I came across this 2D spaceflight/orbital mechanics game by chance when searching for another app on the store, and was surprised not to find a thread for it here as it's been out for a while (maybe the developer needs tobe introduced to ta?). Impressions: So far it's been really good fun for an Apollo and spaceflight geek. The controls are simple enough and work well. I'm only a third of the way through through the missions right now, but it looks as if there will be some quite complex ones further in. From the launch vehicle and payload components available, it looks as if a Moon Shot mission is on the cards (including the Russian N1 launch vehicle - I just hope it comes with good insurance cover! ). Missions so far range from just getting objects into orbit, through to reentry and recovery. It has a free flight mode, which is good for practicing. It runs well on my old iTouch 4G as well as the new iTouch 5G (which happily runs it in widescreen). There are no achievements, and I've not noticed any iCould sync between devices (neither of which particularly bother me, but I know some prefer apps that support these). Space Agency Nooleus Build rockets, launch satellites, create a space station! Do you want to build and fly your own space rockets? O… $1.99 Buy Now Watch Media DetailsBuild rockets, launch satellites, create a space station! Do you want to build and fly your own space rockets? Of course you do! Are you a billionaire? No...that makes it tricky. Fortunately, there is a way for us non-billionaires to run our own space programme...Space Agency! * Build rockets * Launch satellites * Create a space station * Explore the solar system This is a highly challenging and complex game. Only the most talented astronauts should attempt it. Have you got the right stuff? Information Seller:Nooleus Genre:Action, Simulation, Strategy Release:Jul 18, 2012 Updated:Apr 17, 2020 Version:1.9.7 Size:29.2 MB TouchArcade Rating:Unrated User Rating: (2) Your Rating:unrated Compatibility:HD Universal oooooomonkey Well-Known Member Jan 15, 2011 6,307 0 0 Forge World #2 oooooomonkey, Mar 21, 2013 Can't believe nobody's posted about this I bought it last night and its great. You get to organise your very own space missions, build your ship then control the take off and fly around space, orbit planets and launch satellites and space rovers and then renter and land again. It's all done very well. It's one of those games that's easy to learn but hard to actually do in practice though. Brilliant game deserves some more attention I'd say. iPadisGreat Well-Known Member Dec 10, 2012 2,390 0 0 #3 iPadisGreat, Mar 21, 2013 Last edited: Mar 22, 2013 Very hard to control... After futzing about I finally built a rocket that can reach orbit, then after more futzing about, made it deliver the payload. Then the next level is a maze to navigate with the inertia steering system. Deleted at that point. Played on an iPad 2. Goliath Corp Member Dec 24, 2009 18 0 0 #4 Goliath Corp, Mar 22, 2013 I haven't played this in a while (too much time on World of Tanks recently...), but finished all the missions except for the last one, where I was having issues landing the LM in one piece. Definitely agree with the easy to learn/hard to master - had a lot of fun learning through mistakes such as building launchers that I believed could make it into orbit which then ended up planting themselves after staging I do need to go back and finish that Apollo mission though I did try out the universal update on the iPad and personally found the controls were more a bit more fiddly compared to the iTouch - I felt that scaling the controls on the iPad up a bit would probably make them as effective as on the iTouch. The maze in the basic manoeuvring training mission was a step change in complexity from the first mission - I needed a few tries to get my coordination right to complete it. I also didn't bother and try and finish it in record time, just concentrated on getting the basics right. And from memory most other missions were somewhere in between in complexity. Finally rated this here and gave it 5 stars; awesome little game which conveys the essence of what it's like to be a mission controller or astronaut. adin Well-Known Member Nov 24, 2008 175 8 18 New Mexico #5 adin, Apr 2, 2013 would anyone else call this the 'kerbal space program' for the moment? I'd love to see even a stopped down version of kerbal space program for iOS, andifmthis dev is headed Ethan way, I'd be ecstatic. Nathan-Drake Member Mar 22, 2013 22 0 0 Spain #6 Nathan-Drake, Apr 2, 2013 The game is nice, but I think the gameplay concept is a little difficult to learn, and the visuals are not as attractive as other games of the genre. iPadisGreat Well-Known Member Dec 10, 2012 2,390 0 0 #7 iPadisGreat, Apr 2, 2013 Actually, I enjoyed the launching part. It is just the change of gameplay to the gamey maze navigation with bad controls that really... Monolith Well-Known Member Dec 20, 2010 227 0 0 #8 Monolith, May 6, 2013 This is a wonderful premise and the design is great. Unfortunately, there are a few issues that make this game less than "stellar." There is a huge variety of rockets, but their actual usefulness doesn't scale with their various sizes. There are three categories of rockets; small, medium, and large. The "large" American Apollo V, for example, has just as much useful payload capacity as the "small" Chinese Long March rocket -- that's ridiculous! It takes away from the fun of unlocking new larger rockets when all that really changes is the graphics. Some better formulas underlying this part of the game would make things a lot more fun. Second, i've encountered a couple bugs that cause your rocket/vehicle to freeze in orbit. For example, in mission 15, if you head out on the Voyager mission with a tug attached, and later on you detach it, your Voyager probe will freeze in mid-orbit. Hitting the thrust buttons gets a corresponding thruster noise, but no movement. Even the original orbit speed is gone, you're just standing still. There's no way to recover, and you have to restart the mission. If those issues were fixed i'd give this game 5 stars. stlredbird Well-Known Member May 21, 2009 1,354 0 36 #9 stlredbird, Apr 10, 2015 Just found this game. Better late than never. A real hidden gem. Having a great time with the career mode. Challenging but manageable. (You must log in or sign up to post here.) Show Ignored Content Share This Page Tweet Your name or email address: Do you already have an account? No, create an account now. Yes, my password is: Forgot your password? Stay logged in
Can't believe nobody's posted about this I bought it last night and its great. You get to organise your very own space missions, build your ship then control the take off and fly around space, orbit planets and launch satellites and space rovers and then renter and land again. It's all done very well. It's one of those games that's easy to learn but hard to actually do in practice though. Brilliant game deserves some more attention I'd say.
Very hard to control... After futzing about I finally built a rocket that can reach orbit, then after more futzing about, made it deliver the payload. Then the next level is a maze to navigate with the inertia steering system. Deleted at that point. Played on an iPad 2.
I haven't played this in a while (too much time on World of Tanks recently...), but finished all the missions except for the last one, where I was having issues landing the LM in one piece. Definitely agree with the easy to learn/hard to master - had a lot of fun learning through mistakes such as building launchers that I believed could make it into orbit which then ended up planting themselves after staging I do need to go back and finish that Apollo mission though I did try out the universal update on the iPad and personally found the controls were more a bit more fiddly compared to the iTouch - I felt that scaling the controls on the iPad up a bit would probably make them as effective as on the iTouch. The maze in the basic manoeuvring training mission was a step change in complexity from the first mission - I needed a few tries to get my coordination right to complete it. I also didn't bother and try and finish it in record time, just concentrated on getting the basics right. And from memory most other missions were somewhere in between in complexity. Finally rated this here and gave it 5 stars; awesome little game which conveys the essence of what it's like to be a mission controller or astronaut.
would anyone else call this the 'kerbal space program' for the moment? I'd love to see even a stopped down version of kerbal space program for iOS, andifmthis dev is headed Ethan way, I'd be ecstatic.
The game is nice, but I think the gameplay concept is a little difficult to learn, and the visuals are not as attractive as other games of the genre.
Actually, I enjoyed the launching part. It is just the change of gameplay to the gamey maze navigation with bad controls that really...
This is a wonderful premise and the design is great. Unfortunately, there are a few issues that make this game less than "stellar." There is a huge variety of rockets, but their actual usefulness doesn't scale with their various sizes. There are three categories of rockets; small, medium, and large. The "large" American Apollo V, for example, has just as much useful payload capacity as the "small" Chinese Long March rocket -- that's ridiculous! It takes away from the fun of unlocking new larger rockets when all that really changes is the graphics. Some better formulas underlying this part of the game would make things a lot more fun. Second, i've encountered a couple bugs that cause your rocket/vehicle to freeze in orbit. For example, in mission 15, if you head out on the Voyager mission with a tug attached, and later on you detach it, your Voyager probe will freeze in mid-orbit. Hitting the thrust buttons gets a corresponding thruster noise, but no movement. Even the original orbit speed is gone, you're just standing still. There's no way to recover, and you have to restart the mission. If those issues were fixed i'd give this game 5 stars.
Just found this game. Better late than never. A real hidden gem. Having a great time with the career mode. Challenging but manageable.
