I don't know how many mods Freelancer have. I haven't installed any.
X2 have a few though.

As many mods? No, i believe freelancer probably has the most mods of any game. However there are games that have survived longer than freelancer. Most are classics. As far as space-sims go, Freelancer is the last remaining one that has multiplayer.

thats not correct - i know at least 10 other games which are played in mp and are quiete successful

and there are other games (not space sim) which have WAY more mods

Look on the Panzer General 2. It's a classic and have many.... mods, way many.
But the Freelancer is the TOP on Space Sims.

DOOM is hands down the most modded, longest played game - go look for it right now, there are games being played online as we speak

Not to mention that there are a ridiculous amount of mods for Half Life, including the great CounterStrike. Plus there are quite a few for the Battlefield games.

But yes, considering that Freelancer is years old and didn't sell anywhere close to as many copies as those other games, it's downright incredible.

Better question, why hasn't anyone else copied this formula?

Its not that hard, I mean, decent space sim + decent mod support + multiplayer. Its not that hard to figure out and yet theres another single player only space sim on the way. Instead they just push the graphics up another notch, tack on some features, and somehow think it'll do better than the last attempt to supplant FL.


-Burn

Unfortunately, we seem to be in the minority in liking games of this type. I loved a game called "HardWar" -- which got all sorts of awards when it came out around 6 years ago. But it was a financial flop, despite its hard core fans. Very few space sims seem to be made any more, sorry to say.

The Wing Commander series was wonderful too, but then just sort of died from lack of follow ups.

I look at the games that come out these days and usually have no desire to play them.

the truth is we have get our young people intrested in space and science to many games today deal sex and violence and the gangster lifestyle . when i was growing up we didnt have all this stuff yet we had pong. so basically all i did when i was a child was read the encylopedia about space because it intriued me today you see a video game where you steal cars smack girls around then your mother calls you to dinner. we need more games about science pure science.

I play those GTA type games.I'm 26,so do I qualify as the younger generation?Anyway,I only played Freelancer because it was the easiest to play space sim I've been able to find.Every other game was so counterintuitive to control,I quickly gave up.This is the highest replay game I have played,followed by VtM:B,then Fate.Before Freelancer,I never replayed a game.I figured once I got through it,why bother with a second time?Not so with Freelancer,I kept buying different ships to see how they flew.I haven't even tried multiplayer yet,but I plan to.I still don't get why more games aren't like Freelancer.It is my favorite game ever.

my favorite games are freelancer and aoe and age of mythology all games i played over and over . your right freelancer is a pretty accesible sim when i sterted my first lan server no mods man i most of put 100 hours into the game . then i started playing multi player. my first time out i played on deep space 9 then i played on pirates paradise. then i played on terminators server. right now i run my own server and this game was the best 19.99 i ever spent. but we have to get our young people into science it is critical we should have orbital cities by now in space all planets in our solar system should hav a space station by now we are too far behind in this.

I'm not disagreeing with you.We should have orbital platforms by now.But frankly,I don't believe we will have real access to space until we get the government out of the space business.They make too much money keeping us earthbound to let us have that kind of freedom.I have intense interest in space,and science.But there seems to be no point in pursuing a career in aerospace when your only option is NASA.The whole point of the stupid shuttle program was because they sold the idea that the liquid fuel rocket could easily be converted into a masssive space station with partial gravity.But NASA found that it made more money just piddling along without innovation.

NASA's role has been important though. No company in its right mind would put in the research dollars to go into space. NASA and DOD gave us the technology for private groups to push into space. I think right now the major limiting factor is a lack of industrial value. You put big factories, refineries, mining, and other job creating stations in orbit and everything else will follow. Start with cities in space and you'll end up with little more than a playground for the super rich, without much hope of future growth. So for now we just have to wait for big business to find a way to make space stations profitable (X3 comes to mind here).

Too, the whole air revolution never happened. Look at Crimson Skies. That game makes me want to build a Zeppelin. With that canon theres no highway/train infrastructure so they use blimps and prop aircraft. Its only financially viable because the ground infrastructure doesn't exist. I didn't get into the old FASA books or games, just have it for xbox. The same could be said for the water revolution, with floating cities, ocean floor cities, and subs everywhere.

It might be we have to get governments build a space elevator as infrastructure to kick off a space revolution. It does piss me off they never put those massive gas tanks to use in building stations. That was a major waste of tax dollars.


-Burn

I totally agree with the gas tanks not being used was a waste of money.But,if free enterprise could recover them,I think NASA has to give it to them.I'm pretty sure that's law.Those tank achive orbit anyway.They use the extra fuel they have on every tank to send it in a burn trajectory.What a waste huh?Anyway,I highly doubt we can count on government to do anything that truly benifits us in the long run,unless they made money doing it.Though that really doesn't hold true with NASA.You know all those people who are space tourists?They had to go to the Russians because NASA refused to take them.They were offering NASA twice what they paid the Russians to get them up there,but NASA refused.Now I know NASA is awash with money,but they could have really used the PR,in my opinion.And when the people got to the International Space Station,that we paid for most of,they were not allowed into the United States portion of the station.How's that going to help public perception of NASA?The heads of it are a buch of elitists who don't care what the people who pay the bills want.I heard the former heads interviewed,and that is what they said.Not outright,but when asked pointblank,they replied that the public doesn't understand the realities of space,and even when they do,they don't know what is best.