I noticed over at Gamers With Jobs that a game called “Space Trader: Merchant Marine” is coming out this week. It’s also listed on Gamersgate, but for next week. Anyway, it appears to be another attempt at a “Privateer” type game. The screenshots don’t look too bad.
Anyone been following this one?
I thought this was going to be about X3: Terran Conflict. That also comes out this week.
Good point. I knew that was out soon, but GWJ didn’t have it listed so I didn’t think it was this week.
Heh, a space trader with FPS elements?
On first read that doesnt sound very promising.
I hope there will be a demo…
7 planets? It sounds like an FPS with space trader elements, not the other way around.
4/10 just from looking at the screenshots.
From the article and screenshots, it doesn’t sound like this is a space sim at all. It sounds like a first person shooter that lets you do “space trading”, whatever that is.
I don’t know anything about the game, just reacting to comments, but judging it on the number of planets is a little silly. In fact, I’d love a privateer style game that focused on fewer but more detailed locations. Say, a singular solar system with each planet having multiple moons, orbiting bases, asteroid belts, an atmosphere you can dive into to dodge between mountain ranges, and all kinds of other geographical features beyond a simple sphere that cuts to genericSpacePort4b when you fly towards it.
So, Firefly?
Please.
++ I’d settle for Pirates! in space with less dancing and a dive into to dodge between mountain ranges, and all kinds of other geographical features.
I think it’s perfectly fair to judge a trading game by the number of trading posts.
Isn’t this a sequel or addon or something?
I could’ve sworn I played a demo of a game exactly like that (which wasn’t at all like a space trader), but it was half a year ago and the full game was available then.
Random google review supporting my claim.
Btw., german reviews indicated the campaign in the X3 rehash (supposedly THE reason they did a rehash in the first place) sucks and the game is otherwise still the same.
rezaf
Interesting link. I really don’t know what the relationship between the two games is. I guess I was hoping someone would have been following it or something.
Is it possible that there are seven planets but each planet has multiple trading posts/ports?
That would be pretty cool.
To my surprise it seems this is actually not a game developed by Russians. At least those guys are still trying. I wish one of the more talented studios from there - say, Nival or the guys behind King’s Bounty - would tackle a game like this. Space Rangers 2 is of course awesome, but atmosphere-wise, it doesn’t quite match the big hitters. And then, it seems like many of the other Russian space sims have great graphics, but lousy gameplay. Can’t I have both!?!?!
What screens are you looking at because the ones on your link look atrocious even for 1998 standards.
That would be awesome, thanks.
Wasn’t there a Firefly MMO in the works?
Respectfully
krise madsen
It was open source, I believe, Krise.
Also, I would kill a man for a top-notch Firefly game