To all SSC Station occupants
Thank you for the donations over the past year (2024), it is much appreciated. I am still trying to figure out how to migrate the forums to another community software (probably phpbb) but in the meantime I have updated the forum software to the latest version. SSC has been around a while so their is some very long time members here still using the site, thanks for making SSC home and sorry I haven't been as vocal as I should be in the forums I will try to improve my posting frequency.
Thank you again to all of the members that do take the time to donate a little, it helps keep this station functioning on the outer reaches of space.
-D1-
Hi all. I was a gamer all the way back in C64 and Apple ][ days, mostly for space sims, and dropped out of gaming around the time The Great Drought of titles set in in the early to mid '00's when FPS's took over.
I've definitely been watching the renaissance with some interest, and I'm not sure it's all fully back yet, but I was trying to remember one of the last games I played on a PC before I dropped out. It was an open beta, and great fun. It had a first person cockpit and was team-based online where you and your team flew out of one base and the other team had to defend theirs, so basically capture the base. Some were in fighters, some bombers, and of course the big strategy was to protect the bombers as they made their way in.
Graphics were very simple, but the FPS was super high as a result and the XvT-like flight model was very fluid and fun. I *think* it supported headsets for people to talk to each other, which was new-ish at the time.
I want to say it came out in open beta for download maybe at or just before Star Shatterer, so think 2001-2004 timeframe?
Does anyone know what this was? Did it ever get out of beta? Is there anything like it today? As intrigued as I am by the new Elite Dangerous and Space Citizen, the me of today doesn't have the time to sink into such endeavors, and am hoping for something more quick like the above. Thanks!
- Iiari
Welcome to the forums Iiari and I have no idea what the game is.
Thanks for your reply and for this site. Anything similar today that you're aware of?
Thanks for your reply and for this site. Anything similar today that you're aware of?
All thanks to the D1 as he made the site, off hand the only game which may be similar is Infinity Battlescape https://www.inovaestudios.com/battlescape which is still being worked on after it's successful Kickstarter. Probably are others games which don't require hours and hours of grinding but not being an online gamer myself I can't think of any.
Star Conflict: Age of Destroyers
Star Conflict: Age of Destroyers
Tried that one. I'm not fond of the RPG elements of developing tech and buying parts, etc. As a noobie, I'm usually blown away by someone outfitted with full kit within a minute or two of appearing.
Possibly http://www.eternal-silence.net/ ?
A source mod thats free on steam, last few times I went on it was pretty dead though.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwAHcQckI7k
Edit: Hmm, might be outside of your timeframe, sorry.
Was it team-based online as an option only, or does it have single-player main game mechanics? There is a title that comes to my mind, I'll search in my past links to see its name and if it fits your descriptions, I think that website still exists and the game is for free download.
XenonS
Was it team-based online as an option only, or does it have single-player main game mechanics?
It was team-based online only from what I recall, no single-player mechanics at all. This was before online gaming was everything, and it was about the time that online stuff was breaking through on the PC. Jedi Knight II's multiplayer was big at the time. I remember thinking about the space game, "I love the flight engine. Too bad without a single player mode this game won't go anywhere." It was ahead of its time.
I think this was one of two things, either it was Allegiance( made by microsoft research and eventually put out as a shared source project ) or it might have been Raider Wars from iMagic( used to be interactive creations inc. ) Allegiance was up from 2003 ish to 2004, although apparently because of the shared source thing it can still be played. Raider Wars was 1997 to 1998.
I played both, Raider Wars was fun and had a very unique flight mechanic. It was based around the aviation combat idea of 'energy' or more specifically kinetic energy. The more you had, the more maneuvering options you would have. As you turned and changed direction though, your energy depleted. Does that sound familiar? The game took place in an asteroid field, very low poly and either no textures or almost none. You flew as fast as you could from one side to the other, gaining energy. The enemy had a carrier that you had to escort a transport ship to in order for it to drop off robotic marines.
Allegiance was a conquest game. Space was made up of several sectors that included resources you could harvest. This was done through the use of mining ships that you could build and order to a new place. I think you could also build construction ships that could turn into bases and defenses. Someone on your team could order the production of new ships and those ships appeared in your hangars, and I think it was specific to each base. The game was played over a long time and you had to help your team take over territory.
I remember the flight model was much more like x-wing than Raider Wars was, and it had an interesting mechanic in how the sensors worked. Ships were pretty small so when they weren't very close they could be essentially invisible... especially if they cut engines and power and didn't move. I also 'think' you could eject in an escape pod and run back to a base to get a new ship.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegiance_(video_game)
Interestingly there is a Raider Wars mod for Allegiance