Zero Critical
Encyclopedia
Zero Critical is a 1999 science-fiction computer game for Windows 95
/98
/XP
. It is a traditional third-person
and fully 3D
graphic adventure with a heavy emphasis on story and characters. Zero Critical is notable for its scientific realism
.
The game's original title was Satin Rift, but it was released with the title Zero Critical by Bethesda Softworks
in 1999. Zero Critical's story and plotline was written by Istvan Pely and Sherban Young.
Zero Critical originally was intended as a direct sequel to Majestic (a game developed and released by Istvan Pely while he was still in college), and also an indirect sequel to the adventure game Symbiocom
. Despite the fact that there are many references to the previous games, Zero Critical is very different than both Majestic and Symbiocom
.
Conversations are initiated by clicking on a character or showing them an object. It is possible to choose various paths for the conversations. Asking questions normally generates new ones that are added to your list of possible queries.
The player can control the speed of the subtitles, one passage not disappearing until you click "continue". The player may as well get the same conversation more than once.
However Chatt's PDA
automatically stores dialog transcripts, this allows the player to go back and check on a comment he may have missed.
’s finest pleasure cruiser and a crowning achievement in space travel
. On her maiden voyage she set sail from earth’s harbor and never returned. The crew and ship were lost 27 November.
Two decades after the disappearance of Majestic, Zero Critical takes place in Rheom 1, a small terrestrial planet
of eternal daylight
.
Rheom 1 is an extrasolar planet that is located in the Rheom System; a planetary system
composed of many planets along with billions of small bodies, including asteroids, meteoroids, and interplanetary dust.
Rheom 1 is primarily composed of silicate rocks. A2B trucks are used for traversing this rock strewn surface.
Rheom has plenty of oxygen
and it is believed that there would have to be some areas that had water
.
The Thundercloud Project chose to build their outpost on Rheom 1 because of its proximity to the Pleiades
cluster.
The following are the minor characters that are responsible for some of the exotic technologies that have been employed in Zero Critical, but did not actually appear in the game;
PowerMac or 68040, System 7, 16 MB RAM, 256 colours, 2x CD ROM, 80 MB disc space, QuickTime 3 (included)
Windows 95
Windows 95 is a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company's previous Windows products...
/98
Windows 98
Windows 98 is a graphical operating system by Microsoft. It is the second major release in the Windows 9x line of operating systems. It was released to manufacturing on 15 May 1998 and to retail on 25 June 1998. Windows 98 is the successor to Windows 95. Like its predecessor, it is a hybrid...
/XP
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
. It is a traditional third-person
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
and fully 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
graphic adventure with a heavy emphasis on story and characters. Zero Critical is notable for its scientific realism
Scientific realism
Scientific realism is, at the most general level, the view that the world described by science is the real world, as it is, independent of what we might take it to be...
.
The game's original title was Satin Rift, but it was released with the title Zero Critical by Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks, LLC, is an American video game company. A subsidiary of ZeniMax Media, the company was originally based in Bethesda, Maryland and eventually moved to their current location in Rockville, Maryland...
in 1999. Zero Critical's story and plotline was written by Istvan Pely and Sherban Young.
Zero Critical originally was intended as a direct sequel to Majestic (a game developed and released by Istvan Pely while he was still in college), and also an indirect sequel to the adventure game Symbiocom
Symbiocom
Symbiocom is a first person 3D game developed by Istvan Pely in 1998 and is the predecessor to Zero Critical .-Plot and Gameplay:The player is a crew member aboard I.S.T. Rident, a class B space-faring passenger liner in the delta quadrant...
. Despite the fact that there are many references to the previous games, Zero Critical is very different than both Majestic and Symbiocom
Symbiocom
Symbiocom is a first person 3D game developed by Istvan Pely in 1998 and is the predecessor to Zero Critical .-Plot and Gameplay:The player is a crew member aboard I.S.T. Rident, a class B space-faring passenger liner in the delta quadrant...
.
Story
Chatt Rhuller (player) is an Interstellar Transportation Commission filed agent on assignment to Rheom 1. A research facility has been established there, currently engaged on the SATIN Project. Dr. Victoria Fayn, the head of the project, has killed a fellow scientist, Geopp, allegedly in self defence. The incident results in old rumours about the planet causing people to go mad to resurface. As an agent, Chatt is there to investigate the incident. Chatt's supposed quick investigation runs into a snag, however, when his shuttle is delayed and he has to stay on base for a few more days. As the madness spreads, he uncovers the secret mission of the base, and even more secret motives behind the mission...Gameplay
- Zero Critical uses the point-and-clickPoint-and-clickPoint-and-click is the action of a computer user moving a cursor to a certain location on a screen and then pressing a mouse button, usually the left button , or other pointing device...
approach to move around, find and use inventory objects, examine items and hold. - Conversations: There is a dialogue box with pre-programmed questions and responses to progress in the game when talking to other characters.
- The gameplay takes place over a four day period and the player is required to complete specific tasks and puzzles before proceeding to the next day.
Communication
There is no voice acting in the game, however there are lots of conversations but they are all done in subtitles.Conversations are initiated by clicking on a character or showing them an object. It is possible to choose various paths for the conversations. Asking questions normally generates new ones that are added to your list of possible queries.
The player can control the speed of the subtitles, one passage not disappearing until you click "continue". The player may as well get the same conversation more than once.
However Chatt's PDA
PDA
A PDA is most commonly a Personal digital assistant, also known as a Personal data assistant, a mobile electronic device.PDA may also refer to:In science, medicine and technology:...
automatically stores dialog transcripts, this allows the player to go back and check on a comment he may have missed.
Setting
S.S. Majestic was EarthEarth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
’s finest pleasure cruiser and a crowning achievement in space travel
Space travel
Space travel can refer to:*Spaceflight, the use of space technology to fly a spacecraft into and through outer space, which may include:*Spacefaring, capability of and activity in the art of spaceborn travel.*Human spaceflight...
. On her maiden voyage she set sail from earth’s harbor and never returned. The crew and ship were lost 27 November.
Two decades after the disappearance of Majestic, Zero Critical takes place in Rheom 1, a small terrestrial planet
Terrestrial planet
A terrestrial planet, telluric planet or rocky planet is a planet that is composed primarily of silicate rocks or metals. Within the Solar System, the terrestrial planets are the inner planets closest to the Sun...
of eternal daylight
Daylight
Daylight or the light of day is the combination of all direct and indirect sunlight outdoors during the daytime. This includes direct sunlight, diffuse sky radiation, and both of these reflected from the Earth and terrestrial objects. Sunlight scattered or reflected from objects in outer space is...
.
Rheom 1 is an extrasolar planet that is located in the Rheom System; a planetary system
Planetary system
A planetary system consists of the various non-stellar objects orbiting a star such as planets, dwarf planets , asteroids, meteoroids, comets, and cosmic dust...
composed of many planets along with billions of small bodies, including asteroids, meteoroids, and interplanetary dust.
Rheom 1 is primarily composed of silicate rocks. A2B trucks are used for traversing this rock strewn surface.
Rheom has plenty of oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
and it is believed that there would have to be some areas that had water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
.
The Thundercloud Project chose to build their outpost on Rheom 1 because of its proximity to the Pleiades
Pleiades (star cluster)
In astronomy, the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters , is an open star cluster containing middle-aged hot B-type stars located in the constellation of Taurus. It is among the nearest star clusters to Earth and is the cluster most obvious to the naked eye in the night sky...
cluster.
Characters
Zero Critical features dozens of interactive characters, they include;- Chatt Rhuller is the main protagonist of the game. He is a new recruit of the ITC, (that is "Interstellar Transportation Commission", an organization that regulates the ever-growing traffic in space). Chatt is sent to investigate a homicide. However, once on Rheom 1, Chatt quickly learns of a longer history to the research facility and of the failed Thundercloud Project that was held by a group of astronomers.
- Dr. Victoria Fayn is widely regarded as the main antagonist of ZC. She is a theoretical physicist and scientistScientistA scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
. She has received a variety of awards for her pioneering efforts, including the Nobel PrizeNobel PrizeThe Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
in Quantum mechanicsQuantum mechanicsQuantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
, prior to starting the SATIN Project. Despite being a geniusGeniusGenius is something or someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight....
, Fayn is one of the most secretive characters in Zero Critical.
- Dr. Thomas Vilken is a Distinguished ScientistScientistA scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
/EngineerEngineerAn engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
who has made leading technical contributions in a variety of fields. According to Fayn, “He is second in command and integral to the completion of the project”. It is said that Dr. Vilken has been involved in lots of interesting projects over the years and solved a wide variety of problems throughout his career, including; the "Multi-Legged Vehicle Project".
- Myna Symmine is a programmerProgrammerA programmer, computer programmer or coder is someone who writes computer software. The term computer programmer can refer to a specialist in one area of computer programming or to a generalist who writes code for many kinds of software. One who practices or professes a formal approach to...
-scientistComputer scienceComputer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
and facility's computer expert. She serves as a research assistant for SATIN. She is the youngest character of the game.
- Roger Olken is a humorous, good-natured but lazy and sluggish research assistantResearch assistantA research assistant is a researcher employed, often on a temporary contract, by a university or a research institute, for the purpose of assisting in academic research...
. Throughout the game he recurrently complains and expresses a strong disfavor about Dr. Fayn's attitude towards her co-workers.
- Magus Canter is a former member of the ex-Thundercloud team. Now he resides in the facility, doing the cleaning, cooking and paying attention to the medical needs of the staff.
- Eugene Garr, is an ITC Agent sent to Rheom 1 to decide the fundingFundingFunding is the act of providing resources, usually in form of money , or other values such as effort or time , for a project, a person, a business or any other private or public institutions...
of the project.
- Roland Carson -- The Baron of Sombury, the lover of Victoria Fayn and one of the missing passengers aboard the S.S. Majestic. Being an art collector, Carson paid a record price of 2 million rin. for an artifact belonging to extraterrestrial beingsExtraterrestrial lifeExtraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
; i.e., Aliens.
The following are the minor characters that are responsible for some of the exotic technologies that have been employed in Zero Critical, but did not actually appear in the game;
- Prof. Norma Miller The inventor of SynCore’s first "thinking machine", IPSYSJ. She also completed a translationTranslationTranslation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
algorithmAlgorithmIn mathematics and computer science, an algorithm is an effective method expressed as a finite list of well-defined instructions for calculating a function. Algorithms are used for calculation, data processing, and automated reasoning...
capable of processing 'alien' speech and translating them into plain EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. Miller understood that Carson's artifactMagic itemA magic item is any object that has magical powers inherent in it. These may act on their own or be the tools of the person or being whose hands they fall into. Magic items are commonly found in both folklore and modern fantasy...
was in fact a hologram, a device for phasing between dimensions namely a "phase viewer", and the alien race who have created it must exist in an alternate dimension, the one we cannot see or imagine. A dimension of which we simply have no knowledge. She’s one of the missing passengers aboard the majestic.
- Doctor Gregg, an associate of Miller, is a prominent Neuro-TechNeuroscientistA neuroscientist is an individual who studies the scientific field of neuroscience or any of its related sub-fields...
research scientist at SynCore. He was instrumental in developing the synapseSynapseIn the nervous system, a synapse is a structure that permits a neuron to pass an electrical or chemical signal to another cell...
/lattice interface required for a symbiotic to brain connection. He along with Prof. Miller and Magus Canter were a part of the ex-Thundercloud project, they are all mentioned in the game.
System requirements
At least Windows 95, Pentium 90, 16 MB RAM, 8 bit graphics card, 2x CD ROM, 80 MB disc space, QuickTime 2.1.1 (included)PowerMac or 68040, System 7, 16 MB RAM, 256 colours, 2x CD ROM, 80 MB disc space, QuickTime 3 (included)