DarkStar One – PC – 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.