Originally posted by Wedge009
It's funny that it costs a few hundred for a chip off something like guns, yet it only costs a few creds to patch a large chunk of armour.
Armor is just a big slab of duranium, isn't it? Nothing too technical. Guns, on the other hand, have all the 'fiddly bits' that need to be examined and/ or replaced in order to get the gun working properly again.
Mav23 - I've got Bridge Commander, and its definitely different. On the one hand, it definitely allows you to simulate being the captain of the ship to a degree I haven't seen prior to this in a game. For example, instead of steering the ship yourself in battle, you can turn everything over to your tactical officer, and just tell him which ships and systems to target. I still haven't gotten the hang of steering while in combat (The straight ahead view, while easier to steer in, is difficult since its harder to set up shots with the side phasers when the target is off-screen. The standard view is "focus on the target", but its a pain maneuvering in that mode.), so I tend to let the tactical officer deal with the maneuvering and weapons fire. While the energy allocation isn't as sophisticated as the one in Starfleet Command, it is present, and can make a difference in battle. Basically, if you want, you can be a captain surrounded by a competent bridge crew. Or you can micro manage everything yourself. The choice is yours.
The only real complaint is that, in most of the non-combat stuff, you tend to get led around by the nose. There are some exceptions. The tractor beam seems to generally be a solution that no one ever thinks of (and I've used it a couple of times), but by and large, you don't need to think much for yourself.
The one time I was really annoyed with the game involved the complete breakdown of my tactical officer. In one mission, I was defending a base, and suddenly half a dozen suicide freighters warped in. They made their runs one at a time, but they were moving fast enough that there was a VERY narrow margin for error. Unfortunately, my tactical officer chose that exact moment to completely fail on me. Instead of closing with the enemy freighters, he circled around at extreme phaser range (and out of torpedo range), barely firing at all. He refused to close, even when ordered to do so. It took me a couple of tries to realize what was going on. Manual steering and fire took care of the problem, but was difficult to handle (particularly the time that my first officer relieved me because I accidentally hit the base a couple of times). In addition, due to the lack of local landmarks, it was fairly easy to start out of position, and on the wrong side of the base, giving the freighters a hefty headstart before I could even get a clear shot at them. I finished the mission, eventually, but it took a while.
One other thing about the game is the Save Game feature. The game only saves at particular predesignated points, and those are always at the end of battles (although it doesn't save after every battle). This means that if you go through a lengthy non-battle sequence, and then bungle a fight, you'll have to go through the entire non-battle sequence again.
Overall, I'm enjoying it, but its definitely not for everyone. It is NOT a Wing Commander clone, and anyone who plays it expecting a WC game is in for a rude shock. My advice would be to download a copy of the demo (which has the first couple of missions) and give that a try.
For those who are curious, Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner provide voices for their characters in the game (Picard and Data). Data in particular spends a lot of time on your bridge. The Enterprise-E also pops up several times throughout the game, usually providing support in a mission, although so far it hasn't been fighting under my direction.
Ships in the game include-
Sovereign (Enterprise E)
Galaxy (Enterprise D)
Akira
Ambassador
Nebula (I think...)
Bird of Prey
ST:TNG Klingon Cruiser (can't remember the name off the top of my head)
Warbird
Galor (phaser fodder)
Kaldon (only slightly better)
And... the requisite mysterious alien race.
(j/k)
