The Artemis Bridge Simulator has received a significant upgrade, adding a mission scripting system, new and tougher enemies, a ship editor, space monsters, black holes and more.
The Artemis Bridge Simulator, in case you missed it the last time around, is possibly the coolest multiplayer LAN game ever conceived. It supports up to six PCs or laptops in a network, five serving a specific function – helm, engineering, weapons, communications and science – that collectively make up a typical Star Trek-style starship bridge, while the sixth belongs to the captain, who doesn’t directly control anything but instead monitors the situation and issues orders to his crew. The idea is nothing short of brilliant and with the newly released 1.5 update now available, the game now packs a considerably improved gameplay punch.
Changes in the latest release of the game include the addition of black holes which “drag everything around them toward fiery doom,” three new missions designed as “technical challenges for experienced crews,” a binocular-style “gun-cam” for manual firing from the weapons station, a new scripting system that allows for the creation and sharing of complex missions, and numerous tweaks and changes to gameplay. There are now neutral and friendly ships roaming the galaxy, dangerous, elite enemies with teleporters and cloaking devices, and even space monsters! The game also sports a brand-new soundtrack that serious Artemis fans can purchase separately.
The whole package goes for $40, which entitles you to outfit an entire bridge crew, but if you don’t mind putting yourself on public display you can actually get the full version for absolutely nothing. Just grab the demo, make a video of your crew in action, upload it to Youtube and send a link [along with a few other details] to the developer. Cosplay is optional but, as the team in this video proves, never a bad idea.
Learn more about the indisputably awesome Artemis Bridge Simulator at artemis.eochu.com.
via: Rock, Paper, Shotgun
Published: Jul 21, 2011 05:41 pm