Gimbal

So, there's an Indie top-down 2D space combat game with heavy ship customization out there called Gimbal.

It's $15 through a direct download, and it looks good. Who has it? I have it myself, but I haven't installed it yet.

Really? Nobody else knows about this game? A shame, really.

Looks like a multiplayer Bosconian.

Makes me wish I had a working Windows box. Seriously. It looks like fun.

edited 10th Sep '12 7:30:48 PM by Balmung

Yeah, the ship customization's pretty good. You can set each individual thruster to use its own controls, install mouse-controlled turrets, stick extrusions onto your ship, and even build it so that the entirety of its propulsion comes from multiple flak cannons.

Gimbal offers a lot of flexibility when it comes to your ship. More on par with Chromehounds or Kerbal Space Program than Armored Core. The system blatantly ignores things like power, heat, life support, fuel, and even crew. Oddly, thrust and drag are factored and all parts have a given drag factor. Likewise they have a visibility rating that effects detection so a skilled builder could make a stealth craft. Physics seem mostly fluid and I assume the entire thing is happening in a particularly thick nebulae all things considering. Each part is individually modeled and can be damaged or destroyed. Thankfully, players do not have to pay for repairs.

All ships are built around an airframe. If this goes it's a Critical Existence Failure. They have their own durability, visibility, and even drag so it's fair to say that much of the final product is based on the airframe. Airframes have limited space but a truly absurd amount of junk can be placed on even the smallest airframes.

If you want more space you can add structural extentions but they tend to add drag and weight and if they're blown off then all the parts mounted on them go too.

Hulls don't come with engines so you'll have to tack on you're own. Oddly, they go in the same hull space the weapons do. Engine wash isn't an issue so you can put all your engines in front for a puller ship. Each engine can be loosely sorted into a maneuvering thruster or a propelling engine. Maneuvering thrusters tend to spin the ship and get weaker during long burns but tend to have more power. There aren't many but there is this one quirky one that amounts to a giant fly wheel. Propelling engines tend to be what makes you go. You've got your small, medium, and large but you've also got some quirky ones like the turbojet that gives more power when faster than 300 MPH and the liquid fuel rocket that has massive thrust but actually has very limited fuel. The maneuvering thrusters aren't initially keyed which is a good thing because who knows how you placed them. If you loose all your thrusters you're dead in the water and it's neigh impossible to turn without maneuvering thrusters.

This is a shooting game so there are, ofcourse, guns. Lots of guns. Normally guns are fixed at whatever angle you slapped them on but you can also mount them on a turret mechanism. Turrets, however, are limited by both how heavy the gun is and how powerful the mechanism is. Put a BFG on a tiny turret and the poor thing will creak around like granny off her arthritis meds. Guns can be sorted into missiles, ballistics, and lasers. Ballistics can be sub divided into [[BFG cannons]] and machine guns. Missiles are usually fire and forget affairs that lock onto whomever is closest to the cursor. Lasers have the advantage of not needing to lead the target but are expensive and heavy. Guns and projectiles seem to ignore the ship their mounted on for the purposes of hit detection but it's still possible to be caught in the blast of your own weapons.

You can still target ships without a sensor but it's tricky and you might not see them until very close range. Having a sensor also means you can actively "Ping" the enemy in order to pick up hiding foes or simply distant ones.

Software is actually optional. Most merely make your life easier, like the stabilizer (simplifies maneuvering) and robo-sight (shows how much to compensate for movement) , while others, like the mouse targeter (Turret follows mouse) and the Point Defense CPU (auto shoots missiles) drastically change gameplay. The software can be pricy but doesn't have weight, drag, or even volume. They are entirely enclosed within the part they are attached to and can only be knocked out if that part is completely destroyed.

Aero parts help keep the ship flying straight and not, you know, tumbling uncontrollably. However, players have been known to use them to create odd effects and enable unique maneuvers. The rudder part is notable because it's a control surface that's essential for high speed maneuvering.

Armor tends to be tacked on the outside of the hull. It's pretty damn tough but can be blasted off like any other part.

Magazines add extra ammo, usually for projectile weapons.

If you're badly damaged in battle you can commit suicide at the push of a button, keep fighting until you run out of ammo or die, or run to the carrier for repairs and resupply. Be warned though, carriers tend to have overpowered guns and bad A.I.s. It's not unheard of to be killed by your own carrier, even if trying to dock. They're called T Karriers for a reason.