One of the most underrated games?

[Osmeroid]

At last! I've just got my first copy of Activision's Space Shuttle. It's been one of those titles I'd always wanted as a kid & never owned until now.

 

It's hard to believe that such an excellent and unusual game exists for the 2600. No blasting vast alien armadas - this is a highly atmospheric sim with a surprising complexity to it. Just playing this brings back those heady days of the first shuttle missions.

 

Have I just had too much caffiene or has anyone else found Space Shuttle really addictive to play?

[Nukey Shay]

Yep...and I'm the first "known" gamer to see the special screen!

[/pride]

...OK, so I cheated a little.

[/lies]

...OK, so, I cheated a LOT.

[/honesty]

 

Space Shuttle ushered in a new sense of realism for gaming, I think. Because many of it's aspects are not too far from how the real thing works.

 

And the programmer is pretty attractive, too...even if s/he had to cheat a little.

[Nukey Shay]

...OK, a LOT! Happy?

[Osmeroid]

Special screen? Is this an EE of some sort?

 

Space Shuttle is a great game that's getting better by the minute!

[Osmeroid]

Hey Nukey, how do you chea... *cough*, learn 'advanced mission skills' for SS?

 

 

Cadet Osmeroid

[Nukey Shay]

The special screen will be displayed IF (and that's a mighty big one) you can land after six successful dockings and have 7500 units of fuel left when it gives you your rank. Nobody has been able to do this successfully (without cheating, that is).

Not exactly an "easter egg", because the manual specifically states this. But up until last year, the screen was a mystery. You can see it at DP, if you don't mind the porn. j/k

 

The cheats I patched give you six dockings for the price of one, and keep your fuel from burning.

[Nukey Shay]

Time Machine

 

Your email is blocked, but you can hack it yourself by checking out that link**, or drop me a line.

 

**Follow the link at the top of the thread, and scroll down to almost the bottom post.

 

 

I wonder what Jessica is up to these days?

 

Edited for new board

[Osmeroid]

Thanks for that Nukey!

 

*rubs hands with glee*

 

I'll have a try with that tonight.

[Nukey Shay]

Note that you still need to dock and land playing game 3...which can be challenging enough as it is. Infinite fuel, so the time restriction is not a factor (MET plays no part in your rank...just the # of dockings and successful landing).

 

In addition to the loss of fuel, I doubt this is possible on the actual cart...since the satellite gets more erratic with each sucessive dock (having you waste a good share of fuel just to get it to line up).

[Nukey Shay]

New board links...

Cheat posted here...

http://www.atariage.com/forums/viewtopic.p...74e36daedbd1543

[DuckandCover]

It's hard to believe that such an excellent and unusual game exists for the 2600.  No blasting vast alien armadas - this is a highly atmospheric sim with a surprising complexity to it.

 

I have to admit I've always been impressed with Sapce Shuttle. I think the game is a pretty incredible accomplishment for the 2600. I have to admit, I've never put a lot of time into learning to master the game. But now that you've gotten me thinking about it...

[Adrian M]

I have to say it's the closest thing to a PC flight simulator that you're gonna get for the 2600.

 

Remarkable technological achievement.

[Chris++]

It's too bad MicroProse (the 8-bit game company) never got around to developing 2600 games...if Space Shuttle's possible, then I'd have loved to see F-14 Strike Eagle (or even Airborne Ranger!).

 

CF

[Rob Mitchell]

I've played SS a couple of times .. But I need to get one of those custom console overlays so I can remember the switch control functions.

 

anyone have a spare?

 

Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA

[Stella'sGhost]

Yeah baby, this game rocks. It has to be one of the best packaged and programmed games for the 2600. The flight manual is really cool. Back in the day this was so impressive, I still have the box and manuals and cart, it was so much fun when I got it in the 80's, the spaceshuttle was new and flight simulators were all the rage, but the Atari didn't have any, until this great game came out. It's not really a game in the traditional sense, it's more like a simulator, maybe this is why it wasn't very popular, but even back then I knew this was no ordinary game and that I

was probably playing the most sophisticated atari game ever made.....

[StanJr]

I love Space Shuttle, but MAN is that game hard! I can get into space ok, but there is no way I can get the blasted satellite to come into view, much less dock with it. I can do game 2 just fine, but in game 3 I get totally lost.

 

Its still tons of fun and frightfully deep for a VCS game.

[Rob Mitchell]

I've played SS a couple of times .. But I need to get one of those custom console overlays so I can remember the switch control functions.

 

Does anyone know what I am talking about? There is/was an overlay that goes over the console .. and specifies what every switch is for in SS. If anyone has one for the four switch, I would like a photocopy for my personal use.

 

Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA

[ATARIPITBULL]

It's sad for me to say this, but this is another game that sits in my big collection of Atari 2600 games that I have not had the time to play just yet. One of these days I'm going to have to shut of the whole world, grab about 20 games I have not played yet and just play them all day long. Yeah right!!!! with a wife, a one and a half year old son, and another baby on the way, I just have all the time in the world.

 

[Voch]

If anyone has one for the four switch, I would like a photocopy for my personal use.

 

Rob Mitchell, Atlanta, GA

 

Well, AtariAge has scans of both overlays (six switch and four switch) here.

 

I've got the overlays for my six-switcher but admit I really haven't tinkered with Space Shuttle much (I'm a Dig Dug kinda guy).

 

Voch

[Big Player]

This game is incredible. I read somewhere that during game testing, one of the testers was able to land the shuttle using the backup engines. This wasn't supposed to be possible but the designer couldn't find the bug. He (at the time) went back to NASA. Turns out that it is possible to land the real shuttle with the backup engines and this became part of NASA's emergency procedures.

 

I have the white label version and I didn't know it was a 6 in rarity. I got it for $2 with instructions from ebay. (And shipping was included as well!)

[Nukey Shay]

Didn't know that (I thought the shuttle only glided during the landing procedure?). But I do know that the programmer logged quite a few hours in NASA's shuttle simulator prior to writing the code...to get a feel for all the important stuff that needed to be incorporated.

[Big Player]

Yes, the shuttle does glide once it has left orbit. The backup engines are used to get it out of orbit and begin the descent. (Or what ever the technical name is, physics isn't my thing.)

[Nukey Shay]

Ohhhh...

BTW it's called "deorbit burn". I guess it was named after a kid that got spun around on a carpet by his older brother.

 

 

"Agh! De Orbit BURN!!!"

[Osmeroid]

Could there be anything cooler than being a Shuttle pilot?

 

 

Man, wish I could do that