Vega Strike

Vega Strike aims to insert players into a large, dynamic universe with diverse factions of varying disposition to the player and to each other, and an economy model where trade, combat and exploration are all profitable. Financial gains allow players to buy upgrades and/or better vehicles, enabling them to advance into more dangerous and profitable missions. The player can have varying levels of relations with factions. Negative relations can form if the player destroys some of a given faction's ships.

Positive relations can be formed if the player destroys ships that are part of an enemy to a given faction. Players can either buy and sell cargo, or accept missions from the Mission Computer, as well as talk to people in the bar at the space station/planet. In the tradition of some precursor games, individuals of significant plot importance are often found in bars.

Vega Strike is programmed in C/C++ over the OpenGL 3D graphics API and performs internal scripting written in Python and XML. Released under the GNU General Public License, Vega Strike is free and open source software.

An unofficial remake of Wing Commander: Privateer entitled Wing Commander: Privateer - Gemini Gold was made using the Vega Strike engine.

In 2005, an O'Reilly article on "Open Source Mac Gaming" recommended Vega Strike. In 2008 a Full Circle magazine review named Vega Strike among a list of "Top 5 space games".