I have noticed from some of the comments and other sources that there are some old sfb players here. I think that it would be neat if they built a version into the game based on the old system by task force. it could use power allocation sheet,weapons and races wich would add a lot of verity altough the run and gun approach is fun this was more of a chess game. and would give even greater verity of playable races by the end. If you agree post if not post and say why i look forward to feedback.
Yes huge SFB fan here and I certainly see many correlations. I hang out with a good many other SFB players in game and all of us belong to Starfleet International.
Aye, a long time SFBer here as well. (Go Hydrans!!!) What you propose, I would rather just have a true SFB online game created from the ground up. Yes, SFC was pretty damn close, but I want a TRUE SFB game. (and no, I don't count that arcaic SFB Online thing they have up currently, I am talking bells and whistles! It is 2010! There should be no reason NOT to have SFB online proper by now....
I'd actually love to see SFB get programmed into a game. Doesn't have to be graphic intensive. Heck, it could look like OGRE for all I care in terms of the actual gameplay. Just give me all the meat and potatos of the game, and I'd be a happy camper.
As I've said before, I believe Steve Cole would sooner burn down ADB's warehouse and take SFB to his grave with him than allow anyone else any sort of creative control over any of his work, without him having complete veto rights.* Cryptic is already dealing with CBS, I don't think they want to deal with ADB as well! Not to mention that CBS would probably insist that Cryptic have nothing whatsoever to do with ADB.
And yes.. I would like to see Hydrans, and SFB's version of Klingons, and even Lyrans and Andromedans in the game. (ISC... not so much; they really don't fit 'canon' at all well.) Dunno about the mechanics of the game. SFB and even Federation Commander have some fiddly bits. It's not really designed for quick-thinking real-time action. You savor your every impuse per turn, and plot out your energy allocation carefully. I don't think that would go over well. Cryptic could have put more detail into power allocation, but there's only so much more complex it can be made without it starting to be unweildly.
That being said, a bunch of elements from the SFC games would be nice to see -- the light frigates you start the game with for starters, and that battlecruiser class, what was it... oh, yes, the EXCELSIOR. And from the pen-and-paper side of things, I'd love to do some drone configuration and ECM to THAT level of detail!
* - Not that I can entirely fault him. SVC has something of an attitude but SFB is his baby and he has poured his life into it. It's hard to find fault with a guy who has that much invested in something that a lot of people enjoy.
SFB (and SFC) are long reaction heavy thinking games. You can only fire once or so in a turn. You spend most of that turn lining up your shot. (Sometimes it takes longer than that.) In STO you have ships with the firepower of destroyers (2 torpedoes and 4-6 phasers), but their weapons fire far faster than you see in SFB (or SFC). You spend a lot more time in STO acting very quickly to inflict damage or reduce damage and repair your own ship.
Long time SFB player here. I would love to see some of the elements from SFB in game but I agree that SFB should have a game build from the ground up other than SFC.
Ah, the hours and hours of game play with SSDs, DAC and others...
SFB (and SFC) are long reaction heavy thinking games. You can only fire once or so in a turn. You spend most of that turn lining up your shot. (Sometimes it takes longer than that.) In STO you have ships with the firepower of destroyers (2 torpedoes and 4-6 phasers), but their weapons fire far faster than you see in SFB (or SFC). You spend a lot more time in STO acting very quickly to inflict damage or reduce damage and repair your own ship.
if you are a SFB player then you'd know that a 32 impulse turn is like 30 seconds of realtime
Lyrans ESG's FTW.
STO needs
Drones
Phaser G's
Klingon Mauler
Pseudo Fighters and their Tenders
and the list go's on
if you are a SFB player then you'd know that a 32 impulse turn is like 30 seconds of realtime
You kind of need more than thirty seconds to plan out that turn's power allocation, movement, and weapons, in addition to planning out the next few turns' power requirements. (Mostly charging weapons like photorps, plasma torps, and suicide shuttles.) If someone can play SFB in 'realtime' I'd love to see that!
We're just talking about SFB being computerized and having a graphical interface. And not like SFC, no. Fun as those games were, they weren't SFB. I want turn-based, large battle fleet actions. Tournaments. F vs E. Advanced Marine action. Legendary officer abilities. And in computer form, we could have all that, and not take an entire day... or even week... to play out one battle. I mean, seriously... you get enough tokens to keep track of, that's a lot of writing. And a lot of wasted paper for all the SSDs.
You kind of need more than thirty seconds to plan out that turn's power allocation, movement, and weapons, in addition to planning out the next few turns' power requirements. (Mostly charging weapons like photorps, plasma torps, and suicide shuttles.) If someone can play SFB in 'realtime' I'd love to see that!
I think he meant "real time" as in "the passage of time on the ship" type real time. Not the "omgicantwritefastenoughandreadatthesametimeandmoveallthesefrickingtokensandomgijustshowedmypaperstomyopponentARRRRRRG!" kind of real time.
I played the original 'bagged version (loved it) and then the Deluxe boxed version made by Taskforce Games (It's still one of my fovorite board games to this day). Stopped before it got to the 'tons of sourcebooks and add on rules' stage though (and the first version was out curca 1980).
Yep, LOTS of fun trying to outmanuever those Romulan plasma torpedoes - and EVERYONE wanted to see an 11 (torp) when rolling for your opponent's damage on the internal damage table ).
We're just talking about SFB being computerized and having a graphical interface. And not like SFC, no. Fun as those games were, they weren't SFB. I want turn-based, large battle fleet actions. Tournaments. F vs E. Advanced Marine action. Legendary officer abilities. And in computer form, we could have all that, and not take an entire day... or even week... to play out one battle. I mean, seriously... you get enough tokens to keep track of, that's a lot of writing. And a lot of wasted paper for all the SSDs.
Oh, my mistake! I had thought the discussion was about integrating SFB with STO. Shutting up now!
We're just talking about SFB being computerized and having a graphical interface. And not like SFC, no. Fun as those games were, they weren't SFB. I want turn-based, large battle fleet actions. Tournaments. F vs E. Advanced Marine action. Legendary officer abilities. And in computer form, we could have all that, and not take an entire day... or even week... to play out one battle. I mean, seriously... you get enough tokens to keep track of, that's a lot of writing. And a lot of wasted paper for all the SSDs.
Awesome and such. Of course, there's one little catch. Ideally, the game wouldn't allow you to make an illegal move.
Of course, that's one of the tricks in tournament. Seeing if you can fudge a little and your opponent not notice.
Um... not if you're an honorable player. Most of them fess up if they notice they made a mistake turns back, nevermind actually trying to 'fugde' things.
Um... not if you're an honorable player. Most of them fess up if they notice they made a mistake turns back, nevermind actually trying to 'fugde' things.
Didn't say it was a good trick. Or one commonly used. But it is a trick that has been used.
Comments
Aye, a long time SFBer here as well. (Go Hydrans!!!) What you propose, I would rather just have a true SFB online game created from the ground up. Yes, SFC was pretty damn close, but I want a TRUE SFB game. (and no, I don't count that arcaic SFB Online thing they have up currently, I am talking bells and whistles! It is 2010! There should be no reason NOT to have SFB online proper by now....
And yes.. I would like to see Hydrans, and SFB's version of Klingons, and even Lyrans and Andromedans in the game. (ISC... not so much; they really don't fit 'canon' at all well.) Dunno about the mechanics of the game. SFB and even Federation Commander have some fiddly bits. It's not really designed for quick-thinking real-time action. You savor your every impuse per turn, and plot out your energy allocation carefully. I don't think that would go over well. Cryptic could have put more detail into power allocation, but there's only so much more complex it can be made without it starting to be unweildly.
That being said, a bunch of elements from the SFC games would be nice to see -- the light frigates you start the game with for starters, and that battlecruiser class, what was it... oh, yes, the EXCELSIOR.
* - Not that I can entirely fault him. SVC has something of an attitude but SFB is his baby and he has poured his life into it. It's hard to find fault with a guy who has that much invested in something that a lot of people enjoy.
Ah, the hours and hours of game play with SSDs, DAC and others...
if you are a SFB player then you'd know that a 32 impulse turn is like 30 seconds of realtime
Lyrans ESG's FTW.
STO needs
Drones
Phaser G's
Klingon Mauler
Pseudo Fighters and their Tenders
and the list go's on
You kind of need more than thirty seconds to plan out that turn's power allocation, movement, and weapons, in addition to planning out the next few turns' power requirements.
We're just talking about SFB being computerized and having a graphical interface. And not like SFC, no. Fun as those games were, they weren't SFB. I want turn-based, large battle fleet actions. Tournaments. F vs E. Advanced Marine action. Legendary officer abilities. And in computer form, we could have all that, and not take an entire day... or even week... to play out one battle. I mean, seriously... you get enough tokens to keep track of, that's a lot of writing. And a lot of wasted paper for all the SSDs.
I think he meant "real time" as in "the passage of time on the ship" type real time. Not the "omgicantwritefastenoughandreadatthesametimeandmoveallthesefrickingtokensandomgijustshowedmypaperstomyopponentARRRRRRG!" kind of real time.
Yep, LOTS of fun trying to outmanuever those Romulan plasma torpedoes - and EVERYONE wanted to see an 11 (torp) when rolling for your opponent's damage on the internal damage table
"This is your ship. This is your ship after 4 overloaded photon torpedos. Any questions?"
Oh, my mistake! I had thought the discussion was about integrating SFB with STO.
Not sure if it's still running but
http://www.sfbonline.com/index.jsp
Awesome and such. Of course, there's one little catch. Ideally, the game wouldn't allow you to make an illegal move.
Of course, that's one of the tricks in tournament. Seeing if you can fudge a little and your opponent not notice.
Um... not if you're an honorable player. Most of them fess up if they notice they made a mistake turns back, nevermind actually trying to 'fugde' things.
Didn't say it was a good trick. Or one commonly used. But it is a trick that has been used.