SEV + Starfury

[deccan]

Probably this has come up before, but anyway...

I've been messing about with Starfury lately and I have to say that it really does get sort of boring. Once SEV comes out, I wonder if it would be possible for MM to make some sort of expansion pack to bind Starfury and SEV together. Essentially, keep Starfury's basic gameplay, but make it happen inside a living, breathing dynamic universe populated by AI-controlled factions developing their empires according to SEV's rules.

Instead of stupid quests like escorting freighters etc. that get created specifically in order to be escorted by the player, you could see a colony ship be constructed at a homeworld, escort the colony ship to its destination empty world, and when it arrives safely, you can see it start work on colonizing a new world etc.

Scientific survey missions would actually add Research Points to the empire funding the survey mission, intelligence sweeps would add intel points to the controlling empire etc.

And rework components so that they would depend on the actual results of research. That would be much, much better than the current Starfury system of going around trying to find highest-quality level of components all the time.

[TurinTurambar]

Starfury is what it is... unless you mod it. Most of all I find it's a great time-killer. I've got 3 or 4 different game saves on hand, the favorite currently I call "Exploring, Pirating and Marauding." I basically just did a seperate game-save before starting the second campaign and used it to just go out and whack anyone I feel like whacking. I play it every coupla days when I get home from work and I'm currently flying around in a Terran Carrier loaded with fighters just experimenting with the tactics.

And I REALLY love the music! I have the mp3's dumped into my WMP so I can play them all the time. I especially like tracks 5 and 15 turned up really loud. Nice and spooky.

Once you get good at the combat, that phase of it is a lot of fun too. "Hmmm... how many Pirate cruisers can I attack at once and survive..... oops, not THAT many..." I especially like the F8 point of view (target lock) when duking it out. Stay away from the asteroid belts with that one though! I'm still having a lot of trouble whacking the damn Amonkrie Cruisers... those freakin DUC's hurt.

Can you tell I like it?

Turin

[Captain Kwok]

There's a lot of exciting modding potential in Star Fury, but there's just so much data to manipulate that it is overwhelming - especially when it comes to making a comprehensive campaign or debugging.

However, I suspect SE:V will renew some interest in Star Fury just because the volume of ships included in a similar format should lend themselves to being ported to Star Fury fairly easily and lead to some new blood for that game. Although unlikely, a patch to add some features like cloaking would be nice.

[deccan]

The combat is okay and can be fun. What I don't like is the fantasy RPG-like aspect of gaining xp and levels and having new components magically available to you as you level up. I also dislike the static nature of the universe.

If SEV and Starfury were bound together, it would be a whole new ballgame. Now you can really see the balance of power in the galaxy change in accordance with your actions. What components you can buy depends on the research level of the faction you are buying from.

Also, you could expand Starfury in all sorts of ways, just as there are innumerable possibilities in the SE games.

Escort transport ships as they travel to lay mines and satellites to defend a critical warp point. Escort a space yard ship to a new system and protect it as it constructs a new starbase. Patrol the borders of the empire you work for and find and destroy cloaked spy ships as they try to slip past the border defenses. Join a Terran strike team as they assemble a fleet to create a warp point to the home system of an enemy empire and attack it.

In standard Starfury, this kind of missions would need to be tediously scripted manually. But since the AI in SEIV already does this kind of stuff, there's no reason why the AI can't dynamically decide to perform certain missions and allocate resources to the Starfury player to execute them.

Then Starfury would be a really cool game!

P.S. Yeah, I figured out how powerful DUCs are too, and the Amonkrie Cruisers are a real pain. Fighting two or three normal cruisers in a destroyer is no problem, but fighting just one with DUCs is real tough. Is there any reason to go for anything other than DUCs in this game?

[narf poit chez BOOM]

On a cautionary note, Aaron is only one man.

[David E. Gervais]

narf poit chez BOOM said:
On a cautionary note, Aaron is only one man.

..Correction,.. "Aaron is Da Man!" Now go stand in the corner and count your fingers.. twice.



Cheers!

Edited to be politically and religiously correct.. Sorry Narf it was not my intent to slight you in any way.

[Suicide Junkie]

deccan said:P.S. Yeah, I figured out how powerful DUCs are too, and the Amonkrie Cruisers are a real pain. Fighting two or three normal cruisers in a destroyer is no problem, but fighting just one with DUCs is real tough. Is there any reason to go for anything other than DUCs in this game?

Definitely try my P&N-ism mod. There are a lot of improvements there. Combat is slower, and you're more likely to survive light to moderate damage, but if you stay and fight, your little destroyer is gonna get easily whupped by a pair of pirate cruisers. You'll have some trouble one on one against a bigger ship, but if yours is tricked out, you should make it.

There's a pile of improved components too, making better use of the available abilities.

[Atrocities]

Starfury is still one of those game that you play because it is fun to do so. I do agree that it does get boring after while and that an expansion pack for the game with added game play types would be a god send.

When I play a game like Starfury, I want to be able to do many things that are impossible to do in Starfury.

I want a game where I am a person, FP or 3rd, perferrably 1st person, like Han Solo, who takes on jobs and is paid to do so. Go to exoctic places looking for artifacts or resources. Selling supplies to natives, or stealing things from them. Upgrading and or buying new ships.

Buy a ship, equip it with weapons, and other neat toys. Buy a ground vehicle and take it with me. Update the ground vehicle with weapons, better engines, just like a ship.

Basically make the ships as importatnt to the game as the player.

Get tired of your old slow bLaster, well buy a new better one from a Gun shop.

Take jobs running cargo through pirate infested space, or run illegal cargo through a military blockaid. Make the whole universe 1st person, even in combat, with the option to go 3d person as in SF for space combat.

Take on odd jobs like transporting people, assinations, property recovery, etc. Go on quests to find lost treasure or a salvage a ghost ship. Explore the galaxy, and any planet you want to land on. Find rare and priceless antiques or artifacts and sell them either on the black market or auction them.

Have a huge MP system to support this.

Need an advanced star drive for you ship, cannot afford one, well hire some people and go steal one from someone. For that matter steal there entire ship.

Need extra cash, sell off part of your collection of odds and ends. Have losts of things you can collect and keep.

Basically make a game that is a 1st person experience in space without all the borningness of current games like Ever Quest and Battle Fronts. Make the game fun to play with built in senorios and player generated random quests or just explore space and see what happens.

Hear a rumor that there is an abandon city on Rigel III filled with gold. Must find Rigel III, so you have to talk to the guy, find a star map, make it to Rigel III through all the obsecles, then find the city and explore it. Ooops, no gold but a secret military installation with alots of new weapons. Steal the weapons or plans or both, and sell them on the black market or keep them for you own use.

Have hundreds of mission likes this, or just have random things happen when you land on a planet to claim it or explore it.

Own your own planet where you keep your loot. Set up planet defense, hire drones or other to protect your planet from plunder.

Discover new worlds and sell the mineral rights. Get sued for ship collisions or other. Pay taxes, or duties as you play.

Buy supplies, tools, weapons, ammo, parts, etc.

Just have a game where you can emerse yourself into the character without all the boring details like going out and having to build skill levels by shooting dester wamp rats or strip for money.

Your the captain of your own ship, won it in a poker game, and now your out to make your mark on the galaxy any way you can. The ultimate goal would be to own you own planet and have an opulant palace filled with naked women there to do your bidding.

[TurinTurambar]

Slick said:
When it gets a little boring, change your style.

sell off your ship and buy a carrier

or

start being a pirate

or

start being a bounty hunter


Slick.

Yeah really, man, c'mon. There's a lot to DO out there. Some of those things in your list, AT.. I go out and do those in some fashion. At least some of them!

Have you not figured out that you can ambush ships, blow them up, and then fly over their components and pick them up? Then you take your arse over to a spacedock, get them repaired for like, peanuts, and then SELL them! For GOBBS of cash! Then after time you go out and get a bigger, nastier ship.

And by the way, I was taking on two Cruisers at a time back when I had a lil old Destroyer. My favorite thing about the Destroyer was the quickness, I miss that in my big clunky Carrier.

deccan said:

P.S. Yeah, I figured out how powerful DUCs are too, and the Amonkrie Cruisers are a real pain. Fighting two or three normal cruisers in a destroyer is no problem, but fighting just one with DUCs is real tough. Is there any reason to go for anything other than DUCs in this game?

Tachyon cannons dude, especially early in the game. They skip shields! Two of those on the front, keep yourself behind your target and WHACK WHACK WHACK. Put torpedos or CSM's on your side mounts and steer back and forth just enough to get your target into the firing arcs.

WEEEEEeeeeeeeee!
Turin

[Suicide Junkie]

Have you not figured out that you can ambush ships, blow them up, and then fly over their components and pick them up? Then you take your arse over to a spacedock, get them repaired for like, peanuts, and then SELL them! For GOBBS of cash! Then after time you go out and get a bigger, nastier ship.

Or in my case, be a cheap slavedriver, and have the busted components installed so your crew can repair them for free