Realistic space combat games?

[MarkRSi]

I'm after a realistic space combat game.

And I mean properly realistic - no artificial top speeds, ability to spin round and fire while travelling in the same direction, ability to orbit planets and enter atmosphere and land etc.

Something like Elite FFE, but a bit more modern.

I've already got a number X-Wing and Tie Fighter games which are awesome.

I don't care how steep the learning curve is. I once I had a game which simulated a steam train on the C64. It was so hard I never left the station. Once. Boiled my piss. Best game ever.

[Some Gump]

Realistic.
Space combat

Pick one! Otherwise, it'd be a simulation of buzz aldrin trrying to kick Neil Armstrong up the arse in spacesuits

Joking aside, IMO x wing vs tie fighter still tops the tree. Alliance didn't really add much.
I enjoyed tachyon as well, it added the char development / trading aspect.

Not seen anything looking good since xwa - might be out of the loop, but do they even still make PC space games that you need to spend a month playing to learn the keys anymore?

[RobDickinson]

I dont think anyone makes one. real physics is difficult and not fun to play.

[Moonhawk]

Afraid you are out of luck - even the new Elite Dangerous game has forgone the physical realism that defined Frontier/FFE.

I don't know of any game that comes close to being a modern day Frontier/FFE. They were ahead of their time when they were created - and IMO, nothing has come close to recreating them since.

[Mr E]

From deep dark memory, there was a Babylon 5 game (I think actually a mod in another game engine) that modelled star fury flight realistically.

From the same memory, it was unplayable unless you were an astronaut; then it was merely very hard indeed.

[born2bslow]

Space Engineers
Kerbal Space Programme

[MissChief]

Moonhawk said:

Afraid you are out of luck - even the new Elite Dangerous game has forgone the physical realism that defined Frontier/FFE.

I don't know of any game that comes close to being a modern day Frontier/FFE. They were ahead of their time when they were created - and IMO, nothing has come close to recreating them since.

TBH it IS possible to play Elite Dangerous in full Newtonian Physics mode but it very quickly becomes disorientating and you go back to Flight assist on. It can be handy to get good at toggling it off and on in combat though.

[Mattygooner]

If it doesn't have to be space then you should try DCS World and A10C, its about as real as it gets as all the buttons in the cockpit function and generally takes me around 20 minutes to get the plane fired up, that is without the navigation, radar and weapons systems and without actually flying the thing and completing a mission. The Russian planes are even harder a, well, all the buttons are in Russian....

Otherwise it is Elite.

[Daston]

Star Citizen is pretty much the closest your going to get.

Its still currently in alpha testing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJJ9TcGxhNY

[Mannginger]

MissChief said:

TBH it IS possible to play Elite Dangerous in full Newtonian Physics mode but it very quickly becomes disorientating and you go back to Flight assist on. It can be handy to get good at toggling it off and on in combat though.

From looking at vids online some of the best pilots use the full Newtonian Physics to incredible effect but it;s not for me. Well worth a go for the OP however

[Crush]

Freelancer wasn't too bad. Quite a few modded games were built off that recreating both the Babylon 5 and Star Wars universe.

I still wish they'd make a Star Wars game like that

[motorizer]

The evochron games are supposed to have newtonian physics.
Haven't tried them myself though.

I play elite dangerous for my space fix

[MarkRSi]

Mannginger said:

MissChief said:

TBH it IS possible to play Elite Dangerous in full Newtonian Physics mode but it very quickly becomes disorientating and you go back to Flight assist on. It can be handy to get good at toggling it off and on in combat though.

From looking at vids online some of the best pilots use the full Newtonian Physics to incredible effect but it;s not for me. Well worth a go for the OP however

Looks interesting from some of the videos (i.e. possible to spin completely out of control if not careful) but I think there's some artificial top speed? Not good for exploring I'd have thought (happy to stand corrected).

Kerbal Space Programme looks fun, was wanting something with more lasers/explosions though (asides from crashes).

I was going to to go ahead and try X3, although the Steam sale has just finished, so got plenty time to decide now

I'll check out Star Citizen...

[jmorgan]

New x3 game out soon.
http://www.egosoft.com/games/x_rebirth/info_en.php

Edit. What the....... 2013?

Why did I think this year, or is that the release for the Mac version?

Edited by jmorgan on Saturday 13th February 11:10

[motorizer]

MarkRSi said:

Looks interesting from some of the videos (i.e. possible to spin completely out of control if not careful) but I think there's some artificial top speed? Not good for exploring I'd have thought (happy to stand corrected).
.

It has a quite low artificial top speed in normal flight, in order to deliver the dogfighting experience they wanted.
exploring is done in a supercruise mode which goes multiple times the speed of light.
It's not really a realistic game in that respect.
Everything is the right size and distance apart though, it's one of the only space games that isn't scaled down massively.

[Hoofy]

MarkRSi said:

I don't care how steep the learning curve is. I once I had a game which simulated a steam train on the C64. It was so hard I never left the station. Once. Boiled my piss. Best game ever.

Should have used water.

[MarkRSi]

jmorgan said:

New x3 game out soon.
http://www.egosoft.com/games/x_rebirth/info_en.php

Edit. What the....... 2013?

Why did I think this year, or is that the release for the Mac version?

Edited by jmorgan on Saturday 13th February 11:10

Think there was a number of expansions to the X3 game, I was going to get the 'Goldbox' version which I think had all the updates/expansions.

However I've just played a demo and while it looks fantastic it doesn't have realistic physics, so might as well stick with X-Wing/Tie Fighter

[kowalski655]

Angels Fall First has a Newtonian option.Its Early Access ATM so a bit buggy,but also includes combat on spaceships & planet landings

[MissChief]

Hoofy said:

MarkRSi said:

I don't care how steep the learning curve is. I once I had a game which simulated a steam train on the C64. It was so hard I never left the station. Once. Boiled my piss. Best game ever.

Should have used water.