Fri Feb 21, 2003 12:54 am
So what is it about Freelancer et al?
So, what is it about Freelancer and games of this type that does it for you guys? I'm curious to know if you're addiction has a similar basis to mine.
For me it stems from the daddy of them all, Elite on the BBC Micro. Prior to this the BBC Micro had been fed a diet of arcade conversions and platform games, some passable, some dire. Then along comes this totally new concept that allowed total freedom to go where you want, do what you want and to discover the meaning of addiction while you were doing it.
The freedom was one thing, the idea of trading goods between space stations in order to make money was something else. Watching my measly 100 credits increase in size with each successive trip became my entire focus, over and above family, schoolwork, everything. It was and remains my primary fascination with games of this type. I just find the idea of trading in space to be incredibly compulsive. I s'pose it appeals to the part of me that always wanted to be Han Solo.
Then there was the combat. Jeez. I remember great, twisting, turning dogfights (particularly against Mambas or Sidewinders) that could last several minutes, sometimes ending with those immortal words 'Right on, Commander!' being flashed up on screen, meaning that another step towards achieving the coveted Elite status had been taken.
I was 12 or 13 when all this took place and the obsession has never left me. I spent many hours with Frontier: Elite 2, until I realised that the author's insistence on textbook astrophysics rendered combat as I had known and loved it impossible. I went without a fix until Privateer 2 was released. I know a lot of you think it sucks, but I thought it was great and it gave me the same buzz I had got from the original Elite, particularly hosing down Skulls with four Kravens and a Mass Ion Cannon.
As my computer power increased I moved on to X:BTF and Xtension, but this was similar to Frontier, although while it didn't feature anally-retentive physics I found the combat equally hard to get into.
So here I am, living in the UK and sadly, a month and a half away from getting my grubby hands on a kosher UK copy of Freelancer. Like most of you, I've followed development of FL since it was announced and I'm expecting another Priv2 with more bells and whistles and hopefully, less FMV. I fully expect to spend months playing this, as I love what I'm hearing about DA hiding debris fields and the like that you only discover from long-term play. I would never be surprised if this was the game that gets me into multiplayer in a big way and makes me realise why I'm forking out £25 per month for a 600K broadband line.
So what about you lot? Am I alone in my fascination with trading?
For me it stems from the daddy of them all, Elite on the BBC Micro. Prior to this the BBC Micro had been fed a diet of arcade conversions and platform games, some passable, some dire. Then along comes this totally new concept that allowed total freedom to go where you want, do what you want and to discover the meaning of addiction while you were doing it.
The freedom was one thing, the idea of trading goods between space stations in order to make money was something else. Watching my measly 100 credits increase in size with each successive trip became my entire focus, over and above family, schoolwork, everything. It was and remains my primary fascination with games of this type. I just find the idea of trading in space to be incredibly compulsive. I s'pose it appeals to the part of me that always wanted to be Han Solo.
Then there was the combat. Jeez. I remember great, twisting, turning dogfights (particularly against Mambas or Sidewinders) that could last several minutes, sometimes ending with those immortal words 'Right on, Commander!' being flashed up on screen, meaning that another step towards achieving the coveted Elite status had been taken.
I was 12 or 13 when all this took place and the obsession has never left me. I spent many hours with Frontier: Elite 2, until I realised that the author's insistence on textbook astrophysics rendered combat as I had known and loved it impossible. I went without a fix until Privateer 2 was released. I know a lot of you think it sucks, but I thought it was great and it gave me the same buzz I had got from the original Elite, particularly hosing down Skulls with four Kravens and a Mass Ion Cannon.
As my computer power increased I moved on to X:BTF and Xtension, but this was similar to Frontier, although while it didn't feature anally-retentive physics I found the combat equally hard to get into.
So here I am, living in the UK and sadly, a month and a half away from getting my grubby hands on a kosher UK copy of Freelancer. Like most of you, I've followed development of FL since it was announced and I'm expecting another Priv2 with more bells and whistles and hopefully, less FMV. I fully expect to spend months playing this, as I love what I'm hearing about DA hiding debris fields and the like that you only discover from long-term play. I would never be surprised if this was the game that gets me into multiplayer in a big way and makes me realise why I'm forking out £25 per month for a 600K broadband line.
So what about you lot? Am I alone in my fascination with trading?
Oh the horror!!!.... someone stop my evil other persona before it is too late! 
