Star Trek: Starfleet Command

Star Trek: Starfleet Command is a computer game based on the table-top wargame Star Fleet Battles. It was developed by 14° East and Quicksilver Software and published by Interplay Entertainment. It was released in 1999 for Microsoft Windows. It simulates starship operations, ship-to-ship combat, and fleet warfare in the Star Trek universe. An expanded version was released in 2000 titled Star Trek: Starfleet Command - Gold Edition. It includes the latest patch and all the missions that were downloadable from the official website.

Not to be confused with Star Trek Fleet Command.
Starfleet Command
Developer(s)14° East
Quicksilver Software
Publisher(s)Interplay Entertainment
Producer(s)Gary Graeper
Erik Bethke
Designer(s)Erik Bethke
Programmer(s)Marc Hertogh
Michael Donovan Mandap
Artist(s)Scott Bieser
Adam Rote
Composer(s)Ron Jones
SeriesStar Trek
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
Genre(s)Space flight simulator
Real-time tactics
Mode(s)Single-player, Multiplayer

Gameplay
Starfleet battlecruiser in open space.
Starfleet battlecruiser in open space.

The player chooses to represent one of the Star Trek factions, including the Gorn, the Hydran Kingdom, the Klingon Empire, the Lyran Empire, the Orion Pirates, the Romulan Star Empire, and the United Federation of Planets.[3] Play can be a simple skirmish, or single- or multi-player mode.[3]

Gameplay consists of maneuvering one's ship to approach enemy ships and assault them in the areas where various systems and ship's shields are vulnerable. It also consists of achieving various other objectives specified in mission assignment, which are provided at the beginning of each scenario. Depending on the specific assignment, this can include interacting with various ships, aliens, planetary bodies, and other objects in space.

Plot

Though the game has no central story-mode campaign, players may play as a member of one of six stellar powers, each one having at least one elite organization that, when joined, will trigger special missions that tell various stories. Though having unique stories, each race's special missions all contribute expository information on the fate of a race known as the Organians and the effect that their departure from known space has since caused.

Reception

The game received "favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[4] John Lee of NextGen called it "a complex real-time strategy game with a steep learning curve, but it's eminently rewarding."[15]

According to Erik Bethke, sales of the game surpassed 350,000 copies after a year on shelves "without counting the Gold Edition and the Neutral Zone expansion."[18] It was Interplay's best-selling game through direct sales, above Baldur's Gate.[19]

The staff of Computer Games Strategy Plus nominated the game for their 1999 "Real-Time Strategy Game of the Year" award, which ultimately went to Age of Empires II: The Age of Kings. They wrote that the game "avoided the curse of the Star Trek game and produced a game of remarkable depth coupled with simple mechanics."[20]

In 2016, Tom's Guide ranked the game as one of the top ten Star Trek games.[21] A year later, PC Gamer ranked it among the best Star Trek games.[22] Three years afterward, Screen Rant ranked it as the 4th best Star Trek game.[23]

See also

References
  1. "pc.ign.com: Starfleet Command". web.archive.org. 2000-08-15. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  2. "Gone Gold : EuroGold". web.archive.org. 2001-02-10. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  3. Fannon, Sean Patrick (August 1999). "Str Trek: Star Fleet Command". InQuest Gamer. No. 52. InQuest Gamer staff. Wizard Entertainment. p. 31-32.
  4. "Star Trek: Starfleet Command for PC". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  5. Rubin, Brian. "Star Trek: Starfleet Command - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 15, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  6. Cirulis, Martin E. (August 24, 1999). "Star Trek: Starfleet Command". Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  7. Sones, Benjamin E. (September 2, 1999). "[Star Trek] Starfleet Command". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Strategy Plus, Inc. Archived from the original on August 28, 2002. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  8. Ferrel, Keith (November 1999). "True Trek At Last! ([Star Trek] Starfleet Command Review)" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 184. Ziff Davis. p. 166. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  9. "Star Trek: Starfleet Command". Game Informer. No. 79. FuncoLand. November 1999.
  10. "REVIEW for Star Trek: Starfleet Command". GameFan. Shinno Media. October 15, 1999.
  11. Larka, Lance A. (October 1999). "Star Trek: Starfleet Command Review [date mislabeled as "December 1998"]". GameRevolution. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on February 14, 2004. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  12. Poole, Stephen (August 27, 1999). "Star Trek: Starfleet Command Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  13. Kemuel (September 17, 1999). "Star Trek: Starfleet Command Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on February 19, 2003. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  14. Ward, Trent C. (August 11, 1999). "[Star Trek] Starfleet Command". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  15. Lee, John (November 1999). "Star Trek: Starfleet Command". NextGen. No. 59. Imagine Media. p. 124. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  16. Hudka, Chris (November 1999). "StarTrek [sic]: Starfleet Command". PC Accelerator. No. 15. Imagine Media. p. 89. Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  17. "Star Trek: Starfleet Command". PC Gamer UK. Future plc. 1999.
  18. Bethke, Erik (January 25, 2003). Game Development and Production. Wordware Publishing. p. 16. ISBN 1556229518.
  19. Asher, Mark (April 10, 2000). "Game Spin: Star Trek and Diablo II". Gamecenter. CNET. Archived from the original on August 24, 2000.
  20. CGM staff (March 6, 2000). "The Computer Games Awards: The Best Games of 1999 (Real-time Strategy Game of the Year)". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Strategy Plus, Inc. Archived from the original on April 1, 2005. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  21. Honorof, Marshall (July 21, 2016). "Top 10 Star Trek Games". Tom's Guide. Future plc. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  22. Cobbett, Richard (September 25, 2017). "The best Star Trek games". PC Gamer. Future plc. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  23. Goodwille, Ian (April 3, 2020). "10 Best Star Trek Video Games, Ranked". Screen Rant. Valnet Inc. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
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