Conference 501clb::games

3115.0. "Privateer 2 by Origin" by PCBUOA::BAYJ (Jim, Portables) Fri Mar 14 1997 13:55

    Just picked up Privateer 2.  Couldn't help myself.  I have the whole
    Wing Commander Series, including (yuck) Armada.

    Typical of Origin, they really went hog wild with full motion video and
    story line.  You spend a lot of time watching movies.

    My first impressions were absolutely terrible.  I hated it.  I had a
    few crashes.  Mostly, I found it hard to get around.  And, perhaps as
    part of the game design, there was a lot of obtuseness.  

    I don't think it will be a spoiler to say that some of the plot aspects
    of the game are based on experience, money, and number of missions. 
    Initially, there is no goal at all.  And, unlike Priv-1, you can't
    simply join a guild to get missions, so initially there's not a lot to
    do except try to get the feel for the universe and what trade goods
    might be of value in different places.  There is an online database
    that in theory would facilitate this, but I found that at least the
    obvious conclusions didn't bear out.

    Also, at the beginning you can't afford anything but a s***box, and it
    doesn't have ANY cargo capacity.  However, by shelling out a few of
    your precious galacto-dollars, you can hire a cargo ship to carry
    anything you like.  Then all you have to do is protect it.

    Although there are a lot of new devices, guns and uses for special
    equipment, I wasn't impressed with the initial options available.

    Another thing thats quite different is the navigation system.  On
    Priv-1 you actually had to work out optimum routes, and sometimes it
    was a case of you couldn't get from here to there.  But the universe
    was actually modeled, and though you might not be able to hand-fly from
    one jump point to another, you could certainly hand fly from one nav
    point to another, sometimes to advantage.  

    Not anymore.  I haven't really tried, but it seems like the nav points
    can only be reached by jumping.  So moving from world 1 to world 2
    involves pressing the 'j' key as many times as the computer
    automatically determines the number of navpoints that separates you
    from your destination (with an occasional fire fight sometimes).  The
    universe map is quite impressive, being completely 3-D, but its 99% for
    show since your routes are all pre-programmed.  And afterburner fuel is
    not replenishable without landing, ensuring that outrunning an opponent
    is *not* an option.

    The balance of the add-on devices seems to have changed.  There are a
    lot more trade-offs.  You won't be able to outfit the ultimate craft by
    virtue of money alone.  In fact, some of the more advanced options seem
    totally unacceptable at the rates they charge for them.

    One nice feature is that you no longer automatically land when you get
    close to a planet.  Instead, an idiot with a fake Aussie accent warns
    you in a flip manner that you'll "burn up" if you keep coming.  Haven't
    tested that, but it wouldn't surprise me.

    Another subtle change for hardcore Privateers is that the ITTS is a
    standard feature in all the targeting systems.  So far I find that it
    makes the targeting extremely simple, though it can be "turned off" by
    not selecting a primary locked target.  Also, the guns have a limit
    built in, but unlike the energy-based limit that could be circumvented
    by buying bigger engines, the guns "overheat".  I think cooling devices
    are available for big bucks.

    After reading some of the clues in the latest CGW, I feel like there is
    a little method to the madness, and hopefully I'll explore a little
    more this weekend during the big snowstorm.

    jeb