|
|
For those of you who have lived in a hut for the last, oh, 30 years, Star Trek is a science-fiction space opera set about 500 years in the future. It is one of the best series ever, but its sequel, Star Trek: The Next Generation, is even better. It is this series that you play in. You take control of either the Federation (Humans), Klingons (Big Warriorlike guys), Ferengi (Little Wimps who are rich), Cardassians (Klingon-Wannabees), and Romulans (Weird Spock-like guys).
Like any good strategic Turn-Based game, Star Trek is all about your cities, if you don't have any you lose and if you have them all you win. Only in this case the "cities" are actually solar systems. On these solar systems you must balance the difference resources needed by your empire: Food, Resources, Energy, Intelligence, Research, Dilithium, Credits, and Population.
Food is grown in Farms, which are run by population points, or by special structures, which are operated by energy. Food is required for population growth in your system. It is a local resource, so if one system is starving, it can't get food from another system with tons of food.
Resources are the mineral goods that you use to build all buildings in your systems. Resources are gained through certain buildings that are built in each system and run by population points. It is also a local resource.
Energy is the power to your special buildings, and is gained through buildings run by population points. It is a local resource.
Intelligence is gained through buildings powered by population points. It is an empire-resource, which means it is stockpiled from all of your cities. It is used to spy on other nations, and to protect yourself from enemy spies.
Research is gained through buildings powered by population points. It is an empire-resource. It is used to develop new technologies for your empire.
Dilithium is gained through Dilithium refineries, which can be built in any system where Dilithium is present, and the refineries are powered by energy. There must be one active Dilithium refinery for every Starship currently under construction. It is an empire-resource, but cannot be stockpiled.
Credits are the money of BOTF, and can be gained by various buildings powered by energy. They are used to pay any mainenance in your empire, and to hurry production, as well as bribing enemy nations diplomatically. They are an empire-resource and can be stockpiled.
Population is the key to most scenarios, since you win by controlling a percentage of the population. You gain population by having it grow, and by having a number of cities/systems/colonies whatever. You found new colonies with Colony ships. Population is structured into points, and every ten points is a new "worker" that can work in your colony. These workers operate farms, energy productions facilities, resource production facilities, research production facilities, and Intelligence production facilities. Population is a local-resource, and is limited by how many population points a specific system can accomodate.
Of course, the fun part of BOTF is in the spaceships, er, STAR ships. These ships range from "civlian" craft not suited for combat, to the deadliest Defiant ships. These craft have various purposes, but the ultimate goal is to defeat your enemies, which takes place in the combat resolution interface.
This combat resolution is a simultaneous turn environment, where each side gives his/her orders and watches the battle unfold. There can be an incredible amount of ships, way more than what you would expect from watching the engagements from the show, where you were lucky to get three ships in the same place at the same time, except for when there were the Borg. The combat sim aspect of the game is fun to watch, but thats all you really do. There isn't any tactical management of ship systems, all you do is give targets and watch the little ships blow each other up. It is fun, though, and never really gets boring or tedious, except when all the enemy does is run away.
The Graphics in BOTF, while not anything to write home about, are adequate, and the whole feel is perfectly in the mood and spirit of the TV show. You computer screen could easily be a monitor like those used in the series. The ship icons are pretty generic, and the galactic overlay map is pretty bland, but the Ship graphics in battle mode are good, if not spectacular. After all, this is a turn-based strategy god-game of an entire galaxy, so I hardly think that graphics are a factor as long as they don't detract from the gameplay which they most assuredly don't. Plus, the screensaver feature graphics are really cool.
The music in BOTF is perfectly in the mood of the series, and could fit in seamlessly in any of the shows. While the theme from The Next Generation is missing, the horns from the show are still there in the background, which makes sound good. The voice acting, where it actually exists, is average.
Okay, now onto what I didn't like. First of all, as big as the scope is, it isn't quite big enough. I mean, in the show there are hundreds of Starbases and planets, while the biggest map you can play on is probably not enough to fit even one of the series races in its entirety onto, much less all six.
Next, there are no preset scenarios. Every time you have to start all over again. While you can set the technology and development level of every starting empire, it isn't the same. If there could be maps that could created, this game would probably have gotten a much higher ranking. You could create your own version of the Series universe, or go on and create specific scenarios for control of certain systems or whatever.
While diplomacy is good, it could be expanded. For instance, you could be able to negotiate disputed claims to space, while all you can do now is say something like "leave my territory now or else." This more specific diplomacy, like tech-trading as well, would be very much appreciated.
You can't create "neutral zones." This has happened twice in federation history, but can't be done in the game. Why not?
And finally and most grievously, YOU CAN'T PLAY AS THE BORG!!! While they do occasionally show up, you can't play as them!!! Why not?? That would probably be the coolest part of the game, but they left it out! Why??