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Source of FAQ (http://starfleetcommand3.filefront.com/info/FAQ)
Welcome to SFC3Files FAQ. All information used to make this FAQ were presented is from official sources, be it the publisher, developer, Paramount, or comments made by representatives of all three. If there's a question which isn't here and you want to know the answer for, or a question which you think should be here, then please e-mail us. FAQ Categories General
Modifications, models & scripts
Single Player Mode
Multi Player Mode
DynaverseIII
Races
Ships
Ship Systems;
- General
- Customization
- Movement
- Power
- Tactical
- Damage Control General | Q | What is Starfleet Command III?
| | A | Starfleet Command III is the next release in the Starfleet Command series. But it is the first title in the SFC series to be set in the TNG (Star Trek: The Next Generation) Universe. | | Q | What kind of game will Starfleet Command III be like, will it be like Bridge Commander?
| | A | Starfleet Command III is a tactical starship combat, which is on a 2D plane, as in previous SFC games. Single Player and Multiplayer campaigns support game play within a larger universe (DynaverseIII) involving some strategic and role-playing aspects. Though, yes, some Bridge Commander models have been reused! “…the SFC series has always meant to provide the most compelling experience as a real-time tactical naval simulation set in the Star Trek universe. That is it’s [sic] mission.” Erik Bethke, CEO Taldren | | Q | Who is developing Starfleet Command III & who is publishing it?
| | A | Taldren is developing it, they also developed SFCv2:EAW and OP, and they are the team behind SFC. Activision is publishing SFC3. | | Q | When will SFC3 be released?
| | A | Some time this summer, TBA | | Q | Isn’t SFC an Interplay property, so does Interplay have the rights for additions to existing SFC games?
| | A | No and No. Interplay no longer has a controlling interest in the SFC franchise. | | Q | What game play modes are available in SFC3?
| | A | Single Player: Single Player Story Campaign (with unique campaign missions for each of the Federation, Romulans and Klingon, within the larger DynaverseIII setting) Single Player Career Campaign (DynaverseIII setting, without story missions, playable as Federation, Romulan, Klingon or Borg)
Single Player Skirmish (Quick Battle / Instant Action Play, several skirmish scripts) Multiplayer: Multiplayer Skirmish Mode (Same as single player skirmish, with the addition of human opponents)
Multiplayer Online Campaign (online non-storied DynaverseIII) | | Q | What role playing aspects exist in SFC3?
| | A | In the campaign, players accrue prestige (and rank) by successfully completing missions. Prestige can then be spent to recruit new officers and upgrade ship systems and weapons, or to transfer to new ships. | | Q | What are some of the options for ship customization?
| | A | Players can customize their vessel's weapons, engines, shields, armour and sensors. See Ship Systems - Customization for more details. | | Q | In what Trek era is SFC3 set?
| | A | SFC3 is set shortly after the return of Voyager to the Alpha Quadrant. | | Q | If SFC3 is after Voyager’s return, will the Federation will have Voyager’s ‘super weapons’?
| | A | No | | Q | Why move to the TNG Universe?
| | A | A When development on SFC3 started, Activision did not have the rights to TOS (or DS9). Development of the game could not have begun uses TOS / SFB source material. | | Q | Is SFC3 still SFB-based?
| | A | SFC3 is not explicitly based on SFB-source material. In many places the game’s reliance on SFB has been reduced or eliminated. | | Q | What are the minimum specifications for SFC3? Will a PII-350 be sufficient?
| | A | Minimum specs will be announced when is SFC3 near release. The game will require hardware graphics acceleration. A PII-350 may be barely within or below the minimum spec. It will be at the very low end of the spectrum. | | Q | Will SFC3 be shown at E3?
| | A | Yes. SFC3 will shown on the show floor as part of the Activision booth. | | Q | Will there be a demo?
| | A | A demo is planned for release when the game is nearly complete. | | Q | Will there be a beta test, if so how do I become a beta tester?
| | A | Taldren is planning on a beta test program. They may announce an open application at a future date. Most likely this would be separate from the current EAW/OP test program. | | Q | Are there plans for a Mac port?
| | A | No plans have been announced as of yet for a port to the Mac. | |
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| Modifications, models & scripts | Q | In total how many models are in the game?
| | A | Approximately 41. | | Q | Will the models be to scale, as in Bridge Commander?
| | A | No, Relative model sizes will be balanced for play along with accuracy. | | Q | Were any external modellers used?
| | A | No. | | Q | Were any Bridge Commander models reused?
| | A | Yes, some Bridge Commander models have been reused, subject to extensive modification. Specifically models for the Sovereign, Galaxy, Nebula, Bird of Prey, Warbird, the two Cardassian ships, the Federation Freighter, the Marauder, and the Neghvar were imported. | | Q | Can SFC2 models be used in SFC3?
| | A | Yes. However additional work will be needed to take of the new progressive damage textures and to full integrate their schematics and associated text into the display. | | Q | So schematics can be modded?
| | A | Yes. The schematics that appear in the tactical panels and in Vessel Library (as well as the new Ship Config screen) are .bmp files that are stored in the model directory. | | Q | Is the UI itself modifiable?
| | A | No. | | Q | Will it be possible to change model usage without altering the spec file?
| | A | Yes. Model locations are now stored in a separate text file, allowing the use of custom models in multiplayer games without problem. Models will be subject to a “reality-check” to ensure players are not using custom model designs to cheat. | | Q | In multi-player, will custom models be visible to other players?
| | A | No. | | Q | How has the implementation of damage textures changed from SFC2?
| | A | Each set of model textures now includes the color maps, matching illumination maps, and new matching damage maps and damage illumination maps. Damage is mapped onto the hull in stages at the point of impact, "fading" in as it becomes more severe, though the full damage textures are never seen in their entirety. What portions are seen is determined dynamically. | | Q | Will the new engine support any new mapping channels (for example bump or specular mapping.)?
| | A | Currently there are no additional mapping channels. There is a per-ship specular intensity level that is not mapped. | | Q | How are hard point and damage point mappings implemented?
| | A | "The hard points and damage points are still dummy objects in Max; their names are important, but haven't changed. What has changed is that particular hard point numbers must be either primary weapons or heavy weapons, and (reaching back here) I think that system hard point names may be new.” BWS - Taldren | | Q | Will the new engine support flashing lights? (i.e. animated textures)
| | A | No. | | Q | Is there a hard point mapping for shuttle launches?
| | A | No. | | Q | Are phaser rings modelled?
| | A | “…the phaser "ring" is simulated by the strategic placement of hardpoints with clever use of arcs to create ring-like coverage.” SB - Taldren | | Q | How are SFC3’s scripts written?
| | A | SFC3 scripts are written in C++ and are still quite similar to OP’s. | | Q | Is it possible to create entirely new weapons?
| | A | No. | | |
| Single Player Mode | Q | What is the single-player story line?
| | A | In a show of their solidarity, the Federation and the Klingon Empires set out to build massive starbase, Unity One, dedicated to peace, diplomacy and harmony. However, the two empires have an ulterior motive. Unity One will be a equipped with a powerful new cloak-detection device that will enable detection of cloaked vessels across much of the neutral zone. When the Romulans learn of this, they set out to divide the Federation and the Klingons, bringing the two to the brink of war. | | Q | How many single-player ‘story’ campaigns are there & how long will they be?
| | A | There is a different story campaign for each of the Federation, Romulans, and Klingons. All ‘story’ campaigns are at least 15 missions long, excluding random encounters. | | Q | How do the storylines of each race relate?
| | A | The campaigns are structured in chronological order, beginning with the Klingon campaign, followed by the Romulan campaign, and culminating in the Federation campaign. Although each campaign tells a different part of the story, and though they are meant to be played successively, each campaign stands alone, and they can be played out of sequence. | | Q | There isn’t a Borg ‘story’ campaign. Will the Borg appear in the other races’ stories?
| | A | No. | | Q | Will ‘Conquest’ campaigns be available for single-player, in addition to the story campaigns?
| | A | Yes. Additionally, custom conquest campaigns can be easily created through text file modifications. | | |
| Multi Player Mode | Q | What is the Multiplayer DynaverseIII? Is it an MMPOG?
| | A | The multiplayer aspect of DynaverseIII is best described as a persistent online universe within which players interact. Tactical combat within the dynaverse setting is similar in player numbers to multiplayer skirmish combat, though its outcome affects the Dynaverse as a whole. | | Q | Will the DynaverseIII server be released, allowing for fan-run servers?
| | A | Yes | | |
| DynaverseIII | Q | Is the DynaverseIII based on a hex map?
| | A | Yes. | | Q | Does DynaverseIII use ‘prestige points’ as currency?
| | A | Yes. | | Q | Does DynaverseIII have a rank system & what does rank affect?
| | A | Rank affects the quality of officers available and the availability (and cost) of refits and ships in supply dock. More is better. | | Q | Playing with other humans in DynaverseII was difficult, even if they were in the same hex. Has this been addressed in DynaverseIII?
| | A | Yes. Human players can now move and fight together in the dynaverseIII. | | Q | Persistent AI players in DynaverseII behaved rather randomly. Will this be the case in DynaverseIII?
| | A | The AI players in DynaverseIII now have specific goals and motives, along with the overriding goal of territorial expansion. AI characters may take on specific roles such as scouts, skirmishers, invaders or defenders, and will organize themselves into fleets. | | Q | Will convoys appear on the meta-map, or just in convoy missions?
| | A | Convoys will appear on the meta-map, and travel between planets and bases. Players (human and ai) may link up with the convoy in the meta map and escort them. | | Q | How many non-story mission types are present in the DynaverseIII?
| | A | There are over ten general Dynaverse missions. | | |
| Races | Q | What races will be in SFC3?
| | A | The Federation, Romulans, Klingon and Borg are present as playable races. Additionally, the Cardassians, Ferengi, a Pirate race and a new race will be present as non-playable races. | | Q | Why isn’t the Dominion included?
| | A | Activision did not have the ST S9 license when development began. It is too late to refit the Dominion into the game. | | Q | If Activision didn’t have the STS9 license, why is the Defiant class in?
| | A | From a licensing standpoint, including the Defiant-class and including the Defiant are two different things. | | Q | The Gorn and Tholians are both Trek canon races. Why weren’t they preserved/included?
| | A | Neither have major roles in the TNG universe. Moreover, licensing regards them as TOS properties, for which Activision did not have the rights when development began. | | Q | Why is Taldren bringing in a new race when so many canon races have been omitted?
| | A | The new race fulfills a plot point that no canon race could. | | Q | Will each race have a unique UI?
| | A | No. A single shared UI is use for all races. | | Q | In the non-story campaign, will the Borg start with territory in the Alpha Quadrant?
| | A | This remains to be determined. | | Q | Can the Borg assimilate the technologies of other races?
| | A | No. This was felt to water down the uniqueness of the Borg. | | |
| Ships | Q | Which ship models are in the game?
| | A | Playable Races: Federation:
Sovereign, Defiant, Galaxy, Akira, Intrepid, Nebula, plus three others Romulan:
Warbird, plus four original designs Klingon:
Negh'Var, K'T'Inga, Bird Of Prey, Vorcha, plus one (or two?) others Borg:
Cube, Sphere, Diamond, plus two original designs Additionally, each playable race has a shuttle, freighter, and multiple starbase configurations. Non-Playable Races:
Cardassian:
Keldon, Galor Ferengi:
Marauder Pirate:
Light cruiser, frigate New NPC Race:
Unknown | | Q | In the initial screen-shots ships appear to have few weapons than in early SFC’s – what’s going on?
| | A | In SFC3, ships will have fewer weapons overall; however, each weapon has a higher volume of fire, and is more survivable. Additionally, weapons performance degrades as it is damaged, rather than working (compared to the previous digital online/offline approach). | | Q | Are shuttles, fighters & patrol ships in SFC3?
| | A | Shuttles yes. Fighters and patrol ships, no. | | Q | Can players control fleets, as in EAW and OP?
| | A | Yes and no. Players can issue orders to other ships within their fleet, however players will only have direct control over their ship. | | |
| Ship Systems - General | Q | How will Electronic Warfare work? Will it be similar to ECM/ECCM in SFC, EAW and OP?
| | A | In SFC3, electronic warfare is affected by ship size and speed (target ship and firing ship), and environmental conditions. The old 0 to 6 point system is gone. | | Q | Will officers be similar to those in the original SFC? Can officers be killed?
| | A | The officer system is similar to that of the original SFC; however officers now have multi-dimensional skill sets. Officers can be killed during combat. | | Q | What are the different officer skill sets and levels of skill?
| | A | Officer skills correspond to the different officer stations on the ship: tactics, medical, security, helm, science and engineering. Each officer has a rating for each skill. The skill levels are: skilled, veteran, elite, legendary. | | Q | How do officers’ skill levels affect ship performance?
| | A | Skills break down into two types - percentage-based skills and integer-based skills. A weapons officer, as he levels up, will have certain percentage-based effects on the weapons of your ship. Phasers may charge more quickly, or weapons accuracy or damage increase, etc. Officers will also have finite skills at each level. A new engineering officer may be only able to manage the repairs of two simultaneous systems at once. He levels up, he can now manage three. | | Q | Do officers gain experience?
| | A | Yes, officers gain experience over the course of a campaign. | | Q | How will the cloaking device work & will it be invisible. Will there be counter technologies?
| | A | The cloaking works like the TNG cloak. Shields drop during cloak fade-in / -out. Enemy vessels may scan for cloaked ships. The cloaked vessel knows when other ships are scanning for it, but not whether it has been detected. | | |
| Ship Systems - Customization | Q | What options does the player have in ship customization?
| | A | New systems, engines and weapons can be added to ships in the shipyard. | | Q | How many variants of each type of configuration are there?
| | A | Unknown. For Federation vessels, there are over two dozen types of phasers, 6 classes of heavy weapons, 5 shield strengths, 3 transporter types, 3 warp core classes, 5 impulse engine classes, multiple sensor classes, and armour. | | Q | Can any warp core be mounted on any ship?
| | A | No. The largest warp core may not be mounted on small ships. | | Q | What limits are there on weapons configurations?
| | A | Each ship hull is broken into groups of hard-points. Each hard-point has a mass limit, and an overall mass limit exists for each hull. Additionally, weapons hard points are classed as either primary or secondary. The two types are not interchangeable. | | |
| Ship Systems - Movement | Q | How is the success rate for high-energy turns determined?
| | A | The success rate for high energy turns is determined by ship mass, officer skill, and the ship’s current damage level / hull integrity. | | Q | What determines ship’s maximum speed, turn rate and acceleration?
| | A | Maximum speed, acceleration, and turn rates are determined based on the loaded mass of the ship and currently available engine and thrusters power. i.e. loss of engine power through damage will impact turn rate as well as speed. | | Q | How does warping work?
| | A | Ships may warp in-system during play. While at warp, are shields lowered and primary weapons cannot be fired. | | Q | Is reverse movement possible?
| | A | Yes, up to ¼ impulse. | | |
| Ship Systems - Power | Q | How do power systems work?
| | A | Ships have two power sources: impulse engines and the warp core. Impulse power is required required for normal movement, along with a small amount of warp power. Warp power powers all other ship systems, specifically: primary weapons, heavy weapons and shields. The power requirements of other systems, such as tractors, transporters, sensors and shuttle bays are abstracted. | | Q | Can players set power allocation priorities?
| | A | Yes. Players can prioritize power allocation between Primary Weapons, Heavy Weapons, and shields. | | Q | Can players make power allocation macros?
| | A | No. | | |
| Ship Systems - Tactical | Q | How many different weapons will be in SFC3?
| | A | 41 weapons systems (variants) currently exist, as well as a damage inflicting tractor upgrade (Borg). | | Q | What are each race’s primary weapons?
| | A | Federation – phasers
Klingon – disruptors
Romulan – disruptors (different from Klingon)
Borg – cutting beam
| | Q | What variations exist for primary weapons?
| | A | Variations based on weapons power exist for all races’ primary weapons; additionally some races have rate of fire variations. | | Q | Can phasers miss?
| | A | Yes, although visually this may appear as a hit for zero damage. | | Q | Are pulse phasers in the game & will the Defiant have them?
| | A | Yes, pulse phasers are in. However the ‘Defiant’ with pulse phasers is a ‘special’ one. The standard defiant comes equipped with standard phasers. | | Q | Can phasers be overloaded?
| | A | Yes | | Q | How are Romulan disruptors unique?
| | A | Romulan disruptors fire in multiple bolts, as opposed to in a beam. All bolts either hit or miss. | | Q | What are some of the heavy weapons types?
| | A | Photon torpedoes (1 type), quantum torpedoes, plasma torpedoes (3 types), gravimetric torpedoes. | | Q | Can photon and quantum torpedoes be overloaded or set to proxy?
| | A | Yes and yes. | | Q | How do quantum torpedoes differ from photon torpedoes?
| | A | Quantum torpedoes have larger warheads. Quantum launchers are more massive, and cost more. | | Q | Do plasma torpedoes dissipate with range, do they always hit & has their speed changed?
| | A | Plasma torpedoes do not dissipate. They can miss, and they travel at much higher speeds. | | Q | How are percent-to-hit probabilities determined & are they discrete (as in SFB) or continuous?
| | A | Percent-to-hit chances change gradually from optimal-range to maximum range. | | Q | What is the optimal percent-to-hit range? | | A | In general range 4-5 is optimal range. This was changed from range 0 in earlier incarnations to improve game-play. (i.e. discourage ‘humping’) | | Q | Are mines in SFC3?
| | A | Mine racks can be installed into weapons hardpoint as a refit. Several types of mines are available. | | Q | Are Transporter-bombs in SFC3?
| | A | Presently no. | | Q | Are hit-and-runs in SFC3?
| | A | Yes. Hit-and-run raids are unchanged from previous SFC’s. | | Q | Why the change from six to four shield facings?
| | A | The six shield facing model of previous SFC’s originates in hex-based play. Taldren did not feel it necessary to continue that convention. Additionally, the four-facing model is more consistent with the TNG universe. | | Q | Is it too-late to back to six? Could six shields be modded?
| | A | The change to four shield facings was non-trivial. After considerable play testing, both Taldren and Activision are happy with the current implementation, making a return to six facings unlikely. Six facings cannot be readily modded. | | Q | Can shields be reinforced?
| | A | Yes. |
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