Star Control II - Attention Devs - BULLET POINTS!

from Stardock Forums

Stardock Devs -

 

I remember a long time ago (I think 2008) when Stardock commented that they would LOVE to get the rights to Star Control to continue that saga. When I read those words, I hoped and prayed for FIVE YEARS this day would come. And it finally has!! To which I say, CONGRATULATIONS!!! There's not a game more near and dear to my heart than SCII. I remember making my own, hand-drawn strategy guide with my best friend back when I was 11 and had nothing to do all summer except just that. Star Control encompasses some of the best moments of my gaming-life and reigns as THE masterpiece in gaming. Make me happy, and I will buy every game you guys put out for the rest of my life - I SWEAR IN BLOOD! *cuts palm*

That being said, I don't want you guys to fuck it up! So I want to start a thread of bullet-points on what were the most important aspects of Star Control that can hopefully let us fans help guide you guys towards a modern masterpiece. So without further ado, these are what I feel are the most important things you guys and girls MUST keep in mind when rebooting SC.

*SPOILERS AHEAD* (though if you haven't played SCII in the last 20 years, shame on you)

 

  • Open-Ended Exploration - if the new Star Control holds my hand for EVEN 10 MINUTES and tells me what to do and where to go, I will flip. I understand modern games are required to give some information on what to do, but please let it be minimal and let us learn while PLAYING. Beyond that, I want to visit whatever star system I want in the entire galaxy from the very beginning. And there had better be a LOT of star systems.
  • Permanence and choice with consequence - Some races you could never win over, other races it was almost automatic but the MOST IMPORTANT THING in that universe is that it could go either way! You kill that last Shofixti? The shofixti race was GONE FOR GOOD. You can't figure out how to fix the Ultron? The Utwig would NOT intervene to halt the Urquan war advance. You let the Pkunk go find their long lost Yehat brethren? Destroyed forever. Sell slaves to the Druuge? Crew would cost 10 credits instead of 3. And the opposite was also true - Bring the Syreen back and they bitch-slapped the Mycon. Convince the Ilwrath YOU are their dark god? The Thraddash get their ass handed to them and are permanently disabled. Bring the Shofixti back from extinction? Crew now cost 1CR instead of 3. Find the origin of the Slylandro probes and you got permanent self-destruct sequences! DON'T find it and they multiply! It's this kind of choice-with-consequence that REALLY made you feel like you're making a DIFFERENCE in the galaxy. It also encourages several playthroughs!
  • MYSTERY, people! This is one of the absolute MOST important things that made Star Control so compelling! And the mystery can be placed in two categories - BOTH of which are insanely important: Mysteries you CAN discover the answer to - How do the Arilou pop up all over the galaxy? How was the Syreen homeworld destroyed? What's going on under the slave-shield between the Chenjesu and Mmrnmhrm? Who are the Dark Gods Dogar and Kazon? Why do the VUX hate us so much? Why are the Kohr-Ah on a Cleansing mission? And then there's mysteries you CANNOT discover the answer to, that are left up to your imagination.......... and literally I wonder about them to this day - What happened to the Precursors (discount stupid Star Control III's answer)? What happened to the Androsynth? Where did the Orz come from? Did they destroy the Androsynth? What is the purpose of the Rainbow Worlds? What is the Spathi's Ultimate Evil? Even the EXTINCT races are compelling and while you end up fleshing out their stories and extinctions a little bit, you never ever get to MEET one. WHY DOES THAT DAMN MELNORME BRIDGE TURN PURPLE?! I've spent countless hours daydreaming about these answers. And THAT is what makes Star Control special.
  • Your SHIP exists in the exact role as a CHARACTER in an RPG - without the leveling. Your ship starts out WEAK. I mean, seriously weak. And that's the beauty of it - based on the things you discover throughout the universe it changes from a skeletal pew-pew invalid, to a hulking juggernaut of death that can easily take on several Urquan Dreadnaughts. But YOU get to customize it and build it up as your journey continues, and by the end? You've made it your own, and you're INFINITELY proud of your death-dealing machine. There is a sense of awe and power when you've outfitted your ship with the best technology in the galaxy and you go to face down the entire Urquan Armada. Same goes for the aliens you recruit along the way and their ships - they fill out your "party of adventurers" - fly alongside a CHMMR Avatar, an Utwig Jugger and even the lowly ZoqFotPik Stinger and you've got a custom party ready to take on the Universe. Make your ship your customizable, upgradeable avatar in the game and every Captain will be proud to go down with his ship.

 

Anybody else have any bullet points to add?? This is now the best place to help nudge Stardock along to making the game we've been waiting 20 years for!!

 

-cuorebrave

109,821 views 22 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

I thought the Urquan Masters remake of SC2 is good enough. 

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

Star Control 2 holds your hand for the first 10 minutes.  As you may recall, you approach earth and must get them radioactives from Mercury and bring it back to the space station by Earth.  That lasts easily 10 minutes.  

My view is that Star Control 2 / Ur-Quan masters are classics that stand on their own.  A new Star Control game should adhere to the points you make in your original post -- it's an open ended adventure where your decisions have consequences.

Also, don't forget the spirit -- humor.  The amazing writing and spirit of the game will be a major challenge and one that we'll want to work with others to ensure we capture that aspect.

 

 

Object Desktop - Get all of our enhancement utilities in one suite
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top

One of the great things about SC2 for me when I was a kid was the variety of alien races. The Mycon, a pseudo-sentient fungus. The Ur-Quan, a species of giant spider-worm things when a tormented history. The Chmmr, a union of a crystalline species and a race of robots. The Slylandro, a species of gaseous beings who can only explore the galaxy with poorly-coded autonomous robotics.

Weird, strange life forms are very compelling. I don't want to interact with a bunch of human-shaped aliens who have normal human-type motivations. I want to explore and learn about radically different worlds, and struggle to make discoveries and forge alliances that can make a difference in the galaxy. Honestly, the most important element of that world building was the writing. I'll happily accept worse graphics for a better story, and better dialog.

There's so much creativity and imagination in the Star Control universe, and it was some of the most fun I've ever had gaming. My Dad and I played through it together the first time, when I was 6 or 7 years old. Now as an adult, I'm excited to be able to share that experience with my own kids.

Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top

Yes! Good call! On top of all the seriousness, there was a sense of not ever taking anything TOO seriously! And there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments!

And I wholeheartedly support making this a brand new game, a "reboot" as has been stated (love both the old AND new XCOM), as long as y'all stay true to what made Star Control Star Control. So with these very basic guidelines in mind, you guys have the entire galaxy to create!

Finally, you're right, I should have said "for MORE than 10 minutes"... and while there was SOME guidance in those first ten minutes, along the way you were free to obliterate the robots on the abandoned moonbase, meet the Spathi that had landed on... um... Uranus was it? And get that ONE drop of exotic sitting there, ripe, on Pluto! And you could do ALL this without them forcing you to land on Mercury! So "guidance" in the beginning? Yes.

Anybody else have some points that MADE Star Control II the game it is???

Let's hear it!

Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top

This is an AMAZING point!!! Ugh, I'm so sick of Mass Effect type aliens - ALL of them were 2-armed, 2-legged humanoid aliens (with slightly weird faces) who acted like humans and spoke perfect English. Give me *happy campers*!!

Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top

I never played StarControl. What kind of game it is? I mean, genre? Checked the videos and it seems a bit like Weird Adventures in Infinite Space...is that right?

Reply #7 from Elemental Forums Top

There is absolutely no reason that aliens must be humanoid.  Star Control made that clear.

You can imagine the first contact between the Earthlings and the Chenjesu:

Marines enter the alien shop that has just landed on earth:
 
Inside, a bunch of crystals are embedded in a table.
 
Soldier 1: "There appears to be no life on board."
 
(voice) We live!
 
Soldier 2: "Who said that?"
 
(voice) We said that.
 
Soldier 1: It's coming from near the table.
 
Soldier 2: Check under it!
 
(voice) We are the Chenjesu.
 
Soldier 1: I think the crystals are talking.
 
Soldier 2: Perhaps it's a communication device.
 
(voice) No, we ARE the Chenjesu. And your world, and all you know, are in danger!
 
 
+1 Loading…
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting Timmaigh, reply 6

I never played StarControl. What kind of game it is? I mean, genre? Checked the videos and it seems a bit like Weird Adventures in Infinite Space...is that right?

 

Genre...genre....genre...........? Uh, a little help here? What GENRE would Star Control fall into? We'll have to combine a few: Epic Space Opera Role-Playing Exploration Open-World Point-and-Click (with no points or clicks) Resource-Gathering One-on-One Spaceship Dogfighting Adventure Game.

Quoting Frogboy, reply 7
There is absolutely no reason that aliens must be humanoid. Star Control made that clear.

I really hope you guys delve deep into this thinking-outside-the-box alien development! If I see one more sexy, blue human-shaped alien with boobs like the Asari from Mass Effect, I'm going to scr-... oh wait?!?! Star Control INVENTED THAT CONCEPT WITH THE SYREEN!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Reply #9 from Elemental Forums Top

Well, aliens are rarely anything other than humans +strange skin, hair, ears, forehead or insects/talking rocks/energy blob.  The best thing is that Star Control already has a ton of races to pick and choose from.

Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top

I wonder if Stardock will pull the cast out of ONLY the existing races? Or if some will be new? Or what the ratio will be - mostly new races, or mostly existing?

Reply #11 from LittleTinyFrogs Forums Top

Quoting cuorebrave, reply 10

I wonder if Stardock will pull the cast out of ONLY the existing races? Or if some will be new? Or what the ratio will be - mostly new races, or mostly existing?

It depends on what Paul and Fred (the original creators) are up for.  We've started discussing the possibilities. I should have more news soon but things are looking good.

Reply #12 from LittleTinyFrogs Forums Top

3D GRAPHICS is a big bullet point for me for a new Star Control game.

 

I'm fine with a top-down view, and I liked the art-style in SCII, but I would love to see a StarCon game in glorious polygons!

Reply #13 from Elemental Forums Top


Star Control 4: The Spathi Masters

+1 Loading…
Reply #14 from Stardock Forums Top

I think Brad has it well in hand. Look forward to a cliff notes version of your design doc in the future when you've fleshed things out. Also expect some whacky and cool merchandise to come along w/ my StarCon reboot :)

Reply #15 from Stardock Forums Top

Quoting Timmaigh, reply 6

I never played StarControl. What kind of game it is? I mean, genre? Checked the videos and it seems a bit like Weird Adventures in Infinite Space...is that right?

ALIEN DATING SIMULATOR

Reply #16 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Starkillr, reply 14
Also expect some whacky and cool merchandise to come along w/ my StarCon reboot

Hmm.. what sort of interesting junk, err... collectibles... will we get in a limited edition collector's box of the SC reboot.  

Reply #17 from Sins Forums Top

As long as we DONT have a spathi "claw on a stick" with a bad Brooklyn accent. Ill be a happy camper. Laugh out loud moments yes. Facepalm moments NO.

Reply #18 from Sins Forums Top

It's been so long, I can barely remember. I played, I think the Genesis version when it came to consoles. Will it be turn based, real time and or paused..?

Reply #19 from Sins Forums Top

SC1 had a turn based strategic game, and tactical combat (melee). No story, or campaign. Just lore. Much like Sins.

SC2 (IMO the best of the franchise) went real time, and leans more story based RPG. However it is open world. You can explore at your leisure, and deal with events your own way. The lore is fleshed out greatly, and the game is worth many replays to accomplish different results, and discover things you missed in your last play through. If you really want to know more get The Ur-Quan Masters, and play it.

SC3 Described best in two words... Epic Fail. The original developers had nothing to do with this one. They used "Claymation" for the interactive sequences. Story was horrible. Combat was horrible. Dialog was horrible (especially with the Spathi, and his infamous "claw on a stick"). Basically i would consider SC 3 non canon.

 

 

Reply #20 from Elemental Forums Top

I don't care what the game is like as long as it explains why the bridge turns purple. 

 

THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME. 

Reply #21 from Elemental Forums Top

A game called Star Control that plays like MoO2 would be great.

Reply #22 from Stardock Forums Top

StarControl's genre is "arcade". It was after all built up around their own version of the arcade classic "Space War". 

 

SC1 was arcade/strategy

SC2 was arcade/adventure

SC3 was arcade/adventure... but SC3 had issues. Claymation races, what looks like an aborted attempt to add 4x elements which they never expanded on, and that annoying timer based event system.

SC4 would have been different had it been completed... more like a flight sim and the first real abandonment of the game's arcade roots.