Space flight simulator game
Encyclopedia
A space flight simulator game is a genre of simulation video game
s that lets players experience space flight. Highly realistic examples lacking any sort of combat include Orbiter and Microsoft Space Simulator
. Space flight simulator video games are distinct from space-based shoot 'em up
games that use side-scrolling
or top-down perspectives.
Space flight simulators, at one time popular, have for most of the new millennium been considered a "dead" genre.
or smaller starship
in a military force of similar and larger spaceships. The prominent Wing Commander
, Tachyon: The Fringe
, X-Wing and Freespace series all use this approach. Exceptions include the first Independence War
and the Star Trek: Bridge Commander
series, which model craft at a larger scale and/or in a more strategic fashion.
Space combat simulators tend to be mission-based, as opposed to the more open-ended nature of space trading and combat simulators.
, and Freelancer
.
In some instances, plot plays only a limited role and only a loose narrative framework tends to be provided (in certain titles of the X series
, for instance, players may ignore the plot for as long as they wish and are even given the option to disable the plot completely and instead play in "sandbox" mode) -- but many games of this genre place a strong emphasis on factional conflict, leading to many small mission-driven subplots that unravel the tensions of the galaxy.
Games of this type often allow the player to choose among multiple roles to play and multiple paths to victory. This aspect of the genre is very popular, but some people have complained that, in some titles, the leeway given to the player too often is only superficial, and that, in reality, the roles offered to players are very similar, and open-ended play too frequently restricted by scripted sequences. As an example, Freelancer has been criticised for being too rigid in its narrative structure, being in one case compared negatively with Grand Theft Auto
, another series praised for its open-ended play.
All space trading and combat games feature the core gameplay elements of directly controlling the flight of some sort of space vessel, generally armed, and of navigating from one area to another for a variety of reasons. As technology has improved it has been possible to implement a number of extensions to gameplay, such as dynamic economies, cooperative
online play and realistic flight models based on Newtonian physics, but the core gameplay has changed little over the years. Some recent games, for instance EVE Online
, have expanded the scope of the experience by including thousands of simultaneous online players in what is sometimes referred to as a "living universe" -- a dream some have held (though maybe not in EVE' s exact format) since the genre's early beginnings.
An additional sub-class of space trading games eliminate combat entirely, focusing instead entirely on trading and economic manipulation in order to achieve success.
and mouse
as a means of controlling the game (games such as Microsoft's Freelancer use this control system exclusively). By far the most popular control system among genre enthusiasts, however, is the joystick
. Most fans prefer to use this input method whenever possible, but expense and practicality mean that many are forced to use the keyboard and mouse combination (or gamepad if such is the case). The lack of uptake among the majority of modern gamers has also made joysticks a sort of an anachronism, though some new controller
designs and simplification of controls offer the promise that space sims may be playable in their full capacity on gaming consoles
at some time in the future. In fact, X3: Reunion, sometimes considered one of the more cumbersome and difficult series of space simulations to master, was initially planned for the Xbox
but later cancelled.
The modern space flight simulation genre emerged at the point when home computers became sufficiently powerful to draw basic wireframe graphics in real-time. The game Elite is widely considered to be the breakthrough game of the genre, and as having successfully melded the "space trading" and flight sim genres. Elite was highly influential upon later games of its type, although it did have some precursors, and games similar to Elite are sometimes called "Elite-clones".
, EVE Online
. Thorolfur Beck credits Elite as the game that impacted him most on the Commodore 64. Developers of Jumpgate Evolution
, Battlecruiser 3000AD
, Infinity: The Quest for Earth, Hard Truck: Apocalyptic Wars and Flatspace likewise all claim Elite as a source of inspiration.
Elite was named one of the sixteen most influential games in history at Telespiele, a German technology and games trade show, and is being exhibited at such places as the London Science Museum in the "Game On
" exhibition organized and toured by the Barbican Art Gallery. Elite was also named #12 on IGN
's 2000 "Top 25 PC Games of All Time" list, the #3 most influential video game ever by the Times Online
in 2007, and "best game ever" for the BBC Micro by Beebug Magazine in 1984. Elites sequel, Frontier: Elite II, was named #77 on PC Zone
's "101 Best PC Games Ever" list in 2007. Similar praise has been bestowed elsewhere in the media from time to time.
Elite is one of the most popularly requested games to be remade, and some argue that it is still the best example of the genre to date, with more recent titles—including its sequel—not rising up to its level. It has been credited as opening the door for future online persistent world
s, such as Second Life
and World of Warcraft
, and as being the first truly open-ended game. It is to this day one of the most ambitious games ever made, residing in only 22 kilobytes of memory and on a single floppy disk.
(1979), Space Shuttle: A Journey into Space (1982), Rendezvous: A Space Shuttle Simulation (1982), Namco
's Space Encounters (1980), and several Sega
games, including Space Tactics (1980), which featured an arcade
cabinet resembling a cockpit where the entire screen mobilizes and scrolls
as the player moves the cross-hairs and shoots a laser into the screen to create a real-life 3D effect, Astron Belt
(1983), the first laserdisc video game
with the graphics presented using full-motion video, and Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator
(1982), which featured five different controls to learn, six different enemies, and 40 different simulation levels of play, making it one of the most elaborate vector games ever released.
Other early examples include Taito
's Space Seeker in 1981, Nasir Gebelli
's 1982 Apple II
computer games
Horizon V which featured an early radar mechanic and Zenith which allowed the player ship to rotate, and Bandai
's 1984 mecha
games for the MSX
computer, Gundam: Last Shooting, which featured an early cockpit view, and Ginga Hyoryu Vifam, which allowed first-person open space
exploration with a radar displaying the destination and player/enemy positions as well as an early physics
engine
where approaching a planet
's gravitational field
pulls the player towards it. Following Elite were games such as The Halley Project
(1985), Echelon (1987) and Microsoft Space Simulator
(1994).
Star Luster
, released for the NES
console and arcades
in 1985, featured free-roaming open space exploration with six degrees of freedom
, a cockpit view, a radar displaying enemy and base locations, the ability to warp anywhere, and a date system
keeping track of the current date. Kidō Senshi Z-Gundam: Hot Scramble (1986) featured first-person
space combat levels in open space giving the illusion of six degrees of freedom. Arsys Software's Star Cruiser (1988) for the NEC PC-8801
and Sega Mega Drive
featured space combat gameplay that allowed true six degrees of freedom while exploring a vast open space rendered in fully 3D polygonal graphics
as well as featuring an automap displaying player and enemy positions. Namco's StarBlade (1991) was another early example of 3D polygonal graphics in a space combat game.
Some tabletop and board games, such as Traveller
or Merchant of Venus
, also feature themes of space combat and trade. Traveller influenced the development of Elite (the main character in Traveller is named "Jamison"; the main character in Elite is named "Jameson") and Jumpgate Evolution. Trade Wars
and TradeWars 2002
were early BBS door
games that featured trading and combat set in outer space, and were influential in their own right.
, FPS
and RPG
game genres, with such examples as Warcraft, Doom and Diablo
. The very things that made these games classics, such as their open-endedness, complex controls and attention to detail, have been cited as reasons for this decline. Some recent franchises such as the X series and EVE Online
, however, appear to have broken this mold. The open source
community has also been active, with recent projects such as FS2 Open
and Vega Strike
serving as platforms for nonprofessional efforts. Remakes of Elite and Privateer are even being made using the Vega Strike engine. Sins of a Solar Empire
is also a recent game that is a direct descendant of earlier games in this genre.
Simulation video game
A simulation video game describes a diverse super-category of computer and video games, generally designed to closely simulate aspects of a real or fictional reality.-Sub-genres:-Construction and management simulation:...
s that lets players experience space flight. Highly realistic examples lacking any sort of combat include Orbiter and Microsoft Space Simulator
Microsoft Space Simulator
Microsoft Space Simulator is a space flight simulator program, based on Microsoft Flight Simulator, for MS-DOS/Microsoft Windows. It is one of the first general-purpose space flight simulators and it incorporated concepts from astrodynamics and celestial mechanics.- Features :*14 spacecraft models...
. Space flight simulator video games are distinct from space-based shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
games that use side-scrolling
Side-scrolling video game
A side-scrolling game or side-scroller is a video game in which the gameplay action is viewed from a side-view camera angle, and the onscreen characters generally move from the left side of the screen to the right. These games make use of scrolling computer display technology...
or top-down perspectives.
Space flight simulators, at one time popular, have for most of the new millennium been considered a "dead" genre.
Space combat simulator
Space combat simulators feature a futuristic simulation of space flight involving combat, as opposed to the modern-day and highly realistic simulation of space flight in other space flight simulators. Such games generally place the player into the controls of a small starfighterStarfighter
"Starfighter" is a science fiction term used to describe small, fast, usually one-manned craft designed for armed combat .The appearance and use of fictional starfighters is often modeled on fighter aircraft, with little regard for the actual physics of spaceflight...
or smaller starship
Starship
A starship or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
in a military force of similar and larger spaceships. The prominent Wing Commander
Wing Commander (franchise)
Wing Commander is a video game media franchise consisting of space combat simulation computer games from Origin Systems, Inc., an animated television series, a feature film, a collectible card game, a series of novels, and action figures...
, Tachyon: The Fringe
Tachyon: The Fringe
Tachyon: The Fringe is a computer game developed and published in 2000 by the company Novalogic. It features the voice acting of Bruce Campbell as main character Jake Logan in a 3-D space simulator...
, X-Wing and Freespace series all use this approach. Exceptions include the first Independence War
I-War (Independence War)
I-War is a space combat simulator developed by English development house Particle Systems Ltd. The game was first published in 1997 in Europe by Infogrames as I-War, and in late August of 1998 in North America as Independence War...
and the Star Trek: Bridge Commander
Star Trek: Bridge Commander
Star Trek: Bridge Commander is a space combat simulation game for the PC, published by Activision and Totally Games in 2002, based in the Star Trek universe....
series, which model craft at a larger scale and/or in a more strategic fashion.
Space combat simulators tend to be mission-based, as opposed to the more open-ended nature of space trading and combat simulators.
Space trading and combat simulator
The general formula for space trading and combat simulators, which has changed little since its genesis, is for the player to begin in a relatively small, outdated ship (that said, the ship the player controls is generally larger than that in pure space combat simulator) with little money or status and for the player to work his way up, gaining in status and power through trading, exploration, combat or a mix of different methods. Notable examples include Elite, Wing Commander: PrivateerWing Commander: Privateer
Wing Commander: Privateer is an adventure space flight simulation computer game released by Origin Systems in 1993. Privateer and its storyline is part of the Wing Commander series...
, and Freelancer
Freelancer (video game)
Freelancer is a space trading and combat simulation video game developed by Digital Anvil and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The game was initially announced by Chris Roberts in 1999, and following many production schedule mishaps and a buyout of Digital Anvil by Microsoft, it was eventually...
.
In some instances, plot plays only a limited role and only a loose narrative framework tends to be provided (in certain titles of the X series
X (game series)
X is a science fiction space trading and combat simulator series created by German Developer Egosoft. The series is set in the X Universe where several races populate a number of worlds connected by jumpgates...
, for instance, players may ignore the plot for as long as they wish and are even given the option to disable the plot completely and instead play in "sandbox" mode) -- but many games of this genre place a strong emphasis on factional conflict, leading to many small mission-driven subplots that unravel the tensions of the galaxy.
Games of this type often allow the player to choose among multiple roles to play and multiple paths to victory. This aspect of the genre is very popular, but some people have complained that, in some titles, the leeway given to the player too often is only superficial, and that, in reality, the roles offered to players are very similar, and open-ended play too frequently restricted by scripted sequences. As an example, Freelancer has been criticised for being too rigid in its narrative structure, being in one case compared negatively with Grand Theft Auto
Grand Theft Auto (series)
Grand Theft Auto is a multi-award-winning British video game series created in the United Kingdom by Dave Jones, then later by brothers Dan Houser and Sam Houser, and game designer Zachary Clarke. It is primarily developed by Edinburgh based Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games...
, another series praised for its open-ended play.
All space trading and combat games feature the core gameplay elements of directly controlling the flight of some sort of space vessel, generally armed, and of navigating from one area to another for a variety of reasons. As technology has improved it has been possible to implement a number of extensions to gameplay, such as dynamic economies, cooperative
Cooperative gameplay
Cooperative gameplay is a feature in video games that allows players to work together as teammates. It is distinct from other multiplayer modes, such as competitive multiplayer modes like player versus player or deathmatch...
online play and realistic flight models based on Newtonian physics, but the core gameplay has changed little over the years. Some recent games, for instance EVE Online
EVE Online
Eve Online is a video game by CCP Games. It is a player-driven, persistent-world MMORPG set in a science fiction space setting. Characters pilot customizable ships through a galaxy of over 7,500 star systems. Most star systems are connected to one or more other star systems by means of stargates...
, have expanded the scope of the experience by including thousands of simultaneous online players in what is sometimes referred to as a "living universe" -- a dream some have held (though maybe not in EVE
An additional sub-class of space trading games eliminate combat entirely, focusing instead entirely on trading and economic manipulation in order to achieve success.
Control systems
Most modern space flight simulators on the personal computer allow a player to utilise a combination of the WASD keys of the keyboardComputer keyboard
In computing, a keyboard is a typewriter-style keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches...
and mouse
Mouse (computing)
In computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons...
as a means of controlling the game (games such as Microsoft's Freelancer use this control system exclusively). By far the most popular control system among genre enthusiasts, however, is the joystick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
. Most fans prefer to use this input method whenever possible, but expense and practicality mean that many are forced to use the keyboard and mouse combination (or gamepad if such is the case). The lack of uptake among the majority of modern gamers has also made joysticks a sort of an anachronism, though some new controller
Game controller
A game controller is a device used with games or entertainment systems used to control a playable character or object, or otherwise provide input in a computer game. A controller is typically connected to a game console or computer by means of a wire, cord or nowadays, by means of wireless connection...
designs and simplification of controls offer the promise that space sims may be playable in their full capacity on gaming consoles
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
at some time in the future. In fact, X3: Reunion, sometimes considered one of the more cumbersome and difficult series of space simulations to master, was initially planned for the Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
but later cancelled.
History
Elite
Elite has made a lasting impression on developers, worldwide, extending even into different genres. In interviews, senior producers of CCP Games cited Elite as one of the inspirations for their acclaimed MMORPGMMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
, EVE Online
EVE Online
Eve Online is a video game by CCP Games. It is a player-driven, persistent-world MMORPG set in a science fiction space setting. Characters pilot customizable ships through a galaxy of over 7,500 star systems. Most star systems are connected to one or more other star systems by means of stargates...
. Thorolfur Beck credits Elite as the game that impacted him most on the Commodore 64. Developers of Jumpgate Evolution
Jumpgate Evolution
Jumpgate Evolution, commonly abbreviated as JGE, is an unreleased massively multiplayer online game having been in development by NetDevil intended to be published by Codemasters...
, Battlecruiser 3000AD
Battlecruiser 3000AD
Battlecruiser 3000AD is a science fiction computer game, noted for its long, troubled development history.-Story:...
, Infinity: The Quest for Earth, Hard Truck: Apocalyptic Wars and Flatspace likewise all claim Elite as a source of inspiration.
Elite was named one of the sixteen most influential games in history at Telespiele, a German technology and games trade show, and is being exhibited at such places as the London Science Museum in the "Game On
Game On (exhibition)
Game On is an exhibition organised and toured by the Barbican Art Gallery. The exhibition displays an historical view of video game development from early arcade games to the present. First featuring at the Barbican Art Gallery in 2002, the exhibition is claimed to have been seen by over 1...
" exhibition organized and toured by the Barbican Art Gallery. Elite was also named #12 on IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's 2000 "Top 25 PC Games of All Time" list, the #3 most influential video game ever by the Times Online
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
in 2007, and "best game ever" for the BBC Micro by Beebug Magazine in 1984. Elites sequel, Frontier: Elite II, was named #77 on PC Zone
PC Zone
PC Zone was the first magazine dedicated to games for IBM-compatible personal computers to be published in the United Kingdom. Earlier PC magazines such as PC Leisure, PC Format and PC Plus had covered games but only as part of a wider remit. PC Zone was founded in 1993.The magazine was published...
's "101 Best PC Games Ever" list in 2007. Similar praise has been bestowed elsewhere in the media from time to time.
Elite is one of the most popularly requested games to be remade, and some argue that it is still the best example of the genre to date, with more recent titles—including its sequel—not rising up to its level. It has been credited as opening the door for future online persistent world
Persistent world
A persistent world is a virtual world that continues to exist even after a user exits the world and that user-made changes to its state are, to some extent, permanent...
s, such as Second Life
Second Life
Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
and World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
, and as being the first truly open-ended game. It is to this day one of the most ambitious games ever made, residing in only 22 kilobytes of memory and on a single floppy disk.
Other examples
Elite was not the first game to take flight simulator mechanics into outer space. Other notable earlier examples include Star RaidersStar Raiders
Star Raiders is a video game for the Atari 8-bit family of computers, released in 1979 and programmed by Doug Neubauer. It was also later ported to other Atari computer and game platforms...
(1979), Space Shuttle: A Journey into Space (1982), Rendezvous: A Space Shuttle Simulation (1982), Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
's Space Encounters (1980), and several Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
games, including Space Tactics (1980), which featured an arcade
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
cabinet resembling a cockpit where the entire screen mobilizes and scrolls
Scrolling
In computer graphics, filmmaking, television production, and other kinetic displays, scrolling is sliding text, images or video across a monitor or display. "Scrolling", as such, does not change the layout of the text or pictures, or but incrementally moves the user's view across what is...
as the player moves the cross-hairs and shoots a laser into the screen to create a real-life 3D effect, Astron Belt
Astron Belt
Astron Belt is an early laserdisc video game and third-person space combat rail shooter, released in 1983 by Sega in Japan and licensed to Bally Midway for release in the United States. Developed in 1982, it is commonly cited as the first laserdisc game...
(1983), the first laserdisc video game
Laserdisc video game
A laserdisc video game is an arcade game that uses pre-recorded video played from a laserdisc, either as the entirety of the graphics, or as part of the graphics.-History:...
with the graphics presented using full-motion video, and Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator
Star Trek (arcade game)
Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator is a space combat simulation arcade game based on the original Star Trek television program, and released by Sega in 1982. It is a vector game, with both a two-dimensional display and a three-dimensional first-person perspective...
(1982), which featured five different controls to learn, six different enemies, and 40 different simulation levels of play, making it one of the most elaborate vector games ever released.
Other early examples include Taito
Taito Corporation
The is a Japanese publisher of video game software and arcade hardware wholly owned by publisher Square Enix. Taito has their headquarters in the Shinjuku Bunka Quint Building in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo, sharing the facility with its parent company....
's Space Seeker in 1981, Nasir Gebelli
Nasir Gebelli
Nasir Gebelli is an Iranian-American programmer and video game developer. Gebelli co-founded Sirius Software, created his own company Gebelli Software, and worked for Square .-Sirius Software:...
's 1982 Apple II
Apple II
The Apple II is an 8-bit home computer, one of the first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products, designed primarily by Steve Wozniak, manufactured by Apple Computer and introduced in 1977...
computer games
Personal computer game
A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...
Horizon V which featured an early radar mechanic and Zenith which allowed the player ship to rotate, and Bandai
Bandai
is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
's 1984 mecha
Mecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
games for the MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
computer, Gundam: Last Shooting, which featured an early cockpit view, and Ginga Hyoryu Vifam, which allowed first-person open space
Open world
An open world is a type of video game level design where a player can roam freely through a virtual world and is given considerable freedom in choosing how to approach objectives...
exploration with a radar displaying the destination and player/enemy positions as well as an early physics
Game physics
Computer animation physics or game physics involves the introduction of the laws of physics into a simulation or game engine, particularly in 3D computer graphics, for the purpose of making the effects appear more real to the observer...
engine
Physics engine
A physics engine is computer software that provides an approximate simulation of certain physical systems, such as rigid body dynamics , soft body dynamics, and fluid dynamics, of use in the domains of computer graphics, video games and film. Their main uses are in video games , in which case the...
where approaching a planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
's gravitational field
Gravitational field
The gravitational field is a model used in physics to explain the existence of gravity. In its original concept, gravity was a force between point masses...
pulls the player towards it. Following Elite were games such as The Halley Project
The Halley Project
The Halley Project is a 1985 game developed for the Apple II, Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit family, Amiga and possibly other platforms, by Tom Snyder and Omar Khudari and published by Mindscape...
(1985), Echelon (1987) and Microsoft Space Simulator
Microsoft Space Simulator
Microsoft Space Simulator is a space flight simulator program, based on Microsoft Flight Simulator, for MS-DOS/Microsoft Windows. It is one of the first general-purpose space flight simulators and it incorporated concepts from astrodynamics and celestial mechanics.- Features :*14 spacecraft models...
(1994).
Star Luster
Star Luster
is a first-person shooter and space combat simulator video game developed and published by Namco in 1985 only in Japan. It is an arcade-style combat-dedicated, sci-fi flight simulator that was first released for the Nintendo Famicom. That same year, Nintendo adapted the title for play in the arcade...
, released for the NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
console and arcades
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
in 1985, featured free-roaming open space exploration with six degrees of freedom
Six degrees of freedom
Six degrees of freedom refers to motion of a rigid body in three-dimensional space, namely the ability to move forward/backward, up/down, left/right combined with rotation about three perpendicular axes...
, a cockpit view, a radar displaying enemy and base locations, the ability to warp anywhere, and a date system
Persistent world
A persistent world is a virtual world that continues to exist even after a user exits the world and that user-made changes to its state are, to some extent, permanent...
keeping track of the current date. Kidō Senshi Z-Gundam: Hot Scramble (1986) featured first-person
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
space combat levels in open space giving the illusion of six degrees of freedom. Arsys Software's Star Cruiser (1988) for the NEC PC-8801
NEC PC-8801
The NEC PC-8801 was an early Zilog Z80-based computer exclusively released in Japan, where it became very popular, by NEC Corporation in 1981. It was informally called the "PC-88"....
and Sega Mega Drive
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
featured space combat gameplay that allowed true six degrees of freedom while exploring a vast open space rendered in fully 3D polygonal graphics
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
as well as featuring an automap displaying player and enemy positions. Namco's StarBlade (1991) was another early example of 3D polygonal graphics in a space combat game.
Some tabletop and board games, such as Traveller
Traveller (role-playing game)
Traveller is a series of related science fiction role-playing games, the first published in 1977 by Game Designers' Workshop and subsequent editions by various companies remaining in print to this day. The game was inspired from such classic science fiction stories as the Dumarest saga series by...
or Merchant of Venus
Merchant of Venus
Merchant of Venus is a board game, published in 1988 by Avalon Hill, set in an unexplored part of the galaxy during a reawakening of galactic civilization. Players move around the board as traders discovering long forgotten pockets of civilization and buying and selling goods. The game can be...
, also feature themes of space combat and trade. Traveller influenced the development of Elite (the main character in Traveller is named "Jamison"; the main character in Elite is named "Jameson") and Jumpgate Evolution. Trade Wars
Trade Wars
Trade Wars is the title, with some variations in spelling and capitalization, of a series of computer games dating back to the early days of personal computing. Based on influences from Star Trek, Star Wars, and early BBS strategy games, Trade Wars was an early example of the appeal of online games...
and TradeWars 2002
TradeWars 2002
TradeWars 2002, also known as Trade Wars 2002 or TW2002, is a space game developed starting in 1984 and continuing through the 1990s by Gary Martin for play as a BBS door game, with later versions developed by John Pritchett both for BBS and, starting in 1998, a devoted game server called TWGS...
were early BBS door
BBS door
A door is a computer program, on a bulletin board system, that runs outside of the main bulletin board program. Sometimes called external programs, doors are the most common way to add games, utilities, and other extensions to BBSes. From the 1990s on, most BBS software had the capability to...
games that featured trading and combat set in outer space, and were influential in their own right.
Decline
The seeming decline of the space flight simulators in the late '90s coincided with the rise of the RTSReal-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
, FPS
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
and RPG
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
game genres, with such examples as Warcraft, Doom and Diablo
Diablo (video game)
Diablo is a dark fantasy-themed action role-playing game developed by Blizzard North and released by Blizzard Entertainment on December 31, 1996....
. The very things that made these games classics, such as their open-endedness, complex controls and attention to detail, have been cited as reasons for this decline. Some recent franchises such as the X series and EVE Online
EVE Online
Eve Online is a video game by CCP Games. It is a player-driven, persistent-world MMORPG set in a science fiction space setting. Characters pilot customizable ships through a galaxy of over 7,500 star systems. Most star systems are connected to one or more other star systems by means of stargates...
, however, appear to have broken this mold. The open source
Open source
The term open source describes practices in production and development that promote access to the end product's source materials. Some consider open source a philosophy, others consider it a pragmatic methodology...
community has also been active, with recent projects such as FS2 Open
FreeSpace 2 Source Code Project
The FreeSpace 2 Source Code Project is a group of programmers currently maintaining and enhancing the game engine for the space combat simulator FreeSpace 2, developed by Volition, Inc. The source code was released in 2002, and is used by several projects. Most prominent among these are games based...
and Vega Strike
Vega Strike
Vega Strike is a first-person space trading and combat simulator, developed for Microsoft Windows, POSIX Unix-like operating systems such as Linux, and Mac OS X systems. Many of the core game mechanics of Vega Strike are indirectly inspired by Elite...
serving as platforms for nonprofessional efforts. Remakes of Elite and Privateer are even being made using the Vega Strike engine. Sins of a Solar Empire
Sins of a Solar Empire
Sins of a Solar Empire is a science fiction real-time strategy computer game developed by Ironclad Games and published by Stardock Entertainment for Microsoft Windows operating systems...
is also a recent game that is a direct descendant of earlier games in this genre.