If this is off-topic or a verboten subject, mods, do your deed...but
by my reckoning this should be OK for the echo.... }}:->
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I recently got a copy of the Interplay CD-ROM game Star Trek: Starfleet
Academy, wondered if anyone else has had a chance to check it out,
and if so, what they think.
I haven't played the game all that much, being busy with other stuff, but
my general impression has been that it's a pretty cool game, but nothing
spectacular. It reminds me of the Wing Commander series, and X-Wing vs.
TIE Fighter more than a bit...but that's only in the actual "mission"
sections of the game.
A lot of Trek purists are going to (and have, according some posts I've
seen on Usenet) trash this game from the get-go...for starters, this game
is unlike previous Trek games in that it is more action-oriented than a
"solve the puzzle" type of game.
You play the role of a Starfleet cadet, as you lead a team of other cadets
through the Academy's "Officer Training" program. You log a good deal of
time in the "new simulator," training to someday take your places as
Starfleet officers, or to your own command.
Apparently the game is set in pre-holodeck TMP (or later?) times, because
not only are Kirk and Sulu and Chekov apparently still in active service
(they make several live-action video appearances throughout the game,
including a lengthy introductory speech by Shatner/Kirk), the ships are
all TOS-style...Romulan BoPs, Klingon D-7s, etc..
The good news is that yes, you do get to command a starship, of either
the Miranda, Oberth (?) or (you knew it had to be there) Constitution class.
You can even customize missions for networked multiplay (alas, no Internet
play capability - what were these folks *thinking* when they left this
option out?) - and in *these* missions you can fly virtually any of the
ships available in the game - anything from a Gorn shuttle to a Klingon D-7
cruiser. However, in the main game you are apparently assigned one of the
three aforementioned classes, with little to no choice about it.
The bad news - ships all behave the same way. A Constitution-class cruiser
turns and accelerates as quickly and nimbly as a shuttlecraft...and while
you *can* use the keyboard to maneuver, Interplay recommends using - *GASP*
-  a JOYSTICK - which IMO takes away from the feel of actually being on
the bridge of a starship and not in the cockpit of a fighter.
Other "Treknical flaws" that jump right out at a person include the fact
that phasers emit as bursts of red bolts instead of the continuous blue beam
we've come to expect (although if you switch to disabling phasers, the bolts
turn blue), and the fact that regardless of which type of ship you are
piloting, the command "consoles" look exactly the same. Call me
unreasonable, but if I'm aboard a Klingon Bird of Prey, I'd expect to
see at least a *few* differences. (I'm happy to report, though, that
as far as I can tell, you can NOT fire weapons while in a cloaked ship.
Thank Kahless for small details. )
On a technical note, some of the pre- and post-mission video sequences
were not very well implemented. For example, after failing a mission,
the instructor appears to tell you you've failed...followed by an even
shorter segment with the same person telling you more or less the same thing.
In this aspect (and some others) it looks very much like Interplay released
a work-in-progress. *sigh* Marketing concerns notwithstanding, why can't
game developers Get The Clue? (Said the man who paid full retail for said
product within days of release ....) Also, the game requires Win95 (?)
and DirectX 5.0...which is known to still be buggy....
However, ST:SFA isn't *just* another rushed-to-market space arcade
shoot-em-up, as the previous points might suggest. Between missions there
are "live video" segments portraying the interactions between your "crew"
members. As the leader you must learn about group dynamics...for instance,
early on in the game two of your crew start bickering, and you have to
smooth the ruffled feathers without taking sides. I haven't gotten far
enough into the game yet, but apparently your actions and decisions with
regard to your crew will have an effect on the game's direction...nice
touch, IMO.
Also, missions require more than a steady trigger finger. For instance, in
one of the first few missions you MUST disobey a direct order from
Starfleet in order to achieve a passing grade. Of course, this isn't 
xplained
to you until you've already completed the mission and given a failing
grade...but then, learning from your mistakes is one reason you're in the
Academy, right? And after the first three missions, the instructor stops
giving you hints, which means that *you* have to make the calls and muddle
through the mission as best you can. Sometimes hailing Starfleet will
get you clues, but more often it doesn't.
You can also target individual systems (weapons, shields, etc.) and use
disabling fire...tractor beams and transporters are also available. You can
also directly interface with the various ship stations - Science, 
ngineering,
and so on - and control where power and repair resources are allocated, or
send hails, or whatever. Hotkeys are available to make it easier to quickly
access the stations under combat conditions.
Bottom line - if you're expecting a pure "Captain's chair" simulation you're
going to be disappointed. Likewise, you probably won't be happy with this
game if you're the type who watches episodes over and over to spot
technical flaws. But for all the problems, it is still somewhat
entertaining and playable game...once you get past the learning curve. My
suggestion is to wait a few months (possibly even until after the Christmas
buying season) - by that time Interplay should have released some patches
(they've already announced one for sometime in December) and the price
will have likely dropped from the initial $60 tag they're asking.
... The OFFICIAL tagline of the 1996 Olympics!
--- Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 [NR]
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