Too bad more space sims aren't like SH3

[DuckofDeath]

I've been playing around with X-2 and it's a shame that even the big ships (at least as far as I've got, I still haven't gotten to the absolute biggest ships) still have you piloting them around like a jet. I remember reading Citizen of the Galaxy and other classic sci-fi novels and I've always wanted to see space sims more like that. In that novel space combat was much more like a sub sim, the gunner crews sat in a room deep in the ship and figured out firing solutions as they had sketchy target information and only had missles to hurl back and forth at each other. Maybe that'd be a little too slow paced, but I'd at least like to have a crew and something besides dog fighting. Too bad BC always crashed on me and was even more complicated then most real sims.

[Scanner]

You really ought to try Starshatter. Although most people play it as a space fighter sim, it also has the best simulation of capital ship space combat I've seen. Your big, ponderous ship slowly approaches the enemy and then pounds away with giant guns, while the fighters whiz about. When you command a carrier, you also get to plot out your fighter sorties.

There's a tremendous feeling of inertia to your space ship that is similar to sub sims, but is lacking in all other space sims (including the BC3K franchise, IMHO). You really get the feeling that there's no quick exit if you get in a tight spot. The sound effects are similarly impressive and big-sounding, like Fighting Steel in space.

There's also a dynamic campaign - hooray!

Nexus: The Jupiter Incident is another good capital ship space game, but more at the fleet level (you don't actually pilot your own ship.)