Tactical games of starship combat

[anvi]

I liked this game:



It is a bit basic so I hoped they could grow it in a sequel, but they already made a sequel that was different like a spinoff and it sucks. I don't know many other games like this, gaming is so lame. Iwar 2 is popular but I haven't played it much yet, it is old/ugly and hard to motivate myself to play it. This youtube guy covers some promising indie games sometimes like Flight of Nova and this action looking game: (I do not trust the guy though, obvious shill and annoying voice, but some of those games look promising)

 

[deuxhero]

I don't know about those games but Starsector and X4 Foundations scratches that itch for me.

I think X4 needs a little more control over the AI to be great at this IMO. Being able to have anti-fighter escorts not ram into an opposing station when their escortee starts bombarding it and instead just shoot down uncoming small craft would be great.

 

[Galdred]

Any recommendations? This is one of my favorite sub-genres of game. Something that makes starships feel "big" like a massive galleon. Crew fighting fires, conducting boarding operations, etc. The vessel is not a disposable unit like in some RTS, pumped out of a factory; it must be carefully shepherded. Out of everything I would say I enjoy Battlefleet Gothic most; just close to my ideal game, and something I always regretted not getting the tabletop version of (it was a very good day when they announced the PC game).

Controlling one ship, like an Age of Sail warship, or a very small fleet:

• - Star Trek: Starfleet Command I
• - Star Trek: Starfleet Command II - Empires at War
• - Star Trek: Starfleet Command - Orion Pirates
• - Star Trek: Starfleet Command III
• - Star Trek: Dominion Wars
• - Star Trek: Tactical Assault
• - Star Trek: Legacy
• - Warhammer 40,000: Battlefleet Gothic - Armada I
• - Warhammer 40,000: Battlefleet Gothic - Armada II
• - Battlestar Galactica: Deadlock
• - Crying Suns
• - Nebulous: Fleet Command

You also have Starshatter: The Gathering Storm, which is an old game, but quite unique, in that it handles the transition from starfighter to controlling a carrier battlegroup quite well. It also worked well with 3D, because ships could typically only shield a 2 pi steradians (ie, covering half of the sphere around the ship) up or down of the ship, so 3D envelopment was usually the best way to deal with these.
It is a freeware now so there is no reason not to give it a shot. It is a very unique capital ship game (but maybe a bit on the smaller scale).

 

[Galdred]

I forgot XO:


It is close to Crying Suns/FTL on the strategic layer, with encounters playing around orbital systems with your fleet of green wireframe ships:

 

[cpmartins]

Battlecruiser 3000 AD

Sounds like what you want is naval battles, but painted in space colors. Space Pirates and Zombies 2 is an arcade version of that with a slight twist of Mount and Blade, not sure if it truly fits your bill though. Independence War loosely follows that too as I recall.

Derek Smart, the man, the legend.

 

[PapaPetro]

I forgot XO:


It is close to Crying Suns/FTL on the strategic layer, with encounters playing around orbital systems with your fleet of green wireframe ships:

Looks beautiful.

 

[JarlFrank]

This is pretty interesting because it's the only space strategy game I've seen where ships are actually moving at 6 degrees of freedom.

The beginning is hard to the point of being unfair, but you have to learn how to use your ships tactically: flanking to strike the weak points of enemy armor.

Ships will move freely through 3D space, rotating themselves to face the enemy. A ship might even rotate far enough that its bottom is suddenly up. Which is important because bottom armor is weaker than upper and frontal armor. Pretty cool.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

I forgot XO:


It is close to Crying Suns/FTL on the strategic layer, with encounters playing around orbital systems with your fleet of green wireframe ships:

Looks interesting.
Game's in early access with demo available (earmarking that for later).
Latest devlog:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0iUz9LXAhQ

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

This might technically belong to here.
https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...rn-based-tactical-space-rpg-with-cats.133011/

There's Steam demo available, but I'm playing other stuff for now, so no comment from me what it offers.

 

[PapaPetro]

This might technically belong to here.
https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...rn-based-tactical-space-rpg-with-cats.133011/

There's Steam demo available, but I'm playing other stuff for now, so no comment from me what it offers.

Same energy

 

[Glop_dweller]

Homeworld 1 & 2:

Only the originals, not the remastered versions; HW:Remastered uses the HW:2 engine—which which is crap aside from graphics. Formations are the heart of the first game, and HW:2 ruined those.

Best game in the series is Homeworld:Cataclysm... shamefully renamed Homeworld:Emergence due to Gearbox having a tucked tail and wetting their legs because Blizzard used the name Cataclysm in their 2010 WoW expansion. HW:Cataclysm pre-dates World of Warcraft by four years.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

This popped up on my Youtube recommendations.

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

I forgot XO:

holy shit i think i designed this. several years ago, just for fun, a pal asked me to write him a design document for what started as "battlestar galactica for phones", and this not only aswers to most of its specifics but some screens look exactly as i described it. the codename of the project was "jews in space". otherwise it's a weirdly funny coincidence.

 

[MadMaxHellfire]

This is pretty interesting

it's not. i can't tell you why after so much long, but i clearly remember how i was digsustorrified by it.

 

[holla_cabezas_de_mierda]

battlestar gallatica is my favorite of these followed by Battlefleet
Gothic 2...I would be super happy if they made a sequel to Battlestar but somehow I don't think they will..they really got a lot of shit right in that game, though it did drag near the end..but still, was really good..

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

battlestar gallatica is my favorite of these followed by Battlefleet
Gothic 2...I would be super happy if they made a sequel to Battlestar but somehow I don't think they will..they really got a lot of shit right in that game, though it did drag near the end..but still, was really good..

Their latest game was Aliens: Dark Descent, so they do other stuff too besides fleet based strategy games.

 

[holla_cabezas_de_mierda]

battlestar gallatica is my favorite of these followed by Battlefleet
Gothic 2...I would be super happy if they made a sequel to Battlestar but somehow I don't think they will..they really got a lot of shit right in that game, though it did drag near the end..but still, was really good..

Their latest game was Aliens: Dark Descent, so they do other stuff too besides fleet based strategy games.

yeah, they make good games, I have that game too...I do wish they would make a sequel however, but like I said, for some reason I get the feeling they won't..

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

I forgot XO:

holy shit i think i designed this. several years ago, just for fun, a pal asked me to write him a design document for what started as "battlestar galactica for phones", and this not only aswers to most of its specifics but some screens look exactly as i described it. the codename of the project was "jews in space". otherwise it's a weirdly funny coincidence.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Demo gameplay:

 

[Stavrophore]

Despite Distant Worlds being 4X game, it has surprisingly detailed combat layer and allows a great deal of microing with physically based trajectories and hitspots on ships. If you are willing to see past the jank and game being unfinished without many QoL features and flavor, then you can try it[cough, cough one eyed bay].
Gameplay is in 0.25 speed so it looks more dignified but you usually run game at 4x speed.

 

[REhorror]

For real time, aside from Battlefleet Gothic, Nexus the Jupiter Incident is an absolute masterpiece, much more engaging than Homeworld IMO.

And the story is epic in every sense of the word.