| Star Fighter | |
|---|---|
Screenshot |
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| Developer(s) | Fednet Krisalis Acclaim Entertainment |
| Platform(s) | Acorn Archimedes, PC, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, 3DO |
| Release date(s) | Acorn Archimedes 1994 3DO 1995 PC October 8th, 1996[1] PlayStation 1996 Sega Saturn 1996 |
| Genre(s) | Space simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Star Fighter or Star Fighter 3000 is a 3D flight based shoot-em-up. The gameplay is mission based and involves elements of strategy and planning.
Contents |
"The year is 3037, and peak-time TV has acquired its most successful audience participation show ever. A result of the intensified battle for advertising revenue and military hardware between the two rival broadcasting companies, Fednet and TrashTV, lucky viewers were selected from thousands of applicants to take part in the Star Fighter UEP (Ultimate Expansion Programme).
The idea was simple ... Assemble an enormous military attack force around progressively difficult strategic locations (mostly belonging to TrashTV), invite viewers to take part in the ensuing battle, and broadcast the results ...unfortunately, the battle soon escalated into a universal conflict. TrashTV quickly made a number of allies, (mainly on the promise of cheap advertising), each being a powerful military force in the galaxy.
It's your job to eliminate the opposition, and everybody else that stands in the way of Fednet's rightful position as the only purveyor of quality entertainment through the known universe. Destroy their buildings, Exterminate their armies, Grind them into the dust, all for points and prizes. "
The first version of Star Fighter 3000 was launched at the Acorn World show in 1994 for Acorn's RISC OS platform. It was written by Tim Parry and Andrew Hutchings, who had been responsible for a number of previous RISC OS games, including Chocks Away and Stunt Racer 2000. These earlier games had been published by the Fourth Dimension, but for the release of Star Fighter the two set up their own company, called FedNet, to handle the duplication and distribution.
Star Fighter 3000 was first released on November 1, 1994 by Fednet Software. The current version for RISC OS machines, still under development by Christopher Bazley, is 3.14, which is compatible with the most up to date generation of RISC OS hardware and can be played (multitasking) in the desktop. 3.14 is a free upgrade available to any owner of a previous release.
A second version for RISC OS was developed for the Omega PC. Essentially a back-port of the 3DO code mentioned below. Development was headed by Nathan Atkinson, formerly of Visions of the Impossible (VoTI), and coding was done by Lee Noar. This version featured all the graphically and gameplay enhancements of the 3DO version. It was to be bundled with every new Omega sold, coded to specifically use its graphics hardware. However, the deal fell through when Microdigital started showing financial difficulties. This version was later made available for Acorn Risc PC machines through RiscWorld magazine, the full version being bundled free with one of its issues.
The Acorn RISC OS version was an instant hit and impressed patrons at the Acorn show. The two Acorn programmers, Tim Parry and Andrew Hutchings, were approached by the 3DO company and asked if they would be able to port Star Fighter to the 3DO game console. The extra power of the ARM 6 used in the 3DO, plus the huge storage capacity on a CD and the increased RAM available meant that they were able to improve on the Acorn RISC OS version and to add in a lot of features that had simply proved impossible on a RISC OS machine. The 3DO version included digitised speech, full motion video computer rendered cut scenes and texture mapped 3d objects in addition to the texture mapped ground that was in the Acorn RISC OS.
The 3DO version of Star Fighter went on sale in 1995. The gameplay for the 3DO version is slightly different from the Acorn. The map screen is in 3D not 2D as in the Acorn RISC OS version. Also to upgrade your ship you collect series of 3D shapes after blowing up certain objects. In the Acorn RISC OS version you collected and spent money on ship upgrades. Another difference is that you can blast your way through mountain ranges with the laser. In the Acorn RISC OS version you cannot, the mountains are simple polygons.
Star Fighter 3000 was also released for the PC, Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn by Acclaim Entertainment. These versions were ports of the 3DO version. Unlike the original Acorn version and 3DO version, Tim Parry and Andrew Hutchings had no involvement in their development.
These versions were of inferior quality to the 3DO version. The most notable drop of quality was in the graphics. The game made heavy use of distance fog to significantly decrease the draw distance. Also, detail levels on the buildings, texture mapped ground and other objects were decreased. The graphical elements that impressed people in the 3DO versions were simply not there.
The PC version of Star Fighter was criticised for its poor graphics, story and controls.[2]