"Im finding the view of some quite baffling when they say that FL has been toned down to accomodate for the average player."

I guess I would ask - toned down relative to what? Perhaps whoever said that did not mean that Freelancer was toned down over time, relative to previous versions of itself. Perhaps they meant that Freelancer is toned down relative to other space sims, with Starlancer being one obvious case for comparison.

It's no big deal. Every game is entitled to develop naturally in a way that seems fun to the designers. This one just developed differently than some people originally thought it would. *shrug* I don't think anybody is taking it personally or anything...

DATD - yeah, everything you see in that demo was made by me. Oddly enough, I started working on Starshatter right around the same time DA started working on Freelancer - almost six years of some very late nights. So, I'm really glad you enjoyed it!

--milo
www.starshatter.com

milod,
It's incredible that all was made by only one person! Love that game but after Starlancer it seems a bit difficult for me .
Have you stopped working on it?

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Would you care to follow me... --DEATH

Just out of curiosity, has anyone tried Battlecruiser Melinnium (sp?) ? I know this game seems to have a love it or hate it reaction, so I'm not trying to stir anything up. Just genuinely curious about the game. Thanks.

Imo,BM gives space-sims a bad name since I never liked it much since the learning curve seemed way up there & don't get me started on the manuals that look like encyclopedias.



My definition of a space-sim is a game in which you can basically pilot a spacecraft in space { duh !}.Don't know where all this RPG crap is comming from.

cool game!!!! u made it by ur self. Clap clap. r u making any more?

wow i just got promoted. cool, after a long time

The media can be your friend .......or enemy
-Kane

I think I basically agree with Milo's two-tier definition of a space sim, and his stance on whether or not Freelancer falls into it. When I think about what attracts me to Freelancer, it's more about the exploratory and career-progression aspects than the combat.

It's probably more appropriate to call Freelancer a sci-fi privateer sim, or space profession sim, or something along those lines. Technology is finally letting us conflate genres in a way that wasn't really possible before (like the game mentioned below, for instance), which I think will lead the way to richer game experiences, more closely approximating the popular notion of VR. We're still a long ways off from the point where you could hop out of your spaceship at, say, New Detroit, walk into a mall and buy stuff, then head to a local restaurant and listen to people's conversations, the occasional uproar of laughter, the tinkling of glasses of champagne, and so on.

But whatever. Nspire, if you're just looking for games where you have the opportunity to fly spaceships and dogfight, I'd recommend keeping an eye on Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter. There is actually a lot of first-person shooter action thrown into the mix, but one of the coolest features of the game are the seamless transitions from space flight to FPS. Your ship can actually get boarded by enemies in space, and you'll have to jump out of the cockpit to fight them! It's also being developed by the some of the guys that worked on Starlancer, and the flight model is purportedly similar.

Good job on the promotion, doggie.

Edited by - Bhurak Starkiller on 31-01-2003 02:46:47

Is Mace Griffin: Bounty Hunter coming out on PC? I though it was Xbox only...

Nope, still coming to PC, supposedly in May. It's also coming out for Gamecube and I think the PS2.

DATD-
Love that game but after Starlancer it seems a bit difficult for me.

1) Try switching to the arcade flight model, it may be more like what you are used to.

2) Reduce the AI level to Rookie until you get used to how the game works, then you can ratchet it back up to Veteran or Ace.

3) Starshatter fighters don't have shields, so you can't shrug off damage like you can in most other space sims. Never push a bad position. Always respond to a threat immediately. If you are locked by an enemy missile, drop a decoy and get off the afterburners. Break turn, or use the hat switch to strafe laterally, it helps confuse the missile guidance into taking out your decoy instead of you.

4) Don't try to be the hero. Your wingman are just as capable as those enemy fighters, so tell them to attack. ALT+A or ALT+B

If all else fails, switch to commanding a destroyer. Those have shields!

Have you stopped working on it?

Heck no. I was up til two this morning working on it. Planning on a summer release. I'll probably have more info about that on the website in a month or so. You are most welcome to drop by (if you aren't too busy playing Freelancer)!

--milo
www.starshatter.com

The difficult part I ment was landing on ground . I was never good at it so I dropped most flight sims.

I will be happy to buy your game, when it's out, milo... If I could find some money...

Alams for the poor....

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Would you care to follow me... --DEATH

I am quite surprised when readin' all your messages about space simulations. I needed to read thousands posts for finding a little reference to I-War 2: Edge of Chaos. Indeed, this game is quite a real pure space sim, with a rather good story and a graphical and physical engine quite powerful. When reading all this stuff about Freelancer, I have to admit it seems very good, but it really doesn't innovate so much ! Space liberty, spatial fights and trading were already provided in IW2, and when forgetting age difference between this game and Freelancer, graphisms are equivalent....
OK, I am quite angry against Freelancer developpers for having not at least cited IW2 as a reference of their game, but you will admit it was unfair.

and for answering to the initial question, I recommend...well....IW2 for having a bit of fun in space. It's beautiful, it's well made....but there are some bugs of scripts, quite unforgivable. I wish Freelancer will be perfect !!!

I doubt IWar2 influenced FL much at all. Plus, it wasn't executed all that well.

Tachyon,

I have to say.....: you are surely right ! The case is I don't buy so much games (expensive ), and the only space sim I possess are Starlancer and the Iwar games. So I'm quite close-minded, obviously, but I swear it's not totally my fault !
I'm waiting for the FL demo, and I will give a definitive advice.....

Have a good flight, pilot !