Giveaway of the Day Forums

1. 

   Whiterabbit-uk
   Games Guru

   I’ve just seen a news item on one of the games sites I visit regarding the conversion of Universal Combat to void ware, (that's a word used when converting previously sold big budget games to freeware). The game which is only three years old is quite a catch for freeware fans of this 3D space shooter. Here’s the news item in full with links to the downloads at the bottom of the page, plus five links to videos so that you can decide whether to download the game.

   Enjoy folks:

   News Item from 300AD
   Yes. Reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated. You know who I’m talking about. The self-righteous egomaniac himself, Derek Smart. This time Mr. Smart resurfaces bearing gifts:
   As announced late last year, Dreamcatcher’s five year rights to two of our legacy games, Battlecruiser Millennium Gold (2003) and Universal Combat (2003) expired on 12/18/07. As such, we had advised the publisher to initiate a DIF (Destroy In Field) order to its various retailers so that the games can no longer be sold. The new Dreamcatcher management (under the new Jowood owners) have complied accordingly as best we can tell.
   In case you were wondering; yes, the games were still selling and generating royalty income as per the [unpaid] quarterly royalty statements from the publisher. Those [two year] accumulated and unpaid income earnings will be written off as a bad debt loss in our 2007 tax filings once we receive the Q4/07 statements which are due around the end of January ‘08.
   That said, in keeping with the tradition of releasing my legacy games for free, I have repackaged the single player Universal Combat game and released it into the wild as freeware. Once again, our freeware game is released with no advertising, no nag screens, no expiration date, nothing. Just the full (and patched) single player game as was commercially released in Feb 2004, but with fewer music tracks (the game FAQ shows how players can add their own MP3 tracks) and no multiplayer.
   The only condition under which our freeware games are released is that they not be sold under any circumstances, nor bundled as part of any commercial media (e.g. magazine cover discs) without my expressed written permission.
   We previously released the original Battlecruiser Millennium game; as such there are no plans to release the Gold version.
   Although many would-be gamers will dub this as a belated X-Mas present (a lump of coal as some wisecrack forum goer scoffed), a free gift is a gift nonetheless. Staying true to reputation and form, Mr. Smart has indeed released his (now classic) highly ambitious yet heavily criticized 2004 sequel in the Battlecruiser 3000AD series for all to survey. Then again, this could all be a ploy to ramp attention for his upcoming Gallactic Command titles.
   And what would a Derek Smart spotting be without the typical Smart vs. The Internet flame war? Ahh the good ol’ days have returned.
   Stop it. I’m getting all misty.

   Download Links:
   http://files.filefront.com/Universal+Combat+Full+Free+Game/;9367664;/fileinfo.html
   http://files.filefront.com/UniversalCombat+Manualszip/;9371366;/fileinfo.html

   Thanks to 3000ad.com for the links
   Videos:

   http://www.universalcombatgame.com/images/uc_movie_11-18-03-01.wmv

   http://www.universalcombatgame.com/images/uc_movie_11-18-03-02.wmv

   http://www.universalcombatgame.com/images/uc_movie_11-18-03-03.wmv

   http://www.universalcombatgame.com/images/uc_movie_11-18-03-04.wmv

   http://www.universalcombatgame.com/images/uc_movie_11-18-03-05.wmv

   Posted 16 years ago #
2. 

   BuBBy
   Teh adnim

   Although many would-be gamers will dub this as a belated X-Mas present (a lump of coal as some wisecrack forum goer scoffed), a free gift is a gift nonetheless.

   Ahh so Mr Smart has met our: "plate of dirt" brigade. ;)

   Posted 16 years ago #
3. 

   Whiterabbit-uk
   Games Guru

   There has been much criticism of Derek Smart and his vocal attacks on critics of his game and other work. I personally try not to be swayed by such news. Here's a small article that may give you an insight into the game and give you an even better reason either download or not download the game:

   Universal Combat
   Development started in 2002 on the new game in the Battlecruiser franchise under the name Battlecruiser Generations. As part of its design, the upcoming game was intended to make use of newer technology. With a new publisher, Dreamcatcher Games, on board and offering more oversight, the direction of the game changed towards more action-based gameplay than the Battlecruiser series had previously been known for. The changes warranted a new title, and the name was changed to Universal Combat.

   Universal Combat was not ready in time for the 2003 holidays, despite expectations. It was shipped in early 2004 by the publisher, Dreamcatcher Games, at half of the originally announced price. Smart pursued legal action against his publisher. A cease and desist letter was issued on behalf of 3000AD to Dreamcatcher alleging, among other things, that the price reduction was "clearly calculated to inflict economic harm on 3000AD". In the hearing, Dreamcatcher Games claimed that the game's quality did not justify a midrange price, citing the graphics as an example of the overall quality of the game. A hearing was held to determine if Dreamcatcher would be prevented from shipping the title at the reduced price. The presiding judge denied the injunction stating that 3000AD "made bold but unsupported assertions regarding the irreparable harm to it", allowing Dreamcatcher Games to ship the game and 3000AD to proceed with their lawsuit. The matter was later settled out of court under undisclosed terms.

   The game was reviewed and rated in several print and online game magazines. Metacritic gave it an aggregate review score of 54%. Gamespot scored it 59% and said "This wildly ambitious simulation is torpedoed by an almost incomprehensible interface, the absence of a tutorial, numerous bugs, and many fit and finish issues, including dated production values." PC Gamer scored it 75% and said "... Derek Smart's Battlecruiser series has been going strong for eight solid years. Over that time, the idiosyncratic space-combat franchise has transformed itself from a bug-ridden lemon to a respected genre contender. Universal Combat is the latest chapter in this recently rebranded series (with new publisher Dreamcatcher), and though the game remains an acquired taste, it's better than ever."

   After terminating a publishing deal with Dreamcatcher Games, Smart released an updated release titled Universal Combat Gold. Starting with this release, Smart has made a policy of releasing games through online resellers.

   When I get the time I'll write a short review of the game, unless someone else does in the meantime ;)

   Posted 16 years ago #

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