Starfleet Command III
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Game:
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Star Trek: Starfleet Command 3
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Released:
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2002
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Produced By:
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Activision
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Developed By:
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Taldren
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Still Being Played?
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Yes, online
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Throw out your old SFB rules...Activision takes SFC into The Next
Generation
The Taldrenites have been over this time, and time again. SFC1, SFC 2 and SFC
2 - OP we're the old school of the SFC series. Produced by the old license
holder Interplay the old SFC series was as close as possible to the SFB rules of
battle and engagement. When Interplay relinquished their license to Activision,
who now hold them all, everyone was spreading tidings of dooooom and glooooom to
what was (and still is) the biggest franchise of the Trek gaming world.
Activision and Taldren have made a good game, there's no getting away from it,
but there are a few compromises that just doesn't seem right or sit right with
the staff of the STG.
Starfleet Command 1, Starfleet Command 2 - Empires at War, Starfleet Command
2 - Orion Pirates we're all set in the era of Kirk and the original series film
era's (better known as TMP era). They featured the ships and variants of those
ship from that entire era and some of the weird and wonderful variants made
online gameplay in Dynaverse rather cool.
Starfleet Command III though isn't set in the TOS or TMP era, and this HAS to
be made clear. It's set 78 years after Orion pirates SFC 2 in the TNG era. Now a
lot of people we're saying that this would work to the advantage of SFC and
bring in more contemporary gamers into the fray, Activision have been saying
that for a LONG time though, 'bringing in more contemporary players' has become
the dulled down version of 'shut up trek game hardcore fans, we run the show,
you don't'.
Anyway...we opened the DVD case of SFC III after Vic bought the game for us
and installed the game, had a cup of coffee while the game installed and reset
the comp after installation was complete. When we started the game we were
remembering the cool intro's voiced over by George Takei for SFC II. The intro
for SFC III is, well, short and rather basic in comparison. Patrick Stewart of
course done a stellar job (even though we are SICK of TNG games and hearing
Picards voice all the damn time) but the intro already made some alarm bells
ring in the STDN's Directors head. The tutorials were based on the same premise
as SFC II, helpful, but not giving too much away about the more deeper layers of
the game.
When the game started we had a quick browse through the interface of the
game. The interface itself has been given a more generic look to the layout and
lines. You cant pin it down to either one of the races cause the interface is
used for all of the entire game. You start off each campaign with the lowest or
next to ship class and hull size. In the other SFC series games it was usually a
police frigate or one of those non descript ordinary frigates. In SFC III you
start off with more recognisable ships. Klingon you start with the K'Vort or
ordinary Bird of Prey, with the feds and the Klingons you start with the
counterpart of that ship in those races. We played the game in the easy setting
first, just to see how long it would take myself (Katie) to go through the
entire single player campaign structure...it took around 15 hours...that was
it...
This can be tied down to several things, one of the main bad points being
that there is only three main campaigns in the game to start off with,
Federation, Klingon and Romulan. this time though they limited the races of SFC
III to only 4...Fed, Kling, Rom and Borg, however the Borg campaign isn't even
playable in the main campaigns and is a separate campaign structure which by the
looks of thing's was thrown in as an afterthought. That's the feeling that the
staff of the STG came up with, afterthought's. After the massive size of SFC III
with its huge campaign structure and LOADS of races in the campaign there was
something missing and not quite right about SFC III. Let me explain...
In SFC 1, SFC 2 and SFC 2 - OP you had quite a bit of micromanaging to take
care of, counter measuring and counter-counter measuring, messing with your
fighters, launching drones and do far off distant barrages to starbases with
drones and watch them explode from a distance. In SFC III it is ALL gone. No
more carriers, no more fighters, no more drones, no more small level
micromanaging. People in other forums who say this (like in Taldren) are getting
bashed by people for putting down the game, but lets face it people...we are
getting LESS from Activision than we got from INTERPLAY when they were the
producers. I don't put the blame on Taldren, they are only following ATVI's
orders when they were making this game...but Activision should be held guilty
for making SFC III too dulled down and too simplified...and it is waaayyyy to
simple. Too easy to blow up ship classes that are way above you as well.
After all the arguments between the SFB and the non SFB crowd we decided to
write this review keeping in mind that Activision have turned there backs on the
main stay that's been synonymous with SFC...Starfleet Battles. If we were on the
SFB side of things this review would have flamed ATVI and Taldren down tot he
ground, but the STG, like ATVI moves with the times...although, and I say again,
we are SICK OF SEEING TNG GAMES!
Putting the issues of the game being too easy and the over simplification of
the controls there is a lot of good points of the game...
Weapons are now configurable, in fact your WHOLE SHIP is configurable, from
thruster design right up to the choice of torpedoes this part at least does give
some good variety to the single player games. The AI however lets this down for
basically being too stupid. Ship handling does give the feel that you are in the
TNG ERA with the tilting exaggeration of the ships seen in the TNG and Voyager
series you do get the slightest feeling that you are flying around in a huge
capital, it doesn't however beat the feeling that Bridge Commander gives you,
not by a long shot, course, this isn't bridge commander...
All in all Activision have generally made a good choice by sticking with
Taldren, but Activision are responsible for making the game to simplified. Don't
get us wrong, we did actually enjoy playing the game, and it takes a LOT to get
the staff of this site to enjoy playing a Trek game under the Activision
license.
They did do a good job, but just didnt chip in that extra little bit...
Review by...
Katherine Venra - STG Director
Victor Mullin - STDN Founder & Director
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