Customer Reviews

Star Trek: Starfleet Command 2 Expansion - Orion Pirates

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I love this game and it has gone on every PC I've upgraded to. (It works fine on 2k & XP.)

However, if you are looking for a flight sim this will not be for you as the "feel" models more on old ships-of-the-line that fired then spent some time maneuvering for the next shot. (Things are not quite that simple since there are things such as transporter bombs & drones requiring a decision on whether to fire everything or not.)

For those coming from a Starfleet Battles boardgame background, there will be some things to get used to, (probably the most important being it's RTS) but otherwise it's very faithful.

Those coming from a purely Trekker background should be the type to make allowances: This game is based off an alternate-universe Star Trek without license from Paramount for the majority (all?) of the old-series ST movies, so there's lots of creative licensing with things such as races, background, and ship systems.

The support for this game is still very active and some surfing on the net will bring up everything from alternate weapon bitmaps to models of hundreds (thousands) of ships from various sources and TV/movies series. Playing lots of such custom monster behemoths with large, detailed bitmaps and drones and fighters can quickly demand a faster machine. For example, my current 3ghz Celeron will stutter a second of two when a Death Star goes up in flames. (It should be noted that playing the game as-is will not stutter any but a serious ancient machine.) Get the update! Bugs are not fun.

This game gets four stars because the same-ol' monsters and "unknown aliens" that show up in the single-player campaign get seriously old. Otherwise, this is an incredible game.

Addenda: This game is one of the most solid with Wine (0.9x+) on Linux. It's worked with the proprietary nVidia drivers (8400GS, 9400GT, 9800GT, 9800GTX+, 250 GTS, tested so far) under Debian 5.x, OpenSUSE 11.x, & Ubuntu 8.04+. (However, the intro movie will sometimes crash although the game continues on fine.)

As long as you are not the type of player who needs to feel his heart pumping 120 Beats per min. you will be very happy with this game. It takes a little while to get used to, as it has alot of micro managing involved. But it is totally worth it. It is one of the best RTS (real time strategy) out there. Graphics are nice and if you love star trek, this is a MUST. If you get this title, you can play online (which is what most people do) at Gamespy, for free. Look me up if you need a friend, my call sign is LoneWolfe.

Give it a try! This is almost a new genre, considering it's Action/Sim/Strategy combo. Anyway, it's worth the (money), and is a great addition to your game collection, escpecially you Trekkies! The characters, ships, and story are somwhat tedious however, in that the Enterprise is not in it, neither are the Borg, or many Klingon and Romulan ships, oh yeah, there isn't really a story. Hmm, a good game anyway.

I purchased this for my 40 year old son which was on a wish list. He seems to really like it and still learning about all the features. It is a challenge which he likes and he seems very pleased with the game so far and seems to be a winner.

I enjoy this game, even though I do not play as often as I would like. This purchase was to replace a missing game (same game) after a move. Had it up and running within 45 minutes. Because of how the game works, I highly recommend it for the younger groups for its entertainment capabilities as well as the older individuals for its ability to be interrupted when something... or someone... needs your attention right now. Enjoy!

I have played all the Starfleet games and sims. This one is classic both in execution and technical game play. It accurately details hundreds of ships. This game is true to the original Starfleet Command board game. Yes it is several years old but it is the best of the best for strategic and tactical combat. The LAN multiplayer support is also done really well. Buy it! Enjoy it! live long and prosper!

First let me state that the interface takes a bit of getting used to AND for you old time Star Fleet Battles people, there are some changes to the way things are managed ship-wise.

Okay, when I got used to everything by running the various tutorials (which were quite fun - you get to blow some things up), you finally can go and play against the computer.

The AI is pretty good. I haven't found very many ways to fool things. I found that when an opportunity presented itself, no matter how small, the computer would attempt to take advantage of it (i.e. firing on a weak or down shield, speeding up to gain range from your heavy weapons).

The graphics are excellent. It made me smile to see that they kept the 2-D look and feel of SFB, and being a fan of the miniatures I liked it that they kept the ship types and shapes also. With this game things hop and the stuff flies! The drones are very well done. Especially when running frigates you can actually see detail on them as they pass by!

Anyway, this game is really addictive and I have already burnt too many hours playing it. Well worth the money!

BTW, you do not need to buy any of the previous Starfleet computer products. This one has all that the previous ones have and more (I own all of them). So save your money for any future expansions of this product. Enjoy!

If you like SFC, this is the game for you. There are 16 possible races to choose from - 8 empires and 8 pirate cartels. No other Starfleet Command product gives you the range of options of this game.

If you don't know SFC, its level of tactics is unequaled in the gaming industry. There is no space simulation game that is more detailed and fascinating.

It takes skill. This is not a shoot-em-up. While not easy to learn, patience and practice will mold you into a feared and deadly starship captain. The online play, supported by the free GameSpy Arcade, is the most rewarding, for you can pit your skills against other captain wannabes. Do not be discouraged. As I said, it takes seasoned skill to win. When you first begin, you have little hope against a veteran player. Your skills will improve in a few weeks, however. Your first victory against another human opponent will be sweet, sweet, sweet.

Buggy at first, with patches it has become very stable. It is a very rewarding game for those who are looking for a game with a little depth.

Star Trek: Starfleet Command Orion Pirates is the sequel to the Star Trek: Starfleet Command II Empires at War. Unlike other expansions to PC games, this expansion does not require Starfleet Command I or II to run. You can play Orion Pirates without installing the previous Starfleet Command games. This game has slightly improved graphics from the Starfleet Command II. There are two new Federation ships that you may use in this game (One that resembles the Akira or Enterprise NX-01 Class and another ship that resembles a Challenger class ship). In this game, the player can now play and control the Orion Pirates as they use different modified ships with various weapons and ship designs taken from the Gorn, Romulans, Klingons, Mirak, Lyran, Hydran, and Federation (Imagine the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars with all it's custom parts). Some ships feature X Phasers which are the phasers used by most ships in The Next Generation and also A Phasers which have the capability to short circuit the systems of enemy ships temporarily upon firing. In terms of story, - the plot is not as exciting as the Starfleet Command II game. The action of this game is more intense. The game features new single player skirmishes which include famous scenes from the Star Trek series and Star Trek movies such as "The Wrath of Khan" where you can dog fight with Khan. So in terms of whether or not to purchase this new version of Starfleet Command, is really a hard decision to make. There are not many improvements in this game that would really make the game any different from the previous Starfleet Command games. If you are a die hard Star Trek fan, I would purchase the game for your collection of Star Trek games. However if you are just a gamer who wants naval combat of some sort, I would hold out and wait for Star Trek: Bridge Commander to come out (This game has richer graphics and appears to have a better story line).
Gameplay = 8/10
Graphics = 6/10
Sound = 8/10
Value = 7/10

First off a caveat: This game is riddled with bugs! If you're using old (as in more than 6 months old) drivers for your video card, sound card or even (in my case) your microsoft keyboard then prepare to have a really bad time with getting this game to run more than a few hours. However, with some effort (and a phone call to Interplay's UK tech Support hotline) I've been able to work around most of these and when it works I think it's great fun.
I like the older (movie) style vessels and as a player of Star Fleet Battles (the board game) in the 80's it was like a trip back to my sad, geeky youth. If it had been shipped in a better state or if a decent patch was available I'd have given it 3.5 stars.
When it becomes a budget (10 quid) title then pick it up and have a go!