Space Combat Sims

[raymondu999]

Hey all.

A LOOOONG while back I had an undying addiction for the Microsoft (yes, Microsoft) game Freelancer (the space sim where you can roam the universe) is there a game that is like this nowadays? EVE online doesn't seem to do it...

thanks

 

[feuerschlange]

Hey all.

A LOOOONG while back I had an undying addiction for the Microsoft (yes, Microsoft) game Freelancer (the space sim where you can roam the universe) is there a game that is like this nowadays? EVE online doesn't seem to do it...

thanks

Me too ;-)

Therefore, I tried eve online for a short time and opted out, as it really needs more time, than the more easy going freelancer.

I loved Freelancer - a really great game, even for casual gaming, which is more my thing nowadays.

 

[raymondu999]

Oh well. I'll go back to Freelancer then

 

[raymondu999]

I wonder. Does anyone know of any such games, preferrably for the Mac, nowadays?

 

[Duouk2000]

I'm not sure if there's anything exactly like Freelancer, X3: Terran Assault might be your best bet. You could also try Darkstar One, I've never played it myself but it's slim pickings when it comes to space sims these days so...

 

[cerote]

Any of the X3 titles. They just released one in December. You can buy them in the Mac Appstore.

This is the newest one. Warning it gives you hardly any instructions other than flying.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X3:_Albion_Prelude

(Sorry for the lame wiki link but work does not allow me to link to actual site.)

 

[lewdvig]

there is a wineskin wrapped version of Freelancer floating around.

 

[Northwestern]

Galaxy on Fire 2 HD

 

[raymondu999]

Sigh. If only we had one that worked just like Freelancer again. I guess we'll never see another space trading/combat/exploration sim again... I loved that you could choose your specific career path - become a mercenary, or just mine for things through dust clouds and asteroids to then sell, while at the same time having a storyline to back it up

 

[Cougarcat]

Freespace 2. Here's a topic about how to get it running in OS X.

There are several space sim projects on Kickstarter to keep an eye on: Kinetic Void (it just ended), Starlight Inception (no Mac version sadly, and also ended) and Skyjacker.

 

[laetusviator]

Not sure Freespace 2 is abandonware anymore as that link above suggests, since you can buy it again at http://www.gog.com. (Although, still very true that it is possible to get it to run on OS X! ).

Also, if you want some retro goodness, Wing Commander Privateer is available at GOG.com (on sale 50% off this weekend too) and it is easy to run on OS X using Boxer. There is also a free fan-made remake you can try.

Just to add another kickstarter that looks promising, there is Drifter. Release first aimed at iOS but the developer wants to bring it to Mac & PC too, apparently.

I would avoid Darkstar One. I was totally addicted to Privateer & love this genre of games, so I was very excited when I saw Darkstar One... but in the end it was rather lame.

Oh, and the X3 games are complex but still fun. And available on the mac app store too now I think.

 

[raymondu999]

Albion Prelude looks fantastic. Having said that I somewhat hate massive downloads, and I would much prefer it if it was able to ship a DVD to me. The internet connection in my region of the world is... lackluster. (if you can even call 512kbps THAT)

 

[jedolley]

I recently started playing Galaxy on Fire 2 and have been really enjoying it. However, I haven't been playing that long and have discovered there isn't much in the way of ships, weapons, equipment to upgrade to.

I was wondering if there are any other Space Combat like games with deeper customization, world, and even story (optional)? I purchased X3: Terran Conflict, but so far it's been a little too much. There does not appear to be any sort of tutorial and I haven't had a chance to RTFM.

I would prefer the game to be native for OSX, but if it's a game I should really check out then I would not hesitate to play via bootcamp or parallels. Also, not a deal killer, but I would prefer the 3rd person perspective similar to GoF2 rather than the 1st person cockpit view (I like to see my ship).

Thanks in advance!

 

[DrakkenWar]

Here is the lowdown.

I figured I would take a stab at this one too. Being that I am a Space Sim and FPS junkie I have always tried to find a melding of the two. (WingCommander anyone? Buller?).

http://www.galaxyonfire.com/en/galaxy-on-fire-2.html

- While Galaxy On Fire 2 is close. The story line is at best meh. The mining missions? For the love of CAIN! You twitch and things get all explodie back to try again. Though the graphics and music are pretty good overall.

http://scp.indiegames.us/

- Freespace gets a bit closer, but you take a hit when it comes to graphics, missions and people around to play with/and/or against. Though that might have changed since the last time I gave it go. While there is a pretty active player base and dev community. Things are progressing slowly here. But hell, it might be worth a look.

http://vegastrike.sourceforge.net/

- Craziness ensues here. Vega strike has more mods that you can really shake a stick at, from the vanilla game to Star Trek to Star Wars and beyond. If you are truly a space combat geek? You have found your mojo here. While it's a bit linear when it comes to combat and ships. I found the community to be vibrant, friendly and apt to show you the ropes. It is worth a look.

http://trial.eveonline.com/en/trial.aspx?ref=MMORPG&aid=108782&gclid=CNPMs4aAyLACFagaQgodoBFRYg

- But for the true customize, do what you want, how you want when you want? EvE is your crack of choice. Be careful it was my crack for almost 5 years! While it is pay-to-play. It is truly the be all end all of space based games. You can honestly do whatever you want in this game. The possibilities are endless, the community is huge. Be wary though, the learning curve is steep. Taking 4 real hours for a worm hole to take a protues in not knowing what you will find is an intense adrenaline rush to say the least.

As a side note there is:

http://en.darkorbit.com/big/17/?aid=331&aig=22&gclid=CKD6oL-DyLACFQF_hwodlX1nXQ

- But in my experience? It sucks. Avoid it like the plague. This game? I have no idea why it is still around.

 

[raymondu999]

I fell in love with the genre based on Freelancer a long while back. It's a fantastic genre IMO, and I started a thread on it a while back. There are a few mentioned there that are good. Here:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/954987/

Some worthy - VERY worthy - contenders include the X3 series (Albion Prelude is the newest one, and the one before that, Terran Conflict). The next installment isn't out yet - X:Rebirth. Very worthy of a look. It's available on the Mac App Store for $19.99 IIRC.

 

[laetusviator]

But for the true customize, do what you want, how you want when you want? EvE is your crack of choice. Be careful it was my crack for almost 5 years! While it is pay-to-play. It is truly the be all end all of space based games.

I agree, EVE is pretty good, but as I recall (haven't played it in a loooong time) the space combat really wasn't particularly satisfying. I can't remember the reason why (again, it has been a while!), but I just remember feeling like EVE's combat was lacking somehow. Is the combat more RPG-like than twitch / skill-based?

 

[DrakkenWar]

Eve

I agree, EVE is pretty good, but as I recall (haven't played it in a loooong time) the space combat really wasn't particularly satisfying. I can't remember the reason why (again, it has been a while!), but I just remember feeling like EVE's combat was lacking somehow. Is the combat more RPG-like than twitch / skill-based?

Indeed, the combat in EvE is more tactical, third-person combat. No WingCommander or X3 twitch. Out of the one's I suggested, VegaStrike can kinda full fill that need for first person combat

 

[Jediwoman]

Space Combat Sims

I know this is an old thread; but I hope folks are still paying attention. I was surprised no one posted one of the best space combat games EVER. It is Mac compatible (in fact, compatible with Mac, Windows, Linux, and now will play on an android phone). It even runs (beautifully) on my Kindle Fire:

Vendetta Online
http://www.vendetta-online.com/

Yes, it is subscription based. If you pay month to month, the cost is $9.99 per month. The cost decreases if you pay for bigger chunks. I am a big fan of Freelancer and, as such, truly enjoy Vendetta. An MMORPG, it employs a twitch based combat system. It is not a strategy game (YAY!!!!!!) - it does not require the micromanagement that such games require. In VO you can pursue mining, trade, you can be a BADA$$ combat pilot, or even a pirate. Some players are very into the RPG angle, some are more dedicated to combat. If you like this kind of game, there is something for everyone.

For big fans of space games, here are two additional resources to investigate:

http://spacesimcentral.com/

and:

http://spacegamejunkie.com/

Both are comprehensive, up to date, & well researched. Have fun. See you in space!

 

[Dirtyharry50]

You can buy a number of the classic Wing Commander games on http://www.gog.com inexpensively. They have a lot of cool old games that would run well with Boxer (for old MS-DOS titles) or Wineskin, depending on the game of course.

For the Wing Commander titles you'd need to use Wineskin to run their Windows installers and get the files for Boxer to use to run the game but they should work just fine since Boxer provides DOSBox for Mac.

Also, you might want to google for FSOpen for info about the mod that updates the graphics and makes Freespace and Freespace 2 playable on the Mac.

 

[TedM]

I really really enjoyed sins of a solar empire. I don't know if it works for macs or is the type of space combat you are looking for. But it is an amazing strategy rts game. The space combat is just amazing and has a lot of strategy to it.

 

[Veloxi]

I know this is an old thread; but I hope folks are still paying attention. I was surprised no one posted one of the best space combat games EVER. It is Mac compatible (in fact, compatible with Mac, Windows, Linux, and now will play on an android phone). It even runs (beautifully) on my Kindle Fire:

Vendetta Online
http://www.vendetta-online.com/

Yes, it is subscription based. If you pay month to month, the cost is $9.99 per month. The cost decreases if you pay for bigger chunks. I am a big fan of Freelancer and, as such, truly enjoy Vendetta. An MMORPG, it employs a twitch based combat system. It is not a strategy game (YAY!!!!!!) - it does not require the micromanagement that such games require. In VO you can pursue mining, trade, you can be a BADA$$ combat pilot, or even a pirate. Some players are very into the RPG angle, some are more dedicated to combat. If you like this kind of game, there is something for everyone.

For big fans of space games, here are two additional resources to investigate:

http://spacesimcentral.com/

and:

http://spacegamejunkie.com/

Both are comprehensive, up to date, & well researched. Have fun. See you in space!

Hey there, thanks to linking to my blog, Space Game Junkie. Always appreciate the mention and support.

 

[Huntn]

Thread revival!

I recently started the Eve Online Trial and while I think it has great potential, I fear it is a huge time sink with a subscription, I am wondering if there is an equivalent solo play non-MMO, but maybe multiplayer that focuses on empire building and includes battles, but is not a twitch dog fighter.

Suggestions? Thanks!

 

[Huntn]

Although it's impressive, I've decided that Eve is not for me. I'm giving Starpoint Gemini 2 a shot. This is "early access", anyone playing it?

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

Hah, I started around the same time as you with EVE, and I've more or less come to the same conclusion!

The first week was fun, but after the beginner quests, the missions become soooo boring, and you really need to farm or join a corp to get to the interesting ships.

 

[Gu1b0]

Star Citizen.

Not for MacOs, but maybe in the future...