Archived from groups: alt.games.starsiege.tribes (
More info?)
"Smeghead" <tribesfan@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:digm81l9vkq4dbmhs43h5kh1s6fka311vd@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 18 May 2005 00:57:53 -0500, "Quixote" <quixote@writeme.com>
> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Smeghead" <tribesfan@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>>news
8al81dna6cu850b3j7oc7o1qmkp0db0bf@4ax.com...
>>> On Tue, 17 May 2005 17:29:27 -0500, "Quixote" <quixote@writeme.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>>Okay. Finally found a site that gave me a 14-day key without having to
>>>>sign
>>>>up through the site for it. Downloaded the install program 3 times from
>>>>Eve's mirror site and it was corrupted all three times. Finally got a
>>>>successful download through bittorrent. Failed install about 5 times.
>>>>Moved the install file to a different drive. Failed install. Cleaned
>>>>up
>>>>another drive, defrag, rinse repeat, moved install to that drive,
>>>>successful
>>>>install. I have not fired it up yet. Only took three days to get it
>>>>installed. I did not want to rush into things.... More details as I
>>>>have
>>>>them.
>>>
>>> Since you're an old-school Elite series player, I'll be keen to hear
>>> what you have to say about it.
>>>
>>> I'm tempted to download it and give it the ol' 14 day whirl. Time is a
>>> critical factor for me. My schedule is usually pretty tight.
>>>
>>> But then, since I was informed this morning that the contract I was
>>> working on ran out of funding as of 2:00pm CST ( I guess with all the
>>> base closings, the Navy is kinda tight with the cash lately ), I
>>> suddenly find myself with a little extra time on my hands.
>>>
>>
>>Well, its all about numbers. There is only very simplistic flight in
>>third-person view. You get close to whatever and push a button and the
>>lasers take over. There is no real piloting, so it means that fighting
>>all
>>comes down to numbers, who ever has the most wins. I could put up with
>>the
>>leveling part and generating cash if there was some real seat-of-the-pants
>>flight simulator action, but flight is pretty much choose a location and
>>fly
>>there per menu driven commands. This is just after completing the
>>tutorial
>>and messing about for an hour or so. Maybe I am missing something. I
>>will
>>give it another looking over.
>
> Bah...
>
> The uber-realistic physics is what gave Braben's Elite series the fun.
>
> Babylon 5 had my attention as a fan simply because they showed man
> populating space with ships that don't BANK like AEROplanes.
>
> I loved the Frontier because you could land on a planet surface, do
> the time compression and watch the systems sun rise and set.
>
> Like you pointed out, docking by wire was an accomplishment. In space
> everything is relative velocity. To me, the physics and realistic
> distances was fun.
>
> When I got Frontier, it was through a friend. I played it and learned
> it by trial and error. The first time I plotted a course and jumped
> was a revelation!
>
> I'll keep my eye out for further impressions from you. From what I've
> read it sounds like the missions and economy are at least as detailed
> as Elite.
>
The economy is very detailed. You can even take on player created missions.
But I just hate the whole push a button and your combined numbers shoots at
<target's> combined numbers and the highest number wins. No piloting at all
and really no room for strategy. Point of view is from a "camera drone"
outside your ship and I have not found a way to lock it, which bugs me as
you are forever resetting it. I would have much preferred a first-person
view with differing cockpit views. As it is, it's like a taxi in space that
you tell where you want to go and sit back and watch it happen. I need a
space shooter I can fly.
Quixote
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