E3 2001 First look: Orion Pirates

We talked with Joshua Morris of Taldren about the studio's upcoming stand-alone expansion, Starfleet Command: Orion Pirates. Like the previous games in the Starfleet Command series, Orion Pirates will focus on space-based real-time tactical combat. It will include the art and ship models from the previous games, along with more than 200 new ships, 24 new missions, and some technical enhancements to the game engine.

According to Morris, Orion Pirates is the culmination of the series, and it will provide an excellent value, since it will include the best of the previous games, as well as new ships and missions, all for the price of an expansion pack. In addition to the 12 new single-player missions, the game will feature 12 new multiplayer missions. The expansion will also include support for the "dynaverse," which is a system that supports huge online semipersistent multiplayer games that can last about a month. All together, Orion Pirates will include more than 100 missions.

As the title suggests, the expansion will focus on the Orion pirates and several other pirate cartels, such as a group of rebel Klingons and an all-female pirate cartel. Each cartel features unique abilities and 30 unique ships. Players can choose to play as one of the factions from the previous games or as one of the new pirate cartels.

Starfleet Command: Orion Pirates is almost complete, and it is scheduled for release at the end of June. For more information, take a look at our previous coverage of the expansion.