DarkStar One Preview

Space-flight simulators and games with complex economies have had a long and diverse history. Some games have succeeded at creating an experience that is fun and involving. Others have failed. The team behind DarkStar One has managed to bring the best of several worlds together in a very entertaining game. Fighter battles that will get your heart racing meet with a vibrant world and an interesting trade system. Players can find many different ways to achieve their goals. The addition of a fully-customizable ship that lets players build their vessel to match their play style exactly is the cherry on top of this delightful treat. The story line will pull players in and keep them interested and the expansive universe offers plenty of chances to explore, trade, or fight. With the addition of the varied missions players have to choose from there is plenty to see and do in DarkStar One.

The space-flight interface for DarkStar One is very responsive. Sometimes it even seems too responsive, as small movements of the mouse can cause changes in your flight path. During combat, though, the interface really shines. DarkStar One plays like a flight simulator in the same spirit as the Wing Commander series or X-Wing vs Tie Fighter. The ship steers itself to follow the mouse pointer, which also functions as the targeting crosshairs for the weapons built into your ship. Unlike other games where weapons only fired directly ahead it is possible to aim away from a direct path in a narrow cone. Since your ship will turn to face that direction it allows players to target ships that are flying past for more than a single heartbeat. The addition of afterburners, reverse thrusters, “strafing” jets that allow side-to-side movement, and an easy-to-use roll system give players outstanding maneuverability. Accessing some controls requires holding down the space-bar to unlock the mouse pointer from the steering system, but the abundant hotkeys built into the interface make movement- even movement between star systems –easy.

With the vastness of space there is much to explore. Dozens of systems with a variety of cultures, economic requirements, and citizenry are open to exploration. Peaceful systems where police fighters patrol the area make for safe trading. Fringe worlds, at the edge of stellar clusters, can be chaotic places. These systems, existing in a state of anarchy, make it difficult to trade or even pass through them safely- pirates abound where the forces of law and order are weak. DarkStar One also boasts many missions players can undertake to earn valuable money or work on their reputation in various ways. Random events can also appear. Jumping into a system with a load of trade goods might find you in the middle of a pirate attack. There are also pirate hunters, police ships, and customs scans- which makes smuggling an exciting, if nerve wracking, experience.

In addition to the wide variety of systems and encounters there are also many paths to greatness in DarkStar One. Players can use the information they learn by exploring to find lucrative trading routes. Earning money by ferrying goods from one system to another is one way to amass a fortune, better equipment and better weapons. Players can also accept missions that provide a decent paycheck when completed. Hunting pirates will get you a bonus as well, either on a specific mission to attack them or not. Players can customize their ship to fit whatever role they choose. Repeated upgrades to the wings, for example, will allow you to mount more weapon systems. Players can, through upgrades in the ship itself and in equipment, create fast merchant vessels with incredible cargo capacity or dreadnaughts bristling with weaponry, able to take on small pirate fleets by itself.

The economic system in DarkStar One is very robust. Each system has several things it produces, which can be purchased relatively cheaply. Each system is also lacking in some key resource. Players can rapidly make a sizeable profit by flying between stars, particularly if they are hitting multiple systems, buying different things in each system to trade for more of what the next system lacks. The economic system also has a fair dose of realism- there are limited quantities of each resource available, which imposes some limits on how long players can act as merchants without having to progress through the game itself. Given the number of different systems this does not have to be a problem for players. It encourages gamers to get out and explore the rest of the very diverse world.

The world of DarkStar One is rendered in bright colors, brilliant lights, and dark shades. Pirates, for example, will often have dark hulls to make it more difficult to spot them. The targeting system makes it easy to engage targets no matter how camouflaged they are, but it is a nice touch of realism. Friendly vessels are often painted in brighter colors and are easy to see. The characters in DarkStar One have a variety of short speeches they will use when the time is right. Your enemies will taunt you during a fire-fight, for example. Unfortunately the speeches are limited, and can become repetitive at times. The sounds overall are well done, crisp and clear with no distortions. The graphics themselves are detailed and flowing with a single exception in the preview version- when a player gets too close to a large object it can cause some slowdown. This can make docking tricky at times, but a wise pilot coming in on a straight-angle approach will have an easy time finding his way into the docking bay of a space station.

DarkStar One brings together some of the best elements of previous games in the space-flight and trading simulation genres. The plot line, while starting off small, can become engaging very quickly. Players will need to be clever in order to thrive. Anyone can survive, but only the best can succeed in style. Given the wide variety of experiences available in DarkStar One even jaded players will find something to enjoy. The controls take a little getting used to and there are occasional moments where the graphical engine slows down, but those are minor inconveniences. If you enjoy the risks of combat, the thrill of exploration, and the satisfaction of a job well done, DarkStar One has something to offer you.