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Might be the Diaspora mod for Freespace Open, which is really good.

Some back story for those that don't know, Volition (the developer behind Freespace 2) released the source code to the game about 10 years ago when it became apparent that they weren't going to be able to make a third installment. Since then the FS2 community has enhanced the game engine, fixed bugs, overhauled the graphics, added support for all kinds of new peripherals and created several new games, like Diaspora and a Babylon 5 conversion.

If you're a fan of space combat sims you really should check out Freespace Open. Besides playing through the original campaigns I'd recommend Blue Planet (included in the installer) and the subsequent War in Heaven campaigns.

Might be the Diaspora mod for Freespace Open, which is really good.

Some back story for those that don't know, Volition (the developer behind Freespace 2) released the source code to the game about 10 years ago when it became apparent that they weren't going to be able to make a third installment. Since then the FS2 community has enhanced the game engine, fixed bugs, overhauled the graphics, added support for all kinds of new peripherals and created several new games, like Diaspora and a Babylon 5 conversion.

If you're a fan of space combat sims you really should check out Freespace Open. Besides playing through the original campaigns I'd recommend Blue Planet (included in the installer) and the subsequent War in Heaven campaigns.

"Not really. The "Users" in RMS's time WERE developers of some ability"

Open source would ENORMOUSLY benefit PC gaming. In fact the few games that were open sourced have all had amazing work done to them. Who cares if only a small subset of the gaming community/fans have the potential to fix/work on the code? That's true of anything requiring serious effort. I can only imagine where we'd be if it was required by law to open source all games. So many classic games would not have to have 'gangrene' code. Where would Mechwarrior 2 and other classic DOS games be if their source was required to go to a library and then be opened after a decade (after the sales window)? Right now companies are allowed to confiscate software and purposely break it or neglect it. There's no good reason why games have to break at all, and they could continue to be updated as hardware changes if not for the backwards and completely corrupt IP law.

Freespace 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhAR8rWPluQ

FS2 SCP mod community

http://www.hard-light.net/

There used to be a thriving little community modding the Xwing series games. There was a great BSG mod (before the remade series) that I wish I had saved. Sigh..

Anyone know of a good spacefighter sim that isn't an on rails shooter?

Another mentioned FreeSpace2, available at Good Ol' Games

There's a FS2 mod, Diaspora, using the open-source FS2 engine (don't need FS2) but retooled with BSG models (vipers, raptors, cylon fighters, base-stars, etc)

Supports custom/BYO-maps, multiplayer, etc

There are also many other FS2 mods (one based on Babylon 5, one a remake/reimagining of Wing Commander, etc)

Enjoy

Captcha: recast

EVE is not really a space sim. To me, space sim means real time flying and dog fighting... specifically things like having to lead your target.

I've always found that the X series wasn't very accessible. The controls seem really complicated (instead of complex yet simple).

But the biggest thing I miss from the old space sim days is the story. In Wing Commander, X-Wing, TIE Fighter, etc. you really felt like you were a pilot who's accomplishments on missions really made a difference in the larger picture. Something sorely missing from either of the titles that you mentioned.

Wing Commander, new and updated in Freespace 2 engine: http://wcsaga.hard-light.net/

Volition open sourced the engine behind the Freespace series of games. Now hosted at Hard-Light the development has been rather interesting, with new campaigns, and if you play the original games (if you have the discs) on the newer engine, it's quite spectacular.

Homeworld was a space-based RTS, not a flight sim. It was fun though. Freespace 2 has a lot of community work going into it to update the models and effects. There are also several total conversion projects including a Babylon 5 conversion and a Wing Commander conversion. (Oh, how I miss Wing Commander...

FS2 already has a B5 mod, along with many others.

There are a few good total conversions for it too.

http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Total_conversions

I cry everytime people don't remember the hardworking folks over at the Freespace SCP when it comes to Linux gaming....
http://scp.indiegames.us/
and
http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php
for more info.

Over a million posts in their forum debugging an amazing game.

I always thought it was really cool of Volition to release the source code to Freespace 2 after Interplay's demise. It's allowed a whole ton of custom mods and campaigns that I'm still playing today, 12 years after the game's release. Textures and effects were updated by the mod community and a lot of the new campaigns include new ships or weapons. Some of the best include:

Beyond The Red Line (BSG conversion with Newtonian physics)
Blue Planet
The Procyon Insurgency
The Babylon Project (Babylon 5 conversion)

I always thought it was really cool of Volition to release the source code to Freespace 2 after Interplay's demise. It's allowed a whole ton of custom mods and campaigns that I'm still playing today, 12 years after the game's release. Textures and effects were updated by the mod community and a lot of the new campaigns include new ships or weapons. Some of the best include:

Beyond The Red Line (BSG conversion with Newtonian physics)
Blue Planet
The Procyon Insurgency
The Babylon Project (Babylon 5 conversion)

I always thought it was really cool of Volition to release the source code to Freespace 2 after Interplay's demise. It's allowed a whole ton of custom mods and campaigns that I'm still playing today, 12 years after the game's release. Textures and effects were updated by the mod community and a lot of the new campaigns include new ships or weapons. Some of the best include:

Beyond The Red Line (BSG conversion with Newtonian physics)
Blue Planet
The Procyon Insurgency
The Babylon Project (Babylon 5 conversion)

Check out the "Freespace 2 Source Code Project" and some of the available mods such as "The Babylon Project" (based on my favorite scifi show, "Babylon 5"):

http://scp.indiegames.us/

http://babylon.hard-light.net/

http://www.game-warden.com/bsg/

Yeah, this one.

I'm watching this project with a lot of interest. I just hope they don't get C&D'd.

They can be found. For example, Beyond the Red Line is a Battlestar Galactica total conversion of the FreeSpace2 engine. It's a simulator, though - the Cylons will push your flying skills. More projects using the Freespace engine can be found at Hard Light Productions.

No.

First of all, it ain't Flash.

Second of all, how you gonna play without any of the content? The engine is noncommercial freeware (not quite open-source), but all the content (sound, textures, missions, etc) is still nonfree. You can't legitimately obtain it off the Web, and the friends/acquaintances clause in the EULA was rescinded later. Abandonware, such as that at the Underdogs site, doesn't count as free, it counts as we-can-get-away-with-it-until-we-get-a-C&D-letter.

Here's a forum discussion on the Hardlight Productions website that lays it all out.
http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,49459.0.html

Hans

Try this or this.

This game was definitely released as freeware . In fact, not only is it freeware, the source code was also released. It can be distributed as you wish as long and it's not for commercial purposes. It has been ported to Mac and Linux as well

There might have been a time where they had a window to make it officially available, but I'm sure that there are plenty of ways to get it. Just be aware that it looks like the games and cutscenes have to be downloaded separately. Because is it a story-driven game, the cutscenes can make a difference. I recommend getting them. This is one time where you can download via BitTorrent and not worry about some Big Brother "Let's-Sue-Everyone" company coming after you. :)

While I realize that the Freespace 2 engine has a pretty impressive open source community, I still pine for the days of good space combat sims.

The closest thing I've played in a long while is Project Sylpheed (not to be confused with the old 3d-shooter Silpheed), but it's closer to a "macross space combat emulator" than a space combat sim in the tradition of Wing Commander, TIE Fighter / X-Wing, Freespace, etc.

The space sim isn't dead - you just need to know where to look. :)

There's also FreeSpace 2, which I suppose is now an ex-commercial game. Plus, there are several mods being made for it, one of which is a StarFox game, and another one that's based off of a space Sci-Fi show, though I forget which one.

Go and try your luck with the Freespace Source Project. The engine they have is quite pretty but it can always be prettied up even more.

Yeah, the FSOpen project is amazing. You can find out more about it here:

FSOpen forum
SCP Home Page
Obligatory screenies thread

Yeah, the FSOpen project is amazing. You can find out more about it here:

FSOpen forum
SCP Home Page
Obligatory screenies thread

Actually you can legally obtain FS2 for free - the original EULA actually contained a clause allowing you to give free copies to your friends - took three or four years for people to notice

I'm a developer on the source code project and i write some of the major modding tools.

Some Important URLs:
http://scp.indiegames.us/
http://hard-light.net/

This is an all-around fantastic game. It's showing its age, but still looks excellent graphically.

I agree completely, as far as space-sims go, Freespace II is the single best overall, even compared to newer ones such as the X series and Freelancer which was a bit more arcadey.

However, theres good news regarding the game's aging graphics. If you are unaware, Volition released the source code for FS2 a whiles back and since then the players have unified their efforts into the FS2 Source Code Project in which they are introducing the newer graphical effects as well as completely rehauling the games assets ranging from high-res textures, higher poly models and redone backgrounds. I definitely recommend you check it out; the only problem is that if you download any user-made campaigns, they need to be SCP compatible due to some of the newer stuff introduced with it. Check it out: Hard-Light Forums. The wiki covers how to install it.

It took some digging, and Google was not as helpful as I would have liked, but I found the new home page here:

http://www.hard-light.net/hosted/babylon/

I'm downloading the current version now. It includes the Freespace 2 engine, so you don't have to buy Freespace 2 in order to install and play.