Starflight

From Sega Retro

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Starflight MDTitleScreen.png

Starflight
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Electronic Arts (US,EU,AU) Tec Toy (BR)
Developer:
Original system(s): IBM PC
Developer(s) of original games: Binary Systems
Genre: Simulation

















Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Mega Drive
US
$69.9569.95[2] 701401
Sega Mega Drive
EU
E013SMXI
Sega Mega Drive
UK
£39.9939.99[3] E013SMXI
Sega Mega Drive
AU
Sega Mega Drive
BR
Non-Sega versions

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Starflight is a Sega Mega Drive space adventure simulation game developed by BlueSky Software and published by Electronic Arts. A port of the titular 1986 Binary Systems computer game Starflight, it was first released in the United States in October 1991, and was brought to Europe the following month. Sometime later, it was published in Brazil by Tec Toy, and in Australia by Electronic Arts.

Gameplay

You control an astronaut in a space program who uses the program's limited funds to set up a spaceflight that completes a variety of missions. You do this by first building your crew and ship, then taking them off into space to explore.

Completing these missions gives the player MU (monetary units). Other very important sources of MU are digging for metals and suggestion planets colonization.

Fuel usage, gravity, temperature, weight load etc. must be considered during all missions, enhancing the simulation experience.

Compared to the PC original, most of the graphics have been updated. The game came with a space map as pack-in. The instruction manual contains the story of a starship captain, which can be used as a walkthrough, although not every item location was revealed.

It should be noted that the player is never forced to actually complete a mission, one might fly and explore as long as there are enough resources. The game however has an ending that requires a sequence of discoveries to be made: Uncover the reasons for the so called "flaring" phenomena and destroy the source of it.

History

Legacy

The game got a sequel called Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula, but it was never ported to a Sega system.

Production credits

  • Producer: Christopher Erhardt
  • Associate Producer: Roland Kippenhan III
  • Assistant Producer: Steve Matulac
  • Programmers: Richard Karpp, Keith Freiheit, Antony Ignacio
  • Technical Director: Jesse Taylor
  • Game Graphics: Geoffrey Knobel, Rahim Mehra, David Fenderson
  • Music and Sound Composition: Michael Bartlow
  • Sound and Music Driver: Rob Hubbard, Michael Bartlow
  • Manual Art: Alan Okamoto
  • Technical Drawings: Adrian Bourne
  • Product Management: David Bamberger, Rob Sears
  • Art Director: Nancy Waisanen
  • Cover Art: John Berkey
  • Package Design: William Gin
  • Documentation Layout: Robert Gin
  • Testing: Steve Matulac, Gerald Mclane, Mike Wallas
  • Quality Assurance: Hunter Smith, Manny Granillo
  • Cluebook Based on a Story by: T. L. Thompson
  • Documentation: Andrea Smith
Source:
US manual
Starflight MD US Manual.pdf
[4]

Magazine articles

Main article: Starflight/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #27: "October 1991" (1991-xx-xx)
also published in:
Logo-pdf.svg

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
1700 igr dlya Sega (RU)
40
[7]
Aktueller Software Markt (DE)
75
[8]
Console XS (UK) PAL
82
[9]
Computer & Video Games (UK)
91
[10]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
63
[11]
Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide (UK)
91
[12]
Game Power (IT)
89
[13]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
96
[14]
Games-X (UK)
90
[15]
Game Informer (US) NTSC-U
89
[16]
Joypad (FR) PAL
90
[17]
Joystick (FR)
91
[18]
Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) PAL
56
[19]
Mega (UK)
79
[20]
Mega Force (FR) PAL
70
[21]
Mean Machines (UK)
94
[22]
Mean Machines Sega (UK)
94
[23]
Player One (FR)
90
[24]
Power Play (DE)
84
[25]
Sega Power (UK) PAL
62
[3]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
83
[26]
Sega Pro (UK) PAL
82
[27]
Tricks 16 bit (RU)
76
[28]
Video Games (DE)
82
[29]
Sega Mega Drive
81
Based on
24 reviews

Starflight

Mega Drive, US
Starflight MD US Box Full.jpg
Cover
Starflight MD US Cart.jpg
Cart
Starflight MD US Manual.pdf
Manual
Starflight MD US Poster.pdf
Poster
Mega Drive, EU
StarFlight MD EU Box.jpg
Cover
Starflight MD US Cart.jpg
Cart
Mega Drive, AU

Mega Drive, BR
Starflight md br cover.jpg
Cover

Technical information

ROM dump status

System Hash Size Build Date Source Comments
Sega Mega Drive
CRC32 d550c928
MD5 b95b8da835e866c90e6c6520def207b2
SHA-1 24252ca934be3f005436cdb85671413a9e6b0489
1MB 1991-09 Cartridge (US/EU) REV00
Sega Mega Drive
CRC32 1217dbea
MD5 f7fb96468113cbfc41ed68e31689ac83
SHA-1 41722d8c0b4865ca8044fb53a818b13eded758fc
1MB 1991-10 Cartridge (US/EU) REV01

References

  1. GamePro, "October 1991" (US; 1991-xx-xx), page 93
  2. GamePro, "October 1991" (US; 1991-xx-xx), page 39
  3. 3.0 3.1 Sega Power, "January 1992" (UK; 1991-12-05), page 52
  4. File:Starflight MD US Manual.pdf, page 142
  5. Electronic Gaming Monthly, "1992 Video Game Buyer's Guide" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 28
  6. Electronic Gaming Monthly, "March 1992" (US; 1992-xx-xx), page 20
  7. 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 222
  8. Aktueller Software Markt, "Februar 1992" (DE; 1992-01-10), page 128
  9. Console XS, "June/July 1992" (UK; 1992-04-23), page 134
  10. Computer & Video Games, "October 1991" (UK; 1991-09-15), page 90
  11. Electronic Gaming Monthly, "November 1991" (US; 1991-1x-xx), page 22
  12. Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide, "" (UK; 1993-11-18), page 96
  13. Game Power, "Giugno 1992" (IT; 1992-0x-xx), page 42
  14. GamePro, "October 1991" (US; 1991-xx-xx), page 38
  15. Games-X, "10th-16th October 1991" (UK; 1991-10-10), page 36
  16. Game Informer, "March 2001" (US; 2001-0x-xx), page 104
  17. Joypad, "Octobre 1991" (FR; 1991-09-17), page 44
  18. Joystick, "Septembre 1991" (FR; 1991-0x-xx), page 188
  19. Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming, "January 1993" (UK; 199x-xx-xx), page 94
  20. Mega, "August 1994" (UK; 1994-07-21), page 79
  21. Mega Force, "Septembre/Octobre 1991" (FR; 1991-09-13), page 93
  22. Mean Machines, "September 1991" (UK; 1991-08-29), page 72
  23. Mean Machines Sega, "October 1992" (UK; 1992-09-xx), page 140
  24. Player One, "Novembre 1991" (FR; 1991-xx-xx), page 81
  25. Power Play, "12/91" (DE; 1991-11-13), page 182
  26. Sega Pro, "December 1991" (UK; 1991-11-21), page 46
  27. Sega Pro, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-11), page 67
  28. Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 25
  29. Video Games, "4/91" (DE; 1991-12-06), page 35


Starflight

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