I need a new game.

[Stark]

You're not really describing an RTS about spaceships though; it's a genre that the OT doesn't really lean to.

[Stofsk]

I know, unfortunately the OP's quest is a fool's errand because I can't think of any game which has all the criteria he listed.

[Iroscato]

I know, unfortunately the OP's quest is a fool's errand because I can't think of any game which has all the criteria he listed.

My apologies for my foolishness. I've got a few good ideas from this thread though, so thanks everyone. I wasn't expecting this level of replies

[TC Pilot]

Doesn't Rebellion have scenarios?

Sort of. Each new game is randomized, such that you start off owning different planets (with exceptions like Coruscant and Yavin), planet resources are different, you may start off with different agents/characters in different starting placements (and the people who can be Force-trained changes). But it's always the same quantity, and it's not like you'll ever start off a game without the Emperor and Vader or Luke and Leia. Plus there's a "destroy HQ to win" mode, as oppossed to the standard "destroy HQ and capture enemy leaders to win" mode.

I mean, it's a game where the goddamn converted ocean liner is more powerful than the Executor, which is pretty dumb.

Not quite. Executor can mop the floor with a Mon Cal. The big Rebel equivalent is the Bulwark.

The Rebels can't actually build any capital ships at the start of the game, although both sides have such a crappy starting industry that the Empire can't exactly build any more of their own without using up half their shipbuilding capacity in the process.

I've always wondered how the game would play out in multiplayer.

[Agent Sorchus]

Does anyone else have Rebellion so we can try multi?

ed: if multi still works right for modern machines.

[someone_else]

Anyone mentioned Nexus: the jupiter incident?

It's pretty cool although it is more a tactical game than a strategic one (i.e. you don't have to gather resources just fight with what you have got and retool your crafts between missions). And has a mission I cannot get through. It is like Homeworld and it has full-3D movement with newtonian mechanics (but fails spectacularly in the engine power department like any other game). The interface is kinda weird though.

It was made in 2004

[Stark]

If you can get Nexus working, it's a laugh for a while

I wonder?

It's not really a very good game, but I understand some mods make it ok. Saying it's 'like Homeworld' is pretty misleading.

[Spoonist]

@TC Pilot
The best part was that Rebellion was easily modable, I even think that they still have a community...
*goes looking* nah its mostly dead now but it used to be active:
http://www.swrebellion.com/

It stunk in two player though, hit n runs are way too effective. It was really slooow for one when the other needed to respond to lots of stuff etc.
Also you had to nerf some things for it to be even, otherwise it was too easy to exploit...

Still pull out my copy every now and then because of sentimental reasons, but the battles are just too horrendeus to actually bother.

[Coop D'etat]

Rebellion had a really good basic idea that you were fighting a political war were the political and military aspects of the war were intertwined, such that military victories were also political victories.

Winning battles and destroying troops got planets to shift their support to you which is a huge part of the early game which basically revolved around the territory the Empire holds militarily but without popular support. For the Rebels taking out garrisons with your early ships and special forces can force popular uprisings and defections that can swing an entire sector their way in a matter of days while on the converse, the Empire looks to use its military superiority to secure the core systems and defend them while looking to win major fleet engagements which will swing popular support their way. Its a nice idea that the perception of whose winning or losing has a major effect on who is actually winning or losing.

Its too bad the game was so clunky and so terrible in the tactical part because they had some good ideas, ones that probably could have been better executed.

[StarSword]

Escape Velocity: Nova is pretty good. Isometric space ship scroller, a space trading and shooting game. Start in a shuttlecraft, build your way up to a battlefleet that can (and does, if you feel like it) conquer planets. It's a 2001 game (iirc), but sprites will never die. Unfortunately, its production company, Ambrosia Software, hasn't heard the news on how ten year old games are supposed to cost less than full price titles, so you have to spend 30 dollars if you want to do more than play the demo.

<shameless shilling> And we've got several major mod projects either finished or in progress. </shameless shilling>

For the OP, have you ever played any of the X series? First-person spaceflight series with the tagline "Trade. Fight. Build. Think." That pretty much sums it up IMHO. I know for certain you can find at least the most recent installments, X3: Reunion and X3: Terran Conflict on Steam and at retailers.

Only real issue is that it's very reliant on your processor speed (to the point that the game actually slows down the bigger your trade empire gets). This is mainly because X3R and X3TC use a fairly outdated engine that can't take advantage of 64-bit or multicore systems. Thankfully, they've rewritten the engine for the new one, X: Rebirth. (The fall release season is gonna be great. My killer apps are TES5, ME3, and X:R.)

[Anacronian]

Well I'm having a great time playing Nexus the Jupiter incident at the moment - It's even moddable with some truly great mods like BSG mod if you're into that sort of thing.