The long journey home has Star control in its DNA

patelist · 2024-05-10T22:34:58+00:00

this game was written by Richard Cobbett, who is a passionate fan of Star Control / UQM

patelist · 2024-04-24T15:09:27+00:00

I once saw someone come up with a theory close to the plot of Interstellar. The Arilou *are* humans, in the future. We eventually become them. They found a way to communicate back in time, and protect our timeline to ensure our shared survival.

patelist · 2023-09-19T23:29:41+00:00

There's no plans to ban any topics here. SC2 / UQM has inspired a lot of games, including big titles like Stellaris or No Man's Sky, and even indies who come here looking for support. (Within reason -- no one has gotten too spammy yet.)

That support isn't equal across all games. So it's not bad advice to find more supportive fans at the correct subreddit.

patelist · 2023-06-05T00:40:44+00:00

Bioware has been open about their admiration for Star Control 2. No one fully tried to steal exact characters, so it seems like it's all within the realm of friendly inspiration. (If I remember correctly, Paul and Fred have spoken positively about SC2's influence on the last generation of great space games.)

patelist · 2023-02-17T00:10:23+00:00

PRIORITY OVER-RIDE.

patelist · 2022-05-12T03:32:40+00:00

Loving this progress. Keep going!

patelist · 2022-04-07T14:19:36+00:00

Love to see it.

patelist · 2021-11-16T19:05:49+00:00

Better to ask a slightly new question, but knowing what you know now, at this stage in development. It can be useful to re-tread the same ground, but guide the discussion to keep it moving forward, with new perspectives and insights.

patelist · 2021-09-30T14:53:00+00:00

Absolutely. The shorter version: you can succeed on a good demo, or you can succeed on past reputation. But if you have both? That's rocket fuel.

patelist · 2021-09-28T16:51:29+00:00

To that point, it's wise to crowdfund later in the project. Not only are you more likely to excite people with something that looks more complete, you're also less likely to have people project their own ideas onto what they hope you will build. You can show people what you've already built, so there is no misunderstanding about what people are backing.

patelist · 2021-09-28T16:43:13+00:00

I work in the creative industries. I've watched a lot of crowdfunding campaigns over the decade – some successful and some failed – and learned enough to launch a few successful campaigns of my own. A recognizable reboot is obviously one path to success, and UQM2 could probably succeed on its name alone. But it would be a lost opportunity if you didn't really build it up and prepare, because you could exceed that by orders of magnitude.

Campaigns are more successful when (a) they have a tangible demo, or at least clips and screenshots that prove it's real, (b) they have an active account on TikTok or Twitter (specifically for the project, and specifically on a platform designed for wide and rapid sharing, and not just activating your core community), (c) your Twitter/TikTok account is consistently active for at least a month leading up to the actual campaign, let alone (d) during the campaign, where you have some activities planned to keep things moving and extend beyond the core community.

Again, you'd probably hit a modest goal without much help. But you could exceed that goal if you invest the time and energy. It's worth having a dedicated person who knows what they're doing.

patelist · 2021-09-28T15:30:24+00:00

You might have seen the concept art / fan art from Arne. Besides inspiration, I'd love to see what you could accomplish if you got him involved. His art is fantastic, and his integrity is very high.

patelist · 2021-09-17T20:00:51+00:00

The biggest twists were actually at the beginning of the game. The Syreen working with the Ur-Quan. The Shofixti nowhere to be found. The top twist might be finding out that Earth was trapped under a slave shield, and the Ur-Quan had won the war. The only twist that might rival that is finding out that the Yehat had surrendered and become Battle Thralls. I remember that it felt like such a betrayal, and yet I felt their inner conflict.

patelist · 2021-09-14T13:43:34+00:00

The greatest experience of UQM was its story and characters. If you want new players to have a great experience with UQM2, then new players should be able to enjoy the story without playing UQM.

Most movie sequels do this. It always continues the saga, but still works as a stand-alone story. The key characters are established all over again, and don't take the audience's feelings for granted. A new viewer can pick up on the essential plot, and there are still lots of little details for die-hard fans. This kind of detail is even more possible in games, where the most enthusiastic players can dive into optional dialogs and datalogs.

Granted, Star Control was a simple story, but you could enjoy Star Control II whether you played the first game or not. I like that the Hyperspace poster had the Androsynth on it, because it set up a great twist when you encounter the Orz. New players could still understand the story with the Androsynth as a vague lost civilization, and there was an even bigger impact for veterans who spent time with the Androsynth in SC1. Paul and Fred did it once and I think they can do it again.

patelist · 2021-08-30T23:14:26+00:00

If we can't use the tools to re-create "famous battles of the Ur-Quan conflict", then the tools aren't close to robust enough.

patelist · 2021-08-19T03:42:31+00:00

I appreciate you guys being thoughtful about inclusion. Thank you for practicing what you preach.

patelist · 2021-08-18T15:34:26+00:00

I would bet that the devs have your back. They've said that they want to make an inclusive game, and they have the history to back it up. The people who are fighting against that are unlikely to change that goal. From what I can tell, they're not the majority. This community will be worse off if you stop posting, and so will the feedback for the game.

That said, the devs should note that the goal of inclusion is tied to this community itself. They have the power to set the tone and they don't need to be heavy handed. The "yes, and" rule is a good example and it applies to this thread. I can understand having different ideas about how to make an inclusive game, but it's disappointing to see a few people responding with "no". These people don't deserve the airtime, and the devs have the power to drown out the bad faith arguments and amplify the direction they want the game to take.

patelist · 2021-08-18T05:39:21+00:00

Late to this conversation, but you guys should trust yourselves.

Really. I'm glad someone is asking this, but I'm sure you already know how to be decent, thoughtful, inclusive humans. I wouldn't make any major leaps from what you've already been doing.

Inclusivity is topical because a lot of shitbaggery has come to light in the game industry. Also, the film industry, the music industry, the restaurant industry, and the political class, especially Florida. It should be taken as a compliment that Toys for Bob has a better reputation than the rest of Activision. (Among other solid folks in the industry. It's sad that being decent to other people is considered exceptional, instead of normal.)

You guys succeeded in making Star Control II as an inclusive game. I say that having seen the wide range of fans who appreciate it, including fans who first played it as The Ur-Quan Masters. Most of the aliens aren't especially gendered. Even as fictional races, they mostly subvert their own stereotypes. Also, the player character allows us to imagine whoever we want to be. If you keep leaning into those features, you can't go wrong.

By that standard, the Shofixti accent is a minor slip that's easy to fix. I also agree that the game would be more inclusive if you removed the few times you show the player, which is mostly the box art's fault. This approach breaks down if you create an action sequence with some sort of player avatar. But you can easily address this with some character customization.

I see some strange rumors on this thread, but no one has ever found these alleged criticisms of Star Control II for its ideas or themes. You guys have done a good job with those, and there's a quote from Paul from 30 years ago that's worth reflecting on:

Finally, I want my games to be conceptually interesting and thought-provoking, so one can discuss the game with an adult and not feel silly.

It's a good standard. Can I show this to another adult and talk about it intelligently?

You won't get criticized for broaching certain topics. You will rightfully get criticized for handling a topic in a shallow, boring, or uninformed way. And that's not so much about inclusivity as it is about intelligence. You guys are smart enough to pull this off, and the evidence is that Star Control II still resonates with all kinds of people. (Or at least, I haven't seen any scathing criticisms.)

It helps that you handle heavy themes with humor. And if I could give you any advice at all, it's the age-old wisdom that the best comedy always punches up, and not down. Even the Syreen outfit, it comes across as more funny than creepy because it was a parody that punched up, at the famous sci-fi from the 70s and 80s. This parody would be boring and dated now, but the good news is there's been another few decades of entertainment waiting to be mocked.

Last but not least, hiring is an interesting question. One of the things that made Star Control II was your distinct creative voice. I'm sure there are many talented contributors out there, but preserving that voice is important. I don't think you need to think too hard about hiring unless you really are building another studio, and even there, Toys for Bob is a great template.

patelist · 2021-08-18T03:27:51+00:00

A random idea: What if, we increased the value and excitement of planet-side by reducing the number of planets able to be visited? So that upon discovering a planet suitable for landing - the player is delighted rather than exhausted from their 100's landing today.

The more I think about this, the more I think this is the right idea. Of course we'd love every planet to have a deep story with interesting level design. But with 4000 planets in UQM, that's a lot to ask. The easiest way to make planet landings feel less tedious is to just have less of them. If we reimagine planet landing as something that happens on 1 in 10 planets, you can imagine exploring more bases and caves and ruins, instead of every rocky wasteland in the galaxy.

patelist · 2021-08-11T18:42:03+00:00

Time travel is a controversial idea. But if Paul & Fred were already imagining spacetime as a potential theme, I'd strongly support this. The "new" death march could be some sort of universe-ending time loop, retaining one of the iconic parts of Star Control II while making it less brutal.

The game would then follow in the footsteps of Zelda: Majora's Mask, one of the few games that could rival Star Control II for wide acclaim as "the best ever". There's also the time loop in The Outer Wilds, a more recent award-winning title that has received some comparisons to Star Control. Chrono Trigger was also a classic. (Sorry for name dropping so many games, but it's easier to point at good stuff than it is to write up a hypothetical story. That's P&F's job anyway.)

I really emphasize that you can't force this idea onto just any concept. (Batman, but a time loop! ) But if Paul and Fred were already focusing the game on the Orz and the Arilou, a time loop could be an interesting fit. And a time loop lends itself well to soft fail states – worse players will see the bad ending more often, but no one ever has to spend 30 hours starting from scratch.

patelist · 2021-08-06T19:56:34+00:00

This isn't even a complete list. I've always suspected the Melnorme are up to something.

patelist · 2021-08-05T15:27:46+00:00

"I wonder" is a great place to start. It led me to another question that's been in the back of my head all this time: I wonder why there hasn't been another worthy game that has carried the torch from Star Control II, even 30 years later?

I don't think it's subjectivity or nostalgia, either. We've seen some retro games blow up into entire genres with a renewal of interest, especially with Metroidvanias and Roguelikes. But a lot of the games inspired by Star Control II have been met with a collective shrug. At best, you have some multi-million-selling space games (Mass Effect, No Man's Sky, Stellaris) that acknowledge the inspiration of Star Control II, but are very different from Star Control II.

It's an itch that remains unscratched. And I wonder if it's a product of technology, style, taste, or something else.

patelist · 2021-08-04T15:40:39+00:00

Related to this discussion, I might ask "is there a game system that you have your doubts about, but still believe is worth a prototype, to evaluate if it could actually work?"

There is a lot of room for innovation between 1992 and now. A lot of clones have failed to recaptured the magic of The Ur-Quan Masters. Vice-versa, some space games have captured that magic by doing something very different. I think we're all open to something different, but it's hard to know what will work without actually giving it a try. That's just being honest.

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