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[USEC_OFFICER]

Having recently finished by Star Control 2 LP (you can check it out here) I've decided to continue with the logical progression and play Star Control 3. I'll be playing this game mostly blind, though I've looked up some stuff on Star Control 3, but it's been general stuff. Nothing about solving the puzzles or locations of important plot points or anything like that.

For those of you who don't know, Star Control 3 is the... kinda sequel to Star Control 2. However Toys for Bob, the makers of the original two games, didn't actually make this game, mostly to do with funding issues. Which is to say that they didn't want to spend several months without pay making this game, which is what happened for Star Control 2. Yeah. So instead the IP was handed off to Legend Entertainment by Accolade who developed this thing. Considering the fact that the game is considered non-canon by anybody who has enjoyed Star Control 2, they didn't exactly do a good job. I've heard complaints about this game about everything, from the writing, puppets and AI to super melee, ship balance and colony management. Obviously I'll have to take those opinions with a grain of salt, but what I've seen so far doesn't exactly inspire confidence. The colour scheme is ugly as hell, and the UI leaves much to be desired. Still, here's hoping that the game turns out much better then my first impressions, though I fear it may be a forlorn hope...

But I will admit that I am kinda excited about playing the game. Sure, some parts are bad, but some good parts shine out too. Hopefully those good parts are enough to overshadow or at least compensate for the bad parts. Well enough yammering, I guess. It's about time to take a breath and dive on in...

Video List

Chapter 1: Interstellar Litterbug
01 - Why Can't I Say All This Commentary?
02 - Oy Vey!
03 - The Good and the Ugly
04 - Campers Aren't Allowed
05 - Uh...

[USEC_OFFICER]

Alien Races

Spoiler: Star Control 2 (click to show/hide)

Earthlings

Alignment: League of Sentient Races
Personality: Helpful. Sneaky.
Military Force: Able to produce the cheap and long-ranged Earthling Cruiser.
Known Systems: Helios (Main Earthling Colony)
Notable Persons: Captain Zelnick, ICOM

History:
See: Let's Play The Ur-Quan Masters.

Notable Events:
Somehow didn't manage to be scattered by the Precursor Warp Bubble technology.

Dropped tons of exposition and backstory on Captain Zelnick.

Found ancient Precursor genetic records/information... somewhere. Probably useful.

Rumours:
None.

Spathi

Alignment: League of Sentient Races
Personality: Cowardly. Technologically advanced. Tasty.
Military Force: The powerful and annoying Spathi Eluder.
Known Systems: Goshen (Main Spathi Colony)
Notable Persons: Regent Niffiwan.

History:
See: Let's Play The Ur-Quan Masters.

Gave Captain Zelnick a hyperwave broadcaster to trick the Ilwrath, and built a slave ship around their homeworld to protect themselves. Said slave shield was burst by the Chmmr after Star Control 2.

Notable Events:
Had problems with the local wildlife.

Rumours:
The Orz are bad news.
Perhaps the Precursors have simply developed perfect invisibility? (something the Spathi want to emulate)

Syreen

Alignment: League of Sentient Races
Personality: Supposed to be sexy. Instead just ugly.
Military Force: The suggestive Syreen Penetrator.
Known Systems: Astarte (Main Syreen Colony)
Notable Persons: Colony Commander Lelore

History:
See: Let's Play The Ur-Quan Masters.

Notable Events:
Freaked Captain Zelnick out.

Rumours:
None, really.

Mycon

Alignment: League of Sentient Races
Personality: Religious. Expansionist. Scatterbrained.
Military Force: The amazing regenerating podship!
Known Systems: Janus (Main Mycon Colony)
Notable Persons: None.

History:
See: Let's Play The Ur-Quan Masters.

Notable Events:
Just as scatterbrained as ever.

Rumours:
Under attack by raiders who do not like spawn-campers.

Chmmr

Alignment: League of Sentient Races
Personality: Robotic. Advanced. Superior to our carbon-based brains.
Military Force: The strong and short-ranged Avatar.
Known Systems: Hypnus (Main Chmmr Colony)
Notable Persons: None.

History:
See: Let's Play The Ur-Quan Masters.

Notable Events:
None.

Rumours:
Pretty sure it's none.

Spoiler: Star Control 3 (click to show/hide)

Daltaklakpak

Alignment: Unknown.
Personality: Unknown, but are the bestest aliens from Star Control 3.
Military Force: The easily countered Vivisectors.
Known Systems: Helios (Destroyed)
Notable Persons: None

History:
Unknown

Notable Events:
Were guarding a Precursor artefact on Helios 4. Attacked Captain Zelnick when he came to talk to them and were wiped out.

Rumours:
Somehow have a way of moving from system to system without using Hyperspace. Possible Warp Bubble technology?

Doog

Alignment: Hegemonic Crux
Personality: Dit-witted. Slow. Hard-working. Smarter then the Thraddash.
Military Force: Unknown
Known Systems: Cerberus
Notable Persons: None

History:
Unknown

Notable Events:
None

Rumours:
Owe a debt to the Hegemonic Crux. Have been working hard to pay it off.

[USEC_OFFICER]

Alien Ships

Once I get to yammer on about a couple.

Colonies

Earthling Colonies:
Home Colony: Helios-III

Other Colonies:
Helios System: 6A, 7


Spathi Colonies:
Home Colony: Goshen-IV

Other Colonies:
Goshen System: None. Whoops. Goshen isn't too habitable for the Spathi either.


Syreen Colonies:
Home Colony: Astarte-I

Other Colonies:
None. Period.


Mycon Colonies:
Home Colony: Janus-VIII

Other Colonies:
None, but I'm sure they'll like some more.

Chmmr Colonies:
Home Colony: Hypnus-II

Other Colonies:
None so far.

Plot Threads

Find and talk to the other League Species.

Precursor records uncovered by human scientists.

Find the Ploxis to pay off the Doog's debt.

Neutral raiders (hah!) attacking the Mycon.

The Eternal Ones being hamfistedly inserted into the game.

Super Melee Stats

Total Number of Ships Killed by Contact With Planet: 12

Number of Ships Purposefully Killed by Planet Collisions: 4

• One Ploxis Plunderer Punted into the Planet by a Spathi Eluder.
• One Herald Eradicator covered by limpet mines.
• One Harika/Yorn Ravager hounded to death.
• One Xchangger Exclave under the effects of an Owa Voyager.

Number of Ships Killed solely by Planet Collisions (ie with little to no intervention by the player): 8

• 3 Herald Eradicators
• 5 Doog Constructors

Suicides: 2

• 3 Ploxis Plunderes

[USEC_OFFICER]

Just getting the thread set up before I start recording. Feel free to declare that you will be watching while you wait.

[Sirus]

Watching and doing a bit of informal proofreading

Star Control 3 is the... kinda sequel to Star Control 3.

Something about that seem odd?

[USEC_OFFICER]

Watching and doing a bit of informal proofreading

Star Control 3 is the... kinda sequel to Star Control 3.

Something about that seem odd?

Whoops. Getting my numbers mixed up.

Also, it turns out that DosBox has its own video capturing software, which is great because I no longer have to use HyperCam (thank god). Took me a while to set it up, but everything should be fine now.

[USEC_OFFICER]

We have begun. Partly a test video to see how everything works, and mostly the start of the LP.

Also, has anybody watching this actually played completed Star Control 3? I'm just wondering if I can ask for hints here if I ever get stuck. And partly for interest's sake, of course.

[Bremen]

At least for me, your constantly talking over the game only makes both of you incomprehensible. Particularly since this is a game I don't think many people have played, it might be best not to talk over the exposition.

[USEC_OFFICER]

At least for me, your constantly talking over the game only makes both of you incomprehensible. Particularly since this is a game I don't think many people have played, it might be best not to talk over the exposition.

Sorry about that. It's hard for me to shut up when I'm in full ramble mode. Plus I have to have the sound muted else it'll interfere with the audio, so I always feel kinda awkward whenever I shut up. I'll look into getting a set of cheap headphones. That ought to help everything tremendously. But until then just filter me out and read the subtitles. That's usually what I do when watching video LPs.

[USEC_OFFICER]

Guess who has two thumbs and has released another video?

Also, I'm pretty sure that we've just met the best races of Star Control 3 & 2. Things can only go downhill from here. How far is yet to be seen.

EDIT:

Answer: Meh?

[Darkmere]

Also, has anybody watching this actually played completed Star Control 3? I'm just wondering if I can ask for hints here if I ever get stuck. And partly for interest's sake, of course.

I have, but it's been so long ago that I only remember the gist of the plot puzzles. I was fuzzy on parts of SC2, I remember next to nothing from SC3.

Also, I think I mentioned this in the other thread but... If it helps, think of this as another game inspired by starcon with starcon elements. I didn't think it was that reprehensible, just not much of an official sequel.

[Itnetlolor]

It seems that the only things that really interested me about this game were the improved graphics and the 2.5D combat that showed another angle of the ships in Melee. All that aside, I felt like I was denied a bunch of things that made SC2 as awesome as it was. I barely played it, and can't help out.

[GlyphGryph]

I for one greatly enjoyed Star Control 3. I think it was a really good game in its own right. It just makes a lot of "revelations" that many people didn't like that altered the stuff in Star Control 2. It's best to think of it as... an alternate reality sort of thing.

There are quite a few more fun races though.

[Haspen]

PTW.

Also Spathi look like skinned cyclopi D:

[GlyphGryph]

Why do you spend so much time waiting around for fuel? You could have just hopped back to earth and loaded up there. Could have updated the colonies too. And rotating the starmap means you could have gone to your target at any time with a very very small amount of fuel - I saw it within range a dozen times!

Even ignoring all that, you can jump into the red zone just fine, it means you can't get back to the planet you left from but you didn't NEED to - you only needed to get back to earth! (Which you could have then collected fuel from)

Overall just very silly.