A few days after Mad Doc Software head Ian Lane Davis discussed the tactics of Star Trek: Legacy, the game due from Bethesda Softworks this fall (story), associate producer Gary Conti described the campaigns and command points in the starship combat game.

Speaking to GameSpot, Conti said that many improvements had been made on the demo of the game at this year's E3 expo, where it was revealed that players could earn command points that could be used for upgrades and new starships. "Command points are your 'resource' in this game," he explained. "You earn them by completing objectives, winning engagements, and progressing through the storyline." The campaigns, he noted, would be linear, to allow the game story to build.

"Say that during one mission, you capture an enemy star base, embarrass a few Klingon scouts by unceremoniously loosing a volley of quantum torpedoes on their backsides, then rip through a minefield and destroy a fleet of battleships," suggested Conti. "Through these actions you've most likely earned enough points to upgrade the hull rating and weapons systems on two of your big battleships. You've also earned enough to scrap your old Ambassador-class starship and commission one of those shiny new Nebula-class ships."

Conti said that the ships would behave physically the way hulking starships should behave in space - if a ship's engines are disabled, it will drift. There will also be special weapons such as the ability to tractor an enemy ship into a star. With multiplayer mode, large epic battles will be possible.

Also in multiplayer mode, gamers can also play ships such as the Borg and Romulans. "Between missions you'll be deciding on upgrading your hull strength, shields, sensors, engines, and weapons," Conti said. "By upgrading the weapons, your phasers increase in range, recharge faster, and do more damage. By upgrading your shields, they can absorb more damage before dropping and will recharge faster after battle. Also, you can purchase specific weapons upgrades and install special weapons on your ships." Newer ships, he added, would have higher maximum firepower than older ships.

The full interview is at GameSpot.

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