Buzz Aldrin's Space Program Manager

[Syt]

Yay, a new space program game!

Boo, no Soviet vs. U.S. space race? 

http://www.slitherine.com/games/BA_SPM_Pc

Buzz Aldrin's Space Program Manager (SPM) is the ultimate game of space exploration. It is the mid 1950s and the biggest nations in the world, in an effort to conquer outer space together, have established the Global Space Agency (GSA). You are in charge. It's your duty to carefully manage the agency's budget by opening programs, spending R&D funds on improving the hardware, recruiting personnel and astronauts and launching space missions in this realistic turn based strategy game.

In sandbox mode manage your agency, recruit and train technicians, astronauts, flight controllers, scientists and engineers. Research and develop thousands of components for hundreds of missions, all the time balancing your budget. Then watch your missions launch with thousands of beautiful renders of these amazing spacecraft. In Campaign mode do all this while also dealing with politicians and their short term goals.

Develop the X-15 Space plane, the Sputnik satellite, the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo manned spacecrafts and in later episodes on to Mars! You are not limited to the missions that did launch - you can also try out many that were planned but that never left the drawing board. For example, instead of sending men to the Moon using the Lunar Orbit Rendezvous (LOR) approach used by Project Apollo in the late 1960s and early 1970s, you will be able to rewrite history and use either the alternative Earth Orbit Rendezvous (EOR) or Direct Ascent schemes. The number of options ensures every game will be different and there is huge replay value.

To ensure the accuracy and authenticity of the game it is being developed in consultation with Dr. Buzz Aldrin, former U.S. Air Force combat pilot (66 missions in Korea) and NASA astronaut, who took part in the first Moon landing mission and became the second human being to walk on the Moon.

If you have any interest in Space and its exploration this is a game you just do not want to miss!

Features list:

- Manage all aspects of your fledgling space agency from the 1950's through to the Lunar landings in the first episode. Later episodes will add a permanent space station in Earth orbit all the way to the ultimate goal – a Manned Mission to Mars!
- Create space programs and launch missions inspired by real programs such as the X-15 Space plane and the Sputnik satellite through to the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo manned spacecrafts and more!
- Research and develop hundreds of mission components from 40 different program categories.
- Develop your facility with advanced structures and upgrades including the Vehicle Assembly Building, the Mission Control Center and the Observatory.
- Recruit and train astronaut candidates and assign them to missions.
- Assemble an elite team of Scientists, Engineers, Technicians and Flight Controllers for the best chance of success.
- Manage your agency's extensive budget.
- Components can cause catastrophic failures. You must decide whether to abort or push on with each mission.
- Vast amounts of research ensure the huge database includes missions that launched and many more that never left the drawing board!
- In Campaign Mode, manage your agency while pandering to the requirements of government to keep your position as Director!
- Play in Sand Box mode to manage your budget with no politics involved.
- Hundreds of components built in 3D and rendered out in exquisite detail allow you to follow the progress of your missions.
- A historic advisor gives background information on the real missions and astronauts throughout the game.
- Designed in consultation with Dr. Buzz Aldrin, Apollo 11 Lunar Module Pilot and the second human being to set foot on the Moon.

I loved Buzz Aldrin's Race Into Space. Except for its cheating AI that got freebies in research and missions that made it near impossible to win against it. 

[Syt]

Boo, no Soviet vs. U.S. space race? 

http://www.matrixgames.com/news/1329/A.new.plan.for.Space.Program.Manager

First and foremost a brand new "Race to the Moon" campaign will be added: players will be able to play as either the Soviets or the USA in a race to be the first to set foot on the Moon (and return safely back to Earth!). This 2 new campaigns will co-exist with the originally announced campaign, which means that the campaign mode will now feature three options: race to the Moon as Soviets, race to the Moon as Americans and Global Space Agency.

Of course, this being Slitheratrix, it will probably cost 69.99 + tax on release (marked down 10% for Christmas sale 2017).

[Tamas]

 

[Syt]

So yeah, it costs 16 EUR. But pricing at Matrix/Slitherine is a crapshoot. "Here's this incredibly niche product. We charge €70! Here's another incredibly niche product. We charge €15!"

[garbon]

I thought Tam was our go to fall guy.

[Grinning_Colossus]

Can I have a rocket explode on the launchpad and kill most of the program's braintrust?

[Syt]

Well, this is now released, for €18.47 on Steam.

Features

Three different campaign modes: play as NASA or the Soviet space agency in order to be the first on the Moon or play as the Global Space Agency (GSA) and deal with the short-term objectives issued by politicians.

Manage all aspects of your space agencies from their inception in the 1950's through to the manned lunar landing missions

Play the race to the Moon campaign mode against other players using Slitherine's PBEM system.

The Sandbox mode allows you to play as any of the three space agencies and removes all competition restrictions. You will have a fully featured playground in order to try out different approaches to space exploration!

Create space programs and launch missions inspired by real programs such as the X-15 Space plane, the Sputnik satellite, the Gemini, Vostok and Apollo manned spacecraft and a lot more!

Research and develop dozens of mission components from several program categories.

Develop your facility with advanced structures and upgrades including the Vehicle Assembly Building and the Mission Control Centre.

Recruit and train astronaut candidates and assign them to missions.

Assemble an elite team of Scientists, Engineers, Technicians (SET), Flight Controllers for the best chance of success.

Manage your agency's budget.

Mission components have an associated reliability factor and can cause catastrophic failures.

Vast amounts of historical research ensure that the game's huge database features missions that launched and many more that never left the drawing board!

A vast array of components built in 3D and rendered out in exquisite detail allow you to follow the progress of your missions via animated sequences.

The Buzz-opedia gives background information on the real programs, missions and hardware throughout the game.

The soundtrack features a unique playlist for each space agency and numerous tracks for the mission animations.

I read on Matrix forums that the resolution is locked to 1280x720.

[Tamas]

 

[Tamas]

Also, whoever can win the Soviet or US campaign on Hard, I will PBEM with.

[CountDeMoney]

Boo, no Soviet vs. U.S. space race? 

You want a Soviet space simulator?  Sit with a dog in a car with the windows rolled up on 90 degree a day until you both die.  There, instant Sovietski Spaceski Programski Simulationski.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Boo, no Soviet vs. U.S. space race? 

You want a Soviet space simulator?  Sit with a dog in a car with the windows rolled up on 90 degree a day until you both die.  There, instant Sovietski Spaceski Programski Simulationski.

don't forget the dashcams

[Berkut]

This looks pretty cool, but is it really the case that you cannot play US vs. Soviet in PBEM or some form of MP?

[Syt]

Not sure, but RPS ha this to say:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/11/14/the-flare-path-and-the-disappointed-dervish/

My feelings towards Buzz Aldrin's Space Program Manager have taken longer to crystallize, and are slightly more nuanced, but basically boil down to the same thing. Disappointment.

Polar Motion's paean to space exploration is packed with carefully researched history and appealing animations. As an interactive encyclopaedia, it's fascinating. Where it struggles is in converting all that Sputnik slinging and Eagle engineering into compelling play mechanisms.

A turn-based R&D race/man management sim with structural similarities to Buzz Aldrin's Race Into Space, it asks you to spend far too much time laboriously assigning training topics to faceless personnel, and watching rocket reliability bars slowly extend. Choosing which of the myriad possible projects to pursue next can be thought-provoking, but the unimaginative way in which skill and reliability stats improve then translate into mission success chances, means the pattern of play rapidly becomes tiresome.

Even technical crises and astronaut-extinguishing disasters don't accelerate pulse rates. When something goes wrong a vague message appears, dice are rolled (silently, off-stage) and another officious pop-up announces whether your rocket, probe, shuttle etc. has survived the scare. Mini-games, humour, flawed astronauts, acerbic performance assessments from Mr. Aldrin... BASPM needs something to enliven its dry-as-moon-rock proceedings.

[The Brain]

It needs a hero. And we all know who that is.

[Tamas]

This looks pretty cool, but is it really the case that you cannot play US vs. Soviet in PBEM or some form of MP?

You CAN play US vs. Soviet in PBEM. As I said earlier, win one of the campaigns on Hard so you are a challenge to me, and I will play you