Space sims like Freespace

[Data4]

I've played all the X-Wing games and TIE Fighter. I've done Wing Commander up to 3. I've also played both Freespaces. I'm looking for games like those, without all the trading crap like the X series. I'm looking for a game that follows the simple formulae the above stick to: Faction A (Good guys) are fighting a war with Faction B (Bad guys), and the war is prosecuted by way of sorties involving space dogfights, escort missions, recon, etc.

Are there such games released, say, in the last 5 years that are worth looking into? I posted a thread about Dark Horizon, which looks promising, but has very little press coverage, and no one responded. As I'm on a reeeally tight budget at the moment, I'm not so inclined to spend money on something unless I have a better idea of what other players think.

 

[WhiskeyWolf]

without all the trading crap like the X series

Not to mention level-scaling.

 

[dragonfk]

Freelancer?

Its not excatly what you wanted but its not as if there were plenty of good space simulators. And of course there are mods, many mods for Freelancer.

 

[DraQ]

I'm looking for games like those, without all the trading crap like the X series.

Bwah. That means you're counting out the two most awesomest space-sims to date:

Frontier: Elite 2 and Frontier: First Encounters

Fail?

 

[Silellak]

I've played all the X-Wing games and TIE Fighter. I've done Wing Commander up to 3. I've also played both Freespaces. I'm looking for games like those, without all the trading crap like the X series. I'm looking for a game that follows the simple formulae the above stick to: Faction A (Good guys) are fighting a war with Faction B (Bad guys), and the war is prosecuted by way of sorties involving space dogfights, escort missions, recon, etc.

Are there such games released, say, in the last 5 years that are worth looking into? I posted a thread about Dark Horizon, which looks promising, but has very little press coverage, and no one responded. As I'm on a reeeally tight budget at the moment, I'm not so inclined to spend money on something unless I have a better idea of what other players think.

I'm a huge space sim freak myself. It looks like you've hit all the major ones, but there are still a couple here and there.

Wing Commander 4 was actually quite good, even if the story is a bit of a departure.

Starlancer is definitely worth a look if you haven't played that.

Unfortunately, it seems to be a niche-genre that's all-but dead. Sometimes I wish Wing Commander had taken off the same way Doom did, so the market would be full of sub-par, rushed-to-market space sims instead of sub-par, rushed-to-market FPS games.

"Obsidian announces Freespace 3:

It's like Oblivion, but in SPACE with SHIPS."

 

[DefJam101]

Freespace is hardly a space 'simulation' if you really think about it.

I know what you mean, though... Unfortunately the genre is pretty much pwned at the moment. Freespace 2 has a lot of awesome mods for it, Wingcommander is great... Freelancer is alright, I guess. Not many options, sorry.

There is: The Tomorrow War -which I have been watching for a little while. Seems kinda cheesy and unrealistic, but if any Russians want to tell me how that turned out I could really use an opinion. The game is going to be released in the USA sometime in November.

 

[don_tomaso]

Ya tomorrow war indeed looks kinda cool http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIdWpSTE ... re=related

like it how they mix space and planetary action

 

[DraQ]

Freespace is hardly a space 'simulation' if you really think about it.

That's why I mentioned Frontier and FFE.

 

[The Dude]

http://www.quazar-studio.com/eng/index.html

Those two are available at gamersgate, seems like they are kinda buggy though. Dunno how good/bad they are either. You might consider not removing anything from an inventory to check the level of buginess.

 

[DefJam101]

http://www.quazar-studio.com/eng/index.html

Those two are available at gamersgate, seems like they are kinda buggy though. Dunno how good/bad they are either. You might consider not removing anything from an inventory to check the level of buginess.

Tarr Chronicles was pretty mediocre. Gameplay is repetitive and does not engage you at all. The storyline is tough to follow and distant. The graphics were well-done, if a bit technically unimpressive, but the sound effects were abysmal. Pretty bad stuff, overall.

Sequel has not been released yet AFAIK.

 

[The Dude]

Sequel has not been released yet AFAIK.

Yeah it has.

 

[DefJam101]

Sequel has not been released yet AFAIK.

Yeah it has.

Lol, look at the bottom: People who bought this also bought - Mount & Blade, Tarr Chronicles, Parkan 2


Anyone ever played Parkan 2? I heard it was a weird FPS/Elite game... but shitty reviews and my unwillingness to not remove an indie game from an inventory have prevented me from trying it.

 

[SuicideBunny]

Anyone ever played Parkan 2? I heard it was a weird FPS/Elite game... but shitty reviews and my unwillingness to not remove an indie game from an inventory have prevented me from trying it.

awesome idea, extremely shitty and really boring game.

there's another one like it currently in development, but i totally forgot the name...

 

[Destroid]

I've heard good things about Independance War 1+2, although I have only played the 2nd one, and briefly at that. Seemed to be what you are looking for though.

 

[phanboy_iv]

I can second I-War 2. Picked it up at my local dollar store, and was very pleasantly suprised. Haven't finished it yet, but so far it's quite good.

 

[Vival]

Yeah, i-war 2 was a very good game. I loved the filght model which was somewhat a mix of the simple Wing Commander one and Elite's realistic newtonian physics based one. Unlike Elite's boring high speed fly by attacks I-war actually had Wing commander like dogfights with many of the niffty maneuvering possibilities of Elite. And the whole scenario of you and your team basically being a ragtag bunch of outlaws robbing corporate tranporters was pretty entertaining. Only some of the VERY long and sometimes sadisticly hard campaign mission could be a source of frustration with no possability to save during the missions.

 

[MetalCraze]

Freelancer?

Its not excatly what you wanted but its not as if there were plenty of good space simulators. And of course there are mods, many mods for Freelancer.

Freelancer may be a console game (which results in you know what) - but damn - the design of the space there is just great - some solar systems can be very bizarre - and what is even better - you have to look for hyperspace jump points to them which can be hidden - and exploring is fun. The atmosphere is on a high level there.



Also PRO-TIP: Never touch russian space sims. Nevar!

 

[Data4]

Ooh, I-War 2 completely slipped my mind. I read about it a long time ago, and totally forgot about it.

I've gathered a few other titles here. Opinions?

DarkStar One
Spaceforce: Rogue Universe
Galactic Command - Echo Squad
Evochron Renegades

 

[Data4]

Freelancer?

Its not excatly what you wanted but its not as if there were plenty of good space simulators. And of course there are mods, many mods for Freelancer.

Freelancer may be a console game (which results in you know what) - but damn - the design of the space there is just great - some solar systems can be very bizarre - and what is even better - you have to look for hyperspace jump points to them which can be hidden - and exploring is fun. The atmosphere is on a high level there.

I guess it comes down to what you want in a space combat game. For instance, I was just watching Greg Kasavin's video review of Freelancer, and it seems like any time he mentioned something "you'll never have to worry about", it was something I enjoyed. Things like managing power systems, targeting specific points on a ship or station, and controlling the thing from inside the cockpit with a joystick rather than sitting behind the ship and using the mouse. It didn't work for me in the original two Descents, and it doesn't work for me now.

Of course, if mods change this, I might reconsider, but I avoided Freelancer when it first came out for these same reasons.

 

[Destroid]

I've been told Darkstar one is pretty awful.

 

[muds_animal_friend]

I'd rate Darkstar One as poor rather than awful. It has some redeeming qualities but the dogfights are Freelancer 2 simplistic and it lacks the polish of that game. Basically a poor man's Freelancer 2.

Another vote for IW-2 here. It isn't linear scenario-based like Freespace, it's more of a sandbox game with storyline missions, and has a steeper learning curve due to the more realistic physics. The missions parts are perhaps the weaker element, I had more fun playing as a freelance predator on corporate shipping lanes. I can't recall if it has any actual RPG elements but it does have RPGish feel to it (similar to STALKER).

 

[Data4]

Hmm... Been looking at the Freespace 2 SCP thingy and some of these videos look like they could be from games released yesterday. I knew there was a mod scene, but I've grown cynical of modders who announce huge projects that almost always end up defunct because they were too ambitious.

Recommend me a FS2 mod. I'mma go dig up the disks in the meantime. I'm thinking the Babylon Project might be among the most recommended.

 

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Babylon still be strong man.

 

[DefJam101]

Ooh, I-War 2 completely slipped my mind. I read about it a long time ago, and totally forgot about it.

I've gathered a few other titles here. Opinions?

DarkStar One

Mediocre to bad. Feels like Starfox meets Freelancer meets failure. Worth a play, I guess. It's better than Tarr Chronicles.

Spaceforce: Rogue Universe

Complete utter failure. Seriously, this game IS Oblivion in space. Right from the godawful voice acting to the terrible exploration/combat mechanics.

Galactic Command - Echo Squad

Never played.

Evochron Renegades

Actually quite good. It's no Elite, but a very valiant effort from an indie developer to emulate that type of gameplay. It has a very dedicated and helpful community, in any case.

Hmm... Been looking at the Freespace 2 SCP thingy and some of these videos look like they could be from games released yesterday. I knew there was a mod scene, but I've grown cynical of modders who announce huge projects that almost always end up defunct because they were too ambitious.

I whipped out my joystick a week or so ago and played through the FS2 campaign again with the updated MediaVPs, it looks absolutely amazing. The gameplay is still as fun as ever, well worth your time. Babylon Project is great, and Beyond the Red Line should be showing up soon.
[/b]

 

[lefthandblack]

Another vote for IWAR 2

IMO it's the best spacesim to date.