excursions to be a fun way to take a break from dome life.
When humans did finally reach the Moon, they were surprised to find a race of
extraterrestrials there. These creatures had lived unnoticed on the Dark Side of the
Moon for many centuries, only in the last thirty years revealing themselves to humans
as the Moon colony was built. In addition to their generally strange appearance, the
Moonies come in two varieties: the “Bi-Headers” and the “Torsos.” The Bi-Headers
have two heads on top of their bodies, while the Torsos have none, instead having a
mouth and eyes on the front of their torsos. The Moonies do not breathe and are much
denser creatures than humans, and as a result can survive in either Earth or Moon
atmosphere. The Moonies, though not technologically advanced, are just as intelligent
as humans, and on making contact with Earthlings are quick to learn English. The
Moonies and humans now live cooperatively on the Moon, helping each other in many
different ways.
On first contact, the reaction of humans to the Moonies was one of shock and disbe-
lief. Over time, however, humans came to realize that Moonies did not pose a threat and
became quite friendly with them, in particular with the Bi-Headers. It seems that since
the Bi-Headers looked a bit more humanoid than the Torsos, humans found them more
acceptable. As a result, only the Bi-Headers are allowed in New Boston, while the
Torsos must stay outside on the Moon surface. Humans found the Moonies to be great
collaborators on scientific projects, using their unique way of thinking to help advance
technology. However, though both sets of Moonies are equally intelligent, only the
Bi-Headers are allowed to work with humans in an academic capacity.
Though we now see many of the technological advances described above as either
impossible, impractical, or undesirable, this is the world ofAtomic Sam, where the
illogical nature of the environment is part of its charm. On the other hand, while this
future contains many advances we see as impossible today, it also doesn’t include a lot
of the advances we take for granted today. For example, in this future people have no
idea what a personal computer is, and in turn, computer games surely don’t exist.
Though television exists, it is still on a tiny television screen and is vastly inferior to a
movie theater experience. While in some ways the world of the twenty-first century in
Atomic Samis more technologically advanced than 1990s America, in other key ways it
is certainly less advanced, giving it a unique “primitive future” look.
Introduction
The player controls the game’s namesake, Atomic Sam. A normal though precocious
boy ten years of age, Sam returns from school one day to find his apartment home ran-
sacked and his parents mysteriously missing. Donning the atomic-powered
rocket-pack given to him by his parents for his birthday, Sam renames himself Atomic
Sam and vows to venture through Gargantuopolis to find his parents.
Gargantuopolis
Following this brief introductory cut-scene, the player gains control of Sam inside his
parents’ apartment. Here the player will be able to follow the instructions given to him
by the Instructobot that came with his rocket-pack. These instructions will teach the
player how to effectively control Sam. The player will also be able to skip by that
Appendix A: Sample Design Document:Atomic Sam 573