<s>
Escape	B-Application
Velocity	I-Application
Nova	I-Application
(	O
a.k.a.	O
</s>
<s>
EV	B-Application
Nova	I-Application
or	O
EVN	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Ambrosia	O
Software	O
in	O
collaboration	O
with	O
ATMOS	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
the	O
third	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
Escape	B-Operating_System
Velocity	I-Operating_System
series	O
of	O
space	O
trading	O
and	O
combat	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
March	O
19	O
,	O
2002	O
for	O
Mac	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
and	O
Mac	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
9	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
later	O
ported	O
to	O
Windows	B-Application
and	O
released	O
on	O
July	O
11	O
,	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
premise	O
,	O
set	O
in	O
a	O
time	O
period	O
after	O
mankind	O
has	O
discovered	O
hyperspace	B-Application
technology	O
,	O
grants	O
the	O
player	O
freedom	O
to	O
take	O
missions	O
,	O
trade	O
goods	O
,	O
steal	O
from	O
other	O
ships	O
,	O
and	O
enter	O
one	O
of	O
six	O
storylines	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
a	O
plug-in	B-Application
for	O
Escape	B-Operating_System
Velocity	I-Operating_System
Override	I-Operating_System
created	O
by	O
ATMOS	O
,	O
Nova	O
development	O
began	O
with	O
Ambrosia	O
contracting	O
ATMOS	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
plug-in	B-Application
the	O
scenario	O
for	O
a	O
new	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Escape	B-Application
Velocity	I-Application
Nova	I-Application
,	O
the	O
player	O
is	O
placed	O
in	O
command	O
of	O
a	O
shuttlecraft	O
in	O
space	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
's	O
ship	O
moves	O
between	O
systems	O
of	O
planets	O
by	O
using	O
a	O
hyperspace	B-Application
jump	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Escape	B-Application
Velocity	I-Application
Nova	I-Application
is	O
a	O
shareware	B-License
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
status	O
is	O
enforced	O
in	O
game	O
by	O
a	O
character	O
named	O
Captain	O
Hector	O
,	O
who	O
will	O
continuously	O
remind	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
pay	O
their	O
shareware	B-License
fee	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
also	O
supports	O
plug-ins	B-Application
,	O
allowing	O
players	O
to	O
create	O
their	O
own	O
ships	O
and	O
campaigns	O
,	O
but	O
access	O
to	O
do	O
so	O
is	O
disallowed	O
if	O
the	O
shareware	B-License
fee	O
is	O
not	O
paid	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
later	O
invention	O
of	O
hyperspace	B-Application
technology	O
allowed	O
for	O
the	O
lost	O
systems	O
to	O
be	O
reconnected	O
,	O
and	O
resulted	O
in	O
order	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Centered	O
around	O
Earth	O
and	O
the	O
Sol	O
system	O
is	O
the	O
Federation	B-Application
,	O
while	O
to	O
the	O
south	O
is	O
the	O
Auroran	B-Application
Empire	I-Application
,	O
categorized	O
as	O
"	O
a	O
savage	O
race	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
group	O
,	O
called	O
the	O
Polaris	B-Application
,	O
hold	O
the	O
east	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
north	O
and	O
west	O
are	O
unexplored	O
territory	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DevelopmentNova	O
began	O
as	O
a	O
plug-in	B-Application
for	O
Ambrosia	O
Software	O
's	O
Escape	B-Operating_System
Velocity	I-Operating_System
Override	I-Operating_System
in	O
July	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
group	O
of	O
students	O
from	O
Tasmania	O
:	O
Dafydd	O
Williams	O
,	O
Jason	O
Cook	O
,	O
and	O
Scott	O
Vardy	O
were	O
fans	O
of	O
Override	O
and	O
began	O
working	O
on	O
a	O
modding	B-Device
project	O
called	O
Override	O
Nova	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shortly	O
afterward	O
,	O
the	O
student	O
group	O
took	O
the	O
name	O
ATMOS	B-Application
Software	I-Application
and	O
signed	O
a	O
contract	O
with	O
Ambrosia	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
a	O
new	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Burch	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
programmed	O
Escape	B-Operating_System
Velocity	I-Operating_System
and	O
Override	O
,	O
programmed	O
Nova	O
while	O
also	O
working	O
a	O
second	O
job	O
as	O
an	O
engineer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2000	O
,	O
Ambrosia	O
contracted	O
ATMOS	O
to	O
convert	O
the	O
plug-in	B-Application
into	O
the	O
scenario	O
for	O
Nova	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Escape	B-Application
Velocity	I-Application
Nova	I-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
March	O
19	O
,	O
2002	O
for	O
Mac	O
,	O
and	O
received	O
both	O
OS	B-Application
X	I-Application
and	O
OS	B-Operating_System
9	I-Operating_System
releases	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
that	O
year	O
was	O
announced	O
to	O
be	O
receiving	O
a	O
Windows	B-Application
port	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
July	O
11	O
,	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
2008	O
update	O
for	O
Mac	O
was	O
built	O
as	O
a	O
universal	B-Operating_System
binary	I-Operating_System
with	O
native	O
support	O
for	O
Intel	O
processors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reception	O
Escape	B-Application
Velocity	I-Application
Nova	I-Application
received	O
praise	O
for	O
its	O
gameplay	O
and	O
game	O
design	O
,	O
especially	O
in	O
light	O
of	O
it	O
being	O
a	O
shareware	B-License
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MacAddict	O
gave	O
Escape	B-Application
Velocity	I-Application
Nova	I-Application
its	O
Editor	O
's	O
Choice	O
Award	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewer	O
Chris	O
Barylick	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
gameplay	O
is	O
essentially	O
the	O
same	O
as	O
its	O
predecessors	O
,	O
Escape	B-Operating_System
Velocity	I-Operating_System
and	O
Override	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
called	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
more	O
beautifully	O
designed	O
than	O
you	O
could	O
expect	O
a	O
shareware	B-License
game	O
to	O
be	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
review	O
for	O
Inside	B-Application
Mac	I-Application
Games	I-Application
,	O
Richard	O
Porcher	O
expressed	O
that	O
Nova	O
's	O
graphics	O
were	O
superior	O
for	O
a	O
shareware	B-License
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Porcher	O
stated	O
that	O
Nova	O
's	O
strongest	O
point	O
is	O
its	O
ability	O
to	O
be	O
replayed	O
repeatedly	O
,	O
especially	O
with	O
support	O
for	O
plug-ins	B-Application
in	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
also	O
pointed	O
out	O
flaws	O
with	O
the	O
storylines	O
being	O
too	O
easy	O
and	O
the	O
plot	O
lines	O
being	O
mutually	O
exclusive	O
,	O
but	O
felt	O
all	O
would	O
be	O
addressed	O
with	O
plug-ins	B-Application
.	O
</s>
