Darkstar One

[Ustauk]

For those of you who wished Freelancer had joystick support I give you...Darkstar One!

Main page

Gamespot Preview

Trailer

I've always been a big fan of space combat sims, so I'm really hoping this turns out well.



PS:  You know you're in withdrawal when you download the Windows Kilrathi Saga version of Wing Commander I from a torrent

[Mr. Analog]

Love the concept, hate the asthetic, I dunno what it is but I don' like the style...



Looks neat though!

[Darren Dirt]

http://darkstarone.ascaron.com/gb/gb_darkstarone/gameinfo/die_darkstarone.html



"At the beginning of the game, Kayron Jarvis receives his murdered father's ship "Darkstar One". This ship derives from a secret research project. During his journey through space, the player should always strive to equip his ship with the latest and best available technologies."



Totally reminds me* of Sundog: Frozen Legacy (which apparently, according to a link from "home of the underdogs", might be having a Version 2.0 by its original developer)





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* it's a classic, so "reminds me" is a good thing  

[Thorin]

Nice to see they didn't develop it into another MMO.

[Shayne]

must...own...this....game!!!  Hope they port it to 360 though.

[Ustauk]

Here's a mostly positive preview at IGN.

[Shayne]

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/sim/darkstarone/review.html?sid=6155759

acceptable review at gamespot

The Good: Straightforward economics and gentle learning curve let you dive into the game; good variety of assignments take you from bounty hunting to outright piracy; moves fast, so you can start making money and upgrading your ship right away.

The Bad: Controls are overly twitchy, and there's no way to dial down mouse sensitivity; you can't ditch a mission, even if you lack the skill or tech to finish it.

[Mr. Analog]

This bears further investigation!

The reviews sound interesting...

[Ustauk]

I'll be definitley picking this up.  Hopefully my Saitek X45 HOTAS setup will provide better control then a mouse.

[Darren Dirt]

Thanks to both Ustauk and Shayne for resurrecting the existing thread instead of creating it anew


Thanks also of course for the new info.


http://www.gamespot.com/pc/sim/darkstarone/review.html?sid=6155759

This game "gets" the template of 1985's Commodore 64 classic Elite in a way that many other space-trading games released over the past decade or so didn't, thanks to its emphasis on the mid-'80s classic's simple principles of buying low, selling high, and blasting pirates for fun and profit

Yes, I must also own this game... Elite and Sundog, both of them had the above as their key to replayability, i.e. they were FUN.

...relatively simplistic approach to everything and a user-friendly core. Missions feature a fair bit of variety, involving everything from covert listening ops to blasting an entire pirate gang to smithereens, but they never stray far from quick, action-oriented goals that keep you interested

Right from the beginning ... you can start outfitting Mk II laser cannons, missile launchers, an afterburner boost, an upgraded jump drive, and many more goodies after just a handful of quick missions. This lets you play the game as a gung-ho space sim, as there is enough cash on offer for pirate bounties alone to allow you to skip trading almost entirely.

Again, looks like they nailed the FUN factor (i.e. removal of the GRIND/PAIN)

All the essential information about each system is displayed on the galactic map screen, so you can plan lucrative, multistop trading expeditions in seconds. Devote a few hours to plying the trade routes and you can hoard tens of thousands of credits in your bank account, which is plenty of cash to really trick out the DarkStar One.

Sweet! So trading is still a fun alternative to pirate-blasting; awesome!

Unlike the ships in other space traders, the DarkStar One is a partially organic entity that can be buffed much like the run-of-the-mill fighter or cleric in an RPG. Ancient artifacts found in asteroids scattered all over the map can be absorbed and used like experience points to power your ship in various ways, like growing larger wings so that you can mount dual laser cannons. You also have an upgradable plasma weapon that boosts your ship's firepower and provides the ability to snap up a defensive shield.

INNOVATION? In a "space trader"? Unbelievable.


Looks like I've got lunchtime viewing plans:
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/sim/darkstarone/media.html
http://media.pc.ign.com/media/815/815150/vids_1.html

[Darren Dirt]

It's going retail this week, but the free demo apparently has the full tutorial and a few missions...
http://www.gamespot.com/promos/2006/darkstarone-demo/index.html (940MB)

[Mr. Analog]

Ugh, I have the urge to go find a copy of Dark Star and rewatch it. What have the martians done to my brain?

[Darren Dirt]

Ugh, I have the urge to go find a copy of Dark Star and rewatch it. What have the martians done to my brain?

You mean the 1974 COMEDY by John "not-known-for-comedy" Carpenter?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069945/

[Mr. Analog]

Ugh, I have the urge to go find a copy of Dark Star and rewatch it. What have the martians done to my brain?

You mean the 1974 COMEDY by John "not-known-for-comedy" Carpenter?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069945/

That's the one, it was written by the guy who wrote Alien and was also the basis for Red Dwarf.

[Melbosa]

Seems this one has shown up in the usual places.  So should be in stores soon.