Please recommend the best Space Simulator on steam for my new laptop.

[mrholley3997]

I want a game that
1. Has an easy learning curve and is Newb friendly
2. Lets you explore without being bullied or a lot of fighting unless I want to fight.
3. Has a fair price without requiring a bunch of DLC.
4. Looks great without being a drag on my system. VR &/or 4K if my system will handle it.

I know that's a tall order but I like to explore a vast universe without fighting all the time (specs below)

MSI GL65 Leopard 15" FHD 144hz.
Core I7 10750H. 16GB Ram. 1TB NVMe
NIVIDIA RTX 2070 8GB

 

[Pifanjr]

Elite: Dangerous?

 

[Zloth]

Really hard to meet all of those. No Man's Sky is the one I would pick for all of the above.

Drop the easy learning curve and the X series looks real good. X3:Terran Conflict for a more sandbox game. X:Rebirth (with some mods to minimize the hideous small talk mini game) does the VR thing if you want that.

Drop the the "vast" and Outer Wilds fits well. Easy to learn, fun, marshmallow roasting - but you can finish it in 20 hours.

Elite: Dangerous?

Not such an easy learning curve, is it? What's the DLC situation like?

 

[mrholley3997]

Really hard to meet all of those. No Man's Sky is the one I would pick for all of the above.

Drop the easy learning curve and the X series looks real good. X3:Terran Conflict for a more sandbox game. X:Rebirth (with some mods to minimize the hideous small talk mini game) does the VR thing if you want that.

Drop the the "vast" and Outer Wilds fits well. Easy to learn, fun, marshmallow roasting - but you can finish it in 20 hours.


Not such an easy learning curve, is it? What's the DLC situation like?

Thanks for your suggestion. What about X4 Foundation? It looks worth a try. Will my laptop handle it ?

 

[ZedClampet]

I want a game that
1. Has an easy learning curve and is Newb friendly
2. Lets you explore without being bullied or a lot of fighting unless I want to fight.
3. Has a fair price without requiring a bunch of DLC.
4. Looks great without being a drag on my system. VR &/or 4K if my system will handle it.

I know that's a tall order but I like to explore a vast universe without fighting all the time (specs below)

MSI GL65 Leopard 15" FHD 144hz.
Core I7 10750H. 16GB Ram. 1TB NVMe
NIVIDIA RTX 2070 8GB

Trust me. You want No Man's Sky. The first half hour or so can be difficult, but after that it's just a blast.

 

[mrholley3997]

I haven't gamed since the first Star Wars online in 2006. That's why I was asking. I will try No Man's Sky but I like the look and concept of X4 Foundations. Can my laptop play both good?

 

[mrholley3997]

I noticed it recommends a GTX 1070. Is my RTX 2070 better? The same?

 

[mrholley3997]

Anyway thanks I just bought it for a deal on Amazon and was getting input on games when it gets here tomorrow

 

[Pifanjr]

Not such an easy learning curve, is it? What's the DLC situation like?

I haven't played it, I just know you can play as a trader or miner, so I'm guessing you could avoid combat mostly if you want to.

 

[Sarafan]

I noticed it recommends a GTX 1070. Is my RTX 2070 better? The same?

You have a really nice machine. RTX 2070 is a lot better than GTX 1070. You won't have any problems with the game.

 

[FreezerBurn]

I've learned the no two space sims are the same. Elite Dangerous is a good cockpit space sim, imagine Euro-truck in space. No Man's Sky is a good all around space / survival sim. X4 is a good single player corporation space sim. Then there is Star Citizen... even they don't know what it is currently. This is just my two cents.

 

[Zloth]

Thanks for your suggestion. What about X4 Foundation? It looks worth a try. Will my laptop handle it ?

Your Laptop will handle it very easily. The thing is: Egosoft, the makers of the game - they've got an odd way of doing things. When their games are released, they tend to be in pretty bad shape with pretty crippling bugs. X:Rebirth was particularly bad on that front. But they don't just leave their games like that, they work really hard on them. Many of the bugs get stamped out and new content gets put in the game, too - some free, some in the DLCs. By the end of the process, the game is huge and really fun!

X4: Foundations is pretty far along in the process. It came out in late 2018 and its first DLC showed up in March. There's one more planned for around the start of next year. That's when I'm planning to buy it - unless I succumb to the hype or just run out of things to play.

X3: Terran Conflict is long finished. Also, because it doesn't let players wander around inside of ships or stations, it's easier to mod in some fun things:

X: Rebirth was a different sort of game for the company in that it actually has a big, central story that guides you along. It had such a bad launch that it didn't get a whole lot of player support and still has some fairly nasty bugs hanging around. However, the central story makes for an easier learning curve, too, and there is a VR version of the game.

 

[mrholley3997]

Thanks for all of the help. I get it today and I'm excited even though I never owned a MSI but will give it a try. My son keeps taunting me that his ROG I7 8750H with a GTX 1080 Max Q is better. He says I'm too old to get back into gaming lol. He has more hard drive but I will use externals if I need to until my warranty is up. Maybe he's right, he keeps saying max Q is better but It doesn't matter. I got a good deal $600 less than what he paid over a year ago. Anyhow thanks.

MSI GL65 Leopard 15" FHD 144hz.
Core I7 10750H. 16GB Ram. 1TB NVMe
NIVIDIA RTX 2070 8GB

 

[FreezerBurn]

He says I'm too old to get back into gaming lol.

Just remember old age and deception, beat youth and agility any day of the week.

 

[Probably_Human]

X-Series is probably a good single player option
Elite Dangerous is pretty tame the downside is jumps can take 5 - 10 minutes if you are doing long distance jumps

 

[FreezerBurn]

X-Series is probably a good single player option
Elite Dangerous is pretty tame the downside is jumps can take 5 - 10 minutes if you are doing long distance jumps

God help you if you have to fly to Hutton Orbital Station...