Freespace 2 (FS2O): Surrender, Belisarius!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > Freespace 2 (FS2O): Surrender, Belisarius!

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

HOLY poo poo :siren:

The largest FS2 mod "Blue Planet" has released their remastered things, and it's basically an entire other game. They also released "Freespace Blue", an update to the original FS2 campaing! CHECK IT OUT

Back to your regularly scheduled thread

^{From the makers of Descent!}

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khIWdolT9xY

The year is 2367, thirty two years after the Great War. Or at least what YOU thought was the Great War. The seemingly endless tide of Shivan capital ships, bombers and fighters with super advanced technology was nearly overwhelming.

As the Terran and Vasudan races finish rebuilding their decimated societies, a disturbance lurks in the not-so-far reaches of the Gamma Draconis system. Your nemesis has arrived... and they are wondering what happened to their scouting party...

^{Watch it! Those cruisers have anti fighter beams with an effective range of 1500m!}

What is this old nerd poo poo?

Hey gently caress you buddy! Freespace 2 is ~~probably~~ the best space sim game ever created, and among one of the best games ever made. Think of the coolest scene out of a Star Wars space fight, or the most bad-rear end WH40k ship combat, as well as a few other cool space gimmicks, mash them together, and you have something close to approaching how much Freespace 2 owns.

On the outside, Freespace 2 is a space combat sim; you fly about in space, shooting some thing, avoiding shooting other things, and getting shot at by both sets of things. However, where the game really shines is with just how in depth everything is. You can customize your ship to your playstyle, with a variety of lasers, missiles, torpedoes, bombs, machine guns, plasma things, and all of the various standard space-fare. You can also choose which ship you fly in most of the missions past the inro, as well as the ships and loadouts of your squad. Oh yeah, a lot of the time you control a squad of 3 ships, including yourself. Sometimes you control up to 6-7 squads of 3 fighters each, as well as (limited) commands to capital ships, supply ships, etc.

^{Die Shivan scum!}

Ok so I can choose my weapons in a game, and control a squad, that's cool I guess?

Well aren't you loving antsy! Don't worry, there's a lot of poo poo in the game. Remember how I said it was extremely in depth? Let's take a look at the UI:

This is what the screen might look like in a normal mission. Looking at the components from the top left going clockwise, we have: Inter-squad chatter, Damage to specific components of your ship (here only hull damage is shown, but anything from engines/targeting/weapons can take damage on their own), squad mini window (get out of there epsilon squad!), cap ship hull integrity, weapons systems, countermeasure counts, energy allocation, autotarget/speed matching, self shield diagram, Radar, target shield meter, target info window (with name, ship type, distance, speed, hull integrity, and a picture!), and mission objectives. In the middle is the HUD that shows self speed, afterburner, weapons energy, and an unfortunate looking Hercules-class fighter. Every one of these components is dynamic, and with the exception of enemy indicators, you can adjust all of them. Need extra power to engines? Do it! About to pass through missile-explosion radii? Pump power to the forward shields! Out of missiles? Call in a resupply ship.

That entire paragraph seems a bit messy, and it's because there's just SO MUCH in this game you can control. Seriously, the tutorial missions are really good, just try it for yourself. Speaking of which...

^{Space: Not as gay as this banner makes it seem}

Ok how do I play this thing, let me guess it's a billion dollars on steam?

Nope! It's on Good Old Games for SIX DOLLARS. It's also ON STEAM. For the price of the cheeseburgers you've eaten while reading this thread, you could be playing one of the best games of all time. That's why I made a thread for it. There was a pretty good LP of this game about a year and a half ago, but I've been replaying it recently and was reminded how much this game rocks.

^{I really like these banners but I probably dont need so many}

What the gently caress this game looks like poo poo why did I buy this

Way to read the rest of this thread shitlord. Yeah, the game was made in 1999. Luckily, in 2001 there was some special edition released, in which the company relesed the source code for the game. The result? The Freespace Source Code Project. Basically they took the game, redid all of the graphics in higher resolutions, and did a lot of bug fixes. These not only make the game more stable, it also added 16:9 and 16:10 resolutions, and make it look pretty dang good, even compared to modern games. This is probably because there's no modern standard to compare it to.

---->THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DOWNLOAD<----

Some people seem to have been having trouble installing, so Mr. Dominic White wrote this handy guide!

Super-easy newbie guide to getting Freespace 2 all shiny and modern:
1: Buy Freespace 2 from GOG
2: Download and install Freespace 2.
3: Get the latest FSOpen installer. You may need to update Java.
4: Run it, point it to where you installed FS2. You want 'The Works'.
(Don't worry about it failing to download a couple of bits - it's not important)
5: Unpack this hotfix bundle to the Freespace 2 directory. Assumes a 16:9 screen.
(You might need to install OpenAL if you haven't already got it)
6: Run Launcher.exe - Tell it to use fs2_open_3_6_14_RC5.exe - Configure to taste.
7: Go shoot futuristic spaceships in space with future space lasers and poo poo.

Optional/recommended stuff:
Go to the Features tab in the launcher. Turn on everything that sounds neat.
Suggested custom flags: 'fov -0.90' for wider FOV. '-ambient_factor 110' for brighter 'unlit' space.
Pick FSPort-STR in Mods to play shiny FS1 + remade expansion (Silent Threat Reborn).
Pick MediaVPs_3612 as your mod if you want to play FS2 with extra modern shinies.
Middle-mouse switches between FPS and virtual stick control modes.
Customize/invert the mouse script via data\config\mouse_script.cfg.
Version 3.6.14 RC5 has a bug that makes chat portraits kill FPS. Disable them in the HUD config menu.

As anyone who has played this game will tell you, it owns. There is no other way to describe it really. Use this thread to talk about how much it owns or ask for help, but PLEASE be sure to use spoiler tags where necessary. Oh yeah I forgot a section...

Witty title involving space story

Freespace 2 also has an amazing narrative built into the game. The plot is actually really interesting, there are places where you make decisions that effect what missions you have, how you deal with certain things, and dramatically change how the game can end. Don't worry about them! Do what seems cool, this game is extremely replayable because there are a number of different ways to end most missions.

So there you have it! Go play this dang game and talk about how awesome it is.

tl;dr
Buy This
Install This
Fly These
Kill These
Save These

e;
:siren:

Now with video link with bad music :siren:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6VhyMzu12c
And a video link that's pretty good
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhAR8rWPluQ

Some Screenshots of the graphics updates:

Updates:

Dominic White has a good writeup on a lot of changes and tweaks to make FS2O work/look better since the creation of the OP. Highly recommended you read this.
What the hell the graphics dont work
Step by step install guides for dumb people
~~The FS2O Installer site seems to be down, do this for now:~~ If the download goes down do thishttp://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=47640.0
Game not working on a mac?

General Battuta posted:

Try grabbing the Mac executables from here (make sure you use the Inferno versions).

Also grab WXLauncher, should be the first result when you Google it.

Mods
So I don't have as much experience with these as some other people do (read the thread dammit), but here's some recommendations from a dev of Blue Planet, probably the most talked about mod in the thread:
-Blue Planet 1/2 (Who saw that coming)
-Vassago's Dirge
-Wings of Dawn
-Transcend

Skyl3lazer fucked around with this message at 01:08 on Nov 4, 2015

# ¿ Apr 14, 2011 01:58

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# ¿ May 2, 2024 15:23

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

Adam Bowen posted:

I keep trying to do a complete replay of FS1 and 2 but I get bored about 1/4 way into the first game and quit. I guess I just need to jump straight into Freespace 2, but that feels wrong since the first game really is great too.

Can anyone recommend a decent joystick? It would probably only be used for Freespace, X-Wing, and TIE Fighter. I've got a Sidewinder from like 10 years ago and it's ok, but I'm ready for a new one.

I still have the sidewinder that came with the demo copy of FS2 :v:

I wouldn't worry too much about skipping straight to #2, they reference any relevant plot points, and the FS2 story was better in my opinion.

# ¿ Apr 14, 2011 02:12

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

helopticor posted:

There's really no other game quite like Freespace 2, unfortunately.

I really wish this wasn't true, there's totally a market for a good space sim on the scale of FS2

# ¿ Apr 14, 2011 04:46

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

Mouse/KB actually isn't terrible with this game, though yeah joysticks are still where it's at.

e; Hell, the game was meant originally to be played all KB, that's why you have full motion control on the numpad, and weapons on ctrl/space as well as the mouse buttons.

Skyl3lazer fucked around with this message at 07:13 on Apr 14, 2011

# ¿ Apr 14, 2011 07:11

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

ProfFrink posted:

Awesome thread for an awesome game!
I had so much fun with this series back in the day. I need to replay it with FS2O though, I never went through it with the graphics upgrades. Does it make a huge difference (not that it really matters, it's a good excuse to play it again)?

Well it adds widescreen resolutions so it's worth it just for that, but yeah the graphics update is huge.

# ¿ Apr 14, 2011 16:13

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

Fargin Icehole posted:

I loving love this game, there's no two ways about it.

The Source Code project is the glue that holds it together to this day, and more. Back in the day, when the INFERNO mod came out, almost any mission had a tendency to just boot you to the desktop just because it could.

Now with the project, bugs have been eliminated, you can switch mods within a few clicks, rather than installing and hoping the game didn't break itself.

Right now I'm having problems with it's current version though. Right now it's just having trouble with briefings. On occasion halfway through to a sound clip, it stutters at least three times before finally cutting off the sound altogether. It's really puzzling and dissapointing, and i hope it gets fixed next version. I didn't have these problems in earlier versions. Is anybody getting this same deal?

The sound bugs only happened in like the first two missions for me, so don't worry about it.

I love that every post is like "yeah this game loving owns." There is a reason for this! Play this game!!

I just got back to the interceptor mission, it just blows my mind how detailed this game is. I went from bombing cap ships to flying fighters build to shoot bombs before the hit ships :v:

Also don't forget that you can swap out ships in the briefing room! I hate the bomber that they have you use by default, and there's two other bombers you can use. This is the case for a lot of missions as well.

# ¿ Apr 14, 2011 21:38

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

I added a coolio video to the OP for people who want to see the game in action

# ¿ Apr 14, 2011 22:48

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

Androc posted:

Also, the OP really needs to include the intro movie, that thing still sends chills down my spine.

Good idea, it's there now

# ¿ Apr 15, 2011 02:52

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

hrolf posted:

Does FS2 have multiplayer?

Yes but I seriously doubt if it has any activity at this point. If I recall it was a destroy the enemy's cruiser first type of thing.

# ¿ Apr 15, 2011 03:35

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

robotsinmyhead posted:

Anyway, this updater is taking forever.

Yeah it took me like two hours but it's totally worth it.

Also yeah a few of the mods let you fly the big rear end ships, I seem to remember a sathanas mod that you pretty much just one shot everything with the triple front beam cannons.

# ¿ Apr 15, 2011 15:53

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

Megafunk posted:

Hoo boy, choosing to install the whole package of this graphics mod was not the best idea. Hopefully this game looks badass when its done.

It's totally worth it.

# ¿ Apr 15, 2011 21:50

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

BobMcFartsens posted:

Gah I followed all the directions to the teeth and only the Freespace 2 campaign is showing up.

gently caress, guess i'll just be playing the second game.

You're really not missing that much, while the story is ok the mission design of FS2 is far superior

# ¿ Apr 19, 2011 03:51

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

Captain Beans posted:

I think one of the Inferno mods had a battle on a scale like this no joke. I think it was Sol: A History and it had a HUGE amount of smaller capital ships going wild in the Kyber belt.

Checking this out now, a coherent mission with that many ships sounds awesome.

# ¿ Apr 19, 2011 21:42

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

Yeah if someone wants to make a good mod post, I'll throw a link to it in the OP. I havent played most of them so I don't really want to do it.

# ¿ Apr 20, 2011 15:01

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

cnorsl posted:

Is there any way to get the UI (and especially HUD) not to be stretched in widescreen resolutions? The non-circular radar is driving me mad.

The radar wasn't circular in the original either if I recall

# ¿ Apr 20, 2011 20:55

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

Thoren posted:

This is kind of but can someone explain to me how mods work? I want to play FSPort and try some of the other mods but the only campaign offered is the Freespace 2 one. I can't figure out the launcher either.

Edit: And how do I get the updated graphics? Argh!

Open the launcher
Set the exe to ...\FreeSpace2\fs2_open_3_6_12r_INF.exe
[Video] Set the resolution and all the poo poo, set the box at the bottom to "high", use large textures.
[Features]
Under Graphics- Enable specular, glowmaps, environ maps, mipmapping, lighting to missiles, 3d shockwaves
HUD - Enable what you want
Gameplay - Enable 3d warp, and whatever you want
[MOD] This is where you select what mods you want to have in the game. Select "MediaVPs" as the mod to get updated (not just hires) textures and whatnot.

Those are the options that will effect what the game looks like.

Skyl3lazer fucked around with this message at 00:52 on Apr 21, 2011

# ¿ Apr 21, 2011 00:38

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

God I forgot how hard some of the missions in the main FS2 campaign are. Saving the hijacked ship during the special forces missions is just brutal.

# ¿ Apr 21, 2011 02:40

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

robotsinmyhead posted:

Please forgive me if this has been answered before, but I just upgraded to Win7 and I can't seem to get the FS Source Code project installer to work. I point it to the folder and it just sits there.

I had this working on XP, what happen :<

Try re downloading the installer? It worked fine on win7 for everyone I know.

# ¿ May 13, 2011 23:03

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

I feel so special now we have a dev posting in my thread :swoon:

I've only gotten to play the first mission or two of Blue Planet but I guess I'll go try to finish it now.

e; Added a small mod section to the op, if anyone has anything better let me know

Skyl3lazer fucked around with this message at 20:48 on May 19, 2011

# ¿ May 19, 2011 20:39

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

TShields posted:

Good loving lord, this Open setup is taking FOREVER. I wish I had read not to do "everything" before starting, now I don't know if it's worth backing out of and starting over, or just letting it finish.

FYI, I'm going by the PC Gamer info on the install. It's this month's "reinstall" game in their magazine. They posted this as a guide for setting up the Open mod, and it's held my hand through every process so far. May be worth tacking on the OP! http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=61606.0

It's worth getting everything just because there's a lot of other campaigns and things that you get, and they're nearly all worth using. As for the other article I'll look at it in a bit but was there really a huge problem in installing?

# ¿ May 19, 2011 21:34

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

TShields posted:

Yep, that did it, thanks!

I really like that you can't *always* win in this game, unless I'm mistaking something and they just takes your failures in stride.

It depends on the mission. Certain ones you can fail certain parts (or the whole thing) and the story continues.

# ¿ May 20, 2011 21:30

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

drink slurm posted:

Do you get to fly capital class ships in this?

As people have said, not really no, but that's part of the charm of the game. You aren't the super fighter ace savior of the world, you're just a pretty decent pilot in the middle of a war.

# ¿ May 22, 2011 17:39

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

I just beat blue planet again, and god drat that's a pretty good mod

# ¿ Aug 23, 2011 06:04

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

canyonero posted:

Is FSSCP hosted anywhere else? fsoinstaller.com is offline.

http://scp.indiegames.us/bnr_installer.php is in the installer. Where did you get that url from? I dont see it in the OP

# ¿ Sep 3, 2011 16:21

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

canyonero posted:

When you click "Automated Installer" on that page, it directs me to http://www.fsoinstaller.com/files/installer/java/FreeSpaceOpenInstaller.jar

Well poo poo. http://scp.indiegames.us/downloads.php?download=wxLauncher Works for launching, but if someone has a mirror of that it would own. I'll see if I can find the file anywhere.

e; For now do this http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=47640.0

Skyl3lazer fucked around with this message at 21:54 on Sep 3, 2011

# ¿ Sep 3, 2011 21:46

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

Deuce posted:

This thread, incidentally, does not have enough love for the pants-shittingness of flak cannons. Beams get all the credit My earliest memories of this game are sitting in front of a computer with a good subwoofer with a force-feedback joystick and THUDTHUDTHUDTHUDTHUD OH poo poo OH poo poo I CANT SHAKE IT MAKE IT STOP AAHHH

There's just something visceral about beam cannons, because the charge sound doesn't tell you where the beam is going to be, and it can one shot you.

# ¿ Sep 5, 2011 17:22

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

Every time I read this thread I'm so happy that new people are checking out this game. If you're just joining us, it's easily the best 6$ you will spend this decade to play this game.

# ¿ Sep 11, 2011 07:29

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

nobody- posted:

How do I get this working on a Mac? Do I have to run the GOG installer under Windows and copy the install folder over?

It's in the OP

# ¿ Sep 25, 2011 18:52

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

Verr posted:

I picked this up on whim, and hoooooly poo poo am I grateful for this thread.

I played TIE fighter when I was just a kid, so this brought me back. Amazing, I love the nebula and everything about flying blind with a few wings and then scrambling to intercept bombers that just stealthed behind your AWAC while two destroyers trade beam fire broadsides and your squadmates scream and blow up in your ear. This game.

People never believe how awesome a game 10 years old can be, but I'm not lying when I say I believe this is the best game ever made.

# ¿ Sep 26, 2011 16:49

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

Zeether posted:

Also make sure you aren't running the debug version of the game like I stupidly did.

I even mention that in the OP!

# ¿ Nov 3, 2011 22:33

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

Opus125 posted:

I don't believe the automated installer linked in the OP works anymore. They say so on the Hard Light forum. This appears to be the best guide to installing the game and its improvements:

http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=78710.0

Edit:

And this is how you would get the FS 1 campaign (which you don't have to buy!) to work:

http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=76733.0

The installer works, the site is apparently just going up and down. There's a link to the manual installer topic there too.

# ¿ Dec 6, 2011 15:11

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

Admiral Bosch posted:

Okay so I'm having some issues with this fresh install of mine. I've got FS2, FS2 Open 3.6.12 with media VPs in the right place, and the FS1 port with all of its VPs in the right place.

1. I definitely remember a new Apollo model being released, but it's showing the old one.
2. In FS1 Port, the Faustus is showing the old model, but when I fire up FS2 Open, the new one is there. I don't remember how to fix this.
3. In FS1 Port, trying to view the Typhon in the model viewer crashes the game, I have to CAD to end the program.

What can I do to alleviate my distress?

Well Admiral why should we help you :colbert:

Are you setting the launcher to load the correct packages here: http://i.imgur.com/Xrpuq.jpg

# ¿ Mar 3, 2012 04:45

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

Interesting (if late) news, The Darkest Dawn, a total conversion of Wing Commander for FS2, has launched! This is a big of honking project, and it so far incredibly fun.

# ¿ Apr 2, 2012 20:02

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

Dominic White posted:

Alright, escaping from the story-chat a little, this might be good to add to the OP:

If you want the best possible Freespace 2 experience, you'll want to download a few bits after using the FSOpen Installer (just have it download The Works, and you're good to go), as they do very nice things, with one slight tradeoff.

First: Download the latest Release Candidate of the FSOpen engine - they're done quite a bit since you last saw it. Be warned that it has a known bug that is currently their top-priority thing to fix: Framerates stutter when comms chatter videos play in the top-left corner. This can be sidestepped by just using the HUD configuration screen in-game and setting the video panel to 'off'.

Second: Widescreen support! Follow the instructions here to unfuck the HUD if you're running at 16:9 or 16:10 resolutions.

Third: If you like using the mouse (I do - my joystick doesn't give me the gunnery precision I like) then you'll want this control script. It makes the middle mouse button switch between normal Freespace control (FPS style) and a Wing Commander style virtual stick. This is really useful when flying heavier ships, as you'd have to drag the mouse a ton to turn heavily using Freespace controls, wheras you can just pull back and keep turning with WC style. I find myself alternating between the two all the time. Do note that the sensitivity line in the config file works in reverse. Higher sensitivity = Wider mousing area. I use 350.

Also, I've personally found that slightly widening the default FOV helps a bit - a lot of Freespace battles are spent with your nose up someone's exhaust and filling most of the screen. You get a bit of a better angle on the proceedings if you add "-fov 0.90" to your command line (0.75 is default).

Also, all of this stuff works with all (as far as I've seen) mods, so no worries about compatibility.

I'll throw a link to all this stuff in the op, and I suppose give it a shot myself!

# ¿ Apr 11, 2012 16:07

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

General Battuta posted:

Don't start by playing Wing Commander Saga (it's long as heck and doesn't feel much like FreeSpace 3), and don't use the FSO installer - it's broken. You'll need to do manual installs.

The fso installer worked just fine for me yesterday when I had to reinstall :confused:

e; apparently I didnt refresh before I posted. Anyway, added the :siren:

2.99$ FS2 this weekend! :siren:

to the op

# ¿ Apr 13, 2012 16:04

Skyl3lazer: Aug 27, 2007; [Dooting Stealthily]

anthonypants posted:

I think it's great how GoG is celebrating the anniversary of this thread by putting FS2 on sale

"Woah" -Me, right now

Also, about halfways through WCS, and I'm surprised at how much work went into this mod. Like, it's unfair to even call it a mod, it just happens to use the FS2 engine.

# ¿ Apr 13, 2012 18:52