We go on a galactic adventure with one of our favorite Mac shareware games, Escape Velocity by Ambrosia Software. We encounter delightful pop culture references, everyone's favorite parrot space pirate, and — of course — the most destructive forklift in the universe.

Links for this episode:

• Escape Velocity official site
• Ambrosia Software
• pre-EV releases
  • Maelstrom (Asteroids clone)
  • Chiral (original)
  • Apeiron (Centipede clone)
  • Swoop (Galaxian clone)
  • Barrack (JezzBall clone)
• utilities: Snapz Pro, WireTap, SoundBoard
• development of the EV series
  • released May 5, 1996 after 13 months of development
  • lead developer Matt Burch
  • Burch was a freshman in college at release
  • sequels EV Override and EV Nova
  • EV 4 "unlikely"
• how to play classic EV in OS X

• inside jokes, references, and easter eggs
  • HHGTG: Mostly Harmless, Zaphod Beeblebrox
  • Hector the parrot
  • MST3K forklift song
  • Balloon Help

• EV plugins
  • The EV Bible
• influenced by EV
  • EV Nova card game
  • Warpgate by Freeverse Software
    (defunct after acquisition by ngmoco)

found a Captain Hector reference in Warpgate. that elevates its Escape Velocity homage status to 'official'. http://twitpic.com/2forzv

• • Out There
  • EVE Online
    • has over 500K subscribers
• KPT Bryce