If you are looking for a game with a touch of mystery, space combat, tons of alien races, rebellion, and mass micromanagement, pick up Nomad. Nomad is a simulation and strategy combination that offers a very fun science fiction theme, filled with aliens, space flight, different ships and interesting futuristic technology. It has a nonlinear plot that allows the user to develop his own agendas and creates a game that features endless fun and massive replayability. Nomad was released for play on the personal computer when MS-DOS was still an active operating system and may require the use of an emulator on some of the faster more modern machines.
It was made by Intense Interactive Incorporated and Papyrus Design Incorporated.
There is so much going on in Nomad that it is difficult to know where to start. You are a human earthling and you will be captaining a spaceship into the great unknown solar system. It is not, however, just any old ship. It is a craft from an unknown alien race that crash landed on Earth, giving scientists a peek at previously unknown technologies, most notably the hyperdrive. The ship is repaired, and it is this vessel that you will take into space to try locating the ship’s owners and learning more about their advanced technologies.
As mentioned above, there is a lot going on. While locating
the race that created the hyperdrive is your ultimate goal, you will have to navigate through a plethora of subplots and side quests to get there. Since the plot is nonlinear, you are more than welcome to spend your time privateering and making money to build a massive military. This will be more necessary than the overlying plot may lead you to believe. A race of alien robots called the Korok are threatening the peaceful beings in the solar system, and it won’t be long before you will find yourself allied with the rebels who are trying to stop the Korok.
The economy of Earth is another thing you will have to manage if you are going to continue to make enough money to repel the Korok. Earth is not the only source of revenue, however, and the gamer will find lots of money making opportunities on other planets and moons in space. Overall, there is a lot to manage in terms of economy.
The fact that Nomad is driven by ideas instead of an actual linear plot makes it a very fun game. It is like a mixture between Civilization, a tycoon game and a standard beer and pretzels style of military strategy, all wrapped up in an interesting story and fun theme.
