science

Outpost (1994 video game)

Outpost (1994 video game) is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Outpost (1994 video game) rather than just read about it. In short: Outpost is a video game developed and published by Sierra On-Line in 1994. The game was noteworthy for having a hard science fiction approach, with one of the main designers being a former NASA scientist.

Key takeaways

Outpost (1994 video game) belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Outpost (1994 video game) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Outpost (1994 video game) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Outpost is a video game developed and published by Sierra On-Line in 1994. The game was noteworthy for having a hard science fiction approach, with one of the main designers being a former NASA scientist. Outpost was released for Windows 3.1 and the Macintosh. It was followed by a loosely related sequel, Outpost 2: Divided Destiny.

Story A massive asteroid named Vulcan's Hammer is detected to be on a collision course with Earth, and all attempts to divert it from this path have failed. The last attempt, firing a large nuclear warhead at the asteroid, actually ended up splitting it not into five chunks (which would have averted disaster) as humanity hoped, but rather two asteroids. Now, instead of destroying the earth, it will simply wipe out nearly all life on Earth's surface. Extinction is not an option, and so a mission is organized to create a colony on a world elsewhere in the galaxy as the last hope for mankind's survival. The player is in charge of that mission.

Reception Initial reviews of Outpost were enthusiastic about the game. The American version of PC Gamer rated the game at 93%, one of its highest ratings ever for the time. James V. Trunzo reviewed Outpost in White Wolf #49 (Nov., 1994), rating it a 5 out of 5 and stated that "Outpost excels in every way. It plays like a great science fiction novel reads. The graphics, sound and game play are state-of-the-art. I am extremely impressed with the game's depth and variety of approaches to problem solving. The game is also educational without being intrusive. I learned amazing (almost frightening) facts about our space program's capabilities. It was almost like looking into the future." Following the release of the game, the game's general bugginess and perceived mediocre gameplay, along with the lack of features described in most of the game's reviews and the game's own documentation, led to a backlash against the computer game magazines of the time by consumers who bought the game based on their reviews. In 1996, Computer Gaming World stated "the design was so incomplete that many of the actions you took made no difference in the game’s outcome. Poor documentation forced players to buy the strategy guide—conveniently authored by the game’s designer—and the interface design was no help either" and also claimed that the game had been "vilified as 'the greatest screen saver of all time'". The same issue declared Outpost was the worst computer game ever released. In a 2012 interview, Sierra On-line co-founder Ken Williams recalled the negative reception mentioning one review calling the game "Compost", while stating that Outpost "(...) wasn't actually a bad game. It looked beautiful". Williams also stated that development was delayed and over budget, costing the company a fortune.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Outpost (1994 video game)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Outpost (1994 video game) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Outpost (1994 video game) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Outpost (1994 video game) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Outpost (1994 video game)

In research: Outpost (1994 video game) appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Outpost (1994 video game) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Outpost (1994 video game) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1994 video games, City-building games, Classic Mac OS games, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Outpost (1994 video game) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Outpost (1994 video game) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Outpost (1994 video game) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Outpost (1994 video game) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Outpost (1994 video game) in simple terms?

Why does Outpost (1994 video game) matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Outpost (1994 video game)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Outpost (1994 video game).