Star Conflict F2P

Reaperman · April 13, 2013

It took a while, but I finally found an F2P PC game that I like. Star Conflict (Steam link) is an fast-paced, arena-based space combat game, from Gaijin Entertainment (IL2 Sturmovik, Birds of Steel), with nice graphics and controls. Those controls are mouse driven, but very nice (think Freelancer-style), and everything seems to fall where it should on the keyboard. The battles last around 5-10 minutes, and the lobby wait for tier 1 battles ranges from almost nothing on weekends, to 2:00 or so at odd hours. I was getting some decent kills right from my first battle--it's extremely rewarding. There is even fun to be had tweaking loadouts to get just that little bit more from your ships, which feeds a need that I usually satisfy in racing games.

F2P is known for being a play-to-win system, but Star Conflict does well with it. Like most F2P games, there are two currencies. One currency generally costs real money (standards) and one that comes from battle (credits). Unlike most games, the equipment that you can buy with standards appear to be largely time-saving in that you don't have to unlock the credit-purchased equivalent (*exact* equivalent) through battle, contracts, etc. Through battle it is even possible (though very rare) to find *better* equipment than the purchased gear. Standards can also be used to purchase 'licenses' which boost your rewards after battle, or can be used to form corporations (squads) in the game. New accounts get enough standards for a license or a piece of premium gear, and more is frequently given for answering polls or showing up every day for 5 days.

The reason I mention it now, is that they are having a special weekend. Every battle 'win' gets 10 of these premium 'standards,' and every loss earns 5. Additionally their packages on steam are all 25% off. I'm only into the game $4.50 worth right now, but I'm thinking of the $14.99 steam pack. Mostly for the extra loot slot it gives me after victories.

Here's some nice tips, though their advice for matchmaking is slightly outdated:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbWOLoVX8o4

Edited April 13, 2013 by Reaperman

Reaperman · April 14, 2013

It seems that I made an error. It's not 5 standards for a loss, it's one.

It says 5 on their official page, but not so much in the game:

http://star-conflict...ws/108/current/

During today's playing I unlocked a fair bit of the blue gear, which is the tier equal to the premium gear bought with standards. I'm not sure why this game hasn't gotten old for me yet.

Edited April 14, 2013 by Reaperman