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| Starflight | |
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| Developer(s) | Binary Systems, Electronic Arts |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Platform(s) | DOS, Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Mega Drive/Genesis, Macintosh |
| Release date(s) | 1986 |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing game/Strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Media | Floppy Disk |
| Input methods | Keyboard |
- See interstellar travel for travel between the stars.
Starflight is a computer game published by Electronic Arts and developed by Binary Systems in 1986. Originally developed for DOS and Tandy, it was later released for the Amiga, Atari ST, Macintosh and Commodore 64. A fully-revamped version of the game was developed for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1991.
Set in the future, the game puts players in the role of a starship captain sent to explore a seemingly-barren galaxy. There is no set path, allowing players to switch freely between mining, ship-to-ship combat, and alien diplomacy.[1] The story eventually expands to resemble a space opera à la Star Trek. Self-aware humor also plays a role within Starflight, such as an encounter with the Starship Enterprise, infrequent messages between a disgruntled loan shark and a smuggler, and a hidden binary code which reveals the telephone number of the developers' home office. In March 1987, Computer Gaming World declared it "the best science fiction game available on computer."[2]
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Gameplay
Starflight is a futuristic shooter / role-playing game hybrid set in outer space. Much of the game takes place within a small starship which seen from a third-person aerial perspective. The game's main hub is Interstel HQ, a space station orbiting Arth.[1]The station provides the sole instance of Starflight's on-foot action, as main characters travel between the briefing room, a crew recruitment center, a maintenance deck, and a trading area. From here players can receive MUs ("monetary units," a fictional currency) from Interstel, recruit and train crew members, upgrade the ship and ATV, and buy or sell minerals and artifacts.
The ship navigates across the game's universe at the expense of endurium (a mineral which serves as fuel).[1] It is initially equipped only to haul cargo, though it can be modified into a dogfighter through costly upgrading. Also included on board the ship is an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) for unearthing minerals. At the start of the game, players are tasked with assigning a crew to operate their ship. Aside from the Captain's chair (occupied by the player), the ship holds five posts: a Navigator, a Science Officer, an Engineer, a Communicator, and a Doctor. Players have a choice of six species from which to choose their crew members. Each crew member's proficiency is determined by their skill stat, which in turn may be affected by their species.
While in space, players may enter any of the game's numerous solar systems, each indicated by a blue 'star'. The action then shifts to a smaller map containing 0-8 planets, with a gas giant in the center. The most lucrative source of MUs is the colonization of planets. A Science Officer can be consulted in order to determine whether a planet is capable of sustaining human life. Once the planet is logged, players may return to Interstel HQ to receive a reward; if the planet proves to be undesirable, however, a hefty fine is issued instead. Player also incur fines for sending out distress signals or becoming stranded on planets, both of which result in a rescue ship being sent.
A pixelated map shows the various topography of each planet, along with a cursor with which to choose a landing point. An ATV is deployed once the ship is parked on the ground, allowing the crew to drive across the terrain and scan for minerals. As is the case in outer space, a heads-up display monitors the ATV's current fuel level. Players can refill the ATV's fuel tank by re-entering the ship. In addition to modifications made to the ship itself, several upgrades can be purchased for the ATV, including pontoons and snow treads (for transport over water and snow, respectively). The ATV is not immune to damage and can be destroyed by earthquakes, storms, or contact with hostile creatures. Should the ATV be destroyed or irrevocably lost, a fee will be deducted for a replacement ATV.
At any time while traveling through space, the ship may encounter an alien spacecraft. Most alien races (Velox, Thyrnn) begin by scanning the ship for potential danger, while others (Uhlek) simply attack without mercy. If the player chooses to arm weapons or raise shields prematurely, the aliens will interpret that action as aggressive and begin firing. Alternatively, the Communications Officer can hail oncoming ships, thereby defusing the situation.
Plot
Setting
At the start of the game, a large construct known as the Crystal Planet is slowly moving through the galaxy. The planet causes nearby stars to flare up and destroy all carbon-based life in the system. The player must explore solar systems, gather clues, special artifacts that grant access to the planet, and ultimately find the planet and destroy it before the player's home system flares. The galaxy is composed of eight main species, six of which can be hired as part of the player's crew. By default, the player character (Captain) is a human employee of Interstel. Other species include the Veloxi, large insects who demand bribes from ships which violate their space; androids, mechanical workers who are very durable; the Elowan, a pacifistic race of sentient plants; the Thrynn, reptile creatures who are primarily interested in money; Spemin, gelatinous blobs who are known for their cowardice; the Mechans, robotic servants who were left adrift in space following the collapse of the Old Empire; the Gazurtroid, octopi-like zealots who regard all "air-breathers" as infidels; and the Uhlek, a destructive fleet of ships with a hive mind.
Story
The story takes place in a solar system inhabited by a planet called Arth, which is a haven for the survivors of the human race (aka the "Old Empire"). Its inhabitants are made up of several sentient races which have learned to coexist. Due to the heavy radiation that has existed for centuries on the planet, they have been forced to live far underneath the crust of the planet. As society became more advanced, the population discovered that the radiation was finally dissipating from the surface, and began digging their way out. Along the way, they discovered long-lost remnants of technology that allowed for the building of Superphotonic spaceships that belonged to Arth's original settlers.
In the present day, an independent company called Interstel is dispatching ships to mine for resources, especially endurium, a crystal-like mineral which acts as fuel for starships. In addition, Interstel crew members are instructed to seek missing information about Arth's history, ancient artifacts, find coordinates for "fluxes" that allow instant transportation across the galaxy without the consumption of valuable fuel, and build relations with the other space-faring races, along with other planets with optimum environments for potential colonization. Early on, the player encounters a Old Empire starship adrift in space. An endlessly-repeating distress call has been transmitting from the ship for centuries. Before the fall of the Old Empire, a scientific expedition known as the Noah 9 left Earth in search of Heaven, a paradise world to which humans could emigrate. Ultimately, the expedition never arrived, leaving a fleet of Mechan ships forever waiting for their arrival. Once their coded questions are answered correctly, the Mechans assume that the player's crew is Noah 9.
Further investigation leads the ship to Earth, the mythical home world of the Old Empire. The planet has been burned to a cinder and is devoid of all life. Additional clues can be found in the "4 Seedlings", a symmetrical system made up of four suns. It is also the former site of The Institute. Centuries ago, the leaders of the Old Empire realized something was causing hostile aliens to flee from the center of the galaxy. The greatest minds from each of the races gathered at this location, where they discovered that the Crystal Planet was slowly eradicating all life. In a last desperate act, they sent a human named Commander McConnell to end it, but he apparently failed.
At the end of the game, the player must obtain certain artifacts in order to penetrate the shielding of the Crystal Planet and destroy it. Commender McConnell's last journal entry can be found on the surface; in it, he shares his discovery that endurium is actually a race of living, sentient beings who are being burned up as fuel for interstellar travel. Since their metabolism is extremely slow due to their crystalline makeup, they are not even aware of outside life and have come come to view mankind as a virus; the Crystal Planet was formed as a remedy. The game ends after the player successfully plants the "Black Egg" artifact on the planet's surface and retreats back into space, causing the Crystal Planet to explode.
Megadrive version
Starflight was ported and re-released for the Sega Genesis in 1991. Aside from graphical upgrades, there are very few changes to the overall game. The Shimmering Ball, an artifact which doubled as a cloaking device in the original DOS version, has no such ability in the remake. In addition, it is no longer possible to fully eliminate the Uhlek species by planting a bomb on the Uhlek "Brain World"; though the planet can still be destroyed in the Genesis version, Uhlek ships will continue to appear throughout space. The option to name newly-discovered planets was also removed.
Legacy
Starflight spawned a sequel, Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula, and was very much the spiritual predecessor to the more popular, but similarly-themed Star Control 2. An unofficial sequel released without the Starflight name due to the inability of the designers to gain the rights to the title from Electronic Arts is the lesser-known Protostar. A fan-driven effort to produce another sequel has been in the works since 1999 called the "Starflight III Project". Some members of the original development staff volunteered their time as consultants on the project.
Starflight - The Lost Colony is a sequel slated for release as freeware in March 2008 [1] under the banner of the original Binary Systems. The timing for The Lost Colony parallels Starflight I, but the setting is in a different part of the galaxy, with new alien races, a new homeworld called Myrrdan, and new gameplay. It was developed by a team of volunteers and game development students from the University of Advancing Technology. It is for Microsoft Windows, but Linux and Mac are planned to follow in mid-2008.
References
- ^ a b c Ackerman, Kyle (2008-4-10). Starflight: When Emergent Play Was Only a Floppy Away. Frictionless Insight. Retrieved on 2008-8-09.
- ^ Bausman, Mark (March 1987), "Starflight", Computer Gaming World: 34-36, 38, 51
See also
External links
- Starflight at MobyGames
- Starflit.com - Resource page and downloads
- The Starflight & Starflight 2 Fan Page
- Starflight - The Lost Colony download
- Boldly Going Somewhere Better Then Newer Games: Starflight - In-depth review of the Megadrive version of Starflight
