I really hope someone makes a proper deep space trader like Elite or Frontier : First Encounters. It would be amazing and would gather a cult following that would play the game for literally years to come ! If anyone agrees then post your ideas for the game here. Maybe some dev will read the thread and make our wish come true ! My ideas for an up-date on this genre : - make it an MMO , also make it with real Newtonian physics like Frontier so it's a proper challenge flying your ship. I'm sick of half-assed casual games and want something I can get my teeth into !
Moon madness is pretty cool but the 3d aspect is unnecessary cuz it wastes battery on such a simple concept that doesn't need 3d
The best space trading game in terms of depth is Dark Nova. Limited graphics, but the space trading aspect is well implemented.It's a perfect port of the Palm game Space Trader, and even has the original developer working with the Dark Nova team. The economy is dynamic, and will fluctuate based on various events, which you can find out by purchasing an newspaper. Plenty of ships to buy, though somewhat limited in the number of weapons and ship accessories you can get. It's free, so give it a whirl. Space Trader: Moon Madness is good, but extremely limited given there's only 3 locations (Dark Nova has over a 150 systems). I have heard though that one of the prominent iphone developers are making an Escape-Velocity type game. Also, the Dark Nova crew has ambitious plans, and if they can get the funding we might see the kind of game you're looking for.
tower defense games don't need to be 3d, however some of the coolest ones are. space trader suprisingly is very light on the battery, it's not very battery intensive. the 3d is necessary to find the left behind goods. if it wasn't 3d I would dislike it. I like being able to explore and SEE the aliens in 3d.
This game is nothing like Elite or Frontier. It's massively limited in concept compared to what i'm thinking of ! Check it on wikipedia. It makes that game look like being trapped in a one-dimensional rabbit hutch ! http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Encounters
It sucks my battery. And just for reference how long standard does an ipod touch 2nd gen battery last while playing apps? Mine lasts maybe 3 or 4 hours occasionally just 2 depending on the games. wondering if anybody else's lasts longer or is that the standard.
Thanks. Not heard of Dark Nova. I'll check it..... Does anyone out there want a proper Space Trader or is this thread gonna meander off into a discussion on battery life ! Surely the idea of an open-neded sandbox type space trader with unlimited options of how to define your career appeals to someone ?
It would be great to get something like the first Frontier for iPhone (cause FFE is probably too complex). Heck, I would pay 10$ easily for it. PS. Dark Nova right now is FREE (introductory price). Cheers, f.
I just need Elite. I liked the radar and the rotation, trying to get into a port without auto-pilot Good ol' times!!! Frontier wasn't bad either but the times it took to fly from jump-point to a station or the planets was nuts... Still have my original copies and packages
Ha ! Me too. I'm still chasing the perfect space trader. Notably if your iPhone is jailbroken you can get the NES (famicom) version of Elite to run on the NES emulator. Mind you the controls are very fiddly !
thats great for you, but obviously you have no idea what you are talking about. two completely different pairs of shoes. and games like elite 2 - frontier should be portable, if you consider that this game with its huge content for the PC was just 1-2 mb in size. only problem will be the engine
I still have my original Elite tape cassette and packaging including the novella 'The Dark Wheel'. Inside the box I have lists of different market prices on different planets in my 12 year old handwriting ! Oh happy days they were ! My mum used to call me for our evening meal and i'd have to frantically match rotation with the space station and dock in order to save my game to tape cassette !
Galaxy on Fire is close, there's plenty of systems to explore after completing the story mode. However, trading is shallow, and its jumpgate based rather than free exploration. If they make it, Galaxy on Fire 2 sounds like what you're looking for! I do hope something like Elite or X3 maybe even Eve Online comes out for the iPhone. We will just have to wait and see. Otherwise, yes, as someone else mentioned there's always the NES emulator for Elite!
THIS is allllll I want; The Ur Quan Masters": http://sc2.sourceforge.net/ a complete remake of the classic "Star Control II": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Control_II
Count me in. I missed all the great classics of the genre and only played Freelancer, but I really liked it and wished for a more robust trading and mission aspects in it. BTW, for something different, Space Rangers II also would be great on the Touch. It has turn-based combat, but there are tons of different missions and an involved trading feature in it.
