Escape Velocity Nova is a video game by Ambrosia Software, in collaboration with ATMOS. It is the third game in the Escape Velocity series of space trading and combat games. It was released on March 19, 2002 for MacOS, and later ported to Windows and released on July 11, 2003. Originally a plug-in for Escape Velocity Override created by ATMOS, Nova development began with Ambrosia contracting ATMOS to make the plug-in the scenario for a new game. ATMOS developed the scenario and graphics, while Matt Burch developed the game engine. The game features six different mutually exclusive plot lines, but players have control to act as they will from the start of the game. Reception to the game praised the gameplay, plot, and ability to be replayed, but was critical of the lack of a soundtrack, repetitiveness, and pace and difficulty of the storylines.
Gameplay
In Escape Velocity Nova, the player is placed in command of a shuttlecraft in space. The game is played from a top-down perspective in 2D. A tutorial is offered, but players are granted freedom to act as they will at the start. Players can earn additional money by purchasing and trading goods, as well as taking missions transporting people or goods to various locations, or by stealing from other ships. The player's ship can move between systems of planets by using a hyperspace jump. At various planets, the player can take on missions and trade goods, as well as buy new ships or outfit their current ship with new weapons and accessories. Ship classes vary from shuttlecraft to large frigates. There are six different plot lines within the game that can be played. Each of the plot lines is mutually exclusive and a new game must be begun to play a different story. A player's choices in the plot lines can impact the political alignment of the entire map.
Plot
Set in the year 1177 N.C., Escape Velocity Nova begins long after mankind has begun to explore outer space. Years before, a person named Omata Kane designed a "hypergate" system connecting systems of human-inhabited worlds that had been discovered by colonists from Earth. Terrorists destroyed the hypergate in the Sol system, which damaged the entire network. With this isolation, warlords arose and fell in the various disconnected systems. The later invention of hyperspace technology allowed for the lost systems to be reconnected, and resulted in order. Centered around Earth and the Sol system is the Federation, while to the south is the Auroran Empire, categorized as "a savage race". Another group, called the Polaris, hold the east, while the north and west are unexplored territory. The player, having just purchased a shuttle, is cast out to begin a life as the captain of their own ship.
Development
According to the game's publisher, Ambrosia Software, Matt Burch developed the game engine, while Andrew Welch managed the project and ATMOS developed the graphics and scenario. Nova began as a plug-in for Escape Velocity Override in July 1998, developed by ATMOS. In July 2000, Ambrosia contracted ATMOS to convert the plug-in into the scenario for Nova. Development of the game from Override took approximately 12 months, with an additional 8 months of beta testing. Escape Velocity Nova was released on March 19, 2002 for Mac, and later that year was announced to be receiving a Windows port, which was released on July 11, 2003. A 2008 update for Mac was built as a universal binary with native support for Intel processors.
Reception
Writing for Macworld, Peter Cohen lauded the combination of action-based space battles with adventure-style gaming. He noted the improvements over Nova's predecessors while stating that Ambrosia Software "has wisely left alone what ain't broken." PC Gamer's J.T. Trollman gave praise for the game's story writing but was critical of the game's lengthy repetition and time span between points in the story. In a review for Inside Mac Games, Richard Porcher expressed that Nova's strongest point was its ability to be replayed repeatedly, especially with support for plug-ins in the game. He also pointed out flaws with the storylines being too easy and the plot lines being mutually exclusive, but felt all would be addressed with plug-ins and that the game's graphics were superior for a shareware game. NomaD of Russian website Absolute Games praised the game's large map and scenario, while also critical of the game's lack of a soundtrack.
