Paradox announces Star Trek Infinite (4X strategy Stellaris & Birth of The Federation like game)

[Blake00]

Well this is a bit of a surprise! We’re getting a new 4X strategy Star Trek game! Years ago I told a long blog story of that night in 1999 when I finally got my hands on the last day 1 copy of Star Trek Birth of the Federation in my city and absolutely fell in love with it (as expected being a huge Master of Orion & Star Trek fan), playing it again and again for years and dreaming of a sequel that sadly never came due to Microprose’s demise. In that same blog post I also did a tour of each of the major BOTF2 fan projects that are quite playable theses days and continue to be worked on and that without them and the BOTF modding community we would have had nothing over the years.

Original BOTF


BOTF2 Fan Projects (Supremacy, Rise of the UFP, & Birth of the Empires respectively)


Now while we'll probably sadly never get an official Star Trek Birth of the Federation 2 it looks like we’re about to get an entirely new Star Trek 4X strategy game from Paradox called Star Trek Infinite that much like good old BOTF is set in the TNG era with Picard, Gowron, Gul Dukat, and many more characters from TNG, DS9 and Voyager! You can play as the United Federation of Planets, Klingon Empire, Romulan Star Empire, or Cardassian Union (sorry no Ferengi this time haha) and a huge array of minor races to ally or conquer just like in BOTF. While this might not exactly be the BOTF2 sequel many of us have hoped for, it does look a LOT like the popular Star Trek mod for Stellaris, so I guess Paradox thought “lets make that a real thing” lol, grabbed the Trek licence and enlisted the help of Nimble Giant Entertainment who created the gorgeous looking big budget Master of Orion reboot a few years back to make it happen. Hmm the same people behind a Master of Orion game making a Star Trek 4X game... that story sounds familiar. While I’ve not played the Star Trek mod for Stellaris myself I’ve heard many times over the years from it’s players that it often reminded them of BOTF so it will be very interesting to see just how similar this new game will be. Judging by the steam screenshots there will be story/quest elements much like with Stellaris too. Will be interesting to see if the Borg make a nasty appearance (judging by the teaser vid they will just like in BOTF), how much control we'll have over battle sequences, if the game does well enough to have more playable races added via DLC addons (eg Dominion), and how mod friendly it will be.

Steam page:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1622900/Star_Trek_Infinite/

Teaser:

Gameplay Trailer:

Screenshots:

 

[Blake00]

Looks like we've got a new 'Game features' trailer and some news on preorder bonuses & dev diaries in coming...

Steam :: Star Trek: Infinite :: Gameplay Features Trailer & Pre-Purchase Bonus Announcement

Today is a great day for anyone who has been hungry for news about Star Trek: Infinite because we bring you our gameplay features trailer and pre-order bonuses!

steamcommunity.com

 

[vmxa]

Hi Blake,

I can barely remember Birth of a Fed, it was long ago. They need to have a bit of a play through for me to decide, if it is for me or not. I saw a date, was that for release or is it just going to pre alpha? I am too old to get into any alpha builds.

 

[Blake00]

Hi Blake,

I can barely remember Birth of a Fed, it was long ago. They need to have a bit of a play through for me to decide, if it is for me or not. I saw a date, was that for release or is it just going to pre alpha? I am too old to get into any alpha builds.

Yup it appears Oct 13 is the release date for full game. Yeah I don't play alphas either or day 1 releases anymore for that matter. I let other people find all the horrible bugs so I can enjoy the full experience years later haha. Considering what a mess the Master of Orion remake from these guys was at release no doubt this will be a messy day 1 release too. Better to be patient!

 

[Blake00]

IGN got a copy and have done a good preview on it.

Star Trek: Infinite Preview: Spreadsheets, the Final Frontier

Engage (with some menus).

za.ign.com

 

[The_J]

As a Trekkie, this is definitely something I'd want to have if I had a remotely gaming-worthy PC.
This seems to have good potential.

 

[Blake00]

Ahh first dev diary is here.. they even mention BOTF as inspiration and recreating that experience which is great. I'm loving all their TNG/DS9/VOY era artwork (presumably used in the game's many events and story trees).

Steam :: Star Trek: Infinite :: Developer Log #1: The Genesis

In today's log, I wanted to talk a bit about why we wanted to make this game. A passion project like none other, and now finally everyone can learn about it.

steamcommunity.com

 

[Blake00]

Dev diary 2 is here...

Steam :: Star Trek: Infinite :: Dev Log #2 - A Matter of Perspective

Last week we talked about the genesis of Star Trek: Infinite. But how do we actually build a grand strategy game of Star Trek? Let's dive into it today!

steamcommunity.com

 

[Blake00]

Another dev diary on the very thing I've been impressive with the most so far.. that lovely nostalgic TNG art style of their's.. There's something about it that reminds me of STTNG Final Unity's art style in that it was quite realistic but retained a bit of a artistic painted look. They also appear to reveal the full faction lineup of ships and starbases. Not many ships sadly and similar to BOTF back in the day it appears to be pure 24th century TNG onwards with no TOS content (unless it appeared in TNG). Also a bit sad to see the minimalist GUI features almost no LCARS whatsoever as the LCARS in BOTF really upped the immersion and uniqueness between the races.

Steam :: Star Trek: Infinite :: Dev Log #3 - The Artistic Vision

In today's Dev log, we cover the artistic vision and the decisions made to respectfully expand the franchise, and showcase the extensive content that made this game possible.

steamcommunity.com

 

[The_J]

Today "Star Trek: Infinite" got released. Most people knowing any Paradox games and Star Trek probably looked at this game and said that it is Stellaris with a Star Trek cover. According to current reviews, from e.g. PCGamer or RockPaperShotgun, this seems to be true, in the best sense. Star Trek: Infinite seems to capture the Trek-atmosphere, including the Star Trek lore, while still being a good 4X game. It is focused on the four major factions in the Alpha and Beta quadrant, and captures some stories of the various Star Trek series apparently well, and therefore is probably a must-play for may Star Trek fans.

The game is currently available for only 29.99.

 

[SupremacyKing2]

I'm debating whether to get the game now or wait. I want the game. I love space 4X games a lot. I am a huge Star Trek fan. I used to play Birth of the Federation for hours. I enjoy Stellaris. Having a Star Trek game with the Stellaris mechanics is a dream come true. But a lot of early reviews on Steam say the game is basically unfinished, bare bones. For example, it only has 4 playable races, only one map to play that is small. $30 for an "unfinished" game seems a bit steep. And knowing how Paradox does things, we will likely see a bunch of patches and paid DLCs that will "finish" the game. So it might worth waiting for the DLCs that complete the game? Also, the game will likely be on sale at Christmas time. So perhaps wait for the Christmas sale and pick up the game at a discount?

 

[Blake00]

Looks like they did another dev log too..

Steam :: Star Trek: Infinite :: Dev Log #4 - A Trek Story

Star Trek and the particular era we chose to base ourselves in is brimming with rich material. Now we need to give players the freedom to express their own story.

steamcommunity.com

Interesting that story wise they appear to be basing it around the yesterdays enterprise alternate universe but presumably before the Feds start losing the war to the Klingons and you get to 'set a new path'..

There's a great Civ4 Star Trek mod scenario set in that timeline as well where you gotta try and turn the war around for the Feds.

Think I show it around the 9:30 mark of this video.. I used that cool moment with the Enterprise C&D fighting the Klingons for the Thumbnail!

 

[Blake00]

Dev diary 5 is out talking about bug fixing and hints as to whats being added next (Ferengi buildings & Dyson sphere)..

Steam :: Star Trek: Infinite :: Dev Log #5 - It's Been a Long Road

We are still fighting the fires of launch day issues, but we wanted to give a brief run-down of known issues, where to report bugs, and how we're faring overall.

steamcommunity.com

 

[Blake00]

Oooh nice new video...

And Dev diary 6 is out too talking about how the day 1 release was a bit of a disaster lol.

Steam :: Star Trek: Infinite :: Dev Log #6 - Growing the Beard

Dev Log - Stardate 23801.4 It is not easy to launch a game. It is a small miracle every time a game manages to come out, and sometimes we stumble out of the gate. In our first 24 hours, we had some big issues with our game being flagged as malware by different antivirus makers, alongside a...

steamcommunity.com

 

[Blake00]

Dev diary 7 is out talking about planned fixes and feature additions such as more ship choices per race, better UI scaling, and playable minor races.

Steam :: Star Trek: Infinite :: Dev Log #7 - The Continuing Mission

While we continue our pursuit of resolving issues, it's important to us that you, our players, remain informed about the direction we're headed. Read more...

steamcommunity.com

And dev diary 8 is out too showcasing some of the best user made mods out there adding new planets, buildings, missions, and more lore friendly or sandbox galaxy maps.

Steam :: Star Trek: Infinite :: Star Trek: Infinite - Dev Log #8 - Beyond the Nexus

At Star Trek: Infinite, we have a profound appreciation for user modding and the countless mods crafted for our game. Today, we're excited to shine a spotlight on some standout examples that can further enrich your Star Trek: Infinite experience. Creating a game requires a delicate...

steamcommunity.com

 

[Blake00]

Dev diary 9 is out talking about Klingon language..

Steam :: Star Trek: Infinite :: Dev Log #9 - Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam

Stardate 23861.7 One of the best parts of the Deluxe Edition (and pre-order if you got that) is the Klingon Advisor VO Pack. During launch there was a lot of confusion about what this was. Several outlets said it was a voice line, just the greeting when interacting with Klingons. We did correct...

steamcommunity.com

 

[Blake00]

More dev logs have arrived in orbit...

Steam :: Star Trek: Infinite :: Dev Log 10: Engage!

Stardate 23878.1 Hello and welcome! Today we are going to lean into a more practical approach to our dev diary, as the stars align, we are looking at what is happening next Tuesday, when we explore some community engagement outside Discord, and look at our other friends in Star Trek gaming...

steamcommunity.com

Steam :: Star Trek: Infinite :: Dev Log #11 - Fascination

Stardate 23916.5 As the leaves change color, and light snow starts to fall, some of you are gathering around for a time of gratitude. It is a moment to reflect on the voyages we’ve shared in the expansive universe that is Star Trek: Infinite. The first thing I want to thank you all for is the...

steamcommunity.com

 

[Blake00]

Forgot to share this one..

Steam :: Star Trek: Infinite :: Dev Log #12 - All Good Things...

Stardate: 23954.9 As we are wrapping up this year, we are also capping off the weekly patches. Last week's 1.0.7 patch was our last planned weekly patch for this year. With the patch we closed off our top rated bugs and cleared out a huge backlog of minor issues. We are now in discussions on...

steamcommunity.com

 

[Blake00]

sigh.. sure enough the rumours of layoffs and end of support (ie no more patches fixing all the remaining bugs) after they went silent on the frequent dev diary updates are true.. Paradox have pulled the plug.. yet another case of a publisher forcing a small dev team to rush out a game on a small budget and then pull the plug before they can put out all the resulting fires.. such a shame..

I wonder if fans will stick around to mod it into something better or if most will go back to the original Star Trek mod for Stellaris...

Star Trek: Infinite - Dev Log #13 - What You Leave Behind

Stardate: 24204.2 Today, we bring news regarding the future of Star Trek: Infinite, a journey we've embarked on together with a lot of excitement. Sadly, we must inform you that Star Trek: Infinite will not receive further updates. Together...

forum.paradoxplaza.com

 

[Sephi]

haha, on their website the developers are proud that they have more than 200 people working for them and you call them small. The developers are owned by some weird financial group whose main investor got it's money from some shady stuff like crypto coins and went under earlier this year. Many developer studios had to close down as a result sadly.I doubt Paradox had anything to do with this one.

I don't really understand the point of this game. Isn't it just a watered down version of the stellaris star trek mod? They could have atleast made the Interface look different, maybe include some star trek art. The stellaris star wars mod looks less than stellaris than this game. To me it always looked like some low effort cashgrab but I might be completly wrong. That is just the impression I got from the screenshots.