Or find games that cater more to the communities interests.

Yes this site should pick more games then Darkstar One, game didn't interest me after playing the demo. I would suggest games like Battlefield 2142, EVe Online, Anarchy, Mass Effect. There are more Sci-Fi games out there which I can't think off the top of my head right now, but that small list right there would really expand on what games the site covers.

What about something like Space Force 2 (http://www.spaceforce2.com/news2.aspx)?

(This site is best viewed with your eyes open)

I'm keeping my eyes on Sector 13 at reactorinteractive.com...... mm, i like that domain. sexy for some reason

in the meantime I work quietly, with a very quiet forum with a total of 18 members, trying to implement every missing feature players have cried over in the last three years while converting the whole mess of intertangled ships, goods, markets, faction props, and npcships to plug-n-play XML; drop the ship-script in, it adds the ship + goods + market entries, drop in the AI script and it adds the NPC ships- anyways i'm blabbering

if anyone has any idea how to sucessfully promote a freelancer mod with gravity, dynamic economy, faction roleplay costumes, seamless modships that use custom SURs and destructible parts, let me know.... seems you have to attach the name of a lame sci-fi TV show to a mod to get any attention around here

you cant just pick a game, create some boards and say "we cover this now"
that simply does not work... there is much more you need to do to build up a community for a new game

i myself i would keep my server running. even though somepeople here might think im a kook or a hack . i like the mods i slap together every once in a while. its a way to focus my creative energy inseatd beating up on my cats lol. i like sharing whast i make with the world. even though its not 100% original i give credit to the people i use stuff off of. its takes work to put something together and to make everything work. so really for people like me combining stuff sucks.

i completely understand all of you, but if we dont combine people will not actually know you ever did anything, because no offence meant by the way, people wont remember FOR LIFE that so and so made this ship...or whatever....

if we combine we will always find people to appreciate..

already where i live the only way to get freelancer is through amazon or ebay its not avalible in the stores and they cant order it.

i mod for myself - I realized long ago (maybe a few months into making my mod) that not many would care, or at least not enough to save an aging game with a diminishing player base. Anyways, my mod will be the freelancer we've always wanted (i think) and the codebase modders have needed for a long time to realize their vision quickly and without a crapload of hassle (as in 90% of modding, outside of the modeling aspects) - I haven't gotten to realize a large part of my vision (adding explorable planets, with stuff to see/do - simulating a planet is actually not too hard) but then again I'm not getting paid to fix this broken game

splitting the players up is definitely bad- there should not be two servers running the same mod unless there is a demand to fill

Hotwire I'm guessing that your still young and haven't gotten to grips with this world yet. Any commodity or service that has competition very quickly becomes a nasty place to be involved in. Game servers are no different as they want you on thier server and nobody elses, most of the small servers don't stand a chance and will be lucky if they have more than 5 or 6 players on in a week, the large servers will try anything (fair or foul) to get you on and then keep you, everything from exclusive content to flame wars and even hacking the competition. Unfortunately when the last two start the games online community is already at deaths door, this community has been dieing for over 18 months now and I very much doubt if it'll still be here when the GS does get switched off.

As for TLR as long as it's still accessable there will usually be some diehards that drop in from time to time.

**shuffles of with a new headache**

desparate times calls for desparately creative minds.

I'll still be modding and creating things for Freelancer as well as expanding the universe long after the Global server goes down. It's a creative outlet for me even if there are no available servers.
I think eventually, even the "holy grail" source code may even become a moot point some day leaving it wide open for whatever means. (maybe..maybe not)

Now and then, I need to take a break from Freelancer but when I usually come back, it never ceases to amaze me and as of this date, I've still seen nothing equal to it. This game is yet to evolve.

@ benjyamac

No, i know that, that's why im raising awareness...the small servers cannont compete as you said so merge 'em instead of slugging forward at snails space childlishly fooling yourself that your mod is the best (not directed at anyone).

We just need to go past all of this and if needed give ""da big servers"" all the power, its not like we make money anyway...

im still going to run my server its small yeah i know but i still want to play and share what i made.

You still have not adequately answered the biggest question arrising from you suggestion. Who is to decide what server stays, and what server goes away? and who is it that can FORCE those who do not want to close ther servers to do so.

Your idea is heartfelt, but trying to get people to close the smaller servers is only going to bring a more swift end to the Freelancer community. I for one know my server is small, and inadequate for a large number. But I get satisfaction out of having it, and keeping it alive at all. If I was "Forced" to close my server I might be insulted enough to leave Freelancer all together. Im sure I am not the only one who feels this way. (Which of course means you arent going to get us to close our servrs in the first place).

Back off your point for a second and look at it from my side of things. Assume you've poured time into your server, youve gotten tied to it emotionally, you love to do it.. But your numbers are down because FL numbers are down, are you seriously going to close it just because some bloke on TLR says it is best for the FL comunity to do so?? I doubt it, and even if you did, you would lose a part of what made you enjoy FL. Some would get bitter that their server had to go while others didnt, and quit playing all together. In the end, it would hurt the community not help.

Part of what has kept FL alive this long is the fact that there are so many choices, if I dont like the options, or the playing style on a server I can always go to another. If we did as you suggest those options would go away. The casual players who go to be part of a community would dry up as the thugs who get thrills out of blasting starfliers to bits with a decked out eagle would run rampant, ruining the experience for those of us who dont like certain servers that allow this behavior to go on. (Yes, I have left servers because of this.. MANY of them, its actually what prompted me to start my server in the first place)
Adui

Just another day in Paradise!