The moderator told me "one last chance to redeem myself". This is it. I've taken a hard look at the situation and realized I was wrong. The "joystick debate" is a symptom of a deeper misunderstanding, which ultimately ends for me with a much deeper understanding of what Freelancer is and of what Privateer was. Call it "The Adventure Model."

When I see Privateer, I don't see its evolutionary history: I don't see an interactive movie, I see Elite with cinematics. Whatever misplaced disappointment surrounds Freelancer stems from this misunderstanding. A lot of Privateer fans are very excited about Freelancer, and I finally understand why: all this time I've been all about "flight model" this and "trade model" that and I totally ignored the "adventure model".

I realize now what Freelancer is, and how it descends from Privateer. All roads paved by Chris Roberts lead toward interactive movies eclipsing "air combat in space" as the central theme. His projects have been moving that direction since Wing Commander 2. FL is surely the pinnacle of this evolution and the finest example of its genre ever made.

X2 takes the opposite evolutionary path from Privateer 2 and Freelancer: it's all about flying around, with realistic flight models and full flight controls and realistic trade models and complex adaptive chaos models -- the works -- and if you want you can fulfill some "secondary tasks" (in case you missed it that's the "adventure" part.) Ok, I'm exaggerating to prove a point, but you get the point.

FL will have breathtaking movies, theater-like sound, perfectly-cast voice talent, a gripping storyline, and tons of interactive content. It will be Raiders of the Lost Ark in space, as the adventurer searches for clues to the greatest mystery of the universe: what happened to Earth? And of course that adventurer is you!

It would seem Privateer left shoes to fill that were so big it takes two great games to fill them. The evolutionary path that X2 took with respect to Privateer isn't the "correct" path, it's just a different one, and it isn't what "WE" need ... it's what I need. Mea culpa.

I understand now why so many of you are looking forward to Freelancer ... it sounds like it will be a thrilling experience.

I'm going to look for an X2 board, but not without optimism for Freelancer. When X2 finally cures those Privateer-pilot withdrawal cravings, I will buy a copy of Freelancer and return to this board as one of you: a Privateer-adventurer. A true Privateer fan wouldn't dare miss the opportunity!

"Somewhere out there is a fortune to be made, and all I have to do is smuggle, steal, and kill enough people to get it."
-- The Privateer