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[Pnx]

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

...in space?

I suppose there's always S.P.A.Z.
For some reason I also feel like suggesting Noctis, even though it's probably nothing like what you're looking for. I just can't think of any other games that have that "loneliness in space" feel.

[kg333]

If you're feeling old school with some RPG elements, Star Control 2: The Ur-Quan Masters might be worth a look.  Customizable ship modules, a small fleet of your selection, and a good chunk of galaxy to explore.

KG

[monkey]

Nexus: The Jupiter Incident, no sandbox/open world, but I really liked its story.

[Mormota]

Thank you everyone, that's a ton of games to check out! I have indeed played Shores of Hazeron, but the small playerbase makes it so that it's more about exploration than anything, really. Did play SPAZ and Freelancer 2, too. The rest, I'll have to try!

[Majestic7]

One vote for Space Rangers from here.

How about Starfarer? It is still under developement, though.

http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=76383.0

Then there is the excellent roguelike Prospector.

http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=34943.0

[Dariush]

Yep, Space Rangers 2 is an awesome game.

[Spaghetti7]

Noctis. A million times. You may not like it, but I don't care. It's amazing. 

[Mormota]

While it's REALLY not the game I was looking for, Noctis seems incredibly amazing. I'll just have to give it a whirl.

[Graven]

Man, kind of off-topic, but I've had Space Rangers 2 installed for about two weeks now, DYING to play it, but I keep wanting to clear other, lesser games first and it's killing me First it was SPAZ, then MedianXL with a buddy, then Far Cry and I just can't get to the delicious dessert that is SR2.

Also, I've heard a lot of good stuff about Starfarer, though it's more strategic, and Star Control 2, which I've been lead to believe is one of the best space games ever.

edit : and for those who, like me, have missed it, Prospector got some sweet tiles, a real PDF manual and a lot of gameplay changes, so even if you got bored with it before, it's worth going back to.

[a1s]

First it was SPAZ

I got about 5 hours into that (assembled that laser thing, but didn't get the upgraded hull), and got really bored with the gameplay. Do they change it up later? (I haven't seen zombies yet, f.e. except for that 1 scripted time in chapter 2)

[Twerty]

Nexus: The Jupiter Incident, no sandbox/open world, but I really liked its story.

Oh hey, I figured I was pretty much the only one in the world that owned this game. :p The commandos element of this game was really damn cool. Unfortunately, I hit a gamebreaking bug that wouldn't allow me to pass a level. I should give it another shot someday...

[Graven]

a1s :

It does change, though maybe not significantly enough for you. Imma spoiler a more precise explanation :

Spoiler: STORY (click to show/hide)

After a point you start meeting zombies in lvl 40+ areas. This leads to newer missions, which I really liked, and since zombies infect ships and don't have shields themselves, the tactics change a bit.

Even later, zombies take over the universe, the UCA and what have you ally with you and become unattackable (thankfully, I'd grown tired of my own ships dropping my reputation) and you have to liberate systems. The quests stay the same as before, though. You can (and need to) upgrade star systems, so it's wise to not destroy any of the space stations to gain blueprints, although I'm not sure whether or not the zombies automatically destroy the stations. Either way, upgrade the UCA

Spoiler: GEAR ADVICE (click to show/hide)

I'm not sure how the latest versions handle this, but when I played, cannons were the be-all end-all weapons. Also you need to focus on several things from the research menu, not spread your points. Shields:8, Hull:8 and Armour:8 are necessary, engines not so much, reactors also, but it really helps. And, of course, maxed Cannons), Turrets:5 is quite nice too, for the triple mount, since the Hammerhead practically needs it to be reasonable. Do not waste time with the other research-able stuff unless the devs made significant changes

It's really addictive if you're of the "BEEP BOOP MUST UPGRADE MUST KILL THINGS FASTER" mindset like me. I ended the game at lvl 120 and still had things I could have upgraded, but decided I'm getting tired already.
Space Engine is also incredible, yeah. Sadly my poor laptop is fairly outclassed and I haven't played the game, but I'm really jealous of those who have, to put it this way

Also Space Rangers 2 for president.

[RedKing]

It's ancient, but there was a shareware title called Iron Seed that was very Starflight-ish in having an open universe, lots of exploration and discovering and reverse-engineering alien artifacts, etc. The site I linked to is a sort of abortive attempt at doing a sequel, but they have the links to download the original (plus patches) for free.

[Sean Mirrsen]

Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos is also a fun game. Very pretty despite its age, and rather open-ended (even if technically on rails - you won't get a capsule drive except as a story quest reward, and most ships and upgrades are acquired similarly).

At its core, it's a space pirate simulator. Fly around a (suspiciously static) universe, ambush freighters, kill escorts, tag cargo pods, call your own mini-freighter for pickup, retreat, repeat. Raiding corporate bases is always fun as well, though the rewards are rarely worth it (I did get a shipment of Assault Cannons once. That was great.).

If you get fed up with the story and want to experiment, there's a mod, old and discontinued, called "Torn Stars", that turns the game into something of a giant sandbox free-for-all.

[Twerty]

But I can still suggest FS2 if you like space games at all, it's fantastic. Tons of user-made missions along with the wonderful campaign

Also, I can suggest FS2... can grab it on GoG and then grab the FS2 SCP - it's an update that brings the graphics VERY close to modern day graphics. GREAT storyline (IMO), great gameplay. With the SCP, it's about on par (give or take) with newer space games. Can't recommend this one enough if you want an old school Wing Commander/X-Wing/TIE Fighter styled game with a smoother and more modern feel.

Link to the FS2 SCP install guide on GoG:
http://www.gog.com/en/forum/freespace_series/quick_and_simple_freespace_2_scp_installation_guide/page1

That guide is for manual installation, you can skip a lot of steps and just download and install them all at once automatically if you grab the installer here:
http://www.fsoinstaller.com/downloads.html