Where are the mech sims, space sims, combat air sims, etc.? Wha' happened?!

Dark Prodigy said:
I know what you mean. There was a game called Imperium Galactica and it was a very cool space/rts game. I doubt if anyone remembers it but I definately miss games as such. Maybe someone has an epic title in the works...
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QFT!!!
that game was one of the best space conquest games. i loved how it simulated your rise through the ranks.it really made you appreciate the depth of space and how small your first ship was.

oh and Mech 4 was a step back in technology/graphics/voices/interface pretty much everything from Mech 3.
Mech 3 was the last good mech game. mech 2 trumps all, but Mech 3 had really realistic weapons, and graphics and even the way your mech moved was physically correect (for the most part), the way you rocked back from the AC cannons, and even the AC-LBX guns. the fact that you actually could move your arms AND torso! the game was ahead of its time. I mean the pulse laser was an an an actual pulse! who would have figured!



Mech 4 was a M$ game and was bad in terms of technological advancement..... what were they thinking?

my 2c
 
WolfpupNX said:
Hmmm. I wonder why these games aren't multiplatform and released on PC then... You'd think they'd want to tap that market.
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Microsoft bribes companies into making Xbox exclusives. Or if it was only going to be an PC/360 game, MS can tell them that in order to make it for the 360 they need to drop the PC version, or delay it.
 
I have to agree with everyone else. I miss these types of games as well. The last game mech sim I played that I enjoyed was Steel Battalion on the first Xbox.

Cost $250 if I remember right, had a massive controller as well. 40 buttons/switches, 2 joysticks, a throttle, and 3 foot pedals. Closest thing to a mech sim I had ever played. Every time you died you had to manually start your mech and power up everything by flipping switches and such in the startup sequence. I also remember you could power down and hide yourself from the ECM mechs with advanced radar. Was great for setting up ambushes but you had to be carefull, power down for to long and you would suffocate lol.

Was an amazing game, and I was upset when Capcom shut down the campaign servers. All they have now is the free play servers that have everything unlocked at all times (used to have supply drops where you had to bid on parts/mechs etc)

<moment of silence for the Mech sims>

Hopefully they will make a return, a good one at that.
 
cLaWz said:
I have to agree with everyone else. I miss these types of games as well. The last game mech sim I played that I enjoyed was Steel Battalion on the first Xbox.

Cost $250 if I remember right, had a massive controller as well. 40 buttons/switches, 2 joysticks, a throttle, and 3 foot pedals. Closest thing to a mech sim I had ever played. Every time you died you had to manually start your mech and power up everything by flipping switches and such in the startup sequence. I also remember you could power down and hide yourself from the ECM mechs with advanced radar. Was great for setting up ambushes but you had to be carefull, power down for to long and you would suffocate lol.

Was an amazing game, and I was upset when Capcom shut down the campaign servers. .
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To this day I have had a conspiracy theory about that game. You know the military was behind it, trying to recruit would be pilots. The Mechs are coming. And this time, they're for REAL!
 
I have played some of the Battlestar Galactica Behind the Red Line demo, and it is amazing - can't wait for the full! ^.^

I'll have to check out the X3 series - I've heard of them before, but know very little about them unfortunately.

As far as that mech game with the full control system, sounds phenomenal.

I've always been one to have a happy medium. Always played with keyboard, mouse, and then a joystick with throttle control (favorite have been the now-dead SideWinder series). Never really had space for a bigger solution than that, but worked great for most of the games/sims back in the day.
 
X3 is great ONCE you get through the learning curve. Before that, it's like wading through cement to get where you want to go.
 
Hmmm. Is X3 okay to jump into if you haven't played the previous ones? And I know it's space, but is it like the Privateer series, or what?
 
Unless your a genius or have extensive experience playing X2 or the previous ones, then it will most likely take a bit to learn how to play it. That said, once you do it's a game worth playing. (At least it was for me)
It's sort of like privateer as you can do what you want pretty much. Lot of stuff to do, but like i said it takes a while to learn.
 
Betrayer00GT said:
On the MechWarrior front, there is hope. On the Crysis engine, no less. They even have legal permission from Microsoft, who closed down FASA (IIRC). You want it faster, volunteer (if you got the skillz):
http://www.mechlivinglegends.net/
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THERE IS HOPE!
that looks sweet. little too much ground pounder stuff for me, but Ill take anything MW I can get.

My idea for a while has been a combined MW/MC game. One MC telling a group of pilots suggestions for routes and the like. If done right it would require a good number of people to play but OMG would be awesome for lan parties.
 
Shark-MegaByte said:
For space sims:
Keep an eye on Battlestar Galactica: Beyond the Red Line. Try the demo.
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I just did. Pretty cool. Worked just fine with an 8800GTS on Vista, that was very impressive all on its own. Broke out my Logitech Wingman StrikeForce 3D for the first time in years (only needed about 12 alcohol pads to clean off the sticky years of storage grime).

That was enjoyable, if short. Multiplayer could be really cool.

Could they make a Cylon campaign? I just really want to hit a Battlestar with some nukes in campaign mode, and I somewhat dislike team-killing. :cool:
 
alas, it is my countrymen that wont let the SpaceSim die!... both Space Force: Rogue Universe and Tarr Chronicles are Russian-made.

Just listen to the non-diluted speeches the pilots give and the in-depth conversations while flying referring to each other's loyalties, past actions, regrets and double entandras abound... I just picked up Tarr Chronicles per the recomendation here and I can draw out the original Russian mannerisms from the rather raw translation... however I dont regret it at all, because the raw translation allows for proper interpretation instead of dumbing-down... I cant wait to see how this game ends... I need to find this game in its original Russian...

The game itself though is arcadey, but thats the kind I like :)


on the downside, seems my logitech cordless freedom 2.4 is kaputski... the calibration is so off that the deadzone I had to make on both of the axies was so ridiculous that its absolutely unplayable... I'm playing with a mouse :(

Last but not least, I own the entire Armored Core series starting from PS1 and am a HUGE HUGE HUGE FAN... the only thing I refuse to do is buy an xbox for the new one... I dont have money to blow like that, especially when my PC is substantially more powerful... oh how I wish Armored Core would come to PC :(
 
USMC_Grunt said:
I agree with the OP as well. I miss the company Jane's. They are still around, they don't do games anymore. Longbow 2, F-15, ATF, Fleet Command, and WWII Fighters were great games. I wish they made more of those.

I really want to like Falcon 4: AF, but it's just too damn hard. I have tried to learn how to do absolutely basic things in that game for about 2 weeks straight, and still I couldn't get by. I still would like to learn, but the learning curve is still way to long for me.

I would love to see something like Falcon 4: AF, but a little easier. I also really enjoyed playing Silent Hunter III. That was a pretty good simulation.
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Might want to try "Lock On: Modern Air Combat (Gold)", then - also from Ubi Soft. Quite a bit simpler than Falcon 4 (but still no pushover, of course), and a lot better graphics, to boot. Plus, hey, the A-10 is just a lot more fun to fly than the F-16! And it has a lot of Russian hardware, too.

I'll third (or fourth) the recommendation for "IL2 Sturmovik: 1946", too - great flight sim, monstrous selection of aircraft, and very active community/multiplayer.
 
SAW said:
Mech4 fan here.
There was a thread floating around here a few weeks ago talkin about a Mechwarrior game being developed now, however, MS sold the rights to the game to some other developer (or something like that) and thoughts are that the game wont be all that it could be because of this.

But, maybe they will get it right and put pride into their programming.
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MW4 fan as well. My favorite was using an Awesome with 3 ER-PPC's and a shitton of heatsinks, send in my wingmen for the close quarter dueling, and just sit up on the top of a hill with zoom mode on and snipe away. Mmmmm, gonna have to break out the cd's and load the game up this week!



Phazedplasma said:
A new X Wing game would look sooooo good nowadays!

:(

I loved alliance. We need another.
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I'm a huge Alliance fan! Since I'm a hardcore WC: Privateer fan, Alliance was just spectacular to play! Freelancer came out to qualm my desire, but it definitely leaves me wanting (lots) more.


WolfpupNX said:
Hmmm. I wonder why these games aren't multiplatform and released on PC then... You'd think they'd want to tap that market.
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Console sales = money.


zombix said:
To me seeing a f'in dork playing a game with a game pad or joystick makes me want to give the nerd a wedgy to the 10th degree.

Again mouse/key > joystick/pad. Looks like your masturbating when your playing with a damn j-stick lol.
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There are quite a few games out there I'd rather use a gamepad for than KB+M.

Revolt (setting up the gamepad like a real R/C controller just rocks, imo!)
Any Need For Speed game
Most flight sims
 
Sorry, Space Force looked promising but it's pretty damn bland for a space-sim...same formula as most of the recent ones. X3 is much the superior game for those who prefer the sandbox type space-sim. The graphics of X3 are far superior but then again, the game has such an insane learning curve and complexity that many people say that playing X3 and eventually building and managing a galactic empire is like having a job instead of playing a game.

It's really too bad there hasn't been a good space sim with a good story and immersiveness for a very long time. People should really go back and look at Wing Commander, the original. My god, what an amazing game for 1990 and still difficult to beat for the storyline and how it plays out (you can actually lose the war if you start failing your missions or objecives and your fleet gets pushed back toward home sectors).
 
WTB games with emphasis on plot instead of bling heh. There have been a few space sims in the last few years but from what I have seen they really lacked story. That Mech Warrior on Crysis engine looks interesting that is for sure.
 
I agree re the stories. I love a good story to go with the games, and I still remember how great the stories were for WC, Mech2, etc., etc.

I'm checking out IL2 1946 but from the demo of IL2 I clearly don't know what the hell I'm doing. One thing I wish all combat flight sims had was comprehensive training (takeoff, landing, navigation, dogfighting...everything you need). I realize a lot of people already know how to fly well, but it's hard to get into a hardcore flightsim if you've never really had one before - seems very overwhelming. (Top Gun had some very good trainning, and some of it definitely applies to something like IL2, but a lot is different and IL2 is definitely more unforgiving, plus no digital navigation or anything a jet would have obviously, so I'm gonna have to learn how to figure that out).

And yes, it's sad. I'd much rather game on a PC honestly with all the complexity and scalability PC titles can offer, but I really am considering a 360 at some point even though I really don't want one, simply because all the games I would like to try are console exclusive (Armored Core sounds interesting for example...so does that new jet sim w/ special controller). But even then, games seem to even be sporadic as far as consoles (series switching from one to the other in the next iteration), etc., and I don't like where I'd have to set up the 360, so I don't know if I actually will. And, there's no reason besides company greed/exclusive agreements/etc. most of these titles couldn't be ported to PC (or even enhanced) - it's just a shame that this doesn't happen.

Anyways, good replies and thanks for all the suggestions - I'll pleasantly surprised how much discussion this thread generated.
 
Oh, and yes, my first Wing Commander was actually 3, but I've since played the first ones, and they were pretty incredible for there time, what with the dynamic campaign and all.

Another title that was AMAZING for its time was the original System Shock. That was truly a FPS with RPG elements, full inventory, jump, crouch, lean...hell I think you could even lie prone, EXCELLENT story (and voice acting with the CD version), player upgrades/enhancements, multiple ammo types...innovative ideas...even minigames (hacking, navigating cyberspace...I'm not sure I have the right game but I *think* there was even a gameboy inventory item with games...). Stuff unheard of at the time. And honestly, as much as I enjoyed System Shock 2 and probably will enjoy BioShock, I think both those games, especially the latter, have REMOVED more features than they added from SS1.
 
Wow - that is one impressive flight simulator - that'd defintitely be fun to have a go in - hehe

As for FreeSpace 3, that'd rock.
 
WolfpupNX said:
I'm checking out IL2 1946 but from the demo of IL2 I clearly don't know what the hell I'm doing.
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There's my problem with modern sims right there. I don't want a hardcore simulation, but I don't want pure arcade either. Hardcore sim, I'm trying to figure out which of the 28 keys that I pressed was wrong; meanwhile, my plane tailspins. Arcade shooter, easy to learn but is booooring.

I just feel like previous sims -- Mechwarrior being a prime example -- had the balance a bit better. Sure, they were more arcadey than modern sims (not hard); but they were also more technical than most of todays 'arcadey' games. Going back to Mechwarrior, how you loaded out your mech could make a real difference in a mission. In certain missions, you might get pounded in your Atlas all loaded up with PPCs; come back with a fast 40-ton Mech with jumpjets and the mission was about 10x easier.

The formula that I want is: easy to pick up, but with enough complexity under the hood to reward players who put in the time. That seems like it'd sell, right?

Fox
 
Falcon 4 just takes time
and if you use the Freeze mode you can still do stuff in the cockpit wile the game is pasused
also
RTFM the manual has training stuff in it
step by step do that few times and its not that bad but you will need a good flight stick that is HOTS like the nicer Saitec or thrustmaster ones
 
Just in case anyone missed it, Dangerous Waters was a fairly realistic sim that came out a couple of years ago.
 
Originally Posted by Arctic Fox View Post
The formula that I want is: easy to pick up, but with enough complexity under the hood to reward players who put in the time. That seems like it'd sell, right?
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ace combat series. independence war 2. :D
 
Doesn't that EA game 2142 have some sort of Mech in it?

I play a lot of sims and there hasn't been much released recently but the updated version of Commanche v Hokum (Enemy Engaged2) is quite good (patch should be out very soon to fix a few issues). I bought a copy at Walmart for ten bucks. Rowan's Battle of Britain has been updated too and can be downloaded for twenty bucks. ArmA is worth getting also but requires a powerful PC to run well. And if you want hardocre tank sim and have the bucks then get Steel Beasts Pro PE for $125.00.

http://www.esimgames.com/
 
I agree with the poster who likes something not TOO complex yet is complex enough to be interesting. I'd classify most of the games I mentioned in my original post (from Top Gun to Mech 2 to X-Wing, etc.) in this category. Kind of an Action-Sim that's fun and doesn't take forever to learn but takes a bit of time to really master - something where you can view from the cockpit and feel enough like you're really piloting the thing. . IL2 (from the demo) seems a bit more difficult/complex than most of these but still accessible, and I think I can grow into it.

I still feel for me personally the biggest thing all sims could add is a *comprehensive* training mode/campaign that gives you basic lessons on everything you need to know (fighting, maneuvering, landing, etc.). Mech2 did this awesomely. Most space sims do it awesomely - FreeSpace comes to mind. Most flight sims I've tried, with the exception of Top Gun, don't have this though, and I'm not sure why. (IL2 full I guess semi-does, but in the form of recorded movies you watch instead of actually fly yourself - not sure how useful that'll be, though there are some user-made training campaigns).
 
Bones said:
Go play some chess.
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You say this like it's a bad thing. IMO, chess is a perfect exemplar of what I like in a game -- easy to learn, hard to master. Evidence that people like games like this? Chess has been around for >500 years.

omega-x said:
independence war 2. :D
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I think my 8800 just cried a little when I fired up a screenie of that game :D. Seriously, I have to check out the current state of space sims (yeah, all 3 of them). Maybe I should go raid the bargain bin at my local games store...

Elios said:
RTFM the manual has training stuff in it
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Don't get me wrong -- I know that hardcore sims have their place. However, I don't have the time to invest in learning the nuances of piloting a real fighter jet. (Oh, and I don't consider pausing to read a 300-page manual fun). I want to get in, get out, have fun, but still involve my brain at the same time. RTS's manage to do this just fine at the moment. However, I still fondly remember the days of Mechwarrior, X-wing, etc, like the OP.

Oh, and:

WolfpupNX said:
I still feel for me personally the biggest thing all sims could add is a *comprehensive* training mode/campaign that gives you basic lessons on everything you need to know (fighting, maneuvering, landing, etc.).
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QFT.

Fox
 
Arctic Fox said:
I think my 8800 just cried a little when I fired up a screenie of that game :D. Seriously, I have to check out the current state of space sims (yeah, all 3 of them). Maybe I should go raid the bargain bin at my local games store...
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You do know that IWar 2 is, oh, six years old, right? Ran fine on my 9800pro/512M system RAM a few years back. A very good game, I never did finish it but I enjoyed what I'd played of it.
 
another loyal Mechwarrior 2 fan here.....i lost a lot of my life to that game playing on dialup, at least when me and my buddy werent lanning at his house where he had two PC's connected with a coax LAN using ISA cards.....LOL

Vengance just wasnt the same, i want another one like MW2 just prettier
 
Arctic Fox said:
There's my problem with modern sims right there. I don't want a hardcore simulation, but I don't want pure arcade either. Hardcore sim, I'm trying to figure out which of the 28 keys that I pressed was wrong; meanwhile, my plane tailspins. Arcade shooter, easy to learn but is booooring.
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Plenty of options can be switched on or off to make IL2 arcade or simulation, you just have to get your head around all the double negative switch titles.
 
nobody_here said:
along with Stunts
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Oh man I playd the heck out of that game. I had it down good enough with the Formula car that I could hit one jump at the proper angle and max out the speed for the rest of the course. Used to get some wicked air time over the bridges.
 
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