[jr2]

Whichever space sim type you chose (MMO, freestyle, storyline, mission-based) I think that there still needs to be a compelling, gripping underlying story to tell.. that helps immensely with immersion.

I'd think there should be a more serious single player / multi-player co-op, with an additional, more arcade-style TvT / FFA multi-player SHMUP mode.  Perhaps then everyone would fine a niche in the game that they like.

Controls?  Make them simple, with advanced options available... just make it so that on Easy you really don't need to play with the more advanced options (beginning / casual user), and for more serious users, have advanced configurations for higher difficulties.  The only problem is introducing the more advanced features so that serious players will know that they are available, in a way that will not irritate the Halo fanboi SHMUPpers.

EDIT: And XBOX360 wired controllers work with and Windows XP on up PC or laptop with a free USB port.  Not sure about PS controllers, but XBOX360 should be around $30 IIRC... gotta check that.  ... yup, $30 incl shipping.

[TwentyPercentCooler]

There are definitely kludged drivers for the PS3 sixaxis controllers for Windows now. I think it's called MotionInJoy or something. And some third-party PS3 controllers even have manufacturers' drivers; I have a PDP Afterglow controller and it's plug and play in Windows 7.

I would love to see almost any kind of space sim as long as the production values were excellent. The genre is stuck in a rut right now where if some company makes a space sim, it's a half-assed POS because they weren't willing to put true heart into it, because they don't think there's any profit in the genre....but, because there haven't been any truly remarkable space sims in a while, interest in them is at an all-time low, reserved for people like us who refuse to let go. Statistical anomalies.

As far as the engine goes...really, it's a choice of time or money. License a well-known engine, and it skips the process of coding it from scratch and you get all the documentation for it, as well as the option of taking a look at other games made in that engine, seeing what works well and what doesn't. I really think that a few universal engine is what will eventually revive the PC gaming scene, but I'll save my soapbox rant on how dumb it is for companies to keep stubbornly making their own engines because of pride (Bethesda, cough cough ) for another thread. Of course, using the FSO engine would be ideal, because all of you wonderful and dedicated FSO people have massive amounts of experience in it, but would a commercial, for-profit venture using the engine even be legal?

[Thaeris]

Personally, I'm still holding out for the iNovae engine, which will first be marketed as the engine itself. Realistic physics, beautiful visuals, and the ability to go where ever you want to go, with no fear of running out of space. All a developer or team would need to do would be to insert the guts which turn a story, like a campaign or mission engine, and any additional components to tell the story. The only gripe I can come up with right now (besides the fact that it probably wouldn't run on my machine) is that it's going to be DirectX, which will limit its initial useage to Windows machines.

[z64555]

...would a commercial, for-profit venture using the engine even be legal?

Short answer would probably be "Nope." That is, unless decided to change the licensing of the FS engine to a point where HLP/the community could buy legal commercial rights to it.

[jr2]

To do that, wouldn't need THQ's permission?

[headdie]

To do that, wouldn't need THQ's permission?

probably not, probably.  It depends on the terms of the takeover as to how 's stuff done prior to the takeover is owned.  you might find that there would be the need to compensate /THQ for the commercial use of sections of the code written by