Freelancer is the new age, that's basically why it's favored over starlancer. It has no specific missions that you must complete (until the end missions) which is also another load off the player. Overall, though starlancer was the egg, a beautiful swan was born from it.

A godd*mn picky swan, in my opinion *grumbles about FL being the most insanely picky game he's ever seen*.

Dunno why, i just feel like saying this "Shut up Erik". Dunno why.

Me, I havent played SL, But i like FL.

The downfall of SL is that it can get old quickly, also that you can't replay missions without starting a whole new game... that and walking through the darn hallway to get to the breifing room every single time... However, SL does have (IMO) superior combat, (also wins points in my heart for joystick support . The Roberts laid out excellent groundwork for a RPG/Space sim with SL, unfortunately that dream was never realized as far as it could have been with FL (the ultimate evolution would have been to have it be a Space Sim/ FPS, with you actually controlling trent during the station battle scenes, etc). Still, I found SL to be most enjoyable because it allowed you to do things like have logical armarments, cloak (which was done properly to avoid exploitation unlike in FL), spectal shields, etc. FL is realistic enough for a thousand years in the future, but for what the first space war will look like, SL gives a better picture. To summarize this babble, I like both but favor FL for its (re)playability.

FL kicks but for one reason, and that sole reason keeps it alive

Mods

heathens! heretics! Starlancer is a wonderful game, full of challenge and adventure. I always found the story much more compelling than FL and it's a lot harder too. it always allowed me to suspend my disbelief, and I actually cared about the missions and the characters, which I never did with FL particularly. While FL is great fun and I've played it to death over and over again, SL is classic space-sim stuff, joystick and all. SL just comes across as more *real* and I really want to win and keep my squadron alive and do all the objectives, whereas with FL I'm always conscious of it just being a game that I want to beat and get to the end of.

I've actually got an idea for fan fiction:- stories to be set in the period between the end of SL and the intro to FL, thats a hundred years of war between the Alliance and the Coalition that has never been explored. And it amazes me that no-one (afaik) has done an SL mod for FL - I would have thought that would have been high on the list.

*shooting down torpedos* - get with the programme, pilot! there's hardly any greater test of your flying and shooting skills than taking down torps, which in SL are murder, harder than space bombs in FS2 or skipper missles in WC3. I'm complete poo-kak ay shooting torps down, one of my reasons I should never be allowed at the controls of an advanced space-fighter, not even the Arcon X-Plane.

Edited by - Grand Mullah Tawakalna on 9/29/2005 2:06:36 AM

Starlancer wins. Nothing against FL, but I never like being a "freelancer". SL gives me soldiering - I need the Alliance anthem in the background and Alliance colors and banners and flags and brass bands trumpeting to get me do my job with some real sense of pride, not money.

Bah! While the torpedo-shooting is challenging, it becomes annoying as time goes on. There's so much of it in SL. That being said, the main challenge for me is not hitting the torpedoes, but not running into them or being caught in the shockwaves .

OK i likes Starlancer but the only thing that let it down was the AI especially ur Allies, they only seem to be good at Dying. I have also noticed the Whatever Coalition pilot u kill (Chinese, Arab) They all seem to speak russian when they die. The mission with the Traitor (Viper and McGann) i threatend them and they answered in russion. WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT

Never be afraid to try something new, Remember Amatuers built the Ark, Professionals built the Titanic

Actually he was an expert carpenter But I do favor starlancers controls because you can roll and stuff

I'm going to presume that the reason they spoke Russian was because Russia was the leading country of the Coalition and thus its language would become lingua franca, just as English was that of the Alliance. And nothing to do with the game programmers not having time to do the voices

I'm with Esky on this one... During the game's token stealth mission, I would always spoil those tedious first then minutes in the ensuing battle because I was so overzealous at shooting down the torps that I kept blowing myself to bits. Even on the 1 in 5 chance you survive an ejection, you still lose, and don't get to get back into the fight. Once accidental mis-aim and Moose takes over your fighter (who is the mysterious 3rd crewman in the bigger fighters anyways?) and takes you back to the ship simply because he's paranoid. But I'd have to say SL is definitely better, shame there's no MP community to speak of for it right now.

Personally, i like SL (If for nothing other than my Refitted Phoenix+Cloaking Device). I agree moose is a bit of a pain ('All the way man, all the way' anyone think this guy has sexuality issues?), but shooting down torps isnt that bad, provided you have rapidcycle on the targets (That, is the only reason i have missiles, dual hawks and dual raptors. 8 long-range missiles, plus six rapid-homers for those annoying fighters that dont shut up. total of 14 torpedos killed without even a shot being fired from the main guns)

Apart from that, ill agree, the storyline is a bit monotonus, and moose is a pain in the rear... but its a damn good classic.

did anyone try starlancer online
never did myself ,but it did spawn some of the clans that played FLin the early days such as wolfpack and executioners dynasty to name but 2
as for the game i prefered it to fl though it is apt to become tired if played too often ,ah for my trusty shroud (goes all dewy eyed)