OBERON Windows game

You are the captain of a space ship in a fictional alternate dimension/universe that is flat. Originally from Earth, you came across documents produced by a theoretical physicist, Monk James, that let you to complete an experiment that whacked you off to this new alternate dimension.

Giving up on finding your way back to Earth you learn to like where you have ended up, on a planet that is almost identical to Earth in every way imaginable with one small change, in 1966 the hippies took over and changed the future. As a result a lot of thing did slow down. It is noted that in comparing scientific advances to Earth, this new planet took about 400 years to go from 1966 to 1981. And even with that loose comparison, it is not entirely accurate as many things never took place in the alternate dimension.

The ship you pilot is a mostly unreliable class of ship that uses obsolete (in Earth terms) computer systems that are controlled by a central computer system. The central computer system, known as the AM3100, is one of the main antagonists to the player. AM3100 stands for Action Man 3100, from the Action Man Elite class of talking computers (fictional) produced by Control Data Corporation (real company that is now out of business that a lot of other fiction references, including Tron). You are introduced to the computer name Ayam and soon realize that he has a pretty sick sense of humor and is the primary reason your ship is not reliable.

Over time you are able to apply upgrades to your ship but spend a lot of time trying to keep Ayam happy so that he does not destroy you and your ship.

Gameplay

The main themes in the game are trading, crafting, resource gathering, combat and an elaborate system of buffs for your space ships and crew members.

Unlike most MMORPG games, there is no profession/class system. There are skills which are acquired through experience but without the traditional "grind" used by many MMORPG games. Skill advance is based on time in game, not time spent doing the same action over and over again.

The game will be released as "free to play" with some purchasable content. The important note is that the purchasable content can be acquired in the game without paying, it is only offered for players that wish to advance quicker or have better stuff without looking for it. It will also be possible to purchase insurance since the game uses perms-death. Insurance allows you to get back the stuff you lost including skill boxes. Without insurance, it is not possible to get your skills/inventory back.