CraigerGamer
Member
Anybody play Tradewars 2002 back in the mid 90s - 00's? If yes, please skip to bottom of post thx. If not, here is a brief summary...it was the very first MMO that I can remember. You are a trader in a universe whose main goal was to accumulate credits. The universe could vary in size depending on the servers settings and each sector was generated randomly and connected in an non-congruent way. Sectors 1-10 were always federation space but sector 1 didn't always connect to sector 2 and so forth. You started out in a small spacecraft going from port to port buying and selling ore, fuel, food, and equipment. The game was pretty much just text and you would warp to different sectors. Many sectors were empty. Others had ports that would sell or buy 3 of the resources. Prices changed depending on the port and how much trading has gone on in the sector. Eventually you would earn enough to go to spaceport and upgrade ships, buy Genesis torpedoes (the game borrowed heavily from Star Trek), and fighter jets (small jets you could send out to fight aliens and capture their ships).
Eventually I would map out sections of the universe to find one sector that had a single entry and exit point. This is where you would create your planet. You had several types that could be made so a lot of it was luck to get a highly productive one. From there you would build your star base, upgrade, it's citedel, and eventually ferry people from other planets you found to your own to put them to work to make resources and sell them to nearby ports.
Combat was great. Each ship had shields and you would send your fighters out not destroy the ship but to get the other player to abandon it so you could tow it to spaceport and sell it for credits. But it was tricky. Too many jet fights sent destroyed the ship. Many alien races would lace the hull with bombs that would blow you up in the process. Too few fighters and their forces overwhelm yours and you just left them out for certain death. Finding that sweet spot of how much aggression was always fun.
And all of this was happening thoughout thousands of sectors of about 20-50 players. For having no graphics really, the game had more depth than many MMOs today.
So my questions is, what exists today that's like this? I know Elite Dangerous but I have read enough to where it's more space battles than resource collection, bartering, and overtaking a section of the galaxy through commerce. Or maybe it's exactly this?
I have No Man's Sky ordered but I know the depth of building citedels, and setting up a space business isn't happening for a while (ever).
So GAF, is Elite my best shot? Or is there something else out there? Finding old portals of Tradewars is becoming more and more difficult. Which makes me sad. It's the greatest computer game I have ever played.
Eventually I would map out sections of the universe to find one sector that had a single entry and exit point. This is where you would create your planet. You had several types that could be made so a lot of it was luck to get a highly productive one. From there you would build your star base, upgrade, it's citedel, and eventually ferry people from other planets you found to your own to put them to work to make resources and sell them to nearby ports.
Combat was great. Each ship had shields and you would send your fighters out not destroy the ship but to get the other player to abandon it so you could tow it to spaceport and sell it for credits. But it was tricky. Too many jet fights sent destroyed the ship. Many alien races would lace the hull with bombs that would blow you up in the process. Too few fighters and their forces overwhelm yours and you just left them out for certain death. Finding that sweet spot of how much aggression was always fun.
And all of this was happening thoughout thousands of sectors of about 20-50 players. For having no graphics really, the game had more depth than many MMOs today.
So my questions is, what exists today that's like this? I know Elite Dangerous but I have read enough to where it's more space battles than resource collection, bartering, and overtaking a section of the galaxy through commerce. Or maybe it's exactly this?
I have No Man's Sky ordered but I know the depth of building citedels, and setting up a space business isn't happening for a while (ever).
So GAF, is Elite my best shot? Or is there something else out there? Finding old portals of Tradewars is becoming more and more difficult. Which makes me sad. It's the greatest computer game I have ever played.
