Author Topic: Freespace 2 Download Links  (Read 365307 times)

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Re: Freespace 2 Download Links
You may add freespacezone if you like.

  
ShivanSPS Freespace 2 SCP Installation Procedure
Here is my install guide with collection of links that work, as of 01/04/2007.
If you find any of the links have quit working please let me know.
If you know of additional links for these resources please let me know.

This guide is a bit unwieldy, I'll try to break it up into digestible pieces in the future.

First, you might want to look this whole FreeSpace thing over to see why we like it so much, and a good place to start is the FreeSpace Gamespot Link with Reviews. You'll see some good looking screenshots there to be sure, but WMCoolmon's screenshots will really get you excited.
Finally you'll want to bookmark FreeSpace Source Code Project Headquarters.

By now of course, you're itching to install FreeSpace Open, but there are two strategies:
1. Install everything all at once (my preference), or
2. Start with a Retail install, then Upgrade to FreeSpace Open

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section 1, Installing Everything at Once (And Then Making a Backup)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

OPTION 1:
So far, the easiest and best way to get a properly working install is ShivanSPS' Freespace Open Full install. (THREAD)

ShivanSPS Pros: Smaller, more efficient install. Many mods included. Includes details that make it work better than the other options IMO.
ShivanSPS Cons: It installs more than one program group. Not current with latest files. Includes the obsolete avi rather than mve or ogg files. (A version 2.0 is in the works though, so stay tuned.)

Before you get started:
You'll need about 4GB of free hard disk space. Make sure you have more than that.
It's OpenGL, not Direct3D, so quit trying.

The following seems complex because there are a lot of steps, just go one at a time, OK?

Note: The following is not intended to provide backward compatibility with the Retail version. I don't play that and haven't tested it. I only use the upgraded SCP version, so be advised.

A) First, get the 2GB ShivanSPS 1.5 pack from BitTorrent or from ftp, (ftp username & password are both "hardlight").
Get "fs2scpfullpackv15c Shivansps.zip"

B) Second, get the 500MB FS2 SCP 1.8 update (7zipped) from MediaFire, or from Hunter's fs2downloads, or from ftp, (ftp username & password are both (hardlight").

C) Third, get the 40MB ShivanSPS 1.8 to 1.9c update pack from Hunter's fs2downloads or from MediaFire or from Filefront.

Now save these three files somewhere, or burn them to a DVD, so you won't have to download them again.

Then, run the 1.5 setup.exe from step A. It will "think" for a long time while it's preparing to extract so be patient, and make sure to accept the default install directory of C:\Games when prompted.

Next, run the 1.8 update exe from step B and accept the default directory of C:\Games\Freespace2.

Finally, run the 1.9c update exe from step C and accept the default directory.

In your C:\Games directory, find fsnodemap.gif and copy it to C:\Games\FreeSpace2.

Optional, but not necessary: There have been some changes since the installer was released, and some other files snuck in that don't need to be there, so let's do some housecleaning. This will all change in the near future with the ShivanSPS 2.0, but for now, you can carefully move or delete the following:

From C:\Games, OpenALwEAX installer.exe

From C:\Games\FreeSpace2, all the fred2_open_*.exe files and all the fs2_open_*.exe files, and Launcher.exe.
Leave the Fred2.exe and freespace2.exe files.

The flags.lch file and server.txt file.

Search your FreeSpace2 directories for all the Thumbs.db files and remove those.
Search your FreeSpace2 directories for all the Shivan files and remove those.
Search your FreeSpace2 directories for all the settings.ini files and remove those.
Search your FreeSpace2 directories for all the multi.log files and remove those.

From C:\Games\FreeSpace2\data\movies, all the avi files.
From C:\Games\FreeSpace2\Fs1_port_3\data\Movies, all the avi files.

Do not delete the ending.avi file from C:\Games\FreeSpace2\Transcend\data\movies

You can also delete both the Freespace 2 SCP folders from your start menu.


There, all cleaned up.

LATEST EXE's:

D) Download the uber Windows Pack containing the latest build of the exe (3.6.9) and launcher (5.5a) (THREAD).

Put the files in "C:\Games\FreeSpace2". Put a shortcut to the launcher on your desktop, or somewhere else convenient.

Your FreeSpace2 root folder will look like this:



CUTSCENES (MOVIES)
E) NEW! Running movies from a VP file!
Download Hunter's FS2 ogg format Cutscene Pack VP. Put it in your "C:\Games\FreeSpace2" folder.
The FS1 ogg format Cutscene Pack VP goes into your C:\Games\FreeSpace2\Fs1_port_3 folder.

Remove the old .avi's if you haven't already.

---OR---

Download the 20 Theora ogg format cutscenes to replace the old .avi's.
These new format movies are half the size of the originals with no discernable difference in quality.
avi vs. ogg vs. mve and why d3d is bad thread

Put the 10 FS2 cutscenes (from Hunter) in your "C:\Games\FreeSpace2\data\movies" folder.



Put the 10 FS1 cutscenes (from Megaupload) in your "C:\Games\FreeSpace2\Fs1_port_3\data\movies" folder.



Remove the old .avi's if you haven't already.

Original Format Movies
If you have a really old, slow computer, you may consider using the mve format cutscenes instead of the ogg's.
Download the mve format cutscenes from here, or get the fs2 mve files from filefront  and fs1 mve files from filefront.

UPDATE OPEN AL:
F) Download the latest OpenAL installer, currently 1.9.9, 12/12/2006. Put it in a new folder in your FreeSpace2 directory for safekeeping, then run it.

UPDATE FSPORT from 3.03 to 3.04:
G) Download fsport-patch-3_0_3-3_0_4.zip from fs2downloads and follow the directions contained in readme-patch.txt. When you're done you can remove the fsport3_0_3.vp file from your Fs1_port_3 directory. (THREAD)

When you're done, it will look like this:



(If you aren't using the installer procedure, you can download fsport 3.0.4 complete
 from Hunter's fs2downloads, 470MB 7zipped down to 227MB
)

ADVANCED EFFECT TWEAKS:
If you have a beefy machine and want all the eye candy (and lower frame rates), you can go to the C:\Games\FreeSpace2\mediavps\mv_adveffects folder, and move the mv_adveffects.vp and mp-710_adveffects.vp files up one directory to C:\Games\FreeSpace2\mediavps. When you're done it will look like this:




HIGH PERFORMANCE TWEAKS:
If you need more frames per second, skip the advanced effect tweaks (previous step). You can also go to C:\Games\FreeSpace2\mediavps\data and replace the NaRR10_Nebulae.vp file with the Nebula pack from Wanderer, which contains compressed (and presumably faster) versions of the same files. If you put them both in the same directory, then the higher quality versions will take precedence, and it will look like this:



(If you want to know where all these mediavp files came from, they are the 3.6.8 zeta builds and you can download all of them from Hunter HERE. Using 7zip saved 30MB over rar. (THREAD)

CONFIGURING FOR MULTI-PLAYER: THREAD and THREAD
Download this config file. Put one copy in Freespace2\Data and another in Freespace2\Mediavps\Data.

Now, FINALLY, before you run the game for the first time, zip or rar your FreeSpace2 directory, then burn it to a DVD. It will compress a bit less than half. I'm told that if you don't compress it you will have issues later with read only attributes.

Now make copies and give them to your friends! Make sure they put it in their C:\Games folder.

OPTION 2:
[DW]-Hunter and Turey's new Online Retail Installer.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Section 2, INSTALLING THE RETAIL VERSION FROM CD
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SWANTZ's NUKELOL SITE HAS BOTH SETS
Get the FS1 and FS2 CD's HERE

FREESPACE 2 RETAIL
NORMAL (RETAIL) INSTALL FROM FreeSpace 2 CD's:
Pros: Provides the best fallback for a clean install.
Cons: LOTS of downloading needed! Updating is tricky. You need CD's and need the software and knowledge to burn iso or bin/cue files.

You can use this very well seeded torrent to get your FreeSpace 2 CD's
Download the CD's in Bin/Cue format using BitTorrent.

---OR---

Direct download
FreeSpace 2 iso version, #1 of 3, 607.4 MB from MediaFire
FreeSpace 2 7zipped iso version, #2 of 3, 455.84 MB from MediaFire
FreeSpace 2 7zipped iso version, #3 of 3, 459.67 MB from MediaFire

---OR---

Direct download
Download the iso's from Turey's MyDataBus account in 250 MB multi-part 7zip fomat.

Install the game, then run the game's updater to update.
Otherwise download and install the Freespace 2 v. 1.2 Patch.

FREESPACE 1 RETAIL
Note: FreeSpace 1 has been majorly upgraded. You will get the new version as part of the FreeSpace 2 SCP downloads above. If you insist on installing the old musty FreeSpace 1 and the Silent Threat expansion, they come on 3 CD's.
FreeSpace 1 7zipped iso UK version, #1 of 3, 317.43 MB from MediaFire
FreeSpace 1 7zipped iso UK version, #2 of 3, 310.65 MB from MediaFire
FreeSpace 1 7zipped iso UK version, #3 of 3 (Silent Threat), 283.52 MB from MediaFire

If you patch these you'll need the United Kingdom version. The in game patcher goes to a dead link.
Get the 1.06 UK patch and optional EAX UK patch for FS1 here.
Install these after installing Silent Threat or you'll have to reinstall them.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOW THAT YOU'VE INSTALLED A RETAIL BASE, YOU CAN UPGRADE YOUR INSTALL TO FSOPEN.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The new FreeSpace Open Installer upgrades the Retail installations to the enhanced Source Code Project versions, and you can get it here. The installer can fetch over 800 MB!


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THE NEW THEORA MOVIE FORMAT?
taylor answers all.

MOVING SAVED GAMES BETWEEN COMPUTERS:
Read this post.

COMPUTER TEXT TO SPEECH / VOICE RECOGNITION
When there is no voice acted part available, the game uses Windows Text to Speech for computer voices. If you have none available in your FS2 Open Launcher Setup, go to this page, scroll down, and download and install SpeechSDK51.exe, 68.0MB from Microsoft. You'll need this installed to talk to your PC as well. (In the Launcher, the Speech Tab, Get Additional Voices button should also take you there.)

Learn it:
Download all the manuals at once from MediaFire.
Print out the Keyboard chart on one page and fold it into a pyramid, uh, triangle, uh, three sided table tent thingie.

Download it:
Feel free to try the latest versions, but the benchmark BitTorrent client in terms of stability is arguably µTorrent 1.5.437. Yes, it's not the latest version. Get it at the awesome FileHippo. Click on "Download this Version" 154 KB.

Tweak it:
Freespace Open Command Line Reference

Before you update your video drivers:
Use the Hard to find DriverCleaner Pro Download.

FS2 Open uses OpenGL instead of Direct3d. The manufacturer's drivers may not be exactly what you want, so try the NGO Optimized Drivers.

Make sure your OpenGL is working.
Use the glview OpenGL checker.

Talk to your ship with Voice Recognition Technology!
VR Commander.

Feel your ship with a Force Feedback Stick.
This one works for left handers like me. ;)
Saitek's Cyborg Evo Force.


Directory precedence: http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,42245.msg909543.html#msg909543
Registry entries: http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,44620.msg910492.html#msg910492
Graphics settings
http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,44897.msg915807.html#msg915807
Update from disks
http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,44974.msg917082.html#msg917082
Where to put ships
http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,44574.msg916854.html#msg916854
« Last Edit: January 30, 2007, 03:15:18 pm by Huggybaby »

 
Re: Freespace 2 Download Links

Feel your ship:
Force Feedback Sticks
http://www.saitekusa.com/USA/prod/cyborg_evo_force.htm


Personally i think the saitek x52 is the best joystick for the job. I own one and i would never use anything else

 

Offline karajorma

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    • Karajorma's Freespace FAQ
Re: Freespace 2 Download Links
That list should help a lot. I'll update as many links as I can later today.
Karajorma's Freespace FAQ. It's almost like asking me yourself.

[ Diaspora ] - [ Seeds Of Rebellion ] - [ Mind Games ]

 
Re: Freespace 2 Download Links
Glad I could help karajorma.

[DW]-Hunter, the x52 looks fantastic of course.
http://www.saitekusa.com/USA/prod/x52.htm

The page doesn't mention, is it force feedback? Also, how would it work for left handers (a big concern of mine)?
I'm guessing the throttle is right hand only.

Finally, I can't find a link for the keyboard reference chart that came with versions of FS2. Does anybody have one?
I have the chart that came with FS1, it folds into a three sided "table tent" and if I can find a scanner I'll upload it.

 
Re: Freespace 2 Download Links
the FS1 controls should be the same as FS2 i would think

 
Re: Freespace 2 Download Links
Huggybabby, I'm kind anew too, I'm still collecting FS stuff, thanks man I really appreciate the links. He who dies with the most FreeSpace stuff wins :)
All vista problems can be corrected, by upgrading to XP

 
Re: Freespace 2 Download Links
Awesome, glad to be of assistance. :yes:

Turey's installer/updater will hopefully put an end to the need for all these links anyway.  ;)

 
Re: Freespace 2 Download Links
Turey is at the moment making me an installer for retail. which will also ask at the end of the installation if you would like to download FS2 Open, and if yes it will download tureys installer and run it. :)

 
Re: Freespace 2 Download Links
installer is up, thanks for adding it to the list :)

 
Re: Freespace 2 Download Links
Awesome, glad to be of assistance. :yes:

Turey's installer/updater will hopefully put an end to the need for all these links anyway.  ;)
\
weather or not it does I still like to burn everything to disks, but then my registry backup is on a few sheets of paper too.
All vista problems can be corrected, by upgrading to XP

 
Re: Freespace 2 Download Links
I've burned CD's also. But this is a first, I've never heard of a hard copy registry backup!

LOL Well done!

 
Re: Freespace 2 Download Links
Thanks LOL, it takes forever, but it pays off in the end when something totally incompatible with windows xp eats the registry alive and nothing works anymore. Trust me I have found a few things on the net in various places that just love windows.
All vista problems can be corrected, by upgrading to XP

 
Re: Freespace 2 Download Links
I redid my links page. I properly formatted the links with text and repositioned a small chunk to make a more logical progression. I think it's easier to read now and less dry to be sure.

I've avoided much explanation because I don't want it to turn into a full blown install guide, thought that's the essential format.

The main ingredient is that every link works, a big time saver to new users. There is way too much info out there that's wrong. Almost all the web pages relating to SCP I can find are full of dead links years old and instruct in the "old" installation procedures which totally screw up the new ones. I don't know why those guys keep paying for hosting.  :hopping:

 
Re: Freespace 2 Download Links
I dunno, but you updated your links, which means I got to update my links now LOL. ( yes I write those down too, its an old man thing)
All vista problems can be corrected, by upgrading to XP

 
Re: Freespace 2 Download Links
Hmm, I guess I did add some, four I think.

I found the keyboard reference, bundled that with the guide and uploaded that to a new link. I got them from replacementdocs.com. I added the µTorrent link. And I added two computer speech links (hint hint).


Oh, and I just found a link that I found last night and lost today but I bookmarked it for some smart reason so I could find it again. HA HA
It's wmcoolmon's screenshots, an awesome sight you can't just stumble across on google.
I just got mine to look like this!

And I'm thinking of making a list of all the out of date websites...ouch, who appointed me Sheriff? NOONE, that's who!
« Last Edit: December 16, 2006, 10:32:11 pm by Huggybaby »

 
Re: Freespace 2 Download Links

---THAT'S IT FOR CD's.---

If you don't have CD's, use the internet strategy.

The online strategy for establishing a Retail install is
[DW]-Hunter and Turey's new Online Retail Installer.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
NOW THAT YOU'VE INSTALLED A RETAIL BASE, YOU CAN UPGRADE YOUR INSTALL TO FSOPEN.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The new FreeSpace Open Installer upgrades the normal installations (above) to the enhanced Source Code Project versions,
and you can get it here. The installer can fetch over 800 MB!

You can also get all the mediavps files together from fileho.


My retail Installer gives you the open Installer link, you dont need to download anything else. Plus, my installer installs 1.2 not oem 1.0. My installer gives you everything you need, its the best way to get it, because there is no confusion involved, just double click the installer and check off the options and you dont have to do anything else! No annoying file extracting to do like most FSO installers, it does everything for you! It even adds the start menu links! So that mediavps link you got under my installer, is pointless lol. However, I still suggest downloading the open installer as well for future updates.

For mods, everyone will be able to upload their own mods and campaigns to my mod database soon, It currently already has some content, and I have been slowly updating it, If you guys want your Mod or Campaign on there find a effective way to contact me via instant messenger or if you want a slower way, contact me through email (i check it every few days).
« Last Edit: December 18, 2006, 07:53:46 am by [DW]-Hunter »

 
Re: Freespace 2 Download Links
Whoops, somehow I missed this reply, maybe I'm not subscribed to the topic?

Thanks, I'll fix my documentation...

<edit> Fixed (hopefully). I may add a bit more verbiage after I've done some testing.
« Last Edit: December 20, 2006, 01:44:51 am by Huggybaby »

 
Re: Freespace 2 Download Links
oh i forgot to mention as well, my installer also includes cutscenes, and you dont HAVE to install any other files then the ones you choose, so if all you want is cutscenes from my installer, you can do it! :D

Also, with the no-cd crack included into my installer, it does not contain the no-cd flaws like the other crack used in the HoTU version.
« Last Edit: December 20, 2006, 07:16:29 am by [DW]-Hunter »

 
Re: Freespace 2 Download Links
When exactly is the no CD crack necessary? Is it needed if I don't use the HotU version?

Will your installer ever check for the pre-existance of files or will it always download over them?
I guess you can tell I think an updater is almost as important as an installer.

Thanks for making FSOpen easier to use.

Huggybaby