Wayward Terran Frontier (WTF) and starsector have similarites in space combat, but the entire similarities end there.
WTF is more an entire simulation of your ship or where you are down to a single guy. You walk around your ship/space station in 2d, etc. you are a character, who controls the ship, and you explore, fight etc. The ship is simulated down to pixels, so individuals pixels explode etc. And the game entirely takes place in one view in real time.
Starsector has 2 modes, a strategic kind of galaxy flight mode, where many cool things are, like emergency burn, sensor detection, and kind of like a whole real time meta game with a high level over view on the galaxy/system map.
Then starsector really shines in its tactical 2d combat.
but WTF has been in development limbo for years. Just wasnt as successful as starsector.
also, WTF best gameplay is locked behind an INSANELY slow grind up explore system. theres no time speed up, traveling far is fairly slow and you need to find blueprints to make weapons or ships...at least in starsector you can buy ships and weapons from market before youo find blue prints.
It's like this games content is locked behind baffling design decisions. who wants to spend months looking for blueprints in a 2d game? or any game? I remember playing a couple days to see if there was a silver lining but there was none and it was an exercise in frustration, wanting to like it and progress, but being unable to and just not worth the time.
unlike starsector which every play through i start is addicting and i put in 200 hours in 2 weeks before taking a break
