Hey guys, I'm thinking of writing a feature about why games like Elite are experiencing a renaissance. I'd love to hear why you guys are still playing/interested in space sims in 2016, and if you give a damn about No Man's Sky. Do you consider it a proper space sim? Are you planning on picking it up?
Why do you play space sims?
- Thread starter chapelzero
- Start date
I like to play games/sims that I can become fully immersed in, so that obv doesnt have to be a space sim, but seeing as the original back in the eighties was one of a kind, It was the perfect game for me, it really fuelled my imagination.
I also enjoyed playing the sequels for the same reason.
I would of thought that as the years go by and as technology advances and we make more discoveries about the universe, that space sims would become more popular.
I also really enjoyed the X series (before X-Rebirth), I loved the feeling of the universe being alive around you and making the journey from small fish in a big pond to a big fish and watching as your actions have an effect on the universe, I used to spend a lot of time in that game just flying around watching what was going on in the world without getting involved.
No Mans sky, ignoring the graphics, looks more like the old Elite I remember so I will definitely be picking up a copy, I actually really like the visual look, graphics arent too important to me, but I think it works for its simplicity.
I also enjoyed playing the sequels for the same reason.
I would of thought that as the years go by and as technology advances and we make more discoveries about the universe, that space sims would become more popular.
I also really enjoyed the X series (before X-Rebirth), I loved the feeling of the universe being alive around you and making the journey from small fish in a big pond to a big fish and watching as your actions have an effect on the universe, I used to spend a lot of time in that game just flying around watching what was going on in the world without getting involved.
No Mans sky, ignoring the graphics, looks more like the old Elite I remember so I will definitely be picking up a copy, I actually really like the visual look, graphics arent too important to me, but I think it works for its simplicity.
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Philip Coutts
Volunteer Moderator
It's an age thing. Evrything from the 1980's is experiencing a comeback. Starwars original toys are very sought after and new films are being made. Furniture from the 1980's are very fashionable. Even TV (the Goldbergs etc) is harking back to the 1980's now. The reason is the people who were kids in the 1980's are now grown up and have money, so what do they do with their money, they buy the stuff from their childhood that made them happy. For me Elite Dangerous, star citizen, Starwars etc is riding that wave. These are games that a lot of us played as kids, but now we can buy even better versions! So a lot of nostalgia is involved, certainly on the part of Elite.
Also space is cool, who doesn't want to be a spaceman!
Also space is cool, who doesn't want to be a spaceman!
I've always been fascinated by space, I was born 2 years after the moon landings and have still not stopped sulking about it. 
I have a Telescope which I'll learn to take photos with one day, love films set in space Gravity, The Martian, Aliens 2001to name just a few and books set in space Arthur C Clarke's Odyessy series, Harry Harrison etc. ....(bit of a theme developing here)
I was in the position a few years ago to be able to afford the Omega Speedmaster watch that Nasa tested for space flight and issued to all astronauts. I'd lusted after the Speedy for many, many years knowing that Buzz Aldrin wore (Armstrong left his behind on the lander as their was a problem with the clock) when he was the 2nd man on the moon. and I still love looking at it every chance I get, It really is a beautiful watch and as it's a manual watch I love winding up every couple of days. (Pics are available on request as I'm a right show off....)
When the moon becomes unlocked (Not yet in game) I'll be pointing my Cobra in its direction to do a moon landing the same as I've done countless times before in Frontier and FFE with the biggest cheezy grin on my face and heading off to the sea of tranquillity to check out what FD have done there. I really can't wait to do that.
However, The 3rd game in the Elite series FFE was my favourite before ED came along and I've spent hundreds of hours playing it as either a trader, explorer, pirate and I'm now happily doing the same with ED interspersed with a bit of CQC to keep the old reactions sharp.
ED is quite simply a stunningly beautiful game. The attention to detail that David B and all the boys and girls at FD have put into creating a accurate representation of the galaxy is astounding. The sights and sounds of the game are something very special to me and I know that they feel the same as well, to be honest I can't see anything out there that comes close to it.
What also makes the game special is the community that has grown around it, there are some fantastic people here on the forums and the creativity, inventiveness and humour that the Elite fans have that surrounds the game is something I've never experienced before and is exceptional in the kindness and togetherness just because of a small game that two Cambridge Graduates made for the BBC Computer and a few beermats is phenomenal.
I'll have a look at NMS when it comes out but along with SC both not being part of our galaxy is something I'm personally not all that interested in, they are both looking really great games and I know has a great fan base already. But for me I think the realisim of ED is what keeps me hooked on it more than the others.
I've got a Oculus Rift and sitting in the cockpit of my Cobra wearing the DK2 is probably the nearest I will ever get to actually experiencing what space actually feels like. (Damn it.) for those who haven't had the chance to do this, if you get the opportunity to do so you won't regret it.
So for me, ED really give me everything I want from a space game A massive galaxy to play in either alone or with friends, stunning sights to see, amazing sounds to hear and the nearest feeling of actually being in space I'll probably get coupled withthe continued series of expansions FD have planned I'll be a very happy little mod for many years to come.
I have a Telescope which I'll learn to take photos with one day, love films set in space Gravity, The Martian, Aliens 2001to name just a few and books set in space Arthur C Clarke's Odyessy series, Harry Harrison etc. ....(bit of a theme developing here)
I was in the position a few years ago to be able to afford the Omega Speedmaster watch that Nasa tested for space flight and issued to all astronauts. I'd lusted after the Speedy for many, many years knowing that Buzz Aldrin wore (Armstrong left his behind on the lander as their was a problem with the clock) when he was the 2nd man on the moon. and I still love looking at it every chance I get, It really is a beautiful watch and as it's a manual watch I love winding up every couple of days. (Pics are available on request as I'm a right show off....
)When the moon becomes unlocked (Not yet in game) I'll be pointing my Cobra in its direction to do a moon landing the same as I've done countless times before in Frontier and FFE with the biggest cheezy grin on my face and heading off to the sea of tranquillity to check out what FD have done there.
I really can't wait to do that.However, The 3rd game in the Elite series FFE was my favourite before ED came along and I've spent hundreds of hours playing it as either a trader, explorer, pirate and I'm now happily doing the same with ED interspersed with a bit of CQC to keep the old reactions sharp.
ED is quite simply a stunningly beautiful game. The attention to detail that David B and all the boys and girls at FD have put into creating a accurate representation of the galaxy is astounding. The sights and sounds of the game are something very special to me and I know that they feel the same as well, to be honest I can't see anything out there that comes close to it.
What also makes the game special is the community that has grown around it, there are some fantastic people here on the forums and the creativity, inventiveness and humour that the Elite fans have that surrounds the game is something I've never experienced before and is exceptional in the kindness and togetherness just because of a small game that two Cambridge Graduates made for the BBC Computer and a few beermats is phenomenal.
I'll have a look at NMS when it comes out but along with SC both not being part of our galaxy is something I'm personally not all that interested in, they are both looking really great games and I know has a great fan base already. But for me I think the realisim of ED is what keeps me hooked on it more than the others.
I've got a Oculus Rift and sitting in the cockpit of my Cobra wearing the DK2 is probably the nearest I will ever get to actually experiencing what space actually feels like. (Damn it.) for those who haven't had the chance to do this, if you get the opportunity to do so you won't regret it.
So for me, ED really give me everything I want from a space game A massive galaxy to play in either alone or with friends, stunning sights to see, amazing sounds to hear and the nearest feeling of actually being in space I'll probably get coupled withthe continued series of expansions FD have planned I'll be a very happy little mod for many years to come.
Ian Phillips
Volunteer Moderator
You should become a space engineer - you have the hairstyle for it
You should become a space engineer - you have the hairstyle for it
It's a good look..
Ian Phillips
Volunteer Moderator
1) Open world.
2) Astronomy.
3) Frontier Elite II sequel.
No Man's Sky? Maybe, we'll see.
2) Astronomy.
3) Frontier Elite II sequel.
No Man's Sky? Maybe, we'll see.
Orbiter, KSP, X, Space Engineers (though that's basically just Minecraft in space), Moonbase Alpha, Lunar Flight, Elite Dangerous...
Play Star Trek too, and used to play Eve ... space is fun Just a shame real physics gets in the way of a game... I remember one on the Acorn Archimedes called Black Angel (kinda like the original Elite but with Newtonian physics)... fun, but combat was meh...
Play Star Trek too, and used to play Eve ... space is fun Just a shame real physics gets in the way of a game... I remember one on the Acorn Archimedes called Black Angel (kinda like the original Elite but with Newtonian physics)... fun, but combat was meh...
I've been a space nut since the early eighties with games like Star flight, Elite etc where graphics weren't paramount but your imagination filled in the gaps and turn anything into the dream.
These days graphics are wa better so it doesn't feel like the pioneering days of the 80s. I think this is why ffe still has a huge following its not graphically huge today but it's got loads to do.
These days graphics are wa better so it doesn't feel like the pioneering days of the 80s. I think this is why ffe still has a huge following its not graphically huge today but it's got loads to do.
Minonian
Banned
I think we were all space fans there. My reasons, why i love this much Elite, and space sims? Simple! one of the first games i come to really love as a child, was the first Elite in my C64, in overall, this ST an SW made me a space nerd, and i don't think im the only one who can say that. And i played a lot of games in this title trough the years, and still playing STO altrough not as much as previously, somehow im not really intrested anymore. But the tell the truth im not in my want to play 48 hours in a day phase right now.
dayrth
Volunteer Moderator
Every time I launch from a station (or take off from a planet as I am out exploring at the moment), I do so with a beg grin on my face. I'M FLYING A SPACE SHIP . I backed IBS and I watch the progress of NMS and SC with interest, but Elite is the game that truly brings me joy, and has been for more that 30 years
. I backed IBS and I watch the progress of NMS and SC with interest, but Elite is the game that truly brings me joy, and has been for more that 30 years 
I grew up in the space age, it was every boys dream to be an astronaut and land on the moon. The original Elite turned some of us into astronauts and now ED is allowing us to play as we dreamed forty years ago. I was bought up on a diet of second world war fighters so the flight model suits that background. There is also an element of childhood nostalgia.
I started playing Elite in 1984, when it first came out. I have now played all the sequels (and a couple of other space sim games), and the reason I prefer the Elite genre is because it is so open ended (I choose what I want to do, and how).
Ian Phillips
Volunteer Moderator
Playing Civilization gives me RSI.
Space sims are fun, simple as that.
I enjoy space sims because they are far enough from the real world to be stressfully relaxing in a nice way. I should point out that I tend towards the Elite type of space-sim as the others haven't attracted my interest - I like being able to choose my own path. If I want to relax in a sim without the stress then I fire up Railworks and drive trains - the scenery tends to be a bit more interesting ;-)
I've always been a dreamer, ever since I was a toddler. My daughter is just the same.
Space was something I always dreamed about. I used to lay in the grass, in the open, looking up, see all the stars, the milky way, a few meteorites burning in the atmosphere. I used to think how small we were in comparison to the universe.
Growing up, Star Wars was a huge influence in my life. And I absolutely adored Ridley Scott's Alien, how the Nostromo set down on LV 426 to investigate the analogue beacon. It wasn't until later I saw 2001. Gravity is one of the best sci fi movies ever made.
The first ever space game I played was Tie Fighter. I had to boot up my parents 486 PC with a specially formatted floppy to free up some memory. ELITE wasn't something I knew about.
I love space. But I'm also a gamer at heart. I rather play a very good game than play a mediocre space sim.
Simulators has never been very common in my life (the only simulator I really loved was Gran Turismo).
Mass Effect 4, Star Citizen, Elite dangerous... Space games is expanding, and I love it!
Space was something I always dreamed about. I used to lay in the grass, in the open, looking up, see all the stars, the milky way, a few meteorites burning in the atmosphere. I used to think how small we were in comparison to the universe.
Growing up, Star Wars was a huge influence in my life. And I absolutely adored Ridley Scott's Alien, how the Nostromo set down on LV 426 to investigate the analogue beacon. It wasn't until later I saw 2001. Gravity is one of the best sci fi movies ever made.
The first ever space game I played was Tie Fighter. I had to boot up my parents 486 PC with a specially formatted floppy to free up some memory. ELITE wasn't something I knew about.
I love space. But I'm also a gamer at heart. I rather play a very good game than play a mediocre space sim.
Simulators has never been very common in my life (the only simulator I really loved was Gran Turismo).
Mass Effect 4, Star Citizen, Elite dangerous... Space games is expanding, and I love it!