Space Sims: A forgotten genre?

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Wing Commander, X-Wing/Tie Fighter, Descent/Freespace... These names conjure up a host of great memories and gameplay whenever mentioned to me, and yet I feel the genre that these games defined has winnowed away to nothing but memory and GoG archives.
What happened to the space sim? Why didn't this genre go further? Before you say "But they're still around, look at CCP's giant MMO EVE!!!"
No, EVE is more of a stock market simulator with space mining/fighting elements... Its not a true space sim IMO.
All in all I do miss launching my Tie Fighter and taking down a Nebulon B frigate with nothing but lasers and hectic joystick work. I used to wonder what they'd do next, if they'd add void-to-atmosphere physics to these games so that you can transition effortlessly between space and planet-side fights... Maybe even add in some ground troop or first/3rd person fighting like the Battlefield series...
All in all I'm very disappointed this genre hasn't been explored to its full potential and I even miss regular flight sims (Ace Combat isn't a sim, but rather an arcade game with flight physics).
Anyone else miss this genre? Anyone else want it back and this time with more?

 

[Kermi]

I wish there were more games like TIE Fighter, I'd love to see a sequel or remake. However, I think I also read recently that space sims are actually harder to do these days because of the different tech, and it would make the games incredibly resource hungry, so a lot of devs won't even try. I think the closest I've seen in recent years is that one space mission in Halo: Reach and while that was great, if that's the best modern games can do I don't think I'd like to see an entire game based around it.

Still, we can hope for a revival at some point.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

You have to wonder why these games are so rare today, considering how frequently threads like this get started all over the internet. I'm still not even really clear on why they died in the first place. They got big to begin with because of how the limited number of objects on screen (outer space being pretty empty, and all that) allowed them to have better looking graphics than pretty much any other genre, but I don't see how graphics hitting a point where you could easily do other stuff should be a reason to stop making them entirely. I know a lot of the later games were over-complicated, and many of them focused on Newtonian physics and trading systems instead of blowing stuff up, but that's even worse; that means that Wing Commander's descendants started to die out before Elite's descendants did, when Elite clones were always the more niche subgenre. It just doesn't make sense.

 

[endtherapture]

Freespace 2 was an awesome game.

I'd love to see a modern remake of that or something similar.

 

[MasterOfHisOwnDomain]

I want Firefly Studios to release Space Colony [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Colony_(video_game)] 2 ... the original that was a great, great game. With updated graphics and more content, it would be one of the first games in ages that I would actually buy.

 

[Atmos Duality]

The modern space sims I've played are just so damn boring. In Evochron Mercenary, there's largely nothing to do but haul freight and mine rocks for the first several hours or so. The flight physics are realistic, which of course, means they're a colossal pain in the ass to learn since you never have a good frame of reference in the black of space.
(refueling drives me up the fucking wall; it's expensive to practice maneuvers in races just because of the cost of using your afterburner)

X3 turns into EVE Online Single Player, which just means you get to grind yourself until bored...and then grind until you redefine boredom. This wouldn't be such a problem if not for the fact that the defense missions rank up rapidly as you clear them, to the point where you cannot even hope to beat the Xenons in a dogfight without missiles, just because they can outrun the best cannons/lasers in the game (and missiles are expensive).

So you're basically forced to establish trade channels no matter how you play; to pay for your ships and ammo if nothing else.

The Space Simulation Genre, as it turns out, is very unwelcoming towards players new to the scene (and I'm quite familiar with a flight controller; the only thing I had going for me in Evochron, really).

The genre is primed for some big game to relaunch it. I can picture a few different game concepts that could work, but of course, unless a console can run it with shiny graphics, it aint getting made by AAA.

So nobody is investing time and tech into making it. The Big Shooter Craze is STILL going strong; and it's where most of the AAA money is going into (with the exception of Starhawk; which is quite excellent).

 

[gyrobot_v1legacy]

I want Firefly Studios to release Space Colony [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Colony_(video_game)] 2 ... the original that was a great, great game. With updated graphics and more content, it would be one of the first games in ages that I would actually buy.

You didn't play stronghold 2/3 I assume? You may want to change your tune

 

[MasterOfHisOwnDomain]

You didn't play stronghold 2/3 I assume? You may want to change your tune

I did play SH2 unfortunately. But SHK is quite good, and that's essentially renovated graphics and more content, which is what I'm asking for.

 

[teebeeohh]

hopefully the kickstarter craze will result in some space sims that sell well and some bigger publishers will pick up the genre. only problem is to get a proper one running on consoles, this genre needs a lot of buttons to work.

 

[General Twinkletoes]

They're pretty much dead atm, sadly. Hopefully they'll see a resurgence, genres come back all the time. 2D fighters were dead for a long time, now they're back in full swing, and there are a bunch of point and clicks being brought back.

 

[number2301]

It's kind of still around, just not as big as it used to be, we've got Evochron Mercenary, Sol Exodus, Pioneer, a new fan made wing commander game, and vendetta online.

Sure I'd love it to be big again but the real beauty of pc gaming is that as long as one person is still making something a genre isn't dead!

 

[Jandau]

No idea why they died out. Perhaps they were simply drowned out when the FPS reneissance started, coupled with a few flopped projects. Then publishers stopped backing them because nobody was buying them and nobody was buying them because nobody was making them, turning it into a vicious circle. I'm guessing that the rise of console gaming didn't help, since the overall lack of a keyboard meant that the "proper" sims were hard to move over and the simplified version were too arcade-y for the target audience...

However, it's really a shame. Space Sims make it easy to have superb graphics since there's no need to render terrain and such. There's plenty to be done with the gameplay and the sheer scale of combat that the genre could offer is staggering.

Recently, there have been some indie attemps to revive the genre, like Sol: Exodus (which sucks donkey balls) and Moon Breakers (which sucks yak balls), but due to low quality, this has proven pointless. Last good space sim I can remember would be Nexus: The Jupiter Incident and the Homeworld games. These were more along the lines of capital ship sims and tactics games. Last good starfighter games I can recall would be Freespace 2, X-Wing: Alliance, Freelancer and maybe the last Wing Commander...

 

[incal11]

I certainly miss the genre. There's a lot that can be done in a good space game. The problem is it's a bit less straightforward than a FPS, the appeal isn't as large no matter how good the game. And if it's dumbed down to have a larger audience it always sucks.

It's still possible that future games could give the genre a new life though.

 

[LookingGlass]

Lucasarts are soon going to bring the genre back to the AAA arena soon with X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter 2, and it will be so good that we'll forgive them for releasing terrible game after terrible game for the last decade.

The eagle eyes of Gamespot have noticed that Lucasarts are looking to hire developers to work on three new titles, one of which is an aerial combat game. Speculation, ho!

That could mean all sorts of things but the advert does specify that experience with "space-based shooters" is of particular benefit. It?s all in the heady realm of guesswork and idle dreaming at the moment but if we are on the verge of an announcement of the possibility of a far-off release of a new TIE Fighter, I say it?s about time.

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/09/15/might-be-tie-fightin-lucasarts-hiring/

Well, that could happen, right?

 

[Antitonic]

hopefully the kickstarter craze will result in some space sims that sell well and some bigger publishers will pick up the genre. only problem is to get a proper one running on consoles, this genre needs a lot of buttons to work.

Kickstarter definitely seems to be a place to look for space sims. Space sims, and zombie RPGs. Off the top of my head you've got Kinetic Void, Drifter, and Skyjacker.

 

[Jazoni89]

If you want Space Sims, buy yourself a 3DO.

Other than a bunch of porn games, it's one of the most prominent genre's on the system.

 

[Doogan]

Lets just start up a new petition to get Volition to start work on Freespace 3!! That one game could re-start the entire Space sim genre!!!

 

[Valok]

Well, truth is I don't know why they just disappeared, BUT there still seems to be a small hope at the end of the tunnel with some small projects kicking around, like this one.

It's stil a WIP = http://naumachia.aureasection.com/faq/



Right now I'm playing Evochron Mercenary though, don't know if you've heard OP but go take a look, it's on steam.

 

[The Ubermensch]

Sol Exodus was pretty good. and that was pretty recent.

Things a modern Space Sim needs:

Drift (RCS thrusters might work but shouldn't too well at high velocities, drift should be from main inertial thrust alone)
Tight manoeuvring (Through a carriers hanger or perhaps a cave system in an asteroid)
Customisation
3rd person camera, but a fully fleshed out first person cockpit
The wonder of going to new planets
Probably a mother ship; I can't see a pilot doing extra solar travel in a single seated fighter

 

[Ragsnstitches]

I wish there were more games like TIE Fighter, I'd love to see a sequel or remake. However, I think I also read recently that space sims are actually harder to do these days because of the different tech, and it would make the games incredibly resource hungry, so a lot of devs won't even try. I think the closest I've seen in recent years is that one space mission in Halo: Reach and while that was great, if that's the best modern games can do I don't think I'd like to see an entire game based around it.

Still, we can hope for a revival at some point.

just.... going to leave this here....


that was back in 2010, each individual star you see, you can travel to.

Rings around planets are rendered with the debris that comprises them.

you see a planet? fly down to that ***** and check it out.

best of all, its going to be a MMO.


So, in immortal words: Space Explorations Games, Not Dead Yet!

It would have to be procedurally generated for half the stuff they claim to work, as there is no way they are going to hand render every damn planet and star.

It's an amazing idea, but I won't hold my breath about them actually getting anything like that down in a finished product.

Here's to hoping I have to eat my own words.