTypeWeaponBreaking
1LeoAvengerLaserBatteries
2EliotScoution cannonShield
3OscarAssistantBlastersRadar
4MatisseRavagertorpedoesGravity Beam

Starscape: How to get all Steam achievements?

The "Grid exploration" achievement has 5 levels:

  1. Complete zone 1.
  2. Complete zone 2.
  3. Complete zone 3.
  4. Complete zone 4.
  5. Complete zone 5.

The "Scientific discovery" achievement has 5 levels:

  1. Learn Protective Shields.
  2. Learn Drones.
  3. Learn Ion cannons.
  4. Learn Bombs.
  5. Learn Beam Lasers.

The "Crew rescue" achievement has 5 levels:

  1. Rescue 5 missing crew members.
  2. Rescue 10 missing crew members.
  3. Rescue 15 missing crew members.
  4. Rescue 20 missing crew members.
  5. Rescue 25 missing crew members.

The "Completion" achievement has 3 levels:

  1. Complete the game on easy difficulty.
  2. Complete the game on normal difficulty.
  3. Complete the game on hard difficulty.

Starscape: All characters

Rin Fubuki

Many wanted to lead the first interstellar expedition. Of the most deserving astronauts, Rin Fubuki was chosen to be the station captain. It is not surprising that this young and fragile woman manages to easily manage the station while plotting a course. She is not afraid to make difficult decisions and take responsibility. For the sake of the good of his team, Rin, under certain circumstances, without hesitation, will sacrifice his life.

Max von Braun

Dr. Max von Braun invented the Spatial Engine - a device that allows you to open black holes in space and go through them to other dimensions, which makes it possible to freely explore completely new worlds and voids. Of course, only the creator of the P-Engine, the person who is best versed in its design, could become the head of the scientific laboratory at the station. The doctor’s thoughts are exclusively occupied with science, and only two factors can unbalance him - if mice start up again in his collection of meteorites or if someone tries to get in the way of his research.

Bad Zhevlakov

Bud began to fight for justice in his earliest youth, when he was still writing notes for the almanac "Milky Way Lineman", but only military service brought him real satisfaction. For outstanding services and numerous awards, the young officer Bad Zhevlakov was appointed responsible for the station’s security system. He takes his duties more than seriously. He never parted with his faithful blaster, he is not afraid of anyone and nothing, and all the time he is eager to take revenge on the cyborgs for their treacherous attack.

Yana Janssen

Yana Janssen is the youngest member of the expedition. Since childhood, Yana has been fond of technology and all kinds of mechanisms, and can install any equipment on the body of a spaceship in no time. After the death of her boss, Maya Rendon, Yana remained in the workshop of the "Shield of Zeus" in charge. Although it is not easy for her, she, however, does not forget to follow the latest in Mist fashion.

Xenars

Xenars are robots created by astronauts who were sucked into the Grid years ago. Those astronauts died long ago, and their faithful robots remained at their bases, scattered across different zones. The creators of the Xenars not only built machines to fight the Archids, but also endowed them with intelligence and character. Over time, the robots became obsolete, many of them were exterminated by enemies, but those who survived are not averse to chatting with travelers, sharing new knowledge with them, and even repairing the damaged station.

Archidae

Violent cyborgs, a mixture of man and machine. Astronauts who got into the Grid many years ago came up with a way to cross a living being with a machine, thereby hoping to prolong their lives. But as a result, insane and cruel creatures were born, obsessed only with the thirst for murder. The experiments that gave rise to them were immediately declared a crime punishable by death, but some Archids still managed to survive. They learned to move their brains into other people’s bodies and became immortal.

Archids are constantly on the hunt for new "genetic raw materials" - that is, creatures into whose body they could transfer their brain.

Starscape: How well do you know space?

1. How many planets are there in the solar system?

  1. Seven.
  2. Eight.
  3. Nine.
  4. Ten.

2. What is the name of the thirteenth zodiac constellation?

  1. Unicorn.
  2. Ophiuchus.
  3. Swan.
  4. Centaur.

3. What was the name of Gagarin’s ship?

  1. North.
  2. South.
  3. West.
  4. East.

4. What were the names of the astronauts who first landed on the moon?

  1. Larry Wachowski and Andy Wachowski.
  2. Jim Wallace and Thomas McPherson.
  3. Keith Richards and Charlie Watts.
  4. Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin.

5. Which planet in the solar system is the farthest from the sun?

  1. Mercury.
  2. Jupiter.
  3. Pluto.
  4. Neptune.

7. Which star is closest to Earth?

  1. Polar.
  2. Sirius.
  3. Proxima Centauri.
  4. Alpha Centauri.

8. What are the names of the satellites of the planet Mars?

  1. Phobos and Deimos.
  2. Neo and Morpheus.
  3. Algol and Vega.
  4. Alpha and Beta.

9. In what hemisphere is the constellation Orion?

  1. In the North.
  2. In the South.
  3. At the equator.
  4. There is no such constellation.

10. In what constellation is the North Star located?

  1. In the Big Dipper.
  2. In Ursa Minor.
  3. In Cassiopeia.
  4. In the Auriga.

11. How many moons does Jupiter have?

  1. Ten.
  2. Twelve.
  3. Fourteen.
  4. Sixteen.

Correct answers:

  1. 3.
  2. 2.
  3. 4.
  4. 4.
  5. 3.
  6. 3.
  7. 1.
  8. 1.
  9. 2.
  10. 3.

Results:

From 0 to 3 correct answers: Space is not only a hotel in Moscow. Maybe you should look at the night sky more often?

4 to 6 correct answers: Not bad! Indeed, the stars are interesting not only because they make up horoscopes. By the way, you could make a good astrologer!

From 7 to 10 correct answers: Wonderful! Maybe you should try your hand at astronomy, who knows, maybe you will be able to discover a new star or make contact with extraterrestrial civilizations?

Starscape: Recommendations for Space Fans

If you like stories about space travel and aliens, then you might be interested in the following books by great writers from different countries:

  1. K. Laumer - "Time Tamer", "Dinosaur Coast".
  2. K. Simak - "Goblin Reserve", "Almost like people".
  3. R. Heinlein - "Green Hills of the Earth", "Puppeteers".
  4. R. Sheckley - Collection of stories, "Corporation Immortality", "Coordinates of miracles".
  5. G. Garrison - "The Adventures of the Steel Rat", "Indomitable Planet".
  6. S. Yaroslavtsev - "Expedition to the Underworld", "The Tale of Friendship and Not Friendship".
  7. D. Brin - "Star tide".
  8. Fr. Karsak - "Escape of the Earth".

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