tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post2998372518714565166..comments2024-03-28T15:25:30.216-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Starflight: RacesCRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-25695243575201807562021-11-28T00:09:26.528-05:002021-11-28T00:09:26.528-05:00Having played this game extensively when it first ...Having played this game extensively when it first came out I can tell you:<br /><br />1. The Mysterions are the ships that look like the OG Star Trek Enterprise looking ships.<br /><br />2. The Uhleks won't talk to you. They'll attack you on sight. Land on their homeworld and leave a black egg there. They'll be removed from the game.<br /><br />3. The spherical ships with the race that speaks in binary works for the ancients. They are the ones flaring the stars.<br /><br />4. You can get along with the Thrynn but they are not a nice people. They pay well for unique items but honestly, don't trade with them. The items are super valuable and irreplaceable.<br /><br />5. The game was very meta. It often alluded to a city of ancients. The exact landing coordinates were printed on the box (more like a sleeve really) that the game came in. <br /><br />6. Don't give the Velox the item you get at Harrison's base. It is a cloaking device and incredibly useful.<br /><br />7. Blowing up the crystal planet effectively ends the game. Mine it for all its worth. Ancients be damned!Brett Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11017831768140917506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-59698463683984322912021-06-21T15:52:08.511-04:002021-06-21T15:52:08.511-04:00I'm sure someone has already mentioned this, b...I'm sure someone has already mentioned this, but Star Control seems to owe a big debt to this game.Andrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09234000344155392850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-22825072320700452622017-05-25T23:15:04.654-04:002017-05-25T23:15:04.654-04:00Yep. The Uhleks attack and that is it. Their wea...Yep. The Uhleks attack and that is it. Their weapons and shields are better than the best you can get as well, so they are quiet deadly!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-45987482631082369512016-09-26T01:22:47.635-04:002016-09-26T01:22:47.635-04:00Nostalgia! I didn't play DOS version though, b...Nostalgia! I didn't play DOS version though, but rather SNES one. It seems to have the same plot, but graphics was better.<br /><br />Anyway, found your post out of curiosity of whether there was a way to communicate Uhleks, I remember I thought I had to find an artifact, or something. So now I just downloaded StarFlight ROM, and printed all the text it has with `strings Starflight\ \(USA,\ Europe\).md > text`, and read trough. I found many interesting, debug strings in particular. And I notice many strings repeating, i.e. those "REPAIRED" words, so the team weren't probably the best coders in the galaxy :Ь<br /><br />What's important, I can confirm that I found nothing resembling speech of Uhleks, so there seems to be no way to communicate with them.Hi-Angelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10661636579329649996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-19669696850326136862016-02-16T11:22:20.885-05:002016-02-16T11:22:20.885-05:00I feel like someone else told me about it, but no,...I feel like someone else told me about it, but no, I never encountered it. That would have been cool.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-67433354005666849522016-02-16T10:17:31.922-05:002016-02-16T10:17:31.922-05:00Awesome playthrough! Did you ever encounter a '...Awesome playthrough! Did you ever encounter a 'enterprise' like galaxy starship? I remember it hand the saucer and nacels with blue bio life in the center of the saucer and energy readings in the nacels? I tried communicating but no answer. Maybe it's appearance was Easter egg enough. I ended up destroying it, I was 12-14 or so, but I always wondered if there was more to it? Just curious, thanks!Kevin Shrinerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12782125809701424228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-38604890453112099062015-05-27T17:18:57.726-04:002015-05-27T17:18:57.726-04:00I made a post about it:
http://crpgaddict.blogspo...I made a post about it:<br /><br />http://crpgaddict.blogspot.com/2012/10/first.html<br /><br />But I didn't keep up on the list. I have plans to convert it to a "Page" (like the FAQ) and keep it going, just haven't gotten around to it yet.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-35297594533524419002015-05-27T16:08:23.071-04:002015-05-27T16:08:23.071-04:00Did you ever do up a list of firsts in crpgs? I wo...Did you ever do up a list of firsts in crpgs? I would be really interested to read that.Bakuielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06708554023018591850noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-70645206469009354732011-04-15T16:01:00.952-04:002011-04-15T16:01:00.952-04:00Gotta love them spineless Spenims! :-)))Gotta love them spineless Spenims! :-)))PetrusOctavianusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-33727909286293171562010-09-13T18:30:51.982-04:002010-09-13T18:30:51.982-04:00In my game I've been friendly with the Thrynn ...In my game I've been friendly with the Thrynn instead of the Elowan, and so far it's been pretty interesting. They really want artifacts and plutonium, and if you have any on board they'll trade endurium: even the least valuable artifacts are worth at least 1 cubic meter of it to them. It sure beats selling them for 100 MU at Starport.<br /><br />On the other hand, thus far they have told me nothing that would help me advance in the game. I get the impression that if you want to complete the game, you should ally with the Elowan; if you just want to explore and mess around, you should make friends with the Thrynn.Kalinovahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01710864455633094263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-38536126034808512052010-09-13T00:58:05.416-04:002010-09-13T00:58:05.416-04:00You know, that's a really good model. Next tim...You know, that's a really good model. Next time it seems appropriate in a game, I might do a special posting on this topic and refer to this. Spending hours collecting potion ingredients in Morrowind and Oblivion seems like a good example of what you're talking about: repetitive, but also easy and worthwhile.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-72380211240832687812010-09-12T17:54:59.988-04:002010-09-12T17:54:59.988-04:00Glass2099 makes some good points, especially the l...Glass2099 makes some good points, especially the level of abstraction that is necessary to make a game fun - and the appropriate user interface to take advantage of it.<br /><br />Yes, the "world simulation aspect" in some games is higher but where many designers failed is to recognize the difference between a repetitive task and a trite one.<br /><br />A repetitive task isn't necessarily a problem - videogames *do* have a repetitive nature, after all.<br />There is always a fine balance between fun and effort, though, and the goal should be to make repetitive tasks not a burden to the player but fun.<br /><br />My theory is that you have to have two ingredients to achieve exactly that: Make them easy and make them worthwhile.<br />To achieve the former the game could demand few commands from the player (ideally a single mouse click) or a low price in game currency - depending on the game in question, of course.<br />The latter however is perhaps even more necessary to not damage the game experience: If the player has to explore a whole continent by foot make damn sure he will see some wonders! If he casts a lot of identify-spells make sure he will find a "gold nugget" every now and then!<br /><br />Feeding your party definitely isn't a good repetitive task: While it's often easy to do, sometimes even automatic, there is nothing in return except that the party doesn't starve. In fact it not only costs attention but you also have to buy rations or spend time hunting/fishing/etc.<br />In other words: It's not even work (you get paid for work) but *slavery* as you don't even get experience points for it!<br />Make the player profit and he will play, make the player suffer and he won't - unless he is a masochist, but I guess this reduces your target group dramatically... ;-)Calibratornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-14750714223041634232010-09-12T15:38:11.117-04:002010-09-12T15:38:11.117-04:00Btw. is there any more fantasy/medieval set game i...Btw. is there any more fantasy/medieval set game in type of Starflight? Like traveling to cities, trading, etc.tomaswojhttp://dosboxuiq.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-65417998497278980112010-09-12T15:30:51.893-04:002010-09-12T15:30:51.893-04:00So having won Starflight, you are moving on to Swo...So having won Starflight, you are moving on to Swords of Glass? I hope you enjoy it- particularly just after the varied experiences of Starflight, I suspect you may find it... lacking. And I enjoyed it in its day, but it really felt like a poorly done imitation of other games, rather than anything even slightly innovative.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-738684701874355022010-09-12T15:19:36.061-04:002010-09-12T15:19:36.061-04:00On the foot-tapping, sometimes it's hard to re...On the foot-tapping, sometimes it's hard to remember that a "first" in a CRPG isn't necessarily a first for games in general. CRPGs weren't even the dominant genre of the time.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-36135328633892357422010-09-12T15:11:37.113-04:002010-09-12T15:11:37.113-04:00Oh, and I see your point on the mining. This is th...Oh, and I see your point on the mining. This is the main objection a lot of players have for the need to keep a stock of food in the Ultima games, for instance. But in the case of Starflight, I actually found the mining part to be a lot of fun.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-42860329046432494792010-09-12T15:10:26.617-04:002010-09-12T15:10:26.617-04:00Glass2099, I agree. Ultima IV had as rich a back s...Glass2099, I agree. Ultima IV had as rich a back story, but there wasn't a lot of mystery to the main story. Now that I think of it, Origin really missed an opportunity here. The game never explains much about what the Codex of Ultimate Wisdom actually is, and this would have been a fantastic place for a twist ending in which it turns out their is no Codex and you've just unleashed a demon, or the Codex turns out to be "Green Eggs and Ham" or something.<br /><br />Not only is Starflight a bit of a mystery, but it has a twist ending worthy of the Sixth Sense. Maybe it was because it was really late last night when I won, or maybe it was the four vodka gimlets I'd consumed in the two hours prior, but I thought the final twist was spine-tingling.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-86716370692659411032010-09-12T14:09:24.430-04:002010-09-12T14:09:24.430-04:00Doh!
"dig the commedy" not "did......Doh!<br /><br />"dig the commedy" not "did..."<br /><br />- Glass2099Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-55313220222280032972010-09-12T14:05:36.023-04:002010-09-12T14:05:36.023-04:00I'd say this is the first game you have writte...I'd say this is the first game you have written about where the story has a good amount of intrigue and mystery. M&M could have been if more thought had been put into it, such as a more cohesive story.<br /><br />The only problems I see with these old computer rpgs is that they seem to be more of concepts made physical than games. Just because a "real" interstellar crew would spend much of their time mining doesn't mean that has to be a main focus of the game. Same with all the training and money farming of the other crpgs just to survive. Other than doing these laborious and repetitive tasks that "real" magical adventurers would have to do, you have no other way of playing the game. <br /><br />User interface seems to also have not been a major concern. Aside from games requiring good advertising, computers are largely less approchable than a game console, and rpgs were always of relatively minor commercial success, these UIs definitely would not have turned me on to the games.<br /><br />When do we start seeing crps that focus more on being a well thought out and ballanced game rather than a fake simulation?<br /><br />(I am not trying to be harsh as I totally did the commedy in your writing and appreciate that people can make these early crpg projects. Just felt it necessary to be direct. I'll try to explain more of what I mean if you like.)<br /><br />- Glass2099Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-35911068135113154862010-09-12T12:44:49.635-04:002010-09-12T12:44:49.635-04:00Well, as far as i remember, tapping foot was alrea...Well, as far as i remember, tapping foot was already in Boulder Dash (C64/Atari), released in 1984 :). Anyway pretty good articles :).tomaswojhttp://dosboxuiq.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-48053878707324031622010-09-11T23:07:30.240-04:002010-09-11T23:07:30.240-04:00The earliest game I can remember about the tapping...The earliest game I can remember about the tapping foot thing is "Captain Goodnight", on Apple ][. That was in 1985:<br /><br />http://www.virtualapple.org/captaingoodnightdisk.htmlCedrichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13274064962794267826noreply@blogger.com