I am yet another veteran Freelancer player returning to the stars. Long ago in the mid 2000's, when I was a teen, I used to play Freelancer online. Back then, the server I chose to play at was called Raw and it was mostly vanilla with a few tweaks in enemy loot and encounters. While basic Freelancer, Raw had some RP elements, such as clans, factions and conflicts among these.
Before I joined any clan though, I outfitted my Eagle VHF for bounty hunting. It even had custom engine colors and lights to resemble those of the NPC Bounty Hunters. As for bounty hunting, someone would post a warrant on the raw forums, I and other hunters would go chase the bounty, and if one of us killed it, we would post a screenshot to confirm the kill. Those were good times. My call sign or moniker was "Bounty Hunters - Blackhawk".
One time, I got caught in crossfire in the orbit of planet Malta, where a pirate clan called the Roberts family and their greatest enemy, known as FTP, or Freelancers Traders and Pirates, where having some kind of PvP space battle. While the FTP paid no mind to my presence there, the Roberts sure did, and soon, I was trying to dodge enemy Lancers and Nomad Blaster fire simply for being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Realizing that the Roberts were not going to let me leave the planet without paying some tax, I joined forces with the FTP squadron. The battle continued for half an hour or so, but eventually the Roberts retreated to Crete because two of them had to log out. The leader FTP and his second in command took notice of my involvement, and asked if I would like to join their ranks. I accepted and then I became FTP-Blackhawk. For two years or so I flew with FTP against any and all rival clans, the Roberts and Alvarez families included. Unfortunately, due to factors and circumstances unknown to me, the Raw server went offline and we all moved on to other servers and other video games.
My game of choice became Neverwinter Nights and then, I was playing that game online as well. I joined an RP server called Forgotten Realms Cormyr or FRC, and since I knew my way around the Aurora Toolset, I applied to become a builder there. A few years ago, the head builder of FRC retired. I was then promoted and now I am known as “DM Sauron” there. Presently, I build areas, dungeons, run DM events and play with my gaming buddies and guild on FRC. While much fun has been had, I still remember my days playing multiplayer Freelancer.
I played other Space Combat Sims and other similar games, such as 2023 Starfield. While I liked it for what it is, the space exploration there was a letdown, as were the faction dynamics. Freelancer is much better in those aspects despite being 20 years older.
Now, I always knew of Discovery, but never dared to give it a try. It is good to see that the server and its community still remain active though. I have downloaded your latest version of the mod, so perhaps soon I will log in and join you all in space.
Welcome SkyAce! Should you need anything, please don't hesitate to reach out. Our Discord is linked at the top of the forum index page should you wish to join!
Hello and welcome. You will find that Discovery experience is a lot different to vanilla, because the devs expanded upon many of the (previously) unfinished mechanics of the game.
PVP-wise, Very Heavy Fighters are the closest to vanilla still, so you should start with those and work on getting your skills back.
(11-24-2024, 10:06 PM)LuckyOne Wrote: Hello and welcome. You will find that Discovery experience is a lot different to vanilla, because the devs expanded upon many of the (previously) unfinished mechanics of the game.
PVP-wise, Very Heavy Fighters are the closest to vanilla still, so you should start with those and work on getting your skills back.
Good luck and see you in space!
Thank you for the welcome, everyone.
Yes, I have joined the Discord server now, too.
So far, the only doubt I have is regarding appropriate pilot names - if such a rule exists.
Can I name my pilot/character(s) anything as long as it is not ofensive or inflamatory?
Is there a some kind of convention that must be followed?
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Welcome to Discovery!
Happy to answer any Q's you have, starting off with your last.
(11-25-2024, 08:53 PM)SkyAce Wrote: Is there a some kind of convention that must be followed?
Blackhawk is fine, likely already taken.
The rule is that it must be appropriate for the universe of Freelancer. Obviously no memes or references to anything popculture or illegal.
(02-04-2007, 02:31 PM)Igiss Wrote: 1.1 - Discovery is an English-language roleplaying server. Communication in-game and in the roleplaying areas of the forums must be in-character and appropriate for Discovery Freelancer's setting. Metagaming and powergaming are strictly forbidden.
Aside from that, there's no format to the names or anything. If you wanna start off with FirstName.LastName and work from there, that's a good place to start.
Welcome back to Discovery SkyAce! It's always good to see people returning to the game after so many years. I hope to see you in space soon.
If you need any assistance feel free to join The Deterrence discord server. We are happy to help you in setting up your ships, making some credits so that you can stand on your own feet and are there for any discovery-related questions you may have.
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