The Ur-Quan Masters (UQM) (aka: Free Stars: The Ur-Quan Masters) is a free, open-source remake of the excellent game 'Star Control 2'.
There are multiple open source releases of the game at the present time.
The most recent and recommended release (which includes improved HD textures and many additional options) is:
The Ur-Quan Masters Megamod
Additionally, there is the original:
The Ur-Quan Masters
as well as two older HD versions (Remix being somewhat more up-to-date, though with some bugs of its own):
The Ur-Quan Masters HD
The Ur-Quan Masters HD Remix
The Ur-Quan Masters is based on the source code of the 3DO version of Star Control 2. However, while the 3DO version had several improvements over the original PC version, some of the dialogue that were present in the PC version is absent in the (voiced) 3DO version... and some of that dialogue is crucial to completing the game without a guide or random exploration. To fix this, I and a talented voice actress (Katie Otten (www.katieotten.com, www.facebook.com/katieotten13, Twitter: @katieotten13)) have re-recorded the dialogue of certain key aliens to reinstate what I considered to be the most important missing lines. Some HD versions also had some visual flaws, which I have fixed.
Since there are so many versions of The Ur-Quan Masters, refer to my handy table below to see which of my mods go with which version of the game:
| The Ur-Quan Masters MegaMod | The Ur-Quan Masters (original) / Free Stars - The Ur-Quan Masters (steam release) | The Ur-Quan Masters HD | The Ur-Quan Masters HD Remix | |
| Melnorme Voice Mod | Already included if selected in installer (otherwise get MMAddon version) | Recommended (UQMAddon or UQMStandalone version) | Recommended (UQMAddon or UQMStandalone version) | Recommended (UQMAddon or UQMStandalone version) |
| Syreen Voice Mod | Already included if selected in installer (otherwise get MMAddon version) | Recommended (UQMAddon or UQMStandalone version) | Recommended (UQMAddon or UQMStandalone version) | Recommended (UQMAddon or UQMStandalone version) |
| Mycon Voice Mod | Already included | Recommended | Already included | Already included |
| HD Syreen Video Fix | Already included | Not required | Recommended | Recommended |
As of 22/09/2024, the standalone versions of these mods have been updated to be compatible with UQM version 0.8.0.
I was unable to imitate the original Melnorme voice actor/effects, but I never considered the orignal to be particularly good. I re-recorded all of the Melnorme lines, but included some additional, important informative and flavour dialogue missing from the 3DO version and The Ur-Quan Masters.
For The Ur-Quan Masters MegaMod
(only needed if you didn't select it in the installer):
Melnorme Voice Mod Addon (MMAddon)
Readme File
For The Ur-Quan Masters/The Ur-Quan Masters HD/The Ur-Quan Masters HD Remix
Download either the Addon (easy initial install, needs a command line switch to run) or the Standalone (difficult initial install, but then easy to run), you only need one. Refer to the included readme after downloading:
Melnorme Voice Mod Addon (UQMAddon)
Melnorme Voice Mod Standalone (UQMStandalone)
Some youtube previews of the mod in action:
A massive thank you to the amazing Katie Otten (www.katieotten.com, www.facebook.com/katieotten13, Twitter: @katieotten13) for volunteering her time and effort to re-record the Syreen dialogue. This dialogue includes information crucial for finishing the game, and reinserts several jokes as well. Also a big thanks to Serosis, creator of the MegaMod, for compiling a version of the game that reimplements some of the original PC logic if this mod is detected, allowing some additional, character-building lines to play that cannot be added to the older versions.
For The Ur-Quan Masters MegaMod
(The Megamod version is the most strongly recommended verison of the mod! The below is only needed if you didn't select it in the installer):
Syreen Voice Mod Addon (MMAddon)
Readme File
For The Ur-Quan Masters/The Ur-Quan Masters HD/The Ur-Quan Masters HD Remix
Download either the Addon (easy initial install, needs a command line switch to run) or the Standalone (difficult initial install, but then easy to run), you only need one. Refer to the included readme after downloading:
Syreen Voice Mod Addon (UQMAddon)
Syreen Voice Mod Standalone (UQMStandalone)
Some youtube previews of the mod in action (warning: features some spoilers):
This contains key dialogue about the Mycon homeworld that is needed to complete the game. I managed to imitate the voice of the Mycon fairly well, so most of the dialogue is unchanged. Note the Megamod, HD and HD Remix versions automatically already include this mod - you only need to get it for the original The Ur-Quan Masters!
Download either the Addon (easy initial install, needs a command line switch to run) or the Standalone (difficult initial install, but then easy to run), you only need one. Refer to the included readme after downloading.:
Mycon Voice Mod - Addon
Mycon Voice Mod - Standalone
The Syreen graphics in the HD version of UQM appear to be missing one of the Syreen's breasts (even though this is visible in the original version). It looks very odd, especially when animated. I have fixed this by manually drawing in the missing breast in all relevant animated files
Before Fix:
After Fix:
Download either the Addons (easy initial install, but should only be used at specific resolutions and needs a command line switch to run) or the Standalone (difficult initial install, but then easy to run), you only need one. Refer to the included readme after downloading.:
HD Syreen Video Fix (1280x960 only) - Addon
HD Syreen Video Fix (640x480 only) - Addon
HD Syreen Video Fix (Any resolution) - Standalone