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System Name | Kursah's Gaming Rig 2018 (2022 Upgrade) - Ryzen+ Edition | Gaming Laptop (Lenovo Legion 5i Pro 2022) |
---|---|
Processor | R7 5800X @ Stock | i7 12700H @ Stock |
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Software | Windows 11 Pro x64 | Windows 11 Home x64 |
Space sims are back! Well they have been for years if you enjoyed the X-series and Evochron, and a few other more arcade-ish releases in between. I wanted to create a thread where we can talk about ones we're playing, ones we love, hate, miss, what hardware we're using, what mods we're using, etc.
Please feel free to donate, but if you bring drama or plan to, don't post. Keep this thread positive please.
Evochron: Mercenary - 2010 (Update to 2.0 in 2012, Still frequently updated)
Price: $24.99
Homepage: http://www.starwraith.com/evochronmercenary/
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/71000/
I'm a huge fan of Evochron, and the most recent of them, Mercenary. IMHO one of the best indie titles I've ever played...steep learning curve, great flight mechanics, a true challenge, seamless MP/SP and planet landings. Vice has done an excellent job and the updates keep on rolling, and he stays active with his community and gears his patches towards their needs. The community is amazing and will have anyone a pro-level pilot in no time. I've spent years in this game on and off...and for around $30 or so, it's worth every penny!
Sure it doesn't have the graphics or polish or details that others do, but what it does have to offer many other games can't touch or promise to later on. The install is tiny at less than 500MB iirc, it's amazing what this title is capable of and what you can be capable of within. Here's a couple of video links to take a look:
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=evochron+mercenary
Elite: Dangerous - 2014 (Updated regularly, and Seasons/Expansions/DLC)
Price: $44.99 (w/o Season Pass/Expansions)
Homepage: https://www.elitedangerous.com/
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/359320/
Elite: Dangerous has been a blast through Beta, Gamma and December 2014's release and beyond. I honestly felt they released too soon and 1.3 should've been 1.0.
Elite as many know, has a TON of areas to explore and they're constantly adding more content and things to do. The flight model is good overall, even the gimped yaw fits with the game and how it was meant to be.
My current favorite for combat, be it in the main game or CQC (added in 1.4). 400 billion systems to explore, over a dozen ships to own with many more on the way, Horizon's bringing planetary landings, exploration and combat soon. The unfortunate thing with this title early on for many is running out of things to do, it is a mile wide and inch deep as many say.
I personally enjoy the combat and finding the next pirate or bounty or conflict zone. Trading turns into a grind, mining was a grind last I tried and was not fun, bounty hunting was exciting.
Combat in the main game is more methodical, where CQC is more like CoD/BF in space (reminds me of FDev's version of SC's Arena Commander module..). Overall, excellent sim that all should experience.
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=elite+dangerous
Star Citizen (Alpha 1.3 as of 10/2015, 2.0 coming soon...)
Price: $45.00+
Homepage: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/
Steam: N/A
Probably the most hyped and consumer funded game project ever, looks promising, but is kind of slow on development. Amazing tech and graphics, is trying to be the sci-fi jack of all trades.
I don't enjoy combat as much in this, the flight model is MUCH better versus Alpha .8 a year ago, but still not as good as EvoMerc or Elite Dangerous in my mind. Though the G-force effects are cool and frustrating.
Arena Commander is still good fun and it's cool when they unlock different ships to try out. For the price of admission, it is worth a go. And recently it was announced any owner can play the alpha, so no longer do you need to buy the extra "pass" to access early release content.
As it stands the game uses over 30GB of space, and has been projected to breach 100GB at release. Speaking of release dates, late 2016 or into 2017 has been projected, with some speculating a 2018 release.
I have high hopes for this one, but as it stands I don't enjoy it as much...setting controls is a pain, but once you're in and going it can be fun...just not as interesting as my other two favorites.
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=star+citizen
Infinity: Battlescape (Estimated release 9/2017, alpha 10/2016, beta 4/2017)
Price: $20+ (Kickstarter for actually owning a copy)
Homepage: https://www.inovaestudios.com/
Steam: Not yet, but will be according to them!
This one seems to offer some of the things people expected of Elite Dangerous, and looks very very very promising. Seems to be MP focused, and looks quite fun from the videos! Right now it is in kickstarter ( https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/309114309/infinity-battlescape ).
We shall see what becomes of this one, but from the prototype build streams, it checks off a lot of wants for me out of a modern space combat sim!
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=infinity+battlescape&page=&utm_source=opensearch
No Man's Sky (Not out as of 10/2015)
Price: N/A 10/2015
Homepage: http://www.no-mans-sky.com/
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/275850/
Last, but not least...who is following No Man's Sky? This looks super promising too! If you haven't seen it, please watch this! I can't wait!
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=no+man's+sky
Freespace 2 (Open) (still being updated by community)
Price: $5-10
Homepage: http://scp.indiegames.us/
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/273620/
GoG: http://www.gog.com/game/freespace_2
I don't think much needs said here, but one of the funnest space combat sims in the last 20 years. Mods are keeping it relevant, and the 2014 mod set was a huge update on all fronts. Works great with mouse + keyboard. Should be in everyone's collections!!!
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=freespace+2
Starpoint Gemini 2 (2014, patches and DLC still being released)
Price: $34.99
Homepage: http://starpointgemini.com/
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/236150/
This is a 3rd person capitol ship commanding game, versus your first person perspectived sims. Has a lot to offer, and gains new patches and DLC regularly. Is more technical than others in the 3rd person cap ship style of games, the story is kind of weak but the action is good and supports modding through Steam as well. You can't go wrong with this one, though it can be a challenge to get into and some design options aren't the best. It is a lot of fun once you get the ball rolling and get into it.
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=starpoint+gemini+2
Rebel Galaxy (2015)
Price: $19.99
Homepage: http://rebel-galaxy.com/
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/290300/
What if you could live in an alternate universe that was inspired by the likes of Firefly. A space western cap ship combat and trading game, that removes the Z-axis and uses ship battle broadside mechanics for big battles. Has a great level of polish, and is a lot of fun and really easy to get into.
This game is a good primer for getting into more challenging titles like SPG2 above. And at the price, this is a great value! Brought to you by the team that created the Torchlight series.
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rebel+galaxy
More coming soon...
Tie Fighter
X-Wing
X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter
Welcome back space sims!
Please feel free to donate, but if you bring drama or plan to, don't post. Keep this thread positive please.
Evochron: Mercenary - 2010 (Update to 2.0 in 2012, Still frequently updated)
Price: $24.99
Homepage: http://www.starwraith.com/evochronmercenary/
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/71000/
I'm a huge fan of Evochron, and the most recent of them, Mercenary. IMHO one of the best indie titles I've ever played...steep learning curve, great flight mechanics, a true challenge, seamless MP/SP and planet landings. Vice has done an excellent job and the updates keep on rolling, and he stays active with his community and gears his patches towards their needs. The community is amazing and will have anyone a pro-level pilot in no time. I've spent years in this game on and off...and for around $30 or so, it's worth every penny!
Sure it doesn't have the graphics or polish or details that others do, but what it does have to offer many other games can't touch or promise to later on. The install is tiny at less than 500MB iirc, it's amazing what this title is capable of and what you can be capable of within. Here's a couple of video links to take a look:
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=evochron+mercenary
Elite: Dangerous - 2014 (Updated regularly, and Seasons/Expansions/DLC)
Price: $44.99 (w/o Season Pass/Expansions)
Homepage: https://www.elitedangerous.com/
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/359320/
Elite: Dangerous has been a blast through Beta, Gamma and December 2014's release and beyond. I honestly felt they released too soon and 1.3 should've been 1.0.
Elite as many know, has a TON of areas to explore and they're constantly adding more content and things to do. The flight model is good overall, even the gimped yaw fits with the game and how it was meant to be.
My current favorite for combat, be it in the main game or CQC (added in 1.4). 400 billion systems to explore, over a dozen ships to own with many more on the way, Horizon's bringing planetary landings, exploration and combat soon. The unfortunate thing with this title early on for many is running out of things to do, it is a mile wide and inch deep as many say.
I personally enjoy the combat and finding the next pirate or bounty or conflict zone. Trading turns into a grind, mining was a grind last I tried and was not fun, bounty hunting was exciting.
Combat in the main game is more methodical, where CQC is more like CoD/BF in space (reminds me of FDev's version of SC's Arena Commander module..). Overall, excellent sim that all should experience.
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=elite+dangerous
Star Citizen (Alpha 1.3 as of 10/2015, 2.0 coming soon...)
Price: $45.00+
Homepage: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/
Steam: N/A
Probably the most hyped and consumer funded game project ever, looks promising, but is kind of slow on development. Amazing tech and graphics, is trying to be the sci-fi jack of all trades.
I don't enjoy combat as much in this, the flight model is MUCH better versus Alpha .8 a year ago, but still not as good as EvoMerc or Elite Dangerous in my mind. Though the G-force effects are cool and frustrating.
Arena Commander is still good fun and it's cool when they unlock different ships to try out. For the price of admission, it is worth a go. And recently it was announced any owner can play the alpha, so no longer do you need to buy the extra "pass" to access early release content.
As it stands the game uses over 30GB of space, and has been projected to breach 100GB at release. Speaking of release dates, late 2016 or into 2017 has been projected, with some speculating a 2018 release.
I have high hopes for this one, but as it stands I don't enjoy it as much...setting controls is a pain, but once you're in and going it can be fun...just not as interesting as my other two favorites.
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=star+citizen
Infinity: Battlescape (Estimated release 9/2017, alpha 10/2016, beta 4/2017)
Price: $20+ (Kickstarter for actually owning a copy)
Homepage: https://www.inovaestudios.com/
Steam: Not yet, but will be according to them!
This one seems to offer some of the things people expected of Elite Dangerous, and looks very very very promising. Seems to be MP focused, and looks quite fun from the videos! Right now it is in kickstarter ( https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/309114309/infinity-battlescape ).
We shall see what becomes of this one, but from the prototype build streams, it checks off a lot of wants for me out of a modern space combat sim!
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=infinity+battlescape&page=&utm_source=opensearch
No Man's Sky (Not out as of 10/2015)
Price: N/A 10/2015
Homepage: http://www.no-mans-sky.com/
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/275850/
Last, but not least...who is following No Man's Sky? This looks super promising too! If you haven't seen it, please watch this! I can't wait!
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=no+man's+sky
Freespace 2 (Open) (still being updated by community)
Price: $5-10
Homepage: http://scp.indiegames.us/
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/273620/
GoG: http://www.gog.com/game/freespace_2
I don't think much needs said here, but one of the funnest space combat sims in the last 20 years. Mods are keeping it relevant, and the 2014 mod set was a huge update on all fronts. Works great with mouse + keyboard. Should be in everyone's collections!!!
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=freespace+2
Starpoint Gemini 2 (2014, patches and DLC still being released)
Price: $34.99
Homepage: http://starpointgemini.com/
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/236150/
This is a 3rd person capitol ship commanding game, versus your first person perspectived sims. Has a lot to offer, and gains new patches and DLC regularly. Is more technical than others in the 3rd person cap ship style of games, the story is kind of weak but the action is good and supports modding through Steam as well. You can't go wrong with this one, though it can be a challenge to get into and some design options aren't the best. It is a lot of fun once you get the ball rolling and get into it.
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=starpoint+gemini+2
Rebel Galaxy (2015)
Price: $19.99
Homepage: http://rebel-galaxy.com/
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/290300/
What if you could live in an alternate universe that was inspired by the likes of Firefly. A space western cap ship combat and trading game, that removes the Z-axis and uses ship battle broadside mechanics for big battles. Has a great level of polish, and is a lot of fun and really easy to get into.
This game is a good primer for getting into more challenging titles like SPG2 above. And at the price, this is a great value! Brought to you by the team that created the Torchlight series.
Videos: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rebel+galaxy
More coming soon...
Tie Fighter
X-Wing
X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter
Welcome back space sims!
Last edited: