The Alien

The U.F.P. research vessel _Thrasybulus_ has finished surveying an unexplored
planet and prepares to head home across interstellar distances when the alarm
sounds: an alien life form found on the planet and taken aboard for study has
escaped from its confinement. In the confusion, several lab animals have also
fled their cages, so the ship’s life sign scanners cannot be used to pinpoint
the location of the alien creature. The commander orders the crew to sweep
every room and corridor of the ship so the alien can be recaptured as fast as
possible. What the _Thrasybulus_ crew don’t know: the creature is a highly
advanced predator, able to metamorphose into new forms quickly, and ready to
kill without warning. A nightmarish fight for survival begins.

_The Alien_ is a turn-based strategy game, in plot and setting inspired
heavily by the classic 1979 science fiction horror film of almost the same
name. The goal is to either capture or kill the alien, or, for a worst case
scenario, engage the ship’s self destruct sequence and escape in the shuttles.
The crew consists of seven members, each one belonging to one of three
character types with different skills: Officers, scientists and engineers.
Officers can access the ship’s armory and engage the self destruct, scientists
can handle lab equipment and access the computer system, and engineers can rig
equipment to construct makeshift weapons.

In each game turn, the game switches between any rooms where crew members are
present. After choosing which person should act next, one from a list of pre-
defined actions can be selected. These include picking up and combining items,
using weapons and equipment, catching escaped animals and using ship systems
like the airlock, computer or self destruct activation. After actions are
taken, the crew members can be moved around the ship. To aid in plotting
movements, the game displays a map of the 30 rooms of the ship that also shows
crew and equipment status as well as the life scanner readings.