User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Sat Aug 26, 2017 9:38 pm

I'd been looking for Starflight 2 for Amiga for well over a year - I kid you not. I'd only ever found one copy on Ebay during that time that wasn't priced astronomically high, but it was part of a software bundle that wouldn't be broken up.

Plus, it was missing the map which you simply have to have (IMO) in order to play these games. I mean, sure, you could play with a digital version on a screen somewhere, but I'm playing these games on real hardware. I don't want to have to glance over at a laptop to see where I might need to go next in my adventures. I want paper goodness right in my hands.

As many members of AmigaLove know already, I'm a huge fan of the original Starflight game. It's easily in my top-5 games of all time on the platform (maybe of all-time period). It's just so good and hits all of my sci-fi buttons in all the right places. So after having played the original for a solid month (and I could and will play for many more - it's so vast) I've wanted the second installment for a very long time.

Well. I finally got my copy off Amibay and the source was in England. In fact, my copy claims to have been made in England, which really surprises me. This game was designed and coded in the US, so I'd be very surprised if it was optimized for PAL machines. I guess I'll find out soon enough, though.

In any case, I got the game for a very reasonable price (unlike the stuff I was seeing on Ebay all year long) - only 14 pounds. And the shipping was only a bit more. All in all, a huge win for me personally.

This is going to take a massive time investment, but I seriously can't wait! I've actually been in on-going discussions with the designer of the game, Greg Johnson, and I'm completely stoked to dive into this sci-fi adventure. If it's anything like the first, it's going to be a blast. I can't wait to see what's new and different about it.

In terms of the actual physical game from a collector's perspective I can tell you this - Starflight 1 blows this thing away. Starflight 2's box is horrific. I'm not talking about the art - that's excellent of course. I mean the actual product design of the box(es). Starflight 2 actually uses a very thin - almost printer-paper thin sleeve of sorts - which you have to carefully remove in order to get to the inner boxes. The previous owner obviously had trouble with this (I don't blame him) and there are two large rips in the "art sleeve" as proof of this. Once you remove the sleeve, there is another box where you have to pull a third box out of its side.

In other words, once you remove the game box contents, I suppose they are intended to stay on your desk for the next few months while you play the game because putting it all back together might rip the outer sleeve every time.

Hopefully I can install this game to HD and at least put the disks away. But I'll still need to keep the map and manual out for the duration I play the game. It's unusual - in my opinion - to see Electronic Arts make a bad box design. They were typically the best in that department especially in the 1980s. Granted this was made in 1991.
Attachments
starflight2-box.jpg
Starflight 2 box cover

starflight2-contents.jpg
Entire box contents for Starflight 2


User avatar
coldfire

Posted Sun Aug 27, 2017 12:32 pm

I've seen the PC version of this game around. Is the map the same in both versions?

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Sun Aug 27, 2017 3:39 pm

I would assume so. The game should be identical though the controls and graphics would be unique to each platform (and the Amiga is likely much better in that department).

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Sun Aug 27, 2017 3:47 pm

And the really great news? My disks - Starflight 2 uses 2 content disks instead of just one like the original - are perfectly flawless (and appear to be NTSC even though they were made in the UK). And wow - the intro music! Holy crap. This game looks amazing.

Not only do the disks work, but they also have an Install to HDD option which worked seamlessly. Stoked!
Attachments
sf2.jpg

User avatar
icbrkr
Particles! BBS

Posted Fri Sep 08, 2017 7:06 pm

Some people have scanned in the maps which is great when you find a copy without it. I printed mine out, and started drawing warps, marking solar systems, etc.

User avatar
intric8
Seattle, WA, USA

Posted Fri Sep 08, 2017 9:29 pm

Are you playing SF2 right now? That'd be cool to have a co-pilot to bounce questions/ideas off of simultaneously.

I've been stocking up on some games for the upcoming rainy season. I'm currently in the middle of Silent Service (just finished playing as far as I was going to play Rainbow Islands). I've also been glued to the NEW C64 awesomeness of Galencia. Can't recommend that game enough and hope to post about it in-depth fairly soon, too.

But After Silent Service I think I may jump into Castles, by Quicksilver, which was founded by ex-Intellivision dudes. That's got to get some extra bonus points right there, right? :) This dev house eventually made a deal with Activision and did the best-selling game Return to Zork. Oddly, they seemed to pivot not long after into creating training software for the military.

I want to give Castles a go then, I think, do a long deep-dive into Starflight 2. It just looks and sounds amazing at first glance.





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