It seems that you're using an outdated browser. Some things may not work as they should (or don't work at all).
We suggest you upgrade newer and better browser like: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera

×
Evochron series.
avatar
Firebrand9:
That's a pirating site Firebrand, you might want to get rid of the link. :P
Starflight 1 & 2. The planets all generally look the same, but you can land on them which is a requirement in the first one to make money since you have to mine. In the second one, trading is an option.
avatar
tinyE: That's a pirating site Firebrand, you might want to get rid of the link. :P
Yeah, I know. :P But they have a good writeup and screenshots (and you can't just download without paying them, which I figure people won't readily do).

Here's another good review of it :
http://www.ign.com/articles/2000/08/11/terminus
Post edited December 13, 2016 by Firebrand9
Noctis IV.
avatar
cw8: /thread
avatar
tinyE: huh?
The "/" indicates "end of". Or, in other words, he's saying that your suggestion is so good, it basically ends the thread because it's the best.
avatar
Sufyan: .
.
. Everything is less than a minute away..
.
.
It took 6 hours real time and I could not take a break as I would never be able to catch up with the convoy again..
.
.
.. oO
Come on now! :(

But besides that hilarious confusion its a great thread to follow :D

Not that I have any contributing ideas which aren't already told. But I do not think you'll have an easy time to find a developer who spend time and effort to create a massive galaxy with realistic distances without the means for the players to explore it (i.e. FTL).
avatar
Sufyan:
Was actually my first thought too; but then... its too planet focused for the OP I guess. Space itself, I feel, does not want to be explored there. Not sure how to better describe it.
Post edited December 13, 2016 by anothername
avatar
Sufyan: No Man's Sky? Hard pass.

Doesn't matter if the universe is practically infinite if everything is clustered together and space feels crowded rather than vast and creepy.

For those of you who fondly remember Firefly, there is a scene in which a character is clinging on to the skin of a ship. He briefly turns around to stare into the vast emptiness and is overcome with vertigo and dread. Space is hella creepy. It's just too big to comprehend. Nothing in our earthly life compares, we have no reference to work with.

I should mention that games like Master of Orion fits the bill I've drafted. Each game turn feels like a significant amount of time and the distances between the stars do feel significant as journeys can take several turns to conclude. Yes, the FTL speeds are extreme and the stars are a lot more densely clustered than in real life, but it is still big enough that the size of the galaxy impacts the experience.
You might want to take a look at GalCiv2 (https://www.gog.com/game/galactic_civilizations_ii_ultimate_edition) (or GalCiv3 if you do not mind the DLC madness). For all my love of MoO2 that one in the biggest galaxy and slowest settings feels far bigger than MoO2 with similar settings.
low rated
avatar
Firebrand9:
avatar
tinyE: That's a pirating site Firebrand, you might want to get rid of the link. :P
Bullshit!
Vastness is relative to the observer. If space games aren't vast enough then get a bigger computer monitor.

Or ruin your eyes and sit closer to the screen. Vastness challenge accepted and defeated. What's next on the agenda today?
avatar
Exhodos: One thing is missing though : a system where there is NO planet, and nothing, where we could be in the middle of absolute nowhere somewhere in deep dark space.
Hey, i could make a game like that! Flying in completely empty space with nothing in sight.
Another suggestion for the X-series, especially the earlier games in the series (Beyond the Frontier etc).
Yet even X:Rebirth, the Complete Edition, feels grand compared the vast majority of today's space games.

Elite Dangerous. If you don't mind Steam or XBox (it's coming to the PS4 as well), this might suit you. It's easier to get into than an X-series game and offers an even bigger sense of scale.

Evochron Mercenary, I haven't played it myself yet but it's on my to-get list. Similar to Elite Dangerous and the X-series. Available on Steam as well as directly from the developer/publisher. Whether it's actually DRM-free or not I haven't checked up.

There are not that many games around that will meet all your criteria though.
Post edited December 13, 2016 by Ricky_Bobby
avatar
Sufyan: Space is too damn big, how do astrophysicists and the like not get depressed as hell? Seeing the universe like that makes it all seem so pointless, and us so insignificant.
I've wondered that myself but it's probable they mostly deal with equations rather than thinking philosophically of what space mean for mankind.

avatar
OneFiercePuppy: NEXUS: The Jupiter Incident starts off that way. That game's held up pretty well; there's a 1.03 patch that just recently hit on Steam, and it helps with UI scaling which is a big deal at resolutions above 1920x1080, so if you play at high resolutions, see if you can get that patch (the GOG version is currently 1.02.
Ugh..it will probably take a month or two before we see that patch here. I've been holding of starting up that game again after I read about 1.02 but I wasn't in the mood when it arrived. Any news when GOG will get the new patch?
Terminus and Noctis IV look promising. Thanks for great tips! Cannot find Terminus for sale here nor on Steam :-( so I voted for it in the wishlist here.
avatar
tremere110: Independence War 2
Well this is fun. Started up the game and i realize this is a game i was looking for but wasn't sure what the name was (but i recognize parts from the intro video and certain key lines). Well, the first one anyways. I'll get to playing them well enough.