Comments on: Space Shootitudity: Dark Horizon Demo

By: Droniac

Droniac — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:05:37 +0000

@ Malagate: a co-op space sim with one person flying and another manning turrets? Taking command of capital ships or even the entire fleet? Or just hopping into a scout or fighter plane and blasting everything in sight?

Dude, this game exists already – and it’s even free to play: Allegiance. It’s a team-based multiplayer game that even has some RTS elements to it. Bit of an older game (by Microsoft, back when they still did cool games) that was made available for free a couple of years ago. Google it!

Hell, here’s a link: Allegiance

By: Nick

Nick — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 03:59:26 +0000

I love them both, but I prefer TIE Fighter – having replayed it through (collectors edition) about 5 times, FS2 only once and never felt like replaying it.

There really hasn’t been a space combat game since FS2 or Xwing Alliance maybe that I geniunly enjoyed, which is sad. I mostly blame this on LucasArts becoming a steaming pile of shit delevoper.

By: luckystriker

luckystriker — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 03:48:10 +0000

If this thread is going to turn into a TIE Fighter Vs FS2 greatest game evah!!!11 thread, then I’m going to have to jump in on the side of FS2. FS2>all!

By: mashakos

mashakos — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:26:32 +0000

um, does it support force feedback? Someone please say yes!!

By: Chemix

Chemix — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 14:47:40 +0000

Freelancer anyone?

By: yoho

yoho — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 04:59:27 +0000

@shadowcat
fs2′s engine source code was opened and volition released many of their proprietary fs2 assets

By: Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 04:55:03 +0000

TIE Fighter *is* the best game ever made, probably the best game that will ever be made for the PC.

By: D

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 02:05:35 +0000

@Him Thanks for that, I’ll be downloading now.

@Foo bar: Nice one. I’m less than 100 hours into Falcon so I’m just a noob compared to you, obviously – though I can see simple systems at work when I look for them :) Not that I’m saying Falcon is simple, oh no, just that the underlying mechanics facilitating all that complexity are, well, not complex. I’ll try to point out some mechanics that could be translated to a space sim:

- Nose movement causes energy loss
- Limited amount of fuel provides energy
- Some missiles require lock (radar or some scientific bogus)
- Missiles have different deployment envelopes
- Missiles can be defeated by movement
- Guns.. Are also there. And bombs/torpedoes. And missile defence platforms.
- Enemy factions/types have distinct weapon loadouts and these are known and can be planned against
- Radar lock / sight can be defeated by movement
- Radar lock can be denied by jamming
- Some missiles can home on jamming, defeating jamming
- No all knowing HUD – gameplay requires situational awareness
(which is for me, the most exhausting part of Falcon)
Somethings are not applicable, like fuel consumption at different altitudes (no altitudes in space), but most mechanics transfer over easily. In addition, the scifi settings will allow for other interesting weapons and mechanics. If just someone would want to fund it :(

By: MeestaNob!

MeestaNob! — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 01:39:36 +0000

I’d like to point out at this opportunity how disappointed I am that the Babylon 5 space sim never made it out.

I hated Sierra for years after that.

By: Erlam

Erlam — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 23:42:35 +0000

I’d LOVE a game, say an MMO, where you’re in space, and you can be the following people:
Frigate captain
Frigate pilot
Frigate gunner
Corvette Captain
Corvette ”
Corvette ”
Boarding ship pilot
Boarding ship MARINE.

And so on. Then you could literally be FPS fighting to capture a major enemy vessel, with the pilots of your other ships desperately trying to avoid fire from it before you take command, while your fighters hold off their bombers from sinking their own ship, while your.. and so on.

By: Heliocentric

Heliocentric — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 23:39:27 +0000

Multiplayer tank sims i’ve never played but red orchestra has a lovely sense of being trapped in a metal coffin. Added to it is the choice to pop your head up, and knowing its a terrible idea.

A modern combat tank sim style combat can be found in the project reality tanks. Sure, i’m a heli pilot by preference, but a tank gunner yelling at me but not angry, just desperate. Most tank combat is settled in one shot over a kilometer in some maps.

But yes, relic make homeworld 3 have the option of tactical control, make a coop campaign where i can command the carrier and resource operations. Then slip into the role of a boarding marine frigate pilot, dodging missiles and trying to crash into the target not too hard. All the while being covered by my friends leading a fighter wing and frigate.

Its all good. :) remember that article moaning about other people? I never really enjoy a game as much as i do when its been with others. And meaningfully too.

By: Jochen Scheisse

Jochen Scheisse — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 23:07:19 +0000

You should try a good sub sim with four people in a dark room, Erlam , only lit by the screens and the conveniently placed red lightbulb. That’s as close as you’re going to get any time soon, and it’s not a bad substitution.

If you don’t find a dark room, the internet also works.