It's a completely dead genre these days but I'm wondering what are the best space games where you actually command capital ships or large vessels? There's quite a lot of old space fighter type games but I can't think of any where you can control actually large ships except Homeworld.

>>715843458 (OP)
>Battlefleet Gothic 1/2
2 is larger scale, which both helps make the game less simple but takes away from the micro that felt 1 feel so naval
>Starsector
You don't have direct RTS control over your other ships but you control one and can give vague orders to others
>Sins of a Solar Empire 1/2
RTS with fleets of capital ships, one-per-player Titans
>Empire at War
Classic Star Wars RTS with a total-war style campaign to string battles together. Has both space and land battles and nobody cares about the land battles, but they're invariably present in a campaign.
>Nebulous Fleet Command
Hard scifi naval warfare tactical game. Pretty fun and cool but hard to get into.

Since homeworld betrayed me i've been looking forward to falling frontier but it might end a small cheap game and i don't have much confidence in it.
I recommend Highfleet even if it's not in space.

Starsector is always the first that comes to mind. You command an entire fleet while you pilot your flagship manually.

Starsector's a trash game though.

I'm watching the 2199 remake and it's pretty cool

>>715845405
My man, it is. I remember in 2013 an anime opening sung by a man was a UFO in the landscape.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKe0wARmks4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51PjegTadWU

>>715845743
I watched Starblazers back in the day so I wanted to check out Space Battleship Yamato 1-3 before this, but I could only really find Starblazers. Oh well, it's still a fantastic watch. I love this whole crew like it's Star Trek TNG again.

>>715844867
>falling frontier
Apparently it's a one man job and we've seen the potential of these solo dev projects.

>>715843458 (OP)
X4 Foundations?
>>715845334
But I like it :(

>>715845405
It really is. Make sure to watch Odyssey of the Celestial Ark once you are done with 2199.
https://youtu.be/jsBHY_-UIhc?

NOTHING CAN TAKE US FAR ENOUGH EMOTION FAR ENOUGH TOGETHER
Just play through Homeworld 1 again. It's over.

>>715843458 (OP)
I don't know how well it's aged, but Nexus: The Jupiter Incident was pretty good.

>>715845334
I think so too

>>715843458 (OP)
It is weird that space games fall into two categories
>you pilot a fighter / small freighter / maybe a corvette at most
>you just command fleets of ships from an RTS screen
I remember a Star Trek game that gave you control over one capital class ship, but I forget what it was called. Not in space but tangentally related, Cold Waters is kind of how you could imagine this sort of thing working, with you commanding a submarine in 3D space.

https://youtu.be/HCDoLvcR1S4?si=Yl3lyDlCj8Fo3JXk

>>715843458 (OP)
Every X game other than BTF and R*birth you can buy and fly capital destroyers and carriers.

>>715846719
Shame 2202 kinda sucked

>>715843458 (OP)
Battlefleet gothic armada 2

>>715847707
It was good right up to the point they introduced shields and aliens

>>715843458 (OP)
nebulous fleet command by a mile but the problem with that game is it's multiplayer only right now and the people still regularly playing MP it are nolifers who've put 3000 hours into builds and strategies so there's really not much point jumping into it unless you want to get stomped 24/7

>>715845405
It's very good, 2202 story is a bit weaker but the visuals are sitll amazing

>>715843458 (OP)
I thought after FTL came out there would be a huge amount of games where you fuck around in a galaxy controlling a medium size ship with some crew.

There have been 0 such games and that is baffling.

I guess you can try a bunch of old Star Trek games like Bridge Commander or Starfleet Academy.

>>715843458 (OP)
this shit right here lets you directly fly capital ships

You guys remember the browser based Battlestar Galactica mmo? I have immensely fond memories of that game, there's literally nothing else like it.

>>715855614
You just reminded me of BSG Diaspora existing as well

>>715843458 (OP)
Infinite Space

X series is great for this, you go from a tiny fighter and eventually work your way up to a capital that can melt the ship you started in with one blast of its auxiliary flak cannons