New version of MoonBaseOne Game!

Merry Christmas! I just returned from travelling, and posted an updated version of the game. Steps to download and install it are on the right side of this page (the game zip file is here).

Things added:
- A mission system
- Another large base
- Jetpack
- AI Bots that follow paths
- Sandstorm effects
- Night effects
- Terrain Fixes

Next, I'll start building out some of the great ideas that everyone's posted.

More Moon mission ideas

Exploration

• Exploration of the moon. Test rock samples brought back from EVA’s.

Operations and Maintenance

• Re-supply missions to moon.
• Remotely drive a rover to collect supplies from landing site
• Set up power unit – deploy solar panels
• Respond to anomalies:

1. Return to Moon Base due to radiation from solar activity
2. Power loss – repair power station
3. Medical issues – rescue injured astronaut
4. Pressure leaks (micrometeorites) – repair facility
5. Broken filtration units – build new water filtration unit
6. Reports of different problems from earth

Other possibilities for the video game. This can include a host of anomalies from things blowing up to falling off a cliff. I think the more danger, the better.

• Building the base – inflating structures or using the Moon buggy to move structures into place.
• Mining operation – Astronaut services a robotic mining operation. Perhaps transporting oxygen to the home base or Helium 3 to a rocket for launch
• Servicing failed equipment – autonomous telescopes that break down
• Cleaning off large solar cells when covered by regolith (If he kicks up too much dust, the solar cells get covered and power in the station goes down)
• Food production – hydroponics facility
• Collecting supplies that came from earth
  

Lunar Research Station Design Challenge webcast

Steven Heffel from the Federation of Galaxy Explorers team in Montanta recommended this:

For the past several months, students, primarily in grades 5 - 8, have been challenged to design and build a full- or scale-model of an Earth-based research station that will support living adaptively and working efficiently on the Moon. The final designs for the Lunar Research Station Design Challenge are arriving from students around the world, and are being posted at: http://quest.nasa.gov/lunar/outpostchallenge/final/index.html

On Dec. 12 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific time, NASA Quest will conduct a Web cast from NASA Ames and the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah, one of several research stations established by the Mars Society in areas of the world that serve as analogs (similar environments) to Mars.

The Web cast will connect the students who have been participating in the Lunar Research Station Design Challenge since September, with crewmembers and commanders who at that point will be living in the MDRS habitat. Featured will be the students' designs and the parallel sites that NASA has participated in building.

For more information on the challenge: http://quest.nasa.gov/lunar/outpostchallenge/

For more information and/or to join the webcast on Tuesday: http://quest.nasa.gov/lunar/outpostchallenge/webcast.html

NASA unveils Moon Strategy

Big story from NASA today:

• http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061205/ap_on_sc/nasa_moon
• http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20061204/sc_space/nasaunveilsstrategyforreturntothemoon

NASA has unveiled plans for returning to the Moon! The mission plan is to start in 2020 with a four person crew, and grow from there. The main outpost will be a Lunar base, probably close to the south pole where there are many mining opportunities.

Do we want to incorporate this into the game? What dates are we thinking of for this occuring? 2015? 2020? 2030? 2040?

Mars ideas we can "borrow"

Here's a good Mars site that has some interesting and creative designs and images.

http://www.crazy4mars.com/visit.html

I like the layout of this base, and think we should start reprodcuing the buildings in it to at least get a first layout of our base. Should all buildings only be buildable in a specific location (much easier to program), or should you be able to freely place any building?

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Also, here are some good images from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which could be used for Moon Textures as well:

More quests and Space rock threats

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20061201/sc_space/potentialdangermoonhitbymorespacerocksthanthought

The potential danger to being hit by meteroites/micro-meteorites seems to be at least 4 times greater than our computer models predicted. This could make for some interesting missions, and random explosions/damage during the game.



Our "quests"/"missions" could be in the form of:

Assigned through company on Earth via radio communication

• Go get some mineral or amount of minerals
• Repair or place or move a mining station (or make sure a "transport bot" can retrieve minerals)
• Recover an "air-dropped" package and return to base
• Fix a NASA-owned asset, such as a telescope, transmitter, or weapon (asteroid-shooter?)
• Help robot drones with a problem they are having
• An employee/vehicle/bot of a competing company on the moon needs rescue

Randomly occuring

• Rover breaks down while you're riding it
• Micrometeorite hits a building/equipment
• Computer failure with something you're using.... reboot a machine
• Complete comms failure, can't receive missions
• Solar flare causing radiation storm... need to seek shelter immediately

Freeform - bonuses that you receive by doing things on your own

• Purchase minerals/equipment from a competitor
• Go discover or haul extra resources
• Find or analyze new resource or chemicals
• Clear lunar dust to prepare for future needs (moon dust is magnetized and very sharp, gets into everything and ruins equipment)

Radiotelescope on the moon by 2018

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-2480764,00.html

A few scenarios for the game might revolve around taking care of the NASA Lunar telescope... possibly building or upgrading parts of it, repairing micro-meteorite holes, or general care and feeding.

This might play well into the concept of the character being a "contractor" or employee of a corporation that is on the moon for a company making proftis. This company might be on consignment for repairs and other space tasks by the Earth-bound governments. This might make for a really good/competitive story of having different corporations all fighting for the bonus money of the first to complete certain lunar missions.

Any thoughts?