<s>
Protostar	B-Application
:	I-Application
War	I-Application
on	I-Application
the	I-Application
Frontier	I-Application
is	O
a	O
1993	O
science	O
fiction	O
video	O
game	O
produced	O
by	O
Tsunami	O
Media	O
that	O
blends	O
elements	O
of	O
role-playing	O
,	O
space	O
exploration	O
,	O
space	B-Application
combat	I-Application
,	O
and	O
strategy	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
commands	O
a	O
spaceship	O
from	O
a	O
first-person	O
perspective	O
in	O
real-time	O
capable	O
of	O
traveling	O
to	O
the	O
various	O
planets	O
in	O
the	O
game	B-Application
world	I-Application
and	O
launching	O
an	O
explorer	O
vessel	O
to	O
traverse	O
their	O
surfaces	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
working	O
title	O
during	O
the	O
first	O
six	O
months	O
of	O
development	O
was	O
Starflight	B-Application
3	O
as	O
it	O
was	O
originally	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
Starflight	B-Application
and	O
Starflight	B-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Trade	I-Application
Routes	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Cloud	I-Application
Nebula	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
released	O
game	O
no	O
longer	O
retains	O
a	O
relationship	O
to	O
the	O
Starflight	B-Application
game	B-Application
world	I-Application
because	O
Tsunami	O
Media	O
's	O
collaboration	O
with	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
,	O
the	O
Starflight	B-Application
copyright	O
owner	O
,	O
did	O
not	O
work	O
out	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
basic	O
framework	O
of	O
exploration	O
,	O
diplomacy	O
,	O
trade	O
,	O
combat	O
,	O
and	O
spaceship	O
upgrades	O
still	O
bears	O
strong	O
resemblances	O
to	O
the	O
Starflight	B-Application
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
,	O
Protostar	B-Application
2	O
,	O
was	O
planned	O
but	O
never	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
command	O
both	O
craft	O
in	O
real-time	O
from	O
a	O
first-person	O
perspective	O
by	O
selecting	O
an	O
icon	O
representing	O
the	O
commander	O
's	O
control	O
pad	O
,	O
which	O
translates	O
movement	O
of	O
the	O
mouse	B-Device
into	O
corresponding	O
motions	O
of	O
the	O
spaceship	O
or	O
explorer	O
vessel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
combat	O
the	O
mouse	B-Device
buttons	O
are	O
used	O
to	O
control	O
the	O
selection	O
and	O
firing	O
of	O
the	O
ship	O
's	O
weapons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
Skeetch	O
are	O
currently	O
waging	O
war	O
against	O
Earth	O
,	O
the	O
Protostar	B-Application
Initiative	O
is	O
launched	O
in	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
convince	O
four	O
alien	O
races	O
to	O
ally	O
with	O
the	O
Human	O
Defense	O
Forces	O
and	O
disrupt	O
the	O
Skeetch	O
supply	O
lines	O
through	O
the	O
region	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
in	O
the	O
Starflight	B-Application
games	O
,	O
the	O
initial	O
goal	O
is	O
to	O
upgrade	O
the	O
poorly-equipped	O
spaceship	O
with	O
which	O
a	O
player	O
begins	O
the	O
game	O
with	O
the	O
best	O
available	O
accessories	O
and	O
assemble	O
a	O
well-trained	O
crew	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
these	O
alliances	O
are	O
formed	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
spaceship	O
becomes	O
embroiled	O
in	O
a	O
battle	O
with	O
a	O
Skeetch	O
dreadnought	B-Application
that	O
determines	O
the	O
outcome	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
;	O
destroying	O
it	O
secures	O
victory	O
for	O
the	O
alliance	O
against	O
the	O
Skeetch	O
threat	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
1992	O
,	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
World	O
published	O
an	O
article	O
by	O
composer	B-Application
Ken	O
Allen	O
where	O
he	O
mentions	O
his	O
ongoing	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
that	O
would	O
become	O
Protostar	B-Application
,	O
described	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
as	O
"	O
Starflight	B-Application
3	O
(	O
Tsunami	O
Media	O
and	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
)	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tsunami	O
Media	O
was	O
permitted	O
to	O
reuse	O
the	O
artwork	O
and	O
source	O
code	O
that	O
it	O
had	O
already	O
produced	O
,	O
but	O
as	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
holds	O
the	O
copyright	O
on	O
Starflight	B-Application
,	O
it	O
had	O
to	O
"	O
turn	O
that	O
into	O
something	O
else	O
"	O
unrelated	O
to	O
the	O
Starflight	B-Application
game	B-Application
world	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Noting	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
resemblance	O
to	O
Starflight	B-Application
and	O
Star	B-Application
Control	I-Application
,	O
he	O
wrote	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
"	O
incredible	O
graphics	O
"	O
do	O
"	O
a	O
very	O
convincing	O
job	O
of	O
creating	O
a	O
world	O
which	O
suspends	O
visual	O
disbelief	O
"	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
control	O
interface	O
"	O
melds	O
into	O
[	O
the	O
game's ]	O
cockpit	O
concept	O
,	O
giving	O
the	O
player	O
easy	O
control	O
of	O
every	O
aspect	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
with	O
intuitive	O
mouse	B-Device
movements.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Schuytema	O
criticized	O
the	O
game	O
manual	O
's	O
brevity	O
which	O
leaves	O
the	O
player	O
unsure	O
as	O
to	O
what	O
needs	O
to	O
be	O
accomplished	O
,	O
and	O
elements	O
that	O
quickly	O
become	O
tedious	O
such	O
as	O
space	B-Application
combat	I-Application
,	O
in	O
which	O
even	O
a	O
"	O
simple	O
battle	O
"	O
required	O
over	O
twenty	O
minutes	O
in	O
real	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
interview	O
distributed	O
with	O
the	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
Nokhoudian	O
revealed	O
his	O
design	O
goals	O
for	O
a	O
projected	O
sequel	O
,	O
Protostar	B-Application
2	O
,	O
that	O
would	O
continue	O
the	O
original	O
game	O
's	O
storyline	O
.	O
</s>
