Star Trek: Armada II
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Star Trek: Armada II | |
|---|---|
 North American boxart |
|
| Developer(s) | Mad Doc Software |
| Publisher(s) | Activision |
| Engine | Armada II |
| Version | 1.1 |
| Platform(s) | PC |
| Release date | 2001 |
| Genre(s) | real-time strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: E (Everyone) |
| Media | CD-ROM |
| System requirements | Minimum: Pentium II or Athlon 300 MHz, 64 MB RAM, Windows 95/98/ME/2000, 4x CD-ROM drive, and 1.4 GB hard-disk space |
Star Trek: Armada II is a computer game published by Activision in 2001, based upon the Star Trek universe. 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 PC Game's franchise from Viacom. It was the first of the three major Star Trek CP game sequel titles that was released by Activision from 2001 until their departure from the franchise in 2003.
Another real-time strategy game like the original, it showcases the 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.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
A few months after the events of Star Trek: Armada, the Borg again threaten the Alpha Quadrant. They have created a new ship capable of assimilating entire worlds in just a few seconds. After routing the attempted foothold, Starfleet Command seizes control of a transwarp conduit and launches a counteroffensive, led by Captain Picard, into the heart of Borg space in Delta Quadrant. Though successful, some of the Federation forces, Picard included, are left stranded when the transwarp conduit is destroyed.
Meanwhile, the Cardassians use the sudden absence of Federation forces to begin their own offensive. Klingon Chancellor Martok discovers that Gul Kentar, leader of the Cardassian "revolution", is in league with the Romulans. Kentar is developing the "Quantum Singularity" that allows the Cardassians to summon Species 8472 ships at will. Martok leads an attempt to thwart Kentar's grab for power and destroy the project. The Klingons stop the Cardassian invasion and obliterate their homeworld, Cardassia Prime. In the final battle, Martok tracks down and kills Gul Kentar, taking out the Quantum Singularity Project along the way.
The Borg Queen, stranded in the Alpha Quadrant by the same twist of fate that trapped Picard on her side of the galaxy, discovers that Species 8472 has found a way into the Alpha Quadrant. She attempts to mass an armada to suppress this threat, but its growth is stunted by the constant attacks from the Federation. She then realizes that only by working with the Federation they can defeat Species 8472. The Federation and the Borg Collective create an alliance and venture into Species 8472's fluidic space to destroy their staging grounds, thus ending the threat to the Alpha Quadrant.
[edit] Gameplay
Star Trek: Armada II employs many of the same features of its predecessor, though with a few improvements. The crew resource can now be gathered by creating planet-based colonies in addition to Starbases, as opposed to the bonus given for placing Starbases near planets in the first game. Depending on the type of planet, establishing a colony can produce crew at a far higher rate for a much lower cost, though colonies sacrifice defense for efficiency.
Two new resources are also added: latinum and metal. Metal is mined from planets and balances out the dilithium costs in the first game. Latinum can be traded at trading stations for metal and dilithium, and is essential to certain structures. The Klingons, Romulans, and Cardassians rely heavily on latinum, while the Federation has very little use for it. The Borg eschew latinum completely; they do not trade with other species, they assimilate them. To compensate for the lack of a trading station, the Borg have a structure which can convert metal into dilithium and vice versa. Species 8472 converts all three types of resources into an all-purpose "bio-matter" resource, and likewise cannot trade with other species.
The races available in campaign mode are The United Federation of Planets, The Klingon Empire, and The Borg Collective. In other methods of play, such as Multiplayer and Instant Action (Skirmish), the Cardassian Union, Romulan Star Empire, and Species 8472 are added as playable factions. There are also third-party mods for download that will add extra races.
While most races' gameplay is essentially the same, Species 8472 are different because of their biotechnology. The crew resource is not used by them; they instead use one officer per ship and have a much smaller officer limit. Since Species 8472 have no crew on board their ships, they are unable to take over enemy ships or be taken over themselves.
[edit] Modding
There is a community of modders creating new ships, stations, maps, and races for Star Trek: Armada II. There are some which include multi-scifi universes; including Star Wars and Andromeda, and some which change it entirely. Others may add races not included in the original game - these have included the Dominion, the Tholians, and the Breen.
Another community that 'modifies' the Armada II experience, is the Clan Community. Since its release, Armada II has formed a tight community of players from around the world. Some players have formed clans that play together, and work together, so that the gaming experience can be more enjoyable.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Star Trek: Armada II article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki
- Star Trek: Armada II at MobyGames
- Fleet Operations A Multi-player Total Conversion
|
|||||
