RPG where you can command a spaceship?

[soul0reaper]

First of all I realize that there are a few out there, however they are either unnecessarily complicated and time consuming (X series) or came out in the 1900s.

I'm looking for one where you can command a large battleship in space. I've seen many where you can fly a fighter, but have yet to find one where you can command larger class ones. I'm looking for one that has combat focus, rather than asking you to trade a bunch of random things to get yourself going.

I've yet to find a game that matched what I am looking for. I also do put heavy emphasis on graphics. No point in playing if your going to look at a bunch of pixelated images .

 

[metamorphium]

As you didn't specify much, have you tried Eve Online?

 

[DArtagnan]

Such a game doesn't really exist - that fits all your preferences.

 

[soul0reaper]

Tried eve but though it was less about action and more grind. Of course this was during its earlier days.

Really is no game like this?

 

[lilmagi]

Well Nexus - The Jupiter Incident comes to mind. Its focus is on frigate/capital ship combat. Where fighters are tiny things that zip around and are mainly used as support to take down enemy fighters or ship modules.

 

[Alrik Fassbauer]

That was kind of my dream, too.

If you are into RTS, then you might try Homeworld, or the more weird variant of it called "The Treasure Planet" (made after the film/movie with the same name).

Apart from that I only know this one : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlecruiser_3000AD

And here : http://www.3000ad.com/download/ Seems to be the official page, but I'm not 100 % sure, since I never visited it before.

 

[posfan12]

Nexus: TJI is a good choice. Star Wolves might be as well (skip the sequels though).

The original Homeworld is a classic, though once again you should skip the sequel. I wouldn't recommend Battlecruiser, as you might be placed in contact with Derek Smart as a result, which is never a good thing.

 

[Alrik Fassbauer]

To me The Treasuere Planet is like of a hidden gem for RTS players who like Homeworld. Albeit a weird one. The term "spce ships" can be taken quite literall here, and although everything looks like a childish game, it does have a slight difficulty o master, especially on later levels. Plus the Battles, which one can play outside of the story.

It is unique in the way that I bet you've never seen literal space ships with all sorts of cannons roaring deep into the battle and all kinds of ship parts been torn apart, which of course gives penalties to the ship. A ship without a main sail is very slow in fact, and it can be easily reached by much faster enemy ships.

If you *really* liked Homeworld, then you should buy it for cheap money and try it out. It's fun, as long as you get accustomed to the unique style of it.
And bear in mind that it is made after the Disney movie of the same name after all.

 

[hisvin]

http://www.metalbeetle.com/spaceexploration/index.php

 

[GhanBuriGhan]

Well, I can really only think of the Battlecruiser series, but those games have a really steep learning curve. Despite Derek Smart, they are enthusiast games, and when you are willing to invest into a really complicated game, and look past the poor graphics, they are apparently quite rewarding, in a sandboxy way.

 

[soul0reaper]

Homeworld 1&2 were nice, but doesn't fall into what I'm looking for. I'll take a look at Nexus - The Jupiter Incident.

The thing is with the battlecruiser and the X series is that they require significant time investment and learning. I'm juggling college with 4 games my clan plays, so I need something more…actiony for lack a better word.

Edit: judging from the gamespot review, Nexus looks really interesting so I'll go see where I can find a copy of it but keep the suggestions coming.

 

[Maylander]

Freelancer is an amazing space sim, but it's certainly not an RPG, nor do you get to control battleships (without mods).

 

[BillSeurer]

Was there anything like this is that old Buck Rogers RPG? I only vaguely remember it.

 

[Zloth]

What is this "unnecessarily complicated"? Starfleet Battles got that way from time to time, I suppose, but I haven't seen it in a computer game yet.

Unfortunately, it seems like what you are asking for is contradictory. Big ships mean big inertia which means no flying around in space furballs. You're more likely to have turrets that aim and shoot for you. What's more, battleships are big things manned by lots of people, implying lots of systems to maintain.

If you want fast action, you want fighters. Problem is - those games have all but vanished. Darkstare One was… well… OK I guess. It should be good for some quick blast-em-outta-the-sky fun.

(And yeah, the X series is exactly what you don't want. Keep the game around, though, for when you graduate.)

 

[posfan12]

IIRC, there were tons of games like this for mainframe computer systems back in the day. Some of them have probably been ported to DOS/Windows.

 

[JDR13]

IIRC, there were tons of games like this for mainframe computer systems back in the day. Some of them have probably been ported to DOS/Windows.

I don't think those would meet his graphical standards.

 

[Dagon]

I agree with the most people here.
Nexus:The Jupiter Incident would fit the best what you described.
Homeworld and it's sequels are great games, but they are more about commanding a whole flotilla.

 

[Dhruin]

Not what you're after, but I'm keeping an eye on this:

http://www.starpointgemini.com/

 

[coyote]

I-War (Independence War) and Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos come to mind, although the first one was released November 1997 - in the 1900s, as you say - but the graphics were excellent at the time and might still look well enough for you even if you place an emphasis on this.

Personally, the first game captured me more than the sequel, but the second game might offer more roleplaying aspects. In both you command a corvette, over 160m in length, and it implements Newtonian physics for spaceflight while still providing interesting combat. You might want to check out a few reviews, but I guess they are as close to fitting your requirements as it gets.

P.S.: In case you decide to buy one or both of them, I just found out that they are even available at GOG:
http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/independence_war_deluxe
and
http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/independence_war_2

 

[Maylander]

I seem to recall Independence War 2 not supporting mouse control of the ship? Only joystick or full keyboard. That was a showstopper for me.