Star Ops is based on the text based game written by Mike Mayfield back in 1972 which was based on a very popular science fiction TV show.
Ever since then, all kinds of programmers have taken his code and added to it and created multiple versions on all kinds of platforms. You can now enjoy Mikes original vision on iPhone and iPad (in one app). Star Ops recreates the experience of Mikes original game but updates it with great graphics and a futuristic interface.
The crew member, ship names and some ship system names can be customized through the app settings to any names you want.
MISSION:
In Star Ops, the United Syndicate of Worlds (USW) is a federation of worlds throughout the galaxy united together to help and protect each other from enemy forces. One of the USWs enemies, the Klaxons, has sent an invasion force into USW territory.
As commander of the starship Excalibur, your mission is to locate and destroy the Klaxon invasion force before they destroy the USW.
WEAPONS:
The Excalibur is outfitted with torpedos and laser energy weapons you can use to destroy the Klaxon ships. Your stockpile of torpedos is limited and the lasers consume precious energy from the ships energy reserve. The Excaliburs energy reserve is also needed to power the ships engines. If you ever run out of energy, the Excalibur will be floating dead in space and the Klaxon force will succeed in their mission to destroy the USW.
STARBASES:
Throughout the galaxy, you will not only find enemy ships, but USW starbases as well. If you run across a starbase, you can dock with it to resupply your ships torpedos and energy.
SCANNERS:
The ships scanners display the galaxy as an 8 x 8 grid of quadrants. Each quadrant is subsequently divided into a 10 x 10 grid of sectors. Your ships short range scanner displays all the sectors in the current quadrant your ship is in. Each sector can contain either an enemy ship, a starbase or a star. Your torpedos cannot be fired through a star as the star simply destroy the torpedo before it reaches its destination. The ships lasers, however, are not blocked by stars.
ENGINES:
The ships engines are used to maneuver the ship around the galaxy. The Excalibur is equipped with both FTL (Faster Than Light) and sublight engines. The FTL engines are used to maneuver the ship to another quadrant and the sublight engines maneuver the ship to another sector.
DAMAGE CONTROL
While flying through the galaxy, the various ships systems may become damaged. You can see the status of all your system by accessing the Damage Control interface. Damaged systems are automatically repaired over time by Damage Control personnel.