DrakeEdgelord TrashBelow the ecliptic plane.Registered Userregular
Yeah there were a few Aquanox games. And Particle Systems, the same guys that made Independence War, started out with futuristic sub sims too, Subwar 2050.
Yeah, it got better. It's still not perfect, but it's definitely fun.
And someone mentioned to the devs on Facebook about how X4 is still using Rebirth's engine, and the dev said it's actually a new engine that happens to be using some stuff from Rebirth (because Rebirth's engine wouldn't be able to do some of the things they'd want to do for a more "proper" X game)
Yeah there were a few Aquanox games. And Particle Systems, the same guys that made Independence War, started out with futuristic sub sims too, Subwar 2050.
Yeah there were a few Aquanox games. And Particle Systems, the same guys that made Independence War, started out with futuristic sub sims too, Subwar 2050.
Wow that game has a weird name in English. I only always knew it as "Schleichfahrt"...
Awesome we're getting a new one. I loved all those games back in the day. Underwater atmosphere is so much easier to make sense while still being realistic, without resorting to things like glowy nebulae and dense asteroid fields everywhere. Plus nowadays we get awesome volumetric lighting and refraction effects and such for relatively cheap (in terms of rendering cost), so that makes underwater even more achievable... Damn, now I want to make an underwater game.
OP could use a refresh. I did a quick pass, but don't have time to hunt down pictures/videos and write descriptions, especially since I've hardly played any of these games.
- Steam links for Independence War, X-Wing, Freespace
- Move Starshatter to past games
- Move House of the Dying Sun to playable games
- Playable games: Evochron Legacy, Strike Suit Zero/Infinity
- Upcoming games: X4, Eterium, Wings of St. Nazaire, Starway Fleet
- Replaced Saitek X-52 with Thrustmaster T.16000M FCS as entry HOTAS
- List of VR games (no descriptions)
- Added a few 6DOF games, since Descent is already in there
Art by John Berkey
Space sims aren't dead. If anything, they are undergoing a renaissance right now. This thread is for discussion of space sims. Transfer power to weapons, set your shields double forward, order your squadron to form up, target the nearest enemy, and switch to your missiles, pilot!
This thread is always a work in progress. As certain sims, like Enemy Starfighter and Squadron 42 grow more exciting, they get their own threads (usually posted by me because SPACE OWNS). Until then, feel free to come to this thread to point out new space sims we might not have heard of, or just to talk about ones that are already out, including the classics.
Guidelines: this thread is for space sims, very broadly construed. It is not for space games, generally, so if there's a sweet 2D space shooter or 4X space strategy game you want to talk about, find another thread. I love Gimbal and Escape Velocity and Endless Space and Sins of a Solar Empire too, but this thread is for people with joysticks. If you can't play the game with a joystick, it probably doesn't belong here.
Art by Ralph McQuarrie
X-Wing / TIE Fighter Series http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puvD_FDS_jE X-Wing on GOG.com | TIE Fighter on GOG.com X-Wing Series on Steam
If the only thing the games in the X-Wing series had ever done was let us fly around in the Star Wars universe shooting at people, they would probably still have been a hit. But they were so much more. X-Wing was one of the most innovative flight sims of its time, with full 3D graphics (compared to its 2D sprite based competitors, including Wing Commander) and its dynamic music system. TIE Fighter pushed things further, with its intricate story that let you be the bad guy and its unforgiving and authentic modeling of TIE Fighter resiliency - get hit more than a couple times, and you will explode. These games are some of the most immersive space sims ever made. If your shields are down, laser impacts will knock out parts of your cockpit, leaving your shield readout or radar just a sparking pile of wires.
Wing Commander Series http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFb_q2Q5iiI Wing Commander 1 and 2 on GOG.com
The epic Wing Commander saga spreads across five games, a number of spinoffs (including the excellent Privateer series, the shitty Freelancer, and the shittier movie) and deserves credit not just for its focus on narrative and Mark Hammill's continued employment but also the many hours of fun its dogfights provided to space sim fans.
Elite Series Frontier: Elite II Download
One of the grandfathers of the space sim genre, Elite was released in 1984 and followed by a couple of sequels. Elite was a free roaming space sim: instead of being locked into missions, it basically gave you a space ship and let you do whatever you wanted. It featured a massive galaxy, larger than most galaxies in most space sims since, and it inspired generations of traders, pirates, explorers, miners, and dogfighters. The game was as detailed and intricate as it was vast. Fuel management, proper docking procedure, and Elite II's Newtonian physics are all features that led to a believable universe. The sequel is shareware and free to download.
Independence War Series Independence War on GOG.com | Independence War 2 on GOG.com Independence War on Steam | Independence War 2 on Steam
Independence War and its sequel, I-War 2, feature Newtonian flight mechanics and allow players to take control of corvettes, as opposed to the more usual small snub fighters that most space sims feature. They are both pretty great space sims. They're showing their age a bit so they sit up here, in the history section, but don't let that scare you away.
Allegiance Download Allegiance
It is hard to overstate how ahead of its time Allegiance is. Allegiance is a multiplayer space sim where two teams fight each other. It is extremely strategic: scouting is crucial, which means some players will load their ships up with beacons and fly around the battlefield, dropping them in key positions and replacing them when they are destroyed. Attacking as a team is crucial - some players fly support ships to heal the bombers, while others fly cover for the bombers. No space sims have pushed teamwork or provided such an intricate setting for it as much as Allegiance. The game is now free and people still play.
Descent Series Descent and Descent 2 on GOG.com | Descent 3 on GOG.com
Descent is a 6 degrees of freedom (6DOF) game, which means it places a large emphasis on constantly reorienting yourself in all directions inside a confined environment, setting apart from most space sims, which focus on ships that fly more like airplanes and which are usually set in open space. Confusingly Freespace was named "Descent: Freespace," which is mostly a sign that Descent was so successful that they decided slapping its name on any old sim was probably a good idea (not like Freespace needed the help).
Starshatter: The Gathering Storm Starshatter Source Code Port Forums | Alternate Starshatter Download Link | Alternate Sharshatter Download Link
Starshatter stands out for two reasons. Unlike most space sims, which take their dogfighting cues from World War II, Starshatter pairs its Newtonian flight model with a combat system based more on modern jet combat - missiles, speed, and evasion are key. Second, the game features a dynamic campaign that you can control, meaning you can work your way up to controlling capital ships and making strategic decisions. Think of it like the Falcon 4.0 of space sims. @Archonex wrote a very helpful review of the game if you are curious.
Some of these games are out. Some of them are works in progress with alpha demos. All of them are SPACE SIMS. They're arranged vaguely in the order of how much shit I give about them, with a slight preference towards games that are complete.
Freespace Series https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6VhyMzu12c Freespace 2 on GOG.com | Descent: Freespace on Steam | Freespace 2 on Steam Freespace 2 Source Code Project | Freespace 2 Community Forums
Unless their nostalgia for the X-Wing or Wing Commander series wins out, most space sim fans would agree that Freespace 2 is the greatest space sim ever made. The amazing campaign, with its exciting scenarios and intriguing story are only the beginning. The game is now open source, which means the original Freespace (which is in a few ways better) has been ported to Freespace 2, but that is just the beginning. Fans have reworked every aspect of the game, from the HUD to the graphics, and have created a number of amazing mods and even standalone games. The Babylon Project is a standalone Babylon 5 game. The Wing Commander Saga recreates the Wing Commander games in the Freespace engine. Diaspora is a Battlestar Galactical total conversion. Blue Planet is a fan campaign for Freespace 2, as is Inferno. If there is one space sim that I can recommend to everyone, veterans and newcomers alike, it is Freespace 2.
X Series X3 Goldbox on Steam | X Superbox on Steam | X Rebirth on Steam
The X series is one of the modern day heirs to the throne Elite built. Fly around the galaxy, establishing a trading empire or blowing people up or doing whatever else you want. The game is gorgeous and also has devoured @tube's life on more than one occasion, I think.
Strike Suit Zero / Strike Suit Infinity Steam page
Pilot a Macross-style transformable space fighter/robot and fire a billion missiles.
Evochron Legacy Steam page
The latest entry in a long-running series of games under the Starwraith, Arvoch and Evochron names, developed mostly by a one-man team since 2000. From the Steam page: "The environment setting is a vast seamless style universe where you can perform many activities including buying, trading, spying, racing, escorting, delivering, emergency responding, mining, exploring, weapon/equipment crafting, cleaning solar panels, clearing paths through asteroid fields, recruiting, protecting, hiring crew members, fuel harvesting, building stations/cities, and designing/selling ships."
The future of space sims is looking brighter than the explosion of an enemy freighter carrying munitions that you've just torpedoed.
Star Citizen/Squadron 42 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1Zc2oxijVY PA Forum Thread | Website | Tumblr | twitter | Facebook | Completed Star Citizen Kickstarter
Chris Roberts, the man behind the Wing Commander franchise is back, and he's crowdfunding his fuckawesome PC only next-gen space sim that looks as gorgeous as it is ambitions. Squadron 42 is a single player/coop campaign where you earn your citizenship in the space empire by fighting in the military. Upon completing it, or whenever you want, you can jump into Star Citizen, the persistent universe Guild Wars 2-esque quasi-MMO portion of the game, where you can be a miner or a trader or a pirate or whatever you want, and fly with friends in your ships, all of which have fully detailed interiors, including working cockpits, and you can board enemy ships and be boarded. Just like Freelancer, the game will also allow players to run their own private servers and mod the game. This will either be the most amazing space sim in history or a spectacular failure.
The Logitech Extreme 3D Pro is a tremendous joystick. It has a Z axis for yaw control, 12 buttons, a throttle, and a hat. It's durable and cheap. The only real downside is that it only fights right-handed people, and some have reported that its calibration gets out of whack after years of heavy use. Mine has been fine for 6 years although I don't use it every day, so your mileage may vary.
(Image goes here)
The Thrustmaster T.16000M is a well-regarded budget HOTAS (Hands On Throttle And Stick) package that currently (Sept 2017) runs about $120 US, with a rudder bundle available for about $60 more. The stick is supposed to have good sensitivity thanks to its Hall sensors.
Space Game Junkie is the best website for people who enjoy space sims, or any space games. It is updated all the time with new, it has its own podcast, it often has reviews and previews, and so on. Check it out.
Concept Ships is a site that posts sweet drawings of space ships, often from video game concept art.
Orogogus on
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DrakeEdgelord TrashBelow the ecliptic plane.Registered Userregular
Eterium has been out for a while. It should be in playable games. And it's pretty good!
So. I enjoy X3 especially when I go sandbox, creating stations, killing pirates, doing trade runs, and eventually automating shit all while looking for bigger and better ships and all that.
X4 isn't out for another 12 months or so.
What are my other options for Space Sim Sandbox turned Megacorp Sim?
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DrakeEdgelord TrashBelow the ecliptic plane.Registered Userregular
If you are up for Early Access stuff then Helium Rain fits that bill. Feedback on it seems promising so far, sorry but I don't have any personal experience with the game. It's on the top of my To-Buy list though.
So. I enjoy X3 especially when I go sandbox, creating stations, killing pirates, doing trade runs, and eventually automating shit all while looking for bigger and better ships and all that.
X4 isn't out for another 12 months or so.
What are my other options for Space Sim Sandbox turned Megacorp Sim?
Taychon: the Fringe? I mean, there's no sim aspect. But you're a merc for hire voiced by Bruce Campbell and you can work for a Megacorp faction to help clear your name.
OP could use a refresh. I did a quick pass, but don't have time to hunt down pictures/videos and write descriptions, especially since I've hardly played any of these games.
So this is a new thing that just hit Steam Early Access. Fly ships, build a fleet, run a business.
Stolen from their presskit:
Helium Rain is a single-player space sim that places you at the helm of a spacefaring company. Exploration, trading, station-building, piracy are all options. Helium Rain relies on both spaceflight and strategy gameplay, mixed together in a creative way. Destroying a freighter has a direct impact on the economy, while declaring war will make your environment more hostile.
This looks like it's going for a very corporate/blue collar take on space, a bit more The Expanse rather than Star Wars. It doesn't even seem like there is any kind of alien stuff of any sort at all. Super refreshing! It also boasts an Eve-like economy, where everything is tied together in a dance of resourcing, production and market driven economics. So grab those space-bootstraps and prep battlestations, we all know that the right of way goes to the biggest gun in this sort set up. Secure your rights to free trade the traditional way; superior firepower!
Strange reaction to this trailer: I hate flat UIs, but there's something about the Windows 10-ness of those management screens that just clicks for me. It's like Future Space-Windows just comes with advanced fleet control and economic management features out-of-the-box, and that thought amuses me.
So this is a new thing that just hit Steam Early Access. Fly ships, build a fleet, run a business.
Stolen from their presskit:
Helium Rain is a single-player space sim that places you at the helm of a spacefaring company. Exploration, trading, station-building, piracy are all options. Helium Rain relies on both spaceflight and strategy gameplay, mixed together in a creative way. Destroying a freighter has a direct impact on the economy, while declaring war will make your environment more hostile.
This looks like it's going for a very corporate/blue collar take on space, a bit more The Expanse rather than Star Wars. It doesn't even seem like there is any kind of alien stuff of any sort at all. Super refreshing! It also boasts an Eve-like economy, where everything is tied together in a dance of resourcing, production and market driven economics. So grab those space-bootstraps and prep battlestations, we all know that the right of way goes to the biggest gun in this sort set up. Secure your rights to free trade the traditional way; superior firepower!
Strange reaction to this trailer: I hate flat UIs, but there's something about the Windows 10-ness of those management screens that just clicks for me. It's like Future Space-Windows just comes with advanced fleet control and economic management features out-of-the-box, and that thought amuses me.
Had two main storyline missions complete without me being anywhere near them. As in, I went off to go make money to buy a hacker drone, and 30 minutes later got a notification that I had successfully hacked the target.
Got a free destroyer, sent it to the dock to get fixed up, it docked and vanished from reality. It's there. But it won't listen to commands and is off to the side of the station and... Yeah.
All told the gameplay is better, and after having played it for a few (~12) hours I'm seeing some of the old X in it. Plot is a complete mess though and the hit and miss voice acting (mostly miss) doesn't help.
Might pick it up even though it's Early Access and the UI looks like, well, like Fart says - it looks like Windows 10. It's a good look though, just odd.
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DrakeEdgelord TrashBelow the ecliptic plane.Registered Userregular
I spent a few hours with Helium Rain last night. It feels like a compressed version of an X game. Which is great for people like me that have always resented the huge front loaded grind of those games. You'll be purchasing a second freighter with earned credits before the end of the tutorial for example so no need for any kind of AFK shenanigans so far. It also feels very much like an early access game. At this point of development the economy is pretty homogeneous as they make sure all the mechanical bits are fitting together correctly for example.
There's basically no story stuff and just a dollop of background information. What's there is intriguing though. The Gas Giant Nema is basically a lost colony that's been through a revolt. There is no colonial government and the colony ship that brought humanity to this new home has been destroyed to prevent any further attempts to return to Earth. Now the only power left is corporate power and the amoral guidance of the marketplace.
Controls feel solid with a steam controller or KBAM, and I feel confident that I could get good results out of my X52 Pro as well. I'm looking forward to seeing how they flesh this out, their base systems feel really solid and the gameplay feels thoughtfully streamlined while maintaining the savagery and cunning of market economics.
So this is a new thing that just hit Steam Early Access. Fly ships, build a fleet, run a business.
Stolen from their presskit:
Helium Rain is a single-player space sim that places you at the helm of a spacefaring company. Exploration, trading, station-building, piracy are all options. Helium Rain relies on both spaceflight and strategy gameplay, mixed together in a creative way. Destroying a freighter has a direct impact on the economy, while declaring war will make your environment more hostile.
This looks like it's going for a very corporate/blue collar take on space, a bit more The Expanse rather than Star Wars. It doesn't even seem like there is any kind of alien stuff of any sort at all. Super refreshing! It also boasts an Eve-like economy, where everything is tied together in a dance of resourcing, production and market driven economics. So grab those space-bootstraps and prep battlestations, we all know that the right of way goes to the biggest gun in this sort set up. Secure your rights to free trade the traditional way; superior firepower!
Strange reaction to this trailer: I hate flat UIs, but there's something about the Windows 10-ness of those management screens that just clicks for me. It's like Future Space-Windows just comes with advanced fleet control and economic management features out-of-the-box, and that thought amuses me.
Has kind of bad visuals, just my take.
After playing it for awhile, I still like the menu UI. The rest of the graphics, though?
The lack of saturation and general blurriness make it look, probably on purpose, like I'm playing 2001: A Space Odyssey: Recorded Off Of Broadcast TV Onto VHS Edition: The Game. I'm not sure I necessarily like it on a subjective level, but the devs get mad props for really nailing that feel and aesthetic.
For me, space games live or die based on the quality of their designs. And these? They look like WC1 era ships, and that's not a compliment. Early WC era ships were god awful.
So, I think it has it's own thread (gonna peek around in a second), but from a fan of X3 et all, how's Elite Dangerous? I never dipped into it because initially it wasn't on Steam but they solved that a while ago.
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BroloBroseidonLord of the BroceanRegistered Userregular
So, I think it has it's own thread (gonna peek around in a second), but from a fan of X3 et all, how's Elite Dangerous? I never dipped into it because initially it wasn't on Steam but they solved that a while ago.
Much better flight model, but you're not going to be running a trading empire or anything. You're very much a little fish in a ginormous pond. You can work with other people to nudge faction control over systems and such, but the universe by and large doesn't notice the effects of an individual pilot.
Game can be very grindy. It's also not very forgiving (the EVE rule of don't fly what you can't afford to replace applies here). It is also one of those mile wide but imch deep games - there is a lot of different things to do (combat, trading, exploring, passenger missions, etc), but they're not terribly deep.
All that being said, it's a beautiful game, especially in VR. The game really drives home just how enormous space is. Combat (I think) is a lot more fun than in the X series. I'd say it's worth it if you're a fan of the genre and don't mind a slightly slower paced game.
"A few hundred years from now, when a Galactic Confederation starship makes the first long-jump to one of the Magellanic Clouds, there will be a Dralthi of some kind on board. And it will still suck.")
Commander Zoom on
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BroloBroseidonLord of the BroceanRegistered Userregular
Dum-dum-da-dum-dum-dum
Dum-dum-da-dum-dum-dum
I think it's time to blow this scene ...
Get everybody and their stuff together ...
Okay, 3-2-1 let's jam ...
Pointing out, those are all based on series with well designed mecha, and even making a brick version of that is not going to make those ships look bad. You could do a crayon drawing of Spike's fighter and it would still look cool.
Sky Rogue came out recently and lets you fly the Cowboy Bebop ship if you mod it in. I didn't post about the game here because it's not a space sim, but I've been having a lot of fun. It's really good.
Posts
There's probably others too.
Yeah, it got better. It's still not perfect, but it's definitely fun.
And someone mentioned to the devs on Facebook about how X4 is still using Rebirth's engine, and the dev said it's actually a new engine that happens to be using some stuff from Rebirth (because Rebirth's engine wouldn't be able to do some of the things they'd want to do for a more "proper" X game)
Wow that game has a weird name in English. I only always knew it as "Schleichfahrt"...
Awesome we're getting a new one. I loved all those games back in the day. Underwater atmosphere is so much easier to make sense while still being realistic, without resorting to things like glowy nebulae and dense asteroid fields everywhere. Plus nowadays we get awesome volumetric lighting and refraction effects and such for relatively cheap (in terms of rendering cost), so that makes underwater even more achievable... Damn, now I want to make an underwater game.
Unreal Engine 4 Developers Community.
I'm working on a cute little video game! Here's a link for you.
- Steam links for Independence War, X-Wing, Freespace
- Move Starshatter to past games
- Move House of the Dying Sun to playable games
- Playable games: Evochron Legacy, Strike Suit Zero/Infinity
- Upcoming games: X4, Eterium, Wings of St. Nazaire, Starway Fleet
- Replaced Saitek X-52 with Thrustmaster T.16000M FCS as entry HOTAS
- List of VR games (no descriptions)
- Added a few 6DOF games, since Descent is already in there
Art by John Berkey
Space sims aren't dead. If anything, they are undergoing a renaissance right now. This thread is for discussion of space sims. Transfer power to weapons, set your shields double forward, order your squadron to form up, target the nearest enemy, and switch to your missiles, pilot!
Space sims are one of the most venerable genres of games. In fact, Spacewar, from 1962, is one of the first video games ever made in the history of the universe. We've come far since then, but we never want to forget our roots, so this thread is dedicated to those classic sims that formed the groundwork of the genre. Read about them below.
This thread is always a work in progress. As certain sims, like Enemy Starfighter and Squadron 42 grow more exciting, they get their own threads (usually posted by me because SPACE OWNS). Until then, feel free to come to this thread to point out new space sims we might not have heard of, or just to talk about ones that are already out, including the classics.
Guidelines: this thread is for space sims, very broadly construed. It is not for space games, generally, so if there's a sweet 2D space shooter or 4X space strategy game you want to talk about, find another thread. I love Gimbal and Escape Velocity and Endless Space and Sins of a Solar Empire too, but this thread is for people with joysticks. If you can't play the game with a joystick, it probably doesn't belong here.
Art by Ralph McQuarrie
X-Wing / TIE Fighter Series
X-Wing on GOG.com | TIE Fighter on GOG.com
X-Wing Series on Steam
If the only thing the games in the X-Wing series had ever done was let us fly around in the Star Wars universe shooting at people, they would probably still have been a hit. But they were so much more. X-Wing was one of the most innovative flight sims of its time, with full 3D graphics (compared to its 2D sprite based competitors, including Wing Commander) and its dynamic music system. TIE Fighter pushed things further, with its intricate story that let you be the bad guy and its unforgiving and authentic modeling of TIE Fighter resiliency - get hit more than a couple times, and you will explode. These games are some of the most immersive space sims ever made. If your shields are down, laser impacts will knock out parts of your cockpit, leaving your shield readout or radar just a sparking pile of wires.
Wing Commander Series
Wing Commander 1 and 2 on GOG.com
The epic Wing Commander saga spreads across five games, a number of spinoffs (including the excellent Privateer series, the shitty Freelancer, and the shittier movie) and deserves credit not just for its focus on narrative and Mark Hammill's continued employment but also the many hours of fun its dogfights provided to space sim fans.
Elite Series
Frontier: Elite II Download
One of the grandfathers of the space sim genre, Elite was released in 1984 and followed by a couple of sequels. Elite was a free roaming space sim: instead of being locked into missions, it basically gave you a space ship and let you do whatever you wanted. It featured a massive galaxy, larger than most galaxies in most space sims since, and it inspired generations of traders, pirates, explorers, miners, and dogfighters. The game was as detailed and intricate as it was vast. Fuel management, proper docking procedure, and Elite II's Newtonian physics are all features that led to a believable universe. The sequel is shareware and free to download.
Independence War Series
Independence War on GOG.com | Independence War 2 on GOG.com
Independence War on Steam | Independence War 2 on Steam
Independence War and its sequel, I-War 2, feature Newtonian flight mechanics and allow players to take control of corvettes, as opposed to the more usual small snub fighters that most space sims feature. They are both pretty great space sims. They're showing their age a bit so they sit up here, in the history section, but don't let that scare you away.
Allegiance
Download Allegiance
It is hard to overstate how ahead of its time Allegiance is. Allegiance is a multiplayer space sim where two teams fight each other. It is extremely strategic: scouting is crucial, which means some players will load their ships up with beacons and fly around the battlefield, dropping them in key positions and replacing them when they are destroyed. Attacking as a team is crucial - some players fly support ships to heal the bombers, while others fly cover for the bombers. No space sims have pushed teamwork or provided such an intricate setting for it as much as Allegiance. The game is now free and people still play.
Descent Series
Descent and Descent 2 on GOG.com | Descent 3 on GOG.com
Descent is a 6 degrees of freedom (6DOF) game, which means it places a large emphasis on constantly reorienting yourself in all directions inside a confined environment, setting apart from most space sims, which focus on ships that fly more like airplanes and which are usually set in open space. Confusingly Freespace was named "Descent: Freespace," which is mostly a sign that Descent was so successful that they decided slapping its name on any old sim was probably a good idea (not like Freespace needed the help).
Starshatter: The Gathering Storm
Starshatter Source Code Port Forums | Alternate Starshatter Download Link | Alternate Sharshatter Download Link
Starshatter stands out for two reasons. Unlike most space sims, which take their dogfighting cues from World War II, Starshatter pairs its Newtonian flight model with a combat system based more on modern jet combat - missiles, speed, and evasion are key. Second, the game features a dynamic campaign that you can control, meaning you can work your way up to controlling capital ships and making strategic decisions. Think of it like the Falcon 4.0 of space sims. @Archonex wrote a very helpful review of the game if you are curious.
Dogfight Chaos by TK769
Some of these games are out. Some of them are works in progress with alpha demos. All of them are SPACE SIMS. They're arranged vaguely in the order of how much shit I give about them, with a slight preference towards games that are complete.
Freespace Series
Freespace 2 on GOG.com | Descent: Freespace on Steam | Freespace 2 on Steam
Freespace 2 Source Code Project | Freespace 2 Community Forums
Unless their nostalgia for the X-Wing or Wing Commander series wins out, most space sim fans would agree that Freespace 2 is the greatest space sim ever made. The amazing campaign, with its exciting scenarios and intriguing story are only the beginning. The game is now open source, which means the original Freespace (which is in a few ways better) has been ported to Freespace 2, but that is just the beginning. Fans have reworked every aspect of the game, from the HUD to the graphics, and have created a number of amazing mods and even standalone games. The Babylon Project is a standalone Babylon 5 game. The Wing Commander Saga recreates the Wing Commander games in the Freespace engine. Diaspora is a Battlestar Galactical total conversion. Blue Planet is a fan campaign for Freespace 2, as is Inferno. If there is one space sim that I can recommend to everyone, veterans and newcomers alike, it is Freespace 2.
Elite Dangerous
Website | twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Completed Elite Dangerous Kickstarter | Steam page
A new Elite game!
X Series
X3 Goldbox on Steam | X Superbox on Steam | X Rebirth on Steam
The X series is one of the modern day heirs to the throne Elite built. Fly around the galaxy, establishing a trading empire or blowing people up or doing whatever else you want. The game is gorgeous and also has devoured @tube's life on more than one occasion, I think.
Strike Suit Zero / Strike Suit Infinity
Steam page
Pilot a Macross-style transformable space fighter/robot and fire a billion missiles.
Evochron Legacy
Steam page
The latest entry in a long-running series of games under the Starwraith, Arvoch and Evochron names, developed mostly by a one-man team since 2000. From the Steam page: "The environment setting is a vast seamless style universe where you can perform many activities including buying, trading, spying, racing, escorting, delivering, emergency responding, mining, exploring, weapon/equipment crafting, cleaning solar panels, clearing paths through asteroid fields, recruiting, protecting, hiring crew members, fuel harvesting, building stations/cities, and designing/selling ships."
House of the Dying Sun
Steam page
PA Forum Thread | Website | twitter | YouTube
The emperor is dead, the royal guard is scattered, and a false king sits on the throne. Execute the emperor's final edict: hunt the traitor lords, and bring ruin to their people.
Everspace
Steam page
A Roguelike space shooter featuring loot and crafting, optimized for KBAM.
Eterium
Steam page
Air force by FotoN-3
The future of space sims is looking brighter than the explosion of an enemy freighter carrying munitions that you've just torpedoed.
Star Citizen/Squadron 42
PA Forum Thread | Website | Tumblr | twitter | Facebook | Completed Star Citizen Kickstarter
Chris Roberts, the man behind the Wing Commander franchise is back, and he's crowdfunding his fuckawesome PC only next-gen space sim that looks as gorgeous as it is ambitions. Squadron 42 is a single player/coop campaign where you earn your citizenship in the space empire by fighting in the military. Upon completing it, or whenever you want, you can jump into Star Citizen, the persistent universe Guild Wars 2-esque quasi-MMO portion of the game, where you can be a miner or a trader or a pirate or whatever you want, and fly with friends in your ships, all of which have fully detailed interiors, including working cockpits, and you can board enemy ships and be boarded. Just like Freelancer, the game will also allow players to run their own private servers and mod the game. This will either be the most amazing space sim in history or a spectacular failure.
X4: Foundations
Steam page
Wings of St. Nazaire
Website
Starway Fleet
Steam page
Space Rift - Episode 1 (non-VR)
Steam page
Distribution by Talros
The Logitech Extreme 3D Pro is a tremendous joystick. It has a Z axis for yaw control, 12 buttons, a throttle, and a hat. It's durable and cheap. The only real downside is that it only fights right-handed people, and some have reported that its calibration gets out of whack after years of heavy use. Mine has been fine for 6 years although I don't use it every day, so your mileage may vary.
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The Thrustmaster T.16000M is a well-regarded budget HOTAS (Hands On Throttle And Stick) package that currently (Sept 2017) runs about $120 US, with a rudder bundle available for about $60 more. The stick is supposed to have good sensitivity thanks to its Hall sensors.
Manufacturers:
CH Products: Website
Thrustmaster: Website
Saitek: Website
VKB: Website
Games with VR support
Eve Valkyrie - Steam page
Star Trek Bridge Crew - Steam page
House of the Dying Sun - Steam page
Elite: Dangerous - Steam page
Everspace - Steam page
Space Rift - Episode 1 - Steam page
X Rebirth VR Edition - Steam page
6DOF Shooters
Overload - Steam page
Sublevel Zero Redux - Steam page
Descent: Underground - Steam page
Space Fight by John Berkey
Space Game Junkie is the best website for people who enjoy space sims, or any space games. It is updated all the time with new, it has its own podcast, it often has reviews and previews, and so on. Check it out.
Concept Ships is a site that posts sweet drawings of space ships, often from video game concept art.
X4 isn't out for another 12 months or so.
What are my other options for Space Sim Sandbox turned Megacorp Sim?
Taychon: the Fringe? I mean, there's no sim aspect. But you're a merc for hire voiced by Bruce Campbell and you can work for a Megacorp faction to help clear your name.
It translates to "silent running" essentially, but I totally get your point ;-)
Unreal Engine 4 Developers Community.
I'm working on a cute little video game! Here's a link for you.
The Liquid Eruption
I think it'll do well in the western market
Strange reaction to this trailer: I hate flat UIs, but there's something about the Windows 10-ness of those management screens that just clicks for me. It's like Future Space-Windows just comes with advanced fleet control and economic management features out-of-the-box, and that thought amuses me.
(Alternatively, the Enterprise version looks like LCARS, because.)
Has kind of bad visuals, just my take.
Had two main storyline missions complete without me being anywhere near them. As in, I went off to go make money to buy a hacker drone, and 30 minutes later got a notification that I had successfully hacked the target.
Got a free destroyer, sent it to the dock to get fixed up, it docked and vanished from reality. It's there. But it won't listen to commands and is off to the side of the station and... Yeah.
All told the gameplay is better, and after having played it for a few (~12) hours I'm seeing some of the old X in it. Plot is a complete mess though and the hit and miss voice acting (mostly miss) doesn't help.
Meanwhile, these Achievements for Helium Rain are giving me tingles: http://steamcommunity.com/stats/681330/achievements
Might pick it up even though it's Early Access and the UI looks like, well, like Fart says - it looks like Windows 10. It's a good look though, just odd.
There's basically no story stuff and just a dollop of background information. What's there is intriguing though. The Gas Giant Nema is basically a lost colony that's been through a revolt. There is no colonial government and the colony ship that brought humanity to this new home has been destroyed to prevent any further attempts to return to Earth. Now the only power left is corporate power and the amoral guidance of the marketplace.
Controls feel solid with a steam controller or KBAM, and I feel confident that I could get good results out of my X52 Pro as well. I'm looking forward to seeing how they flesh this out, their base systems feel really solid and the gameplay feels thoughtfully streamlined while maintaining the savagery and cunning of market economics.
After playing it for awhile, I still like the menu UI. The rest of the graphics, though?
The lack of saturation and general blurriness make it look, probably on purpose, like I'm playing 2001: A Space Odyssey: Recorded Off Of Broadcast TV Onto VHS Edition: The Game. I'm not sure I necessarily like it on a subjective level, but the devs get mad props for really nailing that feel and aesthetic.
yeah I've always loved these
Much better flight model, but you're not going to be running a trading empire or anything. You're very much a little fish in a ginormous pond. You can work with other people to nudge faction control over systems and such, but the universe by and large doesn't notice the effects of an individual pilot.
Game can be very grindy. It's also not very forgiving (the EVE rule of don't fly what you can't afford to replace applies here). It is also one of those mile wide but imch deep games - there is a lot of different things to do (combat, trading, exploring, passenger missions, etc), but they're not terribly deep.
All that being said, it's a beautiful game, especially in VR. The game really drives home just how enormous space is. Combat (I think) is a lot more fun than in the X series. I'd say it's worth it if you're a fan of the genre and don't mind a slightly slower paced game.
counterpoint: the Broadsword
A much better WC fighter design:
https://cdn.wcnews.com/wcpedia/images/Excal.png
If Ship(series.WingCommander) SirCarcass.setLove(ships.all)"A few hundred years from now, when a Galactic Confederation starship makes the first long-jump to one of the Magellanic Clouds, there will be a Dralthi of some kind on board. And it will still suck.")
Lego toy sets look so rad though:
https://www.brothers-brick.com/tag/vic-viper/
Dum-dum-da-dum-dum-dum
I think it's time to blow this scene ...
Get everybody and their stuff together ...
Okay, 3-2-1 let's jam ...
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
...Game just appears to have frozen solid when I docked at this station....
Edit: Goddamnit. Has anyone ever managed to do this? Is there a trick to avoiding lockups?