About This Game Mission Control: NanoMech is set late in the 21st century and puts players in a high-tech base on the surface of Mars, where they step into the role of a rover pilot delivering supplies. A rogue artificial intelligence named D-brain has taken control of the factory and most of its robotic workers and refuses to let the humans go. With the threat of a massive Mars dust storm cutting off communications to the rest of the Mars bases, it's up to the player to save the other humans trapped inside the factory. Luckily, several friendly robots are on hand to help the player fight back. The robots gift the player with a spacesuit and teach the player how it can be improved with nanotechnology. As the game progresses, the player is helped further by scientists hiding inside the factory who leave clues and information that help the player understand and use the nanomaterials in optimal ways to solve puzzles and overcome obstacles. Players must master this improvement process as it is directly linked to the progressive difficulty in the game. Presented with puzzle challenges, the player must race against the clock to keep their robotic team members functioning while searching for more raw materials and the hidden scientists in order to get strong enough to confront D-brain directly. Mission Control: NanoMech was developed under a grant from the National Science Foundation (Grant #0823411) and developed in collaboration with NASA through a Space Act Agreement. This action-adventure game is based on real nanotechnology content, which was reviewed by experts for accuracy. Spacesuit components and technologies are based on authentic future technologies being researched and developed by NASA and others. 6d5b4406ea Title: Mission Control: NanoMechGenre: Action, Adventure, RPG, Early AccessDeveloper:WisdomToolsPublisher:WisdomToolsRelease Date: 17 Dec, 2014 Mission Control: NanoMech Free Download [full Version] Like most sales pitch videos on Steam, Mission Control: NanoMech's avoids showing much gameplay. The tags indicate it is an action RPG. It has some RPG aspects, but it's really closer to a tower defense game. Specifically, it is an active tower defense game, where you play a character that runs around the map placing towers and can be killed by the waves of enemies you have to destroy before moving on.The educational aspect of the game is very poorly integrated with the gameplay. The experience is similar to going to a university class on nanotechnology, and half paying attention while playing games on your cell phone. The tower defense portion of the game is almost completely independent of the nanotech-related content. The nanotech portion of the game is handled much like a presentation, with some minimal interactivity. Completing some task in the tower defense portion starts the nanotech portion, then completing that gives you something new to use in the tower defense portion (e.g. a new tower, armor, or direct attack). Performing well in the game does not require you to understand anything about nanotech.From a game design standpoint, this is a bad choice. A puzzle game like Atooms to Moolecules, Sokobond, or SpaceChem would have been a much more natural fit for the subject matter.Ignoring the educational aspect and evaluating it purely as an active tower defense game, it's bad. There are so few places you can place towers, and so few towers to choose from, that there is usually only one way to complete an area, and it is usually obvious (typically filling all slots with the most powerful tower you have, starting near the enemy spawn points). The RPG aspects are very shallow, with no significant choice in your build. Other bad design decisions abound, like the inclusion of walls that take time to disable, while providing no challenge, only increasing the time it takes to complete the game, and the amount of boredom and frustration.Currently (November 2015) there is less than 3 hours of content. That's counting the time taken by being required to rifle through lots of crates and wait for the timer on lots of walls to tick down to zero.I'm not sure how NASA, the NSF, and Serious Play feel about having their names associated with this product, but if I were them, I'd be concerned.There has been no news on or updates to this game since I purchased it almost a year ago, in December 2014, despite it being in Early Access. It would appear the author has taken the money and run; not just the gamers' money, but the NSF's as well.Please do not purchase this game.
slinkeycrowfaidic
Mission Control: NanoMech Free Download [full Version]
Updated: Mar 26, 2020
Comments