pygmy_giant wrote:I'm a luddite when it comes to computer games.
In my view super-realisitic and super smooth graphics are not the key ingredient to a good game - they are the icing on the cake.
I think the Pi has plenty grunt for amazing games - but as yet no one has even skimmed the surface of its capabilities.
I fear this will always be the case as game developers will find it hard to monetise their endeavours due to their target audience having hacking tendencies.
Hey-ho.
I suppose the best we can hope for is that a bunch of talented, enthusiastic people will get together and produce something wonderful simply for the love of it.
Elite, or the Elite format, has to be a strong contender for such a game: Consider other worthwhile possibilities, such as a multiplayer flight sim game: Ideally first world war, so that the weapons and avionics are primitive, and flying and marksmanship are key: Great in principle, but someone would have to design a lot of scenery - and if you were supposed to be flying over Abbeville or some such place then people would get upset if the scenery didn't accurately represent Abbeville, circa 1917.
The great thing about Elite style games is that there's no scenery, to speak of, in space, just planet surfaces with generic textures and a lot of empty space in between. The designers can focus on making the ship models nicely detailed and hone the flight model to perfection.
For all that, there is also scope for variation within that model. How about several linked players flying as the crew of one ship? A military bomber / destroyer? Pilot, several gunners, and a 'wizzo' (weapon delivery and electronic warfare specialist), with the places not filled by real players crewed by AI crewmembers?