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News: Celebrating 30 years of Star Control 2 - The Ur-Quan Masters

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Author Topic: Why probes?  (Read 4418 times)
guesst
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Why probes?
« on: September 10, 2003, 04:52:11 am »

After destroying the 1x10^6th probe, I got to wondering, why was this ship chosen for the probe? I mean, FF&PR3 could have chosen any new ship to be the probe ship. Why one that's as fast and annoying as it is? Why not something that's a bit more of a throw away?

Is there a reason or did FF&PR3 not think that deep about it?

Just wondering.
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Chrispy
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Re: Why probes?
« Reply #1 on: September 10, 2003, 06:40:30 am »

maybe as a challenge, and to give u an incentive to get rid of them.
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Sage
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Re: Why probes?
« Reply #2 on: September 10, 2003, 03:58:10 pm »

They're fast and dangerous. This gives you an incentive to..
1) Upgrade your thrusters to the max to avoid them,
2) Upgrade your weapons system to combat them properly, or
3) Find the source and finish them off for good.

Since the first two are things that should eventually happen anyhow, this is just a way to whip you into shape and become the most powerful ship you can be. Plus it's a side quest that has more immediate results than many of the others.
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Michael Martin
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Re: Why probes?
« Reply #3 on: September 10, 2003, 05:34:15 pm »

I should add that the Probes were one of the things that seriously impressed me about this game, back in '92 and '93.  The weaponry and abilities of the Probe are tied to its intended mission, and its behavior is explainable (indeed, explained, in excruciating detail, once your resolve the subplot).  It all fits together, and it (mostly) makes sense.  (There's a small issue in that it should be using a missile battery against you if you don't talk first.)  The Probes also figure into the backstory, and show up in the comments of most neighboring races.

Far from them "not thinking that deeply about it"; I'd use the probes as evidence for why Star Control 2 is one of the few science fictional video games that really qualifies as "science fiction" in its own right as well.  (Starflight, Hyperspeed, and Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri are really the only other ones that routinely get that designation.)
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Yehat_Sympathizer
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Re: Why probes?
« Reply #4 on: September 10, 2003, 06:15:56 pm »

Totally right. The game would be boring if you didn't have to anything to worry about in space. Plus, it adds to the mystery, especially if you read the story in the manual and you're playing for the first time - who wiped out the crew of the tobermoon? and the captain after that? If you play the game for the first time, it's kind of creepy a little.

BTW, I'd like to recommend System Shock 2 as a real creepy game. Not so relevant to the thread, I guess..
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Chrispy
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Re: Why probes?
« Reply #5 on: September 11, 2003, 01:37:28 am »

the probe also really looks like its pilotless
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Deep-Jiffa
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Re: Why probes?
« Reply #6 on: September 11, 2003, 01:39:10 am »

They are... It is a computer.
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umgahbob
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Re: Why probes?
« Reply #7 on: September 11, 2003, 02:57:52 am »

I was always a little dissapointed that the probe encounters didn't become a lot more frequent, if you didn't bother to talk to the Slylandro. I always thought that if you didn't deal with the probe problem that by the middle of the 3rd year of play they should be appearing as often as other ships do when you're in their sphere of influence.
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Re: Why probes?
« Reply #8 on: September 11, 2003, 03:06:49 am »

Yea but they don't really have one. They are all over space. Beside that it is more likely to meet them far from thier home system since they explore space.
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Chrispy
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Re: Why probes?
« Reply #9 on: September 11, 2003, 06:29:37 am »

but i think the point is that if u ignore them to long, their get to be way to many of them. no problem as long as i have fwiffo Cool
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bigfoot256
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Re: Why probes?
« Reply #10 on: September 11, 2003, 08:20:11 am »

Heh heh, Fwiffo is good at the start, but it takes forever to defeat the probes. Multiple hellbores will kill nearly right away, and from a far distance too.
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Kohr-Ah_Death_1
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Re: Why probes?
« Reply #11 on: September 11, 2003, 10:18:25 am »

Those pathetic probes are no match ones the fusion blaster has been obtained. I was easily able to defeat them with my Precursor command shuttle......

Ahem....anyway....the probes never really were a hazard except in the very beginning....then they were just an annoyance....just there to pester you like one of those goofy villian sidekicks.......

Now, BOW DOWN TO THE KOHR-AH ELITE!
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Re: Why probes?
« Reply #12 on: September 11, 2003, 06:29:07 pm »

Actually they do worse to imbalance a game of super-melee than they do cause a problem in the main game.  In the main game you can build the main ship up pretty quickly to destroy the probes or outrun them.

OTOH, there's very few ships if many at all that can handle a probe well when it comes to in-melee action.
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Chrispy
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Re: Why probes?
« Reply #13 on: September 12, 2003, 02:39:56 am »

but fighting with fwiffo is so fun Cool
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