For many years I have been dreaming realistic game about exploring our solar system. Game could begin in 2020 or 2030 and you are in charge of a company. First you will build small space stations like hotels to get money. After a while you could build larger station to Moon and begin mining and manufacturing. After this larger stations can be build and it could be possible to research new spaceships, make trips to Mars and asteroid fields, etc. Your goal is to beat other rival companies and finally goal is to build true spaceship able to fly to nearest star Alpha Centauri. Game timespan could be 2020-2100 or more. Game is based on real life physics so no fancy science finctions stuff and lasers. Game is all about colonizing our Solar System, but small wars are possible with other companies and you need to do something about space piracy. Main focus is in building stations, mining, manufacturing ships/consumer goods, tourism and researching technology (actually more like designing new stuff them rather than researching). Trip to Mars would take weeks or months, there should be no easy way to do it. It's your job to think is Solar sail the best engine or rocket or even ion-drive. Everything is based strictly to physics. That's my dream. Now to question how to do it. I don't need fancy 3D graphics, game could be much like Championship Manager or Eastside Hockey > almost text based with few pictures. I'm not a programmer, bur surely I can learn (writed Perl scrips and I know Basics too). First thing is to to interface and small game for just hotel-business in 2020. Is Visual Basic best and simplest way todo it? Any other tips? Oh, and do you like the game idea? Well, actually it doesn't matter if YOU dislike the idea. I'm doing this game just for me. ;-) [edited by - El Savior on June 10, 2004 5:16:35 AM]

You should look "Space Trader" at: http://spacetraderwin.sourceforge.net

It comes with full source code in Visual Basic.
Good luck!

"Hoc Unum Scio: Me Nihil Scire."

Thanks for the tips. I think I start with Visual Basic and design basic interface. This is my first game if two other earlier buried projects are not counted.

I have many ideas, but I try to think small first. I will start and do only little game about colonizing Moon and space around Earth. But the basics are there and later I could add more planets and moons to make game bigger.