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The last several days have brought Trekkers and non-fans alike a ton of information regarding Raven's upcoming Star Trek game, Voyager: Elite Force. In an attempt to avoid many small articles, we've compiled them into one large piece for your reading pleasure.

CDMag has posted a great new designer diary from Raven's Brian Pelletier about the origins of this game. Did you know it was originally slated to be set around the Insurrection movie, which featured the Next Generation cast? Pelletier explains more:

The EF team started out with 4 guys (who consist of the other leads) that worked on the story and did research with creating Trek environments. The game originally started out as an Insurrection (the movie) game. Then it changed to be a game that takes place in the TNG universe with a new set of characters, and eventually after about 5 months of design work we got final word that it was going to be a Voyager game. Fortunately the story from the TNG game fit well with Voyager and only needed a few modifications.

Other members of the Raven team have consented to interviews recently; there is a quick Q&A with Ken Hoekstra at VoyagerEliteForce.com about the game's progress. Here's a clip:

utopia: What is your favorite feature in the game?

Kenn: I really like the storyline and the ability to play the game as both a male and a female character. With a bit of ingenuity, we were able to make the transition from character to character seamless with the dialogue and story. It turned out very well.

Jake Simpson, another team member working on this game, has updated his .plan with a tidbit on how they are dividing their resources right now. Here's an excerpt:

For Voyager, there are pretty much two teams working on it, split into single player and multiplayer. I'm helping out with the multiplayer stuff right now, since there is much to do. Many new game objects and effects to be played with :) For those that played the demo, I'd have to say that the demo is very much the 'tip of the iceberg' as far as Voyager Elite Force content is concerned. Perhaps 10% - 15% of the game experience is represented here.

And lastly, what would pre-game hype be without more screenshots than you can shake a phaser at? PC IGN has 12 new images, and GA Source has scored no fewer than 20 brand-new screenshots of Elite Force. They reveal some new environments and characters, some of which look really organic, so definitely check them out.

Voyager: Elite Force is currently in beta testing and expected for the PC early this Fall. Since the Quake 3 engine is its base, Raven has said a Mac version is very possible, though no publisher has been announced as of yet. We expect developments in this area very soon.

PC IGN Elite Force Screenshots

Jake Simpson .plan Update

Fandom Elite Force Interview

VoyagerEliteForce.com Interview

GA Source Elite Force Screenshots

CDMag Elite Force Developer Diary

Aspyr Media (add to watch list)

Raven Software (add to watch list)

Westlake Interactive (add to watch list)

Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force (add to watch list)

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