| Reach for the Stars | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Strategic Studies Group |
| Publisher(s) | Strategic Studies Group |
| Designer(s) | Roger Keating Ian Trout |
| Platform(s) | Amiga, Apple II, Apple IIGS, Commodore 64, DOS, Mac OS, PC-98 |
| Release | 1983: C64, Apple II 1988: Amiga, IIGS, DOS, Mac 1989: PC-98 |
| Genre(s) | Turn-based strategy, 4X |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Reach for the Stars is a science fiction strategy video game. It is the earliest known commercially published example of the 4X genre. It was written by Roger Keating and Ian Trout of SSG of Australia and published in 1983 for the Commodore 64 and then the Apple II in 1985. Versions for Mac OS, Amiga, Apple IIGS, and DOS were released in 1988.
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.
Reach for the Stars was very strongly influenced by the board game Stellar Conquest. Many of RFTS's features have direct correspondence in Stellar Conquest.
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.