List of Current Space Sim / Space 4x Games

[PnHobbit]

Even I forgot, how shameful!?

Nexus: The Jupiter Incident was a great single player game IMO. It's a difficult game, but it's fun!

[wdboyd]

ORIGINAL: sabre1

wdboyd,

Reviews of this one were running mostly against.  It's funny, you mention his name and people in the know start foaming at the mouth.  I have never owned any of his games, just because of all the controversy.  I will mark this one as a possible down the road. 

"I have never owned any of his games, just because of all the controversy."

I suspect many have been guilty of degrading the creation because of the creator. [:(]

[Kuokkanen]

ORIGINAL: sabre1

Matti,

MegaMek is 2 person only, no AI?

There is AI. In Lobby screen (where combat assets and maps are chosen, options set, etc.) look for Add Bot button (in Configure Game tab, where maps are chosen). There can be as many players as there are combat assets in the scenario.

Where do I find the 3d interface?

No bloody idea! I haven't bothered with it, becouse 2d works just fine to me.

Mechs interest me, so I will pursue Matti's recommendation and see what that is about.

It's Classic BattleTech on computer by letter. CBT rules apply, so you'd better get familiar with those. Note: MegaMek includes space combat, which includes WarShips, and atmospheric combat with fighters, but fighters and ground units don't mix properly yet, even though those can be used at the same time (by the rules, fighters should move in the ground unit scale, but right now in MM they move only in AeroSpace map scale where 1 hex equals whole ground map sheet)

Classic BattleTech Introductory Rulebook (PDF)
Some free BattleTech sourcematerial (PDF)
Free BattleTech files - includes rulebooks, sourcebooks, scenario books, record sheets...

[edit]
For hotseat games, start game multiple times so there are more than 1 MegaMek game window on screen (1 for each player). One of the windows works as a host, where other game windows join as clients using localhost as address (host's IP address for network games). Game settings are exclusively Total Warfare (basic/tournament) rules by default, and Tactical Operations (advanced) rules can be activated under Game Options... button.

If you have played any of the computer MechWarrior or MultiPlayer BattleTech titles before, it's bit easier to get into game. Watch for heat levels, keep your fast units on the move, and find wood/partial cover for slower ones.

"In real combat speed is life. You go slow, you die." - Sergeant Unther "Dead-Eye" from MechWarrior II: Mercenaries

[noxious]

Well, as I said earlier, bought BC3k Gold on a dare : unplayable on my then super spiffy game dev machine (and really, really not meeting the hype)
BC2k in DOS was much better, and at least playable. Still, overhyped (many show stopping bugs, but it's freely available if you're interested as in free, not need to buy it with the 5+ other titles that are crap. Yes, leaving room for Universal Soldier, it might be palatable, I honestly don't know, or don't care )
I will never buy anything designed/produced by Smart ever, as in my book, the general community feeling about him is spot on...

[JudgeDredd]

http://video.google.co.uk/videosearch?s ... 4&ct=title#

[sabre1]

JD,
 
That was halirious.  Thanks!

[Kuokkanen]

Add these to list:

I've Found Her
Original fighter space combat sim set in Babylon 5 universe. Game is pretty realistic, and skilled player can do same stunts with Aurora-class Starfury as we have seen in series and movies. In first game of the serie, Danger and Opportunity, even first tutorial mission is challenge.

The Babylon Project
Another Babylon 5 related game, this one based on modified source code of Freespace 2.

[sabre1]

I ordered X3: Terran Conflict, and Reunion 2.0, ok now I'm done...for the moment....[:D]
 

[Jevhaddah]

I had a wee go at the Battlecruiser and UC titles until he stuck Starforce on them, then it was the same old same old Starforce controversy and I just gave up because it was like talking to a brick wall all the sycophants were just plain creepy.

Cheers

Jev

[gorgse]

Aphelion:Phoenix Rising is our 4X strategy game in development if your interested

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/aph ... mary;title

http://wyvernstudios.net/

[Zakhal]

I have played sword of the stars with two addons for the last 5 days straight. Its highly addictive! This is the best space 4x since orion2. Its a good game and the AI kicks ass - I havent won a single game on normal difficulty yet.

[Hertston]

As this thread has resurfaced, a couple more titles;

Evochron Legends the successor to Evochron Renegades which I mentioned earlier. Currently my favourite free-form fly about doing what you like sort of thingie, although whether you will prefer it to X3 depends on what you like doing. Evochron has much better combat and a much more 'spacey' feel, but trading, ship variety and polish are lacking compared to X3.

The Tomorrow War. This has the potential to be the best mission based space-sim since Freespace 2, and I don't say that lightly. I say potential as, unusually for 1C, the English language version has been released in a mess including (seemingly) a large chunk of missing files. When/if patched satisfactorily I'll (probably) recommend this title as the combat is second to none (including an optional real-physics mode for the masochists among you), but as-is you might want to wait.


Hi Gorgse, I take it your offering is the game Matrix have been so coy about in asking for beta testers? I had a hunt around a couple of weeks ago, but missed Aphelion, and there didn't seem any other candidates. Good luck with the game, anyway. The only thing I'd ask is please finish the darned thing before releasing it, 4X titles (MoO3, SEV, Lost Empire: Immortals, for example) are particularly vulnerable to the dreaded 'early' release.

[Moster]

ORIGINAL: sabre1 

While I'm on the subject, why can't someone do a grahpically pleasing Mechwarrior strategy game.  I just know Matti is going to chime in on this one.  Titans of Steel is very detailed but lacks in the areas of GUI and pleasing graphics.  The role playing aspect of the game is wonderful, but I don't enjoy looking at it.

If you own a PS2 a decent Mech strategy game is Front Mission 4. As far a graphically pleasing it is Ok.

[Perturabo]

Are there any realistic space combat games?

[Hertston]

ORIGINAL: Perturabo
Are there any realistic space combat games?

As, as far as I'm aware, there has never been any space combat, define 'realistic'! [;)] I think the best you'll find is some 'realistic' physics to varying degrees (usually as options) with regard to inertia such as B5: I Found Her or Tomorrow War. I think a full 'realism' game would actually be pretty much unplayable as you would have to dispense with the whole Star Wars or Battlestar Galactica style dogfighting thing, which is really what most punters want (including me) as that really is totally unrealistic. The best game for capital ship combat is the generally ignored but surprisingly good Nexus: The Jupiter Project, which has already been mentioned, which I suppose is 'realistic' as such things go.

Actually I think the best attempt I've ever seen at 'realism' is Warhead, going back a positively scary twenty years or so. Bloody good game which again pretty much sank without trace.

[Perturabo]

Hmm...
I'll try out the Warhead thingie.

ORIGINAL: Hertston

you would have to dispense with the whole Star Wars or Battlestar Galactica style dogfighting thing

Well, that's the point. I want to play something new, not a 50/60s air combat game "but in Space!".
If I wanted to dogfight, I would probably play a WWI, WWII or Korean War game.

[Zakhal]

ORIGINAL: Hertston

ORIGINAL: Perturabo
Are there any realistic space combat games?

As, as far as I'm aware, there has never been any space combat, define 'realistic'! [;)] I think the best you'll find is some 'realistic' physics to varying degrees (usually as options) with regard to inertia such as B5: I Found Her or Tomorrow War. I think a full 'realism' game would actually be pretty much unplayable as you would have to dispense with the whole Star Wars or Battlestar Galactica style dogfighting thing, which is really what most punters want (including me) as that really is totally unrealistic. The best game for capital ship combat is the generally ignored but surprisingly good Nexus: The Jupiter Project, which has already been mentioned, which I suppose is 'realistic' as such things go.

Actually I think the best attempt I've ever seen at 'realism' is Warhead, going back a positively scary twenty years or so. Bloody good game which again pretty much sank without trace.

Dont forget independence war 1 and 2. IIRC they had connections to warhead even. Same developers or somthing.

http://www.mobygames.com/game/independe ... -simulator

[Arctic Blast]

Positech has a game in the works called Gratuitous Space Battles that is...well, nothing but space battles. [:D]

[Perturabo]

Yeah, it looks very promising[:D]. I always dreamed about a game about blowing up starships[:D].


About BC3kAD:
I played it a few times when I was a teen - I had the free dos version from a gaming magazine. Sadly, I had trouble with running it on my new comp. It was pretty cool[:D].
I remember playing it some time ago. I got a bit disappointed because it seemed to be the ordinary old modern fighter combat in space (and with a cruiser).


About Battletech:
I played Mechcommander Gold, Mechwarrior 2, Mechwarrior 2 Mercenaries, Mechwarrior 3 and Mechwarrior 4.
I liked Mechwarrior 3 the most as a mech simulation. I liked the story/campaign aspect of MW2:M/MW2.
I didn't like MW4 - it felt very rigid and archaic when compared to MW3.


I liked MCG a bit, but it lacked infantry and I didn't like the building/turret control gimmick. IMO it's something that should be done by infantry platoons not by mechs.
Also, I didn't like how the missions worked. I would prefer if there was a possibility of deploing a larger combined arms force instead of mechs alone.

[Perturabo]

About a realistic space combat sim and how I see it...

Player would be a commander of a corvette equipped with lots of combat drones. The player would be given a specific mission.
There wouldn't be much graphics - a simple 3D map and maybe simple graphics of ships.
The player would give general commands to the ship and drones. Actual steering of ship would be done by computer.
The same for aiming.

So, instead of Strike Commander "but in Space!", it would be more like Airborne Assault "but in Space!"[:)].