Operation: Inner Space

Overview

Operation: Inner Space is an action-adventure strategy game set inside the player's computer, which has been overrun by viruses and floating icons, where different teams vie for superiority. The game was developed by Bill Stewart at Software Dynamics, Inc. and released in 1992, it has been actively sold worldwide on the Software Dynamics website ever since, an early example of Digital Distribution.

Gameplay

Operation: Inner Space begins with the player selecting a spaceship to launch into their computer. Each ship belongs to a team, and the player has both an individual relationship to other ships and other teams; depending on the team, relationships with other teams and ships can start out positively, negatively or neutrally. These relationships can change over time, depending on the player's aggressiveness or willingness to help.

Once the player enters "Inner Space," inside the computer, they are given the full run of the entire file system of one drive in Windows. The files in each directory become icons which can be collected as a resource on missions with the ship, up to eight icons appear within each mission. Within certain missions, electrical viruses float around, infecting the icons and rendering them worthless. In addition to the viruses, each directory may contain hazard blocks, stationary turrets, and asteroids which must be dealt with or avoided.

The player enters the game with default ship guns, and can purchase additional weapons and defenses inside the ambulance in exchange for collected icons. Locomotion and certain weapons use fuel instead of ammunition, which can be found floating throughout each mission. If the player breaks the law by destroying healthy icons or killing and looting other ships, a member of the Enforcers team may enter the directory and attempt to arrest the character and bring them to the Hall of Justice, where they will be penalized.

In addition to the default mission style, certain directories will randomly become races, where the player must face off in one of three pre-constructed race tracks; the winner of the race receives all the icons in the wave. There is also an arena directory where disputes between the player and rivals can be settled without the rule of law.

The game includes an internal "online help," which serves as a codex with general information and specific information about the other unique ships the player has met.

At random points throughout regular missions, the player will get sucked into a black hole, where they must combat the Inner Demon and its Dragons. Each dragon contains a virus, which when destroyed release a "Noble Weapon," a powerful ability unique to the player character and the Inner Demon. Once all four noble weapons have been collected, and all icons in the file system dealt with, the player may then enter the Demon's Gate directory to face off against the Inner Demon. If the player can destroy the Inner Demon, they are released from the computer, and added to the hall of fame.

The Teams

Avengers

The Avengers concern themselves more with collecting resources than fighting. They prefer to avoid combat rather than to claim vengeance.

Predators

Eager for battle, this team is filled with ships that resemble natural predators from the animal world, and also some cars and planes. They are more interested in combat than collecting resources.

Fuzzy Ones

A docile team filled with somewhat weak ships that prefer to avoid conflict until provoked. The Fuzzy Ones ships are never particularly powerful, but are very durable and annoying.

Pirates

Actual space pirates that love to fight and kill rather than collect. Their strategy involves ambushing ships that they have an advantage over to steal resources, but often show cowardice in the face of greater resistance. They are habitual rule-breakers and find themselves constantly in conflict with the Enforcers.

Knights

The Knights try their hardest to be honorable and defend their allies and the weak. They usually avoid destroying ships and simply subdue them, and are relatively powerful compared to their allies, the Avengers and Fuzzy Ones.

Speed Demons

The Speed Demons are an aggressive team with finely tuned ships. They are obsessed with the races and competition and are apathetic at best to the cares of ships that are not their allies.

Renegades

Chaotic, villainous, and aggressive, the Renegades concern themselves only with destruction for the fun of it. They have no interest in assisting even their teammates and destroy whatever they want.

Enforcers

The only non-playable team, each Enforcer ensures that members of every team follow the laws of Inner Space. Though it is intimated that they are strong, they are actually fairly weak and often have a hard time actually enforcing any laws, especially as law-breaking ships grow stronger.

Upgrades and Weapons

Upgrades

Weapons

Defenses

System Requirements

Minimum Specs

• Windows 3.1, 95, NT, XP, or Windows for Workgroups
• 386 or equivalent processor
• 1.3MB free HDD Space
• Sound Card Compatible
• Joystick Compatible