Star Control 2 Released Under the GPL 271
Jagasian writes "The classic computer space adventure role playing game known as Star Control 2 has been officially ported from its obsolete mono-platform source code to modern multi-platform C++/SDL source code. The game is open source, and compiles and runs on Linux! The alpha release binaries are available for download now!"
The best game news I've heard in a while (Score:5, Interesting)
Now if it were network aware so that two people wouldn't have to huddle onto the same keyboard (or one person with a joystick), I would be a happy man indeed.
Incidentally, the full game had some of the best humor I have ever seen in a game. Truly timeless.
It's too bad SC3 sucked so much.
Congradulations Paul (Score:1, Interesting)
And good job to all of you helped through SourceForge.
Whoah! (Score:4, Interesting)
On a side note: Given that it's Open Source, I wonder if they'll accept mods to it? The CG FX in the 3DO version was excellent, but I'm curious what the modern generation of 3D artists today could do to update the artwork in it. As silly as it sounds, I know some peeps that'd probably jump at the chance to create their own 'art-pack' for that game.
Awesome! (Score:3, Interesting)
I don't play too many RPGs, but I was drawn to SC2 after I tried it at a friend's place. It had everything. Great races, good story, and incredible music. There are still tunes from that game that I can't get out of my head. I hum them regularly.
SC2 was really something special, and I'm thrilled to see it's coming back.
best part about it (Score:3, Interesting)
Great Game... (Score:3, Interesting)
shoot..what was the name of the Ship where it's special weapon was self destruction???? was it Bonsai, or something else? Bonsai might have been the pilot's name...hmmmm, i forget...
Oooh, Star Control (Score:5, Interesting)
Star Control 2 is perhaps one of the finest space exploration games ever made, which in itself is an unfortunate but highly defendable opinion simply because the number of similar games in the last decade can be counted on one hand. Many other games have similar traits, or implement their respective characteristics with much greater finesse, but so very few have the triple-threat of exploration, combat, and humour, with a double helping of back-story and plot unravelling thrown in just for a balanced intellectual meal. Many fans of SC2 (and loathers of SC3) would say another important feature, or rather omission, is that there is no colonization involved. Your mission is to seek out new life in order to liberate your own, not clutter the galaxy with fleshy pink bipedal mammals. Why devalue the property?
The 3DO conversion of the PC game was done by Crystal Dynamics, and they will forever have my respect for not getting a single thing wrong. Any and all changes were made for the better, enhancing the game to 120% and bringing it into the fold of higher technology. The control system was further simplified from keyboard pecking to the minimalist selection of three buttons plus two shoulders of the 3DO pad. The menu system was replaced entirely with graphics instead of text, and most efficiently combined all three planet scans into one action! Yay! Also the planet lander windows were greatly enhanced for size and visibility, though it is still impossible to cross the north or south pole of any planet. And who can deny the coolness of the huge foldout starmap? That is, if you were lucky enough to get a complete copy of the game with map intact.
Naturally the graphics have a greater colour depth, and are truely a treat if you can experience them with an S-Video cable. Usually in a CD-ROM version the added storage space for extra additions like FMV and bad voice acting is a horrific experience, but the treasure of this game is the amount of time, effort, and obviously big bucks that was poured into dubbing every single line of dialogue in full aural regalia. No corners cut, no drunk actors, no scratchy sound mixers, this is giving the characters LIFE! And sweet mother of mercy, YOU CAN FAST-FORWARD AND REWIND EVERY CLIP! Who can spare six minutes to hear an Utwig whine about his favourite shroud being at the dry cleaners? We've got a galaxy to save!
If you're anything like me (and I'm a big demographic, so you probably are), music makes all the difference to the enjoyment of an adventure and of life in general. The 4-channel Amiga MOD's of the original have a lot of charm and nostalgia for me personally, and indeed most of them are fully intact, but at a higher sampling rate. It's really the new remixes that make you boogie and bounce in your chair, rockin' across Hyperspace, or exploring the cold vacuum of a lifeless planet that's WAY too far from the nearest starbase.
The full beauty of Star Control 2 is in how well it plays. Whether it's your first time exploring, or one of dozens where you know the star systems by memory, the time spent adventuring feels well spent, even when the game might come to a sudden but not unexpected end. Best of all, it leaves you hungry for more after the final credits roll. Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford created something splendid here, and their names join the hallowed elite of game creators. There is much much more to this universe, both in the past and the future. Only time will tell if more faithful chapters in the story of our Captain see the light of day, or perhaps they may delve into the past of the Milieu and Precursors.
I recently just converted some machines at work to Linux, so this is a big bonus for an RPG fan like me.
a petition going for the original developers (Score:3, Interesting)
http://www.classicgaming.com/starcontrol/petition
from the page: "Sign this petition if you would want to play and BUY another Star Control game created by Toys For Bob"
"Approximate number of people who have signed the petition: 4476 "
Re:Starflight (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:wow, only 120MB bigger than the PC version. (Score:5, Interesting)
3do was founded by trip hawkins (of EA fame) as a company that would liscense out the hardware to whoever wanted to manufacture it. Essentially it would have eliminated the number one geek gripe about consoles - proprietary hardware. The system was to be "open", as far as development was concerned.
Panasonic, Goldstar, Creative Labs took up the challenge (there were others too), but not seeing any of the software liscencing pie, wound up charging upwards of 800$ for the earliest units. By the time they came down in price, it was all over.
Of course, it wasnt to be merely a gaming console, either, but the elusive "convergence" device. Video CD, Audio CD+G, PhotoCD, etc.. VideoCDs utter failure in north america also contributed to its death.
There were other neat design features that frankly didn't work. Like daisychained controllers. Player 2s pad plugged into Player 1s. Thing is, if Player 2 was winning, Player 1 could easily unplug him..
Still, it has its place in history. It was the first console solely based on CD, and it did have more than 3 good titles.
A lot more, if you count vivid videos 3DO porn line-up.
I still fire mine up from time to time to play the most accurate arcade translation of Street Fighter II, Samurai Shodown. If not for the pricing, it really could have had the position the PSX eventually took.
Re:Starflight (Score:2, Interesting)
Regardless, it was a work of surpassing excellence. The story was entirely original, and the the mix of combat/exploration/puzzle solving was probably the closest to perfect of any game of its era. The resource-gathering got a little tedious... probably the only real weak spot.
I loved this game so much that about three years ago, I Ebayed a used 3DO console explicitly to get its superior version of SC2. I have played it through twice since, and I assure you it stands up with the very best of today's games. I would love it if the original designers were to do a REAL sequel... plain ol' 2D would be fine, and I'd pay top price for it. The storyline they had going was fantastic. Funny, VERY funny.... but interesting at the same time. Rare combination.
Of course, this means that my carefully-preserved 3DO version will lose value, but it's probably just as well. Hardware breaks, and source code can be preserved indefinitely.
As an aside, for fans of old games, Star Control is probably #2 or #3 in my all-time-favorites list. #1 is probably Chrono Trigger, on the Super Nintendo. Very rare cart, but the emulators are good enough to play it almost perfectly now. It is a VERY long game with an intricate plot. You just won't believe what they managed to squeeze into a 4MB cartridge.
Soooo far ahead of its time (Score:4, Interesting)
Of course, being "advanced" isn't what made the game great. The game was great because of every single thing in it. It had simply the best story/plot of any videogame ever made - funny, inspiring, deep, suspenseful. On par with a good sci-fi novel. The aliens were damn cool. All of them. Noble and flawed heros, salesmen and scoundrels, tragic tourtured villans. The music and artwork were outstanding. The gameplay was fun, involving, diverse and never dull or repetative (the way far too many RPGs are).
It is unarguably the best game ever in it's genera - one of the best videogames ever on any list, and in my completely non-humble opinion, the best videogame ever written. It will probably the best that will ever be written (unless Toys for Bob makes a legit sequel, in which case, it could be topped).
It pains me terribly that there are people out there that have not played through this brilliant, amazing piece of work. Their lives are lacking in ways that they can't even begin to imagine.
I truly believe it's one of the worlds great tradgedies that there aren't more quality space-RPGs. There is SO much area there to explore, yet so few games are produced in that genera. It's really quite sad.
The GPL version is pretty damn functional considering it's the first alpha release. Give it a whirl - or if you haven't played it before, wait until you can get a version that can be played to completion.
Argh!!!!!!!! (Score:2, Interesting)
Seriously, I did go out and buy an old computer JUST for this game... I recently moved to school (thus leaving behind many of my old 386, 486 and Pentiums). During one of my procrastination breaks, I had the urge to play StarCon2.. I found DOSBox [zophar.net], but it would periodically crash for me.
The game that saved me from the dark side (Score:4, Interesting)
Well, I played the game for only ten minutes before I decided that I would not make a copy. I would go to the store that very day and buy it off the shelf. I'd beg my parents for the money if need be (didn't have to =). There was simply no way I could live with myself otherwise.
A game that gives me so much enjoyment; that constantly surprises at turns with the authors' wit, style, art, and code; that achieves a balance that I've rarely seen before or since. How dare I insult them by by ripping off their hard work? It makes so little sense that it's nauseating. It would be like meeting [insert celebrity: say, Carmack] and gushing about how you love their [whatever] and then mugging them in the alley when they leave. After all, they have plenty of money in the bank.
I have not stolen a piece of software since then. Even those who don't think piracy is "wrong" cannot escape the fact that it's usually crass, ungrateful, self-centered, and unattractive. Especially if you ended up enjoying or benefiting from the software.
Isn't it ironic that SC2 is now Free Software? Well, only somewhat. That the project exists shows the game's immense popularity -- yet sales were dismal. From Accolade's perspective, the product was not too successful. Paul and Fred leave Accolade, and the license gets farmed out to a second-class subcontractor... resulting in the abysmal Star Control 3.
---
Dum de dum.
Nomad (Score:3, Interesting)
Star Control 4, a.k.a. StarCon (Score:5, Interesting)
Unfortunately, the project was put on ice and never completed; the Accolade development studio was acquired by Infogrames and it gradually shut down over the following few years.
The project itself was quite ambitious and well received by many of the early previews. It was not being developed as a strategy game, though, so it could have sat oddly with some of the old fans. I think the game had a lot going for it, considering it was done by the same company and the designers of previous Star Control games.
In the end it became just another fatality of the games industry battleground.
Still, it's nice to see that the legacy of the series lives on. Long live Star Control!
13,545 files in 92 folders! (Score:2, Interesting)