[Mod] Freespace 2 Project

(Unofficial title)

from Sins Forums
It's pretty much official that there will be a Freespace 2 mod sometime in the future. Currently our plans are to either make a FS2 mod to begin with, then incorporate a FS1 mod, or make the FS1 version first for an easy start then patch to a version with FS2 fully included. Either way, you can count on both eras of Freespace being included, along with Silent Threat and a few other non-canon mods. Our current idea is that the player will start in the Freespace 1 era, then slowly advance their technologies to be fully up to date, from Ross 128 to the collapse of the Capella star and the end of the Second Invasion. Along the way will be familiar events and alliances that you have chances to form and also new enemies emerging where needed.

Our plans on the version releases will be to create the FS1 beta first. Once the beta is released, we will see how the players like it and what needs to be balanced and improved in the second beta. Hopefully our second beta will include the full version of FS1 and lead to the final release of the FS1 phase of the mod (you will have the option to use only FS1 settings if you'd like, by only using the FS1 era). Next we will release a beta and as many concurring betas as is required for the FS2 edition of it. It will include all things in the FS1 era, then everything past to collapse of the Sol jump node. The player will be required to upgrade all of their technologies to be able to defend theirselves against the increasingly powerful enemy, and possibly we could include two separate tech tres. There will also be patches included inbetween versions to keep your files as up-to-date as possible and to revise all the balancing required.

Now, for the factions. It is certain that atleast three factions will be included, and maybe a pirate faction. The Terrans, Vasudans, and Shivans will definitely be present. It is possible that we may include the NTF, HoL, and other splinter groups as pirate factions, with the exception of being unable to colonize and grow. The pirate factions will be unplayable, but if the demand is high enough we could include them as a true faction.

At this time the mod team is comprised of myself (Rallis), Mazer1337, Midnightjoker, and Mashew. We are looking for more members right now, so if you have anything to offer to this mod (you don't even have to know much about Freespace, we can fill you in) please volunteer. We have forums that all the mod team members are actively posting on and keeping in touch, and everyone else who wants to stay up to date with us is welcome to register. The forums are here: http://fs2modproject.invisionplus.net/
modding
56,603 views 18 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top
I'm posting this on the official forum as well, don't worry, this is only for those who don't want to check it out.

Have you considered asking DANMAN3712 to include the FS1 beta in his 7 Deadly Sins mod? I'm sure he'd love to have the GTA, PVN, and Shivans in there. Hell, he even wants the Federation, Klingons, Empire, the Battlefleet Gothic factions, and well every other race ever made for a Sins mod, plus every single one from the Master of Orion and Star Control games. And the Stargate mod as well, so Earth, Goa'uld, Wraith, Ancients, blah blah blah. He wants them all for himself basically.

The mods are mine! The mods are mine! MUHHUAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

(DANMAN's evil laughs of victory over the rest of the modders.)
Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top
I haven't, and I probably won't be anytime soon. This mod is going to be strictly credited to only the people who are making it, and I don't want anyone taking the glory from the people who deserve it. Maybe sometime after we've finished it and all is said and done, I'll allow it to be included in some of the "mod packs", but until then it will only be available directly from us.

By the way, there's not much use in posting it there, because everything explained here is also explained there. So, if you're on the forums you should already know what's going on.
+1 Loading…
Groupy 2 - Organize multiple applications into grouped tabs on your Windows desktop
Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top
Screens or it didn't happen! lol

If you can get all the models for the ships and fighters, great. I personally haven't heard of an RTS mod based off a Space Simulator, but good luck to you.
Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top
Fenris rush!
Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top
Countered by the Shivan Rakshasha rush! Or Cain rush! Or Lilith rush!

Seriously I hope this mod doesn't eventually devolve into a massive cruiser spam of epic proportions.
Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top
You're forgetting the major role that strike craft will be playing. As of now we are trying to incorporate ways to make the game revolve more and more around fighters and bombers, just like the original FreeSpace. So far, we're faring pretty well, the only problems we've run into were about multiple fighter and bomber types in the same carrier. Since the UI is hardcoded, there's not much room to breath.
Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top
I wish the devs opened up that limit in the patch like the capitals.

Anyway nothing ever gets done in the Freespace universe without Alpha 1.
Reply #8 from Sins Forums Top
Yeah. Being able to use different fighters for different situations would be useful. Of course, most people, including me, would just spam Erinyes and Artemis D.H. as soon as they could.
Reply #9 from Sins Forums Top
Good luck to you guys, I really hope the best. Keep at it and don't give up. I have always been a big fan of Freespace. I look forward to enjoying your work.
Reply #10 from Sins Forums Top
Don't forget to sign up on the forums, we're posting our work there daily. You can keep up with what we're currently working on and even give suggestions for things we might have missed out.
Reply #11 from Sins Forums Top
Bump/Update

We've pretty much officially began working on the FS1 edition of the mod, so look out for that in a few weeks. I'll try to keep everyone posted on here, as well as the project forums. If you want all the nitty-gritty details about what the final version will be like then check out the project forums.
+1 Loading…
Reply #12 from Sins Forums Top
Yes...
Loved the games, and now, I have a way to relive my childhood after all...
(If only they could make a Mechwarrior 2 Mod,  :LOL: Just'a kidding, that would be impossible.)
Reply #14 from Sins Forums Top
If I get only 1 mod for Sins, it will be this. Freespace 2 was an amazing game, and hopefully this mod will be too!  :D 

Reply #16 from Sins Forums Top
I see one problem (this is more like Fs2 than Fs1), there is hardcoded limit of weapon types per ship that is set to 3 types (I guess that rest od them have to be set as ship "abilities/special attack").

Danman wrote a pietition for developers to release those hardcoded limits, but it would be anywhere soon coz it require to re-write the game engine :(

HOWEVER I think that it wouldn't be a problem for Fs1 capships as GTA and PVN use 3 types of capship weapons max (excluding Aten cruiser which has a werd config that use two fighter weapon turret - but they can be replace by capship turrets)

GTA/PVN capship weapons:
-terran/Vasudan turret
-terran/Vasudan Huge turret
-(terran only) Fusion mortar
-(terran only) Fighter killer

Shivan on the other side have more of them:
-shivan turret
-Shivan Huge turret
-Shivan Mega turret
-Shivan cluster missile (anti fighter weapon)
-Lucifer Beam

and I'm afraid that SD Lucifer has all of these types on board.
Reply #17 from Sins Forums Top
Although, we are trying to be as canon to the FS series as possible, a few things will have to be bent for playability and gameplay. This will probably have to be one of those things, and you can trust we will work to be sure to balance all ships out properly. Right now our main concern is how we will integrate these weapons into the game itself, and how we will balance out the strengths of each faction's weaponry.
Reply #18 from Sins Forums Top

You realise that the fighters have more of a variety of weapons compared to the cap ships... On the other hand the cap ships could use fighter weapons in turet slots if the player wanted to change them in FRED, unless you strictly go by table entries only...

 

BTW many games have modded FS2 and the last RTS games to do so I believe were HW2 and Armada...

How come we haven't heard of this on the main FS2 modding site (Hard Light Productions) or it's sister site (Game-Warden)?

I know one of our resident modelers TRASHMAN is making a SLEW of high poly ships for SOASE...

 

I wish I had come to the forums first before buying though, it seems like HW2 but with a trade element and better camera control... personally I prefer SE5 or MOO3.