SpaceSimCentral

Hardwar is available from the download section and Darkone kindly divided the game up into little chunks so that those of us with rubbish broadband connections can enjoy it too and yes Space Empires IV was fun. A very underrated game. Could you recommend any mods Braindead? I've got the Steam version. Also got Space Empires V too, but just skimmed over that so far. Oh yes the topic! Elite 2 will always get my vote until Elite IV finally lands............

This is a tough one, but I think I'd second Pinback's choice: Megatraveller 2. Not the best in graphics by a long shot, but there is just so much to do and so many directions to go. There have been times I've played MT2 for months on end (a half-hour here, an hour there) and I've never explored every option open to the player. While I've completed the main story thread and have kept playing beyond, and it seems one can keep playing on and on and on

I tend to change my mind. (darn youngins!) So, its a bit tentativly that I finally lock down and choose one game. Evochron Legends. Purely out of play time more then anything else. I'm sure Mercenary will top it when it comes out, but until then EL is sucking up all my space sim time. I just love exploring, and this game has it in spades. I still have yet to find rift space, or the alien menace's home planet, but its so much fun to poke around each planet, mining, and discovering lucrative goods and trade routes. Plus, unlike FFE, the combat is a ton of fun. So many features, in such a small package. Truly an accomplishment, and its surely something I'll play until Evochron Merc, releases.That being said, I LOVED Moo2, so I'm sure I'd like Space Empires. I only tried a demo of IV, and found it to be rather unnewb friendly. (Strangely, Moo2 is... O_O)Hardwar Ive never played. I heard good things, but I like exploration, and space. Hardwar apparently takes place underground on one planet. That being said, I'm a sucker for a good space sim, so I might give it a try if it works on windows 7.

Geraldine wrote:
something
my favorite MOD's:Fyron's Quadrant Mod Deluxe: This one changes the systems and galaxy. Adds some nice diversity and system backgrounds. Also, edit "data\settings.txt" Look for the "Maximum Number Of Systems" setting and change it to something like 500 or 1000 for very long games.Neo Expansion MOD: Some other MOD's use this. It's adds component/building and some other graphic changes. Doesn't do anything alone.Devnull's Gold Deluxe MOD: My favorite. Works with the 2 MOD's above. Adds a TON of components and AI difficulty through the use of mounts. (Don't use the mounts tagged with "AI only", you cheater)TDM-Modpack: Compilation of race MOD's and upgrades the AI for existing AI's. This one I use if I want vanilla to be harder.I really only use the 3 first MOD's in combination and it adds tons of fun.There's also some good Star Trek MOD's around but I forgot the names.

Thanks for the info Braindead, much appreciated!

I'm torn!!!I loved the seedy, gritty feel of Privateer 2 "The Darkening", and have come back over and over trying to get it working properly over the years. Still haven't finished it, it's a pain to get running for me. I've been meaning to write a post asking for tips about that, actually...I also always come back to EVE online. I beta tested it before release, and have loved it ever since. If you could take Mass Effect 2 elements and moosh them into EVE, with a little free sand box privateer flavor, I'd probably never leave the keyboard again. Fun thread!

Priv2 got bashed a lot when it was released but playing through it all a few years back I enjoyed it a lot the FMV scenes I thought were great http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=privateer+2&aq=f and hey they got Christopher Walken to play in Priv2 :)I have yet to play ME2 but I will buy it for my PS3 in Jan when it is released. But I am liking ME1 so far and EVE would be an excellent game if it was open sandbox and had more up in your face action.

Frontier,until Infinity comes out.For the same reasons as the other players named.Can't believe its 2010 and FFE is still the best space sim out there.

Silent Death ............So simple yet so addictive.

Pioneer.Yes, I know, it's still in development but already it's more exciting to me than it's illustrious progenitor (or FFE), my previous list-topper. An easy to play, gorgeous looking, highly moddable update/homage of the very best space game ever made? A thousand times YES.

Stardreamer wrote:
Yes, I know, it's still in development but already it's more exciting to me than it's illustrious progenitor (or FFE)
Even in a Alpha state Pioneer is shaping up to be a very polished project. Give this game two years more development and mods and it will be a great game indeed.I know Infinity has a kick ass engine behind it and billions of systems to explore and will probably reign supreme, but as of right now Pioneer is free and with the quality that is being injected and the community grabbing hold of of it, it will only get better.

Infinity online ,when it gets going, or pioneer now if it would stop crashing lol.

I wanted to say Freelancer first but then I realized that X3R/TC had a lot more play time. So if I had only one space game to play it would definitly be that one.

doomdark64 wrote:
Infinity online ,when it gets going
Can't wait for this one myself, the I-Novae engine is a amazing piece of work, now it will be interesting how the universes get populated and what you can do in them.
doomdark64 wrote:
pioneer now if it would stop crashing lol
Well in time, it is on Alpha 5. Which from a few months ago it is a huge step forward and a few great members are already creating models for the game so it can only get better.
slayniac wrote:
then I realized that X3R/TC had a lot more play time
That it does and with the 3.0 patch getting released soon it should really be an epic time sync The new X-Superbox was just released and it includes all the X games that will work on all modern PC's and X3TC was updated to v3.0 and of course a bunch of custom mods were included.

It's hard to choose, but I spent alot of hours in Elite2 in the old Amiga days. But more recent games I really loved the Homeworld and Cataclysm games. Too bad Nexus 2 ended in a tech demo, beacuse Nexus was an awesome game.I don't know might have to stick to the old Elite2. I don't like coloring in the Evochron games, it's not natural.

Thats a really hard choice. So many gems out there...I know i'am only allowed to choose one but i have to choose in two categories. If it comes to a linear military space sim it is Wing Commander 3. I think i played it hundred times and it never gets boring. Of course Freespace 2 have a much better combat system but Wing Commander 3 and 4 wins when it comes to story and overall atmosphere.For freeform, freelancing spacesims i would chosse Privateer or one of its remakes. I think this game and Privateer 2 consumed most of my space sim time. X3 and Freelancer may have better graphics and more gamplay options, but they had never the charm of the characters in the Wing Commander universe. And i love Kilrathis!
Darkone wrote:
Priv2 got bashed a lot when it was released but playing through it all a few years back I enjoyed it a lot the FMV scenes I thought were great http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=privateer+2&aq=f and hey they got Christopher Walken to play in Priv2
Clive Owen was also great as Ser Lev Arris in Priv 2!

Mix of Starshatter: The Gathering Storm and Nexus: The Jupiter Incident.

Space Empires IV or V. Great gameplay and modding potential.

wing commader, i hear there might be a remake in the works would be nice if it weas true