Contributions > Descriptions by Mitch Gross (72)

Moonbase Alpha allows players to assume the roles of astronauts that have to address a catastrophic situation at a lunar settlement. A general overview of this game is as follows:

A small recently established lunar settlement has been conducting extensive lunar research at the southern pole of the moon. A small research crew has just returned from a field research mission in time to witness debris from a nearby meteor impact striking the solar array and life support system at the lunar colony. The team must work together to repair the life support system and solar array, and to restore oxygen to the settlement before time runs out. The team will determine the best use of their available resources which include a lunar rover, mobile robotic repair units, and a stocked equipment shed in order to restore oxygen to the settlement.

Moonbase Alpha supports up to six active players (team members). The team members will work together to address a potentially catastrophic event that threatens the lunar settlement. Proper use and allocation of their available resources (player controlled robots, rovers, repair tools, etc.) are key to the team’s overall success. There are several ways in which the team can successfully restore the life support system of the lunar base, but since the team is scored on the time they take to complete the task, they have to work effectively as a team, learn from decisions made in previous gaming sessions, and make intelligent decisions in order to top the leaderboards. Moonbase Alpha has several selectable maps that are designed for specific player numbers (e.g., 2 player map, 4 player map, etc.). Each of these maps is represented and tracked individually within the game’s leaderboards.

Moonbase Alpha is intended to provide an accurate and immersive depiction of a lunar experience, a high level of replay value, and a test bed for multiplayer interactions that will be used in a much larger NASA game.