posted
So, like, I've just finished reading 'Consider Phlebas' and it was great, but it has left me yearning for more of those kooky ill-fated privateering stories. I've also been going back through the Firefly with the NZgf, and that has me wanting. But I think what I'm looking for is a videogame. So I know some of you play these games, and some of you may have an idea what I'm talking about.
Basically what I'm looking for is a game where you start out with a cruddy little ship and a little bit of gas-money and then you do missions and pick up crew and as you get more money, you start getting better equipment for your crappy ship and ragtag crew and then eventually you are able to get a semi-nice ship and the missions are tougher, but now your fees have gone up too. And there are big superpowers you steer clear of and other peers fucking up your biz and maybe you make friends. And then, like, the ultimate would be you can actually get some old battlecruiser with all the gunports empty and fill it up. And it has space combat and maybe some ground stuff too. But so it's pretty open ended and there might be plot, but not necessarily. I realize I'm totally dating myself, but who here remembers Tradewars? Yeah, OK I'm old.
Does this game even exist? I used to play something like this on my Dad's old 386 w/CGA, except the gameplay was more or less crap and the graphics were...well they were CGA. It's OK if the game is a little old. It doesn't need to be the 14 kazillion poly real-sampled bone-cracking simulation engine thing. I've been playing Alpha Centauri, TIE Fighter and even a little Freespace lately. So if people know of games or might know what I'm even talking about (NyQuil makes you sleepy!)
Also is there some kind of Everquest environment like this? Because if there isn't there should be. Thanks in advance.
-------------------- "Nah. The 9th chevron is for changing the ringtone from "grindy-grindy chonk-chonk" to the theme tune to dallas." -Reverend42
Registered: Sep 2000
| IP: Logged
As to new games, I can't really think of something that covers all those things. Maybe X-2, or Freelancer.
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
posted
You can run it in '98 now. Not that that does most people any good.
-------------------- "This is why you people think I'm so unknowable. You don't listen!" - God, "God, the Devil and Bob"
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
posted
But you see I've got a machine set aside expressly for the purpose of playing those old games running Win98SE.
Liam: I never played Elite, but I remember it. Frontier Elite 2 also looks cool.
I've been poking around MobyGames, and I think I just found the game I used to play. Megatraveller 1. God that was shitty. But the idea was good.
Registered: Sep 2000
| IP: Logged
posted
Also Freelancer looks cool except that they mispelled 'Naval' twice on the box art (the less-common 'Navel' spelling), and then it's made by Microsoft. If by X-2 you are referring to Final Fantasy X-2, then that would be great on the ground, but I don't think there's any space stuff. Thanks though.
Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
Member # 256
posted
X-2 as in X-2: The Threat, which, like Freelancer and Privateer and Elite and Hardwar and, uh, some other games of yore, is a space-trading-RPG-combat-sim thingy that matches your specified search parameters to a T.
"Also is there some kind of Everquest environment like this?"
posted
Although most reviews I've seen have said that, while X-3 should be Freelancer eXtreme, it is actually not quite as good. I will play it soon. I've just finished Freedom Force, I'm going to (finally) finish Freespace, and then it's straight on to finishing Wind Waker, Metroid Prime and Deus Ex, before going straight on to Freelancer. Or Knights Of the Old Republic.
I played Megatraveller when I was young. It was based on an old tabletop RPG, I believe. And I think there was a sequel, on the Amiga at least...
And, er, you really wouldn't play Freelancer just because it's published by Microsoft? That's...stupid.
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
Member # 256
posted
The American version of X-2 is buggy, but not the garbled mess some review boys make it out to be. In fact, the game's eminently playable once your initial "I'm lost and disoriented" and "what the fuck am I going to do next?" symptoms begin to dissipate. Really.
"I'm going to (finally) finish Freespace..."
I've heard that for the past seven billion years now.
Registered: Nov 1999
| IP: Logged
posted
Freedom Force? Really? What did you think of that game? I so rarely run into people that have played it....unless I force it onto them or something
Knights of the Old Republic is real fun too. Its like a Star Wars game that doesn't suck, which is a rarity now.
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
posted
Oh, that X2. Sorry it's just that there are a lot of things being called X and X2 and whathaveyou so it's confusing sometimes. I aparently missed X1. It looks very cool. Might be more or less what the doctor ordered.
Ok, so EVE looks kind of good. I don't like the way their artist draws faces, but hey that's a pretty keen MMOG setup they've got there. Neato Homeworld-style ships. Lot of potential there. Maybe I'll wait for EVE2. Anyone here play Eve?
quote:Originally posted by PsyLiam: And, er, you really wouldn't play Freelancer just because it's published by Microsoft? That's...stupid.
Well I didn't say I wouldn't play it, I'd just be very cautious about it. From the reviews I'm reading, the game seems like it shepherds the player far more than a persistant universe-type game ought to. Plus in the same manipulative gameplay vein, I get the impression Digital Anvil got a taste of some M$ pressure. Having had some..let's say history...with the Microsoft Gaming Gestapo, I'm more than a little biased.
Registered: Sep 2000
| IP: Logged
Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
Member # 256
posted
I'm afraid your bias is justified here. Freelancer, at least in unmodded form, is a simplistic shoot 'm up with sandbox depth and no lasting appeal beyond the odd multiplayer frenzy, but then you don't have to fork over $15 a month to Microsoft's SS just to retain your account (yet) so likening it to EVE is perhaps a bit unfair to both games.
Registered: Nov 1999
| IP: Logged
So, I'm sorry I'm blathering through this thread, but I've finally remembered the other one I used to play. Starflight As I recall it wasn't all that much fun (It's very likely that I was just been too stupid.) I found a shareware version of Elite 2: Frontier and version of WC: Privateer I'm downloading now and very curious to try.
It's weird going through these old games. The designers would have killed to have display technology like what we've all got now. Like the graphics have come so far, but overall, the depth has suffered as a result. Before all they had was depth. It seems like you could license and use the guts of one of these classics with a Freespace space-combat-sim clone, slap some skins on a squad game engine and put out a killer sequel with nostalgia audience built-in. You wouldn't even need to pay a second-string celebrity voice actor to get TEH KILLAR GAME!!11!!!one!
Registered: Sep 2000
| IP: Logged
posted
Braben is working on Elite 4, apparently. Frontier style physics with Elite-style fighting. And hopefully Elite-style fun, rather than Frontier survival-oh-god-I'm-bored now.
Cartman: Are you talking about the multiplayer or single player Freelancer? Cause the single-player got good review scores from PC Format and Gamer over here, and they're pretty trustworthy publications.
And I've just been playing Freespace. Up to the point in the Nebula where you realise that there's a Second *gasp* subspace portal thingie, and more Really Big And Scary Ships. I actually got to this point once before, and then lost my save game when upgrading my computer. Arse. Still, it's nice playing it on my 2800+ with Radeon 9600 GPU. Look! I'm flying over the Collossus with no slowdown! Woo!
No-one spoil anything, or I will kill them.
Mucus: I just...finished...last...night. It was delightfully silly. I'll probably play it again with "real" superheros, but I went through it with the built in ones to see every cliche bought to great life. Although it's not really a copy of 60s comics like some reviews have said - more of a piss-take, but an affectionate one.
So, yeah, really pretty good. 81%, if you insist on arbitary numbers to back up opinions, as computer magazines tend to do.
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
posted
Ohhhh, freespace TWO! Well, yes, we wouldn't want to spoil any of the astounding revelations about the Shivans.
-------------------- "This is why you people think I'm so unknowable. You don't listen!" - God, "God, the Devil and Bob"
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
God that was shitty. But the idea was good.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic
