WELCOME TO ORBITAL DEFENSE DEPARTMENT (O.D.D.) HQ

As you well know, Commander, Earth was decimated by asteroids nearly 15 years ago. Entire cities destroyed by asteroid impacts. Billions dead. The worst catastrophe in human history. 

And it was no accident: someone, or something, sent those asteroids. 

We’ve constructed a starship to seek out and confront the aggressors, but time is not on our side. Another attack is incoming, far worse than the first. Your task is simple: using an Orbital Defense Robot Drone, destroy the asteroids before they reach Earth. Buy us enough time to launch the starship from the orbiting stardock.

The fate of humanity is in your hands, Commander, don’t let us down.

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FEATURES

Combat: You'll choose from two Orbital Defense Robot Drones: The RD8LS, codenamed VIC, and the RDMS, codenamed ZOE. A long-range railgun, target-seeking missiles, high-energy plasma cannon, and rocket-powered fists are all at your disposal as you attempt to halt the asteroid attack. Each weapon has its strengths and weaknesses, so balance between them is key.

Orbital Mechanics: Asteroids will move faster as they get closer to the planet. Asteroids that you manage to deflect away from Earth may be sent into long orbits and return later. And with the robot drone in orbit around Earth you will have to compensate for its constantly changing position.

T.O.W.E.R.S.: The Trans-Orbital Weapons Emergency Response System is at your disposal. Deploy ships, submarines, aircraft, tanks, and ground installations on Earth’s surface to aid you against the asteroid threat.

Your Team: You will not be fighting this threat alone. Choose a team of drone operators from a selection of candidates and assign them to the robot drone’s systems. Your team members will alert you to important events and have the potential to increase the capabilities of whichever system they’re assigned to. Be careful, though: your team is stationed on Earth. Lose a city where one of your team members is located, and you’ll lose access to that team member's system until you’ve relocated the team member to a new city.

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SIM ENGINE II (SE II)

NEAR Impact demonstrates some of the capabilities of Sonalysts’ new game engine, SE II. Modular, upgradeable, and with improved graphics, SE II aims to take Sonalysts simulations to a new global level.