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| Terminal Velocity | |
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| Developer(s) | Terminal Reality |
| Publisher(s) | 3D Realms |
| Distributor(s) | FormGen |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS, Mac OS |
| Release date(s) | May 1, 1995 |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | RSAC: V1: Damage to realistic objects ESRB: T OFLC: G8+ USK: 12+ |
| Media | Floppy disk, CD-ROM |
Terminal Velocity is a video game developed by Terminal Reality and published by 3D Realms on May 1, 1995. It is an arcade-style combat-dedicated flight action shooter, with easier game controls and less general realism than general flight simulators. It is known for its relatively fast, high-energy action sequences, especially when compared to other more realistic flight simulators around at the time. Terminal Reality also developed another extremely similar game, Fury3, published that same year by Microsoft. It used the same game engine and basic game mechanics, but was designed to run natively on the new Windows 95 operating system. It was considered a weaker game than Terminal Velocity[ ], but Fury3 spawned an add-on pack, F-Zone, as well as a sequel, Hellbender.
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Gameplay
The player can fly at arbitrarily low speeds without falling. The player's craft also has no inertia, meaning its course can be changed instantly. Additionally, it possess powerful afterburners that allow it to move at blinding speeds, evading massive attacks, though it is unable to shoot during that time.
Design
The game was made by the former lead programmer of Microsoft Flight Simulator. At its launch, the game's all-digital soundtrack, frame rates, external environments, and ability to fly through tunnels and into underground caverns set it apart from the rest of its genre. Terminal Velocity was released as both a floppy disk and a CD-ROM version. The CD-ROM version improved upon the floppy version with 70 MB of extended pre-rendered 3D cut scenes, higher image resolution (including more detailed textures) and support for 8-player network multiplay.
Plot
The story is set in the year 2704, when the ASFAR (Alliance of Space-Faring Alien Races), of which Earth is a member, suddenly turns against Earth and their fleets ravages the planet, starting a war. The player flies a powerful starfighter, the TV-202, in a series of missions to defeat the enemy. In Episode 3, the player learns that a huge supercomputer known as X.I. (Xenocidic Initiative), located on Proxima Seven, is responsible for the war. Their final mission is to eliminate it.
Episodes
The game itself has three episodes, the first of which was distributed as shareware. Each episode features three different worlds and nine levels overall. World 9 is the exception, with only two stages before you fight the final boss, making for a grand total of 20 main stages.