I never played Star Control but fantastic news!
Isn’t Star Control 2 available for free download as the Ur-Quan Masters?
Answering my own question, yes, yes it is. Open source port of the 3DO version available here for free: http://sc2.sourceforge.net/
The free port is much better than the one you can buy on GOG as well. Great emulation, and the 3DO SKU was the best version of the game.
Just to chime in with my 2 cents, I didn’t like the 3DO version’s voiceovers and music, but the Ur-Quan Masters let’s you switch it out so that it’s all like the original PC version. So you can take your pick. If, like me, you think the voice overs are cheesy just switch over to the PC version with its emphasis on the excellent music to set the mood with the various races instead.
Yeah, I’d second turning off the 3DO voice. The 3DO voices make me frumpy, and reduce the experience of talking to Orz.
If you are campers you will enjoy the change, but maybe not yet.
Personally I like to steer folks toward the originals so they can see later how much work went into the UQM and appreciate it more. But whatevs, don’t support GOG or anything you freaking pansies. ;)
One thing about any version, you absolutely must print out the star map that came with the game, available at the Pages of Now and Forever. There’s quite a lot of vital information on there, and the designers assumed you’d reference it while playing. If possible, you want to print it poster-sized.
The fan-made versions hosted there (maps 2-4) are crisper, but tend to leave out information you’ll want, like star stage. Supergiants tend to host hot planets with no life but excellent mineral wealth.
I need to grab it and play it again. It’s been way too long.
I cant remember anything about the writing from Star control 2, just thought it was a good game at the time. Hopefully this reboot in a few years time will be great as well :)
I actually need to go back and play all of them, I bought each on GOG a while back. Yes, even SC3.
I would love to see a proper sequel and not just a reboot. As mentioned, it’ll be interesting to see if Stardock can retain the humor of the originals. Oh, and I still disavow any knowledge of any Star Control-themed games after the second.
This guy may be reading a lot into the backstory, but there is no doubting that the races presented are interesting and the writing used to convey that is amazingly well done.
I find it really weird that everyone in this thread is talking as though this post didn’t happen:
Agreed that unless they figure out some kind of licensing thing for the original characters, races, planets, etc. this will be on rocky roads to begin with. Unless they pick up some very legitimately humorous people (the TfB guys if they’re available; maybe Ron Gilbert now that he’s unemployed again, hah), it’s even shakier. They still know how to make decent games though–with enough pounding-head-against-unfun-pavement leading up to it, at least ;)
The guy I’d like to see do the writing is Tim Schafer. Not the game design, but the dialog.
Just a little confused about something - I’ve seen people refer to Stardock only getting the rights to the name of the game both here and in the Atari Bankruptcy thread. Was this ever confirmed, or are people making assumptions?
I hear that they’ve actually got a published author over there at Stardock. I’m sure everything will be fine.
Another very grim potential:
Toys for Bob bought all the rights to everything Star Control other than the name. Activision then bought Toys For Bob. So, does that mean that… Activision now owns everything Star Control except for the name?
I am sure Stardock must have gotten something more than a Trademark based on that article…I don’t see how that could be true.