[[caption-width-right:256:Meet your customers (and staff)]]
''Startopia'' is a 2001 simulation game where the player is tasked with the administration of a [[RingWorldPlanet toroidal space station]] in the aftermath of a galactic war. It met mediocre reviews, but became a cult classic. The developer, Mucky Foot, was founded by ex-Creator/{{Bullfrog}} employees.

The game is known for its {{Shout Out}}s and references to a numerous popular science-fiction shows and their respective tropes.

The singleplayer mode is essentially one large [[JustifiedTutorial tutorial]], with each mission focusing on one key element of the gameplay. The Kasvagorian {{Proud Warrior Race Guy}}s will want you to violently attack and disperse squatters, while the profit-oriented Gem Slugs will want you to get rid of some opponents economically, for example.

''Startopia'' is a surprisingly complex game, with [[TheDevTeamThinksOfEverything the developers programming things to happen that the player might not realize]]. An extremely thought-out [[http://www.rakrent.com/rtsc/rtsc_startopia.htm game guide online]] that details many of these, and many of the tropes below.

For those who prefer their info in wiki form, the is also the [[http://startopia.wikia.com/wiki/Startopia_Wiki Startopia wiki]]

This game is now available on Website/GOGDotCom. The game recently released on [[http://store.steampowered.com/app/243040/ steam.]]

!!This video game provides examples of the following:
* AccidentalArt: The creator of the Turraken's 'racial statue' wants everyone to know that it's just the casing of an old anti-matter conducer. The 'creator' is simply an art ''researcher''.
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Crimes vary from 'attempted extermination of all sentient life in the galaxy' to 'appeared in terrible low-budget sci-fi film'.
** AllCrimesAreEqual: The jail time is the same for all of them too.
* ArtifactTitle: "Black Market Goods" ''were'' named because the [[TheFederation Galactic Empire]] banned them. Even though [[AfterTheEnd the Empire is gone]], people still call them Black Market Goods, despite being legal again.
* ArtificialStupidity: If a rival administrator is kicked off the station many guests will simply wait around for everything to start back up again. Unfortunately this means that many of them will die as their needs increase rather than simply leave the station.
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ([[spoiler:If one gets 12 Zedem Monks and 12 Penitents, an Ascension ritual is performed. It looks flashy and has the benefit of ridding you of those annoying penitents at no cost. It's also required for the eighth mission.]])
* BigCreepyCrawlies: The Skrashers, giant bugs bigger than many of your buildings, with the instinct to smash up everything. Fortunately, if you keep the place tidy, they won't appear that often.
* BizarreSexualDimorphism: See those scantily-clad [[WingedHumanoid Dahanese Sirens]], their broad-shouldered males and petite females with large breasts? Now replace "male" with "female" in the previous sentence and vice versa.
* {{Bowdlerise}}: In the data files, the Oroflex was originally called the ''Orophux''. Given that its a thing that gives ''massive'' stat gains in 'Love'...
* CreativeSterility: TheGreys' racial statue is simply a small collection of basic shapes. The description points out that while the Greys are intelligent and hardworking, their culture is very strict and unbending, completely opposed to creativity.
* CryingIndian: Karmaramans lose a little bit of happiness and spiritual happiness if they see you harvest a plant on the Biodeck.
* CrystalDragonJesus: The Zedem gods.
* DeadpanSnarker: VAL, the station's AI.
* DevelopmentHell: In-universe: the Salt Hog's racial statue took ninety years to finish, because they kept being told to do other things.
* EnergyEconomy: The energy that the base runs on is used as a medium to buy and sell furniture, rooms, and cargo.
* ExcusePlot: There was an interstellar war that smashed up the vast network of space stations, and now you're rebuilding them. That's all the detail you get.
* {{Expy}}: Arona Daal, of [[Literature/{{Discworld}} CMOT Dibbler]], with elements of ''{{Minder}}'s'' Arthur Daley.
* FaceFullOfAlienWingWong: The Memau, in a not-so-subtle ShoutOut to the ''Alien'' movies.
** One random event even name checks the ''Nostromo'' as it brings aboard a lifeboat full of sick crew members who will all explode and release Skrashers if not treated quickly enough
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Take note of where the little robots recharge sockets is.
* GRatedSex: The Dahnese Sirens run G-Rated brothels: they hover in the air and beam sparkly love magic to their clients, who levitate during the encounter. Then there's the Oroflex, a sort of Tilt-O-Whirl with tentacles that looks alarming and disturbing, but the customers appear to enjoy it, having their "love" and "fun" stats boosted.
* TheGreys: One of the in-game races. They're employed as your medical staff. VAL says they're sorry about that [[AlienAbduction abduction]] and [[AliensStealCattle cattle mutilation]] business, and they hardly ''ever'' do it now.
** Several of Greys appear to have had relatives, who died during the UFO crash-landing in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947.
* HeyItsThatVoice: Both VAL and Arona are voiced by William Franklyn, the voice of [[Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy The Guide]] through radio seasons 3-5.
* HonestJohnsDealership: Arona Daal, whose goods are high priced, but who carries the largest selection of merchandise.
* HornyScientist: The Turakken have one of the highest needs for "Love" sessions from the Sirens.
* HumanAliens, WingedHumanoid: The Dahanese Sirens, effectively.
* HumanoidAliens: All species save the [[ShoutOut Polvakian Gem Slugs.]]
* ImAHumanitarian: Although not in the strictest sense. Energy is used to make synthetic food and you can recycle anything you can teleport into energy: crates, litter, bombs... corpses...
* IncrediblyObviousBomb: The bombs planted by spies. This is lucky, since you have to hunt for them.
* KillerRabbit: The irresistibly adorable memau resemble a cross between a kitten and a raccoon. They sneak aboard the station through docking ports and wander around looking for trash to eat. Visitors and residents can't stop themselves from giving the cute little critters a skritch on the head. Unfortunately, if they encounter a memau that has eaten enough litter, they'll be given a FaceFullOfAlienWingWong and become infected with skrasher spawn. Unless they get immediate medical attention, you can expect a huge mess.
* LukeIAmYourFather [[spoiler:Arona Daal]] claims this in the ending sequence. Which is rather odd, when you consider [[spoiler:VAL effectively implies the player's home planet is Earth.]] Most likely a ''StarWars'' parody.
* MatterReplicator In the game any non-living, non-moving mater (no droids) can be replicated, but doing so is less efficient than buying it from a trader or manufacturing it.
* {{Misblamed}}: The Karmaraman racial statue may not have actually ''made'' the thing. None of the designers remember doing it, and there's rumors that another alien race designed the thing when the Karmas went off after [[SincerityMode getting the munchies]].
* TheMonolith: The introductory sequence is lifted from ''[[Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey 2001: A Space Odyssey]]'', but with a donut replacing the bone.
* NewAgeRetroHippie: Karmaramas all the way and, to a lesser extent, the Dahanese Sirens.
* NoBiochemicalBarriers: Used and averted, all aliens breath the same air without complaint and synthetic food can be eaten by all species. However, some species will find certain biodeck environments highly unpleasant and specialist food can cause problems if eaten by some species. There are also diseases that can be caught by any of the aliens races, but hit some races harder than others.
* NobodyPoops: [[AvertedTrope Yes they do]], and if you don't provide the facilities they may die of bladder wrack. Excepting the Polvakian Gem Slugs who just do it anywhere, though their droppings are valuable energy-rich Turdite.
* NonEntityGeneral: The only clues to your identity are VAL's comments that suggest you're [[spoiler: a contemporary human]]. ([[BreakingTheFourthWall Well, you are.]]) Doesn't explain how you come to be in charge of rebuilding an alien space station, though. [[spoiler: Or the fact Arona Daal claims to be your father.]]
* OneGenderRace: Apparently all of them, besides the Dahanese Sirens.
** Actually, the Sirens' genders are reversed in terms of body shape (i.e. Dahanese females look like human males and vice versa).
* OurAngelsAreDifferent: The Dahanese Sirens. The only race with sexual dimorphism in game. Dressed in swimwear and specializing in providing Love Nest service.
* PauseScumming: Pause freezes all the action, but navigation between decks and all camera controls are still on. This allows to look for [[TimeBomb Time Bombs]] left by stray saboteurs, for as long as it takes.
* PlanetOfHats: Every single race, including the race that occupies the role of spies and saboteurs. The work is clearly delineated by their hat: Greys are doctors, Karmaramas are gardeners, Salthogs are engineers and mechanics, Kasvagorans run security. Also somewhat averted, as any race (save the enemy agents) can be terrorists or criminals, and Salt Hogs, Greys and Targ will take up lasers along with the Gors when called or attacked.
** It's implied that, [[AfterTheEnd back before the galaxy went to hell]], the Empire engaged in deliberate social engineering to make each race specialize, forcing them all to depend on each other, as an attempt to prevent interspecies wars from breaking out. [[CaptainObvious It didn't exactly work]]. (Though it seems to working now.)
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: The Kasvagorians. Apparently none of the others survived the war according to their intro.
* PunnyName: The names of the aliens' homeworlds in their details. Many of the Turraken come from worlds in the [[IncrediblyLamePun Opray Ting System]].
* RealTimeWithPause
* SaintlyChurch: The church of Zedem is old-fashioned and moralistic, but is run by non-violent ascetics who seem to be genuinely concerned with the well-being of others.
* ShoutOut: Tons. From ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'' to ''Creator/MontyPython'' to ''Franchise/StarTrek'' to ''[[Magazine/{{MAD}} Spy Vs. Spy]]'' to ''Franchise/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy''.
** Arona Daal is basically [[Literature/{{Discworld}} CMOT Dibbler]]. He even uses the 'cutting my own throat' line occasionally. His name comes from Arthur Daley, a similar character from the British TV series ''{{Minder}}''.
** "Scuzzers" are a pretty obvious play on "Scutters", the maintenance robots on ''Series/RedDwarf''.
** The game itself was released in ''2001''
** The ring like station is a reference to Wernher von Braun's concept of a toroidal space station, using centrifugal force to generate ArtificialGravity through spinning.
** One random event references ''Film/{{Alien}}'' as a Nostro class Lifeboat calls to receive medical aid. If you let them aboard and don't get them treated in time, they turn out to be infected with Skrashers.
** Two of the aliens hobbies are listed as "Screaming in space" and "Listening for people screaming in space" (see above)
** And their criminal records involve such gems like "[[Film/Plan9FromOuterSpace Invented nine ridiculous plans from outer space]]" and "[[ThePhantomMenace Pretended to be a phantom and menaced people]]".
** The security control building screen often shows games of ''VideoGame/{{Pong}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Asteroids}}''.
** Sometimes laboratory computer terminals show [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Screen_of_Death blue screens]], guess the future has windows. It's notable that this isn't a background thing but it occurs with Turakkens with lower skill ratings and they visibly bash the keyboard when it occurs.
*** Also the terminals sometimes show a variant of the old Beziers Screensaver that was avalible in Windows.
* SingleBiomePlanet: The garden-like Biodeck can be set for a range of moisture and heat settings. Each race prefers a different one and some even take hits to their health if it's the exact opposite of their preference, though they all get along with the median state and ''all'' of them enjoy swimming, even the Zedem Monks will get a thrill walking ontop of lakes.
** PatchworkMap: Sure this is nanosoil and such but it's odd to see TheGreys preferred frozen tundra enviroment exactly next to the [[{{ProudWarriorRaceGuy}} Kasvagorian's]] preferred blazing deserts.
* SmallAnnoyingCreature: Vermin, looking like rats with big toothy grins, will pop up out of the deck if you have too much litter lying about. Visitors and residents who encounter them are disgusted, especially the snobby gem slugs. If a vermin gets within range of a security column, the column's guns will blast it to pieces, which can be fun but also freaks out anyone nearby.
** More importantly, anyone who interacts with them has a very high chance to get ill.
* SolidGoldPoop: Energy-rich turdite.
* SpeakingSimlish: A different-sounding form for each race.
* StarfishAliens: The Oroflex. A giant tentacled plant/animal hybrid that eats people, giving them strong feelings of love and happiness in the process, and spits them out.
* TeleportersAndTransporters: Your station is equipped with a teleporter allowing you to either move non-organic items (such as furniture, tradegoods, Scuzzers) around or store them indefinitely within the "Pattern Buffer". [[MundaneUtility Alternatively, you can use it for litter picking.]]
** There are also teleporters between floors, rather than lifts.
* TheMissionary: Zedem monks, they occasionally convert others to their faith, which result in them becoming Penitents, who wander around being useless. You get a nice cash bonus for this.
* TimeBomb: Criminal visitors and saboteurs can drop one in your station. If allowed to go off, it can damage nearby facilities and kill peeps nearby. It's a small object that can be relocated or recycled as common trash if found in time. With proper security, security droids will seek it out themselves and defuse it.
* TrueArtIsIncomprehensible: In-universe, Polvakian art and sculpture is only 'incomprehensible' if you're one of those classless ''poor people''.
* UniversalAmmunition: Actually Universal Consumables; certain cargo can be used for significantly different purposes. Specifically, 'Food Supplies' can be used to [[CaptainObvious feed your people]], or used as raw materials for a simple 'general store'. Luxury Goods supply Leisure-related or music-related stores... [[FridgeLogic and are harvested from plants]].
** Which veers into FridgeBrilliance when you realise that the universe has both highly advanced teleportation technology and the ability to turn matter into pure energy (via the recycler). It's not a massive leap to assume they're able to do it in reverse and recombine raw materials into whatever they want.
*** Well... yeah. If you don't have the requisite goods, a shop will have a small energy expenditure before completing the transaction, presumably from replicating whatever item the customer wants.
* TheWikiRule: [[http://startopia.wikia.com/wiki/Startopia_Wiki Startopia Wiki]]
* YourHeadAsplode: Visitors and residents can become infected with a disease called "Blastycephalis". Without immediate and proper medical attention, the victim's head suddenly expands until the pressure causes it to pop leaving behind a large spatter of bone fragments.
** Also Skrashers have this effect on their unwitting victims.