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"Elite" type games?


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Well you've seen the title. I've been pining for a space combat/trading/exploration game for a while.

Can anybody suggest a game of that type made in the last decade that's worth playing?

 

Also: is EVE online worth getting into at this late point, and what's the combat like in there - I need my twitch dogfighting fix!

Edited by RPGmasterBoo

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Imperium Thought for the Day: Even a man who has nothing can still offer his life

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EVE is not twitch, I'll tell you that much. Combat can be pretty tense though, in small gangs. Games like Privateer, I guess the X-series or Freelancer?

Why has elegance found so little following? Elegance has the disadvantage that hard work is needed to achieve it and a good education to appreciate it. - Edsger Wybe Dijkstra

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EVE is not twitch, I'll tell you that much. Combat can be pretty tense though, in small gangs. Games like Privateer, I guess the X-series or Freelancer?

 

I've finished Freelancer, but I haven't played the X-series or Privateer. I'll look into them.... in the meanwhile lets see if there are any more recent games on offer...

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Imperium Thought for the Day: Even a man who has nothing can still offer his life

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X-Universe is great. But its more a building and development and expansion sim than a space combat sim, though there's plenty of ship to ship combat of all sorts.

 

X universe games are more like Master of Orion 2 played from a first person perspective than anything else.

Notice how I can belittle your beliefs without calling you names. It's a useful skill to have particularly where you aren't allowed to call people names. It's a mistake to get too drawn in/worked up. I mean it's not life or death, it's just two guys posting their thoughts on a message board. If it were personal or face to face all the usual restraints would be in place, and we would never have reached this place in the first place. Try to remember that.
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I'm still cursing Microsoft for discontinuing gameport support in the latest Windows - every now and then I wax nostalgic about the good times when all you needed was a simple stick with 4 buttons and a hat switch, and the intense rivalry between Thrustmaster's F-4 based precision and CH Products' more genteel sticks. Gaming PCs almost by definition would be attached to a stick of some sort - such as the awesomely versatile and nigh-indestructible Gravis joystick.

 

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Mind you, a significant proportion of Wing Commander players were strictly keyboard only and swear by it. For me, it's not necessarily the most effective playstyle that matters, but the most engaging.

 

But I digress - Privateer is indeed awesome and is always in my top 5 when those silly "Best Game Ever" threads come along. Privateer 2's combat kind of sucked, but on the other hand it had an great live action cast (I would argue the best ever assembled for a video game) and some psychedelic design.

 

There have been multiple fan attempts to remake Privateer - the most successful being Gemini Gold - but I don't really know how they play. Launched it for the remade intro (and Privateer does have an awesome intro sequence) but didn't bother playing it.

 

 

Slightly tangential, but jettisoning the space combat aspect, the relatively recent remake of Pirates! (or indeed the originals) make for many an hour of good explorey tradey goodness.

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Freelancer???? That's no real space combat.

 

Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos fits into last decade criteria tool. FS2 Open and it's TCs too.

 

And what exactly have you played so far?

Edited by Majek

1.13 killed off Ja2.

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I-War 2 is the newest playable one I know.

 

EVE is nothing like Elite, it's more of a space-adapted RPG with an emergent world and a focus on management.

 

I-War 1/2 are up on GOG, by the way.

Edited by Purkake
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X-series is good only if you get unemployed :)

 

As for recent games, there aren't any. Otherwise I would recommend both Independence War games. There was also one excellent Star Wars sim released, however the name eludes me.

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Freelancer???? That's no real space combat.

 

Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos fits into last decade criteria tool. FS2 Open and it's TCs too.

 

And what exactly have you played so far?

 

I've played Independence War 2 quite a bit.

 

A few years ago I played Spaceforce: Rogue Universe, which had its good points but was in general an average game. Freelancer too...

 

Currently the only thing I have on is the Gemini Gold (privateer remake) Humanoid suggested which seems to play just like Wing Commander Prophecy which I loved quite a bit. That's a good thing, but even with the remake its still a pretty dated game.

 

I think I quit IWar2 halfway through because the mission scripts were bonkers, or because you could easily get into a state where it was unclear what to do next, or how to do it.

That game was great but it had a learning curve that was a sheer cliff.

 

@Purkake: well that pretty much kills EVE for me. I'm in it for the adventure, not a second job :D

 

That's about it.

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Imperium Thought for the Day: Even a man who has nothing can still offer his life

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I just want to say that DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE PURCHASE ANY GAME IN THE "X" SERIES. They make EVE seem like a sensible game

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I just want to say that DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE PURCHASE ANY GAME IN THE "X" SERIES. They make EVE seem like a sensible game

 

EVE is a sensible game. You just suck. :)

Why has elegance found so little following? Elegance has the disadvantage that hard work is needed to achieve it and a good education to appreciate it. - Edsger Wybe Dijkstra

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Space Rangers 2: Reboot would be worth a try if you're not wedded to direct control of space combat and have tolerance for whacky Google Translate dialogue (or if you can speak Russian).

Damn, beaten to the suggestion. Keep in mind that SR2 is turnbased, tactical combat rather than "action" combat like the old Elite. Otherwise X-2 would be my suggestion (way easier to get into than X-3).

“He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice.” - Albert Einstein

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X3:Reunion with XTM is good. Cheap at 10USD.

Oolite is free and essentially a port of elite to modern OS.

Space Rangers 2: Return of the Dominators is a nice blend of turn based space sim and RTS missions.

Vega Strike is a decent trading and combat sim, but a little hard to get used to.

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Recommending X here.

 

+1

 

Also Starpoint Gemini while not a Elite type game is worth a mention. It plays like the Star Fleet Command games, has lots of ships to buy(Frigate>Cruiser>Dreadnought>Battleship), trading, mining and RPG leveling up.

 

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Played Space Rangers 2.... nice little game.

 

X3 looks great, I'll have to look into it.

 

I remember Starpoint Gemini being slammed by reviewers but not why...

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Imperium Thought for the Day: Even a man who has nothing can still offer his life

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Tachyon: The Fringe... sure it blends into the general space-sim style, but it has Bruce Campbell doing the principle voice and it makes it just enough campy-space-opera fun to be worthwhile.

 

If you can take the rough translations from russian and the cheap voice acting.. the various Space Wolves games aren't too bad.

 

Which reminds me, one of these days I'll have to dig out dosbox and replay Privateer and Privateer 2...

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X3 looks great, I'll have to look into it.

 

 

Why doesnt anyone listen to me?! The X games are complete rubbish. The only people who like it are autistic german kids who enjoy making mods that make it EVEN slower.

DISCLAIMER: Do not take what I write seriously unless it is clearly and in no uncertain terms, declared by me to be meant in a serious and non-humoristic manner. If there is no clear indication, asume the post is written in jest. This notification is meant very seriously and its purpouse is to avoid misunderstandings and the consequences thereof. Furthermore; I can not be held accountable for anything I write on these forums since the idea of taking serious responsability for my unserious actions, is an oxymoron in itself.

 

Important: as the following sentence contains many naughty words I warn you not to read it under any circumstances; botty, knickers, wee, erogenous zone, psychiatrist, clitoris, stockings, bosom, poetry reading, dentist, fellatio and the department of agriculture.

 

"I suppose outright stupidity and complete lack of taste could also be considered points of view. "

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X3 looks great, I'll have to look into it.

 

 

Why doesnt anyone listen to me?! The X games are complete rubbish. The only people who like it are autistic german kids who enjoy making mods that make it EVEN slower.

 

Well, what's wrong with them?

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Imperium Thought for the Day: Even a man who has nothing can still offer his life

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