[ceheaaf]

For anyone who enjoys this, exploration in "Elite: Dangerous" (for which you need to be neither elite nor dangerous, exploration is peaceful) might be enjoyable for you as well.

From the wiki: Elite Dangerous has a 1:1 scale simulation of the Milky Way galaxy based on real-life scientific principles, scientific data and theories. It includes around 400 billion star systems, modeled on actual galactic charts. Planets and moons rotate and orbit with 1:1 scale in real-time, thus constantly changing a system's environment

https://elite-dangerous.fandom.com/wiki/Galaxy

[tenuousemphasis]

Elite would be a great game if it wasn't for the frustrating and terrible game design.

[hgoel]

It's been a long time since I played, but I don't recall the motion of the planets mattering much. Supercruise lets you move fast enough that planets and moons that move enough to be noticeable are very easy to get to regardless.

[ceheaaf]

It watching the starscape change around me as I jumped from system to system, actually seeing formations and nebulae in the distance and being able to move toward, around, into them, which made it feel alive to me. I agree the planets moving doesn't really matter on a gameplay timescale.

I was completely immersed - it was a good way to spend a few days during lockdowns :)

[hgoel]

Ah yeah, the starscape changing was very cool, being able to actually go to the Pleiades or to various nebulae also caused me to better understand where different things are relative to each other in the night sky.