That pretty much sums up my epic struggle for the past about 17 years to find a space game that can measure up to the gameplay of Frontier Elite 2 or even attempt to surpass it. While the graphics are boring in the ancient Elite 2 game the gameplay and realism of the entire experience has not been even matched in that amount of time. Holding games up to that standard is just not going to work though. Most games are just not meant to simulate the real world which is what made Elite 2 so unique and fulfilling to play. This game looks like a lot of fun. I am glad they released the original for free for a day. I will play it for a few hours to get a good idea about how this version might play. Based on everything I have read so far I think I am going to like it. Since I got the other game for free today it will make it easier to swallow a $7 game price.
Ooops... double post. No game is 100% realistic and very few would want it to be. But as far as coming close enough and still having a lot of Fun Elite 2 seemed to have the best balance in that. Have you seen Elite 2? It can take a long time to travel in that game even with the hyperspace stuff in it. You have to manage fuel carefully to do hyperspace travel. They have a speed up feature (10x, 100x, 1000x, etc etc) to get around. I loved it. For a single player game that works well.
Games really blown me away truthfully I can't stop playing it I've already clocked up over 5 hours, I'm now on my 3rd craft (still a quite low one) and I haven't even been following the main missions as yet and have only really been exploring 3 solar systems taking the odd mission and mining like crazy. Really the more you play the more you discover and occasionally talking to people in the spaceport gets you a new item you haven't seen anywhere else yet I have a primary gun worth more than my ship because of that. It's way better than the first you can't even really compare them in honesty the closest I can compare it to is freelancer which was one of my favourite games ever on the pc I'm now thinking this might even be better in everything except for the online multiplayer freelancer had. It's a game that requires some persistence and a lot of earning money but when you buy something new it's really worthwhile I'm glad they priced things like they have.
Compared to the first GoF, I feel that this game is an improvement in some areas and a disappointment in others. The game is fun and the depth of the game overall is much improved however, like many have already stated, the combat is disappointing without accel/brake for "dogfighting" and all the ships seem to fly at the same speed = slow. Some have stated that the ships really don't change/improve later in the game after upgrades. Also, no option to listen to my own music in a game like this is very disappointing and I don't understand why they did this. In my opinion, the combat is made to seem even worse when Star Battalion seems to do space combat/dogfighting so much better with cockpit view, evasive maneuvers, and speed controls. I would definately recommend GoF 2 as it is a fun game with smooth accelerometer controls, great visuals and improved depth. I just feel like the combat could have been much better and that not allowing access to itunes music library sucks!
Arg. This is so frustrating. It looks gorgeous, but little things piss me off. A key issue is that traveling to systems more than 1 warpgate away is needlessly tedious unless I'm doing it wrong. Right now I have to jump to the nearest system. Dock at a spaceport lock onto the next system, jump there and repeat. Implementing some cruise system similar to Freelancer would help. Sure these slow pace games work nice on pc but it's pretty annoying on a portable with limited battery. I played this for the past hr and used around 20% of my battery and probably spend 80% of that time auto piloting around. Another issue is that the wingman commands are pretty vague and not too helpful for missions. I'm currently on a mission that I have to emp a ship with a kidnapped person. I failed this mission multiple times and I couldn't figure out why. Then I realize my brilliant wingmen always blows up these ships by default ai options... These little things should have been addressed for a game that's been in development for around a year imo. Still a solid game, that I'd recommend to anyone that enjoyed this genre. A little disappointed that the planet's seem to be a part of the background and you can't approach them in anyway. They do look gorgeous though. Also adding a color blind option would be nice. I'm having a hard time differentiating enemies and allies because red and green kinda look the same to me >.>" btw: Anyone else notice how sometimes you can't zoom in on the map or set autopilot? Pretty weird.
Vendetta Online is the closest I've ever come to matching Elite 2 Frontier on my Amiga. Not in that it actually resembles Elite 2 in terms of realism (Vendetta Online's combat is more action-oriented, while still very, VERY deep, sophisticated and skill-based) or the incredible, massive depth. But the inclusion of other players and a living, dynamic online universe goes a long way towards matching the sheer scope and scale of the Elite series. Id say that's a rather astute summary ;-) Throttle control + rolling alone could make the combat considerably more sophisticated and entertaining. Add to that my request for a more in-depth in-flight interface (with the same info that is available from the stations), and we'll have our Elite/EV Nova for the iPhone.
I don't see anybody complaining about the measures scale in the game. You see the distance between you and your target in kilometers. Seriously, kilometers ? In space ? And anyway, those measures seems quite wrong, do you really spend several minutes to reach a station which is at 30 km with your nuclear-throttled spaceship ? Come on !
Ok, I will have to admit... Played more... have 3 comments: 1) Not having throttle is lame... It is something really easy to implement, and would greatly increase the fun factor, specially in dogfights 2) Why they removed the light trail present in GoF? It was so good when dogfighting! 3) Again, I really miss that "relative crosshair" that shows where you should shoot... Fishlabs, the game is really great, but you have to listen your fanbase, since we bought the game in day one. I really think that the most common complaints could be addressed easily, and this good game could become a great game...
You hate stuff being slightly more realistic than you want it to be (2) 3)) Boosts are still there, you just need to purchase & equip them!
One of the most bothersome aspects of not having throttle controls and maneuvers, is that there is very little in the ways of dodging in GoF 2. You can turn your ship, and that is about it. But if the computer turns at the same time, he'll just be following you wherever you go, firing away until he destroys you. That is why no throttle + no special maneuvers + same speed for all ships is such a very, very bad idea. It means that whoever ends up behind his opponent, can win with very little skill, since the poor fella being chased has no way to evade, if the chaser can just turn to match him (which is rather easy, in a game this slow). This is actually the first game I've EVER played, on any device, ever, that combines constant speed with the same speed of all vehicles. I think there is a good reason it has rarely been done. I am hoping that these fabled boosters will make up for this. So far, I've only seen thrusters, which increase maneuverability, but no actual speed boosts. Perhaps I've just been unlucky with station supply. Also, one of the AI pirates just pulled a maneuver on me, somehow stopping dead so that I shot by when I was tailing him. It would be incredibly silly if the AI had access to such tricks, and we did not.
So, if the boosters work like GoF1, and they added a break button (maybe it can be added as a equip-able piece, just like the boost, may granting both abilities with one equip), you would be happy? I really believe that we can try to narrow the complaint down, and offer a plausible and implementable solution... Ask then, and cross fingers for the next update...
Wouldn't relative crosshair be more realistic? Modern targeting systems on fighter jets can do that, you'd think in another millennium they would have equal or better tech than this. And people complaining about this game not having throttle and stuff. You may have forgotten this game is still a heavily modified port of a java mobile game. I bet the AI and stuff still are the same and probably too big a hassle to change. Maybe GoF3 will be made natively on ios and they can address most of these issues. Speaking of which, people that played the java mobile version of this game, how does it compare besides the obvious graphical enhancement?
There are better sensors and boost elements to equip the ship. I was wondering about the lighting trails as well. In their forum they have a couple of curious stuff and they also said they are working to make the iPod music work for the next update. I guess we should keep talking as it seems that they do read it. I personally would like a cockpit view as well! I think it's the only major feature I'd like
No! Don't go there! We start trotting along that path, and we end up concluding that in another millenia, they can have ships that fly themselves I think you mistunderstand the nature of my opinions I AM happy with the game already. Having tons of fun But I believe it could be much, much better. (See my first impressions list for a hopefully rather balanced account of likes and dislikes.). But yer absolutely right. A narrowed list of suggestions would probably have a much greater impact on Fishlabs. So, for that theoretical list: GoF 1-style boosters, plus brakes, plus varied ship speed between different ships. (I'd rather see a dynamic speed control than booster + brakes, but with boosters already in the game, your solution seems less demanding on the devs.) A detailed in-flight interface for accessing the same info as in the "Status" menu available in stations. Give me that, and I'll be ready to crown this game "good enough to be my iPhone EV Nova"
I have a huge problem. In a fight with some bad guys, a Terranian crossed the line, got hit too much and send all the good forces hunting me. Instead of entering the station to pay a penalty fee, I escaped to another planet. Now, every time I try to go back they kill me before I reach the station. The big problem: this is the planet with the warp gate. So I cannot progress.... Also tried to find a booster or camouflage shield, but they are not available in this system... I'm lost
1. Go mining 2. Sell stuff 3. Upgrade your ship BTW, I'm loving the Synchrotron Boost that I bought for my ship! (costed ~20.00, It was the most expensive boost I could find! ) I just bought a Ketar Repair Bpt (repairs the ship in flight), this should help me alot!
