NO returning aliens... as in 100%?

As I understand it, it's that Paul and Fred didn't want the "Ur-quan continuity"(exact words in the pdf)/timeline interfered with, and that they want to go back to it at some point. So, not just the race, but the entire continuum they're involved in. It's not that you're entering into an alternate dimension as part of the story, it's that everything is already in an alternate universe at the start. There happens to be Earth/humans, but everything else is different. "Option 2" on page 5 of the pdf explains the thought behind not having a partial reboot, if you want to see that. 

Can't say I wasn't disappointed not getting to see all my old favorites in the new game, but their reasoning seems sound to me and the respect for the original creators (beyond even the legal grey area) is unheard of, in my experience.

As long as Paul and Fred WILL make a continuation of the timeline and storyline then I am fine with Stardock respecting their wishes.

 

But if that is just a wishy-washy commitment on their part then I do not see why we, the consumers and fans, have to suffer.

 

Stardock owns the rights to the game which should include the content as well. I cannot see how you can own a game or movie but not the contents. Unless their lawyers are quoting "The Merchant of Venice" and arguing that a you can take "a pound of flesh but not a drop of blood".... seriously.

 

Paul and Fred are preoccupied babysitting Activision while Activision plays with their toys. They want to continue the storyline but they have no clout to do so. They have no timeline or schedule. Seriously they are bound to contract to work for Activision which does not own the IP for the game. When on earth are they going to continue the storyline? 

 

There is only so much time we can wait for Paul and Fred and they are not getting any younger, and neither are we.

 

The possibility on them working on a storyline sequel will be AFTER this game is released + a few years.

Since release is schedule sometime around 2017 (?) and Stardock will not want to cannibalize sales I would expect that it would be around 2020 before there is any attempt to release another Starcontrol game.

 

So that's 5 years from now....

Would recommend reading page 4 of the pdf, as it goes over some of the history and who owns what. Unfortunately, copyright/IP law is a mess of a beast (and is actually likely to become more of one, because of the Trans-Pacific Partnership). It doesn't generally follow any degree of common sense, so you can actually have situation like you describe, where entities only end up owning parts of things, even if it seems like a "single" thing. And that seems to be the situation here, too. Because of the timeline, it's actually good that Paul personally owns one part, or Stardock might be trying to wrestle with Activision over conditions (which would probably mean no SC, ever).

To try and say it in a straightforward way (based on my understanding), Stardock owns the rights to the name Star Control (trademark), Super Melee and all the assets that were released under Accolade. And Paul owns the specific expression of the storyline, which is the concept of the aliens/the lore/the timeline, basically the actual story.

So, if Stardock really wanted to do a reboot of the original storyline, they could have something like the Ur-quan, but it would have to be different enough in name, appearance and specific expression, so as not to infringe on what Paul owns (which is something nebulous and generally comes down in court battles to the Judge's personal thoughts). Basically, an Ur-quan knock off, which Paul could call shenanigans on... Or, they could attempt to go head to head with Paul in court to get a ruling that they do own the original story, etc, which would take years, cost ridiculous amounts and potentially end up with the same situation anyway. And if they won, Paul and Fred would not exactly be on friendly terms with Stardock anymore. 

Considering the situation, I think Frogboy(Brad Wardell)/Stardock made the right call. This way, we get a new game now, with gameplay/etc, tuned to Star Control and it sets the foundation for Paul and Fred joining up with them down the line to (Gods, I hope) continue the old storyline as they want. And the mod focus lets us make things in the mean time, as well.


And just to be clear, I'm just trying to be a helpful (if bad news) messenger here. I'm not saying it's ideal or anything. I'm a creator myself, and the ridiculousness of copyright and how it plays out usually makes me want to drown myself in a bowl of ramen. In the end, sometimes you just have to try and make the best of complicated situations.

 

But that is the thing.

 

Fred and Paul cannot make another StarControl game because they no longer own the name unless they partner with Stardock to do it.

Unless what Stardock has is a license only to produce one game under that name, which we know is not the case. And if Stardock also owns the assets released under Accolade that means that they can bring back the aliens from SC2. Because aliens and artwork are assets (and in a sense so would be the storyline for SC2).

Realistically Stardock should be able to take off from where SC2 ended but they are not doing that out of respect for Paul and Fred because they cannot work with Paul and Fred and any SC game without Paul and Fred will not be the same, of which I totally understand. However has anyone heard of any concrete plans from Paul and Fred that they will continue the storyline? Or is that just wishful thinking on their part?

 

I remember this has happened with other games before. The trademark of an old game would be sold off and years later the original creators would make a sequel with another name.

So will Paul and Fred make a sequel in the far future with a different name?

Or will they team up with Stardock for the sequel?

 

Is Stardock's current SC:Reboot project a sort of warming up to prove that they are the correct developer to produce the proper sequel to SC2? So depending on its success they will ask Paul and Fred to partake in the actual sequel?

 

But I digress.

The point I am trying to get across is if Paul and Fred are really going to create a sequel then I applaud Stardock for not using the aliens and storyline out of respect for their wishes.

That means that there will be a sequel for SC2. Can we really keep our hopes high on seeing this sequel? If so then what is the point of SC:Reboot?

 

Paul and Fred should do some soul searching and reflection. If they cannot (they want to but are unable to) do the sequel then I think it is selfish of them to ask for the aliens and storyline not to be used.

 

Therefore the only plausible explanation is that there will be a sequel after this SC:Reboot.

Stardock is using this opportunity to get some experience in creating a game like SC2 and will employ Paul and Fred in the future for the sequel.

Well.......... They are swimming in money like Scrooge McDuck now thanks to Skylanders.

Can't answer any of your other questions, though I really do hope Paul and Fred are genuinely and solidly looking to continue the series, but just to address the above, for understanding...

Assets for a storyline aren't the same as the intellectual property for it. It's kind of hard to explain, but it's like dividing things between the physical and conceptual (like a game model of the Ur-quan, versus the specific idea of the Ur-quan). It's one of those weird things in the law, in that Stardock has the right to do what they want with the assets, but only as they are. Extending them, such as for a sequel, would become what's called a "derivative work", which is something new, even if it uses elements of the old work. And based on what's been said, Paul has the rights for any derivative works.

The above, actually makes me think it's maybe why SC3 was such a mess and veered off into randomness, it might have been Accolade forcing a sequel, while trying to prevent any court challenges.

Note: Not a lawyer, so I could be wrong/this is a lot of simplification, but just how I understand things as someone who makes stuff. 

While what you say is true... I find it incredibly sad. How can we call it star control without any elements of the story line that truly made star control great! Lets be honest here, I dont know about you guys but I played star control 2 not for its graphics, or it's music, but for its story. Fred and Paul have owned these rights for YEARS and no (good) sequels have been made. If there was ever a chance for a continuation of the star control story IT IS NOW. I have a sinking feeling that if it is not, the star control story line will never again see the light of day. And even if it does, it will be YEARS from now. What is star control without Frungy, Prankster Umga, Cowardly Spathi, Creepy Druge, And tyrant Ur-Quan? It would be yet another space game. I just don't know if I can trust Stardock to have the insight and power to pull of an entire re-haul of the entire story line. And, even if this game is wildly successful, why would stardock ever want to continue the old story line with Paul and Fred? It is yet a small group that remembers the joys of the originals. If the game gets famous it will be THEIR storyline that will be widely known NOT the original. I fear that it will get pushed into a dark and dusty corner and lie there forgotten. Go forth Stardock and Fellow Founders and make a great game! But realize that by doing so without the originals storyline, you may just be killing it forever. 

A new game that we haven't played to death over the past 20 years? A new set of aliens to encounter, cross examine, deceive, and kill?

Sorry... I don't mean to be flippant. I understand your nostalgia. But why can't we have a new Star Control campaign?

I will guarantee you that someone will attempt to recreate UQM as a SCR mod. The story will never die. It will live on in the new engine.

This is true. But the audience as a whole will have never herd of the original game. They have not played it for 20yrs, in fact they may have never played it. If this game is successful why would anyone want to make a game based on an old story line from a game that few remember or care abt? Why would they make a sequel that meaning would be lost without context from the original? Why not instead make a sequel to this star control? How can you be so cirtin someone WILL make a game based on the origanel. All I have herd is "Eventually" and "Maby next year" for YEARS. Why will it change? Who will make the SC2 sequel? And why? 

Well... Someone already tried to make the SC2 sequel... We all know how that turned out. Bonus, that link has some quotes from Fred and Paul.

 

But if you are worried about people picking up the torch and creating a SC2 mod, you don't have to worry. Look at how much support there is for UQM.

TheUr-quanMaster, the thing is, Star Control is different things to different people. There's a whole big and passionate debate in one of the other threads between whether Super Melee or the Story Campaign is what made Star Control great/have such longevity, and what should be the focus for the remake. But, my thought is that Star Control is more than the sum of it's parts. It's the layering of the mechanics, balance, lore and story all together that gave it such a following and longevity. My own focus/enjoyment, like yours, comes mostly out of the story and connection with the characters. 

On that side, I'm going with being "cautiously optimistic". Stardock games often have some great humour in them (some of the things in Sorcerer King cracked me up), and that it tends to be fourth wall breaking likely isn't a bad thing (happened in SC2 a fair amount, like with the Syreen). Admittedly, in regards to more complex narratives, character connections and such things, Stardock games do tend to struggle, or at least have a gameplay focus. And the lack of mention of a writer on the team, as of yet, does worry me.

But, on the other side of things, the team does seem to have a lot of talented people on it, and from interesting backgrounds/games. Relic's past works are among my favorite and Grey Goo tried some really cool things, even if it didn't quite pull them off. And that they're pushing for a strong toolset is something that's really exciting (if I remember right, Rise of Nations had a really active mod community), where I'm sure suggestions for capabilities are welcome (was basically the first thing I did). Hell, some companies *cough* like the one that rhymes with BugFiesta *cough* basically depend on modders for their games, so as long as the tools are extensive enough and the base game competent, there's a lot of opportunity/chances for wide revival. Stardock doesn't seem the type to cash in on a name and wander off, and their contact with Paul/Fred indicates there's a desire to work with them in the future, whenever and however it happens (Devs are fans too).

Eh, I'm probably rambling here. And the cliche "have faith" is no better than a coin toss, but maybe try and have an open mind? There's no reason to start up the Path of Now and Forever, just yet

They announced it was Chris Bucholz of Cracked.com. Here is his work.

I kinda want to write an article entitled, "7 Ways Chris Bucholz Could Screw Up the Writing on SCR." In jest, of course.

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

Meanwhile, I'll write a companion piece entitled, "4 Essential Methods for Handling Your Torches and Pitchforks."

 

Not sure if this has been mentioned yet but Paul and Fred did a SC2 retrospective at GDC this year.  They definitely confirmed that they wanted to do a StarControl sequel before they retire.  Whatever that means.

Ah, thanks IB, I must have missed that. And while the line, "writer for Cracked" fills me with dread and horror, it looks like his novel actually got rather good reviews... So, that's nice/a good sign. Might need to pick that up, if I can.


And ah, thanks as well Razor. Searched for the link to listen to, which is this, if anyone else is interested: http://gdcvault.com/play/1021863/Classic-Game-Postmortem-Star