Replying to Babylon 5: I've Found Her

Well, if you want to build something on solely imagination, go ahead. But about physics and limits of movement in space we do know quite much, so designers could even start with them and on what we don't know they could use imagination.

Because our vast knowledge, as you would say, is rather an incredibly minor amount of information compared to what we don't know about space.
In fact, we've solidified so very little facts that people don't even care if it's insanely accurate, they just want something that feels real and solid.

Well, ignoring that last line...

You know, we actually have quite a lot of knowledge how it is in space? Actually, did you know we've been there? Or at least that's what they tell us. And we know quite much about physics etc. So, if making simulation, why not use that vast knowledge we have, instead of using imagination?

Uh Juni, I said they're trying to emulate what they'd think a starship would be like.

And you're speaking like you have actual experience, which makes me worry for your sanity.

Prej, if we're talking of probable future, no single-man spacefighters exists, most of combat is resolved with missiles and / or rockets. So no energy weapons. However, if there's generator powerful enough to give you infinite source of power, why to shoot very short bursts, while you could scorch enemy with continuous beam? Overheating again? Well, continuous repeating fire would melt gun barrels as well as relatively short continuous beam and repeating fire has actually smaller chance to hit than continuous beam! But, I like Star Wars also... Which actually has more common with WW2 aerial warfare than space flight.

Please, show me starship simulation with even hint of realism, Blood. Usually they don't even have realistic ship flight physics, not to mention about weapons, sound effects, etc. Operation Flashpoint was excellent example in it that I knew Prej plays it and in it there's limited ammunition. That's the sole reason I chose it as an example.

DD, yes it's great (however little overrated game), no it's not Babylon 5, but it was just good example and I didn't mean in any way to turn this discussion to it.

C'mon everyone, as great as Operation Flashpoint is, it's clearly not Babylon 5, back on topic.

Flight sims and space sims are extremely different from other genres, their gameplay relies on realism (Flight) or trying to create a realistic and believable way that ships will operate in the future (Space) their goal is to "simulate" as in the name, so they're usually way more complex and rather more difficult.

Operation Flashpoint was an exceptional game, but I wouldn't compare the style of gameplay to that of a flight or space sim, even if it is only about limited ammo or such, they rather have much different ramifications in either game.

I actually like it on Operation Flashpoint, I play with the crosshair off too, but when something's set in the future, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that laser guns or whatever wouldn't have ammunition and would instead run from generators, and hence possibly overheat instead of run out of power.

That's just what I think on thet matter, anyway.

Well, didn't you like Operation Flashpoint? Isn't that then annoying to get low or out of ammo with your M-16/AK-74? Surprisingly many whom I've talked with prefers limited ammo, not overheating or otherwise stupid regulation for firing guns.

Juni Ori, on Mar 3 2006, 01:10 PM, said:

So that idiots don't run out of battery power just before the last enemy on the map has to be killed. That kind of thing really, really annoys people.

See Crimson Skies, where my mate uninstalled it for that very reason.