Topic: SFCIII is too freakin hard!

[Dogmatix!]

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What's so great about SFC OP and SFC II? People here keep telling me to get those games and I have seen them dirt cheap in the bargain bin. I was considering getting SFC II because I really like the kirk era ships and slower more dramatic combat but once I saw that SFCIII still had the Excelsior class ship I almost pissed my paints! That is my favorite ship next to a galaxy class. SO I don't know if i have much reason to play the other ones but I might. Whats' so great about Orion Pirates anyway?

<snip>  

More ships, more races, better variety of weapons and combat options.  These are just some of the things that make SFC2: EAW and OP better games, in my humble opinion.  You would just have to tyr them out and see for yourself.  Both games are so cheap, now...you can probably get both of them for half the price you paid for SFC3.  You'll be getting more than double the gameplay, too...


 

[CaptainCrazy701]

Sounds cool I'll probably pick it up in sometime this summer. I an seeing just how easy SFCIII is on commander difficulty, i should have chosen captain i guess. Whats weird is that i no longer have any trouble maneuvering around my opponents unllike the 2nd mission where i could not get my weapons facing my enemy, now it is a breeze. I dont know if its because I put a lot of prestige into good maneuvering thrusters or the AI just took a nose dive. Oh well i could have fun for a long time blasting these swine out of the stars. I can easily turn up the difficulty for one of the other campaigns. I can't wait to get to use the federation..mmm my favorite. Can't wait to get into an Excelsior class ship again  

[Baker]

 Excelsiors aren't that good of ships unfortunately. However if you have got the TNZ mod then you'll notice the Lakota refit excelsior, which is a very fine ship. Another ship of this type is the Chabot, which is also a very nice ship to fly.

[EmeraldEdge]

In OP however the Excelsior model is used for a number of ships, some of which are painfully popular amongst the Fed players.  

[Holocat]

Ya know, that got me as well when Orion Pirates came out;  I couldn't tell from the box if I could play the old races AND the pirate races.  You can play one's precious federation in OP is you so wish.  It's what I do, and the added pirates give a lot more to shoot at.

As has been mentioned before, in SFC3 the 'excelcior' model is a mediocore class at best (As I don't have the SFC3, I can only tell you what others are saying;  I have no proof of this myself)  However, in Orion Pirates, the 'excelcior' model is used for the Federation's battlecruisers, which are highly popular and powerful creatures.  (As I have Orion Pirates I can attest to the Federation's battlecruisers being both popular and powerful.)

The tatical complexity of OP, EAW and SFC1 may disagree with you if you find SFC3 a handful;  However, there are set difficulty levels (captian, commodore, and admiral) and you have fully customizable skirmishes where one can improve their skills.  In addition for those willing to read a little to improve their skills, there are large volumes of player-compiled tactics online.  I believe battleclinic is the most relivant to SFC 3.

For those truly seeking glory however, player to player battles can make the game's artifical intelligence look poor, slow, and stupid;  For a real rush, playing the old hands here can be very... educational.

I recommend Orion Pirates;  It has the widest selection of gameplay (which gives challange for both new and old), is still easily available, and has a cadre of people of high caliber willing to put the time and effort to make it better;  Taldren is yet working on one more patch for the game, and people such as Firesoul, 'Evil' Dave/Tracy/Karnak, and many others continue to work dilligently on making improvements, such as firesoul's OP+ shiplist and mission conversions, or the Evil Three's Mission Packs.

Take a captain's chair, grab a cup of your Empire's Beverage of Choice, and enjoy youself;  If you have any questions, we'll try our best.

Holocat.
 

[Harold Nez]

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 I saw that SFCIII still had the Excelsior class ship I almost pissed my paints!

Ya, me too.  But, I don't dream of being second-fiddle Sulu.   Whenever I see a Star Trek ship game in stores, the odds are against me and the situation is grim, I'm on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise...I am Captain Kirk, THE Federation captain.  I shout at the comms station, "Mr. Scott we need warp drive in 5 minutes...or we're all dead."  I see Mr. Spock at science station.  I see McCoy entering the bridge with a witty retort about captains.  I stand up, put my hand on Sulu's shoulder, and shout, "Warp 1, engage!!!!"  Oh ya, can you feel it?  I said CAN YOU FEEL IT?
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Okay, that was not helpful.  Seriously, SFC3 is an arcade version of the SFC series.  I sincerely recommend you try SFC2: EAW or SFC2:OP.  Both titles have a bit more depth and will offer your many, many hours of single-player and multi-player gaming..........and over hundreds of ships in which to become Captain Kirk (who else?).   Dreaming of piloting the Enterprise, this is Harry...see you out there.
 

[SghnDubh]

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Congrats, but don't forget you are now a candidate for SFC2-OP, a game more appropriate for the discerning "captain".  

   

grrrrrrr    


 

[jimmi7769]

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Congrats, but don't forget you are now a candidate for SFC2-OP, a game more appropriate for the discerning "captain".  

   

grrrrrrr    


 

Don't be so grumpy, you used to play too......didn't you??

[SghnDubh]

LOL

Used to play. Heh.

Frankly, people are entitled to their own opinions. And since I'm entitled to mine, and ya'll are free to skip this post, here it is. The people that disparage SFC3 as "less" of a game simply because it has less buttons on its UI are being unfair and narrow-minded.

The games (EAW/OP & SFC3) are different. Not better, not worse, different. There is no reason to be elitist, bigoted, or exclusionary. It's ok to have a favorite, but it's not ok to put down either game because "it's not like the other."

And if people try to trash-talk EAW or OP as being the perfect game for the ultimate geek because of the high learning curve and myriad little nuances and they wouldn't stoop to T-Bombing anybody because it's just silly, I would "grrrr" at them too.

When will the short-sighted arrogance about "2 vs 3" or "3 vs 2" stop, and when will people accept that we're here to have fun--and that both games will stay on your hard-drive long after you've installed and un-installed UT2003 or Command and Conquer?

RANT OFF.  

 

[Cleaven]

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When will the short-sighted arrogance about "2 vs 3" or "3 vs 2" stop, and when will people accept that we're here to have fun--and that both games will stay on your hard-drive long after you've installed and un-installed UT2003 or Command and Conquer?

RANT OFF.  

 

Weeellll since you bring it up, I think the point is that there will be only one (to steal a line), and some of us know which one that one is. So by all means go and play the latest and greatest for as long as it amuses you. But when you tire of it or just want a change, head on to the third iteration of the original tried and tested product. If you don't like it then maybe you will return to SFC3 refreshed and with a more positive outlook as you wait for it's second iteration.
 

[NannerSlug]

SghnDubh , you are absolutely correct..

im going to be blunt here.. sfc3 was never given a fraction of the chance ot patience sfc2 was.. the only game that was nearly bastardized by many here was OP (which in my opinion has always been the superior product - but hey, thats my opinion).

sfc3 was shafted between the politics of people who never gave it a chance, no demo and no patch (after how many were released for eaw). it is my opinion that there will never be an official patch for sfc3 now. it will be a cold day in hell before it happens.

take sfc2 or op and put it out there with no demo or no official patch and stack it up to sfc3 and see what kind of a response you get. sfc3 might not be perfect.. but its an excellent game in its own right.. you add in the dominion war and TNZ mods for sfc3 and it out right rocks.

it is all about your preference. some people like the sfc2 style of play.. others like the sfc3 style of play.. it is 100% a matter of opinion. i think it would be wise for people to let it be.

[CaptainCrazy701]

You know what would be the absolute best wet dream for any star trek fanatic? A game that lets you design ships from the ground up...some kind of easy yet robust tool that lets you design ships to your liking..ohhh i would love that so much. The more customization the better in my book.

One aquestion about SFC II OP, do you have to push buttons on the menu to turn your ship or can u use keyboard arrow keys? THis is a big one folks cause i briefly tried SFC II before and i only knew of how to move the ship via the nav buttons on the menu and it was bloody annoying.  

[Dash Jones]

I like both SFC 2 and SFC 3.  SFC 3 is nigh perfect with the TNG mod.  SFC 2 is nigh perfect for me as OP.

But the best one of all for me is still (and maybe nostalgia gets in my way because it was the first I played, and my first exposure to Trek) is the first and original SFC.

[Harold Nez]

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You know what would be the absolute best wet dream for any star trek fanatic? A game that lets you design ships from the ground up...some kind of easy yet robust tool that lets you design ships to your liking..ohhh i would love that so much. The more customization the better in my book.

One aquestion about SFC II OP, do you have to push buttons on the menu to turn your ship or can u use keyboard arrow keys? THis is a big one folks cause i briefly tried SFC II before and i only knew of how to move the ship via the nav buttons on the menu and it was bloody annoying.  

You move with the mouse, clicking in a 180 degree circle.  I'm part of the crowd that uses the mouse more (to fire etc.).  Basically, you can use the keyboard or the mouse for just about anything, your choice.    

Oh, I didn't want my calling SFC3 "arcade" to be a knock.  I just think that everyone is right.  It is different...bit more arcade oriented, IMHO.  Peace.

[Corbomite]

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Frankly, people are entitled to their own opinions. And since I'm entitled to mine, and ya'll are free to skip this post, here it is. The people that disparage SFC3 as "less" of a game simply because it has less buttons on its UI are being unfair and narrow-minded.

I don't disparage SFC3 because of the number of buttons on the UI, I disparage it because I found it bloody boring. But as you said it's all a matter of opinion and preference. If people are having fun with it, more power to them. For me it was a waste of $40.

[Scipio_66]

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The people that disparage SFC3 as "less" of a game simply because it has less buttons on its UI are being unfair and narrow-minded.
 

There are many reasons I disparage SFC3 (sic).  The number of buttons on the UI isn't one of them.

But to each his own.

-S'Cipio

[Cleaven]

Actually this has been said often enough,in that the D3 game is very popular for a lot of people. I think this is the opposite situation for SFC2 where the D2 leaves a lot to be desired and it's the game play which keeps people there. It probably comes down to what you are happy doing without the most, as opposed to what you want the most.  

[SghnDubh]

Why the (sic) S'cipio?  

[3dot14]

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Why the (sic) S'cipio?    

SFC3 isn't quite a SEQUEL, in the sense of the word.

It's more of a Spin-Off. (use TV lingo.) It's what Crusade is to Babylon 5, what Angel is to Buffy (I do NOT watch either  ), what CSI Miami is to CSI, and more accurately, what the Next Generation is to Star Trek.
Or in game terms, what MechCommander is to MechWarrior, what Generals is to Red Alert, what CounterStrike is to HalfLife.

It's Different. I wholeheartedly agree. But I don't thin it should've been called SFC THREE. It should be given a "subtitle". To put the Three in SFC3 effectively terminated the SFC series as it was. And it's a blatant attempt to bank on the SFC name without the same content.

I guess, and it's only an guess. Scipio wanted to say SFC:TNG.

So would I. It would saved the community a lot of trouble debating Two v Three. But as is, Three is after Two in a continuous series. I won't be surprised if they are compared.

I don't fault Taldren nor SFC3. I fault the Activision producers. (while I acknoledge they made the existence of Taldren possible, but that does excuse them.)

[Cleaven]

Norton's scans for software and recognises it as SFC:TNG not SFC3, so somebody in the production process labelled it correctly.