Amazon.com Product Description Star Trek: Starfleet Command II Expansion--Orion Pirates allows gamers to experience the dark side of the Star Trek universe. The network of the brutal intergalactic crime families known as the Orion Pirates are loose in the galaxy. Players now have the choice to uphold galactic law or to join the Orion Pirates' assault on the Federation.
Known for keeping their identities secret, the mythic Orion Pirates are a deadly cartel of privateers and criminals controlling "territories" of Federation space. Starfleet Command II Expansion--Orion Pirates features an improved user interface and crew voices, 12 new single-player campaigns, and 12 new multiplayer missions. Additionally, there are 26 Star Trek skirmishes andthree bonus missions based on the "A Piece of the Action" TV episode.
This standalone product does not require Star Trek: Starfleet Command Volume II--Empires at War to play.
I still play thisJanuary 21, 2007 Maros 7 out of 8 found this review helpful
I love this game and it has gone on every PC I've upgraded to. (It works fine on 2k & XP.)
However, if you are looking for a flight sim this will not be for you as the "feel" models more on old ships-of-the-line that fired then spent some time maneuvering for the next shot. (Things are not quite that simple since there are things such as transporter bombs & drones requiring a decision on whether to fire everything or not.)
For those coming from a Starfleet Battles boardgame background, there will be some things to get used to, (probably the most important being it's RTS) but otherwise it's very faithful.
Those coming from a purely Trekker background should be the type to make allowances: This game is based off an alternate-universe Star Trek without license from Paramount for the majority (all?) of the old-series ST movies, so there's lots of creative licensing with things such as races, background, and ship systems.
The support for this game is still very active and some surfing on the net will bring up everything from alternate weapon bitmaps to models of hundreds (thousands) of ships from various sources and TV/movies series. Playing lots of such custom monster behemoths with large, detailed bitmaps and drones and fighters can quickly demand a faster machine. For example, my current 3ghz Celeron will stutter a second of two when a Death Star goes up in flames. (It should be noted that playing the game as-is will not stutter any but a serious ancient machine.) Get the update! Bugs are not fun.
This game gets four stars because the same-ol' monsters and "unknown aliens" that show up in the single-player campaign get seriously old. Otherwise, this is an incredible game.
Star Trek: Starfleet Command II: Orion Pirates ReviewNovember 25, 2005 Thundermouse(California, United States) 1 out of 14 found this review helpful
Overall, this game was a meduim on the scale. One big plus is that it doesn't require the original Star Trek: Startfleet Command II to run. But, the graphics were poor, and the lack of a substantial storyline had a major inpact. Also, there were many variations on ship classes. It gets confusing, remembering which ship you bought when. If I had a choice, I would use my money on the next game up, Star Trek: Starfleet Command III. It removes most of the flaws mentioned above, and it has a very good replay value. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to email me at cloudmouse@gmail.com. Thank you! Ryan :-p
Orion PiratesJuly 23, 2005 Marc A. Solursh(Milledgeville, GA USA) 1 out of 6 found this review helpful
A great game with more features than I was expecting. You don't have to play the pirates, you can join any other original empires in the game. There are dozens (hundreds?) of ships available so the game never gets dull - there is always something new to try.
SFC2: Orion Pirates... join a community of gamersSeptember 9, 2004 Ronin(CA, USA) 3 out of 11 found this review helpful
SFC2: Orion Pirates builds on the SFC series which began in 1999 with SFC1. The Interplay game then became SFC2, which added two new races and a corresponding increase in ship choices. Finally, SFC2: Orion Pirates opens the door to an additional eight playable races, the "Pirate Cartels." Now the cartels vessels are not truly on par with the other eight races, but they are pirates, after all, not races with planetary or system-wide economies. With SFC community patches and upgrades this game is excellent, with bugs and problems a thing of the past.
The game plays extremely well and is, for anyone who enjoys a true mental challenge, heads and shoulders above anything else this gamer has encountered. All too often today game designers presume that a consumer wants "ease of play" more than they want "replayability." Not so here. You will find your mind challenged at least as much as your reflexes. It is a difficult thing to keep track of Electronic Counter Measures, Shield reinforcement, movement rate and direction, weapons systems, point defense systems, transporters, tractor beams and many other things while your opponent is doing likewise in an attempt to reduce your ship to a flaming ruin, but even a basic understanding of how to do this brings a challenge and enjoyment few games offer. I have been playing since SFC was introduced and can say unashamedly that it is the best game I have ever played, hands down.
The game is based on a pen and paper game called Starfleet Battles, which was created by Amarillo Design Bureau. Starfleet Battles is likely one of, if not the most, complex games ever created. Starship tactical combat in the 23rd century using hundreds of pages of rules. You can imagine. Those of us who played it waited patiently for roughly 20 years for it to arrive in PC form. With all the calculations, measurements and headaches removed (the PC does all that) what remains is SFC: Orion Pirates. All the good, without the bad.
If you are interested, allow me to point you to a community of people who all love the game at http://www.dynaverse.net/ where you can learn more about the game, about the community created additions (which add many more ships straight from Starfleet Battles) as well as how you can become a part of the community. (Check the forums.) You can also become a part of a divisional league that uses this game at http://www.gzleagues.com/forum/ where they will be happy to assist you.
Five years of this game in one form or another and I can tell you that there is nothing else like it. Do yourself a favor. Spend the $10 and say hello to the communities I mentioned above. You will be glad you did.
Respects...
Ronin
Rocks HardSeptember 3, 2004 Accelerate(Planet Earth) I have played all the Starfleet games and sims. This one is classic both in execution and technical game play. It accurately details hundreds of ships. This game is true to the original Starfleet Command board game. Yes it is several years old but it is the best of the best for strategic and tactical combat. The LAN multiplayer support is also done really well. Buy it! Enjoy it! live long and prosper!
