Similar Games?

[Ballsm]

Does anyone know of games with similar gameplay? I've read Drox is close.

[Ballsm]

I haven't tried x3 yet but from I've read it looks to have a huge learning curve. Is it worth taking the time to figure it out?

[Black Raven]

Originally posted by Balsm:

Has anyone tried Star Nomad 2? Looks similar but it seems to lack exploration

Star Nomad is very very bland and dull sadly, at least in my opinion, and they not much too it overall, its more like a mobile game that a pc game, even then i seen better mobile games


SPAZ 1
Is great, its real time top down combat but good fun.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/107200/

SPAZ 2
Is nothing like the origninal at all and is much more like Rebel Galaxy, I also think it need lot more work but has potential.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/252470/?snr=1_5_9__300


Starsector
(formerly Starfarer)
If you can handle a much deeper more complexed game with challenging real time top down, then Starsector is prob best in the genre in my personal opinion, tho it really need a dynasector+various faction mods to beef up the world, it still early access but i yet to find a bug.
http://fractalsoftworks.com/


Void Expanse
Could of been great, combat is nice but the world seem seriously lacking and it sadly spoils what could been great game, personally don't like it, seem other do however, so I add it to the list.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/324260/

Wayward Terran Frontier: Zero Falls
I dont know much about this one, only reacent became aware of it, but has good steam reviews, Early Access so I keeping eye on it for now
http://store.steampowered.com/app/392080/

[Swadius]

Originally posted by Balsm:

I haven't tried x3 yet but from I've read it looks to have a huge learning curve. Is it worth taking the time to figure it out?

I'm not sure since it's a personal thing, all I can do is describe it to you. Once you get the hang of it, there is a lot to do, and a very large galaxy to explore. If you're not sure and it's mainly about price, you could shop around during the holiday season, it's pretty old now so it should be pretty cheap once its on sale. If you're short on time to play it however, then I'm not sure if it is worth the investment, although I found it pretty fun learning it. A large part of it does involve reading other people's guides though since the game is quite huge in the things that you can do in it. Some of it is immensely unforgiving like starsector. Most of the game I would say would revolve around the economy and the massive amounts of upgrades that you can provide to your trade fleet and your stations. Fighting is your generic space fighting. Lots of mods though.

In fact, it might be a good idea to skim through a beginners guide and see a little video on the gameplay before buying if you're interested. Since there's the base game and the 2 expansions, the prevailing opinion is that the most refined experience is the Terran Conflict expansion. The rest people play for story but that's entirely up to you.

Lastly, for something that shares a little bit on visual similarities but still has its own style, check out Escape Velocity Nova. It's pretty darn old at this point (and still $30 holy smokes!), but from I remember from it there still a bunch of stuff to do, though its mostly about combat.

[Ballsm]

Originally posted by ...:

Escape Velocity Nova - huge game, lot's of quests and story, real time combat instead of turns (this game was the inspiration for SR).

Endless Sky - game that tries to be the above one.

Ive heard nova is good but im having a hard time finding it

[lifone813]

You have to buy Escape Velocity Nova from their website for $30, a little high but I hear it's worth it. I have been looking for a 2d space sim and this title comes up often:

http://www.ambrosiasw.com/games/evn/

Also check out Naev: an open source updated escape velocity clone, although not as polished or developed:

http://blog.naev.org/

[Ballsm]

ouch 30 seems pricey for an old game

[Lord Haart]

very

[lifone813]

Broke down and bought Escape Velocity Nova a few days ago, and I don't regret it. Depth similar to Space Rangers, but in real time. Why don't they make games like this anymore?

[Ballsm]

Originally posted by lifone813:

Broke down and bought Escape Velocity Nova a few days ago, and I don't regret it. Depth similar to Space Rangers, but in real time. Why don't they make games like this anymore?

Does it have the feel of a living universe? SR almost feels like a mmo at times

[lifone813]

From what I've seen, the npc communication sytem is not as deep, but you can communicate with npcs, ask for assistance, greet, and they will hail you if they are disbled, things like that. I've actually gotten a quest by stoping by and boarding a disabled ship that was hailing me asking for help (had to take the crew home to a new location), thought that was pretty cool. Feels very alive and active to me, plus they give you extensive documentation on the game universe and history so it's easier to get immersed.

[Ballsm]

Originally posted by lifone813:

From what I've seen, the npc communication sytem is not as deep, but you can communicate with npcs, ask for assistance, greet, and they will hail you if they are disbled, things like that. I've actually gotten a quest by stoping by and boarding a disabled ship that was hailing me asking for help (had to take the crew home to a new location), thought that was pretty cool. Feels very alive and active to me, plus they give you extensive documentation on the game universe and history so it's easier to get immersed.

Right on ive only heard good things about the game. I defiently look more into it

[2B3]

another setting but pretty close to SR
http://store.steampowered.com/app/304650/

besides, I sometimes recall A.I.M. (1 & 2), but it's a different game, with a similar illusion of a living world, interesting stroy, trade and fighting

[lifone813]

One last suggestion, if you like Space Rangers & Escape Velocity you might want to try:

Nox Imperii
http://noximperii.com/

It's a seperate branch from the NAEV open source project (updated Escape Velocity with a few marked differences, 2D real time space sim), that's currently being updated and features a dynamic economy, randomly generated galaxy, new ships, a crew system, and a new campaign. Still in development with an active dev, I found this last week and I actually prefer playing this over Escape Velocity.

[Ballsm]

Any of you played endless sky?

Check it out, looks pretty similar to Nova

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/11/02/endless-sky-release-free/#more-325749

[lifone813]

Played it, it's pretty good, highly moddable with a good selection of released mods. Has multiple campaigns like EV, but only one is finished at this time. My only complaints are:

* Combat happens incredibly fast and sometimes you don't even have a chance to react.

* No economy. All commodities are sold at all stations or planets, prices never change and are displayed on the map, which makes trading very easy.

* Hyperpace jumps happen instantaneously with no need to travel to a gate or certain point on a map or cooldown, which makes it incredibly easy to escape attack. Leads to a gameplay loop where you basically press 'J' multiple times, then 'L' to auto land on the nearest planet, rinse and repeat.

It's still a good game and probably the closest to a EV remake on the market. It has an awsome ship capture and loot system, and fleet capabilities. It's still being developed and with some time can become a true masterpiece, it's also free. Though I prefer other 2D sims for their game mechanics, you can't have a conversation about 2D space sims with mentioning this one.