The Ur-Quan Masters

The Ur-Quan Masters is a 2002 open-source fangame modification, based on the action-adventure science fiction game Star Control II.

The open-source development team remade the 3DO version as a port to modern operating systems, and allowed fan-made modifications to add improvements absent in the original release.

The Ur-Quan Masters is a re-make of Star Control II, an action-adventure science fiction game set in an open universe.

[4] In diplomacy, the player converses with alien races in branching dialog sequences, with the goal of rallying an alliance to defeat the titular antagonists, the Ur-Quan.

[4] The captain quickly discovers that Earth has been conquered by the Ur-Quan, and begins a quest to acquire knowledge, resources, and allies in order to free humanity from slavery.

[4] During the story, the Ur-Quan become entangled in a civil war,[8] allowing the captain to contact dozens of unique alien races, and ultimately influence the outcome of the conflict.

[10] Star Control II, the 1992 sequel, abandoned the first game's strategic elements and greatly expanded the story,[7] wrapping the combat system into an adventure-based narrative.

[18] By the early 2000s, the Star Control II copyrights reverted to Ford and Reiche, triggered by a contractual clause where the game was no longer generating royalties.

[26] The first version of The Ur-Quan Masters suffered from performance issues, but Nelson knew skilled contacts in the open-source community who could make progress on the project.

[7] The credits screen names the "core team" as Serge van den Boom, Mika Kolehmainen, Michael Chapman Martin, Chris Nelson, and Alex Volkov.

[24] Ford and Reiche launched a development studio, Pistol Shrimp, using it to take the open-source to create a new version of The Ur-Quan Masters for modern systems.

[23] The Ur-Quan Masters introduced features from the 3DO version that were previously unavailable on other platforms, including improved graphics and full voice acting.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun celebrated it as an "ambitious and well-received fan-made (and free) remake", which "retains a certain 1990s vibe despite being made more appropriate to modern machines.

"[39] Kotaku likewise praised the HD updates to the visuals and sound,[28] and Dominic Tarason of PCGamesN described the detailed hand-painted modification as "a genuinely impressive piece of work".