History VideoGame / AlienLegacy

* UnwinnableByMistake: During the later part of the game, you can develop a [[EarthShatteringKaboom planet-busting bomb]] that is required to prevent a NonStandardGameOver ([[spoiler:which involves the H'riak spore ship colliding with the Beta Caeli star and causing it to go nova]]). However, during the war with [[spoiler:the Empiants]], you also have the option of using the bomb to [[spoiler:destroy the Empiant homeworld]]. Unfortunately, you can only ever build one bomb, so if you do the latter, the game becomes unwinnable. Then again, it's clear the designers of the game meant for the conflict to be resolved peacefully, so it can be assumed that not being able to win the game is a punishment for opting for the violent option.

** Improperly respond to Fanatic's crisis on Hades. Military advisor.

* PlanetLooters: You can syphon hydrogen from gas giants to get cheap energy. [[spoiler:The Empiants, who live on Chronus, probably won't like it.]]

The player takes on the role of TheCaptain of the UNS ''Calypso'', a colony ship sent from Earth to the Beta Caeli system in the wake of a HopelessWar between humanity and the Centaurians as a last-ditch effort to ensure that humans survive in some parts of the galaxy. Upon waking up from a HumanPopsicle state, you receive messages from Earth sent decades (centuries? millennia?) prior, which inform you of another colony ship, UNS ''Tantalus'', sent to Beta Caeli 16 years later but, thanks to a more efficient engine, set to arrive 21 years prior to the ''Calypso''. Upon arriving to the system, you see that it is remarkably similar to the Solar System. There are also remains of the ''Tantalus'' colonists' presence but no colonists themselves.

The game involves colonizing the system and figuring out what happened to the ''Tantalus'' and her colonists. This involves sending shuttles to scout planets for resources and viable colony sites, building new colonies, populating them, and constructing buildings necessary to make them self-sufficient. Some colonies cannot be self-sufficient by definition, which includes space stations (which can't mine natural resources) and the ''Calypso'' herself, which is a giant, albeit mobile, space station. While only two planets (Rhea and Gaea) can support life, all planets short of gas giants can be colonized. The player can build habitats, power plants, factories, and labs for the colonies. Habitats house and "produce" colonists, power plants allow other buildings to function and produce the "energy" resource. Factories can be set to mining (produces the "industry" resource) or production (builds robots, shuttles, or missiles). Labs generate scientific resources, depending on what each lab is set to produce (mathematics, biology, physics, chemistry, astronomy, electronics, and geology). The main resources in the game are "people", "industry", "energy", and "robots". Scientific resources are used to research new technologies. All but "people" can also be found while exploring planets with shuttles.

The player has several advisors to help you get started and keep you informed about new developments. You also have a PDA that allows you to look up information and keep notes.

The more clues you find as to the fate of the previous colonists, the more you begin to realize you're not alone in this system.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/alien_legacy.jpg]]

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Several notes found from the previous colonists reveal that the captain of the ''Tantalus'' had the ship dismantled to use the fusion reactor on Gaia surface as a power plant. After the [[spoiler:H'riak]] threat became apparent, many colonists cursed the captain for leaving them no option but to fight (they couldn't flee the system or even retreat to ''Tantalus'').

* CrystalSpiresAndTogas: We never see Earth architecture, Calypso bridge crew (whom you see most ov the time) don't dress too unusually, but planet governors wear white robes with coloured stripes. Hard to notice, since they only appear twice other than for {{Random Event}}s.

* InsufficientlyAdvancedAliens: [[Empiants come close. Despite them being around for about a billion years, your advisors remark surprising inferiority of their craft. Unfortunately, their diamond hulls prove quite resistant to lasers.]]

** The last messages indicate the destruction of the last Earth fleet and all off-planet installations and preparations for the LastStand.LastStand. There are no survivors in the Solar system.

* CasualInterplanetaryTravel: Played straight, at least on a government level. While private citizens or companies can't afford to have their own shuttles, it's fairly easy for a shuttle to travel between planets in a reasonable amount of time. Once you get a number of self-sufficient colonies going, you can start cranking out dozens of shuttles for your needs.

* HarmlessFreezing: Initially played straight, then subverted at the end. Apparently, there are negative side effects to being turned into a HumanPopsicle for decades ([[spoiler:all first-generation colonists are doomed to die soon, but their children born after will survive]]).

* {{Ramscoop}}: The intro shows an enormous web being folded, as the ''Calypso'' is entering the Beta Caeli system. Given that the ship is powered by a fusion reactor, this is likely used to collect interstellar hydrogen to fuel it.

* SpacePlane: At the beginning, the ''Calypso'' only has 4 shuttles with limited fuel tanks to go ferry supplies and colonists between the ship and the colonies. Shuttles can be either unmanned or manned (almost no difference). They can also be used to send your primary advisors to colonies for certain quests. Once you set up proper self-sufficient colonies, you can set your factories to build more shuttles. Additionally, you can research shuttle improvements such as a larger fueld tank, better weapons, larger cargo space, more efficient engine, stronger armor, etc. Once the conflict with the [[spoiler:Empiants]] starts, shuttles become your {{Space Fighter}}s (or AttackDrones if you send them unmanned), although you pretty much have to send them en masse in order to make a difference. Shuttles can be sent on a variety of missions: scouting planets, exploring regions, sending cargo and/or colonists, building space stations, establishing pipelines (automatic ferrying of supplies and/or colonists between two colonies), patroling, etc. Since planets continue to orbit the star Beta Caeli, distances (and fuel requirements) constantly change.
* TimedMission: Several tasks must be completed within a certain time limit. Unfortunately, you're not told about the time limit. Failing to do so often results in a NonstandardGameOver.