Planetarion Forums

Rids · 23 Nov 2003, 19:52

Why are there just no decent space sim type games around these days? The last one I played that I really enjoyed was I-WAR2, that rocked. But, there has been nothing remotely good since. Freelancer was average at best, and I've not seen anything since.

Is there anything

around that I have missed?

Please help.

xxx

Nodrog · 23 Nov 2003, 19:53

posting the inevitable "play elite on an emulator" and "planetarion" replies to get them out the way.

Apothos · 23 Nov 2003, 19:56

X2 is out in North America very soon, already out in Australia and some European countries not covered by Koch media, the Koch Media countries have to wait 'til February.

SilverSmoke · 23 Nov 2003, 19:58

Homeworld 1 and 2 arent bad, what about space strategy games like Masters of Orion and Star Control 2? there's a beta out of the remake of SC2, didn't try it yet but i've heard its decent.

Rids · 23 Nov 2003, 20:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apothos

X2 is out in North America very soon, already out in Australia and some European countries not covered by Koch media, the Koch Media countries have to wait 'til February.

Hmm, I'm interested.

Cheers for that one.

Bunga · 23 Nov 2003, 20:04

There's Master of Orion 3. Maybe not what you want, but its a great game. Otherwise, play Earth and Beyond. And isn't Elite III coming soon?

SilverSmoke · 23 Nov 2003, 20:08

coming soon? they said that 5 years ago as well

Bunga · 23 Nov 2003, 20:13

well then it should be coming even sooner!

Flayer · 23 Nov 2003, 20:46

i heard about this really cool free game you play in your browser called Planetarion, apparently it has hundreds of thousands of players!

SilverSmoke · 23 Nov 2003, 20:49

i heard comedy died long time ago on their forums

Rids · 23 Nov 2003, 20:52

Its a shame Flayer didnt die a long time ago instead.

Snurx · 23 Nov 2003, 21:34

Master of Orion 2 rocks.

W · 23 Nov 2003, 21:37

moo2 got boring once you learned how to win.

SilverSmoke · 23 Nov 2003, 21:38

so hows moo3? i've heard a lot of shit about it, it's worth playing?

Apothos · 23 Nov 2003, 21:43

Galactic Civilisation is "the game MOO3 should have been," apparently.

Bunga · 23 Nov 2003, 22:19

MOO3 is great, but really really slow. I have never finished a game in under a week. Ever. But its fun, once you learn how it works.

Dante Hicks · 23 Nov 2003, 22:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunga

And isn't Elite III coming soon?

Elite III came out in 1995.

Elite IV has been in "development" (of sorts) since then. I wouldn't hold your breath.

The last even vaguely enjoyable Space game (vaguely Elite-alike) I played was Freelancer. But they're all mere shadows of Elite/Frontier.

Bunga · 23 Nov 2003, 22:59

I didn't like Freelancer. Their market system was worse than the one in Elite I: Frontier and the universe was too linear.

I meant IV, of course. III wasn't as good as II in my mind, but still good.

Dante Hicks · 23 Nov 2003, 23:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunga

I didn't like Freelancer.

Well, it was appalling compared to Frontier. But that could be said about every game in the genre since Frontier, and that includes Privateer, X, I-War, etc.

Bunga · 23 Nov 2003, 23:07

The one and only gripe i have about Frontier is that I can't figure out how to leave the Sol system if I start on Mars. Ten years of playing and I still can't do it.

Luckeh!!!! · 23 Nov 2003, 23:13

Asteriods.

There is no game that will match it.

Phil^ · 23 Nov 2003, 23:55

the homeworlds, freespace 1+2 for me still remain the best 3d space games i own

freelancers control mech is decently nice but .... :S its soo boring with trading. never bothered getting a cargoship cos of it
tho elite 2 was nice, liked that on the amiga 500 i still own, mainly cos it was the best gfx i had ever gotten out of the thing. 3d, wow! etc

Phil^ · 24 Nov 2003, 00:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunga

The one and only gripe i have about Frontier is that I can't figure out how to leave the Sol system if I start on Mars. Ten years of playing and I still can't do it.

sell the cobra 3 you get for an eagle or similar, and get an autopilot unless you enjoy manual landings. its do-able with the cobra 3 from start without autopilot but bloomin annoying

keep trading things between the colonys, things that are relatively cheap in one place and more expensive in another. im guessing minerals on earth or grain, and selling at the stations surrounding jupiter ( hey, where else are they gonna get it from except internal transports )

takes ages but its do-able. once you got enough for a nice shiny hyperspace drive, get yourself to ross 124 , then its the animal meat to banards star route for you.

Dante Hicks · 24 Nov 2003, 00:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weeks

http://www.frontier.co.uk/games/elite4/faq.html

That was updated about a year ago...

I would quite readily pay £80 for a new Elite, but it's not likely anytime soon.

Dante Hicks · 24 Nov 2003, 00:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil^

get yourself to ross 124 , then its the animal meat to banards star route for you.

Aye, but it's Ross 154 you're thinking of isn't it?

Animal Skins/Meat <==> Robots/Computers was the win the early game, and Ross 154 is a ridiculously safe system for some reason.

Phil^ · 24 Nov 2003, 00:02

hmm or was that the lave system start you got a cobra 3. cant remember. either way the rest of it stands

Phil^ · 24 Nov 2003, 00:03

alternatively you coudl get enough for a fuel scoop and go around a gas giant a bit, sell the fuel and repeat.

Bunga · 24 Nov 2003, 00:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil^

sell the cobra 3 you get for an eagle or similar, and get an autopilot unless you enjoy manual landings. its do-able with the cobra 3 from start without autopilot but bloomin annoying

keep trading things between the colonys, things that are relatively cheap in one place and more expensive in another. im guessing minerals on earth or grain, and selling at the stations surrounding jupiter ( hey, where else are they gonna get it from except internal transports )

takes ages but its do-able. once you got enough for a nice shiny hyperspace drive, get yourself to ross 124 , then its the animal meat to banards star route for you.

I would do that, but you start with an Interplanetary Ship with no Hyperspace engine and no room for a Fuel Scoop. If I started on Lave (which I do usually) thats what I do, but not on Sol.

Dante Hicks · 24 Nov 2003, 00:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunga

I would do that, but you start with an Interplanetary Ship with no Hyperspace engine and no room for a Fuel Scoop. If I started on Lave (which I do usually) thats what I do, but not on Sol.

I suspect that you'd need to rely on random price fluctuation between planets somehow outweighing the docking charges...

Phil^ · 24 Nov 2003, 00:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunga

I would do that, but you start with an Interplanetary Ship with no Hyperspace engine and no room for a Fuel Scoop. If I started on Lave (which I do usually) thats what I do, but not on Sol.

i checked, start with an eagle long range fighter there. interplanetary drive tho

Bunga · 24 Nov 2003, 00:37

Have you ever tried it? The prices were constant within the system. Am I the only one to have tried starting at Sol? If I could start there I would love it, being right on top of the second most lucrative trading route in the galaxy.

Bunga · 24 Nov 2003, 00:39

Phil, so did you figure out a way to leave?

Dante Hicks · 24 Nov 2003, 00:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunga

Have you ever tried it? The prices were constant within the system.

Prices alter over time tho, you could buy Commodity X, go into space for a week, come back and hope the price had changed slightly. But it would take literally thousands of attempts, and I suspect your drive would fail due to lack of servicing before you made it. Can't you accept some packages for delivery and ask for payment in advance, or is your rep too low then?

And no, I never tried the Sol one. I always like starting in Ross 154, although I did do the Lave one a few times. The majority of the time I spent playing the game I was playing the one continuous game trying to get to Prince/Elite.

Bunga · 24 Nov 2003, 00:44

I've never gotten Prince or the best Federation Military rank, but the ELITE combat isn't too hard. I t just takes years.

Phil^ · 24 Nov 2003, 00:44

nope heh. i didnt like the lack of hyperspace and never bother playing there. might do tho sometime later. strip the fighter down as much as you can, sell laser if it has one etc, keep atmospheric shielding and get a fuel scoop if funds allow. alternatively im sure there was a way to get yourself a heap of funds by trying to sell your ship for a interplanetary shuttle if someone was on board, i know buying 1t of rubbish and clicking left ( or right, cant remember ) of the jettison button got you a magic extra 1t of cargo space tho it damaged your ship a little iirc

i might go back to my amiga and see if i can get a way of getting funds starting from sol sometime

Bunga · 24 Nov 2003, 00:46

i tried dumping radioactives 100 AU beyond Pluto, but they can't have meant for us to do that 100 times to get enough cash.

Dante Hicks · 24 Nov 2003, 00:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bunga

I've never gotten Prince or the best Federation Military rank, but the ELITE combat isn't too hard. I t just takes years.

I got to Dangerous legitimately and then gave up. I got to Elite once inside a space station (must have been a bug, although I was in a fight with the police, crashed inside the station, for some reason didn't die, ended up shooting for about five minutes (while still "lodged") getting 'Right on Commander' every 30 seconds. Was Elite, but then died straight away (no save).

Then I realised you could get to ELITE by just shooting that stupid asteroid in the Sol system. After that it seemed pointless.