Universal Combat

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Universal Combat

Developer(s)	Derek Smart
Publisher(s)	DreamCatcher Interactive Inc.
Platform(s)	Windows 2K/XP
Release date	February 5, 2004
Genre(s)	Space Combat Simulation
Mode(s)	Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Media	CD-ROM, Digital Distribution
System requirements	CPU: Pentium III, Graphic Card: 128MB

Universal Combat (sometimes abbreviated to UC) is a computer game developed by Derek Smart. Released February 5, 2004 as a budget release, it is a sequel in the Battlecruiser 3000AD series of games.

Universal Combat is a space combat simulation. Universal Combat offers the player a very large game world to play in using varying forms of transport and combat. The player can pilot spaceships of varying sizes, land on and explore planets where they can then drive varying land craft, where more than 21,000 areas of interest are available to explore. The size of the playing area is seen as one of the game's main points, where travelling from place to place can take considerable quantities of time, as there is no time compression. The game has a high learning curve that is daunting for newer players.

The game is most notable for its high level of detail. For instance, every single crew member on the ship is tracked in location, hunger, AI level, and fatigue. Every system onboard the players starship can be monitored and controlled. In order for the player to fly a shuttle, they must first take time to walk though the ship to the shuttle bay, forcing the player to plan ahead for tactical encounters. This often leads to a great many instances of emergent gameplay. For example, enemy boarding parties can be trapped on the ship by disabling Launch Control, which will not allow the intruders to escape via a shuttle craft or fighters.

Universal Combat has also been criticized for an unfamiliar interface and voluminous documentation (a manual of over 100 pages, 200-page downloadable appendix, and 80-page downloadable tutorial).^[1]

On January 2nd, 2008 the game was released for free.^[2]

[edit] Games in the series

Title	Released	Publisher
Universal Combat	2004	Dreamcatcher Games
Universal Combat Gold	2005	3000AD
Universal Combat: A World Apart	2005	3000AD
Universal Combat: Special Edition	2006	3000AD
Universal Combat: Collectors Edition	2007	3000AD