Grrr Activision!

[Destructor]

From the wikipedia entry for 'Starfleet Command III':

Star Trek: Starfleet Command III is a Star Trek computer game published in 2002. When the game was origininally published by Activision it would have normally run the course of all major PC Game titles eventually ending up in the 'Bargain Bin' after a year or so. However, Starfleet Command 3, along with Elite Force 2 never got this opportunity due to the lawsuit which took place between Activision and Viacom in 2003 (the suit has since been resolved). Due to this, the game's price on the internet (even for used games) is very high, the last game released by Activision for Star Trek (Elite Force 2) also suffered from the same lack of units available for selling in game stores.

I always wondered why I'd never come acorss these games, now I know! Fortunately I managed to find a copy of EF2 (wonderful!) but now I want to check out SC3 and Bridge Commander, and they are nowhere to be found! Activision were real jerks lauching that lawsuit, I bet they are kicking themselves now that the new Trek movie is coming out. Think of all the money they lost by taking these games out of circulation. What fools. Games and novels are two of the only ways to enjoy Trek at the moment and I wish the Trek gaming scene was a little better than it is.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

The lawsuit really did scupper the release of SFCIII, that's why second hand copies are like gold dust, same with Armada II, that game is also very difficult to get and is quite pricey second hand, another game that's also quite pricey to get is Klingon academy.

Try ebay and amazon for second had copies of BC.

 

[WalkinMan]

I really don't know the terms of ATVI and Paramount's deal, suffice to say apparently ATVI became upset somehow and wanted out. Shame, because they really tried to produce a cohesive line of Trek games that shared elements and a consistent box design/launch system, a worthy rival to the LucasArts series of SW. Yes, they were not perfect, but producing Elite Force I/II, Bridge Commander, Armada etc...they had a talented group working for them.

There are some sites via google, with lists like the remains of a handful of Trek game publishers, some have SFC III listed as abandonware, etc. EF2, I have the game and have modded for it, is pretty good too.

 

[donners22]

I've got SFCIII and don't particularly enjoy it. The scripts are astonishingly buggy and it still amounts to a lot of spinning around in circles.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

really don't know the terms of ATVI and Paramount's deal, suffice to say apparently ATVI became upset somehow and wanted out. Shame, because they really tried to produce a cohesive line of Trek games that shared elements and a consistent box design/launch system, a worthy rival to the LucasArts series of SW.

Activision made a bad deal; for what Paramount was willing to let them do, they overpaid for the property.

The Star Wars model with LucasArts is apropros. Star Wars releases are major releases, they tie into the films, and there's synergy between the films and the games. Jedi Starfighter was a side-story to Attack of the Clones, for instance.

Activision ran into major problems with Paramount on Hidden Evil -- which is why a lot of that game is weird, as they were trying to get around and deal with Paramount's issues with the storytelling and the characters -- but the breaking point was Paramount was unwilling to work with Activision on a Nemesis game to tie in with the film.

Which shows how out-of-touch Paramount was. The fall of 2002 saw films based on the other three major film franchises -- Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and James Bond -- and all three games sold tremendously well. Activision wanted to be a market leader, and Paramount wouldn't let them.

Would a Nemesis game have been any good? I don't know. But it would have put the name into video game stores, in front of gamers, and might have made a real difference at the box office.

The lawsuit was really about Activision's realization that they made a bad deal. They overpaid for the franchise, because Paramount wasn't going to let them develop and market the projects that would earn them money.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

Its a crying shame that we all sat and watched helplessly as a once great gaming franchise that gave us some great trek games slowly died from neglect and greed from the powers in charge.

A crying shame indeed......we really needed a Armada 3 or a Elite Force 3 or even a Bridge commander 2.........unfortunately greed finished what was left of the gaming franchise with Legacy.

(Raises glass)....To absent friends.

 

[WalkinMan]

To absent friends indeed (or shall I say friends who are now working on non-Trek projects!).

And thx for the background info, Allyn Gibson. I liked Hidden Evil, despite the criticisms, because I wanted a Trek adventure game...the genre which I think Trek is #1 best suited for but is difficult to produce.

In some ways, the 'sequel' nature of Hidden Evil reminds me of how the stillborn First Contact game would have played out. Also takes place after the film, yet has scenes/situations much like the film. I wish they had used the Quake engine to bring that game to life!

I was playing Jedi Outcast the other day and liked how Raven improved on the character graphics and level size limits from Elite Force, although Ritual did a good job upping the pixel count and all, I would like to see what Raven could have done with an EF3.

Frankly I think the graphics levels were already pretty good by the EF1-EF2 era, I wish they could just come up with cool new adventures from that system. Fortunately there are some good SP mods out there.

 

[CaptJimboJones]

I sold my copies of SFCIII and BC on ebay last year for a nice profit.

 

[SpeedRacer]

This old Penny Arcade cartoon sums it up nicely:

 

[ialfan]

I'm lucky to have bought Armada II and Starfleet Command III new back when they were released so I have them but I don't have box copies of Bridge Commander, EF2, EF1 Expansion Pack or Birth of the Federation. I would definitely buy them in the $10 bargin bin though.

 

[Foxy]

I have most of these games including SFCIII and Amarda 2. Although SFC III (also I & II) played out on 2D maps, I loved the game online. Group battles were fun and I can always remember some guy and his borg cube on every night chasing everyone round the map ... good times


When Legacy was released I was hoping for some new online fleet battles... but no one is every online for that

 

[blaXXer]

That's because Legacy is crap



BC, however has a very active multiplayer community, still Maybe you want to check over at bc-central.com

 

[Foxy]

That's because Legacy is crap



BC, however has a very active multiplayer community, still Maybe you want to check over at bc-central.com

Ah Cool thanks , i have a copy of BC somewhere ill have to dig it out .. looks like some great mods for it as well ... thanks again

 

[Hanover Fiste]

SFCIII is a damn fun game, but you don't really appreciate it until you start adding some mods and playing online.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

^^^The Dominion wars online battle mod by pelican was amazing, nothing like attacking a space station with 10 other people in various ships, and then all running out of the map when your getting your ass kicked....Good fun.

 

[CaptainStoner]

now I want to check out SC3 and Bridge Commander, and they are nowhere to be found!

SFC3, BC, EF2, ARM2, they all get cranked up on ebay to silly prices. Though BC isn't as bad as ARM2 and SFC3.
Personally, I downloaded a torrent of EF2, and don't feel the least bit bad about it. It's out of publication, and the ebay vendors are sitting on a pile of them selling them off 1 or 2 at a time. Screw that. I do not support piracy of products where it is going to hurt the developers or studios, and I don't ever give money to Chinese pirates. The only one getting undercut are the greedy Ferengi ebay sellers.

 

[Akiraprise]

That whole lawsuit deal was frustrating to say the least. Fortunately I own almost all of the games previously mentioned, except for SFC 3. I don't mind though because I was never really a fan of that series. I still play BC on a fairly regular basis. Some of the mods that have come out for BC are just fantastic. That game is much improved.

 

[Destructor]

I've been playing BC, it's good but I suck at it. I tried SC3 the other day and...meh. Where's the fun in this game? Is there a story? I just don't get it. I'm willing to give it another try, but what's the appeal?

But yeah, Activision made some of the most quality Trek games, I'm really sad they dumped the licence.