Transcendence (video game)

Transcendence is a sci-fi themed freeware PC game designed and created by George Moromisato, which he says is inspired by NetHack and Star Control. The game is viewed in 2-D, and is not a turn-based game as NetHack is, but contains elements reminiscent of the 3-D adventure game Elite, and has some qualities in common with roguelike games.

Transcendence is still under development, with roughly only half of the game completed thus far. It is modifiable, the ability to create mods in the form of XML files having been added in version 0.95. A number of people have praised the game for its ease in modification.

Overview
The player begins the game in one of three ships, with basic equipment, a few credits and a near-empty cargo bay. The goal is to reach the galaxy's core, where the mysterious beings "Oracus" and "Domina" are rumored to reside. The player must fight or trade their way through progressively more difficult star systems, interconnected by a series of "stargates": devices used for faster-than-light interstellar travel, left behind by an unknown ancient race. In their travels, the player will encounter various traders, members of the Commonwealth, outlaws, pirates, other factions separated from the (now-abandoned) Earth, and ultimately, alien races.

The player can collect money through a variety of methods, such as trading, looting the remains of destroyed ships or stations and selling the contents, escorting freighters through dangerous territory, or allowing a certain race to perform medical experiments. Some missions provide access to better technologies and the ability to upgrade the ship's equipment, such as its weaponry, shields, armor, reactors and engines. There are a variety of other missions, such as military missions for the Commonwealth Militia, smuggling missions for the Black market, and defense missions from agricultural stations.

Most of the game is randomly generated, in particular, the star systems, of which there are currently between twenty and thirty, in a typical game. There are a small number of star systems that are almost exactly the same in each game, such as the starting system (Eridani), the Commonwealth capital system (St. Katherine's Star System), as well as the final system wherein the player must defeat the Iocrym Commandship (Heretic).