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Escape Velocity is a single-player, role-playing, science fiction computer game series first introduced in 1996 by Ambrosia Software for the Apple Macintosh. Two other similar games based on the original, EV Override and EV Nova, followed in 1998 and 2002 respectively. In addition there is a trading card game available based around the storyline of the EV Nova universe. A logo for WP:AID; a combination of the WP logo and the picture from the shovel article. ...
Image File history File links Escape_Velocity. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (832x624, 135 KB) Summary Escape Velocity (computer game) opening title screenshot. ...
A video game developer is a software developer (a business or an individual) that creates computer or video games. ...
Ambrosia Software is a predominantly Macintosh software company located in Rochester, New York. ...
Video game publishers are companies that publish video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer. ...
Ambrosia Software is a predominantly Macintosh software company located in Rochester, New York. ...
A game designer is a person who designs games. ...
A game engine is the core software component of a video game. ...
1996 (MCMXCVI) is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...
This is a listing of computer and video games genres with brief descriptions and examples from each genre. ...
Computer role-playing games (CRPGs), often shortened to simply role-playing games (RPGs), are a type of video or computer game that traditionally uses gameplay elements found in paper-and-pencil role-playing games. ...
In computer games and video games, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. ...
// History Main article: History of computer and video games The first primitive computer and video games were developed in the 1950s and 1960s and ran on platforms such as oscilloscopes, university mainframes and EDSAC computers. ...
Mac OS, which stands for Macintosh Operating System, is a range of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Computer for their Macintosh computers. ...
See: escape velocity (physics) Escape Velocity (computer game) Escape Velocity (band) Escape Velocity Nova is an expandable card-driven board game based on earlier computer game [1],[2] This is a disambiguation page—a list of articles associated with the same title. ...
In computer games and video games, single-player refers to the variant of a particular game where input from only one player is expected throughout the course of the gaming session. ...
In role-playing, participants adopt characters, or parts, that have personalities, motivations, and backgrounds different from their own. ...
Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ...
A computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players interact with in order to achieve a defined goal or set of goals. ...
1996 (MCMXCVI) is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...
Ambrosia Software is a predominantly Macintosh software company located in Rochester, New York. ...
The Macintosh project started in early 1979 with Jef Raskin, an Apple employee, who envisioned an easy-to-use, low-cost computer for the average consumer. ...
EV Override is a Macintosh-only role-playing game that takes place in space. ...
Escape Velocity Nova is a computer game by Ambrosia Software, in collaboration with ATMOS. It is the third game in the Escape Velocity series. ...
1998 (MCMXCVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...
2002 (MMII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Collectible card games (CCGs), also called customizable card games or trading card games, are played using specially designed sets of cards. ...
The series was created as a joint effort between several people and groups. Matt Burch programmed nearly the entire program and engine, except for the registration system and various libraries. He also devised the scenario for the first game. Ambrosia Software, headed by Andrew Welch, managed marketing, registration, and distribution. Early test versions of the game went by the name ‘Merc’ (short for ‘mercenary’). Peter Cartwright wrote the scenario for Override and the Australian company ATMOS created the scenario of EV Nova; both originated as plug-ins for the preceding games before being picked up by Ambrosia as sequels. The fighter pilot voices in the original game were provided by Patrick Delahanty. A plug-in of additional phrases was also created and later included as part of EV Override. Matt Burch is a computer programmer who created the computer game Escape Velocity and programmed the engine for its sequels Escape Velocity: Override and Escape Velocity: Nova, published by Ambrosia Software (While Matt Burch created the scenario for the first Escape Velocity game, the scenarios for Escape Velocity: Override and...
Ambrosia Software is a predominantly Macintosh software company located in Rochester, New York. ...
Andrew Welch is the president of Macintosh software development company Ambrosia Software. ...
A mercenary is a soldier who fights, or engages in warfare primarily for private gain, usually with little regard for ideological, national or political considerations. ...
Atmos is a psychedelic trance artist from Sweden whose real name is Tomasz Balicki. ...
Patrick Delahanty (born March 6, 1973 in Lewiston, Maine) is best known as the creator of the infamous web site known as The Chibi Project where he is responsible for conducting hideous, violent acts upon unsuspecting little toys. ...
Although there has been much speculation, the developers indicate that there will be no fourth release of Escape Velocity.
Similarly, the developers pay no heed to the near-constant requests for a multi-player version of the game. In addition to the amount of work that would be required to produce one, the game’s developers believe that a multi-player version of the game would not be compatible with the gameplay of the series. Multiplayer is a mode of play for computer and video games in which multiple people can play the same game at the same time. ...
Licensing and technical features
The first two Escape Velocity games were only available for the Apple Macintosh. The first two are Classic-only, but EV Nova is a Carbon application and runs natively on both the original Mac OS and Mac OS X. EV Nova has been ported to Windows, and adapted versions of the scenarios of the first games are available as free plug-ins. The Macintosh project started in early 1979 with Jef Raskin, an Apple employee, who envisioned an easy-to-use, low-cost computer for the average consumer. ...
Classic is an emulation layer in Mac OS X that allows applications written for earlier versions of Mac OS to run on OS X systems, without having to boot the system using one of those versions. ...
Carbon is the codename of Apple Computers APIs for the Macintosh operating system, which permits a good degree of backward compatibility between source code written to run on the classic Mac OS, and the newer Mac OS X. The APIs are published and accessed in the form of C...
Mac OS, which stands for Macintosh Operating System, is a range of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Computer for their Macintosh computers. ...
Mac OS X is the operating system which is included with all shipping Apple Macintosh computers in the consumer and professional markets. ...
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating environments and operating systems created by Microsoft for use on personal computers and servers. ...
This series follows the general licensing rule for Ambrosia Software. All three games are shareware. Ambrosia’s shareware system allows most distribution of unregistered games. Copies of the first two Escape Velocity games will work without limitation for 30 days. During that time, the player is simply reminded at startup that they have not registered, and told how many times they have played the game, and for how many hours. There is also the character called ‘Cap’n Hector’ (named after Ambrosia’s mascot and office parrot) who reminds the player to register. This is ususally done by flying by the player’s ship or attacking the player, but in EV Override, Cap’n Hector also robs the player’s credits. Shareware is a marketing method for software, whereby a trial version is distributed in advance and without payment, as is common for proprietary software. ...
Genera A parrot is any of the many birds belonging to the family Psittacidae. ...
Bank robbery is the crime of robbing a bank. ...
An unregistered copy of EV Nova is more limited. In addition to the attacks by Cap’n Hector, certain ships and technologies cannot be obtained after the thirty-day trial ends, and even before then, the game’s story lines stop about two thirds of the way through, and plug-ins are not supported. Once the game has been registered, Cap’n Hector and all of the other restrictions disappear from the game. For obvious reasons, players are not permitted to share or redistribute their registration codes.
The entire series features what many people consider a very open-ended plug-in architecture. This allows the scenarios to be completely rewritten or significantly added to by those in no way associated with Ambrosia in terms of graphics, plotline, ships, missions, etc. This technology is based on the Macintosh resource fork format, making it possible to develop plug-ins without using any purpose-designed editors (though several editors exist and are popular since they make the task much easier). Since Windows does not support resource forks and it is therefore impossible to preserve them when transferring files to Windows-based computers, an alternate format and a conversion system were devised for the Windows version of the game. Plug-in is the term used for the add-on files used to modify the Escape Velocity series of games by Ambrosia Software. ...
The resource fork is a construct of the Mac OS operating system and implemented in all of the filesystems used for system drives on the Macintosh, MFS, HFS and HFS Plus (However later versions of mac OS could read and write to disks in formats that didnt support resourse...
Gameplay Most of the game takes place in a spaceship shown from a third-person overhead perspective. The player has the option of engaging in both combat and trade. Players fly around in one of hundreds of star systems, which are connected to each other by hyperlinks. A spaceship can move between star systems along the hyperlinks by engaging its hyperdrive. Alternately, wormholes or hypergates may be utilized for instantaneous travel.
Most systems contain stellar objects such as planets and space stations. Players can land on these objects, where they may be given the option to trade, gain missions, purchase add-on outfits for their spaceship, or entirely new spaceships. Plotline is advanced through missions available from both facilities upon planets as well as NPCs flying through space.
Many people consider this series unique in the way that it prescribes very little as to what the player can do. They can choose which missions to follow and which governments to form a good relationship with or to be entirely neutral. They can choose to be a trader or a mercenary or an asteroid miner among a number of things or a combination of several.
The three games are alike in gameplay only; the universe and plot are completely separate and unrelated between the releases. Each release’s engine contains improvements on the previous version, although by far the most significant improvements were made in the third release.
Plots The plot of the original Escape Velocity involves disputes between the Confederation government and a Rebellion against it. As noted earlier the player can pick sides (or not) based on who they believe is right, who they believe is stronger, who they believe it is more profitable to support, or any other criteria. The Confederation is one of two main governments in the computer game Escape Velocity. ...
The Rebellion is one of two main governments in the computer game Escape Velocity. ...
The universe and plots of the second title, EV Override, are significantly larger and more complex. The major conflicts are between the humans of the United Earth colonies, and the warlike Voinians to the galactic west. Also present are the peaceful traders, the Miranu, and the warring Strand races: the Igadzra, Zidagar, and Azdgari. See EV Override for more information. EV Override is a Macintosh-only role-playing game that takes place in space. ...
United Earth is one of the governments in Escape Velocity: Override. ...
The Voinians are one of the governments in Escape Velocity: Override. ...
The Azdgari are one of the three Strand races found in Escape Velocity: Override, a Macintosh game published by Ambrosia Software. ...
EV Override is a Macintosh-only role-playing game that takes place in space. ...
In the third title, EV Nova, there are six unique major factions with which the player may side, along with numerous smaller groups. These factions include the Federation, the Rebellion, the Auroran Empire, the Polaris, the telepathic Vell-os, and the Pirates. See EV Nova for more information. Escape Velocity Nova is a computer game by Ambrosia Software, in collaboration with ATMOS. It is the third game in the Escape Velocity series. ...
In the computer game Escape Velocity Nova, the Federation is one of the principle governments. ...
In the computer game EV Nova the Rebellion is one of the six major factions and is in the middle of a war against the Federation, particularly the Bureau. ...
The Auroran Empire is one of the main political blocs in the computer game Escape Velocity Nova. ...
History In the computer game Escape Velocity Nova, the Polaris are a race of technologically, and in some cases telepathically, advanced humans who broke away from the Colonial Council in 480 NC. The first expedition that ventured in the direction of the North Star was arranged by Kerrell Polaris, who...
Within the game EV Nova, the Vell-os are a telepathic race. ...
Pirates in EV Nova represent the criminal side of the universe. ...
Escape Velocity Nova is a computer game by Ambrosia Software, in collaboration with ATMOS. It is the third game in the Escape Velocity series. ...
The ships throughout the entire series have followed general plans — for instance, the angular Rebel Manta continues to have red trim, and the Confederate Cruiser is slow but powerful.
External links - Ambrosia Software: Escape Velocity
- Ambrosia Software: EV Override
- Ambrosia Software: EV Nova
- EV-Nova.net
- #nova@irc.ambrosia.org official IRC channel
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