Thứ Bảy, 27 tháng 12, 2014

Star Trek Klingon Academy : This is Space Combat Simulation






Klingon Academy is the most core of all Space Combat Simulation games and certainly of all Trek games . 


However the Academy series of games , there are but 3 that I know of started off entertaining through comedy value . You actually have the legends Shatner,  Koenig , Takei et al  completely taking the task of teaching Starfleet Captains how to pilot their wessels oh so seriously. The end result is a mind meld  pastiche of non intentional comedy and Trekkie fan dreams come true. In short Starfleet Academy and its expansion pack,whilst not surprisingly absent in gameplay , are not to be missed for fans of Trek ,Shatner ,Koenig or Takei! how can you not play a game with briefings/fmv as awesome as this:




or this :





When the developers 14 Degrees East made the sequel Star Trek Klingon Academy , which is spread over around half a dozen cds, the simulation got serious , the environments became vast , tasks were detailed and there is an entire unmissable story that leads up to the Kitimer Accord in the Undiscovered Country movie . And it stars THE real actors , including Christopher Plummer . Famously  you got to find out how the old Klingon general got his eye patch! 




Released alongside the impressive Unreal powered Klingon Honor Guard , twas time to  break out the blood wine and sing  your favourite Klingon Opera. But that was a decade ago !






Star Trek Klingon Academy has  the most detailed and complicated control scheme , it puts the simulation in to space combat simulation . This is not like zeroing.... woah...there.It takes just enough time and effort to input the start up and launch sequence to make you feel like you had to work to get the ship going , and thats just to get the ships engines and cloak on line , then you have the task of navigation , combat etc . This is is not the simple turn and click of Star Trek Online`s combat or the great Starfleet Command series. And it is far more detailed than even the great Totally Games coded Star Trek Bridgecommander


You also play in full space , in full 3 dimensions , with a z axis , which is really impressive when you use  the full environment to hide , chase ships through asteroid fields , and this leads to some excellent Wrath of Khan moments . .  it actually feels like you are traversing space , much more so than any other Trek game .


Which leads to the next innovation environments or in Trek speak anomalies, enter certain nebulae and cloak , shields etc are useless , use asteroid fields to hide , chase ships around the corona of stars , or around planets and asteroids . Each gives you strategic options that you can use to benefit the shortcomings of your present ship or by causing shortcomings to  the enemy which many outnumber or outclass you.


The kick is you play for the bad guys , whereas Kirk and co lead you through fairly mundane tasks in the first game , now Chang and your Klingon brethren will teach you how to be a completely nefarious Klingon , so you  cloak , hide behind an asteroid in the rings of a planet,spy on conversations , and at the right moment let out a Klingon war cry ....you know ... decloak and unload all your disruptors and photon torpedoes into  Federation/enemy  vessels , and chose which system of the ship to damage . You could take them out before they even raise shields! Oh you Klingon you !


Things get really interesting when the enemy can also cloak .  Battles can take hours of your life. Each one far more involving than space combat in present day Star Trek games.


Klingon Academy has an avid mod fan base , that has been providing updated missions ships and graphics ever since its release 10 years ago , including total conversions. check out the progress  here  and at klingonacademy.com  although much of that site has been Ferenginared at the moment.


For collectors Star Trek Klingon Academy is one of the most valuable and sought after of all Star Trek games .  Buy the original from thegameveda Ecrater store here 


To this date Klingon Academy is the most detailed space combat simulation , and probably the best Klingon based game ever until someone makes Klingon Vs Predator with playstation Move or Kinect controlled Batleths or Sim Qonos for our phones/iPads .....


 so Chang me people Chang me !

Qpla`!











STAR TREK PC GAMES












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