Never played it before but does it have good free form space sim stuff? (trading, buying ships etc)
Yes, yes, and yes!
Check out the wiki page:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wing_Commander:_Privateer(and then you will want to download it from the link de5me7 or I posted)
I have honestly never completed the story... I just sandbox it and play freestyle.
There are a lot of choices of equipment and weapons available, but only four total ship types you can buy (a pity, since there are a whole lot more ships encountered in the game). But unlike many games, the equipment upgrades are significant beyond 'more damage' or 'better shields'... For example, your starting 'radar' is black and white, but as you upgrade you can get friend or foe coloring and then full color designations. You also need to balance energy which affects your shields and weapons. Shooting too much too fast can deplete your energy- but if you lower your shields to 1/3 strength, the energy will regen better allowing you more firepower... at cost of defense.
The only other game I know that handled energy allocation well like that is
X-wing vs Tie Fighter (another great space combat game!).
You can do various missions including
kill person,
deliver item,
escort and
defend... The option exists to join the merchants guild or the mercenaries guild to access guild specific missions as well.
If mission based deliveries is not your thing, you can buy food on an agricultural planet and deliver it to a mining asteroid yourself- then take minerals to an industrial planet, and so on.
Alternatively, if mission based combat is not your thing, you can just go out and get involved in battles on your own, whether against pirates or kilrathi (the
aliens in the game) or even against merchants and militia. One of my favorite things to do is start up piracy right at the beginning- the payout is
huge, considering one well stocked merchant prize is the equivalent of like dozens of the initial missions... but... it doesn't take long for you to get flagged as a pirate, then you'll have all the militia and 'good' guys after you- which makes it a challenge early on. But if you can get to a pirate base, you'll be safe.
I personally think the game is a blast and highly suggest it to anyone that likes freeform space exploration/combat.
Playing it now, I have no clue how I memorized all the controls as a kid... I spent an hour mapping my x52 flight control system and can still barely handle myself well in combat... Sheesh, to think I used to play with a little 2 axis 3 button joystick and
do well amazes me... I guess the intricate control necessary in IL2 has spoiled me when playing flight sims.
Author
Topic: Wing Commander: Privateer ...Gemini Gold... (Read 2328 times)