More Updates For Space Sim Fans (December 9, 2005)

[ChrisReid]

A pair of upcoming space combat sims have just released big updates. A whole bunch of new information has been released on DarkStar One since we reported on them a couple months ago. At the time, this German developed space sim did not have a website. Darkstar-one.com is now online to fill that void. It features forums and lots of information on game details. The team behind Darkstar is a big fan of the Wing Commander series.

I would really love to see the Wing Commander and Freelancer Community there, basically because I believe they can help bring ideas and suggestions to the game in order to recapture some of the "old" feeling most of us grew up with, something the team is really attempting to do and actually doing very well, especially when it comes to battle itself.

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From the other side of the globe, StarCalibur, by Russian developer RevoltGames, has released a playable demo. It's a 130 megs download featuring both first and third person play modes. We covered the game last year when it was also known as Secret Sign. In addition to space fighter combat, the player occasionally controls planetary guns or carrier turrets. You can grab the demo here or here.

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Original update published on December 9, 2005

 

[FireFox]

The StarCalibur game looks pretty good but it also looks like it is entirely in Russian. I don't suppose anyone knows if they will be doing an English version, do you?

 

[Jason_Ryock]

I'd say it's a safe bet, since the Demo is in English.

 

[ChrisReid]

Our previous update talked about the forthcoming English version, and this is the demo for the English one.

 

[Ptarmigan]

Looks like a cool game to me. Lot of space sims are developed outside of America. Perhaps they are due for a comeback soon.

 

[FireFox]

Ok, I played the StarCalibur demo and I have to say it is pretty good. The graphics are really outstanding. Knowing that 8 years have passed since the WC game, I can only imagine what one might have looked like today. I enjoyed the game play a lot as it uses the standard phyics like the WC games. After playing years of WC and the X-Wing series, I just can't stand newtonian phyics. Personal preference. What I was dissapointed with in this game was the sound and the lack of options for your fighter. The sound seemed muted in some places and non-existant in others. There was a lack of in-your-face explosions and the like. There were some nice sound features like the background chatter of other pilots eventhough it was in Russian. The lack of options I referred to was things like shield adjustments, weapon adjustments, hat view control, damage/shield information, etc. None of it was really there. It is a demo and maybe they just left those out. However in it's current state, I would still likely buy the full version if the price was decent. If they want $50 a pop for this game they need to have better sound and far more in-ship options.