SoulBlazer
04-02-2004, 11:11 AM
Okay, I thought maybe I'd make up for being in such a bad mood yesterday and share all of this information with everyone here, since no one has really mentioned it (at least as far as I can tell).
How many people have played Star Control II for either the PC or the 3DO? Well, IT'S BACK! :D
What is this game, you ask? Well, the Ur-Quan Masters is a remake of the 3DO (and PC) version of Star Control II, a space based, science-fiction, action/adventure/simulation game. You play a young captain controling a alien starship in the year 2155 and trying to solve a huge mystery and a even bigger problem. You fly around from system to system, mining for minerals, talking to other aliens, engaging in ship fights, and trying to solve mysteries. It's similar to the Starflight games, but larger and better. There just is'nt anything else out there like it! 8-)
Some of you may know I've always been as much of a PC gamer as I am a console gamer. That's why, as soon as SC II came out in 1992, I bought it with all the allowance and work money that a 16 year old could have. I'd played the original (on the Genesis) but knew this game was nothing like that one, and it was'nt. It blew me away. One of the best months I can recall playing anything.
Fast forward six years and with the purchase of my new computer the game would'nt work anymore. I was told that a remake of the game had been released for the 3DO, so I went out and bought a used system JUST for that game. And although I got other games, that was the shining star of my collection for that system, and brought all the memories back.
Okay, some basic history here, and please skip over this if I'm borring you -- Star Control II is a unofficial sequel to Star Control, which was originaly released for the PC and Genesis back in 1990. It was created by Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III, who had several other successfull games (Archon, Mail Order Monsters, the Horde) and released by Accolade.
Where as the original game was a simple strategy and great melee game, Star Control II is a little of a lot of stuff. It's part adventure, part RPG, part action, and part simulation. The graphics and the music were cutting edge for 1992, and it was a very large disc based game.
The remake for the 3DO was released in 1995 and included voices, remixed music from the original game, and a few other new options.
Now, the current project. Fred and Paul regained the rights to their game back in 2002 and started a quest to re-release the game, to help gamers to experience and play this wonderfull game again. The original, being a DOS based game, does not play well, if at all, on current systems. Accolade has long since been asorbed by Atari and they still hold the rights to the name Star Control, but everything else was in the hands of Toys for Bob, the company that Fred and Paul run. Since the PC code had been lost, they started to port the 3DO game to the modern PC.
Last month, version 0.3 came out, and even though I had been playing and testing the game a year before then, I wanted to wait to plug this great game on here until the current build was MOSTLY stable. And it is -- about 99 percent of the time, I'd say.
I can't rave enough about how GREAT this game is. The new version of the build also now has THREE music options -- you can listen to the original, the enhanced 3DO, or BRAND NEW remixes. The game is challenging without being downright difficult, there is plenty of humor, and the game is VERY open ended. Yes, there are things to do, but it does'nt matter what order you do them in! The ship to ship fights are pure fun, especily if you have a friend over.
(Yes, there was a Star Control III that continued the story of the series, but it was'nt made by Fred and Paul and is a average game at best.)
You NEED to check this game out. You'll thank me later. ;) And I'd especily love to hear about your experiences, if it was your first time playing or not, and any bugs or crashes you may have experienced (though at this stage that should be few and far between.)
Now -- the LINKS!
Okay, the official download page:
http://sc2.sourceforge.net/downloads.html
You can download the game in all flavors here, people -- Windows, Mac, AND Liunx! Happy days! :-P
From this page you can also download 'optional' packs. These are NOT needed but if you want some of the new stuff (such as the brand new remixes to the classic music) you'll need to do so. It's easy to set up.
Now, you can PLAY the game as is. HOWEVER, since this is still a BETA, most of the options are controled by command line options. Yuck! :P
So I highly suggest downloading this LAUNCHER as well:
http://www.spacesynth.net/markvera/uqm-loader/uqmloader-1.1.zip
Unzip it in the same directory where you install the game and launch it instead of the game. You can set and customize all the options from there.
Now, the game has a WONDERFULL story, and you can read the entire manual that came with the original game here:
http://www.classicgaming.com/starcontrol/sc2/sc2_hist.shtml
The readme file that comes with the game has a little of the story, but the more you know going IN, the more you'll enjoy the game. :D
Plus, being a beta, the intro and ending cinmeas are NOT YET installed. Don't fret! You can view them here:
Original PC intro: http://www.classicgaming.com/starcontrol/sc2/sc2open.shtml
Original 3DO intro:
http://www.fileplanet.com/dl.aspx?/classicgaming/starcontrol/3do_video/sc2_3do_open.zip
Original 3DO ending:
http://www.fileplanet.com/dl.aspx?/classicgaming/starcontrol/3do_video/sc2_3do_end.zip
And finally, I'd be remiss without mentioning the great site that HAS many of these files -- the Pages of Now and Forever:
http://dynamic.gamespy.com/~starcontrol/
Okay! Try to resist the temption to grab a walkthrough if you get stuck! I'd be more then happy to give hints, and there's a also a UVS file that would do the same thing.
I WILL offer, however, some advice, based on my own experience:
1) There IS a time limit in the game. When the game starts, you have roughly FOUR YEARS before the game ends due to major events. There IS a quest you can do that will give you a extra year. It's plenty of time to finish the game, unless you screw up badly like I did my first time. :P
2) Take the advice of the Starbase Commander and spend some time mining nearby planets before you start working on the game's quests. I normaly do three cargo hauls myself (3-4 holds on the ship). Don't bother with hostile planets -- you can come back later -- and stun and grab all the life that you can as well.
3) TAKE NOTES! Write down everything important as you work your way through the game.
4) If you suck at the ship combat, turn on the computer and let it fight for you. It does a decent job.
5) If you can't figure something out, vist your allies and ask them for information or if anything is new. Often times they give hints and information that may be just what you need.
6) I suggest making your first upgrades to your mother ships some thrusters and turning jets, as well as cargo pods, and a extra fuel tank and crew pod. Later you can customise your ship as you see fit. Some people prefer to make it a pure warship, but I don't see the need for that with all the other ships you can gain for your fleet.
That's it! Let me know how you make out guys -- and if I can borrow, with his permission, Joe's famous tagline, GAME ON! :D
How many people have played Star Control II for either the PC or the 3DO? Well, IT'S BACK! :D
What is this game, you ask? Well, the Ur-Quan Masters is a remake of the 3DO (and PC) version of Star Control II, a space based, science-fiction, action/adventure/simulation game. You play a young captain controling a alien starship in the year 2155 and trying to solve a huge mystery and a even bigger problem. You fly around from system to system, mining for minerals, talking to other aliens, engaging in ship fights, and trying to solve mysteries. It's similar to the Starflight games, but larger and better. There just is'nt anything else out there like it! 8-)
Some of you may know I've always been as much of a PC gamer as I am a console gamer. That's why, as soon as SC II came out in 1992, I bought it with all the allowance and work money that a 16 year old could have. I'd played the original (on the Genesis) but knew this game was nothing like that one, and it was'nt. It blew me away. One of the best months I can recall playing anything.
Fast forward six years and with the purchase of my new computer the game would'nt work anymore. I was told that a remake of the game had been released for the 3DO, so I went out and bought a used system JUST for that game. And although I got other games, that was the shining star of my collection for that system, and brought all the memories back.
Okay, some basic history here, and please skip over this if I'm borring you -- Star Control II is a unofficial sequel to Star Control, which was originaly released for the PC and Genesis back in 1990. It was created by Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III, who had several other successfull games (Archon, Mail Order Monsters, the Horde) and released by Accolade.
Where as the original game was a simple strategy and great melee game, Star Control II is a little of a lot of stuff. It's part adventure, part RPG, part action, and part simulation. The graphics and the music were cutting edge for 1992, and it was a very large disc based game.
The remake for the 3DO was released in 1995 and included voices, remixed music from the original game, and a few other new options.
Now, the current project. Fred and Paul regained the rights to their game back in 2002 and started a quest to re-release the game, to help gamers to experience and play this wonderfull game again. The original, being a DOS based game, does not play well, if at all, on current systems. Accolade has long since been asorbed by Atari and they still hold the rights to the name Star Control, but everything else was in the hands of Toys for Bob, the company that Fred and Paul run. Since the PC code had been lost, they started to port the 3DO game to the modern PC.
Last month, version 0.3 came out, and even though I had been playing and testing the game a year before then, I wanted to wait to plug this great game on here until the current build was MOSTLY stable. And it is -- about 99 percent of the time, I'd say.
I can't rave enough about how GREAT this game is. The new version of the build also now has THREE music options -- you can listen to the original, the enhanced 3DO, or BRAND NEW remixes. The game is challenging without being downright difficult, there is plenty of humor, and the game is VERY open ended. Yes, there are things to do, but it does'nt matter what order you do them in! The ship to ship fights are pure fun, especily if you have a friend over.
(Yes, there was a Star Control III that continued the story of the series, but it was'nt made by Fred and Paul and is a average game at best.)
You NEED to check this game out. You'll thank me later. ;) And I'd especily love to hear about your experiences, if it was your first time playing or not, and any bugs or crashes you may have experienced (though at this stage that should be few and far between.)
Now -- the LINKS!
Okay, the official download page:
http://sc2.sourceforge.net/downloads.html
You can download the game in all flavors here, people -- Windows, Mac, AND Liunx! Happy days! :-P
From this page you can also download 'optional' packs. These are NOT needed but if you want some of the new stuff (such as the brand new remixes to the classic music) you'll need to do so. It's easy to set up.
Now, you can PLAY the game as is. HOWEVER, since this is still a BETA, most of the options are controled by command line options. Yuck! :P
So I highly suggest downloading this LAUNCHER as well:
http://www.spacesynth.net/markvera/uqm-loader/uqmloader-1.1.zip
Unzip it in the same directory where you install the game and launch it instead of the game. You can set and customize all the options from there.
Now, the game has a WONDERFULL story, and you can read the entire manual that came with the original game here:
http://www.classicgaming.com/starcontrol/sc2/sc2_hist.shtml
The readme file that comes with the game has a little of the story, but the more you know going IN, the more you'll enjoy the game. :D
Plus, being a beta, the intro and ending cinmeas are NOT YET installed. Don't fret! You can view them here:
Original PC intro: http://www.classicgaming.com/starcontrol/sc2/sc2open.shtml
Original 3DO intro:
http://www.fileplanet.com/dl.aspx?/classicgaming/starcontrol/3do_video/sc2_3do_open.zip
Original 3DO ending:
http://www.fileplanet.com/dl.aspx?/classicgaming/starcontrol/3do_video/sc2_3do_end.zip
And finally, I'd be remiss without mentioning the great site that HAS many of these files -- the Pages of Now and Forever:
http://dynamic.gamespy.com/~starcontrol/
Okay! Try to resist the temption to grab a walkthrough if you get stuck! I'd be more then happy to give hints, and there's a also a UVS file that would do the same thing.
I WILL offer, however, some advice, based on my own experience:
1) There IS a time limit in the game. When the game starts, you have roughly FOUR YEARS before the game ends due to major events. There IS a quest you can do that will give you a extra year. It's plenty of time to finish the game, unless you screw up badly like I did my first time. :P
2) Take the advice of the Starbase Commander and spend some time mining nearby planets before you start working on the game's quests. I normaly do three cargo hauls myself (3-4 holds on the ship). Don't bother with hostile planets -- you can come back later -- and stun and grab all the life that you can as well.
3) TAKE NOTES! Write down everything important as you work your way through the game.
4) If you suck at the ship combat, turn on the computer and let it fight for you. It does a decent job.
5) If you can't figure something out, vist your allies and ask them for information or if anything is new. Often times they give hints and information that may be just what you need.
6) I suggest making your first upgrades to your mother ships some thrusters and turning jets, as well as cargo pods, and a extra fuel tank and crew pod. Later you can customise your ship as you see fit. Some people prefer to make it a pure warship, but I don't see the need for that with all the other ships you can gain for your fleet.
That's it! Let me know how you make out guys -- and if I can borrow, with his permission, Joe's famous tagline, GAME ON! :D