Space, Flying and Space Flying

[Something Amyss]

The flying part of Dark Void was really freaking awesome. It's a shame once I got on the ground it felt like more of the same. I didn't find the same seamless integration Yahtzee talked about, but after hearing about how "seamless" the combat in Mass Effect 2 is, I'm beginning to think my definition is much more specific than most people.

I remember first getting my hands on the Ace Combat 6 Demo and strafing the the ground at full speed. The textures kind of suffered, but it was incredible to be able to do so. Further opening up the landscape would have been awesome.

Of course, that was more of a mission based action system. So it wasn't goling to happen there.

A similar effect was achieved by Prototype, when I was slinging myself through the air. well, before half the city started suffering from draw issues.

FPS are cheaper to make and sell well. There's little actual incentive to try and make a good space, flying, or space flying game, especially one with new dynamics.

It's a shame. I want more from my titles. I was let down by Dark Void, but it certainly tried something. nice and ambitious at least.

 

[Cypher10110]

I miss Freespace. That and X-Wing Vs. Tie fighter were two the of the best space fighters ever made.

Play FS and FS 2 and experience the awesomeness of both. Seriously. The FRED editor was just brilliant move. Best 30 bucks I ever spent on a game back when.

Poor Volition, Inc. When will you make good games again?

I don't really want another Space-flight RPG, with procedurly generated "quests" and a cut-scene linear story. (see Freelancer, and the X series for prime examples)

Why was the last mission based space flight sim 10 years ago? Notable entries include:
X-wing series (x-wing, tie fighter, x-wing alliance, x-wing vs. tie fighter)
Wing commander series
Freespace 1&2
Starlancer (the game the freelancer intro was based on - made by the same dudes)

I want to watch a voice-acted briefing, with the plan layed out, choose my loadout, the loudout of my wing, then launch out of the fighter bays into combat. I want the mission to go a little wrong, and it not be game over. Like the Sathanas mission where you had to blow up the main guns, and each gun you destroyed was one less OMEGA CRAZY lazer to worry about in the next mission. Same with the escort-style missions, if a ship you were protecting died, don't expect it to be around later to help you. The game adapted (albiet only marginally).

Things that are awesome and should make a comeback:
mission briefings
non-linear, adaptive story arcs
non-binary (win/fail) missions
awesome wingmates [and voice acting in general]
diverting power to engines/shields/weapons
afterburners
"set s-foils into attack positions"
directional shields
bugging out when shit goes wrong (instead of "MISSION FAILED" it's all like "Red 2, mission aborted, return to base")
nebulas
asteroid fields
capital ships leaving huge debris when destroyed.

...I can't finish this post I'm going to re-install Freespace2, good luck gentlemen.

 

[Seanchaidh]

I'm still waiting for the contemporary equivalent of 'Escape Velocity.'

Oh, thanks, now I have to go and find my shareware codes for EV Nova and get the EV and EV:O mods... or play those on my old Performa. I was only just considering it after reading the article, but you just made me have to!

 

[in_95]

So, flying is fun. And what else is fun? Space, that's what. Three dimensions of endless free movement, mysterious planets, alien monsters, supersonic rocket ships, and green-skinned belly dancers with glitter all over their cheeks. So flying around in space would be doubly fun, right? And therefore videogame designers would fall over themselves to make such a thing?

Super Mario Galaxy.

 

[Johnnyallstar]

Makes me miss TIE Fighter and X-wing

 

[Fursnake]

Great article...I miss spaceflight games, I really enjoyed the X-Wing and Tie fighter games and even the Jump To Lightspeed expansion for SWG. I have been nuturing a game concept that would involve space exploration and colonization of planets. Something which would be a bit of the sandbox environments like SWG wih the relatively freedom to build player settlements almost anywhere across the ground areas, mix in spaceflight and combat sim type stuff and add in ground based content like combat, exploration, crafting and resource gathering; but the space content would be as emphasized as the ground combat...the crafting I would try and make something like a mix of the crafting systems from SWG and Fallen Earth. It would definitely be an MMORPG game. Maybe a bit ambitious of an idea from someone only going to school for Game Design, but maybe someday I can do soemthing with it.

 

[phoenix352]

well the Ratchet and Clank series has Space flight bits that work nicely it isn't open world roaming but its still in space and its fun.

Ratchet and Clank has been my all time favorite series its a great action adventure game that has platforming space flight and other bits that work very good together.

i hope you have a chance to play them sometime Ben ( Yahtzee )

 

[domicius]

Space sims were what the hard-core played on the PC back in the day. They were quite simmy, and there was also this large, untapped "science fiction" hunger in the generally geeky PC userbase.

These days, your average game player doesn't really think of the vastness of space and how cool it all is, so there's not so much money in making space games. Even if you make the BEST SPACE GAME EVER, nobody will buy it.

But I'll play it.

 

[Hobo Joe]

Excellent Extra Punctuation this week - I too long for a game where it's little more than exploration; I even play Crackdown with a friend purely for the agility stat and we have so much fun just leaping around the city.

 

[RobCoxxy]

Very true. X-Wing vs Tie Fighter was one of the best combat-flight-space-shooters of all time. OF ALL TIME!

I want a new one. With high-poly X-wings and lasers and explosions and the motherfucking death star. How awesome would XWvTF2 be?!

 

[The Cake Is Annoying]

I reckon space flight sims will make a return. Guitar Hero/Rock Band has proven that there are huge markets for both enormous amounts of DLC and useless-outside-the-genre expensive peripherals and haptic feedback gaming peripherals have come a long way from the rumblepak.

The real barrier as I see it is developers wanting to have less risk, and less new IP. They're businesses and they don't want to go under.

 

[MonstersInMyCloset]

hey, you should check out the second ratchet and clank future

it has almost exactly what your describing in sections where your flying through space being allowed to land on small spheres and take off all in one fluid motion

 

[Raptorace18]

There is actually a flight sim called energy air-force that has you take off from your base at the start of missions and you have the option or requirement to return and refuel rearm and repair your plane.

 

[Cid Silverwing]

Sorry for necro.

What, are you stupid? Of course it is. At least Sonic Unleashed doesn't... oh. Ohhh. I see your plan. You're trying to make me say something nice about Sonic Unleashed so you can quote it out of context on forums full of oblivious furry-loving dickbiscuits still manfully trying to convince themselves that Sonic is worth a damn.

Thankfully I'm not part of the fanbase that keeps getting scammed into every new Sonic game out there. So you just go right ahead and flame every new release, I will gleefully watch and laugh.

 

[TheUnbeholden]

Well guess what, Yahtzee dream has just come true. Space sims are back. A indie game called Star Citizen was put up on kickstarter a little while ago that promises, dog fighting, trading, epic space adventure.. it's gotten 9 million dollars in donations. People are hungry to see this, its a real action packed space sim with drop in/drop out coop, that many people have been waiting for, since forever!