Since the universe is actually revovling around the Earth. It is the Earth that holds togeather the constants for the known universe. With this in mind, we take our 3rd dimension. This 3rd dimension holds true in relation to Earth, but the further away you get from Earth the less this holds true. Which would mean that at some point the 3rd dimension would cease to exist. So as we pull much further away from Earth the universe would appear to be squished, like it was placed in a giant vise.

It is in this "Squished space" that the Freelancer universe exists.

Next I would like to explain how we get sound in a vaccume, whats that? Hey! get your hands off of me! Whats that jacket thing? Ouch! those straps are to tight. Who's van is that?

becuase it would be virtuly impossible to find what you need. i mean if ur looking for an unknown hole u migh have passed it 600 times but it was just 2k above you.

By saying the hole couldn't be found because it was 2k above you, do you mean the scanners for such are only good "in the plane" or that they don't have a range of 2k? Perhaps with the 3D universe some kind of expanded scanner could be used, like one with the radius of a sphere rather than a circle? Perhaps we could even expand that a bit by <warning, incoming missile, please fasten seatbelts for ejection> Oops, bye....

LOL!

Yea but think of all the extra stuff you could put in there. Growing up I played a game called Starflight a lot. That game was as flat as a piece of paper, but had a lingo you had to learn to be able to follow clues. Upspin, downspin things like that.

I enjoyed it all the more cause finding those "fluxes" was hell of a time saver and the challenge was fun. Freelancer is incredible. I'm not saying we need to have main story locations 80 clicks "up" and 40 "out" from the Tripoli Mining station, but the idea that i can hit my space bar and instantly "level-out" with the universe seems a little too much for me. Course, 3 cups of Joe in the morining and I'm still not level with the Universe so why should my games be any different LOL.

Modders get to work! LOL Seriously, I'd play around with this if it's even possible. Anyone know? I'd love change the orbital paths of some of the planets (yea I know they don't move, but positionally you could) and locations of stations and asteroid fields.

This game rocks. All it needs in my opinion is a complete lack of a reference point. My ship should not have to roll over to become "upright" just because I hit the autopilot. I'm in Space, what am I rolling over in reference to?! LOL anyway. Back to RL and my feet firmly planted on Terrafirma.

Using our own solar system as a model, the planets and other stuff orbiting around the sun do so in a common plane. Yes, it's not precisely the case; some of the planets deviate to a certain degree, but it's generally true. And I think it's a useful simplification because the 2D map doesn't deal with the z-axis. But, if some kind of isometric view of the system was implemented for the map, it might be workable.

Oh yea, didn't think about the map. Good point. That would need a rework or some negative/positive value notations (to the zero plane).

Oh well, just an opinion. Bothers me when my ship orients itself to "upright" in the middle of a nebula. LOL

Holding a space station at palce cost energie as it falls slowly to a the planet/sun/nearst gravity point, the best place to hold it a enegie efficent is at point at wich the both the gravity force are equil. wich always is the same plane a the planets are.

I think there are two major reasons why the layouts are so two dimensional:

1. To Increase the Perceived Size: One of the main "features" to this game in the marketing material is the size of the game's universe. By placing everything in a system on the same plane they need fewer items to reach the desired density of locations in the system. If they were to place the same number of locations in the system over the same x-y area but vary location on the z axis greatly from location to location the system would feel much more empty, which while probably more "realistic" would greatly change the feel of the game and probably prompt even more criticism that it's all empty than there already is (justified or not).

2. Accessibility: It's seems clear to me that a lot of effort has gone into making this game accessible to a wider audience than space games usually enjoy. The interface is streamlined and simple, the control scheme is easy and effective (and doesn't require a seperate purchase), etc. Removing the feel of easy reference (same plane, autoalign on autopilot) they remove some of the "lost" feeling that space games can give you. Don't get me wrong, I'd love it if the game lacked the autoalign (although align prior to autopilot dock makes perfect sense) and the z axis was used just as much as x and y. But this would make the game more confusing to the wider audience they seem to be after.


BTW, Starflight and Starflight2 were fantastic games. I'd love to see a freelancer style game with a universe that explorable. More specifically I'd like explorable planets where you land then get out of your ship, climb into your little moon buggy and explore the surface either to mine, search for artifacts, or collect life forms. The three hundred or so star systems that Starflight boasted wouldn't be bad either.

Good points. Probably dead on.

Oh yea, Starflight and Starflight 2 rocked. Those games were so open ended that it was truly incredible. I played Starflight before I ever got into BBSs'. Man I was freaking amazed 9 months into it when i found out there was actually a story line! *DESTROY THE CRYSTAL PLANET*. My brother and I actually beat that game from scratch. No BBS, no hint books no nothing. I had a binder full of notes, artifact locations, flux coordinates, mining locations the whole nine yards....Man what a geek. LOL

I'd love an updated copy of that game. Some people are working on it at the following link.

http://www.starflight3.net/

I love graphics, but pine for the days of truly open ended solid gameplay. Starflight, Elite..... Freelancer is the best thing to come down the pipe in a LONG time IMO.

Actually, if you read up on solar system formation, you'll realise that most solar systems tend to have stellar objects that lie on the same plane.

So nobody tackled the sound problem eh? Let me give it a try...

To paraphrase from an article I read from this page:

The "sounds" you hear are not actually generated by the weapons and ships themselves, but rather an emulation from the ship's computer via the radar (or whatever detection system they have). It is similar to today's fighters where incoming millsile are noted via an alarm of sorts so that the pilot can be warned without having to pay constant attention to the radar screen.

Presumably the technology of the 31th century can emulate such effects to a better degree. That or maybe they filled space with either.

the two suns in Tau-37 arent aligned on the same plane...

<End Transmission>

*cough there is a sligh difference from star wars to freelancer save that for when the star wars moid is released cough*

laser sound in space never wonderd about that. Neighter I wonderd about that fact that my onboard audo system was programmed to changes the music in such way I get a enemy ships in rader range warning before they are even IN radar range.