| Shuttle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | Vektor Grafix |
| Publisher | Virgin Games |
| Platforms | IBM PC,Amiga,Atari ST |
| Release | 1992 |
| Genre | Flight simulator |
| Mode | Single-player |
Shuttle is a space flight simulator game developed byVektor Grafix and published byVirgin Games. It was released in 1992 on theIBM PC,Amiga andAtari ST.
 | This section has multiple issues. Please helpimprove it or discuss these issues on thetalk page.(Learn how and when to remove these messages) (Learn how and when to remove this message)
|
In the game, the players control aSpace Shuttle that departs from theVehicle Assembly Building and returns to Earth at theShuttle Landing Facility.
The game is organized into missions that emulate the experience of Space Shuttle missions, including launching theHubble Space Telescope and using theManned Maneuvering Unit to repair satellites.[1] Players are able to receive optional guidance for completing missions if they are struggling. During the course of the game, instructions are passed to the player through ateleprinter, and when those instructions require the player to use the shuttle controls, a flashing box indicates the appropriate switch or knob to use.
.png)
While playing, you can change your camera to point in multiple different camera angles, rather than the standard control panel and external view found in most simulators of the time, including a view that can allow the player can also look out of any of thecockpit windows, including back into the payload bay when retrieving or releasing satellites, and some of theCCTV cameras on theRemote Manipulator System. The developers also provide in-game information and diagrams on each of the majorSpace Shuttle systems, and the publishers also supplied a game manual and a largeposter showing the control panels.
The game was released with numerousbugs and issues, particularly with theautopilot often not working as intended, leading to peculiarre-entry trajectories.
In earlier versions, the final mission was impossible to complete, due to some of these issues.[citation needed]
Stanley Trevena fromComputer Gaming World applauded the level of detail accomplished inShuttle,[2] and stated that "Players with an interest in space and hard-core simulation fans alike will blast off into orbit with this new simulation from Virgin."[3] The magazine ran it in their1992 "Simulation of the year", which ultimately went toFalcon 3.0 bySpectrum Holobyte.[4]
In 1996,Computer Gaming World declaredShuttle the 50th-worst computer game ever released.[5]
