I Don't Often Play Space Based Games...

[RooksBailey]

...but when I do I prefer space battles with big honkin' capital ships and lots of dog fighting between groups of fighters. I enjoy both strategy and tactical based games, customization, ship building and Elite type games, and even the rare game that gives players the opportinity to both command and pilot.

Of the space sims and strategy games of the last five years, what do you guys recommend the most highly? A combination of both strategy and a sim would be perfect, if is exists.

Thanks all!

For space strategy, I cannot recommend Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion enough.  It is a fantastic sci-fi, fleet-based, real time 4X strategy game.  Best of all, it looks and runs great on even older rigs.  And unlike a lot of 4X game, it is real easy to play. 

For a space sim: unfortunately, there aren't a lot to recommend at the moment.  Eve Online is probably king, but the game is a P2P MMO...with all that implies.  X3 from Egosoft has some interesting elements, but it is a nightmarishly difficult game to get into.  And then there is Evochron Mercenary:  this is an amazing one man effort.  However, being a one man effort, it doesn't have as much content as I would like, so it can get "more of the same" after awhile. 

But definitely try Sins: Rebellion.  It is a modern classic in the space strategy genre. 

[panzerde]

In addition to the recommendations above, you might be interested in Starshatter: the Gathering Storm. Used to be a commercial game from Matrix but now is open source. You can download it from the Space Sim Central. There are some good videos of game play on YouTube. You can fly individual fighters in the other space and planetary missions, or you can command an entire task force of the capital ships in multi-ship battles. If you don't want to deal with the complex economic Sim of the X series, Starshatter is a nice alternative.

+1 for Nexus the Jupiter Incident as well. Excellent tactical space combat and an interesting campaign.

For a 4X game right now I'm big on Sword of the Stars 2. It still needs some AI polish, but has really become a fun game.

[Gusington]

Thanks for all of the above guys. I am checking out Star Ruler and the Sins:Rebellion. RooksBailey had me at 'easy to get into.'

How about EVE online?

[Yskonyn]

EVE Online is a very deep and rewarding game with a great community.
You can pretty much do anything you like in it, but it takes a considerable amount of time and people.
It's combat is a little hands-off as well, some even refer to EVE as 'spreadsheets online'.

I find it my choice of online sci-fi and have been playing it for years on and off.
It is a sandbox game with a real sense of danger.
I think there are trials for it, so you can always try, but be warned that the new player experience is still very much a work in progress and the game in general is hard to get into.
The community, however, is top notch! And lots of help is gotten from it.
Check out E-Uni for example, a Corp completely dedicated to educating new players in the ways of EVE. Very extensive.

[Greybriar]

....How about EVE online?

As Yskonyn touched on, EVE Online is an excellent game. There is a subscription fee, but you can try it out for free. Skill training is done in real time and only one character per account can train at a time, so although you can have up to three characters, there isn't much point in having more than one. It has a steep learning curve. The PvP can be very nasty and I've seen corporations infiltrated and destroyed by griefers. Some people may like it, but I cancelled my EVE subscription because there are other, more enjoyable games out there that don't get my blood pressure up.

[LongBlade]

....How about EVE online?

As Yskonyn touched on, EVE Online is an excellent game. There is a subscription fee, but you can try it out for free. Skill training is done in real time and only one character per account can train at a time, so although you can have up to three characters, there isn't much point in having more than one. It has a steep learning curve. The PvP can be very nasty and I've seen corporations infiltrated and destroyed by griefers. Some people may like it, but I cancelled my EVE subscription because there are other, more enjoyable games out there that don't get my blood pressure up.

Griefers can ruin a game. I've never had a serious run in with one, but I don't play MMOs much.

[Nefaro]

I found Eve steadily becoming very repetitive, even for an MMO, after a few days of playing.  Everyone says, "join a Corp" but there are a bazillion of them and what little time I did spend in a couple wasn't that much more fun.

It's interesting for a few days, but it quickly gets rather stale for me.  :'(

[Gusington]

Thanks guys.

[undercovergeek]

Thanks guys.

watching some lets play rebellion on youtube - it looks pretty cool, it means very little but i like how the capital ships turn sideways to deliver massive broadsides

[Huw the Poo]

Everyone says, "join a Corp" but there are a bazillion of them and what little time I did spend in a couple wasn't that much more fun.

To be fair, everyone is right.  Joining a corp is a requirement for Eve Online unless you're an extremely powerful individual, and it transforms the game.  Sounds like you had bad luck with the corps you joined; if you join a decent corp the game is phenomenal.  It requires a heavier time investment than any other MMORPG I've played though, and definitely doesn't lend itself to casual play, which is why I ultimately stopped playing.

[Longdan]

I really liked Eve but it took too much time and Corporations get too much like family
after a while.  It was fun but I had other things to do.

[Nefaro]

That's the rub - I like to play MMOs casually these days.  There are a lot of people (and guilds/corps/whatevah) who take them wayyy too seriously and I avoid the emotionally invested ones like the VD.

[Gusington]

watching some lets play rebellion on youtube - it looks pretty cool, it means very little but i like how the capital ships turn sideways to deliver massive broadsides

I'm shallow, that means a lot to me :) Link?

[RooksBailey]

Thanks guys.

watching some lets play rebellion on youtube - it looks pretty cool, it means very little but i like how the capital ships turn sideways to deliver massive broadsides

Just wait until you see a titan in action.   8)

[Huw the Poo]

That's the rub - I like to play MMOs casually these days.

Have you tried Guild Wars 2?  It's one of the most casual-friendly MMORPGs I've ever played.