Starships Unlimited Shipping December 19

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Starships Unlimited Shipping December 19 - 12/12/2001 3:17:00 AM

David Heath

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Joined: 3/29/2000
From: Staten Island NY
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Matrix has released five new games that span from Napoleon�s glittering armies to deadly combat above far-flung worlds. �We wanted to give gamers a choice,� says David Heath, Director of Operations for Matrix. �From hard-core wargamers to space strategy enthusiasts, there is something here for everyone.� The quintet of new games includes: La Grande Armee at Austerlitz. The first in a series of Napoleonic designs, Austerlitz uses a no-hexagon map and 3-D views to capture the thunder and glory of Napoleon�s greatest victory. Scheduled for release December 19. http://www.matrixgames.com/games/austerlitz/index.asp Starships Unlimited: Divided Galaxies. Take command of a stellar empire in this exciting game that combines the flow of pausable real-time simulations with the detailed control of turn-based games. Scheduled for release December 19. http://www.matrixgames.com/games/starshipsunlimited2/index.asp Fortress Europe. Command the Allies armies storming Hitler�s Atlantic Wall in this real-time game of the Normandy campaign. Not an RTS, Fortress Europe has the detail that wargamers love and the simplicity that makes it a perfect choice for those new to computer wargaming. Scheduled for release December 19. http://www.matrixgames.com/games/fortresseurope/index.asp
Lost Victories. A mega campaign module for Matrix�s popular Steel Panthers: World at War tactical armor game, Lost Victories puts players in the commander�s seat as they lead the German panzers in their invasion of the Ukraine. Scheduled for release December 28. http://www.matrixgames.com/games/lostvictories1941/index.asp
Operation Watchtower: Guadalcanal 1942. Another mega campaign module for Steel Panthers: World at War. Lead a hard-bitten rifle company of the 1st Marine Division as it fights to seize Guadalcanal from its tough Japanese defenders. Scheduled for release December 28. http://www.matrixgames.com/games/watchtower1942/index.asp
Wargamers are also looking forward to two other Matrix titles that should be released this early next year. Uncommon Valor, the latest game from legendary designer Gary Grigsby, is an operational-level simulation of the campaign for the South Pacific from 1942 to the end of 1943. Players will have at their disposal every ship and plane that fought in that bitter duel between the Allies and Japan.

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- 12/14/2001 8:52:00 PM

Kentoras

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Joined: 12/13/2001
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I've only seen a couple of nonaction screen shots of the game. Could we please see some mayhem. This one of the things I anticipated seeing with the uprated graphics capabilites you have. Why is the demo of this title happen to be the shareware version of its predecessor. If you can keep the general feel which I think you have then purchases are going to inundate you.

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- 12/15/2001 1:17:00 AM

Andrew Ewanchyna

Posts: 229
Joined: 8/24/2001
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Ya, the screenshots are of an early game (they've actually been slightly improved as well). I'll have to send some more action filled ones. Was too busy at the time to make more interesting ones. One thing that is much improved is the animation and flow of the game (you'll love the new explosions). Weapon effects are all new as well. As for a demo of the new Starships Unlimited. I think you'll have to make due with the shareware version. The scope of the game remains the same. Divided Galaxies is just a much better, more polished and "fatter" version of the shareware.

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- 12/15/2001 10:17:00 AM

weeskwee

Posts: 13
Joined: 12/12/2001
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i placed my order earlier in the week. i loved the original, and can't wait for this new one to ship. one question please.
what are the settings for resolution? judging from the screenshots i would guess they are at least 800x600. it looks really nice. i'm also curious about the bathtub naval combat game. hope we get more info on that soon.

thanks for a great series. i hope we can look forward to more with updates or sequels. i'll do my part and spread the world about this game. some of the forum posters over at gone gold are really excited about it.

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- 12/16/2001 12:59:00 AM

Andrew Ewanchyna

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Joined: 8/24/2001
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The graphics are 800x600x16bit color. Graphic routines have been enhanced so that objects blend better into the background, cutting out the jaggies. This gives the illusion of even higher resolution. Note that the screenshots shown for the game are a little out of date. The line drawing routines have been cleaned up even more. I've also cleaned up some of the jerkiness that appears in the shareware version. Overall, the much cleaner looking graphics makes the shareware version look kind of klunky. I guess this is a sign of progress. Ah, the so called "bathtub naval combat game" that I'm currently working on. The bathtub reference was only made to indicate that battles would be in confined spaces rather than ocean sized areas. It's going to be a one or two player turn-based game that will allow you to play quick 5-15 minute battles that can be combined into campaigns. Kind of designed for the person with limited time. I can envision it being played during lunch breaks. It's not a traditional wargame, by any stretch, more of a junior wargame. I figured it's about time we had an easy to play naval game that wasn't trivial and based on Battleship. One that has depth and a few carefully crafted elements that make it endlessly replayable. I'm less interested in actual historical battles. I like the war toys and battle strategies they created. This is what I hope to explore in this new game.

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- 12/16/2001 1:37:00 AM

weeskwee

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sounds great. i love that the naval combat game will be turn based. can't wait until it's far along enough to show some screenshots. thanks for the reply and best of luck on the release of the new STUN.

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- 12/16/2001 7:08:00 AM

mischiefmaker

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Joined: 11/23/2001
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If these new graphics look as good as they sound, this game should clobber the market if there's any justice in the world. I already say STUN 2.3a is the game Starfleet command should have been. As much as I hate to butt into the development process I HIGHLY RECCOMEND YOU MAKE A STUN2 DEMO! I've been singing the praises of this game to folks I know dig 4X or tactical combat games ever since I bought it, but the response I seem to get the majority of the time is "What's wrong with you, MM? I tried that game you keep talking about, the graphics are SO 1991!" None of them tried the tactical combat or even got beyond the early exploration, hence none of them gave the game a chance. If the only impression new players have of the commerical game is the shareware version with its clunky graphics, you're going to be scaring off a niumber of potential customers who would actually love the game (truth be told, the only reason I gave the game a chance was because of all the unanimously sterling reviews it kept getting.) I don't know how hard it would be to make a crippled demo of STUN2, but if you can do it, it'd stop a lot of people from shutting the door on this game before they even gave it a chance.

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"Revolution? Bah! Once those primitives have been exposed to the wonders of our technology, like the singularity toilet, they'll be overjoyed to become part of our empire!" "Provided, that is, they remember to leave the seat down."

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- 12/17/2001 2:31:00 AM

Andrew Ewanchyna

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I don't think that Stun (or its genre) makes itself very good for demos. The start is quite slow if you're expecting space combat right away. The first review it ever got, from ZDnet, confused it for a space exploration game. They didn't have a clue of its true nature, simply because the reviewer didn't bother playing it enough (if at all). This is one of the reasons I included the saved game of a battle in future version.

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- 12/19/2001 12:40:00 AM

mischiefmaker

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Joined: 11/23/2001
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How abount an instant action feature? The player customizes a bunch of ships, chooses his opponents' (and allies) ships and what the fight is over (Deep space encounter, protecting a planet, capturing the most artifacts in a single system.) It'd make for a nice tutorial for new players to get the combat under their fingers before jumping into a full-blown conquest of the galaxy while letting us grognards test certain strategies we've been mulling over but never actually encountered in the game (Like an eight sided fleet battle! The chaos! The glory!) Plus lazy reviewers and mistrusting customers wouldn't be so ready to brush the game aside.

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