[OT] Space combat computer game?

[Heretic Apostate]

I'm looking for a space combat game, something fun to play. Some provisos, however:

1) Minimal micromanagement. I don't want to have to colonize world X, then build up colonial structures slowly over the next 1000 turns. (Thus, no Star Trek: Birth of the Federation, for instance.) I think this will be the hardest to get.... (Only reason I don't want to play MOO2....)

2) Turn-based. I am not the best at mouse click-fests. I do quite poorly under time constraints.

3) Fleet-level action. Thus, no Wing Commander (which just seems to be fighters) and no Star Commander (which is fighting one ship at a time).

4) Combined arms. I want to be able to have ship X countered by ship A, which is in turn countered by ship M. For instance, if there is a ship that fires missiles, I want a ship that specializes in anti-missile defense.

5) Some ability to do ship designs. I don't want to be stuck completely with some pre-designed ships, I'd like to be able to choose what stuff my ships have, and live with the consequences.

So, are there any games that match these criteria?

 

[Jack Haggerty]

The main trouble you run into is...

1. Turn-based. Sadly, you won't find any turn based games out right now.

2. Custom ship design.

Starfleet Command II: Empires at War (Star Trek) isn't too bad. It's based on the old Starfleet Battles tabletop starship wargame. It plays in real time, but the speed can be slowed down to the point where it might as well be turn based... Imagine old time battles between tall sailing ships. Half this game is strategic positioning of your ship to get the most out of your fire power while getting the most out of your defenses. No empire management... You are the captain of a ship (or small task force). You can have up to 3 starships under your direct command, and sometimes you battle alongside computer controlled allies. You can't really customize ships, but there is a surprising variety available with the game, and ship editors can be easily found and downloaded.

Homeworld's alright, but difficult. Only RT, no ability to slow down action, but you can give orders while paused, if I remember correcty. The one really neat thing about this game, is that it takes place in a 3D space, rather than a 2D plane.

There's supposed to be a new Masters of Orion III game out soon, but haven't played the previous two, so I can't really say much. From what I've seen, it looks like a galactic verion of Civilization... Turn based empire building. It seems like much of the empire building can be automated, and the military units look almost fully customizable... Similar to Alpha Centauri, if you've played it.

 

[Holy Bovine]

Master of Orion 2 is probably your best bet right now (hard to believe since its almost 7 years old). Might be hard to find but it matches all of your criteria. You may have to 'sit around' for a few turns waiting for you starships to be built up. You can automatically pass turns in which nothing happens as well as set colonies on 'auto' for what they build (though they rarely build what they really need - you can cue up several things for each colony to build though including ships).

Sadly MoO3 is nowhere to be seen yet but I hold out hope that it will be 'all that'

 

[Hatchling Dragon]

The main trouble you run into is...

1. Turn-based. Sadly, you won't find any turn based games out right now.

Oh they're out there, I just can't remember any names off-hand. Mentioned so that this line doesn't make him give up hope.

Homeworld's alright, but difficult. Only RT, no ability to slow down action, but you can give orders while paused, if I remember correcty. The one really neat thing about this game, is that it takes place in a 3D space, rather than a 2D plane.

Acutaly (at least in Homeworld: Cataclysm) you can actually turn the game speed down to damned-near stop-motion. I also believe it's possible to give orders and what-not while paused.

Unfortunately you can't really design ships, but by picking and choosing which technologies you develop, and in what order, you can simulate the effect to a slight degree. On the plus side, your fleet for a scenario is whatever you had left from the previous scenarios, including resource stockpiles. If you're at all like me rebuilding a base over 'n over 'n over gets so annoying.

Yes, it's true 3D with attacks from the sides as well as above and below, and the game's just plain 'pretty' to look at. The story's good, without being over-done, and I found it pretty easy to 'get into the role' of Fleet Commander.

Now, if they'd only come out with Homeworld 3, where they combine some of the features of the first two into the perfect 'true 3D' space game, *sigh*. Maybe that would include customizable ships/designing.

Hatchling Dragon

 

[Junkheap]

Definitely Masters Of Orion 2. Part 3 is coming out hopefully soon.
But it is quite good.

 

[Heretic Apostate]

Masters of Orion 2

I have MOO2. It's a good game. It's even better than most games, because most colonial improvements are one-timers. But it still involves colonial micromanagement.

I just want space combat. Combined-arms space combat. Fleet-sized space combat (with, hopefully, carriers; I like carriers--watched the Wing Commander movie, and while it was bad, I liked the look of the Tiger Claw....). Turn-based space combat....

 

[Fayredeth]

Master of Orion III looks to be your best bet, but it comes out second quarter of this year, or at least that's what they say at their site . The combat is in fleets, and you give orders to the admirals of the fleet rather than singular ship commanders. I'm not sure how good your "combined arms" aspect is, however, but it looks like it might be there. Micromanagement shouldn't be much of a problem because, while you could micromanage some things, you are not allowed to manage everything, so you put things in the control of governors.

I think it is the kind of game you're looking for. I know it's mine .

 

[swordsman1612]

I think you should definetely take a look at Master of Orion 3, slated for a Q2 2002 release.

1. The game uses something called the Imperial Focus Point system (or IFPs for short). Essentially IFPs limit just how much you can do on a turn, so you'll have to prioritize(spelling?) on what needs your attention more urgently. Like in chess, you'd love to move more than one piece per turn, right?

2. The game is turn-based, with real-time tactical combat (a la Shogun). The developers have promised a slow, Harpoon-style tactical combat system, which you control on a task force level, not an individual ship level.

3. You can have up to 12 Task forcers with 64 ships each per side.

4. Ships are designed to play a role on the fleet level (pickets, scouts, main hitters, etc) Depending on your ship designs and your technollogy you might find it easier or harder to counter your opponent's ships.

5. Er... what I said in number 4.

The interesting part of the game is, you decide your own level of involvement with portions of the game. Don't care about colony management? Make a few "Imperial Edicts" and then leave the local governors to do their job.

Try this Link for the Official site.

There's a wealth of information on the "Data Dump" section of the Official Forum. The game does look sweet, I just hope the developers can deliver on their promises.

 

[Heretic Apostate]

Okay, I'm impressed

I like what I read about MOO3. I'm practically drooling.

Of course, I've heard the same hype before (Star Trek: Birth of the Federation, M.A.X. 2, and about half of the fifty games I currently own...). So, I'll wait until a couple weeks after release, to see just how stable it is, and how well it lives up to its promise.

 

[UD]

ST:BotF is what I classify as an 'unhealthy' game. it shoud come with a government warning. As should all three Civs. Something along the lines of: "This game is highly addictive, it has been known to destroy peoples lives. Entire weeks/months/years have gone missing. Please think carefully before embarking on a game."