This is NOT Star Control.

Please read the following article; http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/10/a-first-look-at-star-control-origins-gameplay-prequel-due-for-release-in-2h17/

Simply put, even though Stardock has the naming and publishing rights to the Star Control franchise, it does not have the rights to use any of the Star Control aliens or story material in the first two games. All of that remains the property of original Star Control creators Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III.

Shit, he's right boys. 

Pack up. Minute and a half gameplay teaser has portrayed everything and this guy's opinion on the alien's design is infallible.

That being said, I won't be pre-ordering. Gonna wait until its out to see the reviews.

I know nothing about the back story. I do not value the OPs opinion at all and I will be pre purchasing it because this guy said not to! 

Cheers!

As a Founder I must say SCO is extremely promising. And it's the biggest game in Stardock's portfolio (shows how serious they are) if other stuff doesn't convince you.

They say in the article that they don't own the rights to the story or characters, only the name Star Control, and that Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford still retain the rights. Paul and Fred also confirm it in the same article:

The decision to go with a prequel rather than a sequel seems at first an odd choice, but it’s the result of the complexities of the Star Control franchise intellectual property. Even though Stardock has the naming and publishing rights to the Star Control franchise, it does not have the rights to use any of the Star Control aliens or story material in the first two games. All of that remains the property of original Star Control creators Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III. Ars reached out to Ford and Reiche for some elaboration, and Reiche responded with this clarifying statement:

Fred and I retain the copyright to all material in Star Control I & II, but we do not own the name "Star Control," which is why our open source project is called, "The Ur-Quan Masters." Stardock purchased the trademark for Star Control as well as the original material in Star Control III, which Fred and I also did not create. Super space-cows? What were they thinking?!

Also the FAQ posted in the forums here clearly states it, too: https://forums.stardock.com/463278

Stardock's position is that Paul and Fred own the copyright for the lore and aliens of the Ur-Quan conflict lore.

Stardock owns the publishing rights for Star Control 1, 2 and 3 and the lore of Star Control 3. Those rights do include an unlimited license to the lore and aliens. But we don’t want to do what Star Control 3 did. We want a canon Ur-Quan sequel and only they can do that as far as we are concerned.

The Ur-Quan conflict and the Crux conflict each exist in their own universe within the Star Control multiverse.

Star Control has never been about a single set of lore.  The original name for Star Control was going to be "Tales of the Ur-Quan conflict". 

• Of the three Star Control games, only Star Control 2 touched on the Ur-Quan history.

For me, Star Control is about Earthlings going out and meeting aliens, exploring worlds and delving into an epic story.

As a practical matter, the Ur-Quan lore isn't relevant as even if Paul and Fred were fine with us using their lore, we couldn't really use it anyway.  We can't redo Star Control 2. That already exists as the Ur-Quan masters. And there is no scenario where we could continue the Ur-Quan storyline 25 years later from a marketability point of view.

I'm new here, totally forgot about this reboot until the teaser.   While saddened they cant use the original Races, It is understandable.  Frankly they are handling it in the easiest way possible.   

Star Control has always had exploration, and with a possible modularity this game may Possess, perhaps a roguelike element should be added - random races.    

The way I see it, life happening and evolving to a spacefaring civilization is either in the hands of some divine being or random chance.   Having the races randomly chosen when starting a new game would add to replay value.   New races can be added easily via DLC.   Each race can be given a starting home system and sphere of influence.   Races that have overlapping spheres or proximity can be written on such a way that depending on their neighbours (chosen randomly) they react differently.

Star Control 2 example - imagine if the Umgah didn't exist, how different the game would have been - The Spathi would never be battle thralls.

This roguelike element means you never know where to go first.   Designing the game this way also factors in on the alternate reality explanation above and should liscencing allow in the future you COULD have a way to set up a Star Control 2 galaxy story seed - where the races and their interactions are set as a default to what the original game portrayed - which, lets be honest, if modding tools are availiable SOMEONE will do this anyway.

build a default galaxy, random races seeding the galaxy.

Each race that shows up has a default homeworld, sphere of influence, and set behaviour patterns which get modified by which other races populate the galaxy.   Plus, the random alien ship you find could dictate HOW you play.   Find a peaceful ship and focus more on diplomacy.  Find a hostile and you may focus on combat.

As soon as I have the funds, I intend to preorder/become a founder.

When I first heard there would be another Star Control game, I flipped out.  However, after seeing what this new game will and won't be about, my heart sank.  I cannot tell you just how much this means to me.

First, you absolutely must separate the lore of SC 1&2 from SC 3.  Star Control 2 was one of the greatest games ever created, the storyline of which has greatly influenced my writing, storytelling and gaming.  The idea of a massive conflict centered on taking down such a formidable opponent (Ur-Quan), only to discover that this opponent was actually protecting you from an even GREATER threat (Kohr-Ah), was so masterfully executed and has stuck in my mind ever since.  Often when films or games involve a plot like this, it comes across as cheesy or as a need to simply "outdo" the previous plot.  "How can they top this?" people ask.

Star Control 3, which was not created by the same people, was an absolute disaster and a complete letdown to fans who were enamored by the rich storyline created from the first two.  The Star Control that we've been waiting all these years for was a new sequel to Star Control 2 that completely ignored everything from SC3.

Your plan to make the next game a prequel, or an origins story, is brilliant.  As you say, from a marketability standpoint, the game must reintroduce the franchise to a public that has either forgotten, or were simply not alive yet when the original games were released.

However, moving forward with a Star Control game that is actually related BY NAME ONLY, makes no sense whatsoever, and I would argue is the complete opposite of what you should do from a "marketability" point of view.  Sure, you may get new players who've never heard of Star Control (for which the name would actually mean nothing at all), and you may get a few players who remember Star Control and buy it out of curiosity, but for the many older fans of the original, this will be a complete disaster.  The fans who know it shares nothing in common with the original may opt NOT to buy the game at all, or worse, you will have hardcore fans who eagerly buy the game, but who then leave scathingly bad reviews upon their discovery that NONE of the original aliens appear in the game, potentially turning away even new players based on the reviews.

The only marketable strategy would be to do your utmost to acquire the rights to the lore of the originals by either purchasing them completely (though unlikely because Ford and Reiche have resisted this in the past), or by leasing them on a per-game basis through some negotiations with Ford and Reiche.  Or by simply NOT calling it Star Control.

To put it another way, would you enjoy a "Star Trek" game or film, which did NOT include ANY of the aliens or lore of Star Trek?  Simply calling a film "Star Trek" does not make it Star Trek.  The same is true for "Star Control."

For this game, in its current form with no relation whatsoever to the originals, I would pay nothing for the game.  For a true Star Control game that honors the lore of the original and includes a Ford/Reiche stamp of approval, I would pay more than $200... right now, up front.

Do or do not.  There is no try.

I totally understand where are you coming from and IMO its true it really does not make much sense to call the game Star Control, if its Star Control only in name - seems to me most fans of the series consider the only true SC the first 2 iterations and despise the third one, so if you cant tie your game to those 2 games people care about, why even bother with all the licensing? 

Then again, are the lore and the aliens everything that Star Control is about? I mean, one may argue, if the new game can catch that exact tone and make you feel the same as when you played the original games, regardless of different story /aliens (and i think thats possible), will it still be not worth of the name Star Control?

Many people think the Abrams Star Trek movies are not true Star Trek, even though they include Enterprise, Kirk and Vulcans or Klingons... but they still feel different, so all that is not gonna help them much.

All in all, there is no guarantee, you would have a blast playing new Star Control, even if it included original lore, while it would be not unheard of, if you had, despite lacking all that stuff.

>Humanity did not manage hyperspace travel until the Chenjesu encountered them and recruited them into the war with the Ur-Quan.

That is what the intro said however in SC2, before the slave shield went up the Ur Quan destroyed the pyramids other ancient structures as well as something in the ocean.  This could be a hint at Atlantis or ancient Lemuria perhaps elevated by the precursors long ago.   

The "precursor" theme exists in Galactic Civ III, it existed in Star Trek (Iconians),  it was in Stargate Atlantis ( The Ancients / Gau'ld to a lesser extent).  

Humans or a similar race could have evolved on a different planet which has similar atmospheric conditions.  Or you could have Insect or Lizard people leaving Earth before humans evolved.

A lot of what has been discussed here has been discussed a great deal before.

It boils down to whether you think Star Control is a story is a story about the Ur-Quan, Spathi, etc. or whether you think Star Control is a game about the Earthlings exploring the galaxy and dealing with a crazy cast of alien characters.

I am in the latter.  I didn't like Star Control 3 but it is, most definitely, a Star Control game.  

The best solution, given the realities, is giving Star Conrol 1/2 their own universe and giving Star Control 3 a totally different universe within the overall multiverse.  By setting this precedent, we open the door for many stories to exist within the Star Control multiverse when fans and others start adding their creations to the multiverse. And by doing this, we leave the door open for Paul and Fred to continue their arc.  Even if Stardock had Paul and Fred's blessing, we wouldn't use the original lore as only Paul and Fred can continue their story.

It's been 24 years since Star Control 2.  I think most people, and we know this from having spent a lot of time thinking about this, want a new Star Control game where, to them, Star Control is broadly a sandbox universe of exploration and adventuring.

Or, as we would say it... Slightly re-worded just for you...

Welcome to the Star Control Universe!!!

At some point prior to 2004, the master computer at U.S. Air Force Security Control in Omaha, Nebraska, received a transmission, apparently via a time warp, from Star Control Headquarters some 250 years in the future. The Air Force discovered this information during 2006, and turned it over to Stardock Entertainment, an aerospace consulting firm, in 2008 for analysis.

The Memory files, which comprise several thousand printed pages and were badly garbled in transmission and translation, appear to be a history of Star Control, its Star Fleet, and nearby regions of the galaxy, including a considerable amount of technical data.

Through the cooperation between the United States Air Force and Stardock Entertainment, this data (a very small portion of which was published earlier as Galactic Civilizations) has been used as a basis for this game. Changes made in the rules and history reflect additional information obtained from the tapes.  At present, about 65% of the material has yet to be translated or analyzed. As more data is translated (by our dedicated staff), it will be used as the basis for additional games and supplements.

I really appreciate the fact that the franchise is branching out into a different 'verse and opening up the ability for players to create their own 'verses, however I've been curious recently about how this will jive with the previous stories and I don't know if Brad can speak broadly about it without giving away anything.

There's no getting around the fact that this is basically a hybrid prequel and reboot, taking place both before the originals and also not directly acknowledging the characters and events from them as integral to this story. As a founder I'm not allowed to share certain things, but I think we all know the narrative of this game won't directly intersect with any of the pre-history of SC1 either.

Thing is, all the species from the Ur-Quan universe were established as the very first species we ever encountered out in space; there weren't any other "undiscovered" species that we dealt with prior to the Ur-Quan Conflict, so it's not like the new game is a prequel to the Ur-Quan story.

The only way I can think of for this to occur would be a split in the timeline somehow, much like what happened with the recently rebooted Star Trek movies: taking the same premise and resetting it with a different set of circumstances. Maybe we won't know the details until much closer to release but I'm wondering if Stardock could at least tease us as to how this new adventure might realistically reconcile with the old story to at least assuage the kneejerk reactions about this "not being" Star Control.

Your description fits virtually all space-related science fiction.  Star Control is about so much more than just Earthlings exploring the galaxy.  It is about what makes Star Control different than other IPs.

It is about the fight for freedom from oppression and the struggle to survive overwhelming opposition.

It is about a race of beings who endured such horrifying experiences with other sentient life that it led them to believe enslavement or extermination is the only viable solution to ensure their own survival.

It is about a race so courageous, they willingly chose possible extinction just for the chance to save their allies who still lost!

It is about the trans-dimensional beings who guided and manipulated mankind in secret throughout our own history.

It is about a race who so desperately want to continue their alliance with Earth, yet are bound by loyalty and tradition to follow their Queen even when they know she is wrong.

It is about the enigmatic alien race who voluntarily chose to live under a slave shield and undergo metamorphosis for the chance to fight back decades later.

It is about making difficult choices where the right and wrong options are not so clear-cut.

It is about mankind's own failures and the consequences of how we deal with others.

And yet through all of that, it is about humor.

How the creators were able to balance such amazingly detailed and emotional backstories and still somehow make it not seem so depressing is a delicate and difficult task.

So to me, Star Control is not just about Earthlings exploring.  It is about the story and the wonderment of discovering layers of truth previously hidden.

For anyone who has played SC2 long enough to see the Ur-Quan lose their doctrinal conflict, and to see how they suddenly stop attacking you and instead urge you to flee for your own safety while the Kohr-Ah rampage the galaxy, those players understand just how complex this story is.

While I applaud the notion of wanting to create a new Star Control game, it is difficult to let the original storyline go.  I fear this would actually make it less likely we would see a sequel to the original.  Assuming this game does well, the older material won't mean anything to new players unless it's incorporated in some way.  A new SC story involving the original lore, even by Ford/Reiche, might seem out of place after this soft-reboot.

Much like how we may never see any continuation of the Star Trek TNG/DS9/VOY timeline since their franchise reboot.

What you described is Star Control 2's story. But neither Star Control 1 or 3 are about that.

The only game I've played since Star Control 2 that felt like what I thought Star Control was for me was Mass Effect. A new Star Control game will, I hope, introduce a new generation to this style of gaming.

The best example of this would be Final Fantasy series. Each one has similar elements that weave into every tale, but they are all in different universe that never overlap.  

Star Control 1 didn't really have a story, but it established the basis for what became Star Control 2.  Without the first, some of the events in SC2 would not have had such emotional weight to them.  SC3 is irrelevant as it is widely regarded as being lacking in both gameplay and story, and in some ways did not honor the lore of the previous games.  10 years ago when Ford and Reiche expressed interest in making a sequel, they were going to pick up where SC2 left off and ignore everything that happened in SC3.

Actually, I'm curious if you have any insights regarding why Fred Ford and Paul Reiche were never able to make their sequel.  From what I understand, they were unable to reacquire the necessary rights.  Has Stardock reached out to them in any way?  Because if this was a collaboration, then everything in SC Origins could tie in with both SC2 and any future sequel without the need to concoct this multiverse timeline idea.

Verily, that is perhaps the best way to look at.  In fact, I would be ecstatic to have the franchise grow to resemble this; every Star Control game has the similar control/gameplay mechanics, and you know you will meet all kinds of aliens and learn all about their proffessional sports (Frungy!), but the exact details are different.

Fred Ford's and Paul Reiche's company, Toys for Bob, is owned by Activision and is working on the Skylanders series. Stardock has talked to them about a collaboration, however their contract with Activision does not allow them to pursue this.

Psssht, Famous Battles of the Ur-Quan Conflict still needs volumes 1, 2, and 3.

Introduce your aliens in one of those and make it Ur-Quan vs Chenjesu like it is supposed to be.

The epic-ness of the Kzer-Za needing to use the Samatra to defeat the Alliance of Free Stars before the Khor-Ah arrive should be THE main lore on how the 4 volumes of conflict is destined to end.

+1

Hey! I had the same feeling when I played the original Mass Effect! What really connected the two games for me was when you start flying around the solar systems and landing on the planets for resources. Boom! Instant nostalgia.

Fred and Paul are slaves and we should free them of this burden!

Frogboy,

I think that the teaser looks fantastic and I'm considering becoming a founder. I never do that. I just try to get free, casual games, so for me to purchase a game above 3 dollars means I think it looks really great.

I'm at peace with it not being in the SC2 universe. Perhaps one day a simple, low-end sequel can be made? Perhaps if this game does well, then a small spin-off project can be done that continues the story? I wouldn't care about poor graphics and clunky controls. Only the story.

Having said that, I think I will really enjoy this game and I want to give you as much encouragement as I can.

As I understood, they're making the game quite expandable so if at anytime in the future Fred and Paul decide to join in, there would be no problem in merging the stories. Or something like that. So everything remains open.