Starfarer (Fractal Softworks)

It starts with a mad rush for the capture points. I opt to storm the sensor array, deep inside the nebula. The enemy goes for the navigation buoy, granting them extra speed. An isolated fighter wing is caught out and swatted by my meaty assault chain-guns and point defence lasers. Soon, my secondary cruiser comes under fire from bombers, fighters and two frigates. It begins.

I charge, full speed ahead, and score three successful hits with missiles on their frigates unshielded hull, followed up by a burst from a graviton beam to seal the deal. However, in my excitement I allowed my ship’s system to overload, (n00b mistake, gtfo!) which strips me of my shields and weaponry for a short time. A reaper-class torpedo comes hurtling into my fizzling hull, but I manage to escape the second, with a smug expression still adorning my face.

This is the game I'd dreamt of as a kid. This is Starfarer.

It’s only in Alpha at the moment (version 0.51a), but the idea is to create a free-roaming sandbox game similar to ‘Mount & Blade’, but with a motherload of more interesting mechanics, factions and a name more original than ‘Ship & Laser’. Modders are already at work creating their own vessels and arsenals of imbalanced weaponry, and the developers are giving them all the tools to do it. It’s a fantastic opportunity, as the number of ship and weapon sprites are potentially endless. The isometric view reminds me of the days I spent playing ‘Master of Orion II’, and gleefully watching my ships taking turns at bombarding each other with brightly coloured energy weapons. To have it all happen in real-time, is a dream come true.

The present business model is the Minecraft approach (and I don’t mean that it has a lazy graphics system claiming to be retro). You get the game 50 % cheaper in Alpha and, of course, you get access to all of the preview builds, which include an entertaining bunch of challenging set-missions and a campaign mode so far.

envy. You know it hurts.

In its present state, the campaign is very bare-bones, but there are a number upcoming features such as planet-side bases that you can establish, a fleshed out trading system, inter-stellar travel, a mission system based around the factions in the game, and a character progression system, naming but a few. Alas, all a player can expect when they start the game is an individual frigate, cowering in the shadow of the incredibly powerful Hegemony System Defense Fleet.

Fleet envy. You know it hurts.

It’s quite amazing how many customisation options are available for one small frigate. The missiles, energy and ballistic weapons can all be changed, a list of 21 hull upgrades can be chosen, flux capacitors and vents can be installed to allow you a more sustainable craft. Getting that perfect balance between all the different factors is an addictive process.

I've poured hours upon hours into this game so far. Its quite possibly some of the most fun I've had since Freelancer, So I'll be writing about each update a day or so after they're released.