Reach for the Stars

Versions for Classic Mac OS, Amiga, Apple IIGS, and MS-DOS were released in 1988. Strongly influenced by the board game Stellar Conquest. Many of RFTSs features have direct correspondence in Stellar Conquest. The player commands a home star in the galaxy, and then expands to form an interstellar empire by colonizing far-off worlds, building powerful starships, and researching new technologies. Graphics are minimal, yet the tactical and strategic elements provide countless rich combinations for colony development and interstellar warfare. The software's AI also offered a challenging opponent in single-player games. It is not uncommon for a Reach for the Stars game to take over twelve hours to complete in single-player mode and 24 hours with multiple players.

• Title — Reach for the Stars • Developer — Strategic Studies Group • Publisher — Strategic Studies Group • Designer — Roger Keating Ian Trout • Released — 1983: C64, Apple II 1988: Amiga, IIGS, MS-DOS, Mac 1989: PC-98 • Genre — Turn-based strategy, 4X • Modes — Single-player, multiplayer • Platforms — Amiga, Apple II, Apple IIGS, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Classic Mac OS, PC-98

In Versions 1 to 3 the player starts off with one planet that has Level 1 technology and a middle-level environment. Three types of ships are available: • Scouts – very inexpensive, incapable of fighting or carrying colonists. These can be used as a low-cost, low-risk means to learn the composition of unknown star systems or the locations and makeup of enemy fleets. • Transports – incapable of fighting, but can carry colonists. • Warships – incapable of carrying colonists, but can fight. • Illustration — Screenshot Starting players have limited funds, and have to decide where to invest the funds (technology upgrades, ships, or environmental upgrades). Upgrading a world's planetary environment, for example, means that its population grows more quickly, improving production; this is a mixed blessing, however, because if the population grows beyond the maximum allowed for that planet, the costs to feed the population skyrocket. Building a lot of ships early can win a player the game, if the player finds his enemies' home planets before they manage to upgrade their military technology; on the other hand, it can lead to a loss if the player's opponents upgrade first and attack with superior ships. Each turn is divided into two sections – a development phase, and a movement phase. In the development phase, players work on planetary production, deciding what each planet will produce that turn. In the movement phase, players have the option to send ships to other star systems to explore, colonize, or conquer. Because the game evolves along so many different axes of possibility, the game offers tremendous replay value. It is quite possible to save a game on the first turn, and have it play out differently each time it is restored. A bug causes human players that do nothing to become wealthy while computer opponents fight each other. The designers added a feature that causes the computer opponents to attack the human at 20,000 credits.

A sequel to Reach for the Stars re-written for the Windows platform was released on September 14, 2000, by developer Strategic Studies Group and publisher Strategic Simulations, Inc. In 2005 Matrix Games, working alongside Strategic Studies Group, updated the 2000 release; this updated version was released in 2005.

Reach for the Stars is associated with Australia.