Just spotted this thread and thought I'd de-lurk because I have spent quite a bit of time with this game
. I'll try to keep it (somewhat) brief:
EM is a bit of a strange beast. It's an incredible achievement considering that it is a
one-person project/series. The space combat model is easily the best that I ever played - and yes, that includes Freespace 1+2 and other classic space sims. It's far from perfect though, so here is a breakdown of what I personally found with this game.
The reports of a steep learning curve are not entirely true; yes, it takes some patience, and yes, you will probably die within 10-20 seconds or less in your first few battles, but once you discover how to use inertia to your advantage and how to devise actual tactics, you will be successful, and a victory in this game is incredibly thrilling and satisfactory. I think that the reports of a steep learning curve are a bit exaggerated by those that expected to be able to jump in right away without learning the system and shoot down an entire fleet of enemies with the starting ship. Plan your approach at the onset of a battle, use patience, and remember that positioning and speed are your best friends; once you do this, there aren't very many games that can capture the sheer thrill of Evochron Mercenary's combat model.
So the combat is absolutely amazing, but there are some unfortunate drawbacks to this wonderful game. To keep it brief, it lacks the "living" dynamic feel of, say, Mount & Blade or the X series. Outside of space battles, there isn't a whole lot to do that feels satisfying, and it lacks the sense of progression that X or M&B possesses. The overall universe design just doesn't match up with the stellar mechanics of the core gameplay, and this is an unfortunate, and serious, drawback.
All in all, I highly recommend checking EM out if one has even the slightest interest in space games - especially if there is an interest in thrilling space battles that require a near-perfect blend of player-skill and actual tactics. As for the learning curve, the first half hour was pretty brutal for me, but after checking out the game's forums for tips and watching a few gameplay videos, I was up to speed in no time and was able to survive most battles, even in my starting ship. Once I upgraded to a more powerful vessel, I was able to take on larger scale battles, and my goodness was that addicting. The sheer thrill and enjoyment of taking on a large enemy force with a squadron of allies in tow almost made up for the lack of world/universe design, and even though the X series blows EM out of the water in the "dynamic/living" universe aspect, I had a lot more fun playing EM overall.
So those are my thoughts: EM is absolutely worth playing, but it isn't the "one to rule them all" of space sims. It has its serious drawbacks - namely the lack of an in-depth universe, but the core gameplay mechanics and heart are nearly enough to make up for this.
