SpaceSimCentral

I've played a handful, and i REALLY enjoy them a ton, but i'm having an issue where i cant seem to find a good space sim any more.Thus far, My favorite space sim would easily be X3, but unfortunately that game is so worn for me i can no longer derive enjoyment out of it. I'm looking for another similar game, like a space combat/economy sim. I love being able to just float around, with an endless possibilities of ways to go up in the world. I tend to be combat heavy in the end but hey, who can blame a dude for liking to blow stuff up? Thats one of the reasons i enjoyed X3 so thoroughly... I gunned down a few pirates, captured some ships, sold them and started a trade empire, which i used to financially fuel my fleet and eventually the war complex which i endlessly pumped out ships guns missiles and equipment and declared war on... well... every one. Now its time for something different.As i said, i like fighting, alot. However i dont like being railroaded into a storyline like most of the good space combat sims do. Its also KEY to have alot of customization for your ship. Another thing that i loved in X3. I also appreciate good visuals, as there is no more of a surreal and beautiful atmosphere as space when done right, but good gameplay is probably the biggest piece for me.I'm currently looking into Evochron Mercenaries... But i'm not sure as i've seen the linear hull progression of its predecessors, however the latest release looks fresh and promising.Anyways, heres a list of things that i enjoy out of a space sim:Good combat/AIRealism in physics/themeVisualsCustomizationOPEN ENDEDfree lancing/survival feelingTHINGS TO DO (i've seen some that really dont offer much)Full spherical range of directionThey arnt requirements just things i've enjoyed over a range of games, such as free lancer and X3...There ARE a few quirks that annoy me to no end about some space sims, and thats when fights last FOR EV OR, or are exceedingly unfair due to the fact that aiming is extremely difficult. I think i played one, called darkstar one, where some fights would just TRASH you because hitting the enemy was more or less a challenge in itself. I understand its space and ranges can be in the kilometers... But its still obnoxious for me to be hailing down where the enemy ship is/going and just never hit it because i'm .2 degree's off. X3 mended this well with the purchase of software for your ship, that would help you autoaim slightly (think about 5 degree of variance) with out feeling like it was doing the work for you.Any ways, hope theres something i'm looking for out there. Its been awhile and i'm not sure of everything thats about now.Thanks in advance.

I think Evochron Mercenary would fit the bill nicely for you. Have you played older games like Terminus or Hardwar? They might also scratch that itch.

Lol just downloaded Evochron Mercenaries last night. I'll be trying it later. As far as the other 2 suggestions no, but i'll check them out.

Hardwar is free now, in the download area here. Terminus is not however and is somewhat hard to find these days. On your list of what the game should have I think right now Mercenaries would probably be your best bet (play demo first) and one game that I have hopes for is NorthStar from the makers of SotS series. Its been on the back burner a while so we'll have to see what comes of it.

NorthStar could be AWESOME...if it ever gets released...

Tachyon would fit some of your requests, not all.It's not particularly a pretty game anymore, but it's not a big distraction either.There isn't much out there that will compared with X3, I had a chance to try itfor a short time and yes it's amazingly beautiful, but most games are not at that level.If you play the campaigns as intended, you won't have a well outfitted ship untilthe latter 3rd of the game. But you can pop in a cheat code and unlock all the wepsand ship cards. The gameplay is free roam, you can dock at a station and get newsand jobs that are available. You can buy and outfit ships.

Tachyon looks cool, i'll check it out. Also whats NorthStar? I looked it up on google and didnt return a game. Slide a link?

Freespace 2 has come a long way with modding, if you like different expansions.

There is a Northstar forum area here for the game (main forums list) http://www.spacesimcentral.com/northstar-f41/the link for their website is in the description but its here: http://www.kerberos-productions.com/north_star.shtml