Fleet Ops vs. Armada II

What is Fleet Operations you might ask?

Fleet Operations is a popular multiplayer orientated total-conversion/modification for Activision's real-time strategy game, Star Trek Armada II. The project's goal is not only to create a simple "modification", but to create a total conversion to make Armada II a worthy successor to the second best selling Star Trek game, Star Trek: Armada (behind Interplay's Star Trek: 25th Anniversary by a small, but fair margin). In 2000, Fleet Operations was made as a private project first only for “Star Trek: Armada I”. In winter of 2002 after the release of Armada II,  DOCa Cola, Optec, and Detektor (the founders of the mod) had the idea to develop Fleet Operations for Armada II, which they wanted to make available for every Star Trek fan.

Version 3 of Fleet Operations includes advanced graphics, a whole new user interface, an updated game and graphics engine, completely replaced ship models, five balanced factions with entirely new gameplay and tons of new possibilities making Armada II a real, real-time strategy multiplayer game. To install, Fleet Ops only requires the Armada II CD to be in the CD tray. The complete conversion can be downloaded here: http://www.fleetops.net/

Changes and Additions: The Big Three

Individual Technology Trees

Each faction has an individual technology tree. In Armada II all factions had the same fundamental tech tree of stations and ships with very subtle deviation (for example the amount of ships differed in the small shipyards). The developers did not intend to stick with the Armada II layout of three research stations and two types of shipyards for each faction. As a consequence the team developed a unique technology tree for each faction, and in addition found a way to balance this in an appropriate way. Now, for example, Klingons have three shipyards while the Dominion has just two of them and the Dominion also has to build more expensive prototypes before building the corresponding cheaper "copies". Similarly, upon game startup, you have the choice to choose between one of two avatars, supporting your preferred tactics.

Research of technologies is linked with a unique system for each faction as well. A special offer you can witness in Fleet Operations 3.0 is the ability to trade technologies between factions which brings more depth and variety into gameplay. 

For more information, visit the Basics section here.

Physics

The Fleet Ops team has removed the 3D space box from the game. This means that all actions are done at one level in height and depth (“zero” level). The result is that there is no more pointless building in height/depth and flying over defensive structures without harm.

Furthermore, the warp capability of all vessels has been removed. As a consequence, retreating from torpedoes by warping away will no longer be a major aspect of gameplay, and attacking an opponent's base is composed of clever strategy and intelligent fleet combinations to achieve greater efficiency. Although maps are larger in Armada II than in Armada I, warp-capable ships could reach any point of the map within seconds, leading to Warp-In – shoot – Warp-Out tactics. It likewise removed the need for slower vessels, as well as vessels that had special weapons to lay “traps”. Turrets and defensive structures could also be easily skirted using warp.

Warp is a very good aspect if it supports the game. For example, in a game like Starfleet Command, or a first person shooter with a storyline, warp can be very interesting. For a Real Time Strategy game, however, it just doesn't fit. Thus, to allow more strategic accented game-play, only impulse speed is available. Experiences from Armada I showed the developers that this solution fits the game the best.

Of course this seems to be un-Trecky, but for an RTS game you always have to adapt the source material - in this case Star Trek - to fit the requirements of the genre. If you really need a “technical” argument, a Fleet Operations map is a sector. We rarely hear of any warp traffic within a sector or star system and as seen in one of the movies and some of the episodes, it’s also not a good idea to go to warp while being in a star system. If warp drive were that useful, nobody would use impulse drives. It is a weak point, but that's enough for the developers, as strategy always goes first - this is a game, not a simulation.

Graphics

This category compares the graphical aspects of stock Armada II and Fleet Operations. Unlike the Fleet Operations Gallery, you can see how the look of Fleet Operations differs in relation to that of Armada II as similar scenes from both games are presented here. Keep in mind that to really get a feel for how explosions, disruptors, and quantum torpedoes shimmer and glow, you'll have to actually play the game - pictures just can't do them justice. On to the pretty images!