Game Discussions Space Games suggestion

[CMDR Hales]

Is that the VR game where you EVA between stations, and puke if there’s radiation leakage?

this game taught me that I am in fact very prone to motion sickness in VR. Nothing before that point had elicited such a response from me.
I think I’d love it if my stomach could tolerate it. It felt a little similar to Hellion but not as aggravating to do EVA (and of course Hellion is sadly dead now)

No, this is Starbase...

Starbase on Steam

Starbase is a hybrid voxel/vertex-based space MMO with a fully destructible and infinitely expanding universe, with a focus on building and designing spaceships and stations, exploration, resource gathering, crafting, trading, and combat.

store.steampowered.com

 

[CmdrKull]

No, this is Starbase...

Starbase on Steam

Starbase is a hybrid voxel/vertex-based space MMO with a fully destructible and infinitely expanding universe, with a focus on building and designing spaceships and stations, exploration, resource gathering, crafting, trading, and combat.

store.steampowered.com

Oh nice, and early release at the end of the month! Definitely will check this out.
I just browsed my steam library and the one I was referring to is Star Shelter.

 

[[VR] Enexemander]

I was really hyped for VR in Squadrons until it was a shaky mess and just a bit terrible. I should check back with it to see if they cleaned that up at all.

One take away was that flying a Tie Fighter is terrifying. They're just coffins with a hole cut out directly in the front. Good luck in that six degrees of freedom space, buddy!

 

[Several Puffins]

I was really hyped for VR in Squadrons until it was a shaky mess and just a bit terrible. I should check back with it to see if they cleaned that up at all.

One take away was that flying a Tie Fighter is terrifying. They're just coffins with a hole cut out directly in the front. Good luck in that six degrees of freedom space, buddy!

Squadrons VR improved massively after a patch that removed the fixed 60fps (how this made it through testing I do not know). It's not beautifully optimised like ED:H, but it's pretty good.

The TIE fighter has such a terrible view- it really messed with your situational awareness. No wonder Imperial pilots kept smacking themselves into cliffs.

 

[Several Puffins]

Oh nice, and early release at the end of the month! Definitely will check this out.
I just browsed my steam library and the one I was referring to is Star Shelter.

Star shelter is pretty good, but you really need great VR legs.

I was fine with a lot of it, but the fact that you won't stop travelling through a wall until it reaches the head was freaky. I kept looking down and thinking "My legs are lost in a bulkhead!".

 

[CMDR Hales]

Oh nice, and early release at the end of the month! Definitely will check this out.
I just browsed my steam library and the one I was referring to is Star Shelter.

That does look interesting, good catch.

 

[Deleted member 182079]

X4 and/or NMS.

NMS is more on the survival side, X4 is more on the space side. Both are fabulous games.

Agree with this, because I own both (X4 is a recent addition) - they work exceptionally well in combination because their focus is so different.

If I want to do some planetside exploration - and honestly, even though despite jumping pineapples and floating land mass sillyness the way that is implemented is so much better than how it's done in Elite. Never thought I'd say this but once you accept the art style and the unrealistic physics etc. it's actually a great exploration game, as the variety is sufficient enough to make a planet feel different (unlike the limited and copy-paste planetary features in Elite), and how it's tracked in its "codex" equivalent.

While in Elite I often spend significant amounts of time staring at the screen twiddling my thumbs (or instead alt-tab out to the forum), I'm proper busy in NMS; there's so much to do and I keep getting distracted all the time. As a game, it's great, and I admit I never really gave it a proper chance because Elite was always my go-to space game first, though that has changed since EDO launched, and particularly patch 5.

I'm only about 5-6 hours into X4, and while it's true that the graphics don't "pop" as much as in Elite or even NMS, I do like the visuals nonetheless, and everything feels like a proper "lived-in" galaxy, even if it doesn't allow the same freedom as in Elite or NMS. NPC ships go about their business, you can frickin' land on another ship, or have yours piloted by NPC crew, you can stick to single ship flying a la Han Solo or build a massive fleet (that's my goal but I'm still at the Solo stage). The economy makes sense, there's EVA (although very basic), and on-foot stuff is optional (i.e. it's there if you want to but you're not really forced into it, feels more natural how it's implemented), travel isn't as boring and tedious as in Elite and you have various options (autopilot, travel-mode, NPC crew) to go from A to B.

And if you want -proper- ELW exploration, there's always MSFS2020

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

Agree with this, because I own both (X4 is a recent addition) - they work exceptionally well in combination because their focus is so different.

If I want to do some planetside exploration - and honestly, even though despite jumping pineapples and floating land mass sillyness the way that is implemented is so much better than how it's done in Elite. Never thought I'd say this but once you accept the art style and the unrealistic physics etc. it's actually a great exploration game, as the variety is sufficient enough to make a planet feel different (unlike the limited and copy-paste planetary features in Elite), and how it's tracked in its "codex" equivalent.

While in Elite I often spend significant amounts of time staring at the screen twiddling my thumbs (or instead alt-tab out to the forum), I'm proper busy in NMS; there's so much to do and I keep getting distracted all the time. As a game, it's great, and I admit I never really gave it a proper chance because Elite was always my go-to space game first, though that has changed since EDO launched, and particularly patch 5.

I'm only about 5-6 hours into X4, and while it's true that the graphics don't "pop" as much as in Elite or even NMS, I do like the visuals nonetheless, and everything feels like a proper "lived-in" galaxy, even if it doesn't allow the same freedom as in Elite or NMS. NPC ships go about their business, you can frickin' land on another ship, or have yours piloted by NPC crew, you can stick to single ship flying a la Han Solo or build a massive fleet (that's my goal but I'm still at the Solo stage). The economy makes sense, there's EVA (although very basic), and on-foot stuff is optional (i.e. it's there if you want to but you're not really forced into it, feels more natural how it's implemented), travel isn't as boring and tedious as in Elite and you have various options (autopilot, travel-mode, NPC crew) to go from A to B.

And if you want -proper- ELW exploration, there's always MSFS2020

And - you can even "engineer" your fleet. But in X4 it's actually really not needed. Interesting take with NMS. I played it before I jumped back into Cradle of Humanity to bridge the wait. Planetfall is kinda always looming at the back of my head when playing X4, but I've accepted it's a very unlikely feature of a X game.

 

[Deleted member 182079]

And - you can even "engineer" your fleet. But in X4 it's actually really not needed. Interesting take with NMS. I played it before I jumped back into Cradle of Humanity to bridge the wait. Planetfall is kinda always looming at the back of my head when playing X4, but I've accepted it's a very unlikely feature of a X game.

Haven't gone into upgrades etc. yet but I like that changing thrusters etc. actually changes the appearance of your ship. It's the little details like that which I really dig about X4.

I used to rain a fair bit on NMS's parade in the past - mostly due to the art style but also the graphics weren't that impressive - the latest update gave it a pretty decent boost, some of the textures look more realistic (metallic parts on your ship etc.) and the skybox has more stars, it's a very slick package all round now. There's also a lot of QoL going into it with each update which makes the game far less grindy than it used to be. I think I'm becoming a convert...

Elite is really in freefall at the moment for me - I went on a mini exploration trip to give the new planet tech and flower scanning game loop a decent chance (since settlement performance has tanked with patch 5, and I'm already bored of the gameplay), but I gave up after 2 short evening sessions because it's tedious and full of visual issues/glitches. How things can change and how quickly.

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

Haven't gone into upgrades etc. yet but I like that changing thrusters etc. actually changes the appearance of your ship. It's the little details like that which I really dig about X4.

I used to rain a fair bit on NMS's parade in the past - mostly due to the art style but also the graphics weren't that impressive - the latest update gave it a pretty decent boost, some of the textures look more realistic (metallic parts on your ship etc.) and the skybox has more stars. There's also a lot of QoL going into it with each update which makes the game far less grindy than it used to be. I think I'm becoming a convert...

Elite is really in freefall at the moment for me - I went on a mini exploration trip to give the new planet tech and flower scanning game loop a decent chance (since settlement performance has tanked with patch 5, and I'm already bored of the gameplay), but I gave up after 2 short evening sessions because it's tedious and full of visual issues/glitches. How things can change and how quickly.

There is a lot undocumented features of the gear. You can customise any ship with any gear (as a rule). But Teladi engines and Terran engines have more differences than the paper states. The acceleration in travel mode e.g. Terran engines are slow combat drives. And on paper mediocre travellers. But they reach max speed in such short time that superior travel drives are way behind with the distances usually travelled. Terran engines are so fast - you can basically use travel mode for combat boost. And the boost capacitor is also bigger.
The HQ and research unlocks the "engineering". I think it's quite ridiculous at the highest level but you can tackle everything with vanilla gear. And if not - you just bring more vanilla gear. (Just don't use missiles. Especially not vs stations. More missiles doesn't mean better. Use lazor instead. For the show. Missiles suck. I wish they didn't but there we are.)

 

[Deleted member 182079]

There is a lot undocumented features of the gear. You can customise any ship with any gear (as a rule). But Teladi engines and Terran engines have more differences than the paper states. The acceleration in travel mode e.g. Terran engines are slow combat drives. And on paper mediocre travellers. But they reach max speed in such short time that superior travel drives are way behind with the distances usually travelled. Terran engines are so fast - you can basically use travel mode for combat boost. And the boost capacitor is also bigger.
The HQ and research unlocks the "engineering". I think it's quite ridiculous at the highest level but you can tackle everything with vanilla gear. And if not - you just bring more vanilla gear. (Just don't use missiles. Especially not vs stations. More missiles doesn't mean better. Use lazor instead. For the show. Missiles suck. I wish they didn't but there we are.)

I have zero X experience so the learning curve (in terms of lore for sure) is pretty steep, although I'm starting to get a handle on the UI (as I said about 6 hours in so far, although I did a couple of restarts, sticking with Young Guns scenario now). I noticed that a number of NPC ships (I still don't quite get their naming convention - is it vessel name, then type, then... faction? What does stuff like "Vanguard" mean, is it a ship class?) don't appear in the Encyclopedia, I assume I need to scan them first or something?

 

[Navigare Necesse Est]

I have zero X experience so the learning curve (in terms of lore for sure) is pretty steep, although I'm starting to get a handle on the UI (as I said about 6 hours in so far, although I did a couple of restarts, sticking with Young Guns scenario now). I noticed that a number of NPC ships (I still don't quite get their naming convention - is it vessel name, then type, then... faction? What does stuff like "Vanguard" mean, is it a ship class?) don't appear in the Encyclopedia, I assume I need to scan them first or something?

Manorina is a mining ship. Manorina Vanguard are faster. Manorina Sentinels are sturdier. Sentinel / Vanguard is just - consider it a trim of a car. They look the same tho. And not every ship has these variants. Scanned / met ships are in the excyclopedia, yes. It's a handy first quick reference. And the UI - I played all X games and I had to learn it the same just like you. It is pretty "new" for a X game.
The lore isn't so important. The plots kinda tell you most you need to know about the current X "gate network". You can hunt lost datashards in hidden PoI that are there to explore for the big lore picture. And the encyclopedia has the basic stuff too. It's just the Boron who are missing. There is no BoFu.

 

[Craith]

I was really hyped for VR in Squadrons until it was a shaky mess and just a bit terrible. I should check back with it to see if they cleaned that up at all.

One take away was that flying a Tie Fighter is terrifying. They're just coffins with a hole cut out directly in the front. Good luck in that six degrees of freedom space, buddy!

VR has improved quite a bit in Star Wars Squadrons, unfortunately the shortcomings of the game remain - flying a TIE Fighter is more like flying a tank instead of a nimble, fragile starfighter

 

[Old Duck]

Can someone expand more on X4?

Be careful what you ask for! Here's a copy of my official review from Steam:

As an ex-Elite Dangerous fan, I was looking for something new to scratch the same itch. Despite being told by many that X4 is an entirely different game than Elite, I decided to grab it on sale. I’m so glad I did! I’m absolutely loving X4, my first real deep-dive into the X Universe.

I’ve been playing X4 very much like I used to play Elite – from the cockpit. I was able to adjust various settings and controls to get my X4 ships to fly very similar to my Elite ships, making it easy for me to transition from one game to the other. In fact, I’m actually finding ship-to-ship combat more enjoyable in X4 as I learn the nuances of the flight model. I fly using a PS4 controller.

Right now my fleet is humble. I’m not trying to take over the universe, but rather I’m just helping my allies. I have a single station (not counting the “gift” station) to help slowly build my credit balance, a single destroyer, a few gunboats, multiple small fighters, and some traders and miners. I’ve set up my base of operation in the sector of Antigone Memorial, but I’ve recently been enforcing a blockade on one of the jump gates in The Void, as the evil Xenons have been recently pushing into allied territory.

While I love flying my own ships, it sure is nice having an NPC crew that can take over and do some of the more mundane work. The NPCs may not be that pretty, but they sure do add to the immersion of the game. The same applies to X4’s “space legs”, which I thoroughly enjoy.

Like Elite, I love customizing ships for specific roles, and I’ve come up with some really nice builds. Some ships are heavy-hitters, designed to take on capital ships, while others are designed to infiltrate behind enemy lines. There are a nice variety of weapon types, each with their own pros and cons, with the ability to mix and match to make for some unique configurations.

Graphics-wise, I’m actually impressed with X4. I changed the settings to dial down the saturation to make X4 look more realistic and less cartoon-like. Granted, X4 is no Star Citizen, but that’s okay because I’m able to maintain 60 fps even during huge battles!

The galaxy in X4 took a little while to get used to. The map is weird – like something out of Wandavision. Once you realize that the hexagon sectors are abstract representations of the space around jump gates located in specific star systems in our galaxy, then it’s a little easier to understand. Space itself does make sense. There is no FTL travel in X4 except via ship-sized “stargates” and mass accelerators, which means space stations and ship traffic will of course be located in proximity to these gates. However, there is nothing stopping you from picking a direction and just flying forever if you want. In fact, you’ll sometimes find stuff “out there” past the borders of the map.

Unlike Elite, X4 is purely a space game, as there is no landing on planets. There are planets, but they are just background props (though they to rotate). Some gates are located further from a planet, others are right above the atmosphere, giving a grand vista of the planet below. Other gates are located in nebula and other beautiful regions of space. While space isn’t as realistic as Elite, it does feel like “real” space, not some No Man’s Sky fantasy version of space.

I also recently discovered that X4 has some decent lore attached to it. There are books like Farnham’s Legend that give a really good background to the X Universe for those like me who haven’t played the previous games. I enjoyed the book, which in turn has helped me better enjoy and understand the game.

As for actual gameplay, it’s basically a sandbox, but there are story-driven “quests” you can partake in, especially if you get the DLC. As a sandbox, there are many ways you can play the game. Right now I’m focusing on building defenses for my beloved home system. While raiders do sometimes stir trouble, it was the incursion of the Xenon in the neighboring sector that really caused the hairs to stand up on my neck. I just happened to be in that sector when I noticed some Xenon activity. This in itself isn’t unusual, as Xenon are always sending in a raider or two, but in this case something was different. I waited around and observed the Xenon assembling an entire fleet! Once their fleet gathered at the gate of their origin, they then started making their way across the system. There were two other gates they could chose from, so it was a 50/50 chance that they would invade my home system. Thankfully they went the other direction, but I knew then it would only be a matter of time before a full-sized Xenon invasion fleet would be knocking on my door!

As for size and scope, I’ve been concentrating my focus on just a few sectors, but there are literally dozens of sectors, each with their own story, economy, government, races, etc. I do like exploring, which is different than a game like Elite, but still very enjoyable. There are wrecks which you can EVA to and explore for engineering components, along with the occasional abandoned functioning ship that you can claim for yourself! There are these data vaults that you can unlock to reveal loot and lore. There are strange and wondrous sights to be seen. There are alliances to be made and new enemies to avoid or infiltrate. I made an alliance with the adorable Teladi, a lizard race obsessed with making profit (like the Ferengi from Star Trek). They have a system bordering Xenon space, and when the Xenon attacked with a massive fleet, I was there to help.

Speaking of massive fleets, this is where X4 just blows me away. In my battle alongside the Teladi, I was in command of a single destroyer along with a couple of support ships. The Teladi had literally dozens of capital ships of their own, but the Xenon had a massive battleship. For part of the battle, I piloted my destroyer, firing the main guns from maximum range, outside of the range of the Xenon’s deadly weapons. When waves of Xenon fighters started swarming my destroyer, I literally ran down to the flight deck to board my heavy fighter so I could go toe-to-toe with these toasters. The sense of scale was breathtaking, being on that flight deck with enemy fighters strafing overhead, my own turret cannons filling the sky with tracers, while in the background a multiple capital ships exchanged heavy fire. It was like the opening scene to Revenge Of The Sith. To then climb the ladder of my fighter and join the dogfights taking place amid these capital ships, it was epic! And unlike Elite, everything is destructible in X4 (except the jump gates) – capital ships and even space stations can be destroyed with enough firepower.

Anyway, I think you get the point. Is this game perfect? Far from it! I’ve encountered some bugs, and the UI is not only hard to learn, but even when you master it, it often gets in the way. Thankfully with how I personally play X4, it doesn’t require that I do everything from the map view. If you go into X4 with the intention of playing it like Stellaris, well let’s just say you should read someone else’s review. X4 is also missing some things that would have really added to the strategy side of the game. For example, ships have infinite fuel and power. This removes a huge part of typical warfare – the targeting of supply lines. I guess all ships in X4 run the equivalent of today’s submarine nuclear power plant. This is just one area that could be improved, but I’m running out of words for this review.

All in all, X4 as been amazing fun for me, someone coming from a space game like Elite Dangerous, where I’m the pilot flying my little fleet of ships and making a small but notable difference in the galaxy. If what I’ve described sounds like fun to you, then I highly recommend giving X4 a go! Just understand that there is a pretty big learning curve, and the game requires a bit of commitment before it really starts to shine at its full potential.

It has been lauded around these forums but everything I look up, seems like the game isn't very visually appealing.

I'd be happy to post some screenshots if you'd like. I find it very visually appealing, but I've got settings cranked up and I use a muted color post-processing to dial back the "cartoon" look. Like I said, I can provide some screenshots if you wish.