2:38 AM 3/20/2006

Star Blazers Mod: The Quest for Iscandar

This Mod does not follow the standard format of most mods in the sense of replacing ships and races of a popular universe and do it the "Star Fury" way. Instead I am doing Star Fury the Star Blazers way. I have recreated "Star Blazers: The Quest for Iscandar" story using the "Star Fury" game engine. 
	A popular story in Japan animation even thought unknown to many. As my main objective was to make the story as close as I could using this engine, I discarded some of the features that made "Star Fury" popular within its fans; trading, upgradeability of components as the player gain levels, a semi-open non linear space system to explore. Yet in this particular case none of that is necessary to give the player an engrossing story full of action and surprises, I hope! 
	Star Blazers is a registered trademark of "Voyager Entertainment, Inc and Musashi Enterprises, Inc". The Japanese title is "Uchuu Senkan Yamato" which translates into English as "Space Battleship Yamato", though the Japanese themselves wrote it in English as "Space Cruiser Yamato". TV Season 1 aired in Japan in 1974. Seasons 1 and 2 were brought over to America and other markets as "Star Blazers" in 1979/80.

	The "Star Blazers Mod: The Quest for Iscandar" is compose of three main files: two campaigns, and a music file.  


    
"Star Blazers: The Quest for Iscandar" back ground story taken from "Star Blazers Technical Manual and Warship Recognition Guide" by Keith A Johannsen :

The Gamilon War of 2041-2199

	Many years prior to the first appearance of the Gamilon fleet within Earth's solar system, mankind had reached out and began the colonization of its moon and the planet Mars.
	Scientific missions continued to be sent to the other planets for the eventual purpose of further colonization and development.
	Earth's military preparations for deep space combat operations were virtually nonexistent compared to the abilities of the proven Gamilon war machine. Only the desperate courage of the United Earth races, willing to make any sacrifice to defend their homeworld against an unknown threat from space, prevented the Gamilons from occupying the planet.
	As the human race fought back with any weapon at its disposal, it studied Gamilon military space tactics and adapted any piece of Gamilon hardware it could acquire. Raids were mounted against advance Gamilon bases with the objective of capturing equipment, rather than destroying it. The conclusion of every battle or skirmish provided the Earth forces with more equipment to analyze and copy.
	By 2172, the United Nations Space Defense Force had been able to turn back most of the Gamilon raids and recon operations. It even began mounting its own attacks against the Gamilon bases.
	Gamilon forces in the Milky Way operated from a very long and tenuous supply line stretching back to their homeworld. The Earth raids on these supply lines tied down large number of ships, which normally were available for operations against Earth itself.
	The pleas for reinforcements from the local commanders could no longer be ignored by the Gamilon High Command, and additional forces were dispatched to exterminate the Earth's contemptible little space fleet. Numbers alone could not quell the fighting spirit of a race determined not to be enslaved.  Between 2172 and 2185 the campaign bacame stalemated by continual attacks and counterattacks by both sides.
	When Emperor Desslok's patience finally gave away, he ordered the destruction of Earth's population by the use of planet bombs.
	The massive fleet base ordered to be constructed on Pluto was able to begin bombardment operations in 2191. The treat posed by the Pluto base and the increased bombardment of Earth compelled the UN Space Force to launch a series of desperate and costly offensives in an attempt to destroy it. Much of the Earth's deep space military potential was sacrificed on this one objective.
	As the Gamilons brought up more forces from their homeworld and Empire, the Earth's offensive capability was steadily destroyed.
	Finally on August 6, 2199, the last fleet that the Earth could muster was ordered to make one final attempt at penetrating the Gamilon defensive lines and destroy the Pluto base.
	In the ensuing battle, virtually the entire Earth force of about 70 ships was destroyed before it could even reach Pluto. The Earth was left virtually defenseless.
	It was at this desperate hour that salvation was delivered by another unknown alien race. The Iscandarians, neighbors to the Gamilons, had monitored Desslok's ruthless campaign against Earth and decided to intervene. Queen Starsha dispatched the technology necessary for Earth to defeat the Gamilon war machine, as well as offering the Cosmo DNA machine to enable Earth to rid itself of the deadly radiation of the Gamilon planet bombs.
	The Cosmo DNA machine could not be constructed on Earth, but had to be transported from Iscandar and assembled while in transit and deployed within Earth's atmosphere.
	The need for a vessel and a specialist crew to make the journey to Iscandar and back before the planet bomb radiation destroyed all life on Earth inaugurated the formation of the Star Force and a new chapter in Earth's history.


Enjoy, 

--- Campeador
  
