star trek armada vs armada 2

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star trek armada 1 vs 2

Discussion in ' Trek Gaming ' started by tmosler , Dec 14, 2013 .

tmosler Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

I was just wondering which one people like better?  

bbjeg Admiral Admiral

I liked the first one better. The second wasn't bad but it felt like it's additions pulled away from the game. IIRC.  

Sam_I_Am Captain Captain

I prefer the second one but I think that's because it's the first one I played.  

The Star Trek vs Star Wars mod worked better in the second one though IMO.  

Tirius Captain Captain

Definately A1. It had by far the better storyline, and much more balanced ships. In A2, everything but the battleships so often seemed to be made of paper, which in my opinion made them feel too expendable. On the upside, I did like A2's resource and trade system, and its visuals were a definate improvement.  

^Yeah, A1's story line was better.  

Kadratis Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

I think the first was my favorite. The huge story was epic, especially more so at the last stretch. Not to mention they had Stewart, Hertzler, Dorn, Crosby reprise their roles respectively, though I thought it was awesome that Alice Krige actually voiced the Queen in Armada II.  

F. King Daniel Fleet Admiral Admiral

A2 seemed overly-complicated to me compared to A1.  

^That's what I was trying to get at earlier.  

Gul Re'jal Commodore Commodore

I like A2 more but only because I can play the Cardassian or Species 8472 in Instant Action. I don't remember storylines any more. Hmm, maybe I should refresh them  

Human-annoyed Commander Red Shirt

I prefer Armada 1. I still go back and play it every couple of years. Haven't played A2 since the first time.  

I just started playing A1 again. Is this game cannon, with the actors reprising their roles and all?  

Bearded Bloke said: ↑ I just started playing A1 again. Is this game cannon, with the actors reprising their roles and all? Click to expand...

daedalus5 Rear Admiral Moderator

I still remember the hype and watching the movie like trailers for Armada 1, so that'll always be for me, the best. The experience playing it was fun, and it was the first time I ever played as a Borg ship, which was great. Alas, the movie trailer made it look far better than it was.i cheated on both games for infinite dilithium, which I found increased the fun levels significantly.  

Shawnster Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

I liked the mods I downloaded for Armada2 that allowed the addition of Tholians, Ferengi, Dominion, Breen  

I have to say, I played part one, the story was great but the instant action grew tiresome, then I played part two, the story was (well, currently is) lacking but the instant action was more fun. Armada 2 has longevity IMO.  

Viper78 Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

I preferred the first one, although the second did have the Galaxy class in it.  

Ro_Laren Commodore Commodore

I liked the first Armada game better. Man I miss playing Armada!  

After playing them both (and growing tired of both after awhile), Armada I was the better of the two, story-wise, but Armada II had better instant action.  

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Star Trek: Armada II

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Following some complaints about the length of the Armada version, the single-player campaign was altered for this game; now only three races are involved, and each storyline is mostly independent of the others: the Federation must repel a Borg invasion via a new type of transwarp gate, taking the assault into the Delta Quadrant ; the Klingons must deal with a resurgent Cardassian military, while the Borg, affected by events in the Federation campaign, must stave off an attack by Species 8472, before combining with the Federation to eliminate this galactic threat.

• 1.1 Voiceover
• 1.2 Additional voiceover
• 3.1 United Federation of Planets starships
• 3.2 Klingon Empire starships
• 3.3 Romulan Star Empire starships
• 3.4 Borg Collective starships
• 3.5 Species 8472 starships
• 3.6 Cardassian starships
• 4 Construction ship
• 5.1 Ferengi starships (non-playable)
• 7.1.1 "Invasion"
• 7.1.2 "Lifelines"
• 7.1.3 "Recovery"
• 7.1.4 "Along the Neutral Zone"
• 7.1.5 "Into The Breach"
• 7.1.6 "Inferno"
• 7.1.7 "The Cavalry"
• 7.1.8 "Data Retrieval"
• 7.1.9 "Staging Grounds"
• 7.1.10 "There And Back Again"
• 7.2.1 "Uprising: A Dagger at Zarush"
• 7.2.2 "Executioner"
• 7.2.3 "Brave New Worlds"
• 7.2.4 "Blockade"
• 7.2.5 "The Unknown Prize"
• 7.2.6 "The Romulan Connection"
• 7.2.7 "Battle of Crucis Major"
• 7.2.8 "Trojan Horse"
• 7.2.9 "To Cardassia And Victory"
• 7.2.10 "The Final Battle"
• 7.3.1 "Werewolf Pack"
• 7.3.2 "Pink Slips"
• 7.3.3 "Interdiction"
• 7.3.4 "There Goes the Neighborhood"
• 7.3.5 "The Catch"
• 7.3.6 "Interception"
• 7.3.7 "Strange Bedfellows"
• 7.3.8 "Tidal Wave"
• 7.3.9 "The Maw"
• 7.3.10 "Rifts"
• 8 Multiplayer mode
• 9 Game tips
• 10 Cheat codes
• 11 Romulan-Federation War
• 12 External links

Voice cast [ ]

Voiceover [ ].

• Patrick Stewart as Picard
• J.G. Hertzler as Martok
• Alice Krige as Borg Queen
• Judi Durand as Computer

Additional voiceover [ ]

• Ron Surma – Casting Director
• Kris Zimmerman – Voice Director
• Brian Mysliwy – Mad Doc Software core Armada II Team
• Special Thanks to Rick Berman and Peter Lauritson
• Very Special Thanks to Gene Roddenberry

Featured starship classes [ ]

United federation of planets starships [ ].

• USS Coltrane ( β )
• This is a marine carrying class of ships named for the Battle of Iwo Jima . One of these ships is named the R.L. Ermey after R. Lee Ermey .
• USS Tolunay ( β )
• Defiant -class
• Saber -class
• Steamrunner -class
• Akira -class
• Intrepid -class
• USS Caddebostan ( β )
• USS Douglass ( β )
• USS Tonawanda ( β )
• USS Allegheny ( β )
• USS Oxford ( β )
• USS Danvers ( β )
• USS Enterprise -E
• USS Saratoga (NCC-31911-A)
• Ships of this class are named after Earth cities, e.g. USS New Delhi ( β )
• USS Incursion ( β ) (appears in the final mission; originally depicted in Star Trek: Away Team )

Klingon Empire starships [ ]

• NuQ'Duj -class ( β )
• Chava'Kal -class ( β )
• Koloth -class ( β ) (mainly a re-designed K't'inga -class )
• B'rel -class
• Chuq'Beh -class ( β ) (artillery cruiser resembling the K'Vort -class )
• SuQ'jagh -class ( β )
• Vor'cha -class
• Fek'lhr -class ( β )
• Qeh'Ral -class ( β )
• Martok 's flagship
• Jach'Eng -class ( β )

Romulan Star Empire starships [ ]

• Talon -class
• Kestrel -class
• Shrike -class ( β )
• Veles -class ( β )
• Raptor -class ( β )
• Griffin -class ( β )
• Draconarius -class ( β )
• Shadow -class ( β )
• Venator -class ( β )
• D'deridex -class
• Phoenix -class ( β )

Borg Collective starships [ ]

• Borg interceptor
• Borg detector ( β )
• Borg wedge ( β )
• Borg assimilator ( β )
• Borg harbinger ( β )
• Borg sphere
• Borg Queen 's ship
• Borg harmonic defender ( β )
• Borg tactical cube
• Borg fusion cube ( β )
• Borg tactical fusion cube ( β )

Species 8472 starships [ ]

Cardassian starships [ ].

• Hideki -class ( β )
• Janissary -class ( β )
• Vasad -class ( β )
• Gul Vystan -class ( β )
• Legate -class ( β )
• Brinok -class ( β )
• Rasilak -class ( β )
• Sartan -class ( β )
• Kulinor -class ( β )
• Galor -class
• Gul Kentar's personal ship
• Dreadnought missile

Construction ship [ ]

• All playable races except Species 8472 use them to build installations. The Borg call their ship an "Assembler". When the game starts, the player gets one starbase and/ or one, maybe two construction ships. In the main scenarios, such as the Federation Scenario, the player has one, maybe two of these ships which is used to construct the base(s) needed to complete the scenario(s).

Other ships/races [ ]

Ferengi starships (non-playable) [ ].

• D'Kora -class – ( though can be assimilated for use in the Borg campaign )
• Ferengi merchant vessel

Setting [ ]

Star Trek: Armada II takes place from stardate 54522 to some time after stardate 54881, some six months after the events of the first game. The Borg have been spotted in Federation space using a new vessel employed to assimilate planetary surfaces. The Cardassian Union is becoming increasingly aggressive, and the Klingons are growing tired of their role as peace-keepers.

Single player campaign [ ]

Federation campaign [ ], "invasion" [ ].

Stardate 54522.2: A Borg force has invaded the Regula Badlands. The Enterprise is dispatched to eliminate the Borg presence, reclaim the colony world, and determine how the Collective was able to make it so deep into the Alpha Quadrant . It is discovered that a new type of tachyon nebula may hold the answer to this question.

"Lifelines" [ ]

Stardate 54544.2: The Federation starbase at Alpha Theta VI is under attack, and badly needs supplies. Convoys of cargo ships need to be escorted through a treacherous nebula, and a Borg defense network, in order to resupply the base.

"Recovery" [ ]

Stardate 54566.1: Starbase 176 has been attacked by the Borg, and the area is devastated. The Enterprise must defend the base against further attacks, and rebuild its defenses to act as a staging area. The assimilated USS Douglass is recaptured from the Borg.

"Along the Neutral Zone" [ ]

Stardate 54588.0: A small fleet, led by a single Akira -class starship under the command of a Captain McDermott, is dispatched to the Romulan Neutral Zone to establish a presence in a hazardous nebula field. The Enterprise suffers severe damage en route to the area, and must be protected from an assault by a squadron of Borg cubes.

"Into The Breach" [ ]

Stardate 54612.7: The transwarp portal is known to be located within the Regula Badlands. The Enterprise and her fleet must find, capture and hold the portal to allow an assault on Borg territory.

"Inferno" [ ]

Stardate 54637.3: The Federation invasion force enters the Delta Quadrant through the captured transwarp portal. Its counterpart must be captured, and all Borg within the area eliminated. The mission is hampered by the presence of a powerful subspace field that prevents warp travel.

"The Cavalry" [ ]

Stardate 54664.7: The Federation Third Fleet is ambushed in system J-356 by vessels of unknown origin. The Enterprise responds to a distress call from the USS Allegheny , the vessel leading the fleet, and the only survivor of the attack. The presence of Species 8472 is strongly suspected, as the Federation forces scour the system of a heavy Borg presence.

"Data Retrieval" [ ]

Stardate 54694.9: A modified freighter is used to retrieve vital data on the location of the Borg staging grounds from a Borg Nexus base. A heavy assault fleet must protect the data miner until its mission is complete.

"Staging Grounds" [ ]

Stardate 54727.7: The Borg staging grounds have been located in system J-361, and a huge Borg fleet is detected. The Federation forces must assemble an assault force without alerting the Borg to their presence. Once the attack is completed, the Enterprise and the surviving vessels must retreat to an extraction point, prior to returning to the transwarp portal.

"There And Back Again" [ ]

Stardate 54760.6: The Federation forces are in full retreat. A massive Borg counterattack, coupled with the arrival of dozens of Species 8472 vessels, has forced Starfleet to pull back to the transwarp portal, and back to the Alpha Quadrant. The evacuation is almost complete, when the portal suddenly explodes, leaving the Enterprise and several dozen vessels trapped behind enemy lines...

Klingon Campaign [ ]

"uprising: a dagger at zarush" [ ].

Stardate 54642.8: A massive Cardassian force, led by Gul Kentar, has attacked and destroyed the Federation reserve fleet at its dock in the Pearl Nebula. The Klingon defense forces must hold the line at Zarush, and strike back at the invading Cardassian fleet over Vanoshan.

"Executioner" [ ]

Stardate 54656.5: With the Pearl Nebula secure for the moment, Chancellor Martok orders a retaliatory strike against the Cardassian-held world of Kestian, and other Cardassian bases in the Doltec system. The planet must be eliminated.

"Brave New Worlds" [ ]

Stardate 54670.2: The Efate system is a key location for colonization and resupply. The system must be secure before the Cardassians get there and claim the worlds themselves, denying them a crucial resource.

"Blockade" [ ]

Stardate 54683.9: The Cardassians are on the back foot, with supply lines crumbling. A chance to break the front line has emerged at Mornaur II – however, a Romulan supply convoy is en route to the system. It appears that the Romulans have been behind the Cardassians sudden rearmament. The convoy must be intercepted before it reaches the planet, and before an assault on the system can take place.

"The Unknown Prize" [ ]

Stardate 54697.6: The Kulinor class of Cardassian vessel has been seen with additional, unidentified modifications. A prototype vessel, the "Quantum Singularity Ship" has been detected on the far side of the Ketch'Tor asteroid belt, and must be captured to determine its secrets.

"The Romulan Connection" [ ]

Stardate 54711.3: Romulan duplicity in the Kentar Uprising is now clear. The Star Empire must be "persuaded" to cease its support for the Cardassians. In order for this to proceed, a series of Romulan colonies must been conquered and Romulan bases destroyed.

"Battle of Crucis Major" [ ]

Stardate 54725.0: Despite cutting off most of their supplies, Gul Kentar's forces are able to launch a massive assault on the Klingon base at Crucis Major. With defenses incomplete, Martok is barely able to escape. However, the presence of a secret base operated by the House of Tagesh may allow the Klingons to fight back and clear the system of the Cardassian invaders.

"Trojan Horse" [ ]

Stardate 54738.7: To attack a Cardassian base, a Cardassian vessel must be captured and employed to disable vital defense systems. Without it, the Klingon forces will be unable to press on and take out the base.

"To Cardassia And Victory" [ ]

Stardate 54752.4: The Klingon counterattack has reached the Cardassian system itself. The surrounding planets must be captured, before a final assault on Cardassia Prime and its powerful defenses can be mounted. Gul Kentar is able to escape as Cardassia Prime falls, but Martok and his fleet are close behind.

"The Final Battle" [ ]

Stardate 54766.1: Kentar has fled to his secret base in the Hurik system. Here, he must be destroyed, along with the quantum singularity technology the Cardassians have developed, which is how they are bringing Species 8472 into the galaxy. The station is destroyed and Kentar's ship is destroyed in combat with Martok's armada.

Borg Campaign [ ]

"werewolf pack" [ ].

Stardate 54771.6: With the destruction of the transwarp portal in "There and Back Again", a number of Borg ships, including that of the Borg Queen, have been trapped in the Alpha Quadrant, as Picard and some of the Starfleet vessels have likewise in the Delta Quadrant. The Collective must assimilate cargo vessels in order to gain resources to rebuild their forces. However, Species 8472, having been drawn into the quadrant by the Cardassians' experiments in quantum singularities, are also in the sector, and the Borg are forced to retreat.

"Pink Slips" [ ]

Stardate 54785.3: Species 8472 vessels are attacking a Federation outpost , with the Borg caught in the middle. Both sides must be eliminated if reconstruction is to proceed. Since 8472 cannot be assimilated, Federation vessels must be captured and used against them.

"Interdiction" [ ]

Stardate 54799.0: The Borg now have sufficient resources to begin consolidating their position with a Nexus base. Cargo and other vessels must still be seized until resource gathering can be initiated.

"There Goes the Neighborhood" [ ]

Stardate 54812.7: All planetary bodies in Grid 967, a Romulan-held sector, must be assimilated in order to maintain reconstruction efforts.

"The Catch" [ ]

Stardate 54826.4: A pair of Federation starships have been captured, with key information on recreating the transwarp portal. With Species 8472 in pursuit, the two vessels must be relocated to the nearest Borg Nexus immediately for disassembly and analysis. Progress is hampered by intense nebular activity.

"Interception" [ ]

Stardate 54840.1: The Klingons have captured a Species 8472 bio-ship . In order to determine how the aliens are getting into the Alpha Quadrant, the facility analyzing the ship must be assimilated, and the Klingon forces suppressed.

"Strange Bedfellows" [ ]

Stardate 54853.8: Technology 2702 – the transwarp portal – has been reacquired. In order to successfully drive Species 8472 back into fluidic space , the Borg must retrieve the Federation forces stranded in the Delta Quadrant, and negotiate an alliance. The transwarp portal must be reconstructed, and used to accomplish this objective.

"Tidal Wave" [ ]

Stardate 54867.5: The Federation and the Collective have come to an agreement – Species 8472 must be eliminated, and the only way to accomplish this task is to combine forces. A massive fluidic rift has been detected, which is allowing the bio-ships access to our galaxy. Nearby sectors must be cleared before an assault can take place.

"The Maw" [ ]

Stardate 54881.2: The fluidic rift has been located. In order to successfully traverse the barrier into fluidic space, the Federation forces need to collect sufficient resources, and scout the rift for any dangers. Meanwhile, Species 8472 bio-ships continue to flood into the quadrant, and must be eliminated.

"Rifts" [ ]

Stardate unknown: The combined Federation and Borg fleet has entered fluidic space. Three additional rifts are being generated by an unknown entity, and must be located. The rift maker must be destroyed to prevent further incursions.

With the threat from Species 8472 eliminated, the alliance is dissolved – the Borg vessels are escorted back to the transwarp portal, and sent back to the Delta Quadrant, and Picard warns that further incursions into the Alpha Quadrant will be met with the strongest force.

(A cameo is made on this level by the USS Incursion from Star Trek: Away Team . It is a fully playable ship, and features the holo-disguise ability from Away Team .)

Multiplayer mode [ ]

As with Armada , multiplayer mode (and Instant Action) sees the player competing against up to seven opponents – the last one standing wins. Armada II adds some additional gameplay modes to the on-line game, including "Capture the Flag" and "Assault". The Internet game used Gamespy servers to run online games.

Game tips [ ]

To allow complete access to and use of an enemy race's technology, capture either a starbase or a construction ship. By working up the technology tree, a player can even have access to enemy weapon technology. For example, if a Federation player captured a Borg construction ship or a nexus, that player could eventually build and use tactical fusion cubes and even a transwarp gate . Note that this is only available in Instant Action and Multiplayer mode; it cannot be done in single player mode.

To use the extra dilithium crystals (see cheat codes, below), construct a trading station to exchange them for metal or latinum . If playing as the Borg, who do not use latinum, construct a recycler to change the dilithium for metal. Species 8472 have no resource exchange capabilities.

Cheat codes [ ]

Star Trek: Armada II contains many of the same cheat codes as the original. To access the cheat codes, which are only available in single player mode, press the "Enter" key and type one of the following codes, followed by the "Enter" key again:

• showmethemoney adds 2,000 dilithium crystals to the player's stores. These extra crystals can be sold or used like regular dilithium. This can come in handy in fluidic space (which lacks resources). This code is repeatable, to obtain more crystals, press enter, then type this code, press enter each time you need more crystals.
• kobayashimaru will allow the player to automatically win the current mission and advance to the next mission.
• youstopmecold will increase the speed at which ships are built.
• avoidance will increase the rate at which new crew are recruited.

Romulan-Federation War [ ]

If Starfleet intrudes upon the Romulan Neutral Zone in the 4th Federation campaign mission more then once, it will trigger hostilities between the Federation and the Romulan Empire. Hordes of Romulans invade Federation space and begin attacks on Starfleet. The Enterprise -E becomes a priority target for the Romulans upon arrival. Even if Starfleet is able to destroy or capture the Romulan base, additional Romulan reinforcements continue arriving from outside the sector, therefore the Romulans will keep up their attacks until all mission objectives are achieved. Despite having a common foe, the Romulans and the Borg still attack one another; one could potentially cripple the other beyond recovery thereby making it easier to achieve primary mission objective. This Romulan-Federation War has no impact on later missions whatsoever.

Since the Romulan invasion virtually rivals Gul Kentar's surprise attack at the start of the Battle of Crucis Major, the best strategy is establishing a new base where the Enterprise -E arrives with a defensive line consisting of Starbases, Torpedo Turrets, Pulse Cannons, and Sensor Arrays used to ambush any enemy ships approaching through the nebula. Provided the Romulans destroy most of the Borg base, a few captured Warbirds should make short work of any Borg stragglers while using cloaking to evade Romulan patrols.

External links [ ]

• Star Trek: Armada II at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Star Trek: Armada II at Wikipedia
• Star Trek: Armada II at TrekCore
• Fleet Operations at the Star Trek Expanded Universe , the wiki for Star Trek fan fiction
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Here’s their full news release on today’s announcement:

Classic Star Trek games beam down to GOG.COM First-person shooter Elite Force and tactical Bridge Commander lead the list All games have been updated to work on Windows 10 September 8, 2021 – Digital storefront GOG.COM and Activision are celebrating 55 years of Star Trek by bringing some of its most iconic and critically acclaimed video games back and updated to work on modern operating systems. It’s a perfect opportunity for both devoted Trekkies and new players to discover and enjoy these amazing titles, as every game on this list offers a different experience and the chance to meet some of the most beloved characters. Six classic Star Trek games now available on the GOG.COM store include: — Star Trek: Voyager – Elite Force – a first-person shooter set onboard the USS Voyager where you must take on some of the most dangerous special missions. — Star Trek: Elite Force II – a stunning sequel set on Enterprise-E where you get your orders from Captain Jean-Luc Picard himself! — Star Trek: Hidden Evil – a third-person adventure game with both Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner reprising their roles as Captain Picard and Lt. Cmdr. Data. — Star Trek: Away Team – an isometric turn-based tactical game influenced by titles like Commandos and the X-Com series. — Star Trek: Starfleet Command III – a simulation game with RPG elements where you can customize your starship and lead it into space battles. — Star Trek: Bridge Commander – a space combat simulation game that sits you in an actual captain’s chair with a crew waiting for your orders. Preserving classic games is at the very (reactor) core of GOG, so its engineering crew made sure that all of these games are up to date, running smoothly on Windows 10, and some of them even offer a working LAN multiplayer. In addition, two real-time strategy titles, Star Trek: Armada and Star Trek: Armada II are being revealed as coming soon to GOG.COM and can now be added to the user wishlists.

Each of the six immediately-available classic Trek games are available now to purchase at the GOG.com site today for $9.99 each, with the two  Armada titles to follow in the near future.

Will you be adding these  Star Trek games from days gone by to your modern collection, or are there any other retro  Trek games you want to see in a future GOG conversion? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

• Star Trek: Armada
• Star Trek: Armada II
• Star Trek: Away Team
• Star Trek: Bridge Commander
• Star Trek: Elite Force
• Star Trek: Elite Force II
• Star Trek: Hidden Evil
• Star Trek: Starfleet Command III

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Star Trek: Armada II

2001 video game / from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, dear wikiwand ai, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:.

Can you list the top facts and stats about Star Trek: Armada II?

Summarize this article for a 10 year old

Star Trek: Armada II is a real-time strategy video game published by Activision in 2001, based upon the Star Trek universe. [4] The game was developed by Mad Doc Software . It is the sequel to Star Trek: Armada . Star Trek: Armada II was released by Activision a year after they acquired the full rights to all the franchise holding of the video game's franchise from Viacom . [ citation needed ] It was the first of the three major Star Trek video game sequel titles [ citation needed ] that were released by Activision from 2001 until their departure from the franchise in 2003. [5] On December 13, 2021, both Armada and Armada II were re-released on GoG.com , which had also released several other older Star Trek titles earlier that year. [6]

Like its predecessor, Armada II is set in the Star Trek: The Next Generation era of the Star Trek universe. [7] The game showcases events in the Alpha Quadrant between the United Federation of Planets , the Klingon Empire , the Romulan Star Empire , the Cardassian Union , Species 8472 , and the Borg .

Fleet Ops vs. Armada II

• Gameplay and Features
• Factions FAQ
• Technical FAQ
• Modding and Miscellaneous
• Gaming Jargon

Table of Contents

What is fleet operations, individual technology trees.

About Fleet Operations

Changes and Additions: The Big Three

Each faction has an individual technology tree. In Armada II all factions had the same fundamental tech tree of stations and ships with very subtle deviation (for example the amount of ships differed in the small shipyards). The developers did not intend to stick with the Armada II layout of three research stations and two types of shipyards for each faction. As a consequence the team developed a unique technology tree for each faction, and in addition found a way to balance this in an appropriate way. Now, for example, Klingons have three shipyards while the Dominion has just two of them and the Dominion also has to build more expensive prototypes before building the corresponding cheaper "copies". Similarly, upon game startup, you have the choice to choose between one of two avatars, supporting your preferred tactics.

Research of technologies is linked with a unique system for each faction as well. A special offer you can witness in Fleet Operations 3.0 is the ability to trade technologies between factions which brings more depth and variety into gameplay. 

For more information, visit the Basics section here .

The Fleet Ops team has removed the 3D space box from the game. This means that all actions are done at one level in height and depth (“zero” level). The result is that there is no more pointless building in height/depth and flying over defensive structures without harm.

Furthermore, the warp capability of all vessels has been removed. As a consequence, retreating from torpedoes by warping away will no longer be a major aspect of gameplay, and attacking an opponent's base is composed of clever strategy and intelligent fleet combinations to achieve greater efficiency. Although maps are larger in Armada II than in Armada I, warp-capable ships could reach any point of the map within seconds, leading to Warp-In – shoot – Warp-Out tactics. It likewise removed the need for slower vessels, as well as vessels that had special weapons to lay “traps”. Turrets and defensive structures could also be easily skirted using warp.

Warp is a very good aspect if it supports the game. For example, in a game like Starfleet Command, or a first person shooter with a storyline, warp can be very interesting. For a Real Time Strategy game, however, it just doesn't fit. Thus, to allow more strategic accented game-play, only impulse speed is available. Experiences from Armada I showed the developers that this solution fits the game the best.

Of course this seems to be un-Trecky, but for an RTS game you always have to adapt the source material - in this case Star Trek - to fit the requirements of the genre. If you really need a “technical” argument, a Fleet Operations map is a sector. We rarely hear of any warp traffic within a sector or star system and as seen in one of the movies and some of the episodes, it’s also not a good idea to go to warp while being in a star system. If warp drive were that useful, nobody would use impulse drives. It is a weak point, but that's enough for the developers, as strategy always goes first - this is a game, not a simulation.

This category compares the graphical aspects of stock Armada II and Fleet Operations. Unlike the Fleet Operations Gallery , you can see how the look of Fleet Operations differs in relation to that of Armada II as similar scenes from both games are presented here. Keep in mind that to really get a feel for how explosions, disruptors, and quantum torpedoes shimmer and glow, you'll have to actually play the game - pictures just can't do them justice. On to the pretty images!

• About the Guide
• Acknowledgements
• Fleet Operations Home Page
• Download Fleet Operations

GameSpot may receive revenue from affiliate and advertising partnerships for sharing this content and from purchases through links.

Star Trek: Armada II Updated Preview

Star Trek: Armada II will add full 3D combat and other new features to the successful formula of its predecessor.

By Scott Osborne on May 17, 2006 at 3:08PM PDT

For 35 years, Star Trek hasn't merely been a string of hit shows and films, but a genuine cultural phenomenon. Even people who've never seen a Star Trek episode likely know who Mr. Spock is and could recognize the Enterprise in at least one of its incarnations. For all of Star Trek's success in reaching the general public, attempts to translate Gene Roddenberry's optimistic vision of the future into games have met with mixed results, to put it nicely. It's long been almost an article of faith among gamers to be wary of any game bearing the Star Trek name, thanks to more than a few duds. Over the past couple of years, though, games like Deep Space Nine: The Fallen, Star Trek: Voyager Elite Force, and Star Trek: Armada have shown that care and imagination can create some genuinely rewarding Star Trek gaming experiences. It looks like Star Trek: Armada II, Activision's upcoming real-time strategy game, might well continue that welcome trend.

The original Armada, released last year, let you engage in one of the most entertaining aspects of the Star Trek universe: battles among fleets of powerful starships. While a fairly traditional real-time strategy game at heart, Armada nevertheless made good use of its source material, letting the Federation and other major Trek powers fight for supremacy in visually exciting battles. Armada II opens with an explosive intro movie filled with brutal space combat, letting you know right away that the core focus is the same in the new game. At the same time, Armada II should build on the success of its predecessor with many new features, not the least of which is true 3D combat instead of the isometric viewpoint of the original. It bodes well that the game's developer, Mad Doc Software, includes members of the original Armada team, as well as former employees of the late, great Looking Glass Studios.

Armada II plays out in the Trek universe as found in the Next Generation , Deep Space Nine , and Voyager television series. This universe features an almost Byzantine back story, with massive wars, shifting alliances, and political intrigue. In three single-player campaigns totaling around 30 missions, Armada II will focus on three of the chief players in that saga: the United Federation of Planets, the militant Klingon Empire, and the nearly unstoppable Borg. As the game opens, tensions between the Klingons and Cardassians are on the rise, and the Borg have developed a new weapon capable of assimilating entire planets, as they demonstrate on a world near the edge of the Neutral Zone. So, it's time to set aside diplomacy and reach for the phaser controls. Unlike in the original Armada, the Romulans won't get their own campaign in Armada II, but they'll appear along with the ruthless Cardassians and Species 8472 as enemies in the single-player campaigns. All six major races found in the game will be available to you in full-featured skirmish and multiplayer modes.

Harvest, Build, Assimilate

Like its predecessor, Armada II sticks with many standard RTS conventions. To support your fleet operations and build ships, you'll need to harvest resources by building space-based mining stations and processing facilities near resource-rich moons, planets, and nebulae. From these you'll extract vital dilithium, latinum, and metal. To help avoid micromanagement, these facilities will send out freighters that know to head to the nearest appropriate resource on their own. In addition to raw materials, crewmembers will form a vital resource for running ships and acting as boarding parties. You'll gather new crewmembers from space stations and from planets you choose to colonize.

You can build trading stations that allow you to transfer resources to other players and generate latinum when Ferengi traders, smelling a profit, begin to arrive automatically. By sending cargo ships between your own stations, you can generate extra latinum, and the further apart those stations are, the more income you earn. That poses an interesting strategic challenge since the further you spread your stations out, the more likely they'll be open to enemy attack.

Where Armada II starts to differ significantly from many RTS games is in its combat. Rather reminiscent of the acclaimed Homeworld RTS games, the battles of Armada II play out in the full vastness of space with true 3D environments. Instead of your ships just moving and fighting on a single plane, they can move up and down on the Z axis, which of course opens up all kinds of tactical possibilities. You'll be able to switch between a standard top-down strategic view and a new 3D tactical view at will.

Naturally, fluid gameplay on three axes can create all kinds of interface and camera difficulties for a game, but it looks like Armada will handle the new features ably. To move on a horizontal plane or carry out other contextual orders like harvesting, you just right click on a destination or object. To move a ship up or down on the Z axis, you simply hold the shift key and drag the cursor to choose a new elevation and position. It seems like a pretty intuitive system. Visually keeping track of things looks fairly simple, too--you can pan the camera in any direction around any ship or object using multiple methods.

You'll put the new 3D system through its paces in the three campaigns and a full-featured and highly configurable skirmish mode. You can compete against up to seven computer-controlled players chosen from among the game's six races, and you can divide them into two to eight teams as you see fit. You can set the AI difficulty level for each competitor, choose from around 25 maps of different sizes, set the overall level of resources to be found, and so on. Full multiplayer support via a LAN or Internet connection will offer similar options. Multiplayer will likely offer variants of capture the flag, king of the hill, and cooperative play.

More of a Good Thing

The Star Trek universe is filled with memorable ship designs, from the sleek, birdlike Romulan vessels to the giant Borg cubes. In the eyes of some gamers, Armada, with its rather limited number of ships, didn't fully capture that diversity. Mad Doc plans to include around 100 different ship classes in Armada II, so you'll likely be able to find your favorites among them. An extensive technology tree will also help capture the breadth of the Star Trek universe by including things like galaxy-class ship separation, Vulcan research institutes, and temporal stasis fields. Unlike the original Armada, the sequel will also add diversity by ensuring that each race really plays significantly differently from the other. The Borg, for instance, will be able to assimilate other races' technology in two different ways.

Mad Doc is clearly working to implement the famous Star Trek look and feel in Armada II. Ships and stations are nicely detailed and should be easily recognizable to fans of the shows and films. Vivid visual effects, like ships seemingly stretching when they engage their warp drives, add to the ambience. Shields glow when hit with torpedoes, and repair ships emit roving beams of pulsating light as they aid their fellow vessels. Glowing nebulae and rotating planets and moons and help enliven what could otherwise be just dull expanses of inky space.

As RTS games like Starcraft have shown so well, unit command responses offer a great opportunity for the designers to add memorable character to a game. Armada II looks like it will delve into the Star Trek universe for plenty of appropriate and entertaining voice responses. You might hear Captain Picard say, "Make it so," or a Vulcan captain coolly remark, "That is a logical request."

You should be able to feel the unique Star Trek flavor in the game's interface, too. The clean menus and buttons feature the fonts and stylized control panel imagery found in the shows. Angular Klingon lettering, the star-filled Federation seal, and images of Borg cubes all add to the atmosphere. Mad Doc apparently knows that every little aspect of a game has the potential to add up to an entertaining whole--when you hold the cursor over a button on the main menu, it will display a little animated scene, like the Enterprise rushing past.

Armada II looks to be a user-friendly game. The gameplay is easily configured to suit your tastes--you can choose from four difficulty settings, set building time and cost handicaps for your computer opponent, and alter the game speed. To ease you into the game, a full-fledged tutorial offers six lessons. Optional pop-up tool tips help explain the in-game controls.

Armada II is building on one of the most popular Trek games to date by trying to recapture Armada's core RTS gameplay dynamic. At the same time, the new game is keeping up with the times by adding fully 3D combat and more-detailed resource and trading models. We should know this November if Armada II can do real justice to its famous Star Trek license.

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