Why isn't there any starship based RPG's?

Am I the only person who wants this?

No no no.. I'm not talking about some fighter based game in space. Not some game with one person attached to the ship controlling it.

I'm talking about a rpg based around being a captain of a ship with several npc crew-mates running the ship. A good example would be almost any scifi show. Think stations in star trek, bsg, etc. Every time I look around now, its some new fighter based space game or maybe you have a huge ship but its just you with no crew and no rpg elements.

I'm dying to have this type of game. Is this type of game just dead? Do I need to hire someone to make it for me? Ha. Oh well, sort of venting.

Anyone else feel the same way? (Now watch how many people still post something about fighter or shooter games)

Mass effect ? Kind of you take charge of the Normandy with a crew and explore the galaxy

Because RPGs are overated.... ?

There's some old Star Trek games like that.

It probably isn't what you're looking for, but you might enjoy FTL

it wasnt really an RPG but star trek bridge commander gave it a shot. decent game but, sadly, it didnt really work. you were just better off controlling the ship yourself rather than leave it to your crew. the star trek model is also not ideal for a game where the player commands a ship.

a structure like battlestar galactica would be more suited. or freespace from a ship commanders perspetive would be even better (the rate of attrition for vipers could lead to frustration in BSG).

change the focus from controlling the battle directly (which is what most RTSs are about) to a more hands off approach (think final fantasy my life as a king). managing the crew (morale, health, conflict resolution, tasks etc.) the ships resources (judging if you have enough ammo, fule and other resources etc.) and the battle (giving fighter wings a general goal such as "stop that ship" or "defend the ships engines"....that kind of thing).

combine that with a diverse range of things to do in an open star cluster/galaxy....could be an interesting game indeed.

Not a RPG..but its pretty cool

The last game I played of the kind you're describing was a DS game lol. (A pretty good one actually that was co-developed by Platinum Games).

How about StarTrek Online?

EVE Online?

No offense, but I word for word described eve online as something Id not want to play.

I realized when I posted this Id get a bunch of people recommending games that don't fall into the category of what I'm describing and those who will still mention games that I clearly stated are not what I'm seeking. I've been looking around and from what I can tell nothing like the game I'm seeking exists. I guess these types of games are just a dead genre. Star Trek online would have been close but its not really it. Now its just fighter based games with some sort of rpg element if you are lucky.

Nothing that has an actual starship with npc crews that you can recruit or create and all that have a rpg element to it. I was really hoping X3 would be that but that was just horrible and went in a completely different direction.

There are plenty of gaps..

There is not a single base building combat RTS that takes place underwater... (Why this hasn't happened yet is beyond me)

There is only 1 Spy-RPG (Alpha Protocol)

There isn't a Star Trek game on the xboxone that utilizes the kinect as if you were the captain always giving orders. (as that might be pretty cool)

These are just a few.

Way back, in the CBM64 days and amiga there was a game out like you have just described. At the start you would run through a list of people, each of whom were experts in their own particular field. There were strengths and weaknesses in all characters and so you would need to pick up to 8 characters whom you thought were best suited for that particular mission. After that the mission would start and each character would help out, e.g. engineering, weapons, shields, navigation etc. Some would buckle under the pressure whilst others excelled.

It was a really fun and engaging game. Can't for the life of me remember what it was called; but I think it was either by Activision, Microprose or some similar company from the 80's.

Hope that is helpful and perhaps some more people will now understand what you're looking for.

I for one would love to see that style of game coming back.

You're not the only one TC, I'd kill for a game like this. But instead of making a cool game like this, people would rather make clones of games that already exist en masse. A good Starship Commander type game hasn't been done in a long time it feels like.

The Mandate kickstsrted project

Check out Starpoint Gemini 2, early release game on Steam.. It caught my eyes recently and I have been hearing nothing but positive things about it (I haven't personally bought it yet).. From what I have seen is the game looks beautiful and currently has a open world sandbox when you are a captain of a small capital ship.. With rpg elements, and you can fly around deciding if you want to be a pirate, trader, etc etc.. So think of something like Freelancer but with rpg elements in which you command a crew and gain exp.. And it plays alot like Nexus Jupiter incidient from what I have seen.

Because the game industry is focused on making the same things over and over again that are sure sales. Interesting ideas like that are ignored.

There more interested in making games over and over again. Oh wait did some one just say that?.

I think the closest I have played to what you are looking for is Nexus: The Jupiter Incident.

Sorry if this has been posted before just saw the title and heading out the door to work.

Planning on picking up Consortium up after finishing up a few games first.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/264240/

@lightingbird: Ho dear... It Apears that my long message stating that not only does such a game exist but it has existed sense 1992 and is truely badass, fun, everything I wanted in a game, and more.... Failed to post....

Darn... Look at www.3000ad.com the game is in the download section and free. The game is Universal Combat...

In brief you choose your ship a carrier or cruiser. Crew size is dependent on the type if ship. A Super Carrier has 8 fighter craft, 4 shuttle craft, 8 land craft (4 are tanks) and 4 minning craft(automated unmanned). And has I crew of about 115, 7 officers, 8 pilots, 20 medics, 20 flight engineers, 20 system engineers, and 40 marines with 10 beds for prisoners and 10 for guests.

Crew gains experience in the form of AI the higher the better they are. Pilots have AI plus points for accuracy.

Extremely in depth game. Land your ship on a planet get out, and it's a fps. Command a fleet, fly your support craft.... Too much to mention.

Starpoint Gemini 2 was released on steam about 2 days ago.

Mass Effect, like the first poster said? It won't end with the trilogy, maybe they'll explore something closer to what you're asking for.

Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday is the shit

Prolly this, original poster. Also, what about Sins of the Solar Empire? I have FTL but haven't really started it but you are definitely a captain. Don't let FTL's isometric view turn you off or think that lessens your experience. I am learning that isometric makes Mark of the Ninja no less stealthy than Arkham Asylum, nor Wasteland 2 no less desperate than Fallout New Vegas.

Universal Combat - Good game that You are the Captain with aCrew of well over 40 on the Smaller ships 115 on the bigger ships. It came out at the collapse of the Space Sim and was Overlooked. Same time, as Free space 2and Freelancer .

"Universal Combat is a game of incomprehensible scale that allows gamers to choose any aspect of combat they wish. Choices of combat styles and gameplay include:

• Compelling multi-player games against up to 63 other gamers.
• Carefully designed campaigns and instant action scenarios.
• More than 54 different air and spacecraft, from basic multi-role combat fighters and low altitude multi-role gunships to massive carriers, cruisers and transporters.
• 22 land vehicles and 10 naval vessels including jeeps, tanks, SAMs, carriers, LCACs and even nuclear submarines.
• 20 first-person weapons and 28 characters with over 1500 animations.
• 250 planets with enormous planetary detail, spanning more than 21,000 planet side mission zones containing various bases.
• Nine career modes including heroic pilots, ship's captain and lethal reconnaissance marine.

Taking off from where its predecessor Battlecruiser Millennium left off, Universal Combat takes the series further into the epic realms of sci-fi greatness with a suite of brand new engine features and gameplay enhancements. Complete with a space and planetary graphics engine overhaul, even more advanced AI, all new models database a wealth of multiplayer advancements, BCG is bigger, better and more advanced than ever. A true all encompassing sci-fi game of epic proportions.

Dreamcatcher's five year rights to two of 3000 AD's games, Battlecruiser Millennium Gold (2003) and Universal Combat (2003) expired on 12/18/07, and in keeping with the tradition of releasing its legacy games for free, they have repackaged the single player Universal Combat game and released it into the wild as freeware. Once again, Universal Combat is released with no advertising, no nag screens, no expiration date, nothing. Just the full (and patched) single player game as was commercially released in Feb 2004, but with fewer music tracks (the game FAQ shows how players can add their own MP3 tracks) and no multiplayer." -Worthplaying.com

http://www.worthdownloading.com/game.php?gid=490

http://www.3000ad.com/download/

-- If you like or at least try this game, your an obvious Mainstream Gamer and Should not have posted on this.

Mass Effect 1-3 - Good games, but you don't fly your ship. Crew is uncontrollable not Shepard Fellow Commando's, but the ships crew.

Sins of the Solar Empire - Just a cool RTS Set in Space. Scale is too big to care about crew.

FTL- A fun space puzzle game. Realy Cool way to control crew, but yournot the captain. Your the sum of all the crews training guiding them on what to do next.

@lightingbird: I know this is an old post, but I'm still gonna say my recommendations for future gamers looking.

Cosmonautica

Starbound- they have plenty of mods that make it more of a sim.

Wow, a self-aware necro. That's a new one.

Still going to get locked anyway, I think.

Correct!