Editing Star Control II

{{short description|1992 video game}}
{{redirect|Sa-Matra|the village in India|Samatra}}
{{Infobox video game
|title = Star Control II
|image = Star Control II cover.jpg
|caption = MS-DOS cover art
|developer = [[Toys for Bob]]
|publisher = [[Accolade, Inc.|Accolade]]<br />[[Crystal Dynamics]] (3DO)
|producer = Pam Levins
|designer = [[Fred Ford (programmer)|Fred Ford]]<br />[[Paul Reiche III]]
|series = Star Control
|released = '''November 1992:''' MS-DOS<br>'''1994:''' 3DO
|genre = [[Adventure game|Adventure]], [[shoot 'em up]]
|modes = [[Single player]], [[Multiplayer video game|multiplayer]]
|platforms = [[MS-DOS]], [[3DO Interactive Multiplayer|3DO]]
}}

'''''Star Control II: The Ur-Quan Masters''''' is a 1992 [[Adventure game|adventure]] [[shoot 'em up]] [[video game]] developed by [[Toys for Bob]] ([[Fred Ford (programmer)|Fred Ford]] and [[Paul Reiche III]]) and originally published by [[Accolade, Inc.|Accolade]] in 1992 for [[MS-DOS]]. The game is a direct sequel to ''[[Star Control]]'', and includes [[exoplanet]]-abundant star systems, hyperspace travel, extraterrestrial life, and interstellar diplomacy. There are 25 alien races with which communication is possible.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sa-matra.net/quotes/|title = The Sa-Matra - Star Control 2 Quotes}}</ref>

Released to critical acclaim, ''Star Control II'' is widely viewed today as one of the greatest PC games ever made.<ref>{{cite web |website=Ars Technica |title=Video: How Star Control II was almost a much more boring game |first=Lee |last=Hutchinson |date=23 October 2018 |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/10/video-how-star-control-ii-was-almost-a-much-more-boring-game/}}</ref> It has appeared on lists of [[List of video games considered the best|the greatest video games of all time]].<ref name="bestclassic2" />

The game was ported to [[3DO Interactive Multiplayer|3DO]] by [[Crystal Dynamics]] in 1994 with an enhanced multimedia presentation. The [[source code]] of the 3DO port was licensed under [[GNU General Public License|GPL-2.0-or-later]] in 2002,<ref name="oreilly2005">{{cite web|last=Wen|first=Howard|date=August 11, 2005|title=The Ur-Quan Masters|url=http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2005/08/11/ur-quan.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316091529/http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2005/08/11/ur-quan.html|archive-date=March 16, 2016|access-date=October 22, 2020|publisher=[[O'Reilly Media]]}}</ref> the game content under [[Creative Commons license|CC-BY-NC-SA-2.5]]. The 3DO source code was the basis of the open source game ''[[The Ur-Quan Masters]]''.

A sequel, ''[[Star Control 3]]'', was released in 1996.

==Gameplay==
[[File:StarControl2 Entering Sol System.png|thumb|left|The Captain's ship enters the [[Solar System]] at the beginning of the game.]]
''Star Control II'' is an [[Action-adventure game|action-adventure]] [[science fiction]] game, set in an [[Open world|open]] universe.<ref name="bestclassic2">{{Cite news|last=Hamilton|first=Kirk|date=September 19, 2013|title=The Game That "Won" Our Classic PC Games List (If It Had A Winner)|language=en-US|work=Kotaku|url=http://kotaku.com/the-game-that-won-our-classic-pc-games-list-if-it-ha-1349952997|access-date=April 3, 2018}}</ref> It features ship-to-ship combat based on the original ''[[Star Control]]'', but removes the first game's [[Strategy video game|strategy]] gameplay to focus on story and dialog, as seen in other [[adventure game]]s.<ref name="HG101series2">{{cite web|author=Kalata|first=Kurt|date=September 11, 2018|title=Star Control II|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/star-control-ii/|access-date=October 22, 2020|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101}}</ref> The player's goal is to free [[Earth]] from the evil [[Ur-Quan]], by recruiting aliens to help.<ref name=":02">{{cite web|author=Hayward|first=David|date=May 9, 2019|title=50 Underrated DOS Games|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/games/underrated-dos-games/|publisher=Den of Geek}}</ref> The main gameplay elements are exploring the galaxy, gathering resources, building a fleet, defeating enemy ships, and conversing with aliens.<ref name=":12">{{cite web|author=Shearer|first=Stew|date=December 6, 2014|title=Star Control 2 - Interstellar Awesome|url=https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/goodoldreviews/12716-Good-Old-Review-Star-Control-2|access-date=October 22, 2020|publisher=[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]]|archive-date=November 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121154234/https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/goodoldreviews/12716-Good-Old-Review-Star-Control-2}}</ref><ref name=":42">{{Cite web|last=Hope|first=Patrick|date=September 24, 2013|title=Patrick Hope: Into the vault with little-known Ur-Quan Masters|url=https://www.thedickinsonpress.com/opinion/1828478-patrick-hope-vault-little-known-ur-quan-masters|access-date=2020-05-28|website=The Dickinson Press|language=en}}</ref>

One-on-one spaceship battles take place in real-time, based on the core gameplay of the original ''Star Control''.<ref name=":22">{{Cite web|date=May 1, 2015|title=5 Sequels That Are Very Different From The Original Games|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/games/5-Sequels-Very-Different-From-Original-Games-71637.html|access-date=May 7, 2020|website=CinemaBlend}}</ref> Each ship has unique weapons, maneuvers, and secondary abilities,<ref name=":02" /> and winning a battle requires a combination of ship selection and skill.<ref name=":12" /> This combat mode can be played separately in a two-player battle mode called Super Melee.<ref name="Bycer20182">{{cite book|author=Bycer|first=Joshua|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MfZ1DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA4|title=20 Essential Games to Study|date=October 26, 2018|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-0-429-80208-9|pages=4–|access-date=October 22, 2020}}</ref> In the story mode, the player is limited to the ships they can gain from sympathetic alien races, whereas Super Melee includes every ship in both ''Star Control'' games.<ref name="HG101series2" /> The only ship unique to the story mode is the player's capital ship, which is upgraded as the player gains new technology and resources.<ref name="Bycer20182" />

After a brief opening sequence, the player is given near total freedom to explore the galaxy at large.<ref name=":42" /> Exploration often involves travelling to stars, landing on planets, and gathering resources.<ref name=":12" /> The player navigates their star map, with over 500 stars and 3800 planets to potentially visit.<ref name=":32">{{cite web|author=Drake|first=Jeff|date=November 10, 2019|title=The 10 Biggest Open World Games|url=https://gamerant.com/open-world-games-biggest-maps/|access-date=October 22, 2020|publisher=Game Rant}}</ref> Players must manage their risk as they explore, as planets with more dangerous hazards usually feature more valuable resources, which are vital to upgrade the player's fleet.<ref name="Bycer20182" /> More rarely, a planet will feature an interactive alien race, who the player can engage with as a potential friend or foe.<ref name=":12" /> The interactive dialog options help advance the story, with branching conversations similar to other adventure games.<ref name="HG101series2" /> These conversations also reveal secrets and information about the galaxy.<ref name=":12" /> The game vastly expands on the characters and backstory from the first game, with each [[species]] having their own characteristic conversational quirks, music, and even display fonts.<ref name="HG101series2" />

== Plot ==
[[File:StarControlII Screenshot.png|thumb|Discussion with various characters is an important aspect in the game, and advances the game's story.|alt=]]
Whereas the first ''Star Control'' stores most of its lore in the instruction manual, ''Star Control II'' continues the story with a rich in-game experience, playing through events after the Alliance is defeated by the Hierarchy.<ref name="HG101series2" /> In the last phase of the war between the Alliance of Free Stars and the Hierarchy of Battle Thralls, an Earthling ship discovered an ancient [[Precursor (Star Control)|Precursor]] subterranean installation in the Vela star system. A massive Hierarchy offensive forced the Alliance fleets to retreat beyond Vela, stranding the science expedition, who went in to hiding. Decades later, with the help of a genius child born on the planet, the colonists activated the Precursor machinery and found out that it was programmed to build a highly advanced but unfinished starship, which could be piloted only by the now grown genius child, who alone could interact with the Precursor central computer. The new ship set out to Sol to make contact with Earth, but shortly before reaching Sol the little fleet was attacked by an unknown probe; The expedition commander, captaining the expedition's Earthling Cruiser, intercepted the alien ship before it could damage the defenseless Precursor starship, but was killed in the short fight, leaving the genius young man in command.<ref>{{cite web|author=Hall|first1=Larry|last2=Wagner|first2=Jeff|last3=Friedland|first3=David|date=1991|title=Star Control Manual (Sega Version)|url=https://segaretro.org/images/0/0b/Star_Control_MD_US_Manual.pdf|access-date=October 14, 2020|publisher=Accolade}}</ref>

The player begins the game as the commander of the Precursor starship, who returns to Earth to find it enslaved by the Ur-Quan. The Captain gains the support of the skeleton crew of Earth's caretaker starbase and ventures out to contact the other races to find out what's happened since the end of the war and try to recruit allies in to a New Alliance of Free Stars against the Ur-Quan. The Captain quickly discovers that the rest of the humans' allies in the war against the Ur-Quan have either been eradicated, put under slave shields, or put into service as Ur-Quan battle thralls. As the player progresses, it is revealed that the Ur-Quan are fighting an internecine war with the Kohr-Ah, a subspecies of Ur-Quan who believe in eradicating all life in the galaxy, as opposed to enslaving it. The winner of this war will gain access to the Sa-Matra, a Precursor battle platform of unparalleled power. The player must take advantage of the Ur-Quans' distraction to contact and recruit alien races into a new alliance, gather resources and build a fleet, and find a way to destroy the Sa-Matra, before the Ur-Quan finish their war and become unstoppable.

The Captain resolves issues several of the races are facing, or exploits their weaknesses, to get them on their side. Notably the Captain finds the Chenjesu and Mmrnmhrm on Procyon undergoing their own plan to merge in to a composite species powerful enough to defeat the Ur-Quan, and captures a psychic alien Dnyarri, which the Captain discovers is a member of the race that brutally enslaved the galaxy millennia ago, causing the Ur-Quan's hegemonic and genocidal rampage around the galaxy. The Captain uses a Precursor Sun Device to accelerate the merging of the Chenjesu and Mmrnmhrm to create the Chmmr, who amplify a Precursor [[terraforming]] bomb, allowing the Captain to sacrifice his ship to destroy the Sa-Matra and defeat the Ur-Quan. After escaping the ship through a pod, the explosion incapacitates the commander for some time, until he later awakens at the medbay in the Earth Starbase. There, he learns that the loss of the Sa-Matra was a crippling blow to the Ur-Quan and witnesses the deactivation of the slave shield over Earth, revealing its true colors to space.

==Development==
=== Concept ===
[[File:Classic Game Postmortem- Star Control (16552069930).jpg|thumb|left|Paul Reiche III, Fred Ford, and Rob Dubbin give a postmortem of the game's development at [[Game Developers Conference|GDC]] 2015.]]
''Star Control II'' began as a more ambitious project than the original ''Star Control'', with Reiche and Ford hoping to go beyond ship combat to develop a "science fiction adventure role-playing game".<ref name="Barton2016" /> The team credits the pre-existing combat from the original ''Star Control'' with giving them a strong core to build a larger game around.<ref name="GDC2015" /> The sequel would develop into a much more detailed adventure than the first edition.<ref name="HG101series2" /> Ford explains that the original ''Star Control'' had "some story there, but it was mostly in the manual. In ''Star Control II'', we made a conscious decision to tell more of a story".<ref name="Barton2016" /> The duo would downplay the scale of the game when pitching it to their publisher [[Accolade, Inc.|Accolade]], and the game's development would eventually go over schedule.<ref name="GDC2015" />

Reiche and Ford drew inspiration from many science-fiction authors, as well as peers in the game industry. A few years earlier, Reiche had been friends with [[Greg Johnson (game designer)|Greg Johnson]] during the creation of ''[[Starflight]]'', inspiring Reiche to offer creative input on Johnson's expansive science fiction game.<ref name="escapist-20102">{{cite web|last=Hoffman|first=Erin|date=January 19, 2010|title=When the Stars Align|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_237/7041-When-the-Stars-Align|access-date=November 21, 2012|work=[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]]|archive-date=December 9, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131209022129/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_237/7041-When-the-Stars-Align}}</ref> Once Reiche and Ford conceived ''Star Control 2'', they would draw large inspiration from ''[[Starflight]]''.<ref name="GDC2015" /> This friendship and mutual admiration even led to hiring Greg Johnson, whom they credit as "one of the most significant contributors to ''Star Control II''".<ref name="gamespotinterview" /> Ford also cites their shared love of author [[Jack Vance]] from their childhood, and were intrigued by the idea of exaggerated societies taken to their extremes, and intelligent characters committed to an interesting agenda.<ref name="GDC2015" /> Reiche would cite the influence of numerous fiction authors over the ''Star Control'' series, including Jack Vance, [[Orson Scott Card]], [[Robert Heinlein]], [[David Brin]], and [[Andre Norton]].<ref name="gamespotinterview" /> [[David Brin]]'s [[Uplift Universe|''Uplift'' Universe]] and [[Larry Niven]]'s ''[[Known Space]]'' series are often mentioned as inspiration for ''Star Control II''.<ref name="Tringham2014" />

=== Technology ===
The creators started by asking "what people do when they go out and have an adventure in space", while keeping in mind what they could actually implement.<ref name="warstories">Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/ZgN4Mta86OE Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20181023141647/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgN4Mta86OE Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|date=October 23, 2018|title=War Stories: How Star Control II Was Almost TOO Realistic (Video)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgN4Mta86OE|access-date=October 22, 2020|publisher=Ars Technica}}{{cbignore}}</ref> This led them to create numerous stars and planets, through a combination of [[procedural generation]] and handcrafted assets.<ref name="Bycer20182" /> Despite the fact that [[exoplanets]] had yet to be fully discovered,<ref name = "warstories"/> Reiche initially took on the challenge of simulating [[planetary systems]] based on scientific principles.<ref>{{cite web|author=Hutchinson|first=Lee|date=December 27, 2018|title=How Star Control II was almost a much more boring game (Article)|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/12/video-how-star-control-ii-was-almost-a-much-more-boring-game/|access-date=October 22, 2020|publisher=Ars Technica}}</ref> They ultimately decided to bypass some details of the simulation, due to its lack of distinct planets to explore.<ref name="DeMaria2018"/> Instead, they imagined cracked planets with magma chasms, ruby planets with precious [[zirconium]], and even rainbow colored planets.<ref name = "warstories"/> The planets were created with a procedurally generated height map, which required difficult programming solutions to simulate the appearance of a 3D sphere.<ref name = "GDC2015"/> They additionally simulated 3D asteroids by digitizing images of [[pumice]] they had taken from a parking lot.<ref name = "GDC2015"/>

The ''Star Control II'' team also invented their own fictional, flat version of space, so that the stars could be arranged in a more clear and interesting way.<ref name = "GDC2015"/> The algorithmically assisted generation of the star map helped to create a vast, mysterious setting for players to explore.<ref>{{cite web|author=John|first=Harris|date=January 1, 2008|title=Game Design Essentials: 20 Mysterious Games|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/game-design-essentials-20-mysterious-games|access-date=October 22, 2020|publisher=Gamasutra}}</ref> The map also added circles of influence for the aliens, not just to describe their location, but to provide narrative hints about their changing power, relationships, and stories.<ref name = "GDC2015"/>

=== Fictional universe ===
Reiche and Ford wanted their new game to further investigate their self-described "superficial" stories and aliens from the original ''Star Control''.<ref name = "warstories"/> Thus, the story for ''Star Control II'' would greatly expand on those original characters, and add a few more.<ref name="Barton2016">{{cite book|author=Barton|first=Matt|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UV7OBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA203|title=Honoring the Code: Conversations with Great Game Designers|date=April 19, 2016|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-4665-6754-2|pages=203–|access-date=October 22, 2020}}</ref>

This was the last time that Reiche would design a game using [[Pen-and-paper role-playing game|pen and paper]], including dozens of flow charts for the major plot points, player choices, and [[Dialogue tree|dialog trees]].<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|last=Walker|first=Alex|date=July 14, 2020|title=Star Control 2 Was Designed And Built Entirely On Hand-Drawn Flowcharts|url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/07/star-control-2-was-designed-and-built-entirely-on-hand-drawn-flowcharts/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720181416/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/07/star-control-2-was-designed-and-built-entirely-on-hand-drawn-flowcharts/|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 20, 2020|access-date=July 20, 2020|website=Kotaku Australia|language=en-AU}}</ref> Paul Reiche III describes this creative process, "I know it probably sounds weird, but when I design a game like this, I make drawings of the characters and stare at them. I hold little conversations with them. '''What do you guys do''?' And they tell me."<ref name="DeMaria2018">{{cite book|author=DeMaria|first=Rusel|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dAF-DwAAQBAJ|title=High Score! Expanded: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games 3rd Edition|date=December 7, 2018|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-0-429-77139-2|access-date=October 22, 2020}}</ref> Early in the process, they used the first game's character and ship images to create simple visual stories about the two main sides of the conflict.<ref name="Barton2016"/> The main antagonist the Ur-Quan were already understood as a race of slavers in ''Star Control'', so Reiche developed their motivation by writing their backstory as slaves themselves.<ref name="DeMaria2018"/> To justify the Mycon's organic structures and high energy plasma, they decided that the Mycon lived beneath the planet's crust, and must have been artificially created to survive there.<ref name="Barton2016"/> Fred Ford inspired the character design for the Earth [[Space station|starbase]] commander, as well as the Pkunk's insult ability, while the Spathi were inspired by a running joke about Paul Reiche's desire for self-preservation.<ref name="Barton2016"/> The rich storytelling was a contrast to the first game's emphasis on [[player versus player]] combat, but they realized that their combat [[Artificial intelligence in video games|artificial intelligence]] could give story-loving players an option to delegate battles.<ref name = "GDC2015"/>

Once Reiche and Ford imagined the different alien personalities, Reiche hand-drew a flow chart for each alien's dialog options, which Ford would implement into the game with placeholder tags.<ref name=":5" /> However, the sheer quantity of writing and art proved to be challenging for the game's epic scale.<ref name="gamespotinterview">{{cite web|last=Kasavin|first=Greg|date=June 27, 2003|title=Greatest Games of All Time - Star Control II (Interview Feature)|url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/starcon22.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050305195839/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/starcon22.html|archive-date=March 5, 2005|access-date=October 22, 2020|website=GameSpot}}</ref> Fred Ford surprised the team with his prolific coding, and it was the rest of the team who needed to catch-up with art, writing, music, and other assets.<ref name = "GDC2015"/> They quickly enlisted the help of friends and family to create game content.<ref name=gamespotinterview/> One crucial friend was ''[[Starflight]]'' creator [[Greg Johnson (game designer)|Greg Johnson]], who Reiche had previously helped on ''Starflight'' while sharing office space.<ref name = "GDC2015"/> Johnson ended up writing dialog for several aliens, as well as creating most of the artwork for the alien spaceships.<ref>{{cite web|author=Horowitz|first=Ken|date=February 22, 2005|title=Interview: Greg Johnson|url=https://www.sega-16.com/Interview-%20Greg%20Johnson.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070317223632/https://www.sega-16.com/Interview-%20Greg%20Johnson.php|archive-date=March 17, 2007|access-date=October 22, 2020|publisher=Sega 16|quote='''Greg Johnson''': ''Star Control'' wasn't my game. I did help out on it, but that was really done by two good friends of mine Paul Reiche and Fred Ford. Paul and Fred run a game development studio called Toys For Bob. Back in the old days a bunch of us who developed games used to share a suite of offices, and basically just help each other out on our respective games. Paul let me write the dialogue for a number of the races in ''Star Control 2'' and I think I did the artwork for most of the spaceships, but that's it. It was Paul's design. To this day Star Control Melee continues to be one of the games I play the most. I think Paul is one of the most amazing game designers ever.}}</ref> They were also able to hire [[fantasy]] [[artist]] [[George Barr (artist)|George Barr]] through mutual friends,<ref>{{cite web|author=Hutchinson|first=Lee|date=October 26, 2018|title=Video: The people who helped make Star Control 2 did a ton of other stuff|url=https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1e42a2c2-df36-44c3-8c94-b8c7994f7954mezzanine.txt|access-date=October 22, 2020|publisher=Ars Technica}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=GameSpy Staff|date=February 3, 2001|title=Interview with George Barr|url=http://starcontrol.classicgaming.gamespy.com/history/george_barr.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060313095138/http://starcontrol.classicgaming.gamespy.com/history/george_barr.shtml|archive-date=March 13, 2006|access-date=August 6, 2020|website=GameSpy}}</ref> who had inspired the game's "[[pulp magazine|pulp science-fiction]]" feel, and happened to be living nearby.<ref name = "GDC2015"/> Long-time friend [[Erol Otus]] was another collaborator,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.blackgate.com/2011/11/13/erol-otus-and-star-control-ii/ | title=Erol Otus and Star Control II – Black Gate | date=13 November 2011 }}</ref> who Reiche describes as contributing the widest range of content, including music, text, art, illustrations for the game manual, and (later) voice-acting.<ref name = "GDC2015"/>

The largest number of collaborators were needed for the game's numerous dialog options.<ref name = "GDC2015"/> The creators were admirers of the ''[[Monkey Island (series)|Monkey Island]]'' games, and aimed to achieve the same level of player choice and humor.<ref name="DeMaria2018"/> Reiche felt that each character needed their own [[font]] to match their distinct personality, and built a font-editing system to achieve this.<ref name = "GDC2015"/>

=== Deadline and budget ===
Reiche and Ford felt it was difficult to maintain Accolade's interest in the game.<ref name="gamespotinterview" /> In fact, Accolade had played a version of the game with placeholder dialog, and was content to ship the game with the "cryptic" text as-is.<ref name=":5" /> This led to an industry legend that the duo absconded to [[Alaska]] to finish the game without Accolade's interference.<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/PCPowerplay-100-2004-06|title=Top 100 Moments|date=June 2004|publisher=PC Powerplay Issue 100|page=30|language=en|access-date=October 22, 2020}}</ref> The creators later clarified that Accolade did not interfere with development and was satisfied to publish the game in any form, and that this was important to their creative freedom and artistic success.<ref name="Barton2016" /> As the project went over schedule, their payment from Accolade came to an end.<ref name = "GDC2015"/> Fred Ford decided to financially support the team for the final months of development,<ref name="pelit">{{cite web|author=Nirvi|first=Niko|date=March 21, 2006|title=Star Control - Kontrollin aikakirjat|url=https://www.pelit.fi/artikkelit/star-controlbrkontrollin-aikakirjat/|access-date=October 22, 2020|publisher=[[Pelit]]}}</ref> and they were ultimately able to finish the project with the help of numerous family, friends, and other collaborators.<ref name=gamespotinterview/>

The team stretched their music budget by holding a contest to create the game's soundtrack.<ref name="Barton2016"/> Reiche and Ford had previously discovered the sample-based [[MOD (file format)|MOD]] file format while porting the first ''Star Control'''s music to consoles.<ref name = "GDC2015"/> They posted the music contest to a [[newsgroup]] for [[Amiga]] users, despite the fact that the game was for [[Personal computer|PC]], because Amiga hobbyists were the main community of MOD-[[tracker music|tracker]] users in that time.<ref>{{cite web|author=Sihvola|first=Jari|date=March 2014|title=Trackerien tarina – modit soivat yhä|url=http://skrolli.fi/2014.3.boing.pdf|access-date=October 22, 2020|publisher=Skrolli magazine|page=37}}</ref> The contest attracted people from around the world, due to the popularity of the MOD format in the largely European [[demoscene]].<ref name = "GDC2015"/> The contest also led them to discover a teenager named Dan Nicholson, who they hired to create additional music as needed.<ref name="Barton2016"/> Further music came from existing team member [[Erol Otus]], who first composed the [[Ur-Quan]] theme on a synthesizer before it was re-sampled and exported to the MOD file format.<ref name = "GDC2015"/> The critically acclaimed soundtrack would include music from Aaron Grier, Erol Otus, Eric Berge, Riku Nuottajärvi, and Dan Nicholson.<ref name="FACTmag">{{cite web|author=Brad Stabler |author2=John Twells |author3=Miles Bowe |author4=Scott Wilson |author5=Tom Lea |date=April 18, 2015|title=The 100 best video game soundtracks of all time|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fact_(UK_magazine)|access-date=October 22, 2020|publisher=[[Fact (UK magazine)|FACT]]}}</ref>

Months after its release, the team would create hours of voice dialog for the [[3DO Interactive Multiplayer|3DO]] version of the game, taking advantage of space afforded by [[CD-ROM]] technology, while bucking the trend of CD-based games with [[full motion video]].<ref name="retrogamer14">{{cite magazine|last=Szczepaniak|first=John|date=2005|title=Control & Conquer|url=http://publicaciones.retromuseo.com:8123/Revistasv1/Retro%20Gamer%20%5Ben-UK%5D/retro%20gamer%20%5Ben-uk%5D%20014.pdf|magazine=Retro Gamer|pages=85–87|access-date=October 22, 2020|archive-date=July 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706201713/http://publicaciones.retromuseo.com:8123/Revistasv1/Retro%20Gamer%20%5Ben-UK%5D/retro%20gamer%20%5Ben-uk%5D%20014.pdf}}</ref> [[Game Developer (magazine)|Game Developer Magazine]] featured the game in its list of open source space games, praising its scale and charm, as well as its new features.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Staff|url=http://archive.org/details/GDM_January_2010|title=Space is the Place|date=2010|publisher=Game Developer Magazine - January 2010|page=4|language=en|access-date=October 22, 2020}}</ref> In the end, the 3DO version would feature 11 hours of voice audio, including performances from Reiche, as well as friends Greg Johnson and Erol Otus.<ref name="GDC2015">Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/Napx0MjivCM Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20161122210232/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Napx0MjivCM Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|author=Fred Ford & Paul Reiche III|date=June 30, 2015|title=Classic Game Postmortem: Star Control|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Napx0MjivCM|access-date=October 22, 2020|website=YouTube|publisher=[[Game Developers Conference]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Reception==
''Star Control II'' received a positive reception around its release, as well as several awards. Soon after, ''Star Control II'' began to appear on many "all time best" lists for players and industry figures,<ref name="SC3preview2" /> a reputation that has continued ever since.<ref name="bestclassic2" />

=== Reviews and awards ===
{{Video game reviews
| Allgame = {{rating|4.5|5}} (PC)<ref name="allgamereview">{{ cite web | url  = http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=14213&tab=review | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141115211825/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=14213&tab=review  | archive-date = 2014-11-15 |date=2014 |author=Francois Laramee |publisher=AllGame |title=Star Control II - Review }}</ref>
| CGW = {{rating|4.5|5}} (PC)<ref name="brooks1994052" />
| Dragon = {{rating|5|5}} (PC)<ref name="Dragon1952" />
| EGM = 8.25/10<ref name="egm1994102" /> (3DO)
| GP = {{rating|4|5}} (PC)<ref name="gameplayers" />
| GamePro = {{rating|4|5}}<ref name="gamepro1994" /> (3DO)
| NGen = {{rating|3|5}}<ref name="NG2" /> (3DO)
| rev1 = ''3DO Magazine''
| rev1Score = {{rating|4|5}} (3DO)<ref>{{Cite journal |date=December 1994 |title=Star Control II Review |url=https://archive.org/details/3-do-01/page/48/mode/2up |journal=3DO Magazine |publisher=Paragon publishing |issue=1 |page=49 |access-date=April 7, 2022}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Pelit]]''
| rev2Score = 96/100 (PC)<ref name = "pelit1993" />
| award1 = 1993 Game of the Year
| award1Pub = ''[[Pelit]]''<ref name="pelit" />
| award2 = Class of '93 Honor
| award2Pub = [[Game Developers Conference|GDC]]<ref name="cgw1993072" />
| award3 = 1993 Adventure Game of the Year
| award3Pub = [[Computer Gaming World|CGW]]<ref name="cgw1993102" />
| award4Pub = ''[[VideoGames & Computer Entertainment|VideoGames]]''
| award4 = Best Adventure Game<ref name="VG74">{{cite magazine |title=VideoGames Best of '94 |magazine=[[VideoGames - The Ultimate Gaming Magazine]] |date=February 1995 |issue=74 (March 1995) |pages=44–7 |url=https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_The_Ultimate_Gaming_Magazine_Issue_74_March_1995/page/n45/mode/2up}}</ref>
}}

''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' stated that ''Star Control II'' was as much a sequel to ''Starflight'' as to ''Star Control''. The reviewer praised the [[VGA graphics]] and wrote that the game "has some of the best dialogue ever encountered in this genre". He concluded that the game "has been placed on this reviewer's top ten list of all time ... one of the most enjoyable games to review all year. It is not often that a perfect balance is struck between role playing, adventure, and action/arcade".<ref name="trevena1993032">{{cite magazine|author=Trevena, Stanley|date=March 1993|title=Accolade's Star Control II|page=34|magazine=Computer Gaming World|url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=104|access-date=July 6, 2014}}</ref> In their 1994 survey of strategic space games set in the future, they gave the game four-plus stars out of five, stating that "it offers hours of 'simple, hot and deep' play".<ref name="brooks1994052">{{Cite magazine|last=Brooks|first=M. Evan|date=May 1994|title=Never Trust A Gazfluvian Flingschnogger!|url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=118|magazine=Computer Gaming World|pages=42–58|access-date=October 22, 2020}}</ref> ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' gave the game a full five-star review, telling their readers that "if you are a science-fiction gamer who enjoys a superb game environment, a high dollar-to-play ratio, and numerous challenges, SC2 is a definite must-have for your software library".<ref name="Dragon1952">{{cite magazine|last1=Lesser|first1=Hartley|last2=Lesser|first2=Patricia|last3=Lesser|first3=Kirk|date=July 1993|title=The Role of Computers|url=https://annarchive.com/files/Drmg195.pdf|magazine=Dragon|issue=195|pages=57–64|access-date=October 22, 2020}}</ref> ''Questbusters'' called it the "best science-fiction role-playing game since ''Starflight''", and "best RPG of the year".<ref>{{cite web|author=Adams|first=Shay|date=January 1993|title=Star Control II - Deep Space Questing|url=https://archive.org/details/questbusters-v10n01/page/n13/mode/2up|access-date=October 22, 2020|publisher=Questbusters|pages=1, 14}}</ref> Giving the game four out of five stars, ''[[Game Players]]'' described the game's epic scale, where "there's so much to do -- so many planets to explore and mysteries to solve and battles to fight -- that the game may dominate your spare time".<ref name="gameplayers">{{Cite book|last=Firme|first=Matthew A.|url=http://archive.org/details/Game_Players_PC_Entertainment_Vol.6_No.2_March-April_1993_U|title=Reviews - Star Control II|date=March 1993|publisher=Game Players PC Entertainment - Volume 6 Issue 2|pages=61–64|access-date=October 22, 2020}}</ref> ''[[PCGames|PC Games]]'' noted the game's "rich history", describing the game as "part arcade, part role-play, ''Star Control II'' is all science fiction, with an emphasis on ''fiction''."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ferrell|first=Ed|url=http://archive.org/details/PCGamesFebMar1993|title=PCG Reviews - Star Control II|date=February 1993|publisher=PCGames|pages=49–50|access-date=October 22, 2020}}</ref> ''[[Compute!|COMPUTE!]]'' suggested that the game "gives you exactly what you want in a space adventure", also giving the strongest praise for the music and sound as "among the best done for any game on the market."<ref>{{cite web|author=Sears|first=David|date=June 1993|title=Star Control II (Software Review)|url=https://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/issue153/80_Star_Control_II.php|access-date=October 22, 2020|publisher=COMPUTE!}}</ref> The game was also rated 96/100 by [[Finland|Finnish]] magazine ''[[Pelit]]'', who immediately hailed it as one of the best games of the year.<ref name="pelit1993">{{Cite web|last=Mantylahti|first=Ossi|date=January 1993|title=Star Control II|url=https://archive.org/details/pelit199301/page/n39/mode/2up|access-date=October 22, 2020|website=Pelit}}</ref>

Reviewing the 3DO version, ''[[GamePro]]'' remarked that the user-friendly interface makes the complicated gameplay easy to handle. They also praised the impressive graphics and the voice acting's use of unique vocal inflections for each alien race, and concluded that the game is "an addicting epic sci-fi adventure that will have patient space explorers and zero-gravity tacticians glued to their screens for a million hours. All others should stay away."<ref name="gamepro1994">{{cite magazine|date=November 1994|title=ProReview: Star Control II|url=https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_064_November_1994/page/n183/mode/2up|magazine=[[GamePro]]|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|issue=64|page=174|access-date=October 22, 2020}}</ref> The four reviewers of ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' likewise praised the accessible interface and impressive graphics, but complained that the alien voices are sometimes difficult to understand. They cited the CD-quality audio and the Melee mode as other strong points, and one of them commented that it "blows [the PC version] out of the water." They gave it an 8.25 out of 10.<ref name="egm1994102">{{cite magazine|date=October 1994|title=Review Crew: Star Control II|url=https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_63/page/n39/mode/2up|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|issue=63|page=38|access-date=October 22, 2020}}</ref> ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' reviewed the 3DO version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "if you've the patience to spend hours digging for minerals, the game is addictive, but not state of the art."<ref name="NG2">{{cite magazine|date=January 1995|title=Finals|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|publisher=[[Future US|Imagine Media]]|issue=1|page=91}}</ref>

Jim Trunzo reviewed ''Star Control II'' in ''[[White Wolf (magazine)|White Wolf]]'' #36 (1993), rating it a 4 out of 5 and stated that "Mystery, puzzles, combat, exploration, and more make ''Star Control II'' a science fiction software delight."<ref name="WW36">{{Cite magazine |last=Trunzo |first=Jim |date=1993|title=The Silicon Dungeon |magazine= [[White Wolf Magazine]] |number=36 |page=28-29 |url=https://imgur.com/a/sNm33TN}}</ref>

The year of its release, the [[Game Developers Conference]] honored ''Star Control II'' as an exceptional game among their "Class of '93", calling it a "perfect blend of action and adventure", as well as "sound that is exceptional enough to make gamers think they've upgraded their sound boards".<ref name="cgw1993072">{{cite magazine|date=July 1993|title=The 7th International Computer Game Developers Conference|page=34|magazine=Computer Gaming World|url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=108|access-date=July 12, 2014}}</ref> The game also received ''[[Pelit]]'' magazine's first "Game of the Year" award,<ref name="pelit" /> and an award from ''Computer Gaming World'', naming it the magazine's 1993 Adventure Game of the Year (a co-honor with ''[[Eric the Unready]]'').<ref name="cgw1993102">{{cite magazine|date=October 1993|title=Computer Gaming World's Game of the Year Awards|pages=70–74|magazine=Computer Gaming World|url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=111|access-date=March 25, 2016}}</ref>

=== "Greatest game" lists ===
''Star Control II'' quickly began to appear on "all-time favorite" lists, a practice that continued for many years.<ref name="SC3preview2">{{cite journal|last1=McDonald|first1=T. Liam|date=December 1995|title=Star Control 3 - Preview|url=https://archive.org/stream/UneditedPCGamer_marktrade/PC_Gamer_019u#page/n169/mode/2up|access-date=October 22, 2020|journal=[[PC Gamer]]|quote=Six years after Paul Reiche III and Fred Ford first introduced ''Star Control'', and four years after the sequel, it still hits the charts as an "all-time favorite" and "most played" game on online services and in player surveys.}}</ref> In 1994, ''[[PC Gamer US]]'' named ''Star Control II'' as the 21st best computer game ever. The editors called it "an epic" and "thoroughly enjoyable to play and look at."<ref name="pcgamerustop402">{{cite magazine|date=August 1994|title=''PC Gamer'' Top 40: The Best Games of All Time|magazine=[[PC Gamer US]]|issue=3|pages=32–42}}</ref> That same year, ''[[PC Gamer UK]]'' named it the 33rd best computer game of all time. The editors wrote, "If ever a game deserved an award for being underrated, it's ''Star Control II''."<ref name="pcgameruktop502">{{cite magazine|date=April 1994|title=The ''PC Gamer'' Top 50 PC Games of All Time|magazine=[[PC Gamer]]|issue=5|pages=43–56}}</ref> The next year, players voted the game into ''PC Gamer''{{'}}s Readers Top 40.<ref>{{cite web|author=Staff|date=January 1995|title=PC Gamer's Readers Top 40|url=https://ia800403.us.archive.org/BookReader/BookReaderImages.php?zip=/29/items/UneditedPCGamer_marktrade/PC_Gamer_008u_jp2.zip&file=PC_Gamer_008u_jp2/PC_Gamer_008u_0059.jp2&scale=4&rotate=0|publisher=PC Gamer|page=59}}</ref> ''Computer Gaming World'' created their own list in 1996, ranking ''Star Control II'' as the 29th best PC game of all time, calling it "a stunning mix of adventure, action, and humor."<ref name="cgw199611best2">{{cite magazine|date=November 1996|title=150 Best Games of All Time, The 15 Most Rewarding Endings of All Time|pages=64–80, 127|magazine=Computer Gaming World|url=https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_148/page/n129/mode/2up|access-date=October 22, 2020}}</ref> In 1999, ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' also ranked it among their top 50 games of all time.<ref name="NextGen19992">{{cite magazine|date=February 1999|title=The Fifty Best Games of All Time|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=50}}</ref>

This acclaim continued well into the next millennium. In 2000, ''[[GameSpy]]'' inducted ''Star Control II'' into their Hall of Fame,<ref>{{cite web|author=Chris "shaithis" Buecheler|date=September 2000|title=The Gamespy Hall of Fame - Star Control 2|url=http://www.gamespy.com/legacy/halloffame/sc2_a.shtm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010430133458/http://www.gamespy.com/legacy/halloffame/sc2_a.shtm|archive-date=2001-04-30|publisher=[[GameSpy]]}}</ref> and ranked it the 26th best game of all time just one year later.<ref name=":63">{{Cite web|last=Gamespy Staff|date=August 7, 2001|title=GameSpy's Top 50 Games of All Time|url=http://www.gamespy.com/articles/july01/top503as/index2.shtm|url-status=live|archive-date=October 31, 2001|access-date=2020-10-07|website=GameSpy|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011031000229/http://www.gamespy.com/articles/july01/top503as/index2.shtm}}</ref> [[The Sydney Morning Herald]] noted ''Star Control II'' on its 2002 list, ranking the game as the 26th best game of all time.<ref>{{cite web |date=June 6, 2002 |title=Top 50 video games of all time |url=https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/top-50-video-games-of-all-time-20020606-gdfcdk.html |work=Sydney Morning Herald}}</ref> In 2003, ''[[GameSpot]]'' included ''Star Control II'' on their list of greatest games of all time.<ref name="Gamespot2">{{cite web|author=Greg Kasavin|date=2003-06-27|title=The Greatest Games of All Time - Star Control 2|url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-7.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050814235252/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/all/greatestgames/p-7.html|archive-date=2005-08-14|publisher=Gamespot}}</ref> In the same year, ''[[IGN]]'' named ''Star Control II'' as their 53rd greatest game of all time,<ref name="IGN2003&quot;2">{{Cite web|date=2005-11-23|title=IGN's Top 100 Games of All Time (2003)|url=http://top100.ign.com/2003/51-60.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051123024006/http://top100.ign.com/2003/51-60.html|archive-date=2005-11-23|access-date=2020-05-22|website=IGN}}</ref> and ranked it again at 17th greatest in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2005-08-02|title=IGN's Top 100 Games (2005)|url=http://top100.ign.com/2005/011-020.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050802002523/http://top100.ign.com/2005/011-020.html|archive-date=2005-08-02|access-date=2020-05-22|website=IGN}}</ref> In 2006, Computer Gaming World inducted ''Star Control II'' into their Hall of Fame, explaining that "what made ''Star Control II'' stand out, though, was the incredible amount of backstory and interaction with all the alien species".<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_266|title=Hall of Fame - Star Control II|date=September 2006|publisher=Computer Gaming World Issue 266|page=66|access-date=October 22, 2020}}</ref> PC Gamer listed ''Star Control II'' the 52nd greatest PC game in their 2011 rankings,<ref>{{Cite news|title=The 100 best PC games of all time|language=en|work=pcgamer|url=https://www.pcgamer.com/the-100-best-pc-games-of-all-time/5/|access-date=2018-04-03|archive-date=2011-02-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110219013135/http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/02/16/the-100-best-pc-games-of-all-time/5|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Hardcore Gaming 101]] listed it among their 2015 rankings of 200 best video games of all time.<ref>{{cite web|date=2015-12-05|title=HG101 Presents: The 200 Best Video Games of All Time|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/books/hg101-presents-the-200-best-video-games-of-all-time/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029065018/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/books/hg101-presents-the-200-best-video-games-of-all-time/|archive-date=2017-10-29|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101}}</ref>

Compared to classic games from the same period, ''Star Control II'' is also ranked on several "best of" lists. Hardcore Gaming selected the game for their 2007 list of favorite classics, with "a combination of sandbox space travel and arcade-style combat, a plotline equal to any space opera you can name, hundreds of pages' worth of interactive dialog and dozens of memorable, unique races, it's easy to see why most reviews of ''Star Control II'' quickly turn into love letters."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ellis|first=Elizabeth|url=http://archive.org/details/hardcore-gamer-magazine-v2i8|title=Retro a Go-Go! - HGM's favorite Hardcore Classics|date=February 2007|publisher=Hardcore Gamer Magazine Volume 2 Issue 8|page=45|language=en|access-date=October 22, 2020}}</ref> When ''[[Kotaku]]'' compiled their 2013 list of "Classic PC Games You Must Play", ''Star Control II'' reached the very top of the list.<ref name="bestclassic2" /> In 2014, [[Gamer Network|USGamer]] mentioned the game as one of the landmark titles from the 1990s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=USgamer Team |date=August 31, 2014 |title=The Greatest Years in Gaming History 1972-2014: 1990-1999 |url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/the-greatest-years-in-gaming/page-4 |access-date=October 22, 2020 |website=USgamer |language=en |archive-date=October 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027010246/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/the-greatest-years-in-gaming/page-4  }}</ref> ''Retro Gamer'' remembers ''Star Control II'' as one of the top 10 games made for the [[3DO Interactive Multiplayer]],<ref>{{cite web|date=2014-05-13|title=Top Ten 3DO Games|url=https://www.retrogamer.net/top_10/top-ten-3do-games/|publisher=Retro Gamer}}</ref> and later listed it among their top 100 [[Retrogaming|retro games]] at the 68th position.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Redaktion|first=Retro Gamer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6BvtDwAAQBAJ|title=Retro Gamer Spezial 4/2020: Die 100 besten Retro-Spiele|date=2020-06-28|publisher=Heise Medien GmbH & Co. KG|isbn=978-3-95788-270-7|language=de}}</ref> ''[[Den of Geek]]'' also ranked it at #37 among their list of classic DOS games.<ref name=":03">{{cite web|author=David Hayward|date=2019-05-09|title=50 Underrated DOS Games|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/games/underrated-dos-games/|publisher=Den of Geek}}</ref> Its status as a classic game would lead ''IGN'' to list the series among the top 10 franchises that needed to be resurrected.<ref name="IGNfranchises2">{{cite web|author=IGN PC Team|date=2012-06-12|title=Franchises We Want Resurrected|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2008/12/04/the-wednesday-10-franchises-we-want-resurrected|publisher=IGN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=April 22, 2004|title=Classics Reborn: Volume 3|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/04/22/classics-reborn-vol-3|website=IGN}}</ref> Comparing it to the original ''Star Control'', Cinema Blend celebrates ''Star Control II'' in their short list of sequels that progressed well beyond their predecessors.<ref name=":23">{{Cite web|date=2015-05-01|title=5 Sequels That Are Very Different From The Original Games|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/games/5-Sequels-Very-Different-From-Original-Games-71637.html|access-date=2020-05-07|website=CINEMABLEND}}</ref>

=== "Greatest design" lists ===
''Star Control II'' is also recognized for its excellence in several creative areas, including writing, design, and music. In 1996, ''Computer Gaming World'' ranked ''Star Control II'' among their top 15 most rewarding game endings, proclaiming that the game "entertains right down to the end, with the some[sic] of the funniest credits since [[Monty Python|Monty Python's]] [[Monty Python and the Holy Grail|''Holy Grail'']]".<ref name="cgw199611best2" /> The game's ending was similarly ranked as the third greatest of all time according to ''[[GameSpot]]''{{'}}s editors,<ref name="GamespotTop10Endings2">{{cite web|title=GameSpot's Best 10 Endings|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_bestending/page8.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050219174742/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_bestending/page8.html|archive-date=2005-02-19|access-date=2020-05-11|publisher=GameSpot}}</ref> with their readers ranking it the sixth greatest ending.<ref>{{cite web|title=GameSpot's Ten Best Endings: RC|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_readers_endings/5.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041009195043/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_readers_endings/5.html|archive-date=2004-10-09|publisher=GameSpot}}</ref> Moreover, GameSpot twice acclaimed the [[Ur-Quan]] among their top ten game villains, mentioning them at the top of one 1999 list as "one of the very best villains. Even now, we are hard-pressed to find a race of adversaries as complex and three-dimensional as the Ur-Quan."<ref>{{cite web|author=GameSpot Staff|date=1999|title=The Ten Best Computer Game Villains - The Ur-Quan|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_villains/page11.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020823223224/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_villains/page11.html|archive-date=2002-08-23|publisher=GameSpot}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=GameSpot Staff|date=1999|title=Reader's Choice: Best Villains - Villains 5-1|url=https://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_villains_rc/page8.html/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991012071819/https://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_villains_rc/page8.html/|archive-date=1999-10-12|publisher=GameSpot}}</ref> ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' also included the Ur-Quan in their 2021 list of best aliens in pop culture, describing them as "tremendous sci-fi villains, importing heady old-school concepts into ''Star Control'''s relentlessly fun space-based action".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hughes |first=William |date=May 8, 2021 |title=The best aliens in pop culture |url=https://www.avclub.com/who-s-your-favorite-alien-1846839754 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210508055233/https://www.avclub.com/who-s-your-favorite-alien-1846839754 |archive-date=May 8, 2021 |access-date=May 8, 2021 |website=[[The A.V. Club]]}}</ref>

The world design of ''Star Control II'' is also celebrated, with ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]'' magazine giving it top ranking on their list of "games that capture the infinite potential of space".<ref>{{cite web|author=Patrick Lindsey|date=2015-01-07|title=8 Games That Capture the Infinite Potential of Space|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/games/8-games-that-capture-the-infinite-potential-of-space/|publisher=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste magazine]]}}</ref> ''GameSpot'' ranked the ''Star Control II'' universe among their top ten game worlds,<ref name="GamespotTop10Worlds2">{{cite web|title=GameSpot's Top 10 Gameworlds|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_readers_worlds/p2_01.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050228215510/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_readers_worlds/p2_01.html|archive-date=2005-02-28|publisher=GameSpot}}</ref> whereas GameRant listed ''Star Control II'' as the third largest open world map, also noting it as "perhaps the most underrated game of all time".<ref name=":33">{{cite web|author=Jeff Drake|date=2019-11-10|title=The 10 Biggest Open World Games|url=https://gamerant.com/open-world-games-biggest-maps/|publisher=Game Rant}}</ref>

The game's music is remembered as the 37th greatest game soundtrack by the music magazine ''[[Fact (UK magazine)|FACT]]'', describing it as "a lost 80s treasure trove of unreleased techno, synth pop and Italo".<ref name="FACTmag3">{{cite web|author=Brad Stabler |author2=John Twells |author3=Miles Bowe |author4=Scott Wilson |author5=Tom Lea |date=2015-04-18|title=The 100 best video game soundtracks of all time|url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fact_(UK_magazine)|publisher=[[Fact (UK magazine)|FACT]]}}</ref> The music of ''Star Control II'' was similarly listed as the second greatest game soundtrack according to ''GameSpot''{{'}}s editors,<ref>{{cite web|date=1999-10-13|title=The Ten Best Game Soundtracks|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_music/page9.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030406171219/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_music/page9.html|archive-date=2003-04-06|publisher=GameSpot}}</ref> which was echoed once again by their readers.<ref>{{cite web|date=1999-09-01|title=The Ten Best Game Soundtracks: RC|url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_soundtrack/page7.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030406094309/http://www.gamespot.com/features/tenspot_soundtrack/page7.html|archive-date=2003-04-06|publisher=GameSpot}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
Long after its release, ''Star Control II'' continues to garner acclaim across the game industry. Responding to film critics who criticized video games as a superficial medium, ''[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]]'' magazine highlighted ''Star Control II'' as "the scripting was second to none. Don't be fooled by the fantastical setting - the story maturely dealt with wide ranging issues, from genocide to religious extremism, and still remained terrifying, touching, and damn funny in places."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Szczepaniak|first=John|url=https://archive.org/details/theescapist_201911/TheEscapist_29_final/page/n5/mode/2up|title=Late 1980s and Beyond|date=June 12, 2005|publisher=The Escapist|page=6|access-date=October 22, 2020}}</ref> The magazine would revisit this in a 2014 retrospective, calling it a "must play for space loving gamers", offering "a massive experience filled with exploration, action and some of the funniest aliens you'll run into any video game".<ref name=":13">{{cite web|author=Stew Shearer|date=2014-12-06|title=Star Control 2 - Interstellar Awesome|url=https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/goodoldreviews/12716-Good-Old-Review-Star-Control-2|publisher=[[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]]|access-date=2020-04-30|archive-date=2018-11-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121154234/https://v1.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/video-games/goodoldreviews/12716-Good-Old-Review-Star-Control-2}}</ref> ''[[Rock Paper Shotgun]]'' featured the game in 2016, celebrating "some of the most memorable aliens ever put in a game, and still some of the best written."<ref name="RPSretro2">{{cite web|author=Richard Cobbett|date=2016-02-15|title=The RPG Scrollbars: Praise The Ur-Quan Masters|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/02/15/star-control-ii-retrospective/|website=[[Rock Paper Shotgun]]}}</ref> In a 2018 retrospective of the entire series, ''Hardcore Gaming 101'' notes that "there are aspects of ''Star Control II'' that are rough around the edges..., [b]ut once you surmount those obstacles, it reveals itself as one of the smartest, funniest, most adventure-filled science fiction games ever made".<ref name="HG101series2" /> In a multi-part feature on the [[history of video games]], [[VGChartz]] noted that ''Star Control II'' is "often considered one of the greatest games ever made".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Palola|first=Taneli|date=2016-03-06|title=History of Video Games: The Beginning of the Console War (1989-1993)|url=https://www.vgchartz.com/article/263490/history-of-video-games-the-beginning-of-the-console-war-1989-1993/|access-date=2020-07-20|website=VGChartz|language=en-US}}</ref> ''Kotaku'' referred to it as "one of the early '[[1990s in video games|90s]] most revolutionary sci-fi games",<ref name=":52">{{Cite web|date=2020-07-14|title=Star Control 2 Was Designed And Built Entirely On Hand-Drawn Flowcharts|url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/07/star-control-2-was-designed-and-built-entirely-on-hand-drawn-flowcharts/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200720181416/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/07/star-control-2-was-designed-and-built-entirely-on-hand-drawn-flowcharts/|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 20, 2020|access-date=2020-07-20|website=Kotaku Australia|language=en-AU}}</ref> and game historian Rusel DeMaria describes it as one of the best games ever written.<ref name="DeMaria2018" /> Additionally, The Dickinson Press called it "one of the best PC games ever",<ref name=":43">{{Cite web|last=Sep 24th 2013 - 9am|first=Dickinson Press Staff {{!}}|title=Patrick Hope: Into the vault with little-known Ur-Quan Masters|url=https://www.thedickinsonpress.com/opinion/1828478-patrick-hope-vault-little-known-ur-quan-masters|access-date=2020-05-28|website=The Dickinson Press|date=24 September 2013|language=en}}</ref> and ''The Completist'' notes it as "one of the greatest games ever made".<ref>{{cite web|author=Dana Smith|date=July 2013|title=The Completist Presents: Star Control 2|url=http://www.1morecastle.com/2013/07/the-completist-presents-star-control-2/|publisher=The Completist}}</ref>

Indeed, ''Star Control II'' is admired and influential amongst notable developers in the [[Video game industry|game industry]]. [[Tim Cain]] credits ''Star Control II'' with inspiring his open-ended design in both ''[[Fallout (video game)|Fallout]]'' and ''[[Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura]]'', calling it his personal favorite RPG of all time and one of the best computer games ever developed.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cain|first=Tim|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pLrGxQEACAAJ|title=The CRPG Book: A Guide to Computer Role-Playing Games|date=September 2019|publisher=Bitmap Books|isbn=978-1-9993533-0-8|editor-last=Pepe|editor-first=Felipe|language=en|quote=Since its release in 1992, ''Star Control 2'' has been considered one of the best computer game ever developed, and for me, it remains my favorite CRPG of all time. You can see its influence in the open-endedness of ''Fallout'' and ''Arcanum'', and I will always remember this game fondly.}} [https://crpgbook.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/crpg-book-preview-2-1.pdf Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200315234922/https://crpgbook.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/crpg-book-preview-2-1.pdf |date=2020-03-15 }}</ref><ref>[https://crpgbook.wordpress.com/review-index/1992-star-control-2/ "The CRPG Book Project - "1992 – Star Control 2" from Tim Cain]</ref> Founder of [[BioWare]] [[Ray Muzyka]] also cites ''Star Control'' as an inspiration, stating that "the uncharted worlds in ''[[Mass Effect]]'' comes from imagining what a freely explorable universe would be like inside a very realistic next-gen game."<ref>{{cite web|author=John Gaudiosi|date=2007-11-20|title=Critically Acclaimed Mass Effect Powered by Unreal Engine 3|url=https://www.unrealengine.com/ko/blog/mass-effect?lang=ko|publisher=Unrealengine.com}}</ref> Indeed, journalists have noted heavy similarities in the story, characters, and overall experience of ''Mass Effect'',<ref>{{cite web|author=Chris Ullery|date=2012-03-13|title=Arcade Arcana: Star Control II–Mass Effect's Estranged, Spiritual Father|url=http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/03/13/arcade-arcana-star-control-iimass-effects-estranged-spiritual-father/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316053519/http://geek.pikimal.com/2012/03/13/arcade-arcana-star-control-iimass-effects-estranged-spiritual-father/|archive-date=2012-03-16|publisher=Pikimal}}</ref><ref name="PCGNHD2">{{cite web|author=Dominic Tarason|title=DOS classics Star Control 1 & 2 hit Steam, but you might want to try this HD fan-remaster|url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/Star-Control-Origins/Star-Control-Origins-DOS-Ur-Quan-Masters-HD|website=PC Games N|date=21 October 2017 }}</ref><ref name="bestclassic4">{{Cite news|last=Hamilton|first=Kirk|title=The Game That "Won" Our Classic PC Games List (If It Had A Winner)|language=en-US|work=Kotaku|url=http://kotaku.com/the-game-that-won-our-classic-pc-games-list-if-it-ha-1349952997|access-date=2018-04-03}}</ref> even calling ''Star Control II'' a [[Spiritual successor|spiritual predecessor]].<ref name=":43" /> ''[[Fact (UK magazine)|FACT]]'' notes that ''Star Control II''<nowiki/>'s "galaxy-spanning sci-fi setting whose adventure elements foreshadowed ''Mass Effect'' by a good 15 years".<ref name="FACTmag3"/> ''[[PCGamesN]]'' explains further, that "while ''Star Control II'' is a little clunky and esoteric by modern standards, this was the ''Mass Effect'' of its era, defining many of the elements you might have taken for granted in Bioware's classic sci-fi RPG series. ... ''Star Control''{{'}}s weird and wonderful alien races are far more exciting than anything Bioware gave us."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tarason|first=Dominic|date=October 22, 2017|title=DOS classics Star Control 1 & 2 hit Steam, but you might want to try this HD fan-remaster|url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/Star-Control-Origins/Star-Control-Origins-DOS-Ur-Quan-Masters-HD|access-date=2020-06-16|website=PCGamesN|language=en-GB}}</ref> Henrik Fahraeus of [[Paradox Interactive]] credits ''Star Control II'' as a major influence on [[Strategy video game|strategy game]] ''[[Stellaris (video game)|Stellaris]]'',<ref>{{cite web|author=Alex Hamilton|date=2016-06-11|title=Stellaris Interview|url=https://www.gamegrin.com/articles/stellaris-interview/|publisher=GameGrin}}</ref> after expressing disappointment that the ''Mass Effect'' series lacked the exploration and openness of ''Star Control II''.<ref name=":04">{{Cite web|last=Smith|first=Adam|date=May 8, 2012|title=Regal Counsel: Crusader Kings II Interview|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/05/08/regal-counsel-crusader-kings-ii-interview/|access-date=2020-10-14|website=[[Rock Paper Shotgun]]|language=en-US}}</ref> Game writer and narrative designer [[Zoë Quinn]] called ''Star Control II'' a childhood obsession, describing how she "filled several notebooks with notes and maps as I constantly explored Fake Space, trying to see everything and uncover all the secrets in the game."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Quinn |first=Zoë |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gpvUDQAAQBAJ&dq=%22filled+several+notebooks+with+notes+and+maps+as+I+constantly+explored+Fake+Space,+trying+to+see+everything+and+uncover+all+the+secrets+in+the+game&pg=PT25 |title=Crash Override: How Gamergate (Nearly) Destroyed My Life, and How We Can Win the Fight Against Online Hate |date=2017-09-05 |publisher=PublicAffairs |isbn=978-1-61039-809-1 |pages=22–23 |language=en}}</ref> Vice President of [[Insomniac Games]] Brian Hastings ranked ''Star Control II'' as one of his top games, and one of "the most original and perfectly executed games ever".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hastings|first=Brian|url=http://archive.org/details/GamefanVolume8Issue01January2000|title=Developer's Top Ten|date=January 2000|publisher=Gamefan - Volume 8 Issue 01|page=10|access-date=October 22, 2020}}</ref> Alexx Kay of [[Irrational Games]] hailed ''Star Control II'' as the best game "by a mile", noting that it was "one of the first story-based games where your actions had clear consequences".<ref name=":63"/> In Joshua Bycer's book "20 Essential Games to Study", his first chapter is devoted to analyzing ''Star Control II'', as an unprecedented [[open world]] game far ahead of its contemporaries.<ref name="Bycer20183">{{cite book|author=Joshua Bycer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MfZ1DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA4|title=20 Essential Games to Study|date=26 October 2018|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-0-429-80208-9|pages=4–}}</ref>

''Star Control II'' is sometimes credited as a spiritual successor to ''Starflight'', inheriting its legacy as a genre-defining space exploration game.<ref>{{cite web|author=Lee Hutchinson|date=2012-09-28|title=Masterpiece: Starflight for PC|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2012/09/masterpiece-starflight-for-pc/|publisher=Ars Technica}}</ref>

===''The Ur-Quan Masters''===
{{main|The Ur-Quan Masters}}
''The Ur-Quan Masters'' is a modified open-source release of ''Star Control 2'', based on a freely available version of the original [[3DO Interactive Multiplayer|3DO]] code.<ref name="HG101series2" /><ref name="Tringham2014">{{cite book|author=Tringham|first=Neal Roger|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0o5qBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA428|title=Science Fiction Video Games|date=September 10, 2014|publisher=CRC Press|isbn=978-1-4822-0388-2|pages=428–|access-date=October 22, 2020}}</ref>

=== Sequel and continuity ===
In 2017, Reiche and Ford announced plans to create a direct sequel to ''The Ur-Quan Masters'',<ref name="UQMTM">{{cite web | url = https://www.dogarandkazon.com/blog/2019/6/11/the-only-way-to-win-is | title = The Only Way To Win Is | author = Reiche & Ford | publisher = Updates from Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III | access-date = 2020-04-28 | archive-date = 2020-08-18 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200818144639/https://www.dogarandkazon.com/blog/2019/6/11/the-only-way-to-win-is  }}</ref> which would effectively bypass the story from ''[[Star Control 3]]'', created by the now defunct [[Legend Entertainment]].<ref>{{ cite web | url = https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/10/09/star-control-ii-direct-sequel-ghosts-of-the-precursors-announced | title = Star Control II Direct Sequel Ghosts of the Precursors Announced | author = Jonathon Dornbush | publisher = IGN | date = 2017-10-09 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite web | url = https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/10/11/star-control-ii-devs-finally-making-sequel/ | title = Star Control 2 creators finally making sequel | website = [[Rock Paper Shotgun]] | date = 2017-10-11 | author = Alice O'Connor}}</ref> This announcement comes after years of fan requests for a sequel.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2017/10/10/16453410/star-control-2-direct-sequel-ghosts-of-the-precursors | publisher = Polygon | title = Star Control creators working on direct sequel to Star Control 2 | date = 2017-10-10 | author = Michael McWhertor }}</ref> Due to disagreements between the trademark owner of ''Star Control'' and the ownership of the intellectual property within the games previously sold under the trademark, the game development was halted. A settlement has been reached, and work resumed in the fall of 2020.<ref>{{ cite web | url = https://www.dogarandkazon.com/blog/2021/6/17/i-seriously-considered-adding-a-cow-to-this-image | title = I Seriously Considered Adding A Cow To This Image | publisher = Dogar And Kazon | date = 2021-06-17 | author = Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III }}</ref>
{{Main|Free Stars: Children of Infinity}}
After leaving [[Toys for Bob]], [[Fred Ford (programmer)|Fred Ford]] and [[Paul Reiche III]] co-founded Pistol Shrimp Games alongside [[Ken Ford (programmer)|Ken Ford]] and [[Dan Gerstein]], under which they are currently developing ''[[Free Stars: Children of Infinity]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Yarwood |first=Jack |date=April 23, 2024 |title="We've Finally Sighted Land" - Free Stars, The Star Control Successor 30 Years In The Making |url=https://www.timeextension.com/features/interview-werve-finally-sighted-land-free-stars-the-star-control-successor-30-years-in-the-making |website=Timeextenstion}}</ref> On April 4, 2024, the official trailer for this project was released on the [[GameSpot]] channel on [[YouTube]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Makuch |first=Eddie |date=April 4, 2024 |title=Free Stars: Children Of Infinity Trailer Debuts, Kickstarter Coming Soon |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/free-stars-children-of-infinity-trailer-debuts-kickstarter-coming-soon/1100-6522370/ |website=GameSpot}}</ref> The campaign to fund the game launched on [[Kickstarter]] on April 16, 2024, and has ended on May 18, 2024, collecting more than $650 000.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chalk |first=Andy |date=April 20, 2024 |title=The long-awaited sequel to The Ur-Quan Masters hits its crowdfunding target in less than four hours, and they're not kidding about that $4.4 million stretch goal |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/the-long-awaited-sequel-to-the-ur-quan-masters-hits-its-crowdfunding-target-in-less-than-four-hours-and-theyre-not-kidding-about-that-dollar44-million-stretch-goal/ |website=PC Gamer}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.mobygames.com/game/star-control-ii ''Star Control II''] at [[MobyGames]]
* [http://sc2.sourceforge.net/ The Ur-Quan Masters open source project]
* [https://www.filfre.net/2018/12/star-control-ii/ ''Star Control II'' Development History]

{{Star Control}}
{{Toys for Bob}}
{{Authority control}}

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