Klingon Academy vs. Starfleet Command

[Captain_Koloth]

I’m a longtime KA player and absolutely loved it- still one of my all-time favorites. Recently in these days of everything being on GOG/Steam etc., I’ve gotten interested in Starfleet Command, which I missed back in the day. I am trying to figure out if my hyper limited time these days is best spent replaying KA or playing SFC. Anybody play both and able to comment on the differences in depth between the two?

The thing that always hung me up about SFC was that it basically looked like basically a version of KA in 2 dimensions, which didn’t seem very compelling. Anybody play both back in the day who’s able to compare the two? Really looking for someone experienced with both rather than just one.

 

[USS Firefly]

I have played KA a couple of times and I loved it, infortunately I can't play it anymore on my Pc.
You still can?
I have played a couple of hours SFC but it wasn't my kind of games, and it didn't work propably so I gave it up

 

[Kor]

I love Starfleet Command. Keep in mind that, conceptually, it's sort of a computerized implementation of the classic "Star Fleet Battles" tabletop wargame from the 1970s. This is indescribably awesome because it lets you play this type of game without having to memorize 400 pages of rules, as all the necessary mechanics are built into the gameplay in a way that's pretty intuitive and doesn't have a steep learning curve. The overall structure of the game is pretty free-form. You expand territory one hexagon at a time by winning battles, or protecting a ship, or capturing something, and you can command multiple ships in a single mission. Sometimes there are special storylines as well.

I found Klingon Academy to be more narrative-driven, as the missions move you forward in a particular pre-determined story. That's cool and all, but personally I prefer SFC because I spent half my life wanting to play SFB but I never could because you have to travel halfway across the country just to find somebody who even knows what it is! (perhaps a slight exaggeration)

Kor

 

[daedalus5]

KA is the better game. Amazing cut scenes with high quality video of Chris Plummer and David Warner reprising their roles from TUC, plus amazing battle damage effects and an exciting skirmish mode makes this a top favourite. The mods were pretty exciting too. The interface of SFC was clunky in comparison, with no story driven plot.

 

[Captain_Koloth]

KA is the better game. Amazing cut scenes with high quality video of Chris Plummer and David Warner reprising their roles from TUC, plus amazing battle damage effects and an exciting skirmish mode makes this a top favourite. The mods were pretty exciting too. The interface of SFC was clunky in comparison, with no story driven plot.

How did they compare in terms of depth? Did either one model more systems or tactics than the other?

 

[Haggis and tatties]

SFC was more based on the pencil and paper board game, KA was a sequel to Starfleet academy, so a fmv spacy arcade flight shooting game as apposed to the dice throwing role playing board game that SFC was based on.....but two completely different gameplay style of games.

Oh and you can buy the SFC series from GOG and they work perfectly on W8/10.

 

[Ghost]

Somewhat related/unrelated, are there still people who play Starfleet Academy?
Been thinking of playing it again but I remember not being fond of the controls.

I really wish a couple of pre 2000 titles got remakes with new graphics and perhaps some control changes.

 

[starbuck]

Loved ka may need to see if i can get it running on win10 again

 

[USS Firefly]

Loved ka may need to see if i can get it running on win10 again

Let us know if you succeed

 

[daedalus5]

How did they compare in terms of depth? Did either one model more systems or tactics than the other?

I found SFC very repetitive in terms of what the map looked like and ships youo engaged with. In KA, the story mode allowed you to pilot more ships and engage in a better "universe" in terms of star systems, pilotign asteroid fields (a particular delight was pushing eneny ships into asteroids with your tractor beams). The ship design was quite beautuful and the cut scences were like they came right off the ST:6 film itself. I loved it.

 

[starbuck]

any one know how to get games to run on windows 10

 

[Ithekro]

An emulator for an older OS, like Windows 98. Or try to find an updated patch fix that works for Windows 10. There was one that worked for Windows 7, but I don't know if it works still (five years old).

 

[Haggis and tatties]

any one know how to get games to run on windows 10

Do you know how long it took me to find my copy of KA to get this working. lol

Ok here is how you get it running....

Install KA from your disc.....then sit through the unskippable movie.
Go to the nice people at Trekcore and grab patch v1.02UK and
http://www.gaming.trekcore.com/klingonacademy/downloads.html

Now unzip that patch, then unzip it a second time.
Now take all the folders you can see and drag them into your KA install folder, they will ask to overwrite, say YES.


Now go here and grab the first patch on the page....
http://jiridvorak.webpark.cz/ka/

Now unzip that file and drag it into your KA install folder.....now run the patch, it should say "successful" when done.

Now click on your KA folder and double click KA luncher...now click set and allow the game to run through all the screen res......it will take a few moments.
Now pick your screen res, then click run game.....you may have bother with the disc swapping so it might be a good idea to take your 6 cd roms and make on DVD copy of the game, and that way you will never have to swap discs again.....Trek core again has the programe here to turn your CD version into on single disc DVD version.
http://gaming.trekcore.com/klingonacademy/dvd-howto.html

And with that my work here is done.

 

[starbuck]

Do you know how long it took me to find my copy of KA to get this working. lol

Ok here is how you get it running....

Install KA from your disc.....then sit through the unskippable movie.
Go to the nice people at Trekcore and grab patch v1.02UK and
http://www.gaming.trekcore.com/klingonacademy/downloads.html

Now unzip that patch, then unzip it a second time.
Now take all the folders you can see and drag them into your KA install folder, they will ask to overwrite, say YES.


Now go here and grab the first patch on the page....
http://jiridvorak.webpark.cz/ka/

Now unzip that file and drag it into your KA install folder.....now run the patch, it should say "successful" when done.

Now click on your KA folder and double click KA luncher...now click set and allow the game to run through all the screen res......it will take a few moments.
Now pick your screen res, then click run game.....you may have bother with the disc swapping so it might be a good idea to take your 6 cd roms and make on DVD copy of the game, and that way you will never have to swap discs again.....Trek core again has the programe here to turn your CD version into on single disc DVD version.
http://gaming.trekcore.com/klingonacademy/dvd-howto.html

And with that my work here is done.

cheers

 

[publiusr]

I would have loved to have seen some miniatures of the ships. I'm sure something like them are on shapeways...

 

[Timofnine]

I played both and preferred KA but mainly the skirmishes in Federation ships. I loved flying in to nebula and atmosphere adjusting shield power and hull repair to escape enemy ships just like in the TV series. Or flying in to a planets atmosphere so that powerful enemy ships which follow you would start breaking up. Love the tactics using the in game environments - I don't think any other game has replicated this since?

 

[USS Firefly]

I played both and preferred KA but mainly the skirmishes in Federation ships. I loved flying in to nebula and atmosphere adjusting shield power and hull repair to escape enemy ships just like in the TV series. Or flying in to a planets atmosphere so that powerful enemy ships which follow you would start breaking up. Love the tactics using the in game environments - I don't think any other game has replicated this since?

I haven't found a game like that again, unbelievable that we never tot a sequel

 

[Charles Phipps]

Klingon Academy is a great supplement to THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY and really expands on both Chang as well as Gorkon. I happily consider it part of my personal Star Trek canon.