Vega Strike

[d_k_k_y]

Hi just found this one: Vega Strike

Pro's:
- Its open source
- it runs without a fix installation (USB Stick friendly)
- Many options

Con's:
- Still (open) beta development
- about 200 MB Download
- poor grafics imho

Greets,
Daniel

[MMaggio]

Heck. I've had Vega Strike for years!

[d_k_k_y]

Cool, you may tell us a bit more about it than?!

[Jeremy]

The Privateer remake I posted about below is built on that engine, as are several other games.

Jeremy

[tha_rami]

Heh, I once sent info about EvoChron to a magazine after they published something about Space-games including Vega Strike in their games-column (scientific magazine). Heh, they took a look at it, never published something about it tho'. Shame, this series are much better than VS...

At least, imho.

[Edited on 9-6-06 by tha_rami]

[Jeremy]

You got that right!

Jeremy

[MMaggio]

Originally posted by d_k_k_y
Cool, you may tell us a bit more about it than?!

I said I "had" that game for years. I didn't say I played it!
I've tried to play it, but I cannot, after at least three years, been able to figure out how to program the Saitek for that game. I have joined the forum and asked questions, and was given answers, but none I could understand. I still keep the game loaded and on the desktop, and hope someday, someone will be able to help me figure out how to program the controller for the game. I can program the controller for every other game I have, but not this one. Seems it requires more knowledge than I have. [I don't have much, apparently]
But, from what I've seen, yes, the graphics might be "dorky", but I don't know what's in the game, and I cannot comment on gameplay or storyline. Too bad too! I would really like to play it!:(

[mcmad]

I don't know how many of you are aware of a spce sim game called VegaStrike.
It has been in development for many years and I tried ver 0.5 a few months back.
It has binaries for both Windows and Linux.

The game is ok, and playable to a great degree, but that is not why I felt like posting about it.

The idea I really like, and the thing I would love to see incorporated into the Evochron series, is the way they handle ship's equipment and upgrades:

each ship hull starts with:
a starting mass
a defined upgrade volume capacity in cubic metres
a defined cargo hold capacity in cubic metres
an engine: giving a very agile performance at base weight
(eg circa 20+g accelleration, circa 5-10g manouvering thruster performance)
weapon points are defined by the hull: eg 8 points of which 4 may be particle/beam/projectile, and 4 might be missile/torpedo hardpoints

starting like this an unarmed hull may be very fast and agile, but vulnerable.

you can add equipment as long as there is enough upgrade volume capacity left, but you pay a penalty in mass. And this mass penalty reduces your agility.
you can add shields, energy capcitors, etc etc etc. but your ship gets slower and less agile.

this is a great way of balancing ship capabilities.
a strike fighter would need to keep agillty and could therefore not over-armour.

a heavy freighter could increase defences, but would be slow to accellerate and manouvre:increasing its travel time and keeping it vulnerable to sustained attack.


The engine and the weapons all rely on energy, which is taken from one or two capacitors, and fed by an energy generator. All of which carry a significant mass and volume penalty. Therefore a small ship cannot become over-armoured with massively powerful weapons because they would run out of energy quickly and the ship would have to wait for enrgy to recuperate.
But what it does allow you to do is have a greater variety of equipment if you are prepared to pay the penalty.

I do realise that the way the Evochron series handles equipment is probably hard-coded and changing would require an almost complete re-write, but i just wanted to point out the beauty of this.

[Maarschalk]

I do not see much difference between the 2 games. I think all the things you mentioned have been incorporated in one form or a nother to achieve a balance in the Evochron games and has the best balance I have seen compared to other similar games.....

[Nigel_Strange]

Momad, what you describe in VS is something that was, IMO, done much better in Terminus. I highly recommend Terminus, even though it is a bit dated. It's still fun to play, but there is a serious learning curve to it.

Terminus uses much more Newtonian-like physics, so you can really feel the difference between a heavy freighter and a light fighter, and balancing mass to performance is always a consideration. You will also find that the best equipment is highly effective, has low mass, and is extremely expensive, as you would expect in real life.

You can also feel the difference between an empty freighter and a freighter full of mined minerals, which is really interesting. You fly out to an asteroid empty and it handles fairly well, but then you try to get back to base and your ship is a brick with a fly trying to push it through molasses.

Besides mass, there is also a volume factor. Each component has a volume, and some components cannot fit in certain areas of the ship, so ship building is really a complex process (some might say overly complex, but anyone who is capable of programming a Saitek should have no trouble with it).

However, I have played Vega Strike, and it is fun, but it has some limitations. I never could get the hang of combat in it.