It took some effort and trial and error to get the game going on Windows Vista, but last month I did, and I've been playing it on and off since. To this day, I still enjoy it immensely, perhaps even as much as I did when I first played it back in 1995. I can't get over the amount of detail and attention the development team put into all aspects of the game. All the different lines of dialogue, the extensive amount of information available in the ship's library computer, the nicely drawn graphics and environments that still appear easy on my eyes even on a high-definition display... and I could go on. Yes, the game could stand some improvements, but then again, what game, Star Trek or otherwise, couldn't?
What may come as a surprise to some is the main issue I feel needed the most attention isn't the tactical interface (I'm in the minority here, but I loved the complexity, design and amount of control the tactical interface allowed for), but astronavigation. It seems like a lot of effort went into creating the Kridnar Navigation Block. I can't even begin to estimate how many star systems can be traveled to in the game. Each star system, too, has various combinations of planets, moons, the occasional subspace anomaly and sometimes a deep space station/comm relay/outpost. Only four planets out of who knows how many that are in the game can be beamed down to though and they all pertain to the main storyline.
This always struck me as odd. Every time I decide to revisit this game, I stare at the incredible number of star systems present in the Kridnar Navigation Block and wonder why go through all the time and effort to program all these unique star systems with information into the game (and why have a countless number of them show up as "unscanned", unless you choose to visit them)? It makes the game feel a little empty... or incomplete. You're given the freedom to travel to any destination in the Kridnar Navigation Block, yet there's never anything to do once you get there, unless it pertains to the main plot. I can't help but wonder if the development team intended on putting in a few extra places a player could visit as a reward if he or she took the time to explore, and who knows, maybe such extras do exist, as I've never invested the time in visiting every sector in the game. All that I've ever found is the very rare, Ferengi Marauder, but that's it.
For those out there that have played the game or still do... has this ever kind of bothered you, too, that there are hundreds upon hundreds of different destinations in the game... yet the only ones that lead anywhere are the ones that pertain to the main story (aside from starbases)?
What may come as a surprise to some is the main issue I feel needed the most attention isn't the tactical interface (I'm in the minority here, but I loved the complexity, design and amount of control the tactical interface allowed for), but astronavigation. It seems like a lot of effort went into creating the Kridnar Navigation Block. I can't even begin to estimate how many star systems can be traveled to in the game. Each star system, too, has various combinations of planets, moons, the occasional subspace anomaly and sometimes a deep space station/comm relay/outpost. Only four planets out of who knows how many that are in the game can be beamed down to though and they all pertain to the main storyline.
This always struck me as odd. Every time I decide to revisit this game, I stare at the incredible number of star systems present in the Kridnar Navigation Block and wonder why go through all the time and effort to program all these unique star systems with information into the game (and why have a countless number of them show up as "unscanned", unless you choose to visit them)? It makes the game feel a little empty... or incomplete. You're given the freedom to travel to any destination in the Kridnar Navigation Block, yet there's never anything to do once you get there, unless it pertains to the main plot. I can't help but wonder if the development team intended on putting in a few extra places a player could visit as a reward if he or she took the time to explore, and who knows, maybe such extras do exist, as I've never invested the time in visiting every sector in the game. All that I've ever found is the very rare, Ferengi Marauder, but that's it.
For those out there that have played the game or still do... has this ever kind of bothered you, too, that there are hundreds upon hundreds of different destinations in the game... yet the only ones that lead anywhere are the ones that pertain to the main story (aside from starbases)?
