Virtual TARDIS
From Tardis Wiki, the free Doctor Who reference
Virtual TARDIS, also known as Virtual 3D TARDIS, was an online game published on the BBC's Doctor Who website.
It was a 3D interactive version of the 1983 TARDIS console room in which users could explore and pilot. It was added in c. July 2000.[1] Later, it moved into the TARDIS Cam section of the website after it launched.
Scenario[[edit] | [edit source]]
Explore time and space. Your TARDIS awaits.
Ever wanted your own TARDIS? We've got a taste for you with this 3D console room. Requires Shockwave Flash.
Got Shockwave installed? Woolly scarf wrapped up tight? Pockets full of jelly babies? Good, then ENTER THE TARDIS. Doctor Who is © BBC. All rights reserved.[2]
How to play?[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Click anywhere to enter. Use the control panel at the bottom of the screen to move around the TARDIS once you are inside.
- The left and right arrows control your view of the console room.
- Use the 'Space Slider' to set your destination - otherwise you'll be stranded in space! Enter the chosen world or return to the TARDIS by using the arrows, the text or entering via screen.
- To travel in the TARDIS you will need IE4, Netscape 4 or above, and the latest Shockwave plugin. If you can't see anything, or if the image is broken, please download shockwave using the link below.[3]
Console room[[edit] | [edit source]]
The user's cursor is the Doctor's Sonic screwdriver. Hovering the Sonic screwdriver over certain areas or objects revealed a fun fact.
| Area | Fact |
|---|---|
| Left circle 1 | The TARDIS became invisible in 1968's 'The Invasion' when the Doctor was forced to take emergency evasive action to avoid a missile. At the end of 1976's 'The Brain of Morbius', the TARDIS dematerialises with a flash and a puff of smoke. |
| Left circle 2 | The Fifth Doctor said that, as an invasion weapon, the TARDIS was "about as offensive as a chicken vol au vent". In1985's 'Attack of the Cybermen', the TARDIS changed its exterior shape for the first time since it got stuck as a Police Box in 'An Unearthly Child' |
| Left circle 3 | In 'The Invasion of Time', K9 tells the TARDIS that it is "a very stupid machine". In 'Planet of the Spiders' the Doctor tells Sarah that the TARDIS "is no fool". In 1980's 'The Leisure Hive', a new TARDIS exterior prop, made of fibreflass, is used for the first time. |
| Right circle 1 | The Master's TARDIS has been disguised as a horsebox, a bush, a Concorde aircraft, a grandfather clock and an iron maiden, amongst other things. The Master described the Doctor's obsolete "Type 40 TT capsule" as "A museum piece...a second-hand gas stove". On Gallifrey it's classed amongst "veteran and vintage vehicles". |
| Right circle 2 | As well as the console room, the TARDIS had a Victorian-style boot cupboard the size of a warehouse, a swimming pool (the "bathroom"), an art gallery, cloisters and a lift between floors. To prevent confusion when the TARDIS landed in mid-sixties London, the Doctor hung an "Out of Order" sign on the Police Box exterior. |
| Right circle 3 | The ship has a Time Scanner capable of giving viewers "a glimpse of the future". Glumly, the Doctor admits that it's "not very reliable". The TARDIS's defence mechanism, the Hostile Action Displacement System, automatically moves the ship if it comes under attack...and if the Doctor remembers to enable it! |
| Hat Stand | The hat-stand appeared on-and-off throughout the series, and was especially evident during John Nathan Turner's era, never more so than when Turlough threatened to use it as a weapon in 'Frontios'. |
| K9 | K9 was created by Professor Marius, and given to the Doctor in 'The Invisible Enemy'. This version was given to Leela in 'The Invasion of Time'. K9 Mark II left with Romana in 'Warriors' Gate'. A third appeared in the spin-off episode 'K9 and Company' in 1981. |
Console and Scanner[[edit] | [edit source]]
After selecting "Use Console" it would zoom to a panel, where users could use the "Space Slider" to pick one of nine destinations.
Hovering the Sonic screwdriver over "Space Info?" showed users some information about the destination and the story it came from.
Once selected the TARDIS would dematerialise, rematerialise, then the scenery outside would be displayed on the TARDIS scanner.
Users could then "Enter the world" by clicking and they'd be taken to the story's Episode Guide on the website.
| Image | Destination | Space Info? |
|---|---|---|
|
The Aztecs | 'The Aztecs' The TARDIS arrives in fifteenth century Mexico. |
|
Dragonfire | 'Dragonfire' The TARDIS materialises in Iceworld, a space trading colony. |
|
Marinus | 'The Keys of Marinus' The TARDIS arrives on an island of glass on the planet Marinus. |
|
Mindwarp | 'Mindwarp' The TARDIS is drawn to a Timelord space station. |
|
Black Orchid | 'Black Orchid' The TARDIS arrives on a railway platform on Earth in 1925 |
|
SpiderPlanet | 'Planet of the Spiders' The Doctor and Sarah travel to Metebelis 3, the Planet of the Spiders. |
|
Spriridon | 'Planet of the Daleks' The TARDIS materialises in a hostile jungle on the planet Spirodon. |
|
Tomb | 'Tomb of the Cybermen' The Doctor arrives on Telos and uncovers the lost tomb of the Cybermen |
|
Zygons | 'Terror of the Zygons' The Doctor, Sarah and Harry come to earth to confront a Loch Ness Monster. |
Gallery[[edit] | [edit source]]
Enter Tardis?
Enter Tardis?
Use Console
Use Console
Use Console
space info?
space info?
Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]
- The game consisted of a Macromedia Director file - tardis.dcr (260 KB).
External links[[edit] | [edit source]]
- Virtual TARDIS Index Page (23 December 2001-14 July 2004)
- Virtual TARDIS (2 December 2000-8 July 2004)
- Virtual TARDIS (20 November 2004-8 January 2005)
- Virtual TARDIS (17 May 2006-present)
Footnotes[[edit] | [edit source]]
- ↑ Doctor Who Homepage. bbc.co.uk (9 July 2000). Retrieved on 3 August 2023.
- ↑ Virtual TARDIS Index Page. bbc.co.uk (23 January 2001). Retrieved on 3 August 2023.
- ↑ Virtual TARDIS. bbc.co.uk (15 August 2000). Retrieved on 11 February 2019.
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