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

[son_of_montfort]

Reading this thread made me think of a game from 20 or so years ago called Rules of Engagement by Omnitrend.  You commanded your ship and sometimes a fleet on different kinds of missions.  It was like capital ships in space, so kind of slow moving if I remember correctly.  I don't think I appreciated it then like I would now.  Are there any games similar to that available now?  I was looking at Independence War 1 & 2 over at GOG, what do you think of those?

Thanks.

Rules of Engagement was one of my first "sims." I spent more time making aliens in that game than anything, but it was still cool. You could also connect it with another game and have X-Com like TBS boarding missions. Such a cool idea!

[RedArgo]

I wonder if GOG would ever pick up ROE2 and Breach 3?

[Jarhead0331]

Reading this thread made me think of a game from 20 or so years ago called Rules of Engagement by Omnitrend.  You commanded your ship and sometimes a fleet on different kinds of missions.  It was like capital ships in space, so kind of slow moving if I remember correctly.  I don't think I appreciated it then like I would now.  Are there any games similar to that available now?  I was looking at Independence War 1 & 2 over at GOG, what do you think of those?

Thanks.

Rules of Engagement was one of my first "sims." I spent more time making aliens in that game than anything, but it was still cool. You could also connect it with another game and have X-Com like TBS boarding missions. Such a cool idea!

Does anyone have a manual for RoE2?  By the way, the other game was called Breach 3.

[RedArgo]

I guess this is legit, but I don't know for sure.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/120682761/Rules-of-Engagement-2

The pdf works and seems to be virus free.  I hope.

Interestingly, or not maybe, Omnitrend is actually still in business, they just don't make games anymore.

[Jarhead0331]

I guess this is legit, but I don't know for sure.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/120682761/Rules-of-Engagement-2

The pdf works and seems to be virus free.  I hope.

Interestingly, or not maybe, Omnitrend is actually still in business, they just don't make games anymore.

Wow! Thanks man!

[son_of_montfort]

I owned the first Rules of Engagement. Actually, I still own the first Rules of Engagement... original box, floppies, and book! I think that one connected to Breach 2, IIRC, but don't hold me to that. I never got Breach 2, which was to my great chagrin (because it was probably more my style at the time). I was young enough to have no clue what I was doing, but I certainly like lining up a ship (usually allied, no doubt) and firing every weapon I had until it blew up! Also, the alien designer was so so so much fun!

[Huw the Poo]

^You are a tempting minx.

Look, it's only six bucks on GOG!  And you get the lush soundtrack with it! :D

[Gusington]

I know I have it up on my browser right now, beckoning.

[Shelldrake]

IW2 is one of the many games on my GOG shelf that I have yet to try.  :P

[Gusington]

Soon to be with me too :)

[JasonPratt]

Is Independence War similar to RoE?

I never played Independence War (although I did buy it on GOG recently  :-[) but I'll tell you this, Gus me old china: Independence War 2 is the best space sim ever!

Hum. I liked IW1 enough to finish it, but thought its execution fell annoyingly short of its grasp, so I never even tried IW2.

Edited to add: the Poo's description later, though, sounds amazing!

[Huw the Poo]

I lied slightly earlier; I have played a little of I-War, enough to know that the two games are quite different.

I really can't emphasise enough how good I-War 2 is.  It's atmospheric as hell.  Sometimes you can be "parked" in a junkyard, waiting for some prey to unwittingly wander by.  Your systems are on low power to reduce emissions, you're holding steady and silent, you hear the occasional creaking of a hull.  Ships wander to and fro.

Or you might be in a frantic firefight!  Missiles flying everywhere, making a very characteristic screaming sound as they barely miss you.  Gunfire peppers your ship and you list, losing control for a few seconds, desperately trying to right yourself and turn to face the enemy.  The pseudo-Newtonian model makes for fantastically enjoyable gunfights...you kick in the engines and race at high speed toward a pack of enemy ships, using lateral thrust to dodge incoming fire, switching off your engine and pivoting as you fly past, trying to hold your target in your sights for as long as possible before zooming out of range.

Or you might be in desperate need of a blueprint for a certain type of weapon.  Your man Jafs has located someone who's selling, but he'll only accept medical supplies in trade.  So you pick the nearest hospital station on your map, set course, and kick in the LDS drive to quickly carry you there.  Sure enough, a hospital convoy launches from the station, loaded with exactly what you need.  You wait outside the perimeter of the station until they activate their LDS drives and you follow, launching an LDS missile at them and forcing them back to sub-light speed.  Immediately they realise they're under attack.  The freight ships desperately try to escape the LDS-I bubble you've created, while their escorts peel away and come about, guns blazing.

And I haven't even touched on the story part of the game, which is brilliant in itself.  There's a great mixture of mission types; you're not just shooting stuff.  You get to do all kinds of things.  I-War 2 isn't afraid to mix things up to create a compelling experience.  The characters are splendidly realised and often amusing, and the cutscenes are so good that I actually watch them!

All the while, the fantastic soundtrack switches from moody to ambient through to frantic as the gameplay changes.

Oh god, I'm going to have to install it again.  What a game.  Better than X-Wing, better than Freespace, certainly better than bloody Freelancer.  :)

[Gusington]

Ok ok I'll buy it! Stop it with your coy come ons!

[Huw the Poo]

Ok ok I'll buy it! Stop it with your coy come ons!

Yay!  You won't regret it.

You'll need a couple of mods.  Go here and grab the multimod, then also the location finder.  It's basically a map overlay that really should have come with the game, but Particle Systems released it afterwards.  There's a load of other mods there too, but I never used 'em.

[JudgeDredd]

Better than X3?