The Ur-Quan Masters Discussion Forum

Could this mean a new Star Control?  Also, would UQM be renamed?

http://www.toysforbob.com/database/tfb_news.html

Excerpt:
it's taken me my usual 3 paragraphs to get to the real meat of this news article. And here it comes: A Star Control Sequel. We (I) want us to do a Star Control sequel. Back in the early 90s, Paul and Fred and some other people made Star Control 2. Personally, I thought it was pretty amazing. It was like a drug to me. Not quite as much like a drug as the drugs were but very, very close. I know there are other people that loved this game too. Sometimes you email me and ask if we'll ever do a sequel. And I always tell you that I wish we could do a sequel but it's very hard to convince large publishing companies that a new Star Control would sell very well in the current video game market. But maybe, just maybe, if enough of you people out there send me emails requesting that Toys For Bob do a legitimate sequel to Star Control 2, I'll be able to show them to Activision, along with a loaded handgun, and they will finally be convinced to roll the dice on this thing.

Doesn't look like we should get our hopes up, but it looks a lot brighter than it has in the past.

This, would be awesome.

What would be more awesome is that if they do make it, they would use fan-made races over at TimeWarp, we've spent a lot of time working on them (I've been working on the Fjorn, picture in my Avy, and others.) since it's less time spent thinking and thinking hurts when all you want to do is play the final product.

Advise though. Get Pixar to make the Captain models, then my life would be nirvana, the animation and pain-staking detail they put into their characters would greatly boost the Spathi and every other single race.

[EDIT]

UNGH! I FORGOT! DO NOT MAKE COMBAT 3Dified! That would kill off some of the slower ships such as the Mycon! Make the models neat, and Hyper Space, True Space, Quaisispace etc 3D style, and even the planets, but please, not the Melee...

I'd like to see a Comand and Conquer style interface for planets like in Star Control 3 aswell (nice idea, bad game).

I need to sign this pention, but how do I?

OFF TOPIC, but,

What I like about these guys is that they're painfully honest and the friendly atmosphere, they really must of loved playing/making games, good luck to them, I hope Accolade lets them (I would not be suprised if they did, since this game has a huge fan base now, and what we need now is a decent, funny yet deep sci-fi adventure-who-dun-it-mystery-action-thrill ride right about now, not more of that "Sci-Fantasy" crap you get in Star Wars).

FINAL NOTE

Accolade wanted to sell the Star Control copyright, but never got around to it, Toys for Bob (if they really wanted to) could buy the copyright if Accolade would sell it to them, I'm just hoping they give it to them to make an excellent game on it again, everyone get's happy.

It's legally complicated to use fan-made creations, they will probably avoid it.

If someone were to ask me what I'd want in an sc2 sequel, I would say "Let TFB do their thing." PR3 is a master game designer, I trust that he and his team will be able to come up with something cool and original that's far from what we expect, and equally good if not better.

Well then, are we going to start sending the e-mails or what?

Yes. Everyone start mailing!

Well, it looks sort of like they kind of dropped a little subliminal note of them trying to get an SC2 sequel...

I don't really speak developertalk, but this article he wrote would actually NOT break the NDA, but still give us info!

No time right now so bye.

Edit: what I meant, was that it looks to me to be developerspeak that basically says "We're doing an SC2 sequel but we're not allowed to say so we'll just do as if we're asking people for opinions and go apeshit about this"... In other words: that new game MIGHT be SC3/4, and we MIGHT get heartattacks at E3...

Let's hope so at least..

Edit 2: TiLT made me realize on IRC that I was probably wrong with this.. But still! Get out those e-mails I say!

It looks to me that TfB is pretty serious about this, and if they're serious about this, anything can happen  8)
I'm going to send an e-mail.
I guess, if they got a couple of thousand e-mails, then they've a chance  :)

Responses on  paper are bound to pack more punch than email. Their address, from WHOIS:

7428 Redwood Blvd.
Suite 101
Novato, CA 94945
US

Well, the guys at TimeWarp would fall over themeselves if TfB asked them to be able to use some of their material, we just have to wait, hope, and pray.

I'm floored at this happening. Shaking at the potential that it opens up.

You know, if UQM2 ends up being modable you TW guys could add your own ships. Hallek is right that it's legally sticky to even attempt to use TW's stuff, (if they're even aware of them). They'd be way better off to not even play TW so that any new ships they make they can fall back on "we had no idea there was a similar ship out there" as a legal defense.

Then again, that's turned out bad before.

Let's just cross our fingers and sit at the feet of the Gods of Groombrige with upturned palms. Don't think we can stear their course one bit to the left or the right.

Unless they ask for it. In which case let 'em have it.

.:EDIT:.
I wonder if Yukki will return the Magic Toy Box now?

This is the best news I have had all years.  I hope that what they make is good.

I think we all know what they make will be good. It's just a question of whether or not it'll ever see the light of day.

I'm not usually one to sign any old petition or join any old letter/email writing campaign, but I think I'll break my moritorium today. This news is just that important.

I sent my e-mail, and they responded with in an hour. I wander if they have looked at this Ur-Quan Masters forum.

I've talked about with Chris from Toys for Bob, and I've got some more details. This is a serious effort. TFB are in talks about future projects, and a new Star Control is something which they want to persue. The title of this posting is actually wrong, the Star Control trademark doesn't come in, and the "recently regained rights" refer to the rights to the game itself, which they regained a number of years back, and which made the UQM Open Source project possible.

We can help by showing our support for such a new game. We're trying to do this a bit more organised. The plan is to get as much publicity from this as possible, but first we need to get a page up, one which will be able to handle a lot of traffic. The petition is old, and new entries can't (and probably shouldn't) be added. That reference needs to go, lest people give up after failing there.

So please don't start submitting this to news sites until we're ready, which is probably tomorrow.

Penny-Arcade (http://www.penny-arcade.com), man. I can not stress enough how much getting these guys on our side would help.

• Penny-Arcade is friggin' huge. Their readership has people in every walk of the professional video game world at their beck and call
  
• Every little thing they orginize explodes beyond their expetations. Penny-Arcade's readership has a way of making things happen
• Tycho of Penny-Arcade thinks very highly of Star Control
• (and, erm, I e-mailed him right away, so he already knows the news)[\li]
  

But if we can get their support, man, there's no way this thing wouldn't happen. No way.

OMG a sequel!

OMG a sequel!

OMG a sequel!

*faints*

*awakens*

Did I miss it? Did I miss the sequel? (Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown reenactment)

Humor aside...
I want to help, what can I do?
This is such good news. I'm so stoked. I'm sure every fan, young and old, is doing cartwheels right now.

I'd gladly offer them my Fjorn race, even though the guys at TimeWarp like it XD.

I want to see a Star-Craft Style system for the planets, so you could conquer them and what not.

Orz Mech Suits.

"Who's Controling the *Smell* now you *silly cows*!?"

Meep-eep: There exists such a service here: http://www.petitiononline.com/petition.html

In terms of getting publicity, here are some ideas.

• Put UQM in Torrent format.  Allow people to post a link to the torrent freely, on blogs, forum signatures, everywhere.  Rumour has it that games spread like wildfire via this technique, it'd be nice if it was desired by its developers this time. :)
• In the UQM installer, provide a Start Menu shortcut to a news page, which presumably has an obvious link to the petition webpage.  Maybe link to the petition directly, but that's a little heavy-handed. 
• Make some of the more dance-able remixes into modules for the open-source DDR-like game Step Mania (http://www.stepmania.com/).  Kind of an obscure association, who knows how big their user base is and if they would be interested in UQM. 
• Make Star Control-styled WinAmp skins.  In the skin's description on Winamp.com, post the link to the news or petition page. Again, somewhat obscure.
• http://www.wilwheaton.net/ , http://slashdot.org , http://www.theonion.com , http://suicidegirls.com/news/ ... if we get a nice, professional-looking press release, maybe try more mainstream media outlets?

It would be an honour to have Timewarp stuff used if they want to; somehow I think they'll do their own thing in the end. :)

Personally, I believe that this news is exciting--and potentially devastating.

With around fourteen years to build up, it doesn't seem likely that anything could live up to expectations, but I imagine they'll do the best possible.

The major thing I'm concerned about is how similar it is to the originals--I'm thinking that the graphics and the like should be similar enough to the existing stuff, but with all the modern technology, it doesn't seem likely that that'll happen--there would be some changes, I don't doubt. Hopefully, though, it'll remain close enough to the originals so that nobody'll complain.

I doubt that this project, of course, will interfere with UQM's future development--there's still a lot to do, after all.

If anyone can do SC3, it'll be them, I know.

-Bob

Actually, distributing UQM by torrent is already legal due to the licenses on the code and content. However, it would be useful to have an "official" torrent as opposed to having to sift through torrents on pirate site containing non-redistributable material like the 3DO videos.

I have actually already seen the UQM package downloadable here in a p2p application. I believe it's already on some p2p networks, just not an official download with lots of bandwidth yet

(well I didn't actually check that as it was only 2 or 3 users who had the package and I myself already have UQM installed and running so what's the use of downloading it again?).

*Faint*
Sequel hey....
Wonderful, if it ever happens, of course....

I personally hope that it comes out for PC windows/Linux .NET 1.0. I really don’t want to have to buy some game machine to play it. 

Well, if TFB works with Activision like they have been, we'll almost certanly see versions for all current consoles, and probably the handhelds as well. I should hope they'll return to their roots with a PC version, though.

Time will tell. We don't even know IF they're going to make the game yet! But lordy, do I hope they go for it; the gaming scene lately needs some serious help, and this is just the title to do it.

Okay, so then you send an email and then wait for the new petition site to go up, and then cast your vote there, as well?

You know, I feel a bit the same way. I mean, look at what George Lucas did to Star Wars. For years I've believe there could be no sequel to Star Control without FF & PRIII, but now that there can be a sequel, I'm almost afraid of it. It's like I'm simultaniously drinking from the dreges of hope and dispair.

No, I must not lose faith. No matter what they make I will play it. I will love it. No matter what.

But as with lucas, it is their series to make or break. Everything or Nothing! Flank Speed Ahead!

The page will contain a form to show your support to TFB from the web, as well as serve as a place for sites to link to (toysforbob.com is not going to hold up when a site with a big number of readers links to it). It will contain a bit of background information, and its URL will be included in the "press releases" that go out.
If you fill in the form, a mail will be sent to 'alexness at toysforbob.com', so if you did that from your own email client already, there's no need to use the form.

Anyway, GL and FF&PR3 are FF&PR3. FF & PR3 don't need a powerful studio exec to send in a real director to make sure their good ideas end up well-executed.

Imo you shouldn't post his e-mail address here in public. Note that the email address on TfB is a bitmap graphic, and not text. Perhaps link to that graphic instead (if that's possible).

I think that meep-eep knows what he's doing.

Okay, I removed it from my post.

Actually, I was thinking "if it's there once, adding it once more on the same page is not going to make things worse". But now Deus_Siddis has removed his, I've removed mine too.

The address on toysforbob.com is probably just text, but it's inside flash.

GameSpot has picked up on this (http://www.gamespot.com/news/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=24521940) on their "Rumour Control" page. :)

Ive sent off an email and I will also be drafting a hand written letter,  nothing too elaborate but just a little note they can use as proof that there is plenty of interest in a true sequel.

I'm going to buy that game when it comes out in November! w00t! 

TOYS FOR BOB OWNS!

SC3 was crappy but if TFB would come out with a sequel I would buy too. Waited too many years for one. Heck, it was SC2 that made me interested in SciFi games.

I'm rooting for TfB, If it's succesful, they could fund for a MMORPG for Star Control!

Oh god, anything but that! Even "Barbie Fashion Designer - Star Control Edition" would be better.

Good to hear I'm not the only one who doesn't live for MMORPGs.

I think a much better genre would be an Action/Strategy/RPG hybrid. But, as many have said, the original creators should use their best judgement over anyone else's.

Whoops, I forgot, I hate MMORPGs aswell...

If there was an online game made, it shouldn't have leveling, we should be able to land on planets and walk around, maybe even participate in Wars, Counter Strike Source Style, with all the guns, etc...

Clonking around with an ORZ would be great.

I hope this goes well, fondest regards to TfB, good luck with this!

I've put up a web page with a form and some background info here (http://sc2.sourceforge.net/petition/petition.php).

I'm locking this post so that we can have one official thread.