' Wrote:This is the original with
massive improvements, not a hyped up illogical vanilla expansion.
Hoodlum
Freelancer is illogically built for multiplayer gaming. So if you try to do these 'massive improvments' by emphasizing what was done in the original game, you are only exaggerating flaws already found therin. Microsoft knew they had an incomplete game when they released it with a multiplayer option, thats why you get the disclaimer at the main menu about how your gaming experience may be different from single player. Other mods try to solve this problem by having a starting system where you somehow choose a faction to play-then make it difficult to lose that reputation. Its crude, and unfreelancerish, but at least you have fewer arguments about faction equipment, enemy base camping and all the rest. Missions, bribes and the other reputation changing devices implimented in vanilla freelancer are all designed with single player in mind-not multiplayer.
Personally, if I wanted to do missions, I would play single player again-its more exciting. The discovery experience I had was most enjoyable when other players brought real motives, interests and drama that brought life to the otherwise mechanical playing that occurs.
' Wrote:Freelancer is illogically built for multiplayer gaming. So if you try to do these 'massive improvments' by emphasizing what was done in the original game, you are only exaggerating flaws already found therin. Microsoft knew they had an incomplete game when they released it with a multiplayer option, thats why you get the disclaimer at the main menu about how your gaming experience may be different from single player. Other mods try to solve this problem by having a starting system where you somehow choose a faction to play-then make it difficult to lose that reputation. Its crude, and unfreelancerish, but at least you have fewer arguments about faction equipment, enemy base camping and all the rest. Missions, bribes and the other reputation changing devices implimented in vanilla freelancer are all designed with single player in mind-not multiplayer.
Personally, if I wanted to do missions, I would play single player again-its more exciting. The discovery experience I had was most enjoyable when other players brought real motives, interests and drama that brought life to the otherwise mechanical playing that occurs.
Aye.... Digital Anvil and the Roberts brothers had alot of potential in this game. It kinda fell short of expectations, and it's very easy to blame the producer - who, to be honest, very easily could be the culprit. I have more trust in the Roberts brothers' work to be quality, so it is very likely that Microsoft did one or both of two things: cut the funding short of what was necessary to get the whole job done, or set a release date that cut short the spit and polish of the 'beyond Storyline' part of the game. The Story is spectacular, and messing around with Reputation is a major part of the game experience. But beyond that, there really is essentially nothing left. It's like there's half a spectacular game there, and the other half was left on the drawing table.
More Reputation-affecting elements should have been added, for one. Another factor could have been non-com contracts of some sort, mainly for Freighters or such. It may not give as much of a payoff as actually hauling the materials yourself, but there'd be a (bigger) reputation boost for doing it (or, maybe, there is. Maybe your cut of the profits would be a factor of how much the sale made, not the entire trade route, deducting for pickup- as you'd be working for the company that deals with these things, and they'd already have the goods. Thus, in the end, your cut may be a bigger payoff than if you hauled the goods on your own time and funded with your own money).
Generally, there's a lack in mission variety. More, varied missions would add flavor. As it stands, I honestly prefer to just do free-flight killing than to take Missions, and make money off the loot. I'm up to 660k worth or so in the Single Player using Discovery, and I'm still restricted to Liberty space. I've also got a Kadeshi fighter (Which I'm kinda appalled is in the game... but, honestly, it could fit. Just... Somebody should bloody remodel the sucker so it has better textures and generally looks more like it belongs in FreeLancer. Other than that, I like the design. Hell, the Icon that shows up in the Ship Merchant window looks like it fits. Just revise the textures (or give it Freelancer textures) and the geometry, and it'd be a fabulous-looking 'unique' FreeLancer fighter), armed with those Bluebell things (Chain Guns, Gatlings, whatever).
Currently: Remastering Kiith Somtaaw's Acolyte Fighter. These Homeworld ships need some Sirius work done on them. ^.-
"Do not interfere! We're here to protect the President! Schultzky's a traitor!"
For peace throughout the colonies! We will never forget..
"He who controls the [insert orange powder drug here] controls the universe!"
Although it would make it easier to get faction tags... No, it would be a bad idea. Someone could just fly around with no tag, neutral to everybody, and taunt everyone. If someone shot, it would be out of RP, as he's neutral. No... bad idea.
I am a long-absent Supreme Commander, Executive Commander, Grand Admiral, Fleet Admiral, and Captain in the mighty Hellfire Legion. I have returned, and am on an urgent mission from Drake Thastus to return the Legion to its former glory, and to claim the galaxy for its own. Only then will I be able to rest.
RP Story (Still deciding whether or not to finish)
The idea would be that if you're working for the Kusari Naval Forces, you choose that when you create a new character and you start on one of the battleships with maxed out Kusari rep, and hostile GC/Blood Dragons rep.
A problem with the Neutrality, in my opinion, is the fact that, in the Bar, it doesn't matter how close to pure neutrality you are with a faction, they still won't talk to you. two blocks in either direction is supposed to be proper neutrality... and yet if you get anyone within those two blocks, they still won't talk to you. It's stupid. Once you get past -0.2 (or -20, whichever way you'd like to call it), they should start being sociable. But, no. The bar only has two states for dialog characters: Hate, and Like.
"You better go, before something bad happens to you."
Again, another thing that likely would have been adjusted, if Digital Anvil was allowed to get to it. There should be 5 chat states, just like there should be 5 in-space states (that is, Hostile, Annoyed, Neutral, Like, Friendly - Friendly should mean they don't mess with you at all (even scans should be lessened/non-existent, as the Guide says they are supposed to be) and will help you against anyone who tries to fire at you- even if they themselves are friendly with the ones that are hostile towards you; when you talk with them, they should treat you like an old friend. Like should be between Friendly and Neutral - scanning isn't at the average frequency, but it's still frequent, and there's a chance they'll help against those who fire on you; when talking, they should be fairly amicable towards you, but not too buddy-buddy. Neutral should be just that- neutral; no special treatment, and no special services; chatter should be polite, but not pleasant. Annoyed should increase the chance of being scanned more than usual, and heighten the chance they'll fire on you for attacking, or being attacked by, somebody they're on better-than-neutral terms with; bar conversations should be unpleasant, but they should still possibly do business with you. Hostile is, of course, Hostile. Shoot-on-site, threaten you when you talk to them in the bar... )
Currently: Remastering Kiith Somtaaw's Acolyte Fighter. These Homeworld ships need some Sirius work done on them. ^.-
"Do not interfere! We're here to protect the President! Schultzky's a traitor!"
For peace throughout the colonies! We will never forget..
"He who controls the [insert orange powder drug here] controls the universe!"
What some of you were thinking of, and what Gezza described, is called a Nexus. It is indeed found in Excelcia, as well as Freeworlds. The thing about it is its for total conversions. And ones that are very faction-aligned. Such as Freeworlds, and how you get Imperial or New Republic reps. If you pick Imperial, your red with New Republic. Its possible to get the NR neutral on an Imperial rep, but would take weeks.
But these are for mods where you start on one side or the other. Discovery keeps you in the 'freelancer' part of the game. Allowing you to start nearly neutral to many factions until you go out and sculpt your rep list.
Also, it takes the fun from gaining that rep. Sure a rep might be a pain to get in a few rare cases, but I could even get Xenos rep with 2 missions and about 5 kills outside of those missions.
The people who are determined not to RP and get everyone neutral could whether we had a Nexus or not. Because the reps can be changed easily, just by killing enemy ships. Also, Excelcia and Freeworlds don't have quite as many NPC factions as we do. Excelcia gives only a few bribes out, and Freeworlds only has 15-16 different NPCs. Discovery has dozens. Can fit that many NPCs in there and be able to use them all. Certain NPCs would block other ones.
I believe total neutrality shouldn't even exist in Discovery, but there are some that like to just trade. They don't do anything with their money, they just like trading and seeing/talking with other people online. Telling them to play SP if they want to play isn't a solution, nor polite. They like the interaction with other players, without dealing with every NPC and its mother.
Also, we cannot edit hardcoded parts of the game. We don't have the source codes to Freelancer, and I doubt it will ever be released.
And making massive addons and improvements FIXES most of those errors made by the game designers. While expanding a few. But making large illogical, and badly placed changes to the game will multiply those errors drastically.
![[Image: Tex3.jpg]](http://free-sk.t-com.hr/Freelancer/Tex3.jpg)
![[Image: DFinal.png]](http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b328/Luciaden/DFinal.png)