You are insane. This is not helpful. 

Good reply, i already stated in my previous post why this game should be pc ONLY, games such as star control 2 just won't work and feel right on any other platform than pc.

mmm... not sure what to think of this, i don't entirely agree, It CAN still be star control in all respect, as was mentioned earlier on, the universe could be infinite, create a star control with different races away from the areas in the universe that sc1 and sc2 played out, i welcome new races, new alien tech, ships cultures etc.. ! personally it would be great to have the old with the new as i love the old races too, but if that won't be possible create new races somewhere far away in the universe.

Just let the map refer to where in relation to the sc1 and sc2 universe, the new races would be so it still feels somewhat connected.

One thing i would miss is that being based on earth felt very realistic, and i really liked to see how far we are in relation to other galaxies, so obviously the earth won't be home base, but then again, a new "super earth" with a star base might've been found in a far off part in the universe where the new star control will play out, exciting ! !

Oh for the love of... Please don't derail the thread with "PC vs console". I'm definitely PCMR, and I do take a stand in that debate, but it doesn't belong in here.

I'm really excited about the modding tools, if they are quite extensive.  There are so many talented people out there, many with their own story in mind about the Star Control universe.  That's about as good as its going to get without Paul and Fred doing their own game.    Hell, there's probably some really fantastic stories out there better than the original (GASP).

I'd love to know a lot more about whats being planned with those tools.  Founders program please...

Star Control 1 was one of the first games I played and it was fantastic. Star Control 2 I played much later and also enjoyed it quite a bit.

What I consider the core of a SC game? The arcade battles designs. Most importantly the ship design and the role of the planet's gravity well. It was actually the only feature common between SC1 and SC2.

The Earthling cruiser was about firing rockets accounting for trajectory while controlling the distance.

The VUX Intruder was about opportunistic salvo to either destroy the enemy ship or incapacitate its engines making it easy prey for later.

The Ilrath Avenger was also opportunistic ship but with a slight balance difference - the cloaking made it easier to get an opening but its salvos were not as devastating as the VUX

The Spahi was about hit-and-run tactics, slowly chipping your opponent's health away with your limited firepower and trying not to make too much mistakes.

The gravity well is what made VUX an Ilrath viable ships against a faster long-range opponent. The slingshot acceleration made the battles much less predictable and made it possible for a slower ship to outrun a faster one and devastate it with a short-range salvo. But it was counterbalanced with the associated risk of running head-first at the planet at top speed.

Overall I think the core of SC was that balance between the basic parameters of the ship design (speed, range, firepower, maneurability, defensive abilities) and the chaotic effect of the planet's gravity well, while also making the whole thing quite simple. Sure SC2 had story and cool aliens but so do plenty of Japanese visual novels. What made Star Control addictive were the battles. The sense of exploration, meeting quirky new races and growing power and alliances all built on top of that core game.

Actually I think SC2 made a mistake in making your main ship and the Chmmr Avatar too powerful as it took away the charm of the battles in the late game. So while I'm all for copying the SC2 exploration and race design would advise also paying very close attention to:

 - Updating the arcade battles and extensively playtesting new ideas (e.g. more celestial objects, multiple ships in one battle, ect.) but making sure they don't take away from the simplicity and charm of the old battles which should be the golden standard to return to if something new doesn't work out.

 - Analyzing the core ship strategies of SC1 and SC2 ships and making sure those core strategies are all viable in the new game (e.g. long-range sniping, fast hit/run, exploiting opportunities for a devastating short-range salvo, ect.)

 - Letting the player customize and upgrade their flagship and fleet the way they want (no dumping you with useless free ships or forcing you to turn your flagship into a super-sniper)

- Making sure the endgame progression is balanced and keeps the early game strategies fun and viable (no super-snipers or devastating short-rangers with an overpowered tractor beam) Minor gradual upgrades to all ships that the AI has access to as well should work best. E.g. equipping the late-game VUX with a nerfed tractor beam while giving more max speed to the Earthling cruiser would keep the balance between them.

How many times have they rebooted spiderman? 

On a side note it's great to see EVERYONE's enthusiasm for the game.  Here are a few answers for some of the topics that have been brought up. 

1) Alternate timeline

The exact story related modification we are going to be doing hasn't been publicly revealed, it is something we are saving for the Founders. As a result I'm not going to be confirming or denying any of the statements made about the story here on the open forums at this time, but we do have a solution that the die-hard fans like myself on the project are happy with.  

2) Feedback on Forums - Founders vs Public

The team will read both the public and Founder's forums, but we will be able to share more about the game on the Founder's version which will make the Founder's forums much more informative. There will be a lot more information about the game and what we are doing with the game and open discussion about the design held on those forums. People in the founder's are NDAd which means that devs like myself can talk freely with them about the game without worrying about letting something slip and it going public on a game news website. 

3) PC vs Console

This is something that we haven't fully released all our plans on. We have definitively said that Star Control will be released 100% on the PC at launch. We haven't released any min computer specs yet. Something to keep in mind that the original Star Control was built before using a mouse for the computer was adopted. 

^ They rebooted Spiderman with Spiderman in it though.

Lol, it can't get better put than this. 

Yep, and we are rebooting Star Control with humans in it. Think of it as the first race reveal.  

Star Control isn't the name of any particular race.  Humans will be no doubt part of the game (can't copyright that!), and gameplay will hopefully be in the spirit of Star Control II.   Look at Far Cry 1,2,3,4.  If i'm not mistaken, all take place in different locations, with different characters, though the gameplay is basically the same.

Getting hung up on the naming convention of this game doesn't give any quality input on helping shape the game, and mires threads like this in petty arguments.

It's the name of a story. A grand story that many of us love.

I'll be over here writing A Game of Thrones where Jonny Sneew gets shot in the dick by a Russian tank. His nemesis Blue Cheese have taken total control of an asteroid that no-one gives a shit about. 

I suppose it bears repeating yet again that we'll all have access to tools for crafting content, so I'm really looking forward to what all the complainers come up with that's so much better. I'm certain the inevitable litany of UQM-derivative fanfic that's bound to get made will be of such amazing quality that it will completely blow away any efforts Stardock is making to bring something fresh and original to the table.

Quoting Vaelzad, reply 108

On a side note it's great to see EVERYONE's enthusiasm for the game.  Here are a few answers for some of the topics that have been brought up. 

 

1) Alternate timeline

The exact story related modification we are going to be doing hasn't been publicly revealed, it is something we are saving for the Founders. As a result I'm not going to be confirming or denying any of the statements made about the story here on the open forums at this time, but we do have a solution that the die-hard fans like myself on the project are happy with.  
 

End of Vaelzad's quote

I agree with most of the people here about what makes the game. Exploration, discovery, interaction with the races, story, humor etc etc.

I trust Stardock when it comes to that. I think you guys will make a good game.

I am not on board with it being a separate continuity. I do think it is commendable that you don’t want to mess with someones creation. If you can’t legally form a connection that is one thing. But not wanting to screw with the original work doesn’t mean you can’t form a connection to it. It sounds like you are in communication with original creators so talk to them about creating a connection. It doesn’t have to be earth shattering, having a Melnorme trader show up and other little things can create the connection. You should be able to do that without interfering with their story. Events don’t have to be in the game but you have to remain true to the universe lore even if it hasn’t happened yet or happened out of sight.

I liked the example of an early colony ship getting lost to some freak accident and they are nowhere near Earth. You have a new region to explore but you still have that important connection to the past games. It shouldn't be completely separate, like having a Melnorme show up for a few minutes. That doesn't mean they need to have an effect on the past or future games done by the original creators. Shouldn't be a reason the stories can't coexist if they are in different regions.

I am so tired of time travel and alternate timelines. Very rarely IMO does someone pull it off. At this point I am more and more taking a wait and see approach. The nice thing about today is there are so many options for gamers out there. I can afford to be picky what games I buy and support. I still have games that came out years ago that I haven’t had time to play yet.

Absolutely its a story that most of us love.  But I'm a little tired of no new additions to that story for over 20 (TWENTY!!!) years. Change is difficult for many, but its time for a new story.  I really don't understand the hangup on this.  Its not like Star Control II had countless of books written, or movies, etc. There were only two games (i don't count the third) that included the Ur-Quan story line, and the first game's story line was pretty thin.   The original Star Control II game is still very fun to play, so if you need your Spathi fix, keep playing it.

When Paul and Fred finally get freedom and time to do a proper Star Control to include the Orz, Spathi, Ur-Quan, or whatever....then great.  Until then, I say redefine what Star Control means in order to start a new, different story.  I think it might be a little ridiculous trying to pursue another "pure" Star Control experience because it won't happen any time soon, and possibly NEVER.  Time to let go in my opinion...

I'm not going to revisit this topic. There's better and more diverse and constructive topics to talk about to help further the game.   

You're not getting any additions to the story. You're  getting an official redaction. 

I'm in no way oblivious to the fact all of the races except humans will not be part of this game.  Anything new or constructive to add this conversation?

Please, for the love of Dogar and Kazon, don't make it in a timeline preceding SC2.

I have an idea: just call it Galactic Civilizations.

Moving onto something constructive and out of the mire...

The original Star Control II had a fixed amount of time that you had to get things done. You could lose the game easily enough just by pissing away time visiting planets and traveling, though events helped drive you in the right direction.  I really enjoyed that sense of urgency, whether it be trying to get the Pkunk to turn around and not visit the Yehat, or having a growing threat such as the Probes (though I rarely stop that early in the game.  Probes are easily killed and are worth 550 credits).

A race against time, with events happening at certain times, gave the universe a good sense of passage of time instead of player-dependent driven events.   I'd like to see more of that.  Different threats/events happening at specific times (or randomly started, for replay value, but that can GET TRICKY with a storyline!) or countdowns.  For example, every month so many Sneews die by getting a shell shot at their family jewels for instance, and the race withers and dies...and COULD die and have consequences, and consequences if they are saved.

Can't wait for the Founder's program.  

"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!" -Percy Bisshe Shelley

People want to be relevant. Gamers are people (although special ones). People want to have the possibility to save the universe, to alter the future of one person or of civilizations.

The craft of the storyteller is to tell stories that are worth living and remembering. To let the players alter the story... must be part of the story. In SCII, Stopping the Pkunks from reaching the Yehat changes the game... but not really.  Getting rid of the Thraddash and the Ilwrath... does not change the game really. You have one less hassle when you travel, but that's about it.  But you have the satisfaction of saving one "good" race and eliminating two "evil" ones.  That's the only changes that are not mandatory to have the story unfold, and they don't really affect the game.

I would dream for the changes that the players can affect to be truly game-altering.  To have "side" quests that are significant and not just a +1 somewhere on my ship.

Make it alter my gameplay.

Also can't wait for the Founder's program

I agree completely.   Some side quests to improve your load out can be fun, but tiresome.  To affect the gameplay, and perhaps the difficulty (not hassle-factor.....difficulty) of the game with your choices would be preferable.   The story and characters need to have depth, beyond a superficial script.  

I hope the writers are well-equipped and talented enough to produce an engaging, yet changeable and interactive story.

EDIT:  Also, it might be interesting to have a point in the story where you can't fall back on your uber-ship and forced to play a few other ships.  Heaven knows I loved taking a Spathi to a Vex early on the game when I didn't have enough crew in my mothership.

 Hmm....reminds me.  Is damage still going to be counted as per crew member "usage", or actual damage to a ship in HP style, or a mixture, hybrid, etc?

 Founders program, come on.

I have actually a few questions (slap me if I've missed them being answered elsewhere, I've been poking about but not found anything that would hint at an answer for my particular questions or if they belong elsewhere).

1: Will there be a combat simulator akin to the Super Melee in StarCon2. I have gathered that you plan on constructing a brand new way of doing combat(?), and I'm quite interested (although changes tends to be teh evuls etc.).

2: IF you have a combat simulator akin to the Super Melee, will you have the legacy races playable along with netplay? I understand that you might not be able to put the legacy races into your game, since they are owned by Fred and Paul but it would be fun if they would be playable, at least in a Melee instance (but not in the main game). Personally, I liked the original Super Melee, but I can see why some would dislike it.

3: Modding tools: If you do get to use the legacy races, would they be implementable with the modding tools you intend to ship StarConIV so people can make their own campaigns, stories and the likes (And perhaps a recording tool for amateur voice acting?). Or are you going to let the fans create their own models to implement into the game?

4: Can "they" see us?

As for the final words on this post, I am glad to see so much enthusiasm to this game and I hope it becomes great in its own right!

I wouldn't hold my breath for it. Bioware took 5 years to come up with a Red explosion, a Green explosion and a Blue explosion...