Stellar Frontier
| Stellar Frontier | |
|---|---|
| File:SFTITLE.png | |
| Developer(s) | Drengin.net & SF.net |
| Publisher(s) | Stardock & SF.net |
| Designer(s) | Doug Hendrix, Neil Hillis, Brad Wardell, Chris Valleriani, Matt Hoffman |
| Engine | 2D |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release | 1997 (Worldwide) |
| Genre(s) | Space simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
Stellar Frontier is a multiplayer space strategy/shooter game made by Doug Hendrix in 1997 and later licensed by Stardock. It was one of the first games on the TotalGaming.net subscription package. The game is now open source and a small team (SF.net) have taken the role of releasing new versions. Though the Stardock nexus is down, there is now a new nexus located at nexus.stellarfrontier.net[1]. A new release has been born as of December 30, 2008 that contains multiple updates. More information can be found at http://StellarFrontier.net. [2]
Gameplay
Stellar Frontier is a 2D top-down space shooter game where you are in command of your own starship. The player chooses a race to fight with (the four standard races are: Arcean, Drengin, Terran, and Pirate) and the objective is to "conquer the system" by taking control of the key planets. However, many players enjoy playing the game just to fight other players, these players usually do not bother to "conquer the system". Stellar Frontier can be played offline (against the computer), on a local intranet, or on the Internet.
The "warp drive" in this game is called Q-drive. Q-drive stands for Quantum Drive. Speed is calculated by c (EX: 0.65c, Q-drive speed ranges around 1.00 to 4.00, 4 being the max in the stock game).
Lag can be a big factor on "Player VS Player" fights. Lag is factored on ms (EX: At the moment 062ms is the lowest lag possible.). Extensive Lag coverage is on GAIN.
There can be as many as 100 AI on the server. When the game was released, many said that the AI was the most advanced of the genre (Sci-Fi RTS).
Internet play
Players play in servers that are hosted on the "Nexus". The main online new online nexus is served by Stellarfrontier.net. The nexus's address is nexus.stellarfrontier.net. Anybody can join in the online game at any time.
On August 4, 2006, Stardock Systems turned off the NEXUS at sf.stardock.net permanently.
On July 31, 2007, The game became Freeware, the codes are now provided free for the locked parts of the game. Instructions for getting a code is provided on the main site.[3]
On November 18, 2008, The game source code was released, as well as a new nexus being born (stellarfrontier.net). The game is now open to modifying by coding means, and a small group of coders have started working on a new release.[4]
On December 30, 2008, The new Stellar Frontier client & server is born, and is now back to operational status. The game no longer requires a code, and the game is deemed totally freeware with no code needed.[5]
Game Info
Main races
As of Stellar Frontier version 1.3, the standard races of the game are as follows:
- Arcean
- Drengin
- Terran
- Pirate
Playable ships
The following ships are available in the game. The player must meet a rank requirement to use each ship, with a higher requirement for more powerful ships. Each two ranks gained, a new ship is available to the user to use. The Marauder & BattleCruiser in pre 1.3 has been balanced to fit the new ship scematics as the game is now freeware.
- Freighter
- Corvette
- Frigate
- Destroyer
- Cruiser
- BattleCruiser
- Battleship
- Dreadnought
- Starbase
Ranks
All ranks are universal for all the races; there are no race-specific ranks for each race. The online ranking is listed from lowest to highest as follows:[6]
- Cadet
- Ensign
- 2nd Lieutenant
- 1st Lieutenant
- Senior Lieutenant
- Lieutenant Commander
- Commander
- Captain
- Senior Captain
- Fleet Captain
- Commodore
- Rear Admiral
- Vice Admiral
- Admiral
- Fleet Admiral
- Emperor
- Deity
External links
- Official
- Stellar Frontier .NET Visit SF.net for the newest releases & change log[7] information.
- Old Official website
- Forums
- Other
- Stellar Frontier Central - Player-maintained website with Stellar Frontier news, information, downloads, etc.
- Nexus Player Management System - You can now manage your nexus account online, such as changing your password.
References
- ^ [New nexus available in game.]
- ^ 1.3.0 Release Date Information
- ^ Stellar Aces on Stellar Frontier : Drengin Network
- ^ Stellar Frontier : Release Code
- ^ New versions can be found at SF.net
- ^ The list of Stellar Frontier ranks is available for viewing at any time during the online setup menu.
- ^ Stellar Frontier : Dev Log