New Star Trek Title In The Works

Now that there are no new shows planned for the immediate future, you're going to need something besides Wrath of Khan and SpikeTV reruns to satisfy your Trek fix. Luckily, Gamespot reports that there is a Star Trek real-time strategy game in the works. From the article: "Late this past Friday, Lang returned to the STGU board to confirm a new Star Trek game was indeed the works--although he avoided details. He dodged the subject of the game's title but appeared to confirm the release date mentioned in the forums. 'Like I said before, traditional ST single player/multi player games have returned--and before STO ships,' Lang said, referring to Star Trek Online's tentative early 2007 launch window."

Comments

Carry on, by all means!

[TopShelf]

If done right, this could be a real winner. Star Trek has been a tantalizing setting for computer games since the days of keying in BASIC code from a book or magazine. I'm just hoping they offer a selection of time periods - gimme Kirk's old rust bucket leading the charge against a squadron of old War Birds any day.

Assuming of course that later time periods include the pr0n-enabled holodeck sessions...

Re:Carry on, by all means!

[baldass_newbie]

Yeah, but it seems the ST games/whatever have always kind of fallen short.

Nevertheless, I have always stated that Star Trek and pr0n are the backbone of the internet, whether it's the quest to perfect the utility of machines in a Roddenberry-esque Platonic quest, or the search for hot chicks with green skin.

Having said that, I am interested to see if this game doesn't suck.

Re:Carry on, by all means!

[British]

There's surely a buttload of content to work off of. All the races from all the tv shows & movies, and the books.

Just think of the fun playing as The Dominion, laying destruction to everything in your path.

Re:Carry on, by all means!

[clydemaxwell]

BORG

ok

[cgenman]

Legacy, being developed by Mad Doc Software, is set for a September 2006 release, and will span the eras of all Star Trek television shows--Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise.

Better than New Worlds?

[Chelloveck]

Hopefully it'll turn out better than the rather lackluster Star Trek: New Worlds RTS did.

Now, if they decide to make it space-based and use something like the Homeworld engine, they might actually have something!

Re:Better than New Worlds?

[-kertrats-]

the Armada series is already an above-average space-based Star Trek RTS. Built off the Age of Empires system, I believe.

Re:Better than New Worlds?

[Sigma 7]

the Armada series is already an above-average space-based Star Trek RTS. Built off the Age of Empires system, I believe.

That's Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds.

Armada had to be written from scratch, as it doesn't share a similar style with another RTS - there is heavy use of spellcasters, it used it's own 3D engine, and the command pallette is not similar enough to another RTS to be called a varient. In addition, it's combat system overloaded the crew as the hitpoints of the craft (which was changed in Armada II).

Re:Better than New Worlds?

[Sigma 7]

Hopefully it'll turn out better than the rather lackluster Star Trek: New Worlds RTS did.

Everything turned out better than New Worlds, including the other Star Trek RTS games.

The game failed because the developer was too damn lazy to fix the most obvious of game balance problems, interface problems, and content problems.

It's now in the depths of obscurity, as you cannot get it working with a stock install of Windows XP or STNW - you have to find and install the Compatability Administrator tool, and do trial and error to find out the correct emulation setting.

Re:Better than New Worlds?

[Ayaress]

The control was a little bit like Homeworld, with the ability to send ships above or below the normal plane of play. It kept the top-down traditional RTS view, though, and units stop dead to fight, unlike homeworld. It had its good points and bad points, but overall, it was a solid RTS game and actually FELT like Star Trek.

Personally, the only Star Trek game I still play is Bridge Commander (and even then, it's only because of the sheer number of mods and addons available. The original game had barely a dozen ships, most of which (*cough* Galor class) were pitifully balanced against the Federation ships.

hopefully

[BitterAndDrunk]

they're going in a similar route that Dawn Of War went for Warhammer 40k, and adapting Star Fleet Battles as the basis for the game.

Obviously things need to change from turn based to RTS, but I'd like to see it. Maybe a combination of SF Battles and Pirates! That would rock.

Re:hopefully

[freidog]

Wasn't the "Starfleet Command" series also heavily based on the "Starfleet Battles" board game rules? Just this time it's being developed by Mad Dog studios (of ST: Armada and Bridge Commander) instead of Taldren (who did the first 3 ST Command games).

A little more info on ST: Legacy

If they're going to be based off the same rule set, I have to wonder how much of this will just be SFC IV and how much will stand as a unique game on its own.

New Star Trek Title In The Works

[unitron]

" New Star Trek Title In The Works"

Oh, it's only a game. Thank God, I was afraid for a moment there that they were going to screw up another TV show.

Trek fix??

[IntergalacticWalrus]

I used to like Star Trek, but I've been watching many "space opera"-type Sci-Fi series lately, both new and no so new (Farscape, Babylon 5, the new BSG, Firefly, etc.), and I've come to the realization that Star Trek (as a whole) really sucks. Seriously, if you need a "Trek fix", maybe it's time you broaden your horizons. Trust me, you'll be glad you did. You'll quickly understand that Star Trek is overrated crap.

Re:Trek fix??

[PhoenixFlare]

I used to like Star Trek, but I've been watching many "space opera"-type Sci-Fi series lately, both new and no so new (Farscape, Babylon 5, the new BSG, Firefly, etc.), and I've come to the realization that Star Trek (as a whole) really sucks.

Personally, i've watched all the other series you mention, and generally found them lacking (except possibly BSG) when compared to, say, DS9, or some of the better TNG episodes.

Seriously, if you need a "Trek fix", maybe it's time you broaden your horizons.

Seriously, if you think everyone else shares your exact likes and dislikes, maybe it's time you stopped being so elitist and arrogant.

Re:Trek fix??

[SleepyHappyDoc]

Trust me, you'll be glad you did. You'll quickly understand that Star Trek is overrated crap

Thank you for your insightful comment. You, however, are not me. I have watched, and will continue to watch non-Star Trek scifi, but just because you like something better, doesn't mean I should suddenly dislike it or choose something else. Your opinion is certainly valid for you, but you need to realize it may not reflect the whole entire world. You think Trek sucks. I think it doesn't suck. The world didn't end with me saying that, so I guess we can disagree.

(of course, now I'm labelled a 'fanboy', which for some odd reason is somehow derogatory)

Why can't we all recognize that everyone has an opinion and is entitled to have it, rather than descending to denigration of people because of the opinions they hold?

Re:Trek fix??

[Anonymous Coward]

You do realize without Star Trek, both your new and oh so new series you listed would not exist.

All of the creators of those shows have said as much when asked about what influenced them in making those series. The creators were trekkie fans, who were provoked by the Trek World's social commentary and varied arguments on the human condition and how they developed with exposure to new worlds and new life forms, and the moral and ethical dilemmas they faced due to these exposures.(Which brought about such things as the Prime Directive).
That Roddenberry and Co. injected these philosophical aspects in the Trek World is what made it such a legacy.
And the big names in sci fi today, from Manny Coto to Joss Whedon would tell you as much.
So don't go dismissing Trek as overrated compared to the new shows, considering these new shows were in essence spawned from minds which were inspired by Roddenberry's creation.

Re:Trek fix??

[B5_geek]

You sir have read my mind. ST, ST:TNG, DS9 were all good considering there was nothing to compare them too. I have since been able to expand my viewing options and find my childhood favorites lacking.

Something like; All wine tastes like Champaign untill you've had Champaign.

Re:Trek fix??

[CMiYC]

You've hit on something that's been in the back of my mind lately. During x-mas I acquainted myself with the new BSG. I finially downloaded the miniseries on iTunes and got hooked... I got hooked hard. The episodes have substance to them. There are only a few where some amazing technobabble saved the day (software firewall to prevent a cylon virus? C'mon.)

Tivo is currently catching most of Spike's TNG and DS9 episodes. Comparing them, I realize how silly the older ST shows were. Outrageous plots, cheap costumes, completely fake technology, no sense of "real-time", etc..

I guess the real difference is that I can imagine BSG being life. I can feel the stress the characters are living through. When I watch STIknow it is pure fantasy and that's it. I know there never could be a starship Enterprise with all its wizzy cool technologies.

Anyway, I agree with you. BSG changed my view on SCI-FI TV.

Re:Trek fix??

[IntergalacticWalrus]

Thank you for being the only one who said something intelligent among the ones who disagreed with what I said.

Re:Trek fix??

[IntergalacticWalrus]

"Denigration of people"?? Talk about overreacting. I never said people who disagree with me are idiots or something. Do you always whine at everyone who voice out their opinions without beginning every fucking sentence with "In my opinion..."?

To quote Maddox: Any time you say something sucks around someone who disagrees, they try to validate their taste in shitty music/movies/clothing by reminding you that you still only speak for yourself, as if their opinions are in jeopardy of being monopolized by your own. Everyone already knows it's my opinion by virtue of the fact that I said it, no need to restate the obvious you dopey twat.

Mobile games too

[aztektum]

I can't find the article I read at work today, more a blurb really, but there is a DS and PSP game coming out in the Trek universe. RTS as well. Don't know if it will be this game in a mobile format or a completely different story. On the DS all the controls will be on the touchscreen, naturally, leaving the game view unobstructed.

So far other places have claimed that the game will be called Star Trek: Legacy and allow you to play roles from different time periods, using the ever handy time travel mechanic to blend the story together through several eras of Trek.

What I wish...

[Zemrec]

...for is for Black Isle (Baldur's Gate, Knights of the Old Republic...) to do a similar RPG treatment for the Star Trek universe. That could be really cool.

Although what I'd like even better would be an open-ended game, a la Grand Theft Auto, where you can just go explore the Federation and uncharted space and get into mini-adventures aside from any big main quest there might be. Could be truly unlimited possibilities.

Re:What I wish...

[BkBen7]

"Black Isle (Baldur's Gate, Knights of the Old Republic...)"

You do mean BioWare right?

Re:What I wish...

[Ayaress]

It's been commented that Bridge Commander, with all of the addons people have developed for it, could have immense potential for an open-ended game like that. It's already possible with mods like Kobayashi Maru to just fly around and explore, all sorts of freedom to play around with your ship's power distribution, repair stations, dozens and dozens of different ships, distribute crew, and even beam over to a crippled enemy ship and take it over (GTA style). There's already dynamic generation of ships (construction yard mods, and the "distress call" feature that will cause random ships to warp in from neighboring systems to help/hinder you)

There's only so much you can do to mod a game that wasn't really meant to be fully moddable, though. It would be amazing to see an open ended epic game, even just on the scale of Freelancer, using the same systems that Bridge Commander has.

Belay that order!

[Supurcell]

The Star Trek universe will not translate well into a large scale RTS game. One starship is a powerful, complicated, and impressive machine, but when massed together their splendor is trivialized. Starships take a long time to build, you couldn't just pump out 100 galaxy class ships in war time.

I'd much rather see a game that focuses more on an individual ship and exploration, like Bridge Commander(only less linear) or Starfleet Command(only with less boring missions).

Re:Belay that order!

[American AC in Paris]

Starships take a long time to build, you couldn't just pump out 100 galaxy class ships in war time.

...unlike common foot soldiers, which can be recruited, trained and deployed in ten seconds for the low, low price of $100 each.

Hell, at least Star Trek has easily-tinkered-with pseudotechnology where one could plausibly invert the harmonics of the anti-oxidant flux of the manufacturing beam array to make it magically ejaculate fully assembled warp cores...

Turn based games.

[Eightyford]

Is it just me or are realtime strategy games becoming too complicated to run in realtime? Command and Conquer was about as complex as I could handle without wanting to slow the game down to a crawl to be able to micro-manage everything. I wouldn't mind a few games based off of the CIV 4 engine, myself. Of course, turn based games always seem to have some AI and balancing issues.

Re:Turn based games.

[Sigma 7]

Is it just me or are realtime strategy games becoming too complicated to run in realtime?

Actually, the problem is that strategy games are not complicated enough. You mentioned Command & Conquer [Tiberian Dawn] - here's a typical example from that game:

- Select a group of units, and assign them to group 1.
- Attack the enemy base, by clicking directly on the target.
- Select the units you just built, and add them to group 1.
- Continue the attack, by clicking directly on the target.

You will note that your reinforcement units will instantly stop the instant their assigned target blows up. To date, the only major games that fixed this problem are Tiberian Sun and Red Alert 2 - most other games ignore this problem or have a slower method of allowing the player to do what he wants.

I can give other examples in that game where simplicity interferes with gameplay, but that's generally stating common knowledge.

Lets not forget the predecessor, Dune II, where you couldn't more than one unit (along with a low unit cap).

Of course, turn based games always seem to have some AI and balancing issues.

So do most RTS games - it's almost as if AI and balancing is usually a second class citizen.

Re:Turn based games.

[MBraynard]

So do most RTS games - it's almost as if AI and balancing is usually a second class citizen

no, they are just incredibly hard to do well.

Ah, well

[Alarash]

I submitted this story 3 days ago, with much more details.

The title is named Star Trek: Legacy. It's been first revealed by Game Informer Online. The day after, Evil Avatar posted some more some more informations. The game is planned for Xbox 360 and PC, scheduled for a september 2006 release, and is developped by Mac Doc Software (known for Empire Earth, Dungeon Siege and ... Star Trek Armada). The publisher is Bethesda Softworks, known for The Elders Scrolls series, among other titles. An interesting thing to note is that the game will cover the whole Star Trek timeline, from the Enterprise era up to the Voyager's.

We're going to see a lot mroe of this.

[hal2814]

Star Trek will once again be more popular dead than it ever will be alive. Look at the Trek conventions. They began during a lull between the original series and the Motion Picture. Star Trek is very popular but the recent implementation was lacking. Expect the fan base to miss Trek more and more the longer it is off the air and out of the theater. In the meantime, I expect there will be an increase in alternative formats for new Trek (much like the Virgin and BBC Dr. Who novel lines). If game developers like Mad Doc can actually pull off a decent RTS based on Star Trek, there are a lot of people who will buy into that just to get a new Trek experience. That might not've been the case while TNG, DS9, or even Enterprise was still on the air.

Trek fix on SpikeTV?

[Omeger]

Does SpikeTV still even show Star Trek? I thought G4 bought the rights to show all those series now.

Excuse my crappy HTML...

[Anonymous Coward]

bad link, try this instead.

I want to see a trek game like Star Controll

[jonwil]

Basicly, you would be the commander of a ship (be it Constitution class, Galaxy class, NX class or whatever else, you could even have the option to pick a klingon ship or whatever else).

Exactly what missions you carry out would depend on which race you pick. For example, Starfleet missions would either be missions of exploration or missions of war (e.g. you might get involved in a war with the romulan star empire or you might decide to make first contact with a new species). Missions for races like the Borg would be missions of assimilation.
Missions for races like the Ferengi would be missions of aquisition.
and so on.

As the game progressed, you would get "experience" which would translate into for example, better abillity to repair damage to the ship. (much like how characters such as Scotty and Trip got better at engineering on the Enterprise as the relavent series went on) You would also get items (for example, a warp coil upgrade that increases your maximum speed), information and supplies. Actions you carry out might have an effect on the "world space" (for example "give some supplies to this damaged ship" vs "blow it to bits with a photon torpedo" which would affect how friendly the owners of that ship are with your race)