Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.space-sim (
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"Joe Granto" <Joe.Granto@NoSpam.com> wrote in message
news:hvu7u09epflse5ti5hh46vqa81s6rmbdmn@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 10 Jan 2005 23:36:10 GMT, "DocScorpio"
> <DocScorpio@stupra-spammeros.com> wrote:
>
[snip]
>>
>
> I, too, had debated getting Starshatter. The reviews on this group
> have generally been good, but not very numerous. About a week ago I
> decided to shell out the money and try the game out. This is MY
> experience with Starshatter so far. YOUR mileage may vary.
>
> The first decision was which media to buy. At first I, like you,
> wanted something physical when I shell out $30. HOWEVER, the cost of
> Starshatter grows WAY too much if you want the box, CD, etc. Why?
> Because they charge $40 for the boxed game, which does not include the
> $7-8 in shipping. This makes the boxed game go for almost $50, which
> more than any other game I have bought in years (I wait for sales).
> Prices like this is what made me start buying games used. So, in the
> end I went with the digital download for $30.
>
> The purchase process is simple and fast. While downloading the game, I
> also downloaded the newest patch (4.0.3, if I recall correctly).
> Installation went smoothly, as did patching.
>
> The first thing I did was mess with the video options. During this
> process I managed to crash to the desktop once. Other than this one
> time, I had no issues with configuration. I have a P4 3.0GHz system
> overclocked to 3.2GHz, Gigabyte motherboard, ATI 9800Pro video card
> (slightly overclockerd), SB Audigy soundcard, and Saitek X-45 HOTAS.
>
> I pretty much skipped the manual, configured the keys/buttons the way
> I like them, and jumped into the game. I played the tutorials, then
> started the campaign. I am about 4 missions into the campaign at this
> point, so keep that in mind while reading this review.
>
> Graphically, the game is uninspiring. It is definitely not cutting
> edge, and in fact seems somewhat dated. I have been playing FPS quite
> a bit lately, since space sims have fallen by the wayside, and this
> game cannot compare in any way to what is being done in that genre.
> This game seems about 5 years old in terms of graphics, maybe more. My
> MEMORY of Freespace 2 is that Freespace 2 had better graphics, but
> this may be tainted by love of a great game. Similarly, my memory of
> I-War and I-War 2 are that they, too, had better graphics. Regardless,
> the graphics are just so-so. Explosions are so-so. Ship textures are
> poor. Smoke trails are poor. I have all the eye-candy turned to
> MAXIMUM, by the way. Also, this is a DirectX 7 game. Yes, DirectX 7. I
> rate it 3/10 in graphics.
>
> With respect to sound, the game is, again, uninspiring, bordering on
> poor. The music score is something I turned off right away. Sound
> effects are not very plentiful, and not all that interesting.
> Additionally, there is no radio chatter or voice-over. You can order
> your wingman to do things, and everything occurs via text on-screen.
> Radio chatter adds a lot to a game, even Wing Commander 1 implemented
> it, and that game is hella-old. Freelancer, which I do not think of as
> much of a space sim, is a good example of good sound effects, radio
> chatter, etc., although a bit repetitive. I rate Starshatter a 3/10 in
> this category.
>
> The controls work just fine. You can map any function to any button
> with a standard DirectX compatible joystick. My X-45 also includes
> turn-knobs, which no one, ever, has natively supported. I have to
> program the stick for that (I use Dhauzimmer's drivers, btw). I have
> modified my X-45 to bypass the internal rudders and wired my
> Thrustmaster RCS pedals into it, and it all works like a charm. No
> complaints here. Game configuration allows you to swap axes, etc.
> There are different flight modes, and it all works out relatively
> well. Flight limiters are put into place to keep you from accelerating
> to unmanageable levels. I rate it 8/10.
>
> Manuals are included in PDF format. They have lots of color
> screenshots, and in general are relatively good. The printed manual,
> which I printed on a color laser printer, weighs in at 153 pages. Had
> a printed manual been included in the game, I would be much happier,
> but I was unwilling to spend the extra $18 this would have required. A
> lot of good information is contained in the manual that should have
> been in the tutorials, in my opinion. For example, there is a training
> mission on using your weapons. All you really get told is when to pull
> the trigger. How to use the radar is skipped. Radar modes are
> essentially skipped, especially ACM mode (which is useful in combat).
> Similarly, EMCON levels are not mentioned. And this is just for
> fighter-craft. I have no idea what has been skipped that would have
> been useful with capital ships, except for what I read on shields. ALL
> of the things I mention in this section should have been in the
> training missions via auditory queues. Because the training missions
> are all done via text instructions, it is impossible to include all
> this detail without overloading the pilot with dozens of pages of
> text. Manual quality is decent, and I give it a 7/10.
>
> Gameplay... Sigh. I have to admit that I am thoroughly unimpressed.
> The training missions are short, require a lot of text reading since
> there is no audio instruction, and are not very thorough. Mission
> briefings are stale, since there is no audio, no moving graphics, and
> indeed, no real detail in the mission report. Combat does not get my
> adrenaline rushing, for some reason. The space flight model seems
> good, and you can turn off computer-thruster assistance for Newtonian
> flight. I have only been involved in relatively small skirmishes so
> far, so take that into consideration when reading this review. I have
> nto gotten to capital ship combat, so this part of the review is by no
> means thorough. I rate gameplay at 4/10.
>
> The game has been very stable with the exception of the one crash to
> the desktop mentioned during video configuration. Alt-tabbing the game
> does sometimes freak out the game graphics upon return, but it all
> gets fixed within a few seconds. The game does not lock up or crash
> when alt-tabbing, which is nice.
>
> In conclusion, I rate this game a 4 out of 10, which is poor. Visually
> and sound-wise, it is VERY dated, and is more indicative of games
> released 5-10 years ago. It looks and feels like an independently
> created game, like a freeware or shareware game. Had I only paid $10
> for the game, I would feel I got my money's worth. At $30, I feel I
> got taken advantage of. To be fair, they DO have a demo, and I opted
> not to play it before buying it, so I take 100% of the responsibility
> here.
>
> If you are a space sim fan, and have not played some of the classics,
> I recommend you get one of them, like Freespace 2, I-War, or I-War 2.
> Even old classics like Wing Commander Prophecy, TIE Fighter, etc.,
> pulled me in more than this title has. I will stick through it, and
> plan on finishing the campaign, so as to get the true feel of the
> whole game. I have even downloading the Babylon 5 mod and the Star
> Wars mod, and will try them out at some point. If my opinion of the
> game changes drastically one way or the other, I will post some
> follow-up.
>
> But overall, this game is just mediocre. I know that some of the
> developers/producers/Matrix-staff post on this newsgroup, and this is
> NOT a slam of them or their game. It is just my opinion, no more, no
> less. I am not a professional reviewer, and don't work for any company
> related to the gaming industry; I am just an avid gamer. And this
> gamer, who has been playing PC games since 1983 or so, feels like
> Starshatter is a 4 out of 10.
>
>
> Please replace the "NoSpam" with "MCI" in my email address in order to
> reply.
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Joe Granto Joe.Granto@NoSpam.Com
> Senior Engineer Intel Engineering,MCI
Thanks very much for the thorough review. I'm on dial-up so downloading SS
is not really an option for me. If I decide to get it I'll have to spring
for the 50 bucks. I can live with dated graphics as long as there's plenty
of game behind them. If the dynamic-campaign aspect of the game works as
advertised, I might go for it. I kind of want to support the efforts of
Milo (and other independent game designers) as long as the game proves
half-way interesting....and not just another "on-rails," mission-oriented
game.
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