Spacing Out: The Trouble with 4X Games

By | Published 05/15/2013 at 12:27 PM
So Close, Yet So Far...

So Close, Yet So Far…

Hey guys, welcome to my weekly op-ed column that I’m calling “Spacing Out” (the name was a joint effort between my girlfriend and I ;). I realized I’d not been really writing enough op-ed pieces, and came up with the idea of doing them weekly, both as a writing exercise and a way to put thoughts and ideas out there to share and discuss with y’all. :) I’ll be doing these every Wednesday, because if I don’t set a specific day to do ‘em, I never will, you know? ;) Recently, 4X games have been on my mind after the recent release of StarDrive. After I made my decision to put my review of the game on hold, I was taken to task on a forum I frequent for not liking other recent entries in the 4X space race, such as Endless Space and Sword of the Stars II. This got me to thinking, what HAS been going on with spacey 4X games of late?
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Why Does the Idea of Playing in Space Fascinate us So?

By | Published 01/04/2013 at 11:45 AM
Galaxy-Space

I Wanna Fly Around in This!

At the very beginning of the amazing Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy book, it includes a short set of instructions on how to leave Earth. When I read that, a part of my brain wanted to follow every detail so I could leave this small, confining planet as quickly as possible.

See, I’ve wanted to leave Earth ever since I was four years old and saw the Enterprise for the first time (the “Star Trek” one, of course). It just feels so…SMALL to me. So confining. This is why, ever since then, I’ve dived into any piece of science fiction I could get my grubby paws on. It gave me a window into new worlds that I could only visit in my imagination, and one of the best windows has been video games that take place in space. While I was playing around with some space game or another the other day, I began to wonder what it was about space that was so fascinating, and why I was so very drawn to any game that took place in its vast expanses.

This is What I Came up With…

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Off-Topic, Kinda: Our Relationships with Gaming (Starting with My Own)

By | Published 12/19/2012 at 2:49 PM
Atari Joystick

It All Started with One of These…

I was listening to the FABULOUS Gamers with Jobs Conference Call podcast — which, if you don’t listen to, you totally should — a little while back, and they brought up the topic of our relationship with gaming, and how it affects our day to day lives. This got me thinking to the relationship I have had with gaming over the years, and just how deep it’s gone. I mean, I’d hope it’s obvious from my work on this blog that I LOVE video gaming, as it’s truly my first love. ;) There’s much more to it than that, however, and I figured this would make a great topic for us to discuss, so why not start with my own relationship? ;)

Join Me on a Journey of Self Discovery, Won’t You?

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2012 Space Game Holiday Buying Guide

By | Published 11/23/2012 at 12:50 PM
Santa's Spaceship

Santa’s Here with Savings Again!

It’s that time of year again where we buy presents for others (and let’s be honest, ourselves) for whatever reason or holiday you follow. :) If you recall, I did a holiday buying guide for 2011 last year that people seemed to find helpful, and a lot of the games on that list still apply. :) To avoid repetition, however, I’ll make an entirely new lest for this year and each year thereafter. ;)

Now, 2012 was a pretty good year for space games, both new and old, so while this list will be shorter than last year’s, taken together they will hopefully be a valuable resource in your gift research arsenal. :) This year I’ll be recommending games that have been released since the last guide, specifically games I have enough time with that I feel comfortable recommending. That being said, let’s take a look at the guide…

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Posted in Deals, Featured, Op-Ed | 9 Comments

Off-Topic: Kickstarter Observations from an SEO Professional

By | Published 11/14/2012 at 2:36 PM
Kickstarter Logo Light

Kickstarter is Changing the Nature of Gaming Marketing

I’ve backed a lot of projects on Kickstarter, most of them space games, as you can see. I try to be as supportive as I can to small, medium and large spacey games on Kickstarter, Steam Greenlight and anywhere else I can. However, today I had to pull my pledge for Elite: Dangerous with some sadness. Why did I pull my pledge? One update in nine days is why. ONE.

I’ll admit I’ve had problems with the Elite: Dangerous Kickstarter campaign from the start, for a variety of reasons (lack of visuals, confusing tiers, lack of clear goals and/or transparency, etc etc…). This got me to thinking…why are some Kickstarters so successful while others aren’t?

Warning: This is Pretty Long, So Enter at Your Own Risk. ;)

Posted in Featured, Miscellaneous, Op-Ed | Tagged , , , , | 36 Comments

Spacey Gamey People I’m Thankful For

By | Published 11/13/2012 at 10:53 AM
A Thankful Turkey

This Turkey is Thankful I’m Not Eating It. ;)

Warning, incoming corniness alert. ;) As Thanksgiving approaches here in the U.S., I’ve been giving thought to who and what I have in my life to be thankful for. In my non-blogging life, I have a wonderful job, an amazing girlfriend, a cadre of the best friends a guy could ask for, adorable cats, my favorite car I’ve ever owned (yay Honda Fit!) and so much more. As this blog wonderfully takes up a good portion of my life, I tried to also think about what I’m thankful for in terms of the spacey gamey…er…space. Last year I listed the games I was thankful for, so this time, I’ll list the people I’m thankful for. :)

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New Hardware Rave: Freespace 2 Looks F%#*ing AMAZING!

By | Published 09/03/2012 at 10:02 AM
Freespace 2 Open Source Project

I So Heart These Guys

So a couple of nights ago, I went through the familiar steps of manually adding the Freespace Source Code Project files to my GOG copy of Freespace 2. This time, however, I added all the extra high-resolution stuff from the MediaVPs (i.e. all the optional stuff) because I figured my new rig could run it (my last one totally choked when I added all the optional MediaVPs). Once it was all said and done, I ran the launcher and set up everything as ordered (as well as adding Spidey’s lighting settings) and ran the game at maximum resolution with everything set as high as possible for my first time ever. What resulted was nothing short of breathtaking.

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Posted in Featured, Op-Ed | Tagged | 13 Comments

Distant Worlds: The Price Conundrum (Polls Included!)

By | Published 07/11/2012 at 12:04 PM
Ships in Distant Worlds - Legends

How Much Is This Awesomeness Worth To You?

On several forums I frequent, including Matrix Games’ own forum, there has been more and more discussion about Distant Worlds, namely its current pricing model. Basically, if you want the original Distant Worlds, as well as its two expansions, The Return of the Shakturi and Legends, you need to fork over around $90 ($39.99+$24.99+$24.99, respectfully) for what is considered the “complete package”, since both expansions add so much to the game.

Why Is This an Issue?

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The Guerrilla Resurgence of Space Gaming

By | Published 05/10/2012 at 12:10 PM
Bombardment of Space Games!

It's an Awesome Bombardment of Space Games!

When I began this blog last August — and it’s seriously grown since then, thanks to you guys! — I originally thought I’d spend much of my time reviewing older, classic games while looking at the occasional new release that would come my way. In the last several years, it felt like new space games had pretty much been coming out at a trickle, slowly but steadily, and I figured that this trend would continue.  Holy crap was I wrong.

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Space Sim Pet Peeve – A Lack of Decent Targeting Controls

By | Published 05/09/2012 at 12:56 PM
Grrr Rage!

AAAARRRGG!

I love space games — “No, really?” I hear you say — especially spaceship sims like TIE Fighter and Freespace 2. Being in the virtual cockpit of a space fighter is a thrill few other types of games can match, and I’ve played and enjoyed most of the sims I’ve encountered over the years. Sure, there will be one reason or another as to why a space sim doesn’t light my world on fire, like bad enemy AI, a boring story or a useless HUD. There’s one issue that’s come up lately that has shed light on a pet peeve I didn’t even know I had…

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Posted in Featured, Op-Ed | 17 Comments
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