<s>
Stars	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
is	O
a	O
turn-based	O
strategy	O
,	O
science	O
fiction	O
4X	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
(	O
eXplore	O
,	O
eXpand	O
,	O
eXploit	O
,	O
eXterminate	O
)	O
,	O
originally	O
developed	O
by	O
Jeff	O
Johnson	O
and	O
Jeff	O
McBride	O
with	O
help	O
from	O
Jeffrey	O
Krauss	O
(	O
"	O
the	O
Jeffs	O
"	O
)	O
for	O
personal	O
use	O
,	O
initially	O
released	O
as	O
shareware	B-License
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
in	O
1995	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
retail	O
version	O
was	O
later	O
produced	O
for	O
,	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Empire	O
Interactive	O
,	O
with	O
developer	O
Jason	O
Gaston	O
added	O
to	O
the	O
team	O
for	O
quality	O
assurance	O
testing	O
,	O
although	O
the	O
shareware	B-License
version	O
continued	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
is	O
well-adapted	O
to	O
Play-By-Email	O
and	O
also	O
supports	O
AI	B-Application
opponents	O
,	O
blitz	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
duels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stars	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
is	O
compatible	O
with	O
most	O
Windows	O
versions	O
and	O
can	O
run	O
on	O
Linux	B-Application
systems	O
through	O
Wine	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stars	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
If	O
the	O
random	O
events	O
game	O
option	O
is	O
enabled	O
,	O
players	O
will	O
have	O
to	O
contend	O
with	O
(	O
or	O
take	O
advantage	O
of	O
)	O
the	O
Mystery	O
Trader	O
,	O
comet	B-Language
strikes	O
,	O
wormholes	O
,	O
and	O
environmental	O
changes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
alternative	O
to	O
play-by-email	O
is	O
to	O
use	O
an	O
online	O
system	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Stars	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
There	O
is	O
also	O
a	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
(	O
AI	B-Application
)	O
that	O
can	O
take	O
part	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
can	O
opt	O
to	O
play	O
against	O
AIs	B-Application
only	O
(	O
up	O
to	O
15	O
of	O
them	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
this	O
is	O
the	O
way	O
that	O
new	O
players	O
typically	O
get	O
to	O
learn	O
the	O
game	O
mechanics	O
before	O
launching	O
into	O
multi-player	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stars	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
It	O
can	O
even	O
be	O
run	O
on	O
Linux	B-Application
systems	O
through	O
the	O
Wine	B-Application
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
under	O
Wine	B-Application
,	O
version	O
2.70	O
crashes	O
during	O
combat	O
if	O
combat	O
sounds	O
are	O
enabled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stars	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
does	O
not	O
run	O
directly	O
on	O
the	O
64-bit	O
version	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
or	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
which	O
cannot	O
run	O
16-bit	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
it	O
can	O
be	O
played	O
on	O
a	O
virtual	O
machine-like	O
Virtual	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
on	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
or	O
in	O
VirtualPC	B-Application
on	O
earlier	O
32-bit	O
versions	O
of	O
windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
alternative	O
is	O
VirtualBox	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
64-bit	O
Windows	O
10	O
,	O
version	O
2.70i	O
runs	O
well	O
on	O
Wine	B-Application
for	O
Windows	O
version	O
otvdm-v0.7.0	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
originally	O
developed	O
in	O
1995	B-Application
,	O
with	O
version	O
2.0	O
released	O
early	O
in	O
1996	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
1996	B-Application
shareware	B-License
version	O
2.60	O
had	O
been	O
released	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
game	O
has	O
remained	O
essentially	O
unchanged	O
ever	O
since	O
,	O
although	O
there	O
have	O
been	O
numerous	O
updates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Version	O
2.70	O
is	O
the	O
retail	O
version	O
which	O
has	O
battle	O
sounds	O
and	O
allows	O
research	O
past	O
Level	O
10	O
(	O
the	O
shareware	B-License
version	O
is	O
restricted	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stars	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
GameSpot	O
's	O
reviewer	O
T	O
.	O
Liam	O
McDonald	O
rated	O
the	O
game	O
7.3	O
"	O
Good	O
"	O
,	O
applauding	O
"	O
a	O
solid	O
Windows	O
interface	O
,	O
plain	O
graphics	O
,	O
a	O
wide	O
range	O
of	O
custom	O
options	O
,	O
deep	O
strategic	O
content	O
,	O
and	O
compulsive	O
playability	O
"	O
and	O
stating	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
outdoes	O
the	O
similar	O
game	O
Spaceward	B-Application
Ho	I-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
In	O
Computer	O
Game	O
Review	O
,	O
Tasos	O
Kaiafas	O
wrote	O
,	O
"	O
Stars	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
The	O
huge	O
popularity	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Stars	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
The	O
developers	O
of	O
Stars	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
formed	O
a	O
company	O
called	O
Mare	B-Application
Crisium	I-Application
Studios	I-Application
and	O
began	O
development	O
of	O
Stars	O
:	O
Supernova	O
Genesis	O
.	O
</s>
