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Ur-Quan Masters

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Ur-Quan Masters

from StarControl Forums

So as you know, for the past 4 years I've been talking to Paul and Fred about our work on the new Star Control game.  We have also talked about what to do about the Ur-Quan Masters.

Fundamentally, we have a problem: Star Control 3.

Years ago, Accolade made a Star Control game without Paul and Fred and that muddied up the lore.

Now, we're doing our best to clean this up by treating Star Control 3 as a separate universe.  But that leaves the issue of Star Control: Origins.  Paul and Fred asked me personally not to use the aliens for Origins so that one day they could return to their universe.

I have also talked to them about the difficult position this has put us in.  On the one hand, we want to respect their wishes but on the other hand, old-time Star Control fans are going to expect a sequel to the Ur-Quan Masters.  We also don't want people to think that we are just "Star Control" in name only (I saw an ugly RPS comment section that suggested we only had the rights to the name). 

Since then, I have lobbied them to try to get Activision to give them permission to do their own game outside of Activison.  Now, in this event it would be something like a Ur-Quan Masters II or whatever.  And I'm not a lone on this.  The Ur-Quan Masters community have also tried to help in this endeavor.

While such a sequel wouldn't be a "Star Control" game, it would, I hope, take the pressure off of us to use the aliens or connect SCO directly to SC2 (while somehow, by magic, ignoring SC3).

I'm not suggesting that we wouldn't ever use the ships and aliens in a future expansion/DLC for Star Control: Origins for the fans, but it's just not commercially viable for us to try to make something that ignores Star Control 3 or tries to reboot the story (given that Ur-Quan Masters is a free game and we still sell Star Control 2).  

Now, if we are able to help make this possible, do you think the fans would be okay with that sequel being called Ur-Quan Masters II? I realize it's a bit messy but every other solution is even messier.  We can't pretend Star Control 3 didn't happen and we can't ignore the fact that most people who will be buying Star Control: Origins weren't alive when SC 1 was released.

BTW, I am not making any promises.  This all rests on Paul and Fred's Jedi mojo.  DO NOT share any of this.  I don't want to get any hopes up and if Paul and Fred are successful, this should come from them.

 

32,781 views 34 replies
Reply #26 from StarControl Forums Top

Quoting chapel976, reply 25

or Starflight...

Starflight is still one of my favourite games of all time. The story and twist was freaking awesome. There was clearly a lot of Starflight and SF2 love that went into the development of Star Control.

But man, the way it saved the game by saving over the game exe itself, so if your save corrupted you were totally fucked and couldn't even start from scratch unless you were smart enough to have made a copy of the game disks before you started... that sucked ass.

Reply #27 from StarControl Forums Top

I'm probably going to be in the very distinct minority but...I actually LIKED Star Control 3.

It certainly had more than it's fair share of problems. 

But I thought the new races that were introduced - including the ships - were interesting and fun. The ship combat was also a blast. I enjoyed how large parts of the story played out, from the resolution to some of the dangling plotlines such as who the Arilou really were to what happened to the Precursors to the hilarious way the Ultron was explained.

I also thought the aftermath of the two Ur Quan factions was handled well and realistically given the psychological damage they had faced.

Additionally, the premise of what the Rainbow Worlds really were and how hyperspace broke down was a cool concept. 

I mean, the game was not perfect. Several of the existing races were messed up pretty badly, both in terms of the art style and also some of the voice acting not really matching the feel of the game's predecessor. The Pkunk, Syreen and Chmmr stand out in this category for me for various reasons. But others, like the Spathi, were hilarious and the explanation for the Vux was pretty fun.

Ultimately, and again I understand I'm in the minority, it was still a game that I enjoyed. I'd be okay with it being set aside because I know that the majority of the fanbase is not with me on this. But I wouldn't really like it being **** on constantly in a hypothetical new sequel that officially declared it non-canon.

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Reply #28 from StarControl Forums Top

You know, I've been ignoring Star Control 3 since the minute I finished playing it. I was 19, money was hard to come by, and I realized I had wasted mine on a sequel that had precisely NONE of the magic I had grown up with. 

Also, I just got done playing Super Melee for the first time, and all I could think was, "Dear Lord, how I want to play the original ships in this engine." You've captured the feel so well. I want to go BACK to what made SC awesome. Personally, I don't want alternate universes (though I decided to pay to do exactly that because I've waited so long for this.) 

Also, and it may make me a heretic to say it, Paul and Fred are being selfish with their creation if they aren't going to do anything with it but won't let anyone else do it either. I've spent the better part of 20 years grabbing scraps from their table looking for any indication they were willing to give us what Stardock has managed to accomplish in just a short time. 

I'm a dad with my own business and a lot of kids of my own now. I don't have a lot of time to play games these days. But among my childhood nostalgia, SC ranks near the top of the list. I want the magic back, and I'll make time for it. I hope you can find a way. You're off to a great start. 

Reply #29 from StarControl Forums Top

Quoting ProtoJek, reply 28

lso, and it may make me a heretic to say it, Paul and Fred are being selfish with their creation if they aren't going to do anything with it but won't let anyone else do it either. I've spent the better part of 20 years grabbing scraps from their table looking for any indication they were willing to give us what Stardock has managed to accomplish in just a short time. 

Um, Stardock own Star Control, so they could have done a direct sequel if they had wanted to, but they chose not to out of respect to Fred and Paul so that F&P could go back to it themselves.

And they have. Check out https://dogarandkazon.squarespace.com/. You have two Star Control games to look forward to - SCO from Stardock, and a direct sequel to SC2 from F&P themselves. Best of all worlds!

(Just don't hold your breath on Ghosts of the Precursors - it's right at the start of development and F&P are doing it in their spare time while still working their day jobs, so it's going to be something of a wait).

Reply #30 from StarControl Forums Top

Ur-quan Masters 2 would be fine and star control could be an umbrella term.  Generation wise you could do a lot with the timeline/continuity.  Kind of like how Star Wars the old republic got freedom by going back in time quite a ways.  Ur-Quan Masters could be its own slice in time and you could branch out to other time lines within the same universe and keep them separated.

Reply #31 from StarControl Forums Top

Quoting Frogboy, reply 4

But the principle objective of Origins itself is to establish, well, the Origins.

Can we call it the Bradverse instead?

Reply #32 from StarControl Forums Top

Quoting bleybourne, reply 26


Quoting chapel976,
reply 25

or Starflight...



Starflight is still one of my favourite games of all time. The story and twist was freaking awesome. There was clearly a lot of Starflight and SF2 love that went into the development of Star Control.

But man, the way it saved the game by saving over the game exe itself, so if your save corrupted you were totally fucked and couldn't even start from scratch unless you were smart enough to have made a copy of the game disks before you started... that sucked ass.

 

I loved Starflight.  It was actually my first foray into space exploration game.  I played the Genesis version and years later tried to play the PC version, but couldn't get into it because the graphic was just sooooooo sooooo dated.  Wish Stardock would buy that franchise.

Reply #33 from StarControl Forums Top

Quoting Achillus, reply 32

I loved Starflight.  It was actually my first foray into space exploration game.  I played the Genesis version and years later tried to play the PC version, but couldn't get into it because the graphic was just sooooooo sooooo dated.  Wish Stardock would buy that franchise.

It would probably be cheap too.

Hey @frogboy, you know, a Starflight renaissance would make an AWESOME DLC/alternate universe for the SCO engine. Like, freaking AWESOME.

Seriously. Is that something Stardock would/could consider? Starcon was a spiritual successor to Starflight and the links and influences are obvious...

Reply #34 from StarControl Forums Top

Quoting bleybourne, reply 33


Quoting Achillus,
reply 32

I loved Starflight.  It was actually my first foray into space exploration game.  I played the Genesis version and years later tried to play the PC version, but couldn't get into it because the graphic was just sooooooo sooooo dated.  Wish Stardock would buy that franchise.



It would probably be cheap too.

Hey @frogboy, you know, a Starflight renaissance would make an AWESOME DLC/alternate universe for the SCO engine. Like, freaking AWESOME.

Seriously. Is that something Stardock would/could consider? Starcon was a spiritual successor to Starflight and the links and influences are obvious...

That's a great idea.  Hopefully Stardock can do it.  If not, I heard you can make your own campaign.  So hoping that it's possible.