X-Beyond the Frontier is an interesting title but when I saw the SouthPeak Interactive logo on the box I almost put it back on the shelf. Having experienced first hand the evil that can be wrought with licenses such as Wild Wild West and Dukes of Hazzard, it's safe to say that I'm not SouthPeak's biggest fan (Editor Note: SouthPeak is the distributor of the game in North America.)
It's hard to deny the game's charm; it does have a certain distinctive look to it that's very appealing. The developer, Egosoft, chose to skip the standard 'one pilot in a war against the aliens' approach in favor of a more unique storyline.
Players are cast as the test pilot of one of humanity's first ships capable of deep space travel. Of course, the first flight goes wrong and you are stranded in a sector of the galaxy that's so far away that Earth hasn't even been discovered yet. Those in the know might recognize a certain similarity to the Sci-Fi Network's series Farscape. Mega-kudos to Egosoft for having the courage to stay away from one of the more worn development paths. It is always refreshing to see innovation, even in small doses.
![]()
X-Beyond the Frontier places a certain emphasis on exploration and provides a large number of systems to explore. The universe is a diverse place, populated with a wide range of species and industry. In a sense, there are overtones of the kinds of exploration that made the Star Control series famous.
The game uses its own graphics engine and, although it is lacking a bit in terms of sophistication, it does manage to do some rather impressive things with lighting and a fairly extensive color palette. These may not be the fanciest of the emperor's robes but it does manage to look good regardless.
You are dropped into a largely commerce driven section of the universe. This 'Republicans in space' approach to sci-fi is largely unprecedented. To my knowledge, Privateer and Elite are the only similar beasts out there at the time of release (1999).
There is a surprisingly vibrant soundtrack to be found as well. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the score. It lies somewhere between the realms of classical and new age and fits the mood and tone of the game like a glove. There are shades of many classic influences such as Arthur C. Clarke's 2001 and 2010 that enhance the experience. All of these things are interesting ingredients and make a tantalizing stew. When do we eat?
Unfortunately, dinner isn't very filling. As much as the game has an interesting storyline, it remains completely undeveloped. Instead of spending your time exploring space and the alien cultures surrounding you, most of your time is spent unraveling the events of Earth's past and the subsequent affect of those events on this sector. The phrase 'cop-out' springs to mind.
X-Beyond the Frontier's exploration starts out strong and then falls flat on its face the second you encounter a new species. Akbar tool zombie free movie. Most of the time, crossing the border happens without a blip. You might think a species would at least investigate unknown ships (as a potential threat). No special interaction with any species takes place unless it has a direct effect on the storyline. For all intents and purposes, the aliens might just as well be various breeds of the same species.
Combat is also laughably simple. Xenon ships attack and retreat in virtually identical patterns every time and pirates make only pathetic token attempts to even defend themselves. Forget your dog-fighting skills, you won't need them.
The graphics engine has potential but it is populated with more ridiculous looking things than the local carnival freak shows. Starship design is terrible and cruisers often look like giant toothbrushes. Astronauts on a space walk look like Gummi Bears. Microscopic stars hit the cockpit, literally. The effect is not completely unlike flies dying on your windshield as you go down the freeway.
For a completely unknown sector of space, the planets bear an awful lot of resemblance to nine planets we all know and love. The game's inhabitants don't know Earth exists but I've seen at least four versions of it. (Would it really cost that much to hire an artist to draw some original planets?). The cumulative effect of all this doesn't completely ruin the game's graphic appeal but it does come close.
Though the game's commerce feature is interesting, it grows very old very quickly. It is based on a simple supply and demand model. The price for any given commodity fluctuates depending upon how much of that commodity is in stock. So, if you choose the 'honest trader' approach to the game, you will spend the vast majority of your time seeking out surpluses and selling where there is a shortage.
However, supply and demand (within the game) are not regional averages, they are specific to each business. This creates the intergalactic equivalent of buying cases of Coke at the local King Soopers and re-selling them across the street to the local McDonalds. I'll grant you, the idea is a tad on the ridiculous side but at least it's based on logic and is somewhat plausible. The problem is, though, if you don't enjoy being an intergalactic Fed-Ex man, you will grow very bored of it long before you've even amassed enough credits to advance the story, much less appreciate some of the higher levels in the game.
X-Beyond the Frontier has all the ingredients for a great game but it just simply fails to deliver on all of its promise. The story is too boring to do justice to its concept and the gameplay is too repetitive to capitalize on its relative novelty. This game reminds me of a ferocious, barking toy poodle behind a 'beware of dog' sign. Somehow, it manages to be both cool and pathetic at the same time.
Graphics: Distinctive engine, good look, but very poorly used. It's like giving fine paints to a three year old.
Sound: Strong score, very subtle; but sound effects are barely noticeable.
Enjoyment: Excellent concepts but poor execution on all counts.
Replay Value: Plan on losing interest quickly.
People who downloaded X-Gold (X: Beyond the Frontier & X-Tension) have also downloaded:
X2: The Threat, X³: Reunion, X-COM: Interceptor, Wing Commander: Privateer - Gemini Gold, Starlancer, X-Plane 8, Wings over Europe: Cold War Gone Hot, WWII Tank Commander
The Lost Fleet is a military science fiction series written by John G. Hemry under the pen name Jack Campbell. The series is set one-hundred-plus years into an interstellar war between two different human cultures, the Alliance and the Syndics. The protagonist of the story is discovered floating in a suspended animationescape pod one hundred years after he made a 'heroic last stand' against an enemy fleet. In his absence, he has been made into a renowned hero in the Alliance, but his legend and actions are used to justify poor tactics and decisions. Awakened after being discovered during a secret mission that turns out to be an enemy trap, he is suddenly dropped into the role of fleet commander and expected to live up to the legend that has grown around him.
The series ended with Victorious (2010). The author, however, has continued the Lost Fleet series with two spin-offs: Beyond the Frontier, focusing on the main characters from the Lost Fleet, and The Lost Stars, focusing on the Syndicate Worlds,[1] as well as a prequel series, The Genesis Fleet.
Novels[edit]
Plot summary[edit]The Lost Fleet[edit]
The Alliance has been fighting the Syndicate Worlds (a union of planets under a tyrannical, corporate-like government) for a century. After obtaining a 'hypernet key' from a Syndic traitor, they send a large fleet through a hypernet gate to directly attack the Syndic homeworld, but are ambushed by overwhelming Syndic forces.
During the approach to the Syndic homeworld, the fleet discovers the escape pod of Captain John Geary in an abandoned star system. Known as 'Black Jack' in the present, his legendary exploits are taught to every schoolchild and he is revered for his heroic last stand in the early days of the war. The Black Jack Geary legend includes the expectation that one day he will return from the dead to lead the Alliance fleet to victory. Left as de facto fleet commander and with great reluctance takes it upon himself to lead the fleet to the safety of Alliance space.
Geary is also forced to retrain the fleet to fight in formation instead of the 'modern' free-for-all tactics of charging straight at the enemy, supposedly inspired by Geary's example at his famous last stand, caused by decades of attrition and loss of experience.[2] Geary's attempt to change the fleet's culture causes tension with other senior officers, including one egomaniacal senior captain freed from a Syndic labor camp with a reputation almost as famous as Geary's, who proceeds to split off a portion of the fleet on a disastrous mission.[3]
To complicate the situation, a third faction wishes to stage a military coup upon the return of the fleet to Alliance space with Geary as dictator. Geary resists the temptation offered by this faction with great effort, though they continue to apply pressure to him throughout the series.
As the entire military force of the Syndicate Worlds continues to hunt the Alliance fleet, Geary is often forced to raid Syndic star systems for supplies and raw materials. During these raids, the fleet gradually uncovers evidence of a third party in this war. Geary believes they are an unknown alien civilization who may have tricked the Syndics into starting the war with the Alliance. These aliens may even have been responsible for humans 'discovering' the hypernet and may have sinister reasons for giving humans this technology after Geary discovers that a hypernet gate can be used to destroy an entire star system. The hypothetical aliens also have a means of remote destruction of hypernet gates, which will allow them, given time, to extend the war between the humans indefinitely.
The alien civilization, whatever their designs for humanity are, do not appear to want the Alliance fleet to reach their home space. When Geary leads the fleet to attack the Lakota star system, the aliens manipulate the Syndic hypernet to divert a Syndic fleet to the system.[4]
Throughout the series, Geary is troubled by larger issues. First, he is concerned by the declining state of the Alliance civilian government, which is losing control of its member worlds and the support of the military forces after a century of futile warfare. Also, even though Geary is unswervingly loyal to the Alliance, he fears that the government may choose to imprison him as a threat to its own power. In addition, the Alliance Navy itself has allowed its standards to slip, frequently destroying entire planets and their civilian populations in retaliation for Syndic atrocities, murdering prisoners of war, and has ceased saluting and other traditions reaffirming the command structure. Geary therefore fears that the Alliance may not deserve any victory it might achieve. Combined with these is his speculation that, if the increasingly non-hypothetical aliens are perpetuating the war within human-controlled space, what might their actions be if he can somehow end it?
Beyond the Frontier[edit]
The Lost Stars[edit]
The Lost Stars deals with the collapse of the Syndicate Worlds, and specifically the efforts of Midway System's system CEO commander and ground force CEO commander to deal with the aftermath.[9] The series expands the story to include the viewpoint of Syndicate Worlds citizens and how the leaders of the Midway star system react to the collapse of central authority, occurring at the same time as the events in the Beyond the Frontier series.
The Genesis Fleet[edit]
A prequel to The Lost Fleet series, envisioned as a trilogy detailing the formation of the Alliance and the first clashes with the Syndicate Worlds.
X Beyond The Frontier DownloadMajor themes[edit]
Hemry acknowledged in an interview that The Lost Fleet was inspired by Xenophon's Anabasis, detailing the return march of the Ten Thousand, and myths about kingsreturning to save their nation. In the same interview, Hemry, based on his own military experience, found Geary to be his ideal commanding officer.
Ancestor worship is a belief system fairly homogeneously embraced within Hemry's universe. This allows Hemry to explore a few aspects of the role of religion in military life without making comment on any current or modern religious group. Personnel in the Alliance fleet are mostly believers, and concerned with the morality of their actions in relation to their religious beliefs. In addition, they think a great deal about the afterlife, which makes sense considering that they constantly face death in the line of duty. Religious concerns, prayer, and terminology are infused throughout all aspects of the lives of the sailors and officers in the fleet, and are often included in official communications and events. Some comments from the narration indicate that there are those in the society who have more or less belief in the existence of their ancestors but no characters are openly identified as such.
A primary theme of John Hemry's work as a whole, and the Lost Fleet series in particular, is the importance of the rule of law, particularly military and naval regulations and the laws of war. Specifically, he deals with the proper treatment of enemy combatants, prisoners, civilians, and saboteurs, as well as traitors within one's own organization. The separation of civilian and military authority is also important to the messages the series conveys. Hemry, through John Geary, continually reinforces the concept that military forces must be subordinate to civilian authority, and shows democratic systems of civilian government (the Alliance) to be superior to a commercial-military autocracy (the Syndics). At the same time, the military must follow established systems of rank and seniority, rather than a democratic system which is essential to civil society. The character of Co-President (and Alliance Senator) Victoria Rione gives advice and assistance to Geary when necessary, but does not and cannot give actual orders or dictate military policies.
As with other works by Hemry, relationships are an important aspect of the plots of the novels and the proper expression of romantic interest between military personnel is explored and clearly defined as being strictly controlled by those regulations which concern fraternization. Geary's relationship earlier in the novels with Victoria Rione are legally safe, but politically dangerous. This is in contrast to his relationship later in the novels with Captain Tanya Desjani, an officer who is directly subordinate to Geary as the captain of his flagship, making any romantic situation legally impossible but politically safe within the culture of the fleet. The refusal of Geary and Desjani to act upon any feelings that are legally forbidden continues Hemry's message of the importance of the rule of law and military regulations.
![]()
Honor and duty are also strong themes. The double edged nature of honor is explored in the latter half of the series, showing how honor can be both a bulwark against attack, and a knife to one's own throat. Tai game kinh di nhe cho pc.
Reception[edit]
We Read Science Fiction reviewed the series and gave it a good review, giving positive comments on the narrative and the detailed battle scenes. The only complaint directed at the series in the review was Hemry's tendency to repeat details from earlier books in later books. Hemry himself replied to the review thanking them for their comments and explaining that he repeats information for the readers who picked up later books but have not had the chance to read from the beginning of the series with Dauntless.[11]
Comic book[edit]
British company Titan Comics announced the release of an all-new comic series based on The Lost Fleet in October 2016, written by Jack Campbell, penciled by Andre Siregar, inked by Bambang Irawan and coloured by Sebastian Cheng. The first five-issue series was published from June 2017[12] to January 2018[13].
The series is set after the end of a century-old war between the Alliance and the Syndics, and centers on Captain Michael Geary, Black Jack Geary's grand-nephew, who has been MIA since the novel Dauntless.[14]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
Beyond The Frontier: Steadfast Torrent Online
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Lost_Fleet&oldid=902214519'
For centuries, the world of Safehold, last redoubt of the human race, lay under the unchallenged rule of the Church of God Awaiting. The Church permitted nothing new-no new inventions, no new understandings of the world.
What no one knew was that the Church was an elaborate fraud--a high-tech system established by a rebel faction of Safehold's founders, meant to keep humanity hidden from the powerful alien race that had destroyed old Earth.
Then awoke Merlyn Athrawes, cybernetic avatar of a warrior a thousand years dead, felled in the war in which Earth was lost. Monk, warrior, counselor to princes and kings, Merlyn has one purpose: to restart the history of the too-long-hidden human race.
And now the fight is thoroughly underway. The island empire of Charis has declared its independence from the Church, and with Merlyn's help has vaulted forward into a new age of steam-powered efficiency. Fending off the wounded Church, Charis has drawn more and more of the countries of Safehold to the cause of independence and self-determination. But at a heavy cost in bloodshed and loss--a cost felt by nobody more keenly that Merlyn Athrawes.
The wounded Church is regrouping. Its armies and resources are vast. The fight for humanity's future isn't over, and won't be over soon..
Beyond The Frontier: Steadfast Torrent 1
Safehold Series 1. Off Armageddon Reef 2. By Schism Rent Asunder 3. By Heresies Distressed 4. A Mighty Fortress 5. How Firm A Foundation 6. Midst Toil and Tribulation 7. Like A Mighty Army 8. Hell's Foundations Quiver 9. At the Sign of Triumph
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Comments are closed.
|
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |