Yeah..a expansion would be great. But do not look for one for another year or two. Some patches could address some of the concerns of the freelancers.

Best way to ensure an expansion pack: Vote with your wallet! Buy the game, and send feedback to Microsoft on this website asking for an expansion pack for Freelancer!

Best Regards
Christian "Bargib" Koerner
Editor in Chief, The Lancers Reactor

I hope they reason like this:

If we implement all of our idéas into this product we will have to delay it even further. We are better of if we ship this product in its current state and release an expansion pack when we are finished with the rest of the game.

After all, microsoft is involved in this remember . Soon you will se Freelancer SP1 and stuff .

EDIT: Fixed my corrupted sticky tounge .

Edited by - SchnielZ on 05-03-2003 14:03:06

"Freelancer SP1" ?! It's not an operating system!

Okay, how could there be a set-back if it's ALREADY gone gold. So technically it's already been 'shipped'. I wish people would get their facts straight before posting. Also, on the topic of expansion packs...I thought they did a good job with the AOE2 expansion.

I aggree with you there Bargib...so I'll be doing my 'wallet' voting for FL.

Yep. We'll never see any expansion packs for a game that doesn't sell. But given the high ratings on reviews, I think it will do well. I think they have to sell at least 100,000 copies to make it worth funding any type of expansion.

It also depends on how versatile the game engine is. Does it allow for programmers to add content without a lot of trouble? New mission styles? More ships? More systems?

Let's hope that with good, positive feedback(I say this, because no one wants to get bitchy feedback about a game they toiled over for 6 years), and good sales, we'll see an expansion within a year!

Braxton: Are you immune to irony?

Another thing that plays well in our favour...MULTIPLAYER!

Statistically speaking, games that are developed with a Multiplayer aspect, and
company run "connection management", usually see a higher chance of having "expansions packs" released.

So, we will just have to cross our fingers and hope that DA really wants to be able to say "We made the game we planned to!", and not "We got done what we had time to get done, screw the rest."

Some companies take A LOT of pride in thier products.
Look at "Software Refinery", they made the game "HardWar"(It's basically FreeLancer, but on a small moon. AWESOME game I suggest you all try it!).
They released the game in around 1997, I think, and they were STILL making patches with added functions and content just months ago...in fact, even though they have now "gone out of business" there is still rumoured to be former designers of "The Refinery" that are STILL working on the latest patch for the game!
And this is all for an OLD game, which isn't even "on the shelves" anymore!
Let's hope that DA take the same PRIDE in thier work.


I for one would LOVE to see all the things they "dropped" put back in, and even more things added!

A. More customization of ships...generators for better energy supply, AUTO-turrets, engine/speed upgrades, etc.

B. More OPTIONS for HUD readouts...being able to TURN OFF the "mouse flight" notification that pops up everytime I hit my left mouse button, TURN OFF the "turret view" notification that shows up when in that mode, TURN OFF the "mission updates" that pop up CONSTANTLY in BIG BOLD letters right in the center of the screen, TURN ON "tractored in X" notification that tells you waht you just tractored in so I know whether to run with my "phat loot" or stay and fight more , etc.

C. More mission types..."passenger" missions, "deliver this to X" missions, etc...and have them also affect "reputation"....and Multiplayer missions which ask you to hunt actual PLAYERS like "JoeSchmoe is a criminal, he was last seen in this system, bring him to justice."

D. DYNAMIC Trading...as it is multiplayers players just go to the best route, make millions of credits, and are maxed out in level TOO damned fast! A TRULY DYNAMIC trading system would make those "shortcuts to level 38" a thing of the past, and make players actually *gasp* work for thier levels.

E. TRUE "Nuero-Net" functionality...a button to hit to "follow target" so that "turret view" has a bit more purpose. (This would also tie into "A" as better Neuro-Net upgrades would follow target better than cheaper ones!)


What does this all boil down to?
I think many of us just fell in love with what they, DA, "wanted" to make the game to be.
And, I hope they, DA, also fell in love with that idea, that goal, and will conitune to work to make it an eventuality.


Fly Well,

PD


Pyrate Dredd

HAHA cool icons...