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The Ur-Quan Masters - A great open-source game

Monday 14th April, 2008 @ 12:32 am

Before you complain about this title completely contradicting my last post I want to point out that I’ve already given myself a good telling off and I’m sure I will never do it again.

Do you like computer games? If not then why are you reading a computer games post?

Anyway, those remaining like computer games. Do you have a computer with Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, BSD or a GP2X, PSP or Windows CE device?

If so, goto the UQM download page and get it now while I tell you why it is such a great game.

I’m a real sucker for good stories. UQM is the open-source port of Star Control 2, one of the best game stories I’ve ever played (and I’ve played a lot of games). Humanity has been conquered by a brutal regime after attempting and failing to fight for their freedom. Their people are enslaved but safe on Earth and their allies have also been enslaved and trapped on their homeworlds or forced to fight for the Ur-Quan’s military. You come to Earth from a research mission on another world, cut off from Earth since the war and don’t know any of the above. The researchers discovered an ancient alien race and ancient technology. From then onwards it is your job to deck out your ship and kick some serious alien arse.

UQM is so good because it is full voice acted somehow, frankly amazing for a game released in 1992. The script is intelligent and amusing, each races having fatal flaws and how you talk to them has a real effect on your interactions with the races later in the game. You have multiple dialogue choices and a huge amount of dialogue available from every NPC if you choose to grill them.

As well as the discussion and interaction you need to gather resources to equip your ship by mining planets, some light trading or destroying enemy ships. No race is forced to be your friend and every race can be at least partially placated on occasion. Your ship can be decked out in the fashion you see fit depending on if you want to play in a bloodthirsty fashion, killing enemy ships, just carry lots of cargo or somewhere in between the two.

Every of the 10+ races has their own music, art-style, feel and area of space. The galaxy is huge with thousands of planets to explore and many nooks-and-crannies than can convey advantages through technology or pivotal diplomatic assets.

Combat is settled in a 2D shooter fashion, flying your little ship about with Newtonian physics trying to outshoot or flee from your enemies.

This game a strange fusion of adventure and action with RPG and RTS elements also thrown in. The bright, colorful graphics have actually aged reasonably well and don’t detract from the great game.

If you like computer games at all I challenge you to leave the Sol system in this game (<1 hour of gameplay) and not be enjoying it. I will be frankly amazed if you do.

This is a brilliant game, hats off to both the original developers and the open-source team that have made the game work so well on modern platforms.

Go and play it now!

Posted in Computer Games, Software Development