292:
science officer, navigator, engineer, communications officer, and doctor. Aside from the captain, specialized training is available for each position at a cost that increases in proportion to the amount of training received. Training raises the proficiency at which crew members perform their duties and reduces the number of errors they make. Spacecraft engines, lasers, missiles, shields and armor are available for purchase at levels ranging from one through five, each successive level representing an increase in the power and the cost of the item. Also available for purchase are cargo pods that expand the spaceship's storage capacity, jump pods (single-use devices capable of almost instantaneously transporting the spaceship to any point within the region), and blasto pods (single-use torpedoes with considerable destructive power). Additional training and spaceship accessories may be purchased at any time throughout the game. Before the player may leave
Starport and explore the surrounding universe, the spaceship's "navigation system must be calibrated", a procedure serving as the game's
386:
powerful new spaceship technology and a seemingly unlimited supply of a new fuel substance called
Shyneum from a mysterious source. Boasting of the tactical advantage their spaceships now possess over those fielded by Interstel, the Spemin demand that humanity become their slaves or face destruction. Interstel manages to trick a Spemin into revealing the location of a continuum flux leading to the general region of space from which they obtained these technologies. Although Interstel successfully establishes itself in this region by constructing a space station called Starport Outpost 1, it needs the player's help to "find the source of the fuel substance known as Shyneum and acquire the technology the Spemin possess". The game begins with the player in command of a poorly equipped spaceship docked at Starport.
351:
communicate, try to flee the encounter by running away, or scan the alien vessels to determine their capabilities. Conversing with friendly alien species is an important means by which the player obtains clues to advance the game's plot. Some encounters result in the outbreak of hostilities in which the player must either attempt to destroy the attacking vessels or flee. The spaceship computer automatically takes care of targeting and firing lasers and missiles, except for blasto pods which are manually triggered, while the player maneuvers the spaceship around the scene of battle in
398:
player travels back in time to retrieve a data cube constructed by an ancient, technologically advanced, alien race called the Leghk which contains the secrets of the Spemin's new technology. The data contained on the cube enable engineers at
Interstel to outfit the player's spaceship with the sophisticated armaments needed to survive a journey into the heart of the Cloud Nebula to confront the hostile Umanu and Uhlek. Winning the ensuing battle opens access to the Shyneum Planet, the source of the new fuel substance.
369:
these possess fleets of spaceships which may be encountered in some solar systems and in interstellar space. The spacefaring alien races include the perpetually depressed
Dweenle, the deeply religious two warring branches of the Tandelou, and the mercantile oriented Humna Humna. The central part of the game world is dominated by the massive Cloud Nebula mentioned in the game's title; it is infested with the powerful spaceships of the hostile Umanu and Uhlek.
250:-based economy, new sentient alien races, and new spacecraft accessories and artifacts. The player is tasked with discovering the ultimate source of the advanced spacecraft technology and unlimited fuel supply which provide a military advantage to the Spemin, a hostile alien race threatening to annihilate or enslave humanity. A major part of the game consists of earning enough money to pay for spaceship upgrades and crew training by engaging in
280:
347:
through bartering. The main view screen shows the terrain vehicle in relation to its immediate surroundings. Potential hazards on planetary excursions include running out of fuel, dangerous weather conditions, and hostile alien lifeforms. The locations of uninhabited earth-like planets may be logged for recommendation to
Interstel as potential colony worlds in return for a substantial monetary reward.
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43:
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their role-playing game of the year award in
September 1990. The magazine's editors wrote that it "offers ample reward for exploration, utilizing curiosity, managing resources and carefully handling trade and negotiation. It expands the notion of role-playing beyond the traditional limits of computer
385:
and in a different part of the universe. Following the destruction of the
Crystal Planet at the conclusion of the earlier game, the spacefaring corporation Interstel bans the use of the spaceship fuel Endurium. The Spemin, one of the alien races encountered in the original game, subsequently acquires
346:
allowing a specific location to be selected. Following a successful landing, the crew boards a terrain vehicle which the player is able to move about the planet to explore ruins for plot clues, harvest minerals and alien lifeforms, and travel to trading posts at which the player may buy or sell items
333:
or jump pods, both of which provide a quick shortcut between two distant points in space. When the player maneuvers the spaceship towards a star, the interplanetary travel mode begins. A schematic showing the relative positions of the planets in that solar system appears in the auxiliary view screen,
601:
s editors commended the game's designers for creating "a universe with so many cultures, personalities, options and plot twists that it is easy for players to suspend their disbelief". A 1994 survey in the survey of strategic space games set in the year 2000 and later gave the game four stars out of
291:
called
Starport Outpost 1 with a meager allotment of funds for outfitting a spaceship and training crew members in the skills needed to operate it. Crew members are chosen from one of five races, each of which possesses certain strengths and weaknesses, and are assigned to the positions of captain,
397:
Unraveling the main plot is largely a matter of discovering ways to befriend the various spacefaring alien races to get them to reveal clues through conversation. Interaction with these alien races involves numerous minor subplots which occupy the player throughout much of the game. Eventually the
368:
The game world includes approximately 150 solar systems, each of which contains between zero and eight planets ranging from inhospitable gas giants to habitable Earth-like worlds. Thirty sentient species are native to this region of space and inhabit various planets throughout the sector. Six of
393:
involves earning enough money to provide all crew members with the maximum level of training and equip the player's spaceship with the best available weapons, shields, armor and engines. Much of the game consists of trading goods from one alien culture to another, exploring planets for mineral
350:
The player occasionally encounters other spacecraft during interstellar and interplanetary travel. When an encounter begins, the main view screen shows a tactical overhead map depicting the player's spaceship in relation to the nearby alien vessels. The player may either attack, attempt to
669:
wrote that this design decision was deliberately made "to create more realistic play and avoid what some call 'unethical gaming' (saving after every advancement and rebooting after every error). Despite the supporting ideology, it is actually a pain". In
November 1996, the magazine ranked
652:
s reviewer criticized "a setup process that takes far too long" and a "starchart-lookup copy protection scheme that is poorly done". Only one save game position is provided and that becomes unusable if the game ends with the spaceship's entire crew being killed. Players have to maintain
614:
that "the game is let down by its fundamental lack of excitement; there's no sense of urgency or even a feeling of frontier exploration. The party just plods on, trading, communicating, and gathering information and this gets tiresome as soon as the novelty of the system wears off".
394:
resources and alien lifeforms that can later be sold, and seeking uninhabited earth-like planets to recommend to
Interstel for possible colonization. Discovering artifacts that enhance the spaceship's capabilities in various ways is also a significant part of the game.
355:. Both the spaceship's shields and armor protect it from damage by hostile fire, but only shields are able to regenerate. The encounter ends when the player has moved sufficiently far from the other vessels and normal space travel resumes.
296:
scheme in which stars must be counted within a specified part of the paper star map included in the game's packaging (a "master code", 34789, will always be considered correct and can be used to bypass the scheme).
267:
designated it the "role-playing game of the year" in 1990 and praised its playability and vast, immersive, scope. Some reviewers criticized the graphics and sound quality, the handling of
334:
all of which may be orbited by the player's spaceship and scanned to reveal basic information including the planet's gravitational strength. Large planets with strong gravity, such as
338:, will destroy the ship if a landing is attempted, but the ship may successfully land on many worlds. When the player is ready to land, the auxiliary view screen displays a planetary
642:
s reviewer stated that the "run-of-the-mill visual effects and music" must be "accessed from the disk every time certain actions are performed" (resulting in sluggish performance).
1301:
1296:
1271:
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230:, communicating with or attacking other spaceships, and landing on planetary surfaces which may be explored with a crewed rover for plot clues, minerals and
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Auxiliary View Screen: displays information about the spaceship's status including a fuel gauge and the state of the weapons and defensive systems.
1246:
1276:
978:
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wrote that "the blend of RPG style gameplay and space trading is unparalleled and should appeal to most". Reviewer Matt Regan wrote in
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329:. Interstellar travel involves the player maneuvering the spaceship from one star to another, sometimes with the aid of
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42:
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while work on the game was still in progress, but remained with Electronic Arts long enough to finish the game.
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Landing to collect minerals is a typical activity in the game but not all planets are equally hospitable.
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Main View Screen: provides an overhead view of the spaceship in relation to its immediate surroundings.
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that "the game's graphics are very strong, and in many ways improved over the original game".
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five, stating that it was "still a good buy if you can find it used or in a bargain bin".
339:
293:
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183:
67:
1061:
Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (January 1991). "The Role of Computers".
222:
within a futuristic setting. The player commands a spaceship capable of traveling to the
410:
graphics routines which provide unique topography for each planet in the game. Designer
674:
in sixth place in a list of the "least rewarding endings of all time" for this reason.
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The game's graphics and sound also received a mixed reception. Chris Lombardi wrote in
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169:
155:
777:
Lombardi, Chris (December 1989). "Trading Spaces: Electronic Arts' 'Starflight 2'".
1105:
604:
461:
300:
The player controls the ship from a navigation screen displaying multiple panels:
658:
247:
1123:
Regan, Matt (December 1991). "Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula".
1083:
Wilson, Johnny; et al. (September 1990). "CGW's Game of the Year Awards".
737:
Morris, Thomas (April 1990). "Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula".
988:
634:
praised the "exceptionally good" music and sound in the game's Amiga version.
335:
206:
186:
952:
621:
reviewers Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser gave the game 3 out of 5 stars.
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17:
979:"Starflight 3 aims for classic sci-fi storytelling in a new part of space"
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330:
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Handling of copy-protection and saved games received some criticism.
325:
Two modes of space travel are featured in the game: interstellar and
255:
446:
In November 2011, Electronic Arts re-released a compilation of both
271:, or the repetitive nature of the situations the player encounters.
665:
to be able to continue in the game should such a scenario unfold.
638:
wrote that the "graphics and sound remain fairly prehistoric" and
430:
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from which the player selects commands to issue to crew members.
1223:
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with various alien cultures at their planetary trading posts.
125:
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platforms by MicroMagic, Inc. in 1991. An unofficial sequel,
896:
Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula (Cluebook)
246:
game, but many new features are introduced including an
1195:
Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula (Manual)
927:"Playing Catch Up: ToeJam & Earl's Greg Johnson"
165:
149:
139:
119:
105:
95:
83:
73:
61:
49:
35:
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1225:Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula
1214:Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula
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179:Starflight 2: Trade Routes of the Cloud Nebula
1160:Wilson, Johnny; et al. (November 1996).
8:
1162:"The 15 Least Rewarding Endings of All Time"
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846:
834:
822:
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798:
571:
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1302:Video games developed in the United States
1041:"Never Trust A Gazfluvian Flingschnogger!"
768:
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570:
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1116:
1297:Video games about extraterrestrial life
1272:Games commercially released with DOSBox
1138:
1136:
722:
7:
1193:Luoto, David; Johnson, Greg (1989).
484:
321:Text Window: displays text messages.
1287:Space trading and combat simulators
894:Luoto, David; Greg Johnson (1989).
783:. No. 66. pp. 18, 20, 82.
475:
657:of their game files on a separate
25:
541:
503:
1143:"Hard Nova & Starflight 2".
560:
555:
550:
545:
540:
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512:
507:
502:
381:occur some years after those in
287:The player begins the game in a
204:as the sequel to the successful
925:Wallis, Alistair (2006-11-16).
210:. It features a combination of
977:Chalk, Andy (28 August 2018).
416:Johnson Voorsanger Productions
261:Reviews were somewhat mixed.
1:
597:Gameplay reviews were mixed.
460:went through an unsuccessful
242:closely resemble the earlier
1247:Adventure games set in space
1170:. No. 148. p. 128.
1039:Brooks, M. Evan (May 1994).
1277:Science fiction video games
1182:"Jeux & stratégie NF 6"
1109:(27): 88–99. December 1991.
1318:
1089:. No. 74. p. 74.
310:Control Panel: provides a
579:
576:
488:
485:
443:, was published in 1993.
421:Originally published for
40:
913:Luoto & Johnson 1989
879:Luoto & Johnson 1989
864:Luoto & Johnson 1989
847:Luoto & Johnson 1989
835:Luoto & Johnson 1989
823:Luoto & Johnson 1989
811:Luoto & Johnson 1989
799:Luoto & Johnson 1989
1282:Space opera video games
1149:(46): 29. January 1992.
57:MicroMagic (Amiga, Mac)
1228:at Amiga Hall of Light
599:Computer Gaming World'
284:
1267:Electronic Arts games
1167:Computer Gaming World
1086:Computer Gaming World
1045:Computer Gaming World
780:Computer Gaming World
678:Computer Gaming World
667:Computer Gaming World
626:Computer Gaming World
586:Computer Gaming World
496:Computer Gaming World
282:
264:Computer Gaming World
1257:Classic Mac OS games
696:Jeux & Stratégie
590:1990 RPG of the Year
464:campaign in 2018 on
406:T.C. Lee programmed
79:Roland Kippenhan III
55:Binary Systems (DOS)
699:nouvelle formule #6
573:
482:
1292:Video game sequels
480:
285:
248:interstellar trade
1047:. pp. 42–58.
902:. pp. 45–52.
881:, pp. iv–vi.
866:, pp. 25–27.
849:, pp. 28–29.
837:, pp. 30–32.
825:, pp. 16–25.
801:, pp. 10–13.
594:
593:
569:
568:
212:space exploration
175:
174:
145:1991 (Amiga, Mac)
16:(Redirected from
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1242:1989 video games
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1172:
1171:
1157:
1151:
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1120:
1111:
1110:
1103:"Starflight 2".
1100:
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1080:
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1024:
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953:"Starflight 1+2"
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813:, p. 14–15.
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331:continuum fluxes
238:and the overall
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959:. November 2011
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711:Star Control II
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689:Further reading
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425:, the game was
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340:topographic map
294:copy protection
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232:alien lifeforms
202:Electronic Arts
184:science fiction
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68:Electronic Arts
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30:1989 video game
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27:1989 video game
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1207:External links
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1010:"Starflight 3"
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1184:. April 1990.
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1067:(165): 47–55.
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915:, p. 39.
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1106:Amiga Action
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1019:. Retrieved
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992:. Retrieved
982:
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961:. Retrieved
947:
936:. Retrieved
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682:Starflight 2
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639:
636:Amiga Action
635:
629:
625:
623:
616:
609:
605:Amiga Action
603:
598:
596:
585:
532:
494:
462:crowdfunding
458:Starflight 3
457:
456:
447:
445:
438:
420:
412:Greg Johnson
405:
396:
388:
382:
379:Starflight 2
378:
376:
367:
349:
324:
299:
286:
262:
260:
252:interstellar
243:
216:role-playing
205:
178:
177:
176:
160:role-playing
113:Greg Johnson
90:Greg Johnson
63:Publisher(s)
51:Developer(s)
36:Starflight 2
18:Starflight 2
1252:Amiga games
577:Publication
486:Publication
414:co-founded
402:Development
269:saved games
121:Platform(s)
85:Designer(s)
75:Producer(s)
1236:Categories
1021:2 November
994:2 November
989:Future plc
963:2022-04-25
938:2012-10-25
718:References
448:Starflight
383:Starflight
377:Events in
336:gas giants
254:trade and
244:Starflight
224:game world
207:Starflight
187:video game
182:is a 1989
143:1989 (DOS)
111:Matt Crane
1262:DOS games
1219:MobyGames
932:Gamasutra
640:CU Amiga'
477:Reception
472:Reception
440:Protostar
435:Macintosh
353:real-time
198:published
190:developed
134:Macintosh
115:Erol Otus
107:Artist(s)
1126:CU Amiga
984:PC Gamer
740:Compute!
704:See also
685:games".
680:awarded
611:CU Amiga
389:A major
275:Gameplay
220:strategy
156:Strategy
151:Genre(s)
957:GOG.com
655:backups
452:GOG.com
429:to the
408:fractal
391:subplot
364:Setting
342:with a
314:driven
226:'s 150
166:Mode(s)
140:Release
1129:: 130.
1064:Dragon
618:Dragon
534:Dragon
427:ported
344:cursor
256:barter
650:'
580:Award
572:Award
489:Score
431:Amiga
359:Story
130:Amiga
1146:info
1023:2019
996:2019
659:disk
647:Info
631:Info
433:and
373:Plot
312:menu
218:and
196:and
1217:at
1015:Fig
466:Fig
423:DOS
200:by
192:by
126:DOS
1238::
1197:.
1164:.
1135:^
1115:^
1095:^
1073:^
1053:^
1043:.
1031:^
1012:.
987:.
981:.
955:.
929:.
898:.
886:^
871:^
854:^
789:^
749:^
725:^
468:.
454:.
234:.
214:,
132:,
128:,
1201:.
1025:.
998:.
966:.
941:.
158:/
20:)
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