Thanks to our members Wyle Coyote and Victory another bug in the game has been found and fixed. The mission "Intruder Alert (Meta_Monster) was crashing the game to desktop because in the default core, and loadout it seems in an earlier version of the patch between build 500 and 534b Taldren changed the files from where the "monster" was the "puck" model to where the "monster" was to be the "msg" model. Well they never added the "msg" model or it was a simple typo, we may never know.
It is now fixed. In the Single Player Campaigns when you get an "Intruder Alert" mission the "puck" model will now load and it wont crash you to desktop like before. I am very surprised that this issue has never come up before. I guess it shows how many people do not play the single player campaigns anymore.We deleted the downloads and fixed the patch, server kit, and read me to reflect the "fix" You will need to re-download the 534c beta patch using the same links provided.It has been close to a year since Taldren released a patch for Starfleet Command 3, now Taldren does not exist, they declared bankruptcy and closed their doors.
They did leave us with D.net, and D.net has taken up where they have left off, but we have seen more come about for EAW and OP than SFC 3. So with hearing all of the complaints and the gripes since the 534_b release about the Scimitar being the Uber BB and basicly the king of the game, causing the closure of most of the regular patched game servers since no one wants to fight and lose every time against the Scimitar. So we decided to change all of that and make the playing field level once again.
When they released the last patch 534_b they added the Borg Cube and the Reman Scimitar which left out the Federation and Klingon Empire when it came to a selectable Battleship to be used in the dynaverse, IP skirmishes, or Gamespy play. Not to mention the Scimitar cost half the price of the Borg Cube and can easily defeat the Cube.
Well all of that just changed. We at Trek-Online.com decided to create our own 534_C Unofficial Balancing Patch and server kit for the SFC 3 Gaming CommunityWe added a Federation Battleship comparable to the Cube and Scimitar.
We added a Klingon Battleship comparable to the Cube and Scimitar.
We made the prices of all 4 of the Battleships balanced and equal.
We turned on the option where you will not need your CD in the drive to play the game -- only to install it.
We turned on the option for enhanced shield effects.
We balanced all of the Battleships equally so that a fair fight could be obtained during gameplay.
We added the battleships to be used in single and multiplayer campaign mode.
We Fixed the "Intruder Alert" (Meta_Monster) mission so that it won’t crash to desktop when played in Single Player Campaign or Conquest Mode.
And the most nagging of them all, we changed the officer damage setting so your officers will last a little longer in battle and not get knocked out and die so easily. (but they still will)Now I am sure we will get a lot of praise and a lot of criticism for this, and frankly we don't care. We did this for the gamers so that they can have fun with the game in its original setting once again.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This 534_C Unofficial Balancing Patch is not supported by Activision, Taldren, or Dynaverse.net. It is supported 100% by Trek-Online.com and our Staff.DOWNLOAD 534_C Unofficial Balancing PATCH HEREDOWNLOAD 534_C Unofficial Balancing Patch SERVER KIT HEREStar Trek Starfleet Command III® 534_C Unofficial Balancing Beta Patch Version 1.01 Build 534 C ReadmeATTENTION: THIS PATCH IS AN UNOFFICIAL BETA PATCH and is not supported by Activision Customer Support, Taldren, or Dynaverse.net. This patch addresses the need for balance since the last 534_b patch where the Federation and Klingon Empire were left without a battleship and the Borg and Romulans were given one that was selectable in game, and attempts to address many outstanding issues, including officer damage and balancing changes to single player and multiplayer skirmish mode, single player conquest mode, single player campaign mode and Dynauniverse 3 multiplayer mode. For comments, questions, or general support, contact Wildcard or NCC74656 (Sean) on the
http://www.trek-online.com/forums or email us
wildcard@trek-online.com or
Sean@trek-online.com Once installed, there is no "uninstall" for this patch that would roll your game back to the previous (release) version of Starfleet Command III. Therefore, once you have installed this beta patch, the only way to revert to the release version of the game is to uninstall Starfleet Command III completely, and then reinstall the game from your Starfleet Command III CDROM.
Proper Patch install method:[/color] Make a new folder in your programs folder on your Hard Drive, name it SFC 3 534_C. Install SFC 3 into that folder so that it will not interfere with your other versions of the game that you play and you know what version it is.
Make sure to disable your virus software before starting the installer.
Make sure your video card drivers are up to date and current. It is recommended you install and use the Direct X 9c or later. If you have already have Direct X 9c or later you will skip the step where it asks you if you want to install Direct X 8.1. If you already have Gamespy you will skip the step where it asks you if you want to install Gamespy, of course if you want Gamespy and do not have it by all means install it.
After you are finished installing the game, install the patch using the browse option to locate the folder on your hard drive named SFC 3 534_C and run the patch to install into that folder. You will not need any other patch all previous patches are included in the 534_C unofficial balancing patch.
Minimum System Requirements
Minimum System Requirements
· 100% DirectX® 8.1 compatible 3-D Hardware Accelerator 16MB video card and drivers
· English version of Microsoft Windows® 98/ME/2000/XP operating system
· Pentium® III 450Mhz processor or Anthon™ processor or faster
· 128MB RAM
· 4 MB of uncompressed hard disk space for patch game files; plus an additional 90 MB for patch installation files
· 100% Windows® 98/ME/2000/XP - compatible computer system (including compatible 32-bit drivers for CD-ROM drive, video card, sound card and input devices).
· DirectX® 8.1 or higher (included)
· 100% DirectX® 8.1 or higher compatible sound card and latest drivers*
· Quad Speed CD-ROM drive (600 K/sec sustained transfer rate) and latest drivers.
· 100% Microsoft®-compatible mouse, keyboard and latest drivers
Multiplayer Requirements
· Internet (TCP/IP) and LAN (TCP/IP) play supported
· Internet play requires a 100% Windows® 98/ME/2000/XP - compatible 28.8kps modem or network card
A 100% DirectX® compliant 3-D video card is required. Star Trek Starfleet Command III uses DirectX® 8.1 to support 3-D hardware acceleration. Star Trek Starfleet Command III has been tested on many but not all of the major cards incorporating the chipsets listed below:
· nVidia™ Riva TNT and TNT2
· All nVidia™ GeForce chipsets
· ATI® Rage 128
· All ATI® Radeon chipsets
· Matrox® G400 & G550
· Kyro® 1 and 2
· Intel® i810e
NOTE: Star Trek Starfleet Command III® only supports resolutions of 1024x768 and above. If your monitor cannot support these resolutions, you will not be able to play the game.
24 June 2005
What we fixed.
1. Added a Federation Battleship similar in looks and design as was included in SFC I and SFC II.
2. Added a Klingon Battleship similar to the DN Negh'var to keep with the same design theme.
3. Fixed the officer damage so they wont die and or get knocked out so easily and never recover.
4. Gave the Antimatter Mine back to the Borg like they should have to begin with.
5. Added the .INI option for the ability to play without the CD in your drive.
6. Added the .INI option for enhanced shield effects.
7. Balanced Battleship Prices
8. Fixed the "Intruder Alert" (Meta_Monster) mission so that it won’t crash to desktop when played in Single Player Campaign or Conquest Mode.
ANYONE is welcome to download and/or mirror this patch and server kit just as long as the Community Gamers can access it freely.