Death of the Space Combat Sim?

I miss the Freespace games :(

Maybe I should load them up, but that'd require installing my sidewinder as well...
 
EndersGame said:
tried DOSBox at first but the sound stuttered and it just didnt run good, VDMSound though BLEW MY MIND....
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I'm certain DOSBox is better, the problem is you probably didn't press CTRL-F12 to increase your CPU cycles.

beck192 said:
I miss the Freespace games :(

Maybe I should load them up, but that'd require installing my sidewinder as well...
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Sadly, my $100 Sidewinder Force Feedback won't work anymore because I don't have serial gameports on my computers anymore. Any info on how those gameport to USB adapters are?
 
Spare-Flair said:
I'm certain DOSBox is better, the problem is you probably didn't press CTRL-F12 to increase your CPU cycles.



Sadly, my $100 Sidewinder Force Feedback won't work anymore because I don't have serial gameports on my computers anymore. Any info on how those gameport to USB adapters are?
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Negative sir, I did increase my frame rate.. frame rate was not a problem, it was the fact that the "sound" studered but music did not...

VDMSound worked perfectly, secondly DOSBox requires you to "mount" the c drive and cd rom drives with the mount c c:\mygame, and mound d d:\ -t cdrom

I realize that you must of thought i was a brainless person and automaticly assumed i was a dumbass, but VDMSound does work better.
 
I've never had any successul using DOSBox. Probably because I'm not so determined to play any old game that I'll talk the time to learn how to use it. It can't seem to run any game "out of the box". If I'd paid for the software, I'd say all sorts of nasty things about it. Since it's freeware, I'll just say it doesn't work for me :D
 
We don´t need no damn emulators we need real new fresh space sims. I can´t understand why that genre so completely died :(
 
Spare-Flair said:
Sadly, my $100 Sidewinder Force Feedback won't work anymore because I don't have serial gameports on my computers anymore. Any info on how those gameport to USB adapters are?
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A guy I know uses one, and it has a few small niggles, but when it's working it's just fine.
(It doesn't see the joystick unless he un/re-plugs it in while in windows, or something like that.)
 
Wow, I'm really surprised. Five pages on space sims, and only one mention of the Independence War series so far. When it comes to physics and realism, I don't think I've played a game yet that's quite up to par with 'em. Both games have a pretty steep learning curve though. Maybe that's part of why I liked them so much. :p
 
dont forget the freeware? babylon 5 "i've found her"

steep STEEP learning curve. but damned if its not true to B5.
 
HHunt said:
A guy I know uses one, and it has a few small niggles, but when it's working it's just fine.
(It doesn't see the joystick unless he un/re-plugs it in while in windows, or something like that.)
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You can always buy this inexpensive Sound card for $12 and only use the game port;

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16829117105

I have a Thrustmaster that is collecting dust.. Waiting for the day I can use it again on a new SIm..
 
Spare-Flair said:
Growing up, my favorite genre was also the space sim, especially a series like Wing Commander. My pilthy 286 could never dream of running Wing Commander so I sneaked to my friend's house and play that game for hours there, humourously, spending more time in the in-game space simulator in the Tiger's Claw cafeteria than actually on sorties.

Throughout the 1990s, there was a never ending parade of fantastic Wing Commander games, I had the skill of leading my target, getting missle locks, etc. perfectly. There was also a great complement of Lucasarts games like X-Wing and Tie Fighter.

Then there was the great Descent Freespace, and finally, Freespace 2 which is really, the last good space sim ever made. But what the hell? That was Space Combat Game of the Year 1999!!!

Yes, 6 years ago. And now there has been nothing ever since. We just get mindless FPS clone after FPS clone and I think it's a horrible shame, with this amazing hardware that we have now, that we can't apply any of this graphical power to a space simulator.

Why has the genre completely died out? Is there no hope? Nothing on the horizon? I want to see antialiased ships. I want to see incredible shader effects as I fly through a nebula or the atmosphere of a planet. I want to see modern particle effects and bump mapping as I fly into intense space combat with hundreds of fighters and giant warships and carriers. I want to see HDR lighting as I accidently fly in the direction of a sun and get momentarily blinded.

Come on! Does the first person shooter have to be the only platform where we ever get to flex the muscles of all the hardware we spend our hard-earned money on? Can't game companies get creative or innovative again? Where is Wing Commander 6? Oh...that's right, EA destroyed the franchise and swept it under the carpet. Where is Freespace 2? Oh yeah, Interplay is bankrupt. These were such amazing games and yet, they don't seem to recieve any support, from either the developers or fans anymore. Am I the only one left? Are all our force feedback joysticks with 8-way hats just collecting dust under our desks?
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This pisses me off too. I truely miss the space games. That's IT DAMNIT! I should start a game company and bring back the Space Combat games!

Seriuosly, if I knew how to get started I would.
 
So this thread has gotten me back into the joy that is Freelancer. And the Crossfire mod...
http://www.crossfire.swat-portal.de/mod.htm

Check it out, not a bad mod. Fun multiplayer. I guess. I have a feeling I'll get bored and stop playing it but it's something to look forward to going home and playing.
 
I want the space battle scenes from Star Wars. MMO, huge scale, carriers, gunships, tons of fighters, a few capital ships, and some really big tough targets. I want Allegiance, but just alot BIGGER.
 
I would think they'd be cranking out space games. You just need models and a black background with white dots for stars. Not that tough compared to FPS's. They could be made very expansive and kick ass with today's technology. Freespace 2 really was the last good space/flight shooter ever made.
 
For that matter, hasn't a similar fate befallen adventure games, ala. Sam 'n Max, Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle, etc.?
 
Sir-Fragalot said:
I would think they'd be cranking out space games. You just need models and a black background with white dots for stars. Not that tough compared to FPS's. They could be made very expansive and kick ass with today's technology. Freespace 2 really was the last good space/flight shooter ever made.
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You also need a physics engine, AI, and plot :p
 
they could easily use some of the older engines from highly regarded gamer classics, updating it some for current specs.

AI would be the hard part of the whole task..but being able to have the engine completely out of the way would drastically reduce the total amount of time and effort that would need to go into a new game. As for plot, just find a good writer and have them create one. Spend some of the money you save on recycling an old gamer classic engine, and hire an author like R.A. Salvatore, Mercedes Lackey, etc...someone who is a best selling author...and have them create a plot for you.
 
Well, there's already an fan upgrade to Wing Commander somewhere but I think it just uses the really old engine so it doesn't look too great. And there's a Macross conversion for Homeworld 2.
 
I really got to say you guys are all LAZY, currently I'm making a layout and plans for a space sim, Think of the simplicty of eve-online, but with more control (not point and click like eve-online is) being able to create fleets and control the ship from *inside* it (as in walking around the ship), and smaller ships would be 1 person and etc, but larger ships would require crew members (all npcs automaticly given to you) but they would have to be humans, now this would only be like on a capital ship (Huge ass 1 mile ships with 5000 crew type thing) mainy because it would work such as 5 crew, captin(you) piolit (you) gunners (2 people) and 2 fighters people with 1 engineer (for repairing ship while in battle) while all of this could taken over by npc's, well, they would be shit compaired to humans but :p) mind you they could all have there OWN ships in the capitals ship hanger and be able to use some of ships in capital ship hanger, anyways that would take like 3 months of game time to get (if you can guess this would be mmorpg) in begining but eventually get harder and harder to get, (mainly because at first I would want a few fleets and etc to lift off so it doen't take like 2 years to get the game going) and serving on a ship would gve an added bonus such as it accellerates your learning and stuff (so to encurage people to want to serve on peoples ships), well theres alot more than that but I'm making the idea and etc, and hopefully I can get a team togther to make a TC for some game engine (like source for example) or perhaps get investors to make it in future :p one or the other.

Chilly
 
Chilly said:
I really got to say you guys are all LAZY,
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Oooooor maybe we're not developers. Yeah, that could be it. Curse this "real life" thing that doesn't give us enough time to develop games on the side. :p
 
PopeKevinI said:
Oooooor maybe we're not developers. Yeah, that could be it. Curse this "real life" thing that doesn't give us enough time to develop games on the side. :p
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:p yea lol, well sorry I hate seeing people complaining and doing nothing about it :p, sigh if only good developers were easy to find :(

Chilly
 
Chilly said:
I really got to say you guys are all LAZY
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stfu8gg.jpg
 
Knock off the name calling and bickering guys. If you can't discuss maturely, then don't post.
 
I don't care what anybody says, Freespace 1 & 2 were the best space sims ever created. ;)
 
valkyre said:
I don't care what anybody says, Freespace 1 & 2 were the best space sims ever created. ;)
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Word, though the orginal X-Wing takes the crown for starting it all.


I'll never forget this moment in time in Freespace 2

Beta 1: Command, theres a huge warship coming out of subspace"
Command: "Status is friendly, meet the Colusessus, the largest spacefaring warship ever constructed"
Me: Holy...mother of God.............................. :eek:
Colessesus: This is the GTVA Colessus command, we have arrived on station. All batteries, fire at will!!!!!
Me: Creams pants....

BOOOOOOOOMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
CatsGoMoo said:
I really miss Privateer. I found my old copy of that the other day. I remember opening the box and seeing FOURTEEN 3.5" floppy disks, and going "man, I hope I have the hard drive space for this. I might have to delete commander keen or wolfenstein 3d for a while."
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Those where the golden age of gaming to me...I remember many of Origins programs being like that...14-20-25 Floppies to install..all in the days before CD-ROM drives and 3D accellerators.
 
X-Com was pretty cool too, not sure if a real "space" sim but fun non the less.

maybe it was fun just because i was so young, i dont think i could enjoy it today
 
Molingrad said:
X-Com was pretty cool too, not sure if a real "space" sim but fun non the less.

maybe it was fun just because i was so young, i dont think i could enjoy it today
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X-COM was one of the best games ever! I still play Apocalypse, just because I can't get the original to run slow enough to be playable :)
 
IceWind said:
Word, though the orginal X-Wing takes the crown for starting it all.
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I'll try not to comment too hard on this statement when Wing Command preceded X-Wing by almost 4 years.
 
Molingrad said:
X-Com was pretty cool too, not sure if a real "space" sim but fun non the less.

maybe it was fun just because i was so young, i dont think i could enjoy it today
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X-Com was such a great game. I remember playing Apocalypse well into the 70 game hour range and still (supposedly) not being anywhere near the end of the game.
 
IceWind said:
Word, though the orginal X-Wing takes the crown for starting it all.


I'll never forget this moment in time in Freespace 2

Beta 1: Command, theres a huge warship coming out of subspace"
Command: "Status is friendly, meet the Colusessus, the largest spacefaring warship ever constructed"
Me: Holy...mother of God.............................. :eek:
Colessesus: This is the GTVA Colessus command, we have arrived on station. All batteries, fire at will!!!!!
Me: Creams pants....

BOOOOOOOOMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Word. I quit flying my ship when that thing jumped in. Almost crapped my pants as well. The sound of that thing was AWESOME. (yes, I know there is no sound in space, its a gmae FCOl)
 
I know its not a spaace sim game, but I am REALLY looking forward to "Sword of the Stars" from Kerebos productions.
 
Man you guys got me wanting a good space sim again! I too started out with Wing commander (On a 386-SX16!) and I still miss the thrill.

The best, last one that I liked was X-Wing alliance. Excellent action, excellent plot, and plays just fine on XP.

I played Freespace1, looked for FS2 but could never find it. Had no idea it was available, I'll have to check it out.

I never played Star Trek:Bridge commander, anybody know how it was? Lawrence Holland was the king of space sims (Along with Chris Roberts...boy he made a stinker of a movie, though!)

PP
 
PixPirate said:
Man you guys got me wanting a good space sim again! I too started out with Wing commander (On a 386-SX16!) and I still miss the thrill.

The best, last one that I liked was X-Wing alliance. Excellent action, excellent plot, and plays just fine on XP.

I played Freespace1, looked for FS2 but could never find it. Had no idea it was available, I'll have to check it out.

I never played Star Trek:Bridge commander, anybody know how it was? Lawrence Holland was the king of space sims (Along with Chris Roberts...boy he made a stinker of a movie, though!)

PP
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If you liked FS you will absolutely love FS2, until you finish and come to the realization that there will never be a FS3. :( :cry:
 
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