Looking for that Battlefleet:Gothic feeling.

Silpheed

After watching a few games of Battlefleet:Gothic that some of my old dorm mates played I've found myself in the mood for big space cruisers blasting the everloving shit out of each other with squadrons of fighters swarming all over the place. Since I won't be able to meet them in person for a few months (and lacking the necessary funds to purchase the necessary models+paint) I'm going to need a computerbased substitute.

Is there something akin to Battlefleet:Gothic on the PC? I've heard about Nexus:The Jupiter Incident and Spacewolves but I don't know if they are worth a purchase.

Judge-Z

Silpheed wrote: »

After watching a few games of Battlefleet:Gothic that some of my old dorm mates played I've found myself in the mood for big space cruisers blasting the everloving shit out of each other with squadrons of fighters swarming all over the place. Since I won't be able to meet them in person for a few months (and lacking the necessary funds to purchase the necessary models+paint) I'm going to need a computerbased substitute.

Is there something akin to Battlefleet:Gothic on the PC? I've heard about Nexus:The Jupiter Incident and Spacewolves but I don't know if they are worth a purchase.

Nexus was fun, especially at the prices you should be able to find it at these days. I have not heard of this Spacewolves.

MechMantis

Homeworld.


Or Homeworld 2.


RTSes, yes, but they meet the requirements: Space ships blowing the everloving shit out of each other with tons of strike craft flying amongst them.


Cataclysm doesn't exist. Don't ask about it.

Silpheed

MechMantis wrote: »

Homeworld.


Or Homeworld 2.


RTSes, yes, but they meet the requirements: Space ships blowing the everloving shit out of each other with tons of strike craft flying amongst them.


Cataclysm doesn't exist. Don't ask about it.

Funny thing, I actually prefered Cataclysm before HW2. I felt that the A.I and the lack of veterancy for your ships really killed the game for me.

EDIT: In case I'm unclear, I've completed all the HW games several times.

Marx

MechMantis wrote: »

Homeworld.


Or Homeworld 2.


RTSes, yes, but they meet the requirements: Space ships blowing the everloving shit out of each other with tons of strike craft flying amongst them.


Cataclysm doesn't exist. Don't ask about it.

Mmm... yeah, I second Homeworld 2.

kitch

Cataclysm isn't actually bad, it's just that it didn't really need to exist.

darleysam

i'll be watching this thread, as i too would love something akin to Battlefleet: Gothic, but i fear there won't be much that i don't know about. Games Workshop really need to grab someone where it matters and get them to make an official game.

Silpheed

darleysam wrote: »

i'll be watching this thread, as i too would love something akin to Battlefleet: Gothic, but i fear there won't be much that i don't know about. Games Workshop really need to grab someone where it matters and get them to make an official game.

I'm a bit stumped as well that GW hasn't used this property more but I guess since it's listed under their special games list it doesn't garner any greater attention from the GW board.

Damnit, all I'm asking for is a game where you need to make sure that your ships survive their missions in order to hone them into a force to be reckoned with, instead of treating them as a disposable resource (hello HW2).

Zetetic Elench

I second Nexus, it's good looking and fun. It's sad that they abandon the 2001:Space Odyssey feel like three missions into the game. Man, I would give CASH MONEY for a game that extended that atmosphere all the way through.

You know, HW2 was pretty soulless, and I hated the way that they suddenly decided the main species was human, whereas in previous installments it had been kept completely ambiguous.

Cataclysm was worth it just so you could see another - more terrifying - side to the Bentusi.

Zombiemambo

You probably won't find anything with that distinct 40k feel, but Homeworld 1 and/or 2 are pretty much the best space RTSes around. I'm not good at them, not by a long shot, but I really like them.

bongi

the only reason i didn't like cataclysm as much as hw1 or 2 is that i felt it was kind of inelegant in comparison

the "beast" thing didn't really do it for me

Zetetic Elench

I'll admit the voltron strike craft were kinda gimmicky and annoying. And they could have found a better plot than the beast, too. HW1 managed to be both mythic-epic and political at the same time, and I'd like to have seen that kind of story return.

bongi

homeworld 2 is also visually completely amazing even though it's like three years old

Silpheed

Zetetic Elench wrote: »

You know, HW2 was pretty soulless, and I hated the way that they suddenly decided the main species was human, whereas in previous installments it had been kept completely ambiguous.

Not to be a nitpicking bastard but the Kushan have been shown to be humans shaped since the first Homeworld. There are several cutscenes and the ending sequence IIRC that shows how they are humans.

Zombiemambo

bongi wrote: »

homeworld 2 is also visually completely amazing even though it's like three years old

And it runs really nicely, even on low-end computers. Even when it just came out I didn't need a very powerful rig to run it smoothly.

darleysam

Silpheed wrote: »

darleysam wrote: »

i'll be watching this thread, as i too would love something akin to Battlefleet: Gothic, but i fear there won't be much that i don't know about. Games Workshop really need to grab someone where it matters and get them to make an official game.

I'm a bit stumped as well that GW hasn't used this property more but I guess since it's listed under their special games list it doesn't garner any greater attention from the GW board.

Damnit, all I'm asking for is a game where you need to make sure that your ships survive their missions in order to hone them into a force to be reckoned with, instead of treating them as a disposable resource (hello HW2).

seriously, that and Bloodbowl would both be perfect for something.

It was as much the style and design of the ships for me, too, great hulking behemoths crawling through space, not a nimble ballet (unless you're Eldar or something).

Silpheed

If you need to take care of your BloodBowl itch then I can recommend this game: http://www.3dgamers.com/games/chaosleague/

It's Bloodbowl on the computer in all but the name.

darleysam

hah, once i get my pc (or a new one) running again, i think i shall be onto that. Cheers!

bongi

Zombiemambo wrote: »

bongi wrote: »

homeworld 2 is also visually completely amazing even though it's like three years old

And it runs really nicely, even on low-end computers. Even when it just came out I didn't need a very powerful rig to run it smoothly.

i'm trying to think of another space-based game that looks as good but i just can't

not even EVE is as pretty

the backgrounds, gosh

HalberdBlue

fumbbl is another alternative to play blood bowl online. Its blood bowl in all including name!

Zetetic Elench

Silpheed wrote: »

Zetetic Elench wrote: »

You know, HW2 was pretty soulless, and I hated the way that they suddenly decided the main species was human, whereas in previous installments it had been kept completely ambiguous.

Not to be a nitpicking bastard but the Kushan have been shown to be humans shaped since the first Homeworld. There are several cutscenes and the ending sequence IIRC that shows how they are humans.

Human-shaped, yeah. But you'll notice they're always very deliberately in shadow. It's pretty clear they wanted the player to decide for themselves whether the Kushan/Taiidani were actually human (as we know it) or not.

Silpheed

Zetetic Elench wrote: »

Silpheed wrote: »

Zetetic Elench wrote: »

You know, HW2 was pretty soulless, and I hated the way that they suddenly decided the main species was human, whereas in previous installments it had been kept completely ambiguous.

Not to be a nitpicking bastard but the Kushan have been shown to be humans shaped since the first Homeworld. There are several cutscenes and the ending sequence IIRC that shows how they are humans.

Human-shaped, yeah. But you'll notice they're always very deliberately in shadow. It's pretty clear they wanted the player to decide for themselves whether the Kushan/Taiidani were actually human (as we know it) or not.

IIRC they show Karan Sjet in the ending cinematics and they also show the council of the clans in Cataclysm and they aren't obscured, showing that they are human.

Echo

Judge-Z wrote: »

Nexus was fun, especially at the prices you should be able to find it at these days.

Ten bucks on steam.

Judge-Z

Echo wrote: »

Judge-Z wrote: »

Nexus was fun, especially at the prices you should be able to find it at these days.

Ten bucks on steam.

Then there is no excuse for not owning it if you like the genre. Seriously, you won't be disappointed.

Pajama_Man

MechMantis wrote: »

Homeworld.


Or Homeworld 2.


RTSes, yes, but they meet the requirements: Space ships blowing the everloving shit out of each other with tons of strike craft flying amongst them.


Cataclysm doesn't exist. Don't ask about it.

What is so bad about Cataclysm?

Aside from the story not being as good as the original. The units and overall tech and upgrade was way more polish IMHO in Cataclysm.

MechMantis

It lacked the "feel", if you will.


I just didn't like it. It wasn't for me.

n00bish

Haegemonia is probably gonna be hit or miss with most people, but I finished it and thought it was pretty spiffy.

Zetetic Elench

Silpheed wrote: »

Zetetic Elench wrote: »

Silpheed wrote: »

Zetetic Elench wrote: »

You know, HW2 was pretty soulless, and I hated the way that they suddenly decided the main species was human, whereas in previous installments it had been kept completely ambiguous.

Not to be a nitpicking bastard but the Kushan have been shown to be humans shaped since the first Homeworld. There are several cutscenes and the ending sequence IIRC that shows how they are humans.

Human-shaped, yeah. But you'll notice they're always very deliberately in shadow. It's pretty clear they wanted the player to decide for themselves whether the Kushan/Taiidani were actually human (as we know it) or not.

IIRC they show Karan Sjet in the ending cinematics and they also show the council of the clans in Cataclysm and they aren't obscured, showing that they are human.

I just re-watched the ending cinematic, and it does show Sjet from the rear, stepping off the shuttle. Again, everyone else is in dark shadow and bulky spacesuits, and about all you can make out of her is that she has pale skin and is bald, with her head still connected to cables. Very human-like, but still pretty ambiguous, you don't see any faces or anything.

The council in Cataclysm, all I remember was that shot from the manual, but that was all shadows and ornate costumes again. Maybe I'm remembering wrong?

I agree that they're human, in my own opinion - I just think that from the way the whole game is structured, it's supposed to be quite ambiguous, that you're supposed to judge them by their actions alone, rather than character portraits and stuff getting in the way. The way they handled that was one of my favourite aspects of HW1.

Silpheed

Zetetic Elench wrote: »

Silpheed wrote: »

Zetetic Elench wrote: »

Silpheed wrote: »

Zetetic Elench wrote: »

You know, HW2 was pretty soulless, and I hated the way that they suddenly decided the main species was human, whereas in previous installments it had been kept completely ambiguous.

Not to be a nitpicking bastard but the Kushan have been shown to be humans shaped since the first Homeworld. There are several cutscenes and the ending sequence IIRC that shows how they are humans.

Human-shaped, yeah. But you'll notice they're always very deliberately in shadow. It's pretty clear they wanted the player to decide for themselves whether the Kushan/Taiidani were actually human (as we know it) or not.

IIRC they show Karan Sjet in the ending cinematics and they also show the council of the clans in Cataclysm and they aren't obscured, showing that they are human.

I just re-watched the ending cinematic, and it does show Sjet from the rear, stepping off the shuttle. Again, everyone else is in dark shadow and bulky spacesuits, and about all you can make out of her is that she has pale skin and is bald, with her head still connected to cables. Very human-like, but still pretty ambiguous, you don't see any faces or anything.

The council in Cataclysm, all I remember was that shot from the manual, but that was all shadows and ornate costumes again. Maybe I'm remembering wrong?

I agree that they're human, in my own opinion - I just think that from the way the whole game is structured, it's supposed to be quite ambiguous, that you're supposed to judge them by their actions alone, rather than character portraits and stuff getting in the way. The way they handled that was one of my favourite aspects of HW1.

Damn man, now I'm going to have to dig out my copies to check this out. I hope you are happy now, you horrible man :P

His Corkiness

They're not RTSes, but Freespace 1/2 certainly have that "big space cruisers blasting the everloving shit out of each other with squadrons of fighters swarming all over the place" feeling. Especially Freespace 2.

Silpheed

His Corkiness wrote: »

They're not RTSes, but Freespace 1/2 certainly have that "big space cruisers blasting the everloving shit out of each other with squadrons of fighters swarming all over the place" feeling. Especially Freespace 2.

Been there, done that and got the t-shirt :P
I guess I'm going to check out Nexus and Haegemonia since it's painfully clear that there really isn't anything that resembles BF:G closely. Damn you GW, you allowed shit like Firewarrior but the BF:G franchise is just laying around, unused..

EDIT: It seems that I made a typo in the OP, it's supposed to be Star Wolves, not Space Wolves. My bad.
Has anyone played this game? http://www.excalibur-publishing.co.uk/starw.htm
It seems to fill most of my requirements with ships (or pilots) that gain experience with every mission, forcing you to be a lot more careful with your resources.

Dhalphir

Not that its a brilliant game, but Star Wars Rebellion is worth checking out, if you can find it.

bongi

Pajama_Man wrote: »

MechMantis wrote: »

Homeworld.


Or Homeworld 2.


RTSes, yes, but they meet the requirements: Space ships blowing the everloving shit out of each other with tons of strike craft flying amongst them.


Cataclysm doesn't exist. Don't ask about it.

What is so bad about Cataclysm?

Aside from the story not being as good as the original. The units and overall tech and upgrade was way more polish IMHO in Cataclysm.

like i said my only real complaint was that the game felt clumsy and inelegant compared with the main games

Silpheed

Well, I got my hands on Nexus and Haegemonia for what would be 5$ for you Yanks out there. Guess I'll fire up Nexus first and see how it turns out for me.

Zetetic Elench

I bought both for cheaps about a year and a half ago. I could never get into Haegemonia, but Nexus does kick ass. It's got a pretty unique feel. You'll see.

Rookie

Just happened to come across this game on IGN and it seems like something you might be interested in.

Sins Of A Solar Empire

Silpheed

Rookie wrote: »

Just happened to come across this game on IGN and it seems like something you might be interested in.

Sins Of A Solar Empire

I've seen it before and it sure looks interesting. Shame that it won't be released until 2008.

Silpheed

Well, look at that. I managed to bag myself a copy of Star Wolves for 2$. Time to see if it was worth such a great investment.