I have only played one space sim in my life. That was Privateer 2: The Darkening. I absolutely loved the game and I am looking for something exactly like that. Something where you don't just complete missions and come back to the ship to get your next mission. Something where you can just pause the story line by not going to the next objective. Then you can go fight some merc missions or trade for extra cash and get upgrades to your ship. Thanks if anyone can tell me if Wing Commander is the right choice, or maybe even some other title that fights this criteria. Thanks.
Looking for a new game
- Thread starter Lyric8
- Start date
MartySheen
Rear Admiral
You might want to try the original Privateer. Its one of the best games in the Wing Commander series and delivers exactly the type of gameplay that your'e looking for. Its the prequel to Privateer 2 (sort of)
Death
gh0d (Administrator)
Seconded, on the Privateer recommendation by Marty.
Do note, though, that as a DOS-only game, you'll need to run it in something like DOSBox, that emulates a "pure" DOS environment. See the Tech Support forum for details.
(If you're still on Win98SE, there's also MyJEMM, available from the CIC's files section, that lets you run Privateer from within Windows somewhat more directly than emulation.)
Do note, though, that as a DOS-only game, you'll need to run it in something like DOSBox, that emulates a "pure" DOS environment. See the Tech Support forum for details.
(If you're still on Win98SE, there's also MyJEMM, available from the CIC's files section, that lets you run Privateer from within Windows somewhat more directly than emulation.)
Maj.Striker
Swabbie
Banned
Yes, I agree with Death and Marty. Privateer 1 was an excellent game, however since you mentioned you had only played Privateer II, I think its only fair to warn you that the graphics are not on par with (for example) Privateer II. The joy of the game is in the mechanics, plot and vastness of the game universe. Graphics may be outdated but it's still fun to play.
Lt.Death100
Spaceman
It's also worth mentioning PR:GG. It isn't exactly the same as the original Priv but it's getting closer.
criticalmass
Vice Admiral
Something exactly like Priv2 will be hard to come by.. There are games who try to copy the concept, but they all do things differently one way or another. Games like Freelancer, the X-Beyond the Frontiers series, Independence War, Battlecruiser (ugh!) or even older games like Terminus, Hyperspeed, Lightspeed, Xenocracy or even Elite all do something along the lines of free-roaming, loosely story driven space adventuring, but not one of them is alike, and some are outright repulsive (guess which one). But they all cater different tastes, so even that statement is totally biased.
Bottom line: If you've liked Privateer 2, stay with Wing Commander games.
Bottom line: If you've liked Privateer 2, stay with Wing Commander games.
I am not a huge person about graphics, so maybe I will give Privateer 1 a shot. I am just looking for something where you buy your own ships, upgrades, etc. Also something with that freelance style of doing some missions for money and the others to continue the storyline. Thanks a lot guys. If anyone else has more suggestions or wants to add something, I am all ears.
Great forum!
Great forum!
Maj.Striker
Swabbie
Banned
AD said:
Yes Freelancer is more like Privateer II than Privateer 1 (at least to me). It's an excellent game however I strongly recommend not playing Multiplayer because although its fun...it will quickly reveal all the secrets of the game in a few weeks. Without the multiplayer Freelancer could hold your explorer spirit for a few months.
Shaggy
Vice Admiral
Since losing my copy of Privateer Gold, oww only forty more lashes to go, Freelancer has been my number one favorite space sim, closely followed by every other WC game out there.
Even though I completed the singleplayer game and mapped out all of the systems including the hidden ones in about two months time, I still play the game on almost a daily basis.
Even though I completed the singleplayer game and mapped out all of the systems including the hidden ones in about two months time, I still play the game on almost a daily basis.
Lt.Death100
Spaceman
If you've already played through it all try a mod that expands the world (note:expands not changes).Shaggy said:
cff
Kilk'dymga'qith laq Ik'vikvi
The original Privateer offers the same way of playing as The Darkening. It actually offers even more freedom then P2 with lots of more planets and the ability to change the alignment versus different organisations. However it is a bit dated graphic wise and s a bit fiddly to run on modern systems.
Freelancer is also pretty close to P2, but it does NOT allow you to roam freely and ignore the story. You have to follow the story at certain points.
IMHO the closest to your requirement is actually Hardwar. Not really a space sime (you cannot leave the planet), but a very enjoyable game and maybe the best free trading sim out there.
Freelancer is also pretty close to P2, but it does NOT allow you to roam freely and ignore the story. You have to follow the story at certain points.
IMHO the closest to your requirement is actually Hardwar. Not really a space sime (you cannot leave the planet), but a very enjoyable game and maybe the best free trading sim out there.
Maj.Striker
Swabbie
Banned
cff said:
True, Hardwar is a pretty good game with decent graphics. However, limited customization on weaponry was a slight disappointment. Still a good game...
Shaggy
Vice Admiral
I have used various mods for it, both expanding ones and TCs. Lately I've been beta testing the latest version of the Privateer The Reckoning mod for Warzog.Lt.Death100 said:
Plus it's not difficult to bypass the storyline with the No Story mod over at http://www.lancersreactor.com.
Death
gh0d (Administrator)
cpwdakilr said:
I have played both, and the only thing Tachyon has going for it is Bruce Campbell (of Evil Dead fame) for the main character's voice. It barely even attained the status of "disposable mind-candy", IMO, and the support from NovaLogic was nonexistent after the "j" patch (IIRC) that still left bugs unsquished.
The single-player campaign is fairly linear, and has just about zero playability once you play through both the GalSpan and Bora Coalition storylines (the split is relatively early on, but unlike WC4's Confed/UBW split, you're not ultimately forced to go to one develiper-predetermined side or have to stop playing), as the game is set up that you can't launch without a mission, and once you complete all the missions you're more or less dead in the water as far as further gameplay goes.
The multiplayer aspect is pretty much just "Quake deathmatch in spaceships", not really suited to long-term playability (nevermind the CS-esque rampant hacking/cheating).
ChrisReid
Super Soaker Collector / Administrator
cpwdakilr said:
There's a slowdown patch for that. http://www.wcrevival.de/hcl/exe_dll/Priv2Patch_0.1.zip
cff
Kilk'dymga'qith laq Ik'vikvi
cpwdakilr said:
Nope. While Tachyon is a fine game that I really like it is not freeform at all. You think so the first time you play it, but it really forces you to follow one (respectively one of two) linear storylines. Great game IMHO if you like story based games like WC, but not really a Elite/Privateer style game.
Maj.Striker
Swabbie
Banned
I have played Tachyon and although I enjoyed playing through it (Bruce Campbell does a great job as always). Death is right, almost absolutely 0 replayability. I beat the game playing as a Galspan employee and have had no desire to go back and even try the alternate track. I've installed and uninstalled it a couple of times intending to do so but after playing the first mission again I would normally lose interest. Tachyon was a good game for a once through romp but that's about it. I never played multiplayer on it so I can't comment there.