Why am I here?

[elmo3]

I'm not sure! Read the preview at The Wargamer and wanted to know more. Never have played a single space or flight sim game. I do have a private pilots license so theoretically I should know up from down.

Don't own a joystick. Do I need one to get the most from this game? If so can someone recommend one that won't cost more than the game?

Have the demo but haven't even finished the first Live Fire training mission yet or completely finished reading the demo manual.

MP is not possible with my schedule. Is the AI good? Considering my complete lack of experience it shouldn't be an issue, but everyone always ask about the AI. [;)]

So is this a good game to get me started in this genre or am I going to be lost in space? Thanks.

[Mr.Frag]

It's a hoot, you can config your mouse as a joystick emulator and be happy that way. Thats what I am running as.

[iconoclast107]

Since you have the demo you should try it out and see how flying stuff without a joystick works for you. Once you progress to the big ships like destroyers a joystick is less useful than it is for the fighters.

The single-player dynamic campaigns and the ability to create your own missions, etc. makes for an excellent offline experience, I haven't even gotten around to doing any multiplayer yet. It's hard to tell about the AI, sometimes it seems brilliant, other times it can be pretty dumb (i.e. you fly a fighter into the enemy carrier's docking bay and blow it up from the inside and it does nothing to try and escape).

I haven't really played a lot of space sims and I've enjoyed this game. My only complaint is that when you fly fighters in atmospheres it seems as though you're not really moving as fast as you should be, even with afterburners on it seems ponderously slow. However I've seen worse: I once played a demo for a Macross game on playstation and when you were flying the ground didn't move.....at all..... it was very disconcerting. So it could be a lot worse.

[elmo3]

Thanks guys. I'll keep going in the demo without a joystick.

[Kuokkanen]

ORIGINAL: elmo3

So is this a good game to get me started in this genre

As one of the betatesters has said:

It's already best game in genre and isn't even ready yet

Just don't expect anything like Star Destroyers. Starships capable carrying fighters are carriers and they are just that and need escort from other starships.

[elmo3]

Well I don't have any expectations as I've never played a space sim until now. Got through the first training mission after a couple of, um, mistakes. [:)] Flying with the mouse gives a much better feel than the arrow controls as Mr. Frag pointed out!

[Kashre]

Heya. Im new here too, although I have been casually following starshatter since I d/led a rough version of it long long ago before Matrix was in the picture.

Just popped in to see how things were going after not really paying attention for almost a year, and man was I supprised by the newest demo. I bought it the same day.

Even if you've never played a space sim, if you ever played falcon 4.0 or harpoon or thought you might have enjoyed them there is something for you here

[Kuokkanen]

Did somebody just compare Starshatter to Harpoon? Maybe there are few things common, but as I have understood it, Harpoon serie is much more complex.

[Kashre]

Well I was thinking more along the ability to direct various ships of your squadron around with fairly complex waypoints and orders to execute at the waypoints. Not saying its a perfect space-harpoon... but its a good melding, imo, of the kind of things people enjoy about the games that I mentioned.