Freespace 2 SP Campaign...wow...just wow...

[Brian Rubin]

Hey there, folks, I have a confession to make. I'm a huge space sim nut, and I've played 'em all for the PC since Elite. That being said, I've not quite finished 'em all, an example being Freepsace 2's single player campaign. I don't know exactly why I'd never finish the campaign, but it might be a combination of short attention span coupled with this one mission I could never quite beat due to my inability to shoot down torpedoes.

In any case, a couple of days ago I bit the bullet and decided to try again, since nothing else right now really has me psyched in the gaming world. Well, I finally passed that difficult mission and moved on in the campaign and all I can say is...wow. The story, the missions, the combat (some of the most intense I've experienced in a space sim) are blowing me away, and I'm not even done yet. Overall, the combination of story and combat are the best I've seen since Wing Commander IV. Now if only FS2 had the Dragon fighter...but I digress...

Now that I've confessed my sin, that of being a space sim fan and not finishing one of the greatest space sims ever, I feel a lot better. Now once I finish FS2, I think I'll be confident enough to finish I-War 2. Thanks for listening. :)

[BDGE]

I'm in the same boat, I LOVED Freespace 1, completed the entire game as well as the ultra challenging 'Silent Threat' expansion for it. (Boy that one knocked me dead on my ass)

Freespace 2 came around eventually and I never fought farther than a few missions in. I have always planned to return and give it the old college try again. My recent foray into BF1942 did give me an excuse to dust off the old joystick already...

[Jason McCullough]

The few times I've tried to play Freespace 1 or 2 I die, like instantly. Oh, I can complete the regular boring missions, but the bonus objectives? Fucking impossible.

I think all that Tie Fighter playing poisoned me against real physics or something.

[Lokust]

I always got stuck on the part where you fly the vasudan craft, they just weren't sturdy enough for my style of play.

[XPav]

I reinstall FS2 once a year or so and play it.

Of course, now I'll just get confused when Admiral Feech La Manna comes on.

[Captain Tenneal]

Wow, FS freakin' rocks! I have not played that game in a while. If you need tips on beating the one where you first find the vasudans (I can't remember which one that was :oops: ) I still remember the missions very well. The hardest is the third and second to last missions, but I won't spoil you with details... :wink:

[Desslock]

Overall, the combination of story and combat are the best I've seen since Wing Commander IV.

I think FreeSpace 2 easily surpasses WC4 in both story and gameplay. It has the best story of any game I've ever played, and some of the most amazing gameplay as well. The AI is decent as well, but definitely its only real flaw, since enemies are incapable of maneuvering effectively around capital ships.

Almost a perfect game, and definitely the best space sim ever, much as I like the Wing Commander/Independence War/Star Wars sims. I still replay it almost annually.

[Jason McCullough]

Whoa! Desslock is back!

[curst]

Freespace 2's singleplayer campaign is by far my favorite of any space-sim. The race isn't even close.

Wait until you get to the special forces missions near the end - one of those moments that really made me shout out "HOLY SHIT!"

And, uh, Jason, are you sure you aren't talking about Independence War? Freespace doesn't have terribly realistic physics, plus on the easiest setting I think the game is incredibly easy to beat. If you can beat Tie Fighter, surely you can handle Freespace... ?

[ExecutionerFive]

Does FS or FS2 have mouse flight?

[Kool Moe Dee]

Threads like these make me wonder if I should reinstall FS2 and replay it. I really enjoyed the first one, and played through the second one in a single nine or ten hour binge...and felt curiously numb throughout. I can't say it was bad, but I didn't really get what people were talking about when they called it the greatest space sim ever.

[XPav]

Does FS or FS2 have mouse flight?
Heretic.

[Incendiary Lemon]

Does FS or FS2 have mouse flight?

Both do.

[Alan Au]

Reinstall? Why would you ever uninstall it to begin with? See, I don't have a 40 Gb drive; I have a 38 Gb drive that comes with FS2 permanently installed on it.

- Alan

[Bossanova]

Freespace is a great space-sim game with an involving storyline, and it's quite easy to boot. Freespace 2 is a wonderful sequel, with a few difficult moments, but I've prevailed and enjoyed its multiple storyline.

That's now a distant memory - a fond memory.

[Charles]

I want to replay FS2, I'm just waiting for the open source exe to get solid enough that it's completely replayable.

If I made a top five favorite games list, FS2 would be on it.

That the game only sold 20k copies is unforgiveable.

[Lokust]

20k copies? You're kidding me. I had that one preordered and picked it up the day of release. It had pretty damn good online play too, much better than x-wing vs tie fighter.

[Mehrunes]

Reinstall? Why would you ever uninstall it to begin with? See, I don't have a 40 Gb drive; I have a 38 Gb drive that comes with FS2 permanently installed on it.

- Alan

You need an upgrade. My drive comes with FS1 and FS2 installed on it, as well as all of the cutscenes tucked away in executable format for viewing outside the game. :)

[Drastic]

I enjoyed Freespace 2, but it never had the same magic that the first did for me. I blame this primarily on far too many pea-soup-nebula missions, but also, I just don't think the second had anywhere near the same level of hanging menace as numero uno.

If the first had the second's capital ship battles, I think you'd have the perfect mission-based snub-fighter spacesim.

[ExecutionerFive]

Does anyone know where I can buy FS1 and FS2?

I checked out the Interplay store, but they want $49.95 for FS2. No thanks.

[malphigian]

Does anyone know where I can buy FS1 and FS2?

I checked out the Interplay store, but they want $49.95 for FS2. No thanks.

I went through the same process since my copy of the game is long gone. There are a bunch of copies on ebay, but the prices generally get over $30.

[asspennies]

There's a weird clause in the EULA for Freespace 2 that actually gives you the right to copy the game and share it with friends. So don't feel bad about copying it - after all, it's not like the original developers themselves are actually getting any money for any sales. If anything, just some suits at Interplay get a few bucks.

[awdougherty]

How's the multiplayer? What modes are there to play? Any co-op?

[Robert Sharp]

The game is so hard to get that I never got a copy. I didn't buy it at first, and I always planned to get around to it. Then I couldn't find it :(

[milo]

Freespace 2 (including the GotY edition) sold about 83,000 units in 1999. This is comparable to the sales figures for the first Independence War game.

Starlancer (Microsoft/Digital Anvil/Warthog) was the one that only sold about 27,000 units, but that was in 2000 - the year of the great space-sim market crash.

--milo
http://www.starshatter.com

[Alan Au]

You need an upgrade. My drive comes with FS1 and FS2 installed on it, as well as all of the cutscenes tucked away in executable format for viewing outside the game. :)
Yeah, I decided on the FS-port option, 'cause it plays so much nicer in the FS2 engine. Never did manage to get the cutscenes working properly though.

- Alan

[Lokust]

How's the multiplayer? What modes are there to play? Any co-op?

There were co-op, free for all, and team missions available to play online through volition's service. No idea if it's still running though. It had basic team vs team furballs or the stuff which I preferred where each team had a capital ship and your goal was to take down the other one.

Basically the missions were a lot like the ones in XWvsTF, but with freespace ships which are more fun to fly than tie bombers and y-wings :)

[Incendiary Lemon]

To get the movies working you'd need version 2.4h of mve2avi. You might not be able to watch the movies with exe directly (off colors) but the converter will still work.

http://www.teamx.ru/utils/mve2avi24h.rar

[Brian Rubin]

Okay guys, I'm kinda stuck. I'm on the mission where I have to take out the beam cannons of the Sethantis (?), and yet the most I've been able to take out is 3, which leaves me no missiles left for the other cruiser that jumps in afterwards. I tried to resupply, but didn't have enough time, and had to abort. The after-mission recommendations mention that I have to use my torpedoes like a dive bomber and launch at maximum speed, but this was only effective once. Any ideas on what I can do to improve this? Thanks.

[Sebmolo]

Turn the difficulty down for that mission. :wink:

Also, call your resupply while you're firing off your first load so it's ready for you when you need it, and order your bomber wing to 'destroy subsystem' (not on the one you're targetting) while the fighter wing protects the bombers. (assuming you have two wings, not sure as it's been a while)

But turning the difficulty down a notch or skipping the mission when it gives you the option is worth it just to see the storyline.

Sigh, what a great game.

[Brian Rubin]

Yeah, it is a great game, thanks for the tips. A lot of buddies refer to this mission that starts with "DIVE DIVE DIVE HIT YOUR BURNERS PILOT" or some such, which I've yet to experience, but am looking forward to.

[hermyhermit]

Almost a perfect game, and definitely the best space sim ever.

Agreeance. It is the *only* space sim I ever played before or after where I felt "small" in a fighter. Those capital ships were so long that they were believable in scale and when two capital ships started going at it with full flak guns and beam weapons you wanted to run very very far away because god forbid you happened to be in the path of there exchange. It was scary and fun, and I wish some other games had followed that pattern but sadly none really did to that level. Cap ship battles were spectacular to behold.

[jeffjones]

anyone know of any FS2 sites that have mods, enhancements, etc. Does the game work ok in XP as is?

[Incendiary Lemon]

Okay guys, I'm kinda stuck. I'm on the mission where I have to take out the beam cannons of the Sethantis (?), and yet the most I've been able to take out is 3, which leaves me no missiles left for the other cruiser that jumps in afterwards. I tried to resupply, but didn't have enough time, and had to abort. The after-mission recommendations mention that I have to use my torpedoes like a dive bomber and launch at maximum speed, but this was only effective once. Any ideas on what I can do to improve this? Thanks.

Thats the one mission I've never fully completed. Make sure to call in the support ship first thing and if a single missile gets taken out by the ship defenses, then thats it.

I'd suggest taking the incomplete, you'll have a chance to rectify the situation.


Jeff try Hard Light Productions (http://dynamic4.gamespy.com/~freespace/hlp/), its the home of the source code project and all of the active modding.

They've updated bits and pieces of the art, the remodeled Fenris (http://www.sectorfiles.com/ti-file-dump/VasudanAdmiral/HTLFenris3.jpg) is quite well done. Go to the Latest versions of everything (http://dynamic4.gamespy.com/~freespace/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19514) thread for the particulars.

Bother, skip that thread its in need of an update. Download the latest media vp (http://fs2source.warpcore.org/mediavps/mv_zpack.exe), and the new launcher (http://www.randomtiger.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/freespace/Launcher5.rar). The next exe (v3.6) should be out in a week or two.

[Brian Rubin]

anyone know of any FS2 sites that have mods, enhancements, etc. Does the game work ok in XP as is?
Freespace Watch (http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/) still seems to be the best site around, though their missions database seems down, sadly. :( Also, yes, the game works wonderfully in XP without any compatibility issues...at least for me...

[jeffjones]

Thanks, I'll check that out. I'm one of those who's had it on the shelf for years and never finished it.

[Desslock]

Okay guys, I'm kinda stuck. I'm on the mission where I have to take out the beam cannons of the Sethantis (?), and yet the most I've been able to take out is 3, which leaves me no missiles left for the other cruiser that jumps in afterwards.

You don't have to take out all of the beam cannons, as long as you take out at least two. It's only a single mission in an ongoing campaign (which will be easy if you manage to take out all 4 guns, but it's not essential)

As others have said, make sure you call for rearm immediately -- double fire Helos missiles, from extremely short range (or they will be taken out by flak guns) -- two will wound a beam cannon enough to finish it off with guns. Shift energy to shields and engines during your initial runs, since you don't need to fire guns right away.

[Brian Rubin]

Thanks for the tip, guys. I'm so loving this game. The special ops missions nearly made me crap my pants.

[Kryten]

Dammit, you guys are going to make me install this and (finally) play through the SP campaign.

I picked it up originally to play the B5 mod, which was good, but I never even started the actual game itself :/

[Brian Rubin]

Dammit, you guys are going to make me install this and (finally) play through the SP campaign.

I picked it up originally to play the B5 mod, which was good, but I never even started the actual game itself :/
From what I've seen, you're doing yourself a disservice. FS2, from my recent experience, has some of the most intense and amazing space battle scenes seen in a released space sim (SS is shaping up to be a close contender, Milo, though I'm buying it as soon as it's released). ;)

[Sebmolo]

Also, check out the 'Derelict' mod - the only thing that stops it being brilliant are a couple of ugly planet models and the absence of in-game voice work; it's easy to miss a scrolling comment when you're in a frantic furball...

http://freespace.volitionwatch.com/derelict/

[Sebmolo]

Sorry, that download link seems to be dead. Try this: http://www.nightsolo.net/fs2guide/fs2.html

[Jason McCullough]

Freepsace? FREEPS ACE!

[-Lord Ebonstone-]

Okay guys, I'm kinda stuck. I'm on the mission where I have to take out the beam cannons of the Sethantis (?), and yet the most I've been able to take out is 3, which leaves me no missiles left for the other cruiser that jumps in afterwards. I tried to resupply, but didn't have enough time, and had to abort. The after-mission recommendations mention that I have to use my torpedoes like a dive bomber and launch at maximum speed, but this was only effective once. Any ideas on what I can do to improve this? Thanks.
Oh god, I remember getting stuck there too when I played this game years and years ago.

[Brian Rubin]

Okay guys, hate to bug ya, but I'm stuck again. The mission is the one right after the destruction of the Sathanas, where you run into what's left of the Iceni and have to protect it from bombers and what not. I've tried this mission ten times, and have yet been able to pass it. Any thoughts?

[Desslock]

Okay guys, hate to bug ya, but I'm stuck again. The mission is the one right after the destruction of the Sathanas, where you run into what's left of the Iceni and have to protect it from bombers and what not. I've tried this mission ten times, and have yet been able to pass it. Any thoughts?

The key is to focus on the bombers right away, and send your wingmen at the waves of bombers. Ignore the fighters altogether (except the first wave, prior to bombers arriving), since they can't do meaningful damage. Hit "b" frequently to target enemy bombs. Once the transport finishes docking - target the transport and order all of your ships to defend it, since it's fragile and the easiest way to lose the mission.

[Brian Rubin]

Freepsace? FREEPS ACE!
God damnit

[Brian Rubin]

Okay guys, I'm still stuck on that same mission. I was so fed up I actually tried to find cheats (I know, I'm not proud of it) and did, but the mission wouldn't proceed once I used them. I read after using them that the cheats will prevent mission progression. I therefore went back and WITHOUT the cheats managed to protect the Iceni from the onsalught AND protect the transport Qeb. To my sadness however after all the shivans were killed...nothing happened. The transport just sat there doing nothing and the Iceni just flew around in a circle. Did I screw myself by previously using the cheats, or did I miss something else? Thanks.

[Desslock]

Try jumping out manually once the transport is gone. I think that's all you have to do.

[Brian Rubin]

Try jumping out manually once the transport is gone. I think that's all you have to do.
The problem is that the transport doesn't leave or anything. It just sits there doing nothing.... :cry:

[Kevin Grey]

Anyone know if there has been any effort to convert the original Freespace using Freespace 2 models/textures? I never completed the original (got distracted by FF VII soon after I started) but FS2 is my favorite space sim.

[Warning]

The original was great and I played it through twice. I think its locked in 640x480 though. If there was a mod that let you use FS2's graphics, I'd probably play the first one through again.

[Brian Rubin]

Anyone know if there has been any effort to convert the original Freespace using Freespace 2 models/textures? I never completed the original (got distracted by FF VII soon after I started) but FS2 is my favorite space sim.
I believe there is, though I've not tried it. (http://www.3dap.com/hlp/hosted/fsport/)

[Alan Au]

Anyone know if there has been any effort to convert the original Freespace using Freespace 2 models/textures? I never completed the original (got distracted by FF VII soon after I started) but FS2 is my favorite space sim.
I believe there is, though I've not tried it. (http://www.3dap.com/hlp/hosted/fsport/)
FSport very good. If you have the original, you can even extract/convert/include all of the original briefing voice-overs and the like. Of course, you have to deal with the new briefing icons and a stripped down reference in the tech room, but those are just minor details. I never did get the FS1 cinematics to integrate properly though.

- Alan

[Incendiary Lemon]

The latest updates include the briefing anis and the techroom listings. You can also grab full voice and music packs. You'll only need the Freespace disc if you want pull the movies.

[Jakub]

It was a happy, happy day when I came here and posted the results of my eBay acquisition (http://www.badwojo.com/digitalgold.jpg). I'd lost my original copy in a move :/

[Desslock]

Try jumping out manually once the transport is gone. I think that's all you have to do.
The problem is that the transport doesn't leave or anything. It just sits there doing nothing.... :cry:

Then something's fucked up - hopefully your cheat coding didn't muck anything up. Just play the mission 5 times consecutively and skip it when given the option. I actually don't think the Shivans ever stop coming in that mission, so if you killed everything, there's a scripting problem.

[Brian Rubin]

<sigh> I bypassed the mission skip thingy already. :( I waited for twenty minutes with no shivans showing up, and both the Qeb and the Iceni both doing nothing. I wonder if I have to start the entire campaign over again. I wouldn't mind too much, since it's awesome, but this'll learn me not to use cheats again.

[Kevin Grey]

Anyone know if there has been any effort to convert the original Freespace using Freespace 2 models/textures? I never completed the original (got distracted by FF VII soon after I started) but FS2 is my favorite space sim.
I believe there is, though I've not tried it. (http://www.3dap.com/hlp/hosted/fsport/)

Just what I was looking for. Thanks!

[awdougherty]

So how can I get this game? Is eBay the only option? I thought I heard somewhere in this thread that it went open source.

[Brian Rubin]

So how can I get this game? Is eBay the only option? I thought I heard somewhere in this thread that it went open source.
The source code was released, but that doesn't cover any of the content and what not. For a while, Interplay was selling the latest version on their site (which is where I got it), but they seem to be down at the moment.

[Sebmolo]

IIRC, the license actually allows you to give a copy to a friend... bizarre but true.

[Brian Rubin]

IIRC, the license actually allows you to give a copy to a friend... bizarre but true.
I dunno about you, but I don't have "friends" good enough for me to loan out my only copy of FS2 to. ;) Not saying anything about copying though. Also, I'm gonna try that mission a few more times. If the same thing (i.e. nothing) happens, I'm probably going to restart the campaign. :(

[Kryten]

Bother, skip that thread its in need of an update. Download the latest media vp (http://fs2source.warpcore.org/mediavps/mv_zpack.exe), and the new launcher (http://www.randomtiger.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/freespace/Launcher5.rar). The next exe (v3.6) should be out in a week or two.

Thanks for the heads up, this game is completely owning me now. I've had it running with the 20040503_fs2_open_r.exe and it's just excellent.

[Incendiary Lemon]

Bother, skip that thread its in need of an update. Download the latest media vp (http://fs2source.warpcore.org/mediavps/mv_zpack.exe), and the new launcher (http://www.randomtiger.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/freespace/Launcher5.rar). The next exe (v3.6) should be out in a week or two.

Thanks for the heads up, this game is completely owning me now. I've had it running with the 20040503_fs2_open_r.exe and it's just excellent.

In the past updated .exes have broken campaign progress. This (http://members.cox.net/~wmcoolmon/progs/csgedit.exe) editor will let you go back and select your current mission. Thats my one warning.

[Brian Rubin]

Bother, skip that thread its in need of an update. Download the latest media vp (http://fs2source.warpcore.org/mediavps/mv_zpack.exe), and the new launcher (http://www.randomtiger.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/freespace/Launcher5.rar). The next exe (v3.6) should be out in a week or two.

Thanks for the heads up, this game is completely owning me now. I've had it running with the 20040503_fs2_open_r.exe and it's just excellent.

In the past updated .exes have broken campaign progress. This (http://members.cox.net/~wmcoolmon/progs/csgedit.exe) editor will let you go back and select your current mission. Thats my one warning.HEY, that must be it, as I used a no-cd exe on the game! THANK YOU for that file, it really saved my bacon, as I just went to the next mission.

Edit: Hey, using this campaign thingy doesn't break the campaign, does it?

[Desslock]

Rubin, I will admit, for a guy who's a hardcore space sim fan and defender of Jumpgate, I'm surprised you're finding FS2 so difficult (ignoring the recent mucking up of that mission which apparently made it uncompleteable). Is the Jumpgate system so different that FS2 is throwing you off?

I've been trying for years to complete it on the hardest difficulty level (unsuccessfully, but I think it's doable with patience) -- for a truly hard space sim, I nominate Independence War 1. That game was damn tough.

[Brian Rubin]

I'm actually not finding it THAT difficult, just having some difficulties with some missions, no big deal. I remember one mission in X-Wing kept me from playing the damned thing for months...that one where you had to defend the Medical Frigates from Tie Bombers, MAN that was a doozie. Anyway, I-War 1 wasn't that difficult either...I-War 2 on the other hand...

[Brian Rubin]

Well, now I know what, "Dive, dive, dive! Hit your burners, pilot!" means. I think I almost soiled myself. That will be etched into my memory forever. What an amazing game.

[Incendiary Lemon]

Hey, using this campaign thingy doesn't break the campaign, does it?

I don't think it could, however if something strange does happen post the details in this thread (http://members.cox.net/~wmcoolmon/progs/csgedit.exe).

X-wing though, I never came back to that mission... ugh. Impossible odds were genre canon but playtest it will you?

[curst]

Well, now I know what, "Dive, dive, dive! Hit your burners, pilot!" means. I think I almost soiled myself. That will be etched into my memory forever. What an amazing game.

Is that not simply one of the coolest things you've ever experienced in a game or what? Too bad you have to endure the ridiculous "find those waypoints in the nebula while your radar goes completely apeshit" in the mission immediately before it, but it's a rare case where the payoff justifies the frustration.

[Kevin Grey]

Edit: Hey, using this campaign thingy doesn't break the campaign, does it?

I've used it to regain my progress using the Freespace 1 mod since updating the Open .exe will lose your campaign progress. So far I haven't had any problems with it all.

I'm bummed that I'm missing out on the movies from FS1. Interplay always did create great cinematics back in the day. I can view them from outside the program but its just not the same.

Any opinions on the Silent Threat expansion? I think I'm going to replay FS2 once I finish up FS1 but is it worthwile to play ST first?

[Desslock]

Any opinions on the Silent Threat expansion? I think I'm going to replay FS2 once I finish up FS1 but is it worthwile to play ST first?

Silent Threat is pretty terrible, unfortunately. Not anywhere near as good as the FS1 missions, and the final battle is sorta broken. FS2 blows everything else away.

[Desslock]

Anyway, I-War 1 wasn't that difficult either...I-War 2 on the other hand...

Really? I found IW2 much, much easier than IW1. Maybe it was just the extreme length of the missions in IWar1, which drove me nuts, since you'd often have to repeat 30 minutes to try again. I have to agree that Xwing probably had the hardest missions of any game in the genre (not all of them, but there were a few so hard that they were toned down when the xwing collectors edition was released).

I'd like to play Iwar again sometime though - I haven't yet played the expansion pack, Defiance, which had the mini-saves within missions.

Does anyone know if Glidos works with IWAR1?

[Brian Rubin]

Well, now I know what, "Dive, dive, dive! Hit your burners, pilot!" means. I think I almost soiled myself. That will be etched into my memory forever. What an amazing game.

Is that not simply one of the coolest things you've ever experienced in a game or what? Too bad you have to endure the ridiculous "find those waypoints in the nebula while your radar goes completely apeshit" in the mission immediately before it, but it's a rare case where the payoff justifies the frustration.
Yes, it was simply amazing...awe inspiring. This game and its story are probably the best I've encountered, and few games have given me such an emotional connection. Hell, I was almost in TEARS when, in the nebula, protecting the Psamtik, ANOTHER Sathanas comes in and simply STOMPS on it.

[Desslock]

Hell, I was almost in TEARS when, in the nebula, protecting the Psamtik, ANOTHER Sathanas comes in and simply STOMPS on it.

Great moment. I loved the Psamtik - the whole Vasudan/human alliance is done so well in that game. And I can't think of another game, or series, that builds up an uber-enemy as well, without later significantly diminishing them in order to allow the player to "win". No magic mcguffins in FS2.

[Brian Rubin]

Very true, Desslock. The Vesudan/Terran Alliance is VERY well done, and so fleshed out as well. I also agree about the Shivans. Over the course of the game they just become more and more bad assed. It's truly freightening to see so many Sathanas-class supercruisers in that one mission, since you know where they're going and who they're going to anally rape once they get there.

[Kevin Grey]

Silent Threat is pretty terrible, unfortunately. Not anywhere near as good as the FS1 missions, and the final battle is sorta broken. FS2 blows everything else away.

Ah, thanks. Looks like I'll skip ST and move right into FS2.

Does anyone know if Glidos works with IWAR1?


Funny, I was just going to come in here and ask that. Playing FS1 has put me in the mood to go back to I-War 1 (which I started but never got very far in).[

[Brian Rubin]

I-War 1 is worth finishing. I've not tried Glidos, but the software mode still looks pretty good. Unfortunately, on WinXP, you have to tweak your sound settings or some such just to make it work, which is a shame.

[Kevin Grey]

According to a usenet post I just found, the glide wrapper at the following link should work with I-War 1:

http://home.t-online.de/home/zsack/glide_wrapper/index.html

Of course, now I'll have to see if I can dig up my old I-War CD.

[Kalle]

Silent Threat is pretty terrible, unfortunately. Not anywhere near as good as the FS1 missions, and the final battle is sorta broken. FS2 blows everything else away.

Ah, thanks. Looks like I'll skip ST and move right into FS2.



Good move. ST get's my vote as most disappointing expansion pack ever.

[Brian Rubin]

Of course, now I'll have to see if I can dig up my old I-War CD.
Good luck! I still keep my I-War CD 1 around just to watch the intro movie, which is my favorite intro movie ever...

[Incendiary Lemon]

I'm bummed that I'm missing out on the movies from FS1. Interplay always did create great cinematics back in the day. I can view them from outside the program but its just not the same.

http://www.teamx.ru/utils/mve2avi24h.rar

It will convert the movies over to avi. Going back with divx is recommended, the files are ugly massive otherwise. Just leave them in freespace's root directory.

Any opinions on the Silent Threat expansion? I think I'm going to replay FS2 once I finish up FS1 but is it worthwile to play ST first?

Miserable, not worth your time.

[Kevin Grey]

It will convert the movies over to avi. Going back with divx is recommended, the files are ugly massive otherwise. Just leave them in freespace's root directory.

It doesn't seem to work for me. I can play them outside of the game with the -nosave tag. Trying to convert them to .avi however, leaves me with a file that Windows Media Player won't play- black screen- so I'm assuming there is something wrong.


*NEVERMIND* It must have been a problem with Media Player. I was able to open the file in VirtualDub and convert it to Divx. Now to see if I can get it to integrate into the game...

[XPav]

Right, Freespace 2 is getting played again, ahead of schedule.

Its amazing how different the game is than Wing Commander. Anyone remember the Wing Commander Prophecy add-on? Mission after mission of destroying thousands and thousands of those bad Shivan-analogs while flying from the 57 ChevyCarrier. Ugh.

[Kevin Grey]

Finished up the Freespace port. I was very impressed. Its certainly not at the level of its sequel but its still a damn fine space sim. Playing the game ported to FS2's graphics and its not really dated at all.

Decided to start up Starlancer on a whim before replaying Freespace 2. To my surprise I'm enjoying it very much. The flight model is very smooth and the overall polish of the presentation is extremely high.

[Alan Au]

Finished up the Freespace port. I was very impressed. Its certainly not at the level of its sequel but its still a damn fine space sim. Playing the game ported to FS2's graphics and its not really dated at all.

Decided to start up Starlancer on a whim before replaying Freespace 2. To my surprise I'm enjoying it very much. The flight model is very smooth and the overall polish of the presentation is extremely high.
Are you playing the same Starlancer I played? Polish of presentation doesn't come to mind, but maybe that's because the joystick would often spontaneously recalibrate itself mid-mission. Don't even get me started on the mid-mission scripted non-skippable cutscenes.

- Alan

[Desslock]

Are you playing the same Starlancer I played? Polish of presentation doesn't come to mind

Yeah, I think FS2 is almost incalculably better than Starlancer. I actually hated the flight models in Starlancer. Starlancer has more in common with Tachyon, which came out around the same time, than it does with FreeSpace 2.

[Kevin Grey]

Are you playing the same Starlancer I played? Polish of presentation doesn't come to mind, but maybe that's because the joystick would often spontaneously recalibrate itself mid-mission. Don't even get me started on the mid-mission scripted non-skippable cutscenes.


Yup, I'm enjoying Starlancer very much. Haven't had any problems with my joystick.

The interface is merely okay and can't compete with the perfection that is the Freespace interface. The FS interface is so perfect that it should become the default for space sims the same way WSAD is for FPS games.

The non-skippable cutscenes can be a bit of an irritant. If it ends up annoying me so much that I quit before finishing then its no loss- at $1.95 I've already gotten far more than my money's worth.



Yeah, I think FS2 is almost incalculably better than Starlancer. I actually hated the flight models in Starlancer.

Starlancer's flight model is probably one of the few areas where I think Starlancer is superior to Freespace (yes I said that correctly). Starlancer gives me the smoothest sensation of flight of any space sim I've played and I find I can fine-tune my targeting easier than in the Freespace.

I'm also really digging the WWII in space asthetic of Starlancer. Chris Roberts tried something similar in the Wing Commander Movie and it didn't work there but I'm really enjoying that aspect of the game.

Don't get me wrong- FS2 is far superior to Starlancer (and just about any other space sim for that matter). But I've already played FS2 and I'm finding that Starlancer is diverting me away from my replay of FS2.

Anyone played Tachyon recently? How does that one hold up? I was away for most of that period that saw FS2, Starlancer, and Tachyon released in relatively short succession and FS2 was the only one I made it a priority to play when I came back. Seeing this thread and playing the Freespace port reminded me of how much I loved this almost dead genre.

[Lokust]

Okay, all of the FS2 talk prompted me to pull out my copy and finally play through it. I had never finished the game before, always getting stuck on the vasudan missions.

*WARNING* *SPOILERS FOLLOW* *WARNING*

Well, I finally finished the game tonight, and I ended up being really disappointed by the unfulfilling ending. It just felt way too deux ex machina and left many unanswered questions. Why did the Shivans make the star go supernova? Did Admiral Bosch end up getting killed by the Shivans or did he go with them? Was the supernova thing his idea? Why didn't the Shivans attempt to raze GTVA planets to the last man like they did in the first war? Where do the supply ships get their infinite supply of missles?

The game has some awesome missions, but the game's conclusion just feels like they ran out of time/money and ended it abruptly. In the last few missions I felt like a moving missile turret, firing off pairs of trebuchet missiles until dry, reloading, and repeating.

I experienced the DIVE DIVE DIVE part for the first time as well. That mission was extremely cool right up until the end, where the scripting gets you killed... or at least that was the case for me every time. I completed all the objectives, taking almost no damage, and racking up tons of kills due to the mara's uberness. At the end though, I always have like eleventy-bajillion fighters chasing me to the node and a cruiser poking anti fighter beams at me. I hit the alt-J to warp, and without fail I am killed during the warp-out script. I ended up having to skip the mission, despite (imo) beating it every time. Am I missing something there?

[Mehrunes]

Well, I finally finished the game tonight, and I ended up being really disappointed by the unfulfilling ending. It just felt way too deux ex machina and left many unanswered questions.

Coming from the end of FS1, there's nothing really contrived about the solution reached. If you're paying attention you should have been able to piece together their only real option long before they make any mention of it. After all, the first thing they try to do when the Shivans start heading for Gamma Draconis is blow up the portal.

The unanswered questions would make good material for a sequel (you forgot 'What happened to Earth?'). But with Interplay in the final stages of self-destruction I suppose that's a moot point.

In the last few missions I felt like a moving missile turret, firing off pairs of trebuchet missiles until dry, reloading, and repeating.

That's very odd, as it's in the last few missions that you gain access to the best fighter for regular dogfighting. I rarely bother using Trebuchets because of this. Although I guess it's a valid option, I can't see how it detracts from anything as nothing can stand in the sights of an Erinyes kitted out with 8 UD-8 Kaysers for more than a split second making it an equally valid option.

[Desslock]

I love the FS2 ending - it's probably my favourite ending in any game ever.

[Brian Rubin]

Okay, all of the FS2 talk prompted me to pull out my copy and finally play through it. I had never finished the game before, always getting stuck on the vasudan missions.

*WARNING* *SPOILERS FOLLOW* *WARNING*

Well, I finally finished the game tonight, and I ended up being really disappointed by the unfulfilling ending. It just felt way too deux ex machina and left many unanswered questions. Why did the Shivans make the star go supernova? Did Admiral Bosch end up getting killed by the Shivans or did he go with them? Was the supernova thing his idea? Why didn't the Shivans attempt to raze GTVA planets to the last man like they did in the first war? Where do the supply ships get their infinite supply of missles?

The game has some awesome missions, but the game's conclusion just feels like they ran out of time/money and ended it abruptly. In the last few missions I felt like a moving missile turret, firing off pairs of trebuchet missiles until dry, reloading, and repeating.

I experienced the DIVE DIVE DIVE part for the first time as well. That mission was extremely cool right up until the end, where the scripting gets you killed... or at least that was the case for me every time. I completed all the objectives, taking almost no damage, and racking up tons of kills due to the mara's uberness. At the end though, I always have like eleventy-bajillion fighters chasing me to the node and a cruiser poking anti fighter beams at me. I hit the alt-J to warp, and without fail I am killed during the warp-out script. I ended up having to skip the mission, despite (imo) beating it every time. Am I missing something there?
<spoiler>
What I did was take out two of those "objects" and let my squaddies take out the third one, as they can take it out without you. Once you take out two of the objects, put all energy to engines and burn like hell to the node. Good luck!
</spoiler>

[Lokust]

Coming from the end of FS1, there's nothing really contrived about the solution reached. If you're paying attention you should have been able to piece together their only real option long before they make any mention of it. After all, the first thing they try to do when the Shivans start heading for Gamma Draconis is blow up the portal.

Since I apparently wasn't paying attention, can you clue me in? I mean I obviously understand that the GTVA was trying to seal off that sector of space, but I just have no understanding at all as to why the Shivans blew up the star instead of kicking everyone's collective ass. At the end of FS1, you feel like you saved humanity. At the end of FS2 I felt like I was just a spectator to something that I didn't understand.


That's very odd, as it's in the last few missions that you gain access to the best fighter for regular dogfighting. I rarely bother using Trebuchets because of this. Although I guess it's a valid option, I can't see how it detracts from anything as nothing can stand in the sights of an Erinyes kitted out with 8 UD-8 Kaysers for more than a split second making it an equally valid option.

I still used the Erinyes, but I tended to use it at a mobile missile platform, lobbing trebs at bombers and smoking any fighters that came too close with my guns. In the later missions I was always in the 20-30 kills per mission range so I thought I was doing well.

[Lokust]

I love the FS2 ending - it's probably my favourite ending in any game ever.

Please explain why... I'm not getting the vibe.

[asspennies]

SPOILERS AHOY!!!

I think the point of the ending was that we were looking at the Shivan conflict from a single perspective. Here's this uber-powerful race with seemingingly unlimited resources and after their first incursion into our space, they don't bug us for 32 years until some weirdo with a fleet of scrap ships starts all of the sudden speaking a varient of their language that they used 10,000 years ago in another war with another species.

From the perspective of the Shivans, they just didn't want to get invovled, and they quite likely don't think like we do at all. It's entirely possible they're not some hell-bent society dedicated to war, it's just this weird shit keeps happening to them. What's the best way to stop it? Cut off the access these weird humans have to your space - destroy the system that contained the subspace portals.

I dunno. I liked that it was an ending that made you think, that gave you some idea that perhaps everything isn't so black and white. Perhaps when you're dealing with aliens, you're really dealing with aliens. Alien in thought.

[Lokust]

That strikes me as an odd theme to use, when they've used themes in the series about how similar the Terrans and Vasudans are. Also, by destroying that star, they wouldn't necesarily cut off access to the system. The Terrans had essentially already done that by destroying the subspace nodes. The only thing I could think of was that they were trying to use the star's supernova to create another nebula region, where they seemed to field a tactical advantage in terms of sensor functionality.

Also, with so many Sathantases destroyed there, it would have to mean massive, massive loss of Shivan life. The GTVA Colossus was home to over 30,000 crew, and each Sathantas was an order of magnitude larger than the Colossus. Unless they were hive-minded like the Klackons or Formics, it's hard to imagine what could possibly be worth that loss of life.

I also got the impression, from the flow of the cutscenes, that Bosch didn't finish the Shivan communication technology until well after the Shivans were already attacking the GTVA again. In the first campaign that you fly with intelligence, you end up capturing information about the ETAK tech, but what you found was not yet complete. With all of those cutscenes focusing on Bosch, it would have been nice to know what happened to him as well.

I agree that the ending made me think, but I think it was a bit too open, and lacked closure. Well, I guess it had closure for me because I didn't reach the node before the supernova shockwave reached me... -_- but you get the idea.

[Mehrunes]

Since I apparently wasn't paying attention, can you clue me in? I mean I obviously understand that the GTVA was trying to seal off that sector of space, but I just have no understanding at all as to why the Shivans blew up the star instead of kicking everyone's collective ass. At the end of FS1, you feel like you saved humanity. At the end of FS2 I felt like I was just a spectator to something that I didn't understand.

Oh, I thought you were talking about the "seal the Shivans off and we're safe" bit as a quick, contrived solution to the problem. Have you beaten the last mission and survived yet? You get a different final cutscene if you do.

[Mehrunes]

I also got the impression, from the flow of the cutscenes, that Bosch didn't finish the Shivan communication technology until well after the Shivans were already attacking the GTVA again. In the first campaign that you fly with intelligence, you end up capturing information about the ETAK tech, but what you found was not yet complete. With all of those cutscenes focusing on Bosch, it would have been nice to know what happened to him as well.

At the beginning of "Speaking in Tongues" you run into the Iceni while it's communicating with a Shivan cruiser and put an end to the 'talks'. By the end of the mission the Sathanas is on it's way to Gamma Draconis. Obviously it's impossible to know anything for certain in the Freespace universe, but there's a strong (and quite possibly completely wrong) implication that Bosch was succeeding. :)

[Lokust]

I didn't bother reflying it, I just got a tool to open the movie file and checked it out seperately.

I was about 9km from the node when I got the warning about the supernova. I made it almost to 2k away before I was smoked...

[Desslock]

I love the FS2 ending - it's probably my favourite ending in any game ever.

Please explain why... I'm not getting the vibe.

Here's an excerpt from my GameSpot review, which sums up my feelings:

"... FreeSpace 2's plot feels both deeper and darker. To Volition's credit, both Descent: Freespace and FreeSpace 2 effectively establish seemingly invincible foes and yet find plausible ways to permit you to seize victory from apparent defeat without diminishing the stature of those enemies. Far too often in games, a previously deadly antagonist is quickly dispatched with the assistance of a conveniently, and improbably, discovered weapon/weakness/bauble. Volition has now avoided that trap for two successive games, and, despite of the lack of closure, the ending to FreeSpace 2 is as intriguing as the events that transpired before it."

The ending is ambiguous, and yet gratifying -- all you know is that there's even more to the Shivans than you expected, and that they're apparently capable of generating their own stargates. Are they leaving, or are they heading to Earth? Why did some Sathanas ships stay in the area of the supernova? Did Bosch accomplish something or did he put humanity in greater danger? The game leaves a lot of intriguing questions, yet still manages to allow you sufficient closure by apparently "saving the day" so that you retain a feeling of accomplishment. And you feel lucky as hell to have done so, because you remain badly outmatched by the Shivans (an ongoing theme in the game - whether or not we'd advanced sufficiently to now be able to match the Shivans).

It was a fantastic "Empire Strikes Back" installment - unfortunately, Volition never got the chance to continue the series. I thought it was brilliant, and still feel that way today. Probably my favourite game ever.