Just curious if anyone has recommendations for the best single-player space "war" game.....what I mean by this is a game where the focus is on war, diplomacy, and weapons versus exploration/colonization, mining resources, etc. Thinking my definition rules out games like Stellaris (own), Distant Worlds (own), GalCiv III (own), Master of Orion (own), Polaris Sector, etc. unless I am missing something in those games. I know each of those have war components, but don't necessarily enjoy the grind of exploring and such. Would basically like there to be defined factions who are at odds with each other, fighting for supremacy of the galaxies!
Any thoughts?
Maybe you could try Imperium Galactica I (1997). It has just been released on GOG. It is very much story based (campaign) 4x and you start in a war zone and the enemies are defined. The campaign is long and enjoyable...a fairly unique experience as 4x game.
https://www.gog.com/game/imperium_galactica (https://www.gog.com/game/imperium_galactica)
I have another game but it might be difficult to find it:
Reach for the stars from SSG (2000)
http://www.ssg.com.au/rfts.htm (http://www.ssg.com.au/rfts.htm)
The game has tons of scenarios and is really a war game. The interface was hard for me at the beginning and i didn't like it but it's a hard and challenging war game set in space.
Emperor of the Fading Suns is EXACTLY what you are looking for. It is faction based combat for supremacy over the universe. There are several great noble houses vying for control, with the influence of other factions such as the Universal Church, and the Merchant League. On top of this, you can get your faction appointed to one of three positions of power which will give you powerful resources, such as an Imperial fleet, ground combat forces, etc. It is up to you whether you use these forces to further the goals of your House, or if you use them for more official, lawful purposes. There is some limited diplomacy, research and economic management, but it is all geared toward the war effort. Additionally, most of the worlds have already been explored, so exploration is not really a factor here. In EotFS, you will experience combat in space, and then you will land forces onto worlds, at which point, you will engage in turn-based combat for control of key cities on the surface. Few games have managed to capture, or even attempt, such an elegant transition from a space-based strategic map, to planetary surface based tactical combat.
Really, EotFS is one of the greatest games EVER made. You can probably download a copy legally for free at this point.
Also, what about Armada 2526? It has been a long time since I have really played it, but if I recall, the "exploration", "science" and "diplomatic" aspects were pretty light. Just build ships, all different kinds of ground forces and send them out to conquer.
A bit of a stretch, but perhaps a modded version of Star Wars: Empires at War? Can be multiple factions - no diplomacy but loads of combat and conquest. Depends a lot if Star Wars is your thing of course.
Sword of the Stars. Yes it has exploration and development, but the core of the game is researching ship upgrades to design your own fleets to subjugate the galaxy.
Quote from: Bison on December 20, 2016, 02:09:07 PM
Sword of the Stars. Yes it has exploration and development, but the core of the game is researching ship upgrades to design your own fleets to subjugate the galaxy.
Good call. I second this.
SotS definitely has more focus on the ship battles than others.
There is still exploration and colonization, but those are pretty simplified in comparison. It's all about researching and building your fleets as the real-time space battles is where the most depth is.
If you only want to construct fleets of ships, set their strategy, and have them go at each other then Gratuitous Space Battles might be an option, if you can find the whole (original) pack on the cheap. It's only about designing & setting fleet strategies and has a good bit of ship customization and factions available. I'd recommend the original series, as the second version was a lesser re-hash.
I still wish a 4X game had the interesting GSB setup for it's ship designs and battles. The campaign expansion for GSB was just a simple vehicle for letting you choose battles, which may be more enticing to you.
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on December 20, 2016, 02:14:03 PM
Quote from: Bison on December 20, 2016, 02:09:07 PM
Sword of the Stars. Yes it has exploration and development, but the core of the game is researching ship upgrades to design your own fleets to subjugate the galaxy.
Good call. I second this.
And you can get it at GoG.
Quote from: DoctorQuest on December 20, 2016, 02:21:25 PM
Quote from: Jarhead0331 on December 20, 2016, 02:14:03 PM
Quote from: Bison on December 20, 2016, 02:09:07 PM
Sword of the Stars. Yes it has exploration and development, but the core of the game is researching ship upgrades to design your own fleets to subjugate the galaxy.
Good call. I second this.
And you can get it at GoG.
$10 for the complete version is a hell of a value too. I have it on steam and paid something similar during a sale several years ago.
It's $10 for Complete on Steam right now.
Thanks guys....I do own SOTS and Armada as well...just don't recall these scratching the itch, but maybe I'll install and try again. Or possibly what I am looking for just doesn't exist.
SOTS 2 would fit. As stated, it's light on colony stuff and heavy on ship and fleet design. I just wish there was a mod to dilute the colors so it doesn't look so cartoonish
This is a stretch, but if you're willing to entertain first person games then I would recommend "elite dangerous". There is a large galactic war on going and you can simply join one side or even work for specific people as a mercenary. You can have multiple shifts though only you can fly them and if you play in open world your actions and the actions of other players have a direct impact on the war itself
Quote from: mikeck on December 20, 2016, 05:09:45 PM
SOTS 2 would fit. As stated, it's light on colony stuff and heavy on ship and fleet design. I just wish there was a mod to dilute the colors so it doesn't look so cartoonish
This is a stretch, but if you're willing to entertain first person games then I would recommend "elite dangerous". There is a large galactic war on going and you can simply join one side or even work for specific people as a mercenary. You can have multiple shifts though only you can fly them and if you play in open world your actions and the actions of other players have a direct impact on the war itself
Thanks, I do also own Elite, initially got into it but didn't last long for me and in this case, probably not something that would fill the void.
I'll look at a number of the suggestions in this thread, but just might be me in a funk where nothing quite fits the bill...
Quote from: mikeck on December 20, 2016, 05:09:45 PM
SOTS 2 would fit. As stated, it's light on colony stuff and heavy on ship and fleet design. I just wish there was a mod to dilute the colors so it doesn't look so cartoonish
This is a stretch, but if you're willing to entertain first person games then I would recommend "elite dangerous". There is a large galactic war on going and you can simply join one side or even work for specific people as a mercenary. You can have multiple shifts though only you can fly them and if you play in open world your actions and the actions of other players have a direct impact on the war itself
It's not cartoonish, it's just outright offensive! Civ VI is cartoonish and easy on the eyes and playable.. SOTS 2 is overbearingly bright colors that are painful to look at!
Polaris Sector is a 4x, albeit it's far more heavily weighted towards ship design and combat than the other space 4x games you mentioned owning.
Wasn't there a Star Fleet Battles PC game released about 10-12 years ago? Starfleet Command or some such name? I never played it, but I know it's on GOG.
Quote from: FarAway Sooner on December 20, 2016, 06:23:08 PM
Polaris Sector is a 4x, albeit it's far more heavily weighted towards ship design and combat than the other space 4x games you mentioned owning.
Wasn't there a Star Fleet Battles PC game released about 10-12 years ago? Starfleet Command or some such name? I never played it, but I know it's on GOG.
[pulls out broken record] If only they would release a proper TURN BASED Star Fleet Battles PC game. [/broken record]
Star Hammer?
You might consider Stars in Shadow......Exploration and fleshing out your planets is on the minor side and you can even have governors take care of the colonies automatically.....Ship building and fleet fighting is pretty good....http://store.steampowered.com/app/464880/
Quote from: FarAway Sooner on December 20, 2016, 06:23:08 PM
Wasn't there a Star Fleet Battles PC game released about 10-12 years ago? Starfleet Command or some such name? I never played it, but I know it's on GOG.
Yes.
But GOG currently only has the first version. While the second and third (SFC2 Empires At War and
SFC2 Orion Pirates) are vastly improved and expanded versions of same. I recommend the Orion Pirates version as it was the latest SFC2, had some DirectX updates which make it still run fine on modern OSes without artifacting straight outta the digital box.
The latest is currently sold here (http://www.dynaverse.net/market/5-star-trek-starfleet-command-orion-pirates.html) at Dynaverse.net for $6.
I would also reiterate the original
Gratuitous Space Battles (http://store.steampowered.com/app/41800/) focuses on pure space fleet construction and battles. Unlike SFC and some of the others, you program your fleet tactics before they go in (along with custom building each ship in it) and watch it play out against other varied fleets. Also has a campaign expansion which is basically just doing the same while taking over planets with each battle, not really 4X.
Not twitchy as it's all about the building & planning. I always wished GSB was
more 4X-like when I played it, so that's probably a positive in your case. I'd recommend the fancy version, with all the DLCs, as they add quite a few more factions for more variety.
Haven't yet picked up
Battlefleet: Gothic Armada (http://store.steampowered.com/app/363680) yet. It's a boardgame WH40K ship combat derivative game in real-time, with a campaign system. Certainly want to get it next time I feel like playing a space combat game. Currently on a 40% Off sale at Bundle Stars (http://www.bundlestars.com/en/game/battlefleet-gothic-armada)! Plus a 10% off code on top:
QuoteUSE CODE WINTERSALE10 TO SAVE MORE
It seems like it might be one of the few pure spaceship combat strategy games out there. May be kinda "twitchy" however.
I'm guessing the OP wants something in the strategy genre as opposed to some kind of in-cockpit sim. So I won't list the latter without say-so. There are also single-ship "space pirate" games around which aren't cockpit sims, but likewise will hold recommendations if those don't fit the bill.
Quote from: Trooperc7 on December 20, 2016, 06:50:09 PM
You might consider Stars in Shadow......Exploration and fleshing out your planets is on the minor side and you can even have governors take care of the colonies automatically.....Ship building and fleet fighting is pretty good....http://store.steampowered.com/app/464880/
Although not specifically what I was looking for, have to admit looks interesting....
Stars in Shadow is good fun. I think it will only get better. Also, look at Falling Stars: War of Empires. I bought it but haven't played it yet. It does sound like what you are looking for.
Quote from: Tuna on December 20, 2016, 05:48:46 PM
Quote from: mikeck on December 20, 2016, 05:09:45 PM
SOTS 2 would fit. As stated, it's light on colony stuff and heavy on ship and fleet design. I just wish there was a mod to dilute the colors so it doesn't look so cartoonish
This is a stretch, but if you're willing to entertain first person games then I would recommend "elite dangerous". There is a large galactic war on going and you can simply join one side or even work for specific people as a mercenary. You can have multiple shifts though only you can fly them and if you play in open world your actions and the actions of other players have a direct impact on the war itself
It's not cartoonish, it's just outright offensive! Civ VI is cartoonish and easy on the eyes and playable.. SOTS 2 is overbearingly bright colors that are painful to look at!
So like "day-glo" cartoonish
If you want hard-core hard-SF space combat, then Children of a Dead Earth (http://store.steampowered.com/app/476530/) is a good bet. The campaign is a story-based one that is basically a bunch of linked missions. It's set entirely in the Solar System after a cataclysmic war makes Earth uninhabitable. You do get to build your own ships and sub-systems later on though. A very recent patch has made the real-time combat pause-able.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on December 20, 2016, 09:42:08 AM
Just curious if anyone has recommendations for the best single-player space "war" game.....what I mean by this is a game where the focus is on war, diplomacy, and weapons versus exploration/colonization, mining resources, etc. Thinking my definition rules out games like Stellaris (own), Distant Worlds (own), GalCiv III (own), Master of Orion (own), Polaris Sector, etc. unless I am missing something in those games. I know each of those have war components, but don't necessarily enjoy the grind of exploring and such. Would basically like there to be defined factions who are at odds with each other, fighting for supremacy of the galaxies!
Any thoughts?
Have you considered Sins of a Solar Empire? It is not a wargame, but a 4X/RTS hybrid, with heavy focus on combat (great looking and great fun). In addition, you might also want to look at Dawn of Andromeda*, which is a bit less of an RTS, but with more focus on diplomacy than SoaSE. Though this one is still in Early Access.
*full disclosure, I am producer on the game
Quote from: Surtur on December 21, 2016, 03:53:30 AM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on December 20, 2016, 09:42:08 AM
Just curious if anyone has recommendations for the best single-player space "war" game.....what I mean by this is a game where the focus is on war, diplomacy, and weapons versus exploration/colonization, mining resources, etc. Thinking my definition rules out games like Stellaris (own), Distant Worlds (own), GalCiv III (own), Master of Orion (own), Polaris Sector, etc. unless I am missing something in those games. I know each of those have war components, but don't necessarily enjoy the grind of exploring and such. Would basically like there to be defined factions who are at odds with each other, fighting for supremacy of the galaxies!
Any thoughts?
Have you considered Sins of a Solar Empire? It is not a wargame, but a 4X/RTS hybrid, with heavy focus on combat (great looking and great fun). In addition, you might also want to look at Dawn of Andromeda*, which is a bit less of an RTS, but with more focus on diplomacy than SoaSE. Though this one is still in Early Access.
*full disclosure, I am producer on the game
I own
Dawn of Andromeda but couldn't play it yet because my graphic card isn't good enough. I know however that the game has a nice feature that allows you to start the game much later on. This option will make the AI start the game for all factions and run many years before you actually start playing. You then start with an empire and already existing relations. See minute 36 and on.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on December 20, 2016, 03:19:35 PM
Thanks guys....I do own SOTS and Armada as well...just don't recall these scratching the itch, but maybe I'll install and try again. Or possibly what I am looking for just doesn't exist.
There are a lots of good recommandations in this thread. Maybe you could be a little more specific?
- What kind of war do you want?
- What kind of diplomacy do you want?
- Real-time vs turn-based?
- Research, yes - no?
I am going to come back to
Imperium Galactica (noone else played that gem?). It has excellent cut-scenes with real actors. You start as a lieutenant and control 3 planets and one small sector you have to rebuild after an attack by an allien race. As you reach targets/missions, you go up in rank until you control the entire empire and deal in diplomacy with other races while at war with others. The second sector you will get has something like 5-6 planets and you will be at was with one specific race. I really recommend to anyone who's been reading this thread...it's a truly fantastic game. You have also complete control on how your cities are build on the planet surface and you will fight in space as well as on planets (tanks).
There are a lots of good recommendations in this thread. Maybe you could be a little more specific?
Yes there has been a lot of good feedback, which has greatly been appreciated. Still in the process of reviewing each one, but not sure if exactly what I am seeking, which doesn't mean the suggestions are bad, just might not be what I am looking for at the moment (assuming it even exists).
Maybe the best way to describe it is something like World War II in space (or any other major war). The sides for the most part are known, with some variability. I don't need to explore for years to discover new worlds and species, the combatants are already defined for the most part. The resources are known, I don't have to discover them. No need to manage a huge tech tree, although having one is likely since the war would last over some small period of time. There would be both ground and space battles to gain territory and ultimately win the game. More looking for a strategy game, versus actually piloting ships and such. What I can say as mentioned in the original post, I don't believe the typical 4x game is what I am after (i.e. DW, Stellaris, etc.), something that is much more focused. I guess in space this might be akin to the Star Wars universe where the two sides are largely known battling for control of the universe (although I don't believe any actual Star Wars games is it either....Empire at War I remember being close, but don't necessarily want to control the forces in the fight).
Based on JH's description of Emperor of the Fading Suns, that may be the type of game that closely resembles......looking into it.
- What kind of war do you want?
Not sure what is meant by this question as to the "kind" of war. Hopefully my description above provides some context.
- What kind of diplomacy do you want?
Diplomacy should be included to the degree that makes sense for the duration of the war itself (maybe some leading up to it in the early days). It would be more about alliances, providing safe passage, etc.....options that make most sense during war time and the short period of time leading up to it.
- Real-time vs turn-based?
Prefer turn based, but not a hard requirement.
- Research, yes - no?
To the degree that makes sense in the short period leading up to and during the war itself. Not looking at performing massive research for a ton of time, but to the extent that mostly makes sense during the war.
Quote from: Surtur on December 21, 2016, 03:53:30 AM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on December 20, 2016, 09:42:08 AM
Just curious if anyone has recommendations for the best single-player space "war" game.....what I mean by this is a game where the focus is on war, diplomacy, and weapons versus exploration/colonization, mining resources, etc. Thinking my definition rules out games like Stellaris (own), Distant Worlds (own), GalCiv III (own), Master of Orion (own), Polaris Sector, etc. unless I am missing something in those games. I know each of those have war components, but don't necessarily enjoy the grind of exploring and such. Would basically like there to be defined factions who are at odds with each other, fighting for supremacy of the galaxies!
Any thoughts?
Have you considered Sins of a Solar Empire? It is not a wargame, but a 4X/RTS hybrid, with heavy focus on combat (great looking and great fun). In addition, you might also want to look at Dawn of Andromeda*, which is a bit less of an RTS, but with more focus on diplomacy than SoaSE. Though this one is still in Early Access.
*full disclosure, I am producer on the game
I do own various versions of Sins, might be something for me to load again to see if it does meet my goals....will also looking into DOA.
How about this - ditch the digital! Go buy Federation and Empire (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/36/federation-empire) and play a proper board game. :P
Quote from: bbmike on December 21, 2016, 06:18:05 AM
How about this - ditch the digital! Go buy Federation and Empire (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/36/federation-empire) and play a proper board game. :P
You missed the statement where it must be single player....this board game suggests 2-8 players:)
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on December 21, 2016, 05:55:22 AM
Maybe the best way to describe it is something like World War II in space (or any other major war). The sides for the most part are known, with some variability. I don't need to explore for years to discover new worlds and species, the combatants are already defined for the most part. The resources are known, I don't have to discover them. No need to manage a huge tech tree, although having one is likely since the war would last over some small period of time. There would be both ground and space battles to gain territory and ultimately win the game. More looking for a strategy game, versus actually piloting ships and such. What I can say as mentioned in the original post, I don't believe the typical 4x game is what I am after (i.e. DW, Stellaris, etc.), something that is much more focused. I guess in space this might be akin to the Star Wars universe where the two sides are largely known battling for control of the universe (although I don't believe any actual Star Wars games is it either....Empire at War I remember being close, but don't necessarily want to control the forces in the fight).
Soooo... basically Star Wars Rebellion (http://www.gog.com/game/star_wars_rebellion) then.
Although that's a rather old game, and the graphics may scare you away, it is definitely a wargame and not a 4X.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on December 21, 2016, 06:28:57 AM
Quote from: bbmike on December 21, 2016, 06:18:05 AM
How about this - ditch the digital! Go buy Federation and Empire (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/36/federation-empire) and play a proper board game. :P
You missed the statement where it must be single player....this board game suggests 2-8 players:)
I've yet to meet a board game that can't be played solo. :cowboy:
you can play PBEM or Hotseat solo games like boardgames , it has A.I. you will never beat :)
Quote from: bbmike on December 21, 2016, 06:42:42 AM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on December 21, 2016, 06:28:57 AM
Quote from: bbmike on December 21, 2016, 06:18:05 AM
How about this - ditch the digital! Go buy Federation and Empire (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/36/federation-empire) and play a proper board game. :P
You missed the statement where it must be single player....this board game suggests 2-8 players:)
I've yet to meet a board game that can't be played solo. :cowboy:
Diplomacy and the old Avalon Hill Bismark were kind of hard to play solitairire.
But apart from that, solo board gaming teaches you the joy of playing hotseat solitaire in games that have weak AI (like most of Tiller's games).
I'm on-board with Anguille! Imperium Galactica is great fun. There's an extensive Youtube LP at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtLl5qPl6Xk&list=PL095B72196C234C18&index=1 and it's currently available on GOG for $4.79.
I recently refunded stars in shadow - absolutely nothing wrong with the game, but for me it wasn't doing anything Polaris or stellaris is except with zany graphics
Quote from: Philippe on December 21, 2016, 09:00:31 AM
Quote from: bbmike on December 21, 2016, 06:42:42 AM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on December 21, 2016, 06:28:57 AM
Quote from: bbmike on December 21, 2016, 06:18:05 AM
How about this - ditch the digital! Go buy Federation and Empire (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/36/federation-empire) and play a proper board game. :P
You missed the statement where it must be single player....this board game suggests 2-8 players:)
I've yet to meet a board game that can't be played solo. :cowboy:
Diplomacy and the old Avalon Hill Bismark were kind of hard to play solitairire.
But apart from that, solo board gaming teaches you the joy of playing hotseat solitaire in games that have weak AI (like most of Tiller's games).
There are tons of fully solitaire tabletop games these days. Been pretty popular lately. :bd:
Quote from: Nefaro on December 21, 2016, 02:09:49 PM
Quote from: Philippe on December 21, 2016, 09:00:31 AM
Quote from: bbmike on December 21, 2016, 06:42:42 AM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on December 21, 2016, 06:28:57 AM
Quote from: bbmike on December 21, 2016, 06:18:05 AM
How about this - ditch the digital! Go buy Federation and Empire (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/36/federation-empire) and play a proper board game. :P
You missed the statement where it must be single player....this board game suggests 2-8 players:)
If you want the best boardgame solo experience around, just get Mage Knight, and be done with it.
I've yet to meet a board game that can't be played solo. :cowboy:
Diplomacy and the old Avalon Hill Bismark were kind of hard to play solitairire.
But apart from that, solo board gaming teaches you the joy of playing hotseat solitaire in games that have weak AI (like most of Tiller's games).
There are tons of fully solitaire tabletop games these days. Been pretty popular lately. :bd:
Quote from: Anguille on December 21, 2016, 04:17:05 AM
I own Dawn of Andromeda but couldn't play it yet because my graphic card isn't good enough.
What video card do you have? I have a spare HD4850.
Quote from: bbmike on December 21, 2016, 06:18:05 AM
How about this - ditch the digital! Go buy Federation and Empire (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/36/federation-empire) and play a proper board game. :P
How about this on your android phone?
Star Fleet Deluxe
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.fdo.starfleet
Quote from: undercovergeek on December 21, 2016, 02:08:48 PM
I recently refunded stars in shadow - absolutely nothing wrong with the game, but for me it wasn't doing anything Polaris or stellaris is except with zany graphics
I was actually going to pick this up to give a try, but not encouraging:(
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on December 21, 2016, 08:33:32 PM
Quote from: undercovergeek on December 21, 2016, 02:08:48 PM
I recently refunded stars in shadow - absolutely nothing wrong with the game, but for me it wasn't doing anything Polaris or stellaris is except with zany graphics
I was actually going to pick this up to give a try, but not encouraging:(
Counter-point! I just loaded it SiS and found the first ~15 turns to be more engaging than the same for the new MOO. Perhaps new MOO will 'wow' me in a while, but I haven't felt like going back to it.
Quote from: republic on December 21, 2016, 05:20:44 PM
Quote from: Anguille on December 21, 2016, 04:17:05 AM
I own Dawn of Andromeda but couldn't play it yet because my graphic card isn't good enough.
What video card do you have? I have a spare HD4850.
Thanks. It's an Nvidia Geforce GT 620. I just ordered a new card but thanks for the offer. :bd:
http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=18427.0 (http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=18427.0)
Quote from: Nefaro on December 21, 2016, 06:37:49 AM
Soooo... basically Star Wars Rebellion (http://www.gog.com/game/star_wars_rebellion) then.
Although that's a rather old game, and the graphics may scare you away, it is definitely a wargame and not a 4X.
Loved that game. Been meaning to try and get it working on my computer.
I kind of view
Empire at War as it's modern successor, which I remember being pretty good for what it was.
Quote from: spelk on December 21, 2016, 05:36:24 PM
Quote from: bbmike on December 21, 2016, 06:18:05 AM
How about this - ditch the digital! Go buy Federation and Empire (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/36/federation-empire) and play a proper board game. :P
How about this on your android phone?
Star Fleet Deluxe
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.fdo.starfleet
I loved Star Fleet I back in the day. On my C64. :)
Quote from: WargamerJoe on December 22, 2016, 09:46:13 AM
Quote from: Nefaro on December 21, 2016, 06:37:49 AM
Soooo... basically Star Wars Rebellion (http://www.gog.com/game/star_wars_rebellion) then.
Although that's a rather old game, and the graphics may scare you away, it is definitely a wargame and not a 4X.
Loved that game. Been meaning to try and get it working on my computer.
I kind of view Empire at War as it's modern successor, which I remember being pretty good for what it was.
Rebellion and EAW are very different games.
Quote from: Pinetree on December 20, 2016, 11:16:09 PM
If you want hard-core hard-SF space combat, then Children of a Dead Earth (http://store.steampowered.com/app/476530/) is a good bet. The campaign is a story-based one that is basically a bunch of linked missions. It's set entirely in the Solar System after a cataclysmic war makes Earth uninhabitable. You do get to build your own ships and sub-systems later on though. A very recent patch has made the real-time combat pause-able.
This one is pretty amazing, lots of stuff to learn about real space warfare and physics in there. But being strictly scenario/quick battle based, I think is a bit outside of GR search parameters :)
I think that Jarhead's suggestion of Emperor of the Fading Suns is the one that checks the most boxes. I would recommend to read through a couple sourcebooks of the pen and paper RPG, in order to get a good grasp on what's going on at the start of the game... which is a LOT.
It's old and it's more RTS but I would like to throw Nexus:Jupiter Incident into the ring.
Or the Homeworld series. I imagine it's not exactly what you are looking for but both those games are either strictly or mostly combat orientated.
Quote from: jamus34 on December 23, 2016, 06:19:53 PM
It's old and it's more RTS but I would like to throw Nexus:Jupiter Incident into the ring.
Or the Homeworld series. I imagine it's not exactly what you are looking for but both those games are either strictly or mostly combat orientated.
Great call. Never really been a game that managed to get the RTS/RPG thing down while keeping combat complex enough that it's not pew pew. Unfortunately, you only get your ship or a few hangers-on. Not fleets
Grim.Reaper, I would strongly second Jarhead's recommendation of Emperor of the Fading Suns. (I really, really wish someone would a sequel/modern remake, dang it!) While admittedly an older game, it's got just about everything you said you're looking for.
For more modern games, I would second those who've mentioned Star Wars: Empire at War. It's real-time and probably not quite as deep as what you really want, but it still ticks off a lot of the boxes on your wishlist.
Recommendations on obtaining EotFS? I'm always leery of abandonware sites.
its easier to just download, but if you are reluctant, plenty of options here:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR10.TRC0.A0.H0.Xemperor+of+the+fading+suns.TRS0&_nkw=emperor+of+the+fading+suns&_sacat=0 (http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR10.TRC0.A0.H0.Xemperor+of+the+fading+suns.TRS0&_nkw=emperor+of+the+fading+suns&_sacat=0)
Since you have Sins of a Solar Empire, and following an earlier suggestion, I saw this recent video on YouTube just now:
https://youtu.be/0OQTgumgV_g
I confess I have never played it, so no idea if good, but is a free mod,so...
Been asked before,but I'm still not sure...are we talking about war from the chair of an overlord, fleet commander, captain or agent?
Quote from: solops on December 28, 2016, 07:50:51 PM
Been asked before,but I'm still not sure...are we talking about war from the chair of an overlord, fleet commander, captain or agent?
Not looking to control the individual units but more the overall situation....so assuming that likely fits your "overlord" category. Tried getting Empires of Fading Suns to work, but had issues trying to run it....will try again to figure it out since a number of folks made that recommendation.
Quote from: Hartford688 on December 28, 2016, 03:22:11 AM
Since you have Sins of a Solar Empire, and following an earlier suggestion, I saw this recent video on YouTube just now:
https://youtu.be/0OQTgumgV_g
I confess I have never played it, so no idea if good, but is a free mod,so...
Thanks.....been a long time since I played SOTSE, but remember struggling mightily to play it....but always thought it had the coolest visual battles, at least at that time.
Star Wars Rebellion
Sword of the Stars
Drox Operative
- there are alot of good space war games out there - i have even enjoyed Lords of the Black Sun. Iceberg Interactive seems to have a new one every month.
Some of the old games though really get my interest the most though
Rules of Engagement 1 and 2
The Second Conflict
Star Fleet 1: The War Begins
Look at Stellar Monarch (formerly Pocket Space Empires). I think it just left Early Access. I have it (and almost everything else in the thread except EotFS). I have not played it much yet (too many other games) but it seems to fit your main desires. I did boot it up a couple of times and I am not sure it has enough "hands on the ships" for me. I like Polaris Sector style stuff too much. But, it has some appeal and I will go back to it.
From Steam:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/446000/
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Stellar Monarch
"ABOUT THIS GAME
Basics:
Turn based, 4X, empire space builder, singleplayer, asymmetric, Emperor focused grand strategy.
Core features/promises:
You will feel like the Emperor (assassins, imperial court, granting audiences, rebels, imperial officials)
No micromanagement (no moving individual ships around or constructing boring farms, you deal with more important things)
Unique mechanics (if you are bored with other games and wanted to see something fresh, you won't be disappointed)
The premise behind the game.
You are the emperor, not a logistics officer. You don't deal with low level stuff like building farms, factories or individual ships. Instead you focus on the grander scale of things. You grant audiences, make edicts, appoint imperial officials, deal with court factions and assassins, crush rebels, decide on production quotas and priorities.
In the game there is no micromanagement, late game does not drag on forever. You can play a relatively fast paced game on a huge galaxy without late game slow downs. You own hundreds of planets, thousands of ships and all this is managed on the high level by edicts and a hierarchical fleet system. The whole premise was to make the player make only the important and interesting choices leaving everything else abstracted.
Another important feature is the asymmetric nature of the game. The AI plays by different rules, and does not try to win the game. Aliens are more like creatures living in the galaxy than computer controlled players. Sometimes they can be valuable assets worthy of protection and sometimes an obstacle to overcome. Aliens are not created equal, some are primitive beasts that shall be cleansed from the face of the galaxy, some are fellow humanoids inferior to Terrans of course but considered sentient and worthy of compassion.
In short it's a fast paced turn based space empire builder with no micromanagement, asymmetric mechanics, and focus on you as the emperor."
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That game has some interesting concepts...but just looking at it, not sure how good it is and looks like just left early access. But conceptually, might be exactly what I am looking for but I don't see any detailed reviews yet....looks like the cost is around $17, not huge but with it being unknown to me, will have to watch this one a bit before deciding. Thanks for the suggestion.
Here is a 5 part "Let's Play" for Stellar Monarch: https://www.spacegamejunkie.com/series/stellar-monarch-review/
Disclaimer - I have not watched all 5 parts in their entirety, but thought it might help give a good overview of the game. He rambles on a bit and it feels like he is learning it as he plays so take it for what it's worth.
I do have about 5 hours played so far but that is not enough for me to feel comfortable writing a review. If anyone has specific questions I can try to answer them. Some have called it Crusader Kings 2 in space, but that is a bit of a stretch because it does not have anywhere near the level of detail of CK2. It has been fun so far and I believe the dev is committed to supporting and improving it.
Thanks! I bought this a few weeks back and have been wanting to try it.
Starshatter: The Gathering Storm Developer Destroyer Studios - Publisher Matrix Games Genre - Space combat simulator
Starshatter: The Gathering Storm is a strategy-oriented space combat simulator created by Destroyer Studios and released on 7 July 2004. It is the sequel to Starshatter from 1997.
GameplayThe main game revolves around four dynamic campaigns, which generate different events every time they are played, though major events appear in every playthrough to maintain the story. Each campaign begins with each side having a set number of ships and fighters, which are the deployed to perform missions.
The player is able to perform a wide variety of missions, such as patrols and interceptions. The missions are based on the current situation in the campaign. Missions take place mostly in space, though air missions often appears as enemy landing sites are discovered. The player also has a chance to join a ground based squadron. If the player is destroyed in action, he may continue playing, despite his/her supposed "death".
As the game goes on with the player gaining ranks, the ability to control capital ships becomes available. Ships range from small anti-fighter frigates to large carriers. There are usually fewer mission choices for capital ships, though earlier missions will have more unofficial objectives due to enemies between the player and his/her target. Eventually, the player can take control of the entire fleet, and command fighters and capital ships from a carrier. The game becomes purely tactical at this point.
Now Free / Open-Sourcehttp://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=130628.0
http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=80935.0