A good space combat game..

1. .. should have a freely explorable galaxy...

To be able to explore the galaxy, to fly freely in the stars and galaxies, to find new clusters, breathtaking planets, endless asteroid belts, gas giants, nebulae, black holes and other natural occurring phenomena. In the game Freelancer (Microsoft studios) this is achieved pretty well since the player can freely explore every corner of the pre-generated galaxy.

2. .. should have a fast transit system, cruise engines capabilities and "pixel-perfect" motion ...

When exploring the galaxy there are clusters which you want to quickly transit through. When shipping materials from one sector to another, you want quick jumps to be possible to conserve time. In Freelancer this is achieved via so called 'Trade routes', which are a form of sustained worm-holes. In Freespace2 (www.hard-light.net) this feel is emulated however not achieved properly, since the sustained jumps called 'subspace jumps' are only available as a means to transit between main missions.

The cruise mode is a very useful feature since it gives a feel of 'depth' to the galaxy. Having been able to transit between large clusters via space-routes you need to experience a certain weight before reaching your goal. It forces the pilot to notice some of the phenomena going on around him, to take interest and approach them. Cruise engines are very popular in games, weather it's induced by a possibility of extended 'afterburners' or dedicated 'cruise engines'.

3. .. should have radio comm enabled and possibility to hale and scan ships in range...

If a ship comes whiting range, It should be allowed to contact it. A scan option is also useful. If it's a new ship it's status should be detected to learn whether it is hostile, friendly or neutral.

4. .. should never present space as pointless open void...

There should always be detail available during flights. Space has a purpose.. You have to see the building blocks and notice the elemental beauty of it. Weather it's a debris field of a battle long forgotten, a nebulae or an abandoned space-station: it should be there.. happening around your ship.. And whenever you stop for a moment to look around the visuals should resemble something like a screen-saver.

It is also important to show that there are entities inhabiting space, and that first contact with a new species is always a possibility.

Ancient Empires impressions

Today I will write a bit about my favorite wireless game: Ancient Empires developed by Macrospace. The game is a very nice example of how a turn based strategy game should look on a mobile phone. The graphics are great, the battle scenes offer a nice distraction and the AI is challenging (although not hard to beat).

The first thing that captivates the attention are the graphics. The game uses simple square tiles, with objects and terrain types perfectly blended. When a battle occurs between two units, a 3d 'zoom-like' view is shown where various units attack each other and this offers a bit of weight to the simple battle system. Characters and units are very neat pixel designs, with old-school gfx / 'anime'-feel.

The game has a quick learning cycle, controls are simple and the game units seem balanced (although Wyverns are very powerful creatures)

In conclusion AncientEmpires for the wireless is one of the best examples of how a mobile game should look, feel and handle. The game is fun and challenging, it features a storyline too, and is all-in-all a great distraction whether you are stuck waiting for the bus, your girlfriend or your university teacher.