Any good Space Sims out there?

Post by **skipclarke** » 26 Dec 2005, 21:21

Hey Guys,

I've been out of the adventure/space-sim genre for a looong time. The last time I played a game like this was Wing Commander IV. Are there any good, widescreen friendly space sims or adventure-like games set in space that you could recommend?

Post by **skipclarke** » 26 Dec 2005, 22:18

What about the Star Wars space battle types??

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 26 Dec 2005, 23:05

I've not found any space combat games that were widescreen friendly...

...

...no, hold on... Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos works in widescreen, I think. :D

Other than that, X-Wing, TIE Fighter, X-Wing Alliance, Descent: Conflict FreeSpace, FreeSpace 2 (has in-flight graphics/nebulae effects that put even some modern games to shame!), Tachyon: The Fringe (best space combat game I've played since FreeSpace 2!), StarLancer, FreeLancer... all superb, all lacking widescreen support... and Edge of Chaos.

I've not seen a proper space combat game since Freelancer, which is actually quite sad... I used to love a decent space sim! :D

vacjo01 · Post by **vacjo01** » 26 Dec 2005, 23:35

I only played it for a short period of time but I did check with their support team when I was thinking about returning to see if they supported widescreen. They told me yes, then a friend I know that plays checked and confirmed it for me.

The game has a steep learning curve but it is a pure space sim from what I can tell.

Also, it is a fantastic looking game. They have a free trial too - it may be worth a look.

http://eve-online.com/

Post by **skipclarke** » 27 Dec 2005, 02:59

What about the Star Wars space battle types??

Definitely. I'm a sucker for those types. :)

Also, it is a fantastic looking game. They have a free trial too - it may be worth a look.

http://eve-online.com/

Thanks for that suggestion. I actually hadn't thought of going online, but this game looks pretty darn cool.

Other than that, X-Wing, TIE Fighter, X-Wing Alliance, Descent: Conflict FreeSpace, FreeSpace 2 (has in-flight graphics/nebulae effects that put even some modern games to shame!), Tachyon: The Fringe (best space combat game I've played since FreeSpace 2!), StarLancer, FreeLancer... all superb, all lacking widescreen support... and Edge of Chaos.

Thanks for those title, PS. I don't think i'd have been able to track them all down. I've checked out some of the websites for a few titles, Freelancer, Edge of Chaos, and they seem a little....ermm, hehe, out of date. :wink: When was the last good space-sim/adventure released? They all look pretty good though, and I'm definitely up for a classic (graphics be darned) if it offers good gameplay.

X-Warrior · Post by **X-Warrior** » 27 Dec 2005, 11:22

But of course I would have to *cough* advertise XÃ‚Â³ - Reunion *cough*

Looking at the rig in your sig, it'll run just fine on that (just don't try it at <2GHz with average GPU - though patch 1.3 made performance a lot better).

Just have a look around the Egosoft website. Don't be too alarmed by all the whining on the forums - latest patch just arrived and there are always people who don't like it. I do recommend you download it should you get XÃ‚Â³ (prepare for 119MB). The game needed to be finished after release, and now it's mostly done.

Widescreen is supported, but only the HUD is not stretched. The 3D view is :( I just keep hoping they'll add it in time... support has always been good from Egosoft.

Oh and one more thing... if you're principally opposed to StarForce copyprotection or the like, then don't, cus' it's there. Hasn't harmed my system though, just like many others.

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 27 Dec 2005, 16:41

Thanks for those title, PS. I don't think i'd have been able to track them all down. I've checked out some of the websites for a few titles, Freelancer, Edge of Chaos, and they seem a little....ermm, hehe, out of date. :wink: When was the last good space-sim/adventure released? They all look pretty good though, and I'm definitely up for a classic (graphics be darned) if it offers good gameplay.

You're welcome. :D I'm a space-sim junkie, although I've never been able to get into the X games...

Despite the fact that a lot of them are old, their graphics still hold up pretty well. OK, so the 'non-flight' bits are looking their age, but once flight starts, you jaw will drop. Seriously. :D

FreeLancer is reasonably new; Edge of Chaos might be old, but it's just about the best space sim I've played... once you can get through the slow bits. Some of the fan mods make the game a whole lot more enjoyable.

I still want to play the DOS version of TIE Fighter Collectors CD occasionally, so graphics shouldn't factor into a good game experience. ;) (In fact, I think one of the reasons modern games don't hold up so well is that they spend so much time on the graphics that they forget about gameplay...)

X-Warrior · Post by **X-Warrior** » 27 Dec 2005, 17:47

I still want to play the DOS version of TIE Fighter Collectors CD occasionally, so graphics shouldn't factor into a good game experience. ;) (In fact, I think one of the reasons modern games don't hold up so well is that they spend so much time on the graphics that they forget about gameplay...)

Ahh the memories... if there ever was a 'best game of all times' contest, that one should receive a nomination at the very least!

Maybe I should get it to run again on this heavily overspecced machine (for that game anyway). Although I doubt I could get so immersed again in the story after having completed it before.

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 27 Dec 2005, 19:48

Ahh the memories... if there ever was a 'best game of all times' contest, that one should receive a nomination at the very least!

Maybe I should get it to run again on this heavily overspecced machine (for that game anyway). Although I doubt I could get so immersed again in the story after having completed it before.

I agree with the 'greatest game' comment. :)

Actually, though; it won't run on any of my 'newer' systems. It won't even run on the only remaining Win98 box I have. I think I'm gonna have to go hunting for some really old kit, to put together a Pentium Pro box or something like that...

As for storyline - depends how good your memory is, and how picky you are. ;) I've played so many games since TIE Fighter that I probably couldn't remember more than the outline of the plot... :lol:

Post by **skipclarke** » 28 Dec 2005, 03:36

But of course I would have to *cough* advertise XÃ‚Â³ - Reunion *cough*

hehe, of course :wink: Actually thx for bringing that title up. It looks pretty interesting as well. As soon as I get my HD's up and running I think i'll give it a try, as well as Freelancer and Eve Online.

Actually, though; it won't run on any of my 'newer' systems. It won't even run on the only remaining Win98 box I have. I think I'm gonna have to go hunting for some really old kit, to put together a Pentium Pro box or something like that...

That reminds me..... of when I purchased my first Dell system back in '99 or 2000. It was a whopping 1.0ghz with 256mb of ram and an Nvidia TNT graphics card. :) I tried to play a few Lucasarts titles like Dark Forces II and Mysteries of the Sith and there was this horrible bug that caused the action to fast-forward like a vhs tape. I contacted Lucasarts tech support and the technician told me that my system was too advanced to play the game. :shock:

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 28 Dec 2005, 11:28

That reminds me..... of when I purchased my first Dell system back in '99 or 2000. It was a whopping 1.0ghz with 256mb of ram and an Nvidia TNT graphics card. :) I tried to play a few Lucasarts titles like Dark Forces II and Mysteries of the Sith and there was this horrible bug that caused the action to fast-forward like a vhs tape. I contacted Lucasarts tech support and the technician told me that my system was too advanced to play the game. :shock:

I know. I've experienced the same thing. ;)

Although it was more down to the fact that the TNT cards weren't great at backwards compatibility... I had a heck of a time getting any older games working on them; but no problems with a Voodoo5.

I tried it again on ATi hardware recently, and it played fine (don't ask me why, although it might be something to do with the fact that I'd forced my laptop to 600MHz)... the only problem was that the sound was completely messed up: it would play each sound in a perpetual loop, overlaying them one at a time as they were used... lead to an impossible screaming noise after a while... :(

Lobo Lurker · Post by **Lobo Lurker** » 28 Dec 2005, 20:16

What about the Star Wars space battle types??

Definitely. I'm a sucker for those types. :)

Thanks for that suggestion. I actually hadn't thought of going online, but this game looks pretty darn cool.

Thanks for those title, PS. I don't think i'd have been able to track them all down. I've checked out some of the websites for a few titles, Freelancer, Edge of Chaos, and they seem a little....ermm, hehe, out of date. :wink: When was the last good space-sim/adventure released? They all look pretty good though, and I'm definitely up for a classic (graphics be darned) if it offers good gameplay.

Uhh dude, I'm STILL playing Freelancer and with all the graphic details, that game is beautiful (yeah, it's old but it's still got some good visual candy).

morphin1 · Post by **morphin1** » 30 Dec 2005, 15:26

You guys shud try Nexus the Jupiter incident.
Its not an MMO but a good game. Also EVE is an excellent game.
http://www.eve-online.com
Have fun :)

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 30 Dec 2005, 16:13

I've got Nexus. That was originally titled Imperium Galactica III. :) I didn't play Nexus for very long (didn't have much time when I picked it up, forgot about it later... :oops:) but I thought it was a strategy game, rather than a space-dogfighting sim... :)

Komoto · Post by **Komoto** » 30 Dec 2005, 20:59

Same with Eve, it's more of a space sim than dogfighter like WC. Great game, but not heavy on the action.

Eve @ 61" (12oz beer for scale ;)):

The Star Wars Galaxies expansion Jump to Lightspeed has some decent dogfight style space stuff.

Lobo Lurker · Post by **Lobo Lurker** » 30 Dec 2005, 21:05

What are you using for your display? A projector of some sort? I've been salivating over the 160" display over at [H]ardOCP but can't really afford a projector setup.

Mee · Post by **Mee** » 31 Dec 2005, 19:34

[quote]Ahh the memories... if there ever was a 'best game of all times' contest, that one should receive a nomination at the very least!

Maybe I should get it to run again on this heavily overspecced machine (for that game anyway). Although I doubt I could get so immersed again in the story after having completed it before.

I agree with the 'greatest game' comment. :)

Actually, though; it won't run on any of my 'newer' systems. It won't even run on the only remaining Win98 box I have. I think I'm gonna have to go hunting for some really old kit, to put together a Pentium Pro box or something like that...

You can try http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/news.php?show_news=1

Post by **skipclarke** » 31 Dec 2005, 22:11

Eve @ 61" (12oz beer for scale Wink):

That's pretty darn sweet, Komoto. :wink:

So what, essentially, does the gameplay of Eve Online consist of? Do you tweak your ship, travel to planets, take on space missions etc, or is there a third person view (i.e. getting out of your ship, walking around, interacting with npc's and such). Also, how high is the learning curve?

You guys shud try Nexus the Jupiter incident.

I saw some screens from that one - they look good.

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 01 Jan 2006, 00:41

I saw some screens from that one - they look good.

To be honest, I preferred Imperium Galactica I & II. They were far more... um... enjoyable, I guess. They combined space stategy with RTS on the ground with city building and half a dozen other genres. :D

I dunno. I guess I've got to give IG3 more of chance. ;)

Komoto · Post by **Komoto** » 03 Jan 2006, 15:27

What are you using for your display?

An old samsung DLP, she's almost 2-1/2 yrs old now! Can't believe I've been big screen gaming for so long.

So what, essentially, does the gameplay of Eve Online consist of?

It's pure space sim, no land portions. You do dock in space stations, but you only see your docked ship, no other avatars. The gameplay is pretty open, our corporation (like a guild) does mining every few nights, which means the industrial guys bring out their big mining tubs and the navy types bring their big guns to protect them. There's an active trade economy, too. I'll be going into R&D eventually, setting up the industry guys with cool new toys to build, but for now I'm mostly navy in my little missile boat. There is also a large player vs player combat part of the game that I'm way too young (ingame, heh) to get into just now.

Every now and again you see a huge player convoy heading out for unsecure space with all these battleships and cargo freighters, it's really cool. Even our tiny corp's convoy for mining night is pretty interesting.

Learning curve - some say it's huge, I didn't think it was so bad...but I like reading ;)

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