10 years of Freelancer

[Curios]

Nostalgic topic.

Curios this year celebrates his 10th anniversary since first playing Freelancer online and this made me go into retrospective. To remember. And I'd like to share this, indeed.

I mentioned it's 10th anniversary since exactly my online experience began as I actually playing Freelancer since 2004 but it was Vanilla and moded SP so this is kind of another experience.

My first server was V... and there I went full of excitement to see how my beloved game would work out - and I wasn't expecting the result which was interesting in double. That server wasn't actually RP once - there existed few main 'branches' of factions.

1. Pirates
2. Navy
3. Nomads

Money were easy and there wasn't any rules regarding pvp death or anything like that. But were some regulations about piracy, for example Pirate could ask trader only for 200k credits for 2 hour of 'protection'. Money were much easier and it was pure RP element for Pirates. Yes I did joined them. Back them my English was as bad as tourist trying to figure out where he is in China knowing just Hello and F U. Anyway I found a Russian clan which I would remember forever as they were real bros. The clan was called NETSPHERE and they were real capital P Pirates, hell yea. We were fighting navy and taxing traders all day and it was really wonderful time. Yet everything that comes goes away with time - the server broke down for some time because of global server list death and administration took some time for fixing this up for players. Online dropped dramatically as even after the fix not many managed to make it work so server got deserted and I went on searching for another server.

That second part is quiet short as I found some M.. U.. server which didn't attracted me for much and I abandoned it for good. Maybe it's actually was worth it, who knows, just I didn't found what I wanted.

So I returned back to V... and played there for some time - but most of my clanmates were gone and I couldn't establish there. Yes, I was pvping and all that stuff, it was fun and all - but just not that. Also after some modding they changed this too much from gunfights to torp\missile\mine spam and it wasn't exactly pvp I like.

So here comes a halt for few years on my Freelancer experience. After some time, when I was in Uni already, I decided to return into big Freelancer. I took serious approach on finding server which would give me the game I love. I was deciding between H... C... and Discovery as they were two most populated servers at this moment. My decision is known - I'm here. It was the end of 4.84 where I was complete noob getting basics and it's mostly 4.85 where I went full speed.

At start I went on forums yet I didn't had any forum accounts to learn the server rules as my experience in V... was telling it an RP server must have some more advanced ruleset - which turned to be true. But rules were quiet simple in fact and I went into the game prepared, at most.

I began as Freelancer trader and once I had cash for my first freighter (no restarts were back then or I didn't knew of them and starting ship was Starflea) I went on known to me from Vanilla route of trading Lux Food to Manhattan from New London. Was fun! Well, I believe restarts are bad - it's a whole part of the game where you was setting up, flying around, watching others play. It was completely taken away from the game by veterans who were too lazy to set up they 1000001 ship. It's mistake I believe.

Then I went to Gull and got pirated in glorious lane in Cali by Outcasts and Rogues, they had a gunboat and I didn't yet knew what to expect from it. That time I learned that BR is cool and GB are stronk and can't be taken by Gull But we actually had a kind of PVP with since there was no turret controls and I could out-manuever that GB somehow for some time, I had a feeling that I'm winning and then BAM - double razor returns me back to Penny. I was all WAT but it was fun as hell. TS\TZ ruined a lot for gameplay since then. But my carrier as Freelancer was coming to its end as I became a smuggler. There was a lot of Smugglers around and there was special ID for Smugglers that was generating crapload of fun moments with Police and Navy. Pirates were 50\50 on Smugglers and were letting you go with contraband sometimes which was also quiet cool. Then I discovered a completely retarded route of trading Wildlife from Gaians to Crete and Artifacts back to Edinburg. Wow, good think I wasn't stopped by Gaians

And it's a nice moment I remember still. I was going through Omega 5 when Corsair ship [OPG]Gentle stopped my Pirate Transport and changed my life on the server. So I joined [OPG] and had a lot of fun with it. Back then it was a golden age of skill and PVP which I really, REALLY miss novadays. RHA was wonderful, Smokeone were fearful and OC\Sair raids were badass. People didn't cared for anything then - we were PVPing with everyone around and didn't had any bad feellings since loosing was nothing. Old Malexa's RM, Tony's RHA and Doc's 101st - those were times. But as I said - all that comes must go at some point and Discovery slowly became the must-win ground were everyone was holding his life like it's something real to loose. Also CAU 8 caps began to be an issue as it was a nice expensive toy at start and you could count CAU8 once by fingers on one hand. But this is gone as well.

Now I'm sometimes playing my characters that are well developed like Remilia Scarlet or KPT once. But mostly just flying some nameless Freelancers\Pirates and Navy. I miss the days, indeed. And I honestly love the game and the server but I don't like the way it went and decisions that were made through the last year.

I hold my hope to see this server being less minded and open hearted as it used to be one day but, we'll see. 92% hitting 100 wont change it since it's problem mostly in our minds, not in mod itself.

I hope this text is interesting, enjoy, share your own experience!

P.S. a lot of typos I'm not fixing since zz

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[13CentKiller]

It's great fun looking back! Some great times were had on this server and others running the same mod.
I remember the good old days running VIPs to Crete and Cardimine back to Planet Manhattan, New York. What a rush it was dodging the various police and navy factions!
I also remember my gunboat pirate. "Telecaster" was it's name. I remember stirring a lot of crap with that one! And of course my Kusari bomber with twin Supernova Antimatter Cannons! Being able to solo two cruisers at once was so much fun!

I ran a Blood Dragon faction for a while called the "Blood Dragon Resistance". Gosh, that's going back a while! This was after NovaPG had a bit of a falling out I think and Kusari opened up to those pesky lawfuls. I couldn't have it.

I also remember all the cringe-worthy things. My god man, so many inappropriate, immature, stupid things I did! One thing that sticks out was thinking I was "the tits" in my Kusari gunboat that I "stole" from the Navy and tagged Blood Dragon. I remember stopping Malaclypse666 on his trade route from Kyushu through Hokkaido(another popular run I loved) and ripping him for 30 mill every few hours. I thought I was the biggest big shot of all. But because Malaclypse was such a good guy, he initiated role play and paid his way. It was funny, because while I was thinking I made the biggest hauls for no hassle in all of Kusari, I was actually being taught a lesson.

If he were still alive today, I'd give it all back and laugh about it. Not that he would have needed it, Mal was one of the richest on the server at the time.

So many stupid, arguments where I clearly never had an argument but soldiered on anyway. I'm twitching just thinking about it!

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"Three o'clock is always too late or too early for anything you want to do."

[Curios]

Yea, first days are always full of random wuts. Which is good.

Remove restarts )

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[Kontrazec (Somni)]

I've opted to forget most of my 'old' days, given that back then I was mostly acting stupid, immature, had no proper grasp of RP or balance of the game... But hey, at least I improved over time. And still, in this whole time I've been on Disco, I've kept a mint record; Only was tempbanned once, and that was because of a misunderstanding, having forgotten to tell the admins a buddy will be giving me a buttload of creds to get me restarted after a pause.

You had a rocky road, it seems, though- And we might've even met on the V... server, 'cause I used to be a hell of a good sniper build pilot there.

[aerelm]

Yea, first days are always full of random wuts.

...Yup. On my first day I escorted an Artie smuggler to Gamma, on a FL IDed Guardian.

[Curios]

I've opted to forget most of my 'old' days, given that back then I was mostly acting stupid, immature, had no proper grasp of RP or balance of the game... But hey, at least I improved over time. And still, in this whole time I've been on Disco, I've kept a mint record; Only was tempbanned once, and that was because of a misunderstanding, having forgotten to tell the admins a buddy will be giving me a buttload of creds to get me restarted after a pause.

You had a rocky road, it seems, though- And we might've even met on the V... server, 'cause I used to be a hell of a good sniper build pilot there.

Man, old Vipers with old Armageddons Q.Q

Yea, first days are always full of random wuts.

...Yup. On my first day I escorted an Artie smuggler to Gamma, on a FL IDed Guardian.

Yea, you're pro

But it's ok, I took part in the Santa starflier massive new year attack on NY, can't blame 8|

[Anomander]

It was 2006/7 when I got my own copy of Freelancer - SP was(is) awesome,
and I finished the storyline twice in row, and few more times later

After that I created my own lan-server for purpose playing with friends.
Yet flying alone or with 2-3 friends of mine became boring, so I quit playing.
But not for long - since after watching "Cowboy Bebop" anime series
I wanted again fly through Sirius sectors - but replaying SP was not enough.

And that is how I started to look for some mod - among many of them
I found one where I could actually fly Spike's ship, but when I enter moddb
I saw higher rated mod - it was Discovery Freelancer 4.84
I try few online servers but the best ping and ammount of players offered
Discovery RP 24/7

And that is how's started - my first char "Shadowmaster" was some sort merc
and I guess that I violate many tech-chart-rules by flying LN-ship with kusarian,
rheinland and libertonian guns - and I could get probably get banned for that
if not some friendly Junker PM-me that my set is 'bizzare' and not RP-wise.
But before I got any chance to change my gear - some RM/RFP patrol
blast me into a pieces for spying and stealing their equipment :]

It was my first PvP death - so after respawn, I've changed ship to RM one
set it up by RM gear equip RM ID - and start hunting NPC pirates on missions.
Yet earning credits in fighter was never an easy way.
So that is how my 'Handlowiec' and 'Gornik' was born - I've started both mining
and trading - my first milion I've earn on mining helium for haulers.

It took me almost an 9(?) months to register on forums - and I do it so
since my PC crashed and I've lost my characters.
Thanks for Cannon help - I've resurrected both my main characters
and after earning some deasent ammount of M I've try to be an Nomad
- with end in bastille since acidentaly I've manage to exploit some glitch
and I bought K'Hara ID and Nomad Boomer (so far it's the only 'sanction I ever had)

Day by day, month by month, year by year - I was trying to polish my RP
and increase my wealth both in credits like in inRP dealings.
In the meantime I discover alternative ooRP business - signatures, tb, logos
(to be frank, half of my credits comes from this source)

So here I am - currently a billionaire - still RPing, still having fun
6 years on the server, 5 on forums - And I'm eager for more :]

[Curios]

@Anomander Nice, btw my first VHF was RM Wraith as well, we had a faction of 3 members with friends of mine. Faction was represented just by wearing same [tag] of cause - yet it was funny to fly around.

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[Curtain Jerker]

I played Freelancer SP in High School when a buddy introduced it to me. I don't remember how I got into Disco the first time - late 2011.

I got back into Disco a month or so ago and am enjoying it. This game has been great to me though out the years, and I love real RP, so I'm very glad to be back.

I miss SP sometimes, although I don't miss Juni yelling "You need to move faster Trent!" when I'm at max cruise.

[Curios]

In fact while playing Freelancer I went through High School, University and now I'm working on my third job since graduation. Freelancer is eternal, Freelancer is infinite.

Also Freelancer with Disco 24\7 together turned out to be one of the best ways to learn English on practice

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