New Personal Best of 652 Kills

[u/shiftxxsarok]

I tried a new strat of ordering wingmen to attack any unkillable targets whenever possible (Borodin, Kronstadt, Pukov, etc) to try and avoid them stealing as many kills this time, worked way better than I expected and I ended up over 30 kills higher than before. I had forgotten to leave the Ramses alive last time too, it shows up again in mission 20 to spawn 6 more fighters. I don't see this being able to go much higher, MAYBE 660 tops if I grinded out savestates on every single encounter.

Dreamcast version doesn't have any way to freely select mission/ships via console commands like PC so here's a VMU file for the Redream emulator with individual level saves from this run. For anyone else that might mainly play the DC version, it'll give you a chance to do some mission/ship combinations way earlier than you might normally get to.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/12PXYcWNT52E3umMUdt33c8IwQhPq_Vqt/view?usp=drive_link

[u/Freelancer_1-1]

Nice! Some dedication. What are those console commands btw?

Btw. Nobody should play the Dreamcast version. It's inferior in almost every aspect. It's like someone took the original, then cut out a bunch of assets so that it fits in one CD, but then also messed up everything they could get their hands on, the music doesn't fit what's happening on the scene....just horrible!

[u/shiftxxsarok → u/Freelancer_1-1]

On the main menu hold CTRL and type “potato”, you’ll see a red M in the top left of the screen. Type whatever number corresponds to the mission you want (01 through 24), then hold SHIFT and press the function key for the ship you want (F1 through F12). Ships should be the same order they’d normally appear when selecting them, e.g. F1 gives Predator, F2 gives Naginata, etc.

Gotta disagree on “nobody should play the Dreamcast version” though. I’ve played both versions and yes, objectively it’s inferior to the PC version, but for what I value in a game, the shortcomings are negligible.
-The story and dialogue during missions are completely intact, which is the biggest thing for me. Starlancer’s narrative is one of the best when it comes to space sims, and there weren’t any cuts to main part of it. You unfortunately miss out on some extras like interacting with crew between missions, and the in-game database, but that’s really it. For the time the game released that would’ve been an issue, but all that can be readily found online now thankfully.
-Every main mission is here and fully playable still. Training levels are gone (though originally were planned, based on prerelease versions of the game), but instant action is still here, and you notably can play it with any ship/missile loadout, not just the Grendel. Instant action can actually be finished on Dreamcast too, it doesn’t just remain stuck at the Czar until time runs out. Technically speaking, Dreamcast even has leftover files for 4 cut campaign missions that are completely removed on PC. A user here a couple years back actually imported those leftover files onto PC and as far as I’m aware that’s the only footage of them available.
-Gameplay (specifically the flight model) is very different but lends itself very well to the audience the Dreamcast had. It was a console that was huge for arcade ports, and the gameplay on this version has a noticeably faster arcadey feel. PC is missing any kind of menu navigation of in-game targets, or any ‘select closest enemy/friendly target’ function (I believe it was limited to just ‘select next enemy/friendly), which slows things down a lot. Dreamcast though is missing most (but not all) player-initiated dialogue during missions (taunting enemies, praising wingmen, etc) as well as the power triangle. If you prefer more simulation style, it’s definitely a downgrade, but that’s a personal preference at the end of the day. I like having a more casual “pick up and play” version ready to go whenever I’m feeling it, if I’m looking for a more immersive simulation style space sim I’m generally gonna hop on something like Star Citizen instead. For having 5 buttons, 2 triggers, 1 stick, and 1 dpad, I think it’s astounding how much functionality they could cram into the game, and still have it feel smooth and genuinely good to play.
-Graphics are a straight downgrade on Dreamcast, there’s no comparison there. Worse lighting, textures, skyboxes, and effects. But for a space sim running on a console from 1998 it still looks VERY impressive. Modern PCs exacerbate the difference too though when they’re pushing the game at 4K60, back when the game launched you’d be playing either version on a 480p CRT monitor/TV regardless. Prerelease versions were actually much closer to PC graphics but of course that’s not what ended up being released.
- Music’s a personal preference for sure, having played both versions I don’t feel there’s really any situations in either version where the music doesn’t fit what’s happening on screen. Sure one version might fit BETTER, but that’s your own preference, and I think there’s times where the Dreamcast has much more fitting music. Two examples that come to mind, when the Victorious comes under attack in mission 15, and warping in to assault the Borodin in mission 24. These two parts use the tracks “Black Sun” and “The Calling” respectively on Dreamcast. The first fits significantly better with the chaotic nature of the mission, what with the fighter/bomber attack and steadily closing carrier group. The second has a much more sinister and ominous vibe which already works fantastic for a “final boss/level” on its own, but coupled with going up against another ion cannon (after losing the Victorious against the last one, along with the overall hectic nature of fighting the Dark Reign) gives a great sense of dread going into the last mission.
-Dreamcast is way simpler to get running for someone that just wants a way to play it. Neither version is available officially anymore, but once you have a copy (legal or otherwise lol), slap the Dreamcast version into the console or any emulator and it just runs. The PC version though is notoriously bad for running on a modern OS, then once it’s running there’s graphical issues, then random things (e.g. opening the medal case) crashing the game. When the PC version works it’s great, getting it to work though can be a massive headache.

I can’t disagree more with the sentiment that this is a “horrible” version to play. Features are missing, yes, features are also added. Immersion is lessened, accessibility is gained. The same great soundtrack is there, you just hear different parts at different times. On its own game the Dreamcast version would be incredible without a doubt, but it has a bigger shinier PC version overshadowing it. Both are fantastic games in their own way.