Star Fleet Battles?

[RedArgo]

Does anyone know of a SFB computer game (or knock off because of the license)? I've played Star Fleet Command, and while I like it, the real time just isn't the same as the old board game, which I used to have but dissappeared after college. This seems like it might be a good project for a small developer who can make a solid game with out worrying about super special effects and huge sales quotas.

In any case, I'll just sit quietly and wait for FOF watching the Dodgers lose in the first round yet again.

Thanks,
Bill

[sysrkm]

Hi Red,

I seem to remember a turn based version of SFB a few years ago. I'll see if I can find it. I think it relied a lot on Java. My former roomie was playing it with a buddy of his. In fact, I'd like to take another look at it if the turn resolution is WEGO.

OT: Noticed your ID says you're from Illinois. I was born in Carbondale, in southern Illinois. Where are you from?

Regards,

Rob 'sysrkm' McClure

[Nikademus]

I know the program. It wore a play aid IIRC. It auto calcuated many of the things in the board game, like impulse movement and damage allocation.

[RedArgo]

I had a SFB type game a few years ago, but for some reason I didn't keep it and now I can't find it. Everything I get from google refers to the board game or Star Fleet Command.

OT Reply: I'm from Hudson which is just north of Bloomington.

Bill

[Nikademus]

Pretty sure its just a play aid given the potential copyright infringement issues.

SFC had great potential but was ruined by the AI which only knew one tactic.....close to point blank range and attack. That might work for Feds, but was ruinous for the Romulans (who were also without their Plasma bolts), Gorns, ISC and particularily the Klingons who could really use the Saber Dance maneuver.

[bartholimew]

If you have an apple 2C I still have a copy of "the Warp Factor" by SSI. This is a SFB turnbased game.

[RedArgo]

I forgot Warp Factor, that is exactly the type of game I was thinking of. Maybe I can get that running on an emulator.

I remember I has some extended graphics card for my Apple IIe that I had to remove from the box or Warp Factor wouldn't run. That was a long time ago.

[sysrkm]

Hi Red,

I found this program called Star Fleet Helper, here's the link

http://www.darkshire.org/~jhkim/public_ ... armon.html

It's a play aid though.

The program my ex roomie had found a while back is called SFB Online and it's from Amarillo Design Bureau, the same folks that put out SFB in the first place. Evidently, this is an online version of SFB played over the web. It's a subscription service, and for me, it was over priced at $40 a year, but if you REALLY LIKE SFB, this might be something you would be interested in. Here's the link:

http://www.sfbonline.com/

I've had my fill of SFB though, at least the paper and pencils game. I was a member of one three "A" playtest groups that ADB used to test the game, back in 1983 to 1987. I designed the Tholian Command Cruiser and helped re-write the tractor beam rules, after we found out that a small Orion ship could hold a starbase hostage if it decloaked and caught the starbase flatfooted.
We took a bunch of our group to Origins in Dallas in 1984 (I think) where 4 of us made the final 8 for the Captain's Tournament and a buddy of mine finished runner up in the SFB demo derby. Problem was, Mr. Cole made sure that none of us won anything SFB related while we were there. IIRC, an Aussie won the Captain's tournament.

My problem with the game is all the add ons that don't add on much for the money you're paying. Plus I've met Steve Cole, and he's not someone I'd have a drink with or shoot the breeze with. I think since 1990 he's just been trying to eek out a living by wringing every last little penny out of a dead franchise.
And I could only imagine what it was like to be a kid and trying to be competitive at the game if you couldn't afford all the BS add ons.

SFB makes a FAR better computer game because the computer won't allow people to take advantage of the rules as often as the paper and pencils game would. I really enjoyed Star Fleet Command 1 and 2, but SFC 3 dumbed down the game and that's when I quit playing.

Good luck with the rest of your search. If you try SFB Online, please come back and let us know if it's any good. If someone tries it and it sounds good, I might try it myself. My youngest son (he's 9) likes Star Trek and it would be fun to find another game we could play together. Plus, I trust a computer to manage the rulebook a lot more than another human being.

One other thing you might want to try if you're industrious, is creating an SFB counter set for Vassal. I've used Vassal to play Ogre GEV and am getting ready to use it to play SquadLeader. Vassal will only manage movement and counter stacks, you'll need the rules for SFB to play or at least be familiar with them. IIRC, Vassal will allow you to print Combat Resolution Tables onto the game screens, so that helps eliminate some clutter.

Hope this helped some, and sorry it was so long.

Regards,

Rob

[jchastain]

BTW, there does appear to be an old DOS version of Warp Factor.  Is is available for download at abandonware sites such as:  http://www.xtcabandonware.com/

[RedArgo]

I found the program I was thinking of. It is called Fleet Starship Tactical Combat Simulator made in 1996. I tried it and it crashed after a few turns on my Win2000 machine. It seems to be a simple version of SFB with out the Star Trek lingo. In order to unlock all the option of the game you need to register it, but it appears the company that made it is no more. Maybe someday someone will make a modern version.

Anyway, thanks to all of you for your help.
Bill

[Zap]

Since we are identifying former Illinoians I heralded from Harvey Il. south suburb of Chicago.

[ilovestrategy]

Woot! Starfleet Battles! I played campaigns on that board game for years! Me and a friend of mine had our own General War back in the 80's. Took about a year of constant gaming before all we had left out our fleets were light crusiers and destroyers. We even had all of our ships named too! Wow, those were the days! [:)]

[Jevhaddah]

Sigh... I still have all my SFB stuff in the loft along with Federation and Empire.  I introduced the game to my friends and most nights we could be found playing or planning strategies.  Drove our wives nutz [:D]

My girls are just about of an age to understand the cadet senarios...soooo maybe........ [:D]

Cheers

Jev

[Kuokkanen]

was ruinous for the Romulans (who were also without their Plasma bolts)

If you are referring weapon used in Star Trek episode Balance of terror, it is called plasma torpedo in Starfleet Command. And there are plenty of Klingon ships which Romulans have retrofitted with those weapons.

What bugs me though, is that disruptors are classed as heavy weapons when in series they seemed to be Klingon's counterpart for Starfleet's phasers. In addition Starfleet seems to be only faction which seems to use photon torpedoes even though in movies Klingons use them too and in TNG episode Yesterday's Enterprise was mentioned that Romulans had fired Ambassador-class ship with pho-torps.

[rhondabrwn]

ORIGINAL: Jevhaddah

Sigh... I still have all my SFB stuff in the loft along with Federation and Empire. I introduced the game to my friends and most nights we could be found playing or planning strategies. Drove our wives nutz [:D]

My girls are just about of an age to understand the cadet senarios...soooo maybe........ [:D]

Cheers

Jev

Yea Jev, indoctrinate them early like my big brother did to me! [:D]

I'll be looking forward to having more girls on the board! (when I'm 65).

[Jevhaddah]

Cheers Rhonda, I will get to work on it [:D]

Disruptors were the Kilngon Heavy Weapons in SFB, Photon Torpedo's were Federation and Plasma Torpedos were Romulan.

Disruptors were not as powerful as Phot Torps but they could be fired each turn, whereas Phot Torps had a 1 turn Loading loading Cycle which meant they could only be fired every other turn.

Plasma Torpedos could also be fire as as Plasma Bolts which had less distructive power but did not Dissapate with range. They were classed as Direct fire beam weapons [:D]

Most Klingon Warships D5, D6 and D7 had phaser 2 mounts with some having 1 or 2 Phaser 1's fitted after refit.

Sigh..... ANd thats without looking at the Captains edition Manual for 15 years [:D]

The various serieres of Startrek had everyone fireing everything, but SFB was desigined around Classic Trek.

Cheers

Jev

[sysrkm]

Hey Zap,

Sorry I missed this. I thought I had this forum marked to send me an email every time someone answered.

Been through Harvey a number of times. Back in my late teens, I was in rock bands that played all over south suburban Chicago.

I miss being up there and the seasons, but I can't find a job up there making what I make now down in Houston.

Regards,

Rob

[Zap]

My brothers still live in the south suburbs of chicago. Harvey and many of those subarbs are not what they used to be. Lot of change for the worse. I was in High school till 1973. Did you ever play in Chicago Heights at Marian Catholic High?

I left Illinois at age 23 that was in 1978 never went back to live only to visit family. After 10 years in Italy I ended up in Southern California were I live today.

Any bands names I might recognize?

[nyarlathotep]

Wow I didn't realize so many SFB lovers skulking in the shadows.  Unfortunately I gave all my SFB items to my friend right before I went into the service in 1989 which was a huge mistake and I wish I could go back in time to slap myself.  On the plus side I was not as dumb to give away my F&E and even kept some of the captain's logs books.

I don't see how any practical game could be made due to all the rules, and that's just the basic rules.  I would suspect that the best you could make is an aid.

However I have been hoping for someone to make a computer version of F&E which I think would definitely be doable.

[Jevhaddah]

It would be great if someone could make a proper computer version of SFB, it could be modular too.  Starting of with 3 or four main races, Feds, Klingons, Romulan and Gorn or Kzinti. A few ships in each class with basic rules all of which could be added to in later modules.  Graphics would not be that high a priority either, just keeping it at standard FSB game tokens would suffice for me.

Wrap it up with an editor in which yoo could build yer own custom senarios and ships and I would be first in line with mt credit card. It would aslo have to be turned based and the UI could be made to look like a tactical terminal with yoo  as Admiral of the fleet etc. [:D]

Sigh I can dream [:)]

Cheers

Jev