|
HiKaizer posted:I've played this twice and I remember a different set of events on the moon and not getting attacked by the Ilwraith. Is this just my faulty memory, or is this a branching choice that I never picked? You might be thinking of events on a different solar body, which we'll be visiting in the next update (most likely). I don't think you can avoid the Ilwrath attack, though, unless you simply don't do the starbase mission (which is a bad idea for several reasons, but technically it is still possible to win the game!)
|
#
¿
Dec 11, 2015 06:32
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 18:43 |
|
|
Seyser Koze posted:Am I completely misremembering, or was there a Genesis (or Master System) version of the original Star Control? You are not misremembering! It was a poor port, though, because Accolade rushed it out the door without giving the programmers time to optimize it (sayeth Wikipedia).
|
|
#
¿
Dec 12, 2015 03:57
|
|
|
My main problem with Star Control 3 was that the HAL-alike would keep telling me my game was over without any sort of hint as to where I hosed up. I never got far enough into the plot to dislike it. (That, and the planet managing, which was just needlessly obtuse.)
|
|
#
¿
Dec 12, 2015 06:17
|
|
|
Seyser Koze posted:I'm in the bizarre position of hoping Activision decides that Star Control is a property worthy of being monetized so that the series gets revived. Somewhat belatedly, isn't Stardock the current rights holder for Star Control?
|
|
#
¿
Dec 12, 2015 07:01
|
|
|
The Spathi's fate is just one example of the Umgah's... unique sense of humor. Some would say sociopathic.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 16, 2015 01:48
|
|
|
Tetrakarn posted:Fun fact: The crew for the probes isn't green like other living crews, it's grey! It's the little touches and details that aren't required but still done that make this game pop. And it's not just cosmetic. A certain spoilerly weapon doesn't work on Slylandro probes because they don't have crew in the conventional sense.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 16, 2015 04:08
|
|
|
I apologize for my part in this digression. I'll try not to let it happen again.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 16, 2015 20:12
|
|
|
Captain Bravo posted:So, I take it the Spathi are basically the Parson's Puppeteers of the game? Incredibly advanced, intelligent, super powerful... but consummate cowards who never bring their full force to bear? I'm willing to bet that, even if they'd gotten what they wanted and been slave-shielded by the Ur-Quan, they wouldn't have been happy. After all, the Ur-Quan put the slave shield up; presumably they could take it down. They'd probably put their top minds (and they do have top minds, at least as far as tech development goes) to eliminating such pesky flaws, making a literally impenetrable force shield. Whether they'd then kill themselves off in a panic when some dust bunnies moved suspiciously is up for debate. At any rate, yes, build more Eluders. I wouldn't go so far as to call them easy mode, but in skilled hands they're quite powerful.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 17, 2015 08:01
|
|
|
Seyser Koze posted:Which is weird, since the Captain explicitly says that he has the Evil Ones in stasis. One of my favorite moments from the game, that, if only because it reminds me of Ghostbusters. "Five thousand dollars [for busting the hotel ghost]? I had no idea it'd be so much; I won't pay it." "Well, that's all right. We can just put it right back in there, can't we, Dr. Stantz?" "We certainly can, Dr. Venkman."
|
|
#
¿
Dec 18, 2015 06:39
|
|
|
Pimpmust posted:Man did Commander Hayes walk out of Mortal Kombat or something? I was expecting us having to fight him to death over the alliegence of his space station with that theme music. Since Bloodly brought it up: you want Mortal Kombat-esque music, check out the battle theme.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 18, 2015 10:16
|
|
|
I get that the OP doesn't want spoilers in this thread, but with the repeated pressure to stop talking about topics, I'm beginning to feel like I shouldn't contribute to the thread because I've played the game and might accidentally spoil something. Maybe ProfessorProf could suggest some safe topics to talk about? Or, if there aren't any, lock the thread until the next update?
|
|
#
¿
Dec 20, 2015 05:17
|
|
|
idonotlikepeas posted:I think this is essentially it? We're not talking about a particularly unusual spoiler policy here. Anything that's been shown already is fair game, and anything that is now 100% impossible for Prof to achieve is fair game. Okay. Of the topics that aren't spoilers, what is there to say? I mean, I'd be happy to be proven wrong, but I feel like there isn't anything we can safely talk about that hasn't already been said.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 20, 2015 05:53
|
|
|
Did UQM ever fix the issue where an important piece of information was left out of the 3D0 version, which is what they based UQM on?
|
|
#
¿
Dec 20, 2015 20:28
|
|
|
One thing you forgot to mention about the Avenger: when it decloaks, it is instantly turned to face the enemy vessel. This allows you to make what would be a grazing pass, then decloak and burn them. It also shares the common flaw of many invisibility tools available to both player and AI: it's easy to lose track of exactly where you are (though the map centering on the two vessels helps) and which direction you're pointing. The AI has no such issues. Nor do they seem to have trouble finding you, though at least their tracking weapons don't track.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 20, 2015 22:46
|
|
|
GunnerJ posted:That's all stuff I like too, I just wish that the Cruiser didn't feel like such... an early game trap? Maybe if Commander Hayes could give you ship matchup suggestions in-game (gated by progression: have all the Starcon 1 matchups right away, with Starcon 2 matchups coming once you've encountered the ship in question), that'd help?
|
|
#
¿
Dec 24, 2015 22:18
|
|
|
And for anyone who isn't familair with Oglaf, it is extremely 
|
|
#
¿
Dec 25, 2015 01:10
|
|
|
Limpet mines don't just reduce your maximum speed; they increase your momentum. Which is significant when you have a ship (like the Slylandro probe) that doesn't normally have momentum; a heavily limpeted probe has to actually worry about being dragged into the planet by gravity.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 29, 2015 07:06
|
|
|
Tarezax posted:Fixed. Oops. 
|
|
#
¿
Dec 29, 2015 07:35
|
|
|
Xander77 posted:In other news, this 1992 game still has an active fandom. Guess what incidental character they are really into shipping? Not the fellows with the tentacles. Not the furries. Not the green spacebabes. Is 'the captain, who is canonically somewhere between ten and twenty at the start of the game, hopefully at the upper end' the right answer?  To elaborate on the age and back away from the creepy: the manual has some backstory the game itself doesn't show. The research team was marooned on Unzervalt when the Cruiser that brought them there fled the approach of Hierarchy vessels to get a relief party and supplies; they hid in the precursor caverns both to avoid detection and to blow everything up if they were found. It was about a decade after that when Professor Farnsworth claimed to have activated the machinery that built our flagship, and about a decade after that when the flagship was completed as much as was possible with the facilities. In order to get the skeleton ship to Earth, they needed an automated control system, and they planned to transplant the shipyard's computer into the flagship and reprogram it for that purpose. That's when Farnsworth revealed he was a fraud and that a young boy born on the planet had been the one to figure out how to use the system. That boy, i.e. the player, was put in charge of operating the ship's computer for Captain Burton. So how did we wind up in charge? Well, turns out the Cruiser that fled the Vela system didn't get far. We found it, patched it up (for some reason, even though the crew were all dead, damage was minimal), and Captain Burton took charge of it. Then, a day later, we got pulled out of hyperspace, the Cruiser got attacked (based on the description in the manual, by a Slylandro probe), and the captain killed. The probe immediately disengaged (again, for some reason), but that left us in de facto charge, and I guess no one else wanted the position. So that's why we know the captain is probably in the 15-20 age range and male. That's also why we have an Earthling Cruiser with us at the start of the game.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 30, 2015 00:54
|
|
|
...huh. I could have sworn Bukowski got killed by this plot event, but the wiki (whose name is a spoiler, so...) says this is neither mentioned in text nor reflected in a loss of crew. So.  If I may offer a suggestion, try to find out more about the probes. I know where you can find info, so in the interests of avoiding spoilers I'll avoid saying what to do exactly, but I'm sure folks who aren't already spoiled can nonetheless come up with some good ideas. They may be resource pinatas now, but as Hayes said, they're going to be major pains sooner rather than later. As for what to do right this second, I'm down with ZFP.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 30, 2015 02:10
|
|
|
So, a few notes on stuff, starting with the Orz Nemesis. Unlike most ships, their secondary fire button doesn't directly do anything. However, while you're holding it down, pushing left or right rotates the turret relative to the ship. I'm sure you could get pretty fancy with turret positioning, doing strafing runs and the like, but the calling card of the Nemesis is that pressing secondary and primary fire launches marines (at the cost of one crew). Each marine will attempt to jetpack to the enemy vessel, moving fairly quickly; a marine that touches the enemy ship enters it and periodically kills their crew. The rate at which this happens, as well whether the marine gets killed, are somewhat random, but more is better. When the enemy vessel is destroyed, any marines on board escape and jet back to your vessel, replenishing its crew. They're fast and somewhat maneuverable, but it is possible for them to fail to make it back in time, or to be destroyed by space hazards or enemy fire. As for the Androsynth, their signature Guardian vessel had two basic modes. Its default configuration was a feeble-looking vessel, with poor turning rate and a low top speed (though it did at least get to that speed quickly). It fired acid bubbles, which homed slowly and erratically. On the up side, the erraticness made them hard to target, and they lasted for quite a while, allowing the Guardian to essentially mine space given long enough. The party piece was Blazer mode, though. Secondary fire turned the ship into a fast, nimble comet, constantly moving at incredible speed, and capable of a devastating ram attack, especially if it managed to lodge itself in, say, the arms of a Spathi vessel, in which case it would tear the other ship into confetti. It would remain in this mode until weapon energy was fully depleted, then revert; however, it could enter this mode without full weapon energy. While we won't encounter any Guardians in the game (which is why I'm talking about them now), you can play them in Super Melee. Interestingly, they're pretty good against the Orz; any marines trying to get in will be killed by Blazer mode, and the Nemesis's main gun is no great shakes. Earthling Cruisers also do well on the defense, since their point-defense lasers kill marines, but their own cruise missiles are a bit slow to track, so it becomes an exercise in patience to take a Nemesis down. Not that we're going to have to do that, because we are all *happy campers*. Right? e: update last page.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 30, 2015 02:29
|
|
|
Martian posted:Seems we're going to help the Zoq-Fot-Pik, wich is fine, but I just wanted to remind everyone that about four months have passed (july-october) since the Pkunk told us they have about a year left before they're annihilated. They should be next. I remembered that, but misremembered the species. I shall be sure to vote Pkunk next time!
|
|
#
¿
Dec 30, 2015 11:20
|
|
|
Xander77 posted:Nope. It's Zex. Because that's not the least bit creepy. Wait, I thought you said it wasn't the ones with tentacles? Because if you hadn't said that, I'd have known the answer was 'Zex/captain shipping'. :iveseensomeshit: Libluini posted:To be fair, the Orz maybe have just trouble understanding tearing people to pieces is harmful, considering what they are. I seem to recall either a scifi story or the backstory to a scifi game having humans encounter a hive mind entity and have a rocky first encounter because the entity thinks dissecting the first contact team is the equivalent of taking a tissue scraping.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 30, 2015 22:20
|
|
|
The Relentless posted:ATTENTION INTERLOPER! I highly recommend the High Definition fork or the UQM project. It looks absolutely stunning. I presume you mean of the UQM project. At any rate, I was ready to dismiss this out of, I dunno, pixel snobbery, but the screenshots, at least, actually look pretty good!
|
|
#
¿
Dec 31, 2015 22:12
|
|
|
As a reminder, here are pictures of the Ur-Quan we're familiar with from the first war and the new, Kohr-Ah variety we've just encountered.  We haven't seen the Dreadnought yet, and hopefully we won't any time soon. We're even more ill-prepared to deal with it than we are with the Marauder...
|
|
#
¿
Jan 1, 2016 02:19
|
|
|
ManxomeBromide posted:The most astonishing thing about SC2 was actually that even if you had nothing but the PC's little beeper, they had some kind of crazy modulator that would make the fuckin' PC speaker play MODs. Basically full quality, just softer. I remember some time in the early Windows years seeing a driver for the PC speaker that would let it act as a fairly basic sound card. I thought it was neat, but I didn't own a PC at the time, so it was a curiosity more than anything.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 1, 2016 08:16
|
|
|
ProfessorProf posted:
Dammit. I was hoping that wouldn't happen until we had a chance to replace those Eluders. ProfessorProf posted:
I see what you did there, Melnorme.  (Also, you left the 'y' off 'technology' in the next line.)Robindaybird posted:Man, the Syren are kind of eye-rolling - I suppose they had to have the attractive space babe, but they really stick out among the more alien-alien species. You haven't seen the worst of it yet. Here's their ship, courtesy of the first Star Control: 
|
|
#
¿
Jan 1, 2016 21:58
|
|
After some wild game, hmmm? Well, the changes we made should really make a difference! Unless of course that wiring went in backwards, in which case you won't be able to shoot at all, or take off for that matter. Don't worry, Captain. We stand behind our work. If something goes wrong, just bring it back to us, and we'll fix it pronto!
|
Fun story: in a gaming magazine I read around the time the first Star Control came out, there was an interview with the developers. They claimed that, during the design process, they had some difficulty deciding on the name for the Syreen ship. Then one of them threw out the name 'Penetrator' - and an earthquake hit. I have no idea if this is true or not, though.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 1, 2016 22:16
|
|
|
TooMuchAbstraction posted:This means that the spread guns are twice as efficient as the forward- or rear-firing guns, since you get two projectiles from them I thought ProfessorProf said guns in those positions cost twice as much for exactly that reason?
|
|
#
¿
Jan 1, 2016 22:36
|
|
|
Oh, and help the Pkunk, yeah. (That's the Dogar and Kazon option, right? Try to find out why the Ilwrath have been ordered to kill the Pkunk.)
|
|
#
¿
Jan 1, 2016 22:45
|
|
|
Tunicate posted:Also, since we never fight more than one spaceship at a time, a shot firing off in the opposite direction is wasted! Given that, I'm inclined to focus on either a fore or aft gun and trick the hell out of it with dynamos, plus a single point-defense unit (which, as noted, we won't have to actually fire, but will warn the AI off of certain attacks we'd otherwise be ill-prepared to deal with). Given the example of the Spathi, perhaps the aft gun. FredMSloniker fucked around with this message at 23:16 on Jan 1, 2016 |
|
#
¿
Jan 1, 2016 23:14
|
|
|
Something that's become increasingly clear in Star Control 2 is just how fragile both the Alliance and the Hierarchy were. The Chenjesu and Mmrnmhrm were first to fall, but as soon as the Humans were conquered, the Alliance broke down completely. As for the Hierarchy, it lasted exactly as long as the Ur-Quan were around to rule it through fear and brute force; as soon as they got distracted by the Kohr-Ah, the other races hosed off to do their own thing. Combine that with the dark sides of every race we know enough about to know whether they have one, ourselves included, and one has to wonder exactly how long the
|
|
#
¿
Jan 2, 2016 01:29
|
|
|
idonotlikepeas posted:Stardate... uh, April 9th, 2155. Sorry, I'm kind of new at this. Huh. I could have sworn Hayes had something to say if you allied with the Orz, then pissed them off, but even trawling through the UQM source I can't find it.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 2, 2016 02:33
|
|
|
Captain Bravo posted:So, getting back to the game, when are we going to learn what the gently caress Juffo-Wup is? You realize that'd be spoilers, right? 
|
|
#
¿
Jan 9, 2016 02:20
|
|
|
Adar posted:In SC2, yes. SC1 had an overmap exploration bonus mechanic where landing on an unexplored world could uncover a Precursor artifact that gave a random bonus to one stat of that ship. This would occasionally result in an Arilou with 20 crew or a Vux that could accelerate like an Eluder, which made for some fun fights. It was just about the only SC1 mechanic that wasn't improved by the sequel. That reminds me. In Star Control II's Super Melee mode, you can choose to have ships controlled by human or computer players. Thing is, the computer player option is called 'cyborg', and there's a reason for this. See, in the original Star Control, there were four settings: human, computer, cyborg, and psytron. In that game, computer did what you expected it to: fully controlled both the strategic part (moving around on the 3D map, building ships, exploring, that sort of thing) and the tactical part (the melee itself). Cyborg, by contrast, put the strategic part in human hands but had the computer handle flying the ships. (Psytron, naturally, meant the opposite.) You can delegate flying your ships in Star Control II to the computer, which is called - wait for it - the 'cyborg' setting. This carried over to Super Melee, despite it lacking a strategic part other than choosing a team (which is under human control).
|
|
#
¿
Jan 9, 2016 08:18
|
|
|
Incidentally, I mentioned earlier that VUX limpet mines would cause Slylandro probes to have inertia and be affected by planetary gravity. The same is true of Arilou skiffs, which is one way they can wind up having a planetary collision. That said, as long as you can avoid the initial laser barrage from the VUX's party trick (warping in at point-blank range), I think a skiff is a pretty good way to fight them, as its laser auto-aims, so you just hug their butt.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 15, 2016 00:07
|
|
|
Roland Jones posted:Tangentially, the Yehat reaction to the Shofixti return is kind of sweet; for them being the badass warrior type, them having an emotional breakdown at the return of "their children" is neat and not what you might expect. Speaking of Zarla, here's something from them that isn't weird and/or eerie: 
|
|
#
¿
Jan 31, 2016 21:52
|
|
|
Can you also provide the analysis of the Rosy Sphere, and any other objects we missed analyzing?
|
|
#
¿
Feb 2, 2016 05:35
|
|
|
The crew and battery bars kept going from green or red to gray. Was that significant in any way, or was that some sort of encoding issue?
|
|
#
¿
Feb 7, 2016 00:46
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 18:43 |
|
|
Comstar posted:What's the list of best ship/worst ship vs each ship? That's going to depend somewhat on player skill. I could generate an AI vs. AI chart easily enough, but, as noted, the AI flies certain ships much better than others.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 7, 2016 10:22
|
|