Why is Space Sim Gaming so unpopular?

[JamesCoote]

Space sims are all just variations on the same game. We need a different game in the same genre.A space sim, but not as we know it. Something that stands out as a game in its own right, genre aside. The way to do that is by creating a unique atmosphere. A combination of visuals and storyline. I've got my own ideas about what that should be, but whatever it is, writers need to clear the table and start again without all the baggage.FPS' need to do this too. There is a growing feeling that the military shooter has reached a bit of a dead end creatively, and I wouldn't be surprised to see MW4 sell less than MW3. Tacking an FPS onto a space sim dilutes both and inevitably one side will be weaker than the other, dragging down the overall experienceBasically, think outside the box

[Guest]

The beautiful thing about this genre being so "unpopular" is that the space sims that are being developed are being done by people who are the most passionate about them. Pioneer is an amazing example, and so are all of the elite remakes. As has been said before, you put the games in the hands of big developers and they'll muddle them up every time.As far as the future of space sims goes, I have to say I'm excited to hear the Minecraft dev wanting to get into the mix. The games that seem to have the most power to captivate are the ones that allow the player to build, construct and generally go wild without having to follow a rigid, inflexible plot/story/world. Minecraft seems incredibly popular, and it could really be something if what the dev was talking about materializes. And what about Kerbal Space Project anyone? The fact that Kerbal takes something as tedious as orbital mechanics and packages it in such a way that it is an open, explosive, fun, and new challenge gives it that replay value that's hard to beat. It's even gotten me more interested in Orbiter, and the potential of Artlav's Spaceway project.

[Pinback]

It's certainly not a dead game genre when there is so much going on. Just hoping someone can produce that hit that will ignite the interest of the major developers/publishers and bring these games back to the masses.

[Dalkeith]

I reckon that there will be a kind of singularity moment where it all comes together.I'm a former Elite person myself but don't quite have the time to play so much - I can see that if you could get Evochron Mercenary trully MMO and continue to make the universe absolutely realistic it's just going to be ace. I really think that it could be so immersive that you could really feel you are there. Its quite clear that for my tastes the right components are all out there at the moment. Unfortunately for my taste they're not quite all in one game!At the end of the day the tools for developers get better every year and the power and storage gets better all the time. Hell bandwidth are getting better as well. Eventually devs like Vice will be able to concentrate fully on the game play without worrying so much about the hard metal...Then we will see our dreams realised(first post I know but I 've been lurking for the last 6 months)

[Pinback]

Welcome to SSC Dalkith and Crispin., always good to get some other opinions.Don’t think theirs any tech reason why walking/driving around planet can’t be included in games probably more to do with the cost of generating all the content they would require to make each of the planets different from one another.

[Dalkeith]

All hail PinbackHey I've been watching Jupiter and Venus recently and I can clearly saw Mars in opposition tonight as wellIn fact astronomy seems to be the flavour of the month at the moment in the UK. Still very much a small but powerful subest I always think its strange that you ask any teenager what a Ford Mustang looks like and they'd probably give you a good description despite the fact that in the UK there non on the streets and yet you ask them to point out Sirius / Rigel / Beetlegeuse and they won't have a clew.Hey found this the other day you guys are going to love this.

[Dalkeith]

Found this article on Evochron mercenary that you might find interestinghttp://www.thegamecreators.com/pages/newsletters/newsletter_issue_109.htmlSeems its' been doing well on Steam

[Pinback]

Dalkeith wrote:
Hey found this the other day you guys are going to love this.
Reminds me of those Carl Sagon songs some one posted a couple of years back.

[robske]

I had typed a long essay, but because of the login timeout, I lost all the text *pissed off* So here's just a short reply (I had spent 4 hours on the original text), a tl;dr version.I think it's a great opportunity that space gaming in general isn't popular at the mainstream producers. It makes it easier for the indie game developers to fill the niche markets, which enables a richer gameplay experience for many space gamers. This is especially the case for space sims.I hear many people here saying they want a mix of space sim, FPS and RPG. I don't know if it got mentioned here (I read up until the 7th page), but there's shores of hazeron. Check out the 2 trailers: a free game, in development, but already very well playable. It has a rapidly growing player community, and has some great gameplay. It essentially is a mix of Minecraft, Homeworld, Simcity and Spore.Take a look for your own leisure

[Geraldine]

Has anyone noticed that the SSC is turning into a bit of a Space Sim Ship Yard these days with many new titles being announced and WIPs being posted? This genre is coming back to life!

[Pinback]

Great pics Geraldine I only just see you post here but I posted something on the Frontier forum on this very subject, but you definitely right there does seem to a bit of an renaissance going on, all we need is someone to produce that killer hit which will convince the bigger developers to take the plunge.

[Geraldine]

Lets just say a certain other thread on the Frontier Forum inspired me <img src="'[url]http://spacesimcentral.com/forum/public/style_emoticons//icon_lol.gif[/url] class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' />

[sscadmin]

Geraldine wrote:
Has anyone noticed that the SSC is turning into a bit of a Space Sim Ship Yard these days with many new titles being announced and WIPs being posted?
I like to see this a lot personally, because this is why the site was created for the hopes that developers and players can really communicate their thoughts on making the best games for the genre. I like it when I have to add a new developer rank to the system and see these new games popping up because I do feel like there is a resurgence of new games being built. And I hope with SSC being as open as I can make it that it only grows, because with advertising only being word of mouth it is nice to see people really coming together.Ok, here goes the shameless plug.... 'It also helps to have such a dedicated group of gamers coming together for one purpose..... to bring space and scifi gaming back to the top of the charts. With good people many things can be accomplished.' Or I can say it a simple way 'If you don't convert.... then soon you will know the vacuum of space.

[robske]

DarkOne wrote:
I like to see this a lot personally, because this is why the site was created for the hopes that developers and players can really communicate their thoughts on making the best games for the genre. I like it when I have to add a new developer rank to the system and see these new games popping up because I do feel like there is a resurgence of new games being built. And I hope with SSC being as open as I can make it that it only grows, because with advertising only being word of mouth it is nice to see people really coming together.Ok, here goes the shameless plug.... 'It also helps to have such a dedicated group of gamers coming together for one purpose..... to bring space and scifi gaming back to the top of the charts. With good people many things can be accomplished.' Or I can say it a simple way 'If you don't convert.... then soon you will know the vacuum of space.
I like that I'm actually considering to put my game development's forums on here

[Geraldine]

robske wrote:
I like that I'm actually considering to put my game development's forums on here
Mmmmm let me check...................yep there is still a few spare dry docks available!

[DoctorRoXo]

i figure with indie gaming, alpha funding and kickstarter getting so popular, space sims have nowhere to go but UP...hopefully

[sscadmin]

robske wrote:
I like that I'm actually considering to put my game development's forums on here
Just say the word Robske and it shall be done.And just to give a tidbit on some thoughts swirling in my head about the progression of space games and SSC in general. I have some plans that I am putting together and just trying to gather the money to buy things that I need to expand the breathe of SSC to make it easier and more advantageous for everyone (ie: gamers, developers and the gaming community). I was going to really try to create a portal that will be the players and the developers a place where they want to be to share their games and gamers will share thoughts and give their never ending input to make games better. I know I have never been a great promoter and people usually find SSC because of word-of-mouth, but that's not always a bad thing because then you do get the right people in the community the passionate ones which is key to any genre's survival. I will talk more about this soon in a admin post in the forums and I might send out a blast PM to everyone about my intentions because I think SSC and and the fans could really make a difference.But to all developers, if you want a forum here you just need to ask and its done. All I ask is that you use it, because our cleaning crews are always busy

[DoctorRoXo]

DarkOne wrote:


robske wrote:
I like that I'm actually considering to put my game development's forums on here
Just say the word Robske and it shall be done.And just to give a tidbit on some thoughts swirling in my head about the progression of space games and SSC in general. I have some plans that I am putting together and just trying to gather the money to buy things that I need to expand the breathe of SSC to make it easier and more advantageous for everyone (ie: gamers, developers and the gaming community). I was going to really try to create a portal that will be the players and the developers a place where they want to be to share their games and gamers will share thoughts and give their never ending input to make games better. I know I have never been a great promoter and people usually find SSC because of word-of-mouth, but that's not always a bad thing because then you do get the right people in the community the passionate ones which is key to any genre's survival. I will talk more about this soon in a admin post in the forums and I might send out a blast PM to everyone about my intentions because I think SSC and and the fans could really make a difference.But to all developers, if you want a forum here you just need to ask and its done. All I ask is that you use it, because our cleaning crews are always busy
this would be great imo. although i'm not a developer, just a gamer. it could be like tigsource but for space games. i like the sound of that...

[XenoHelix]

Ok, i know i'm reviving a very old post but i couldn't help myself.It's a very interesting question so i'm going to give you the 3 main reasons of why space sims are so unpopular.1. People are "ground" dwelling beings which means that we're not accustomed in operating in the air/space.2. Maneuvering (Roll, Pitch, Yaw, Elevation, Strafing, Thrust) in a 6DOF environment is confusing to say the least.3. Spatial awareness in a void (no trees, no ground, no physically identifiable objects) environment is very tough and not many people can handle it.The space sim market is a niche market simply because space it's too hard to understand and cope with !!PS: People that play space & flight simulators are in general of higher .... intelligence

[Pinback]

micmanos wrote:
1. People are "ground" dwelling beings which means that we're not accustomed in operating in the air/space.2. Maneuvering (Roll, Pitch, Yaw, Elevation, Strafing, Thrust) in a 6DOF environment is confusing to say the least.3. Spatial awareness in a void (no trees, no ground, no physically identifiable objects) environment is very tough and not many people can handle it.
In this months Retro gamer the main feature is the making of the StarWars X-wing games, at the end of article David Wessman one of the developers of X-wing games gives similar reasons.
Quote:
the particular skills required are of a higher order than the eye-hand co-ordination and fast reflexes of standard shooters. It also requires quick thinking and problem solving based on a high level of situational awareness. All of this is compounded by the fact that you are in a 3D space in which you can move in any direction , and threats come from anywhere. It's a sad, true fact that many people have difficulty navigating a 3D space. Not many publishers are willing to risk the amount of money it takes to make a triple-A game when they know the majority of the public won't buy the game because they are incapable of playing it.