# Star Conflict
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-conflict/654107
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [March 27, 2013, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-conflict/654107 "2013-03-27T16:21:04Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2013, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-conflict/654107/1 "2013-03-27T16:21:04Z")
I found this on Steam last week and since it was free and involved flying a spaceship, I went ahead and downloaded the game and gave it a shot.
HOLY FUCK IS THIS GAME AWESOME!
Lots of different ships, weapons, shields, etc., lots of different PvP games and different settings to play them in, and TONS of fun!
So far I haven’t even bothered with any of the PvE content, just the PvP. I’ve been having a blast flying around space wreckage or asteroids and trying to blow other people’s ships up.
Anyone else playing this? Anyone got any tips or insights into the PvE content?
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### Author:  [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)
#### Post date: [March 27, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-conflict/654107/2 "2013-03-27T16:48:30Z")
Haven’t heard of it, but will give it a look when I get some time, sounds interesting.
Semi-hijack, but are there any games out there that are more like Starflight, with an emphasis on exploring/trading in space, rather than the rather more standard “privateer” formula games where you can trade if you want but the focus is on flying around and blowing things up?
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### Author:  [@AnthonyElite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnthonyElite)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2013, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-conflict/654107/3 "2013-03-28T20:20:24Z")
**Airk** , if you don’t mind a little age, Star Control 3 was a LOT of fun and had a lot of exploring and such.
Darkstar One is much the same, and allows for flight stick controller, but gets fairly repetitive by midway.
Airk, how are the graphics, and how are the controls? Could I use a flight stick? Does steam record your in-game accomplishments and such?
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### Author:  [@Boozahol\_Squid\_P.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boozahol_Squid_P.I)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2013, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-conflict/654107/4 "2013-03-28T21:07:52Z")
> [@AnthonyElite](#):
>
> **Airk** , if you don’t mind a little age, Star Control 3 was a LOT of fun and had a lot of exploring and such.
I think you meant to say Star Control 2. 3 was the awful, corny sequel.
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### Author:  [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2013, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-conflict/654107/5 "2013-03-28T21:17:49Z")
Yeah, I played both of those. SC2 was great, SC3 was not. Neither of them really scratches the exact itch I was aiming for though - yeah, they had exploration, but SC2, at least (Can’t really remember SC3), didn’t really have any “trading” aspect - I mean, yeah, you gathered minerals and biologicals to “spend” at the Starbase/Melnorme, but there was no sense of “buy low, sell high” or “This world is the only place you can get commodity X!” or anything like that.
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### Author:  [@Airk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airk)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2013, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-conflict/654107/6 "2013-03-28T21:18:52Z")
> [@AnthonyElite](#):
>
> Airk, how are the graphics, and how are the controls? Could I use a flight stick? Does steam record your in-game accomplishments and such?
I think this question was actually for **Snowboarder Bo** since I still haven’t had the time to sit down and check this out.
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-conflict/654107/7 "2013-03-28T21:26:37Z")
> [@Airk](#):
>
> Semi-hijack, but are there any games out there that are more like Starflight, with an emphasis on exploring/trading in space, rather than the rather more standard “privateer” formula games where you can trade if you want but the focus is on flying around and blowing things up?
I know some 2D games that fit the bill. Strange Adventures in Infinite Space and its sequel Weird Worlds: Return to Infinite Space, the latter of which is on Steam. [Transcendence](http://transcendence.kronosaur.com/) has blowing stuff up but the emphasis is on trading with the goal of upgrading your ship in order to survive the trek to the final system.
For 3D, there’s [a new verion of Elite coming next year](http://elite.frontier.co.uk/). There’s also [Oolite](http://www.oolite.org/), an open source version of the original. Oolite is very trade-heavy, particularly with [mods](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=682477) installed to open new opportunites like specialty goods and taxi service.
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2013, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-conflict/654107/8 "2013-03-28T22:02:40Z")
Forgot about [Vega Strike](http://vegastrike.sourceforge.net/), sort of an open source single player version of Eve Online. Combat missions are there but there are also lots of commodities to trade.
Last time I played, I had docked in a station and couldn’t find my way out! Need to give it another try.
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### Author:  [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)
#### Post date: [March 29, 2013, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-conflict/654107/9 "2013-03-29T01:25:19Z")
> [@Airk](#):
>
> > [@AnthonyElite](#):
> >
> > Airk, how are the graphics, and how are the controls? Could I use a flight stick? Does steam record your in-game accomplishments and such?
>
> I think this question was actually for **Snowboarder Bo** since I still haven’t had the time to sit down and check this out.
I use my keyboard and a Kensington trackball, and I find the control to be very good. It gets better as I get access to better ships, of course. According to the FAQ on Star Conflict’s website, the game supports gamepads but not joysticks. I don’t do well with gamepads (I didn’t grow up with them and I have large hands), but I could certainly see where someone that used them all the time would love to have one for this game. Personally, I wish I could hook up one of those fighter pilot style dual-stick-&-foot-pedals type deals; it would totally rock to be able to control a spaceship with spaceship-like controls.
The graphics are top notch. It looks excellent but doesn’t compromise the action. This is a fast paced game with lots of crazy stuff on the screen and from 12-20 people playing in a game but it doesn’t make my video card work nearly as hard as a typical WoW raid or BG.
Yes, Steam keeps track of your accomplishments.
So far I have played this game over 13 hours, and every day I find myself putting in more time with it.
Last night I tried my first PvE (they’re called “Scenarios”) and it was a ton of fun until we got outflanked by the invading ships and they tore us up.