Hard Light Productions Forums

General FreeSpace => FreeSpace Discussion => Topic started by: SpaceAce on December 18, 2014, 02:10:33 pm

Title: New Pilot on board.
Post by: SpaceAce on December 18, 2014, 02:10:33 pm
Hello everyone. I stumbled across your Freespace 2 Open trailer on the internet. The one that said that it was created using tools and assets created by the modding community for the modding community.

Absolutely OUTSTANDING WORK people. I am SO impressed.

I am almost 60 years old and still love to game. I played both Freespace games when they first came out and I loved them to death and to this day, I still have all the CDs to both games AND the boxes they came in.

Now you’ve got me all fired up to play Freespace 2 Open and I have some questions for you all.

1.    I never played on-line. I just played the single player part of the games against the computer. Is there a single player campaign that I can download and play by myself?

2.    What operating systems can it be played on?

3.   What are the system requirements? How much hard drive space do I need? How much RAM? What’s the minimum clock speed for a graphics card? What processer? ETC…ETC…ETC.

And anything else you think I should know would be welcome.

Thinks for all your time people.

Now it’s time to read some Freespace 2 forums.

SpaceAce.

Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: The E on December 18, 2014, 02:22:05 pm
1.    I never played on-line. I just played the single player part of the games against the computer. Is there a single player campaign that I can download and play by myself?

Well, there are quite a few. The FSOpen Installer will allow you to download a bunch of them.

Quote
2.    What operating systems can it be played on?

Windows XP or later. Any Linux. MacOS X. We even have a FreeBSD and Solaris port.

Quote
3.   What are the system requirements? How much hard drive space do I need? How much RAM? What’s the minimum clock speed for a graphics card? What processer? ETC…ETC…ETC.

The base FS2 game takes up about 1.5 GB. The MediaVPs (the graphical update package) clocks in at 2 GB. User-made campaigns can take anything from a couple MB to several GB.
In terms of graphics card, any midrange card manufactured in the past few years (Like the Radeon 57xx series, 67xx series, 78xx series or nVidia GeForce 4xx or 5xx series) that has support for DirectX 10 and 11 will be sufficiently powerful. CPU-wise, any Intel i5 or i7 or AMD FX-series chip is sufficiently powerful.
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: SpaceAce on December 18, 2014, 02:41:26 pm
Thanks The E. I've got a box of old computer components. Now I've got to go home and see if I can make up a computer capable of playing FS2.

What other good things can you all tell me about FS2??

SpaceAce.
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: Grizzly on December 18, 2014, 04:29:02 pm
:welcomeblue:

Hey SpaceAce!

If you have played the original Freespace 1 and 2 games, I think the best campaign to start out with is Silent Threat: Reborn (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=59120.0). It's a remake of the original Silent Threat campaign, except that this one is actually considered really good. It does require lots of dependencies, but using the FSOpenInstaller that shouldn't be an issue. And if it is, the community is really friendly.

As it happens, the singleplayer side of FS2 is extremely popular and there are a lot of campaigns available. General Battuta has made a very good list of campaigns that come recommended (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=80688.0).
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: SpaceAce on December 18, 2014, 05:05:41 pm
-Joshua-, I still have the CD of the original Silent Threat. As for dependencies, I don't know what they are , please explain. 

Silent Threat sounds like as good a place to start as any. (They do have voices in this one right?)

It's going to take a good while to get my computer squared away but in the meantime, I can study up on all things FS2 here.

SpaceAce.

Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: Grizzly on December 18, 2014, 06:07:19 pm
The default mod package of Silent: Threat reborn requires that you have FSPort (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=84358.0) installed. The default installation also wants that you have the FSport MediaVPs installed (in the same thread), as well as the MediaVPs 3.6.12 (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=70736.0). This is what I meant with "dependencies" earlier: A mod depends on another mod.

To simplify it a bit:

Silent Threat: Reborn wants:
FSPort-MediaVPs, which requires:
FSPort AND Mediavps 3.6.12, which both require:
A freespace open .exe (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=85435.0)

It can get a bit confusing because the community is constantly upgrading old stuff, but the issue is mainly that you have to download different things. After you have downloaded those things, you can just point the game towards what you want and it will go automatically.

As it stands, The FSPort-MediaVPs package also allows you to replay FS1 with very pretty graphics, whilst the MediaVPs package allows you to replay FS2 with very pretty graphics.

---

Also,

You can actually play Silent Threat: Reborn and FSport on the original FS2.exe. Goober has a thing of wanting everything to be backwards compatible, so if you still have your PC from 1999 that used to run FS2, you can actually install Silent THreat Reborn on that as well. However, it will be a lot more barebones.

The MediaVPs package has been upgraded to the 2014 version (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=86475.0) but that one requires a less-then-fully-stable .exe. (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=88178.0) Additionally, the 2014 MediaVPs are not compatible with some older mods, so you will still need to download the 3.6.12 version of the MediaVPs to get those older mods (like Silent THreat: Reborn) running.

If you don't want mods and just want to play Vanilla FS2 but a lot prettier for now, you can just grab the MVP2014 package and get that newer .exe and you're golden.

Also, again, it should be noted that the FSOpenInstaller (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=87537.0) can download a lot of mods and all their requirements for you, at which point it just becomes "point and run".
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: TwoCables on December 18, 2014, 11:06:06 pm
Also, again, it should be noted that the FSOpenInstaller (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=87537.0) can download a lot of mods and all their requirements for you, at which point it just becomes "point and run".

This.

At first, I thought this was going to be way more work than it's worth, but then I found the FreeSpace Open Installer, and it simplified the entire process so much that I did a 180° turn in the way I felt about installing it.

My instructions:


I don't remember what happens after this, but I remember all of this being very easy.

Oh, I also recommend using FS2 Open Launcher instead of wxLauncher. Basically, just look for launcher.exe that you'll find in C:\Games\FreeSpace2 after running the FreeSpace Open Installer. When you open FS2 Open Launcher, you get this:

(http://home.comcast.net/~twocables/FS2OpenLauncher.png)

Click the "Browse" button at the top. If you installed "FreeSpace Open 3.7.2 RC4 Windows Standard" (which should have been named "SSE2" instead of "Windows Standard"), then look for and double-click the file named "fs2_open_3_7_2_RC4.exe" (like you see in my screenshot). So, you have to select the one that you are going to use. This is basically a "set it and forget it" option.

Once you do this, you can go through the tabs to customize your settings. We are here for you if you need ANY help with this part. Note: You can double-click any of the features in the list of features. For example, "Disable specular", which you can see at the top of the list:

(http://home.comcast.net/~twocables/FS2OpenLauncherFeatures.png)

When you double-click it, you're brought here:

http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Command-Line_Reference#-spec

See? :) Be aware though that some of these aren't very descriptive at all, while others are VERY descriptive.

For that Custom flags box, I recommend leaving that blank for now unless you want to spend some time figuring out what flags you want to put in there. As you can see from my screenshot, I already have a bunch of flags in there. Here's exactly what I have in there, and they are all for graphics:

-ambient_factor 0 -no_emissive_light -spec_exp 11 -spec_point 1.0 -spec_static .8 -spec_tube .6 -ogl_spec 83

For more information: http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Command-Line_Reference#Lighting

When I play FS2 using the MediaVPs 2014 mod (which requires 3.7.2 RC4, which is why I am using it as you can see in my first screenshot) with all features enabled in the "Easy Setup" drop-down menu along with these flags, the result is a very realistic look. These custom flags are my modified version of ColeCampbell666's, as seen on this page:

http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Sample_Lighting_Settings

I simply spent some time learning about each flag and then trying various changes to each one, thereby arriving at something that I like. I should've (and could've) spent a LOT more time on experimenting, but I like the results that I have quite a bit, so I'm probably just going to leave it.

If you want to play FS1, then select "fsport-mediavps" in the Mod tab. This requires that you have MediaVPs 3.6.12 installed, which you will have installed if you leave it selected in the FreeSpace Installer. You see, it uses MediaVPs 3.6.12. It's a total conversion mod of FS2 to make it be exactly like FS1 (with some extremely minor differences that don't matter much anyway).

You will find that this is all significantly easier (and more enjoyable) than I'm making it look. If you have any questions though, then lean on us here at HLP! If you end up finding that you figure everything out on your own, then enjoy. You've never seen FS2 quite like this (or FS1)!
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: SpaceAce on December 19, 2014, 10:02:41 am
WOW!!  Thanks TwoCables! :P That's a H#$L of a lot of good info. Should ememinate a lot of headacks. :banghead:  This project is going to take some time to complete. The first thing that I have to do is get a much bigger hard drive. The one I have is full of games like Battlefield 2 and Medal of Honor. I had no idea that these games would take up so much space.

I am going to see if I can get it partitioned to hold both Windows 7 and XP so I can have all my games in one computer. By the way, do I need any service packs for XP to run FS Open? Or for that mater FS1 and 2? I don't remember.

Stand by for now and I will post updates as they happen.

Again, thanks for all of your time people. ( I love hangin with fellow entheusiests.)

SpaceAce.

P.S. the spell Check doesn't seem to want to work today.
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: The E on December 19, 2014, 10:03:57 am
Honestly, you should just run FSOpen on Win 7, if you have a Win 7 partition.
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: TwoCables on December 19, 2014, 10:34:23 am
WOW!!  Thanks TwoCables! :P That's a H#$L of a lot of good info. Should ememinate a lot of headacks. :banghead:

Hehe yeah, I think I went a bit overboard there. lol I'm passionate, though! Can you tell? :)

Anyway, you're very welcome!


This project is going to take some time to complete. The first thing that I have to do is get a much bigger hard drive. The one I have is full of games like Battlefield 2 and Medal of Honor. I had no idea that these games would take up so much space.

Yeah, my FreeSpace 2 folder is taking up 20.3 GB! That's more than Crysis 3 (the biggest and most modern game that I own)! Crysis 3 takes up 14.2 GB on my computer. Who knew that we'd see a day when FreeSpace 2 would take up this much space?! LOL


I am going to see if I can get it partitioned to hold both Windows 7 and XP so I can have all my games in one computer.

Oh. Do you have games that you don't want to get rid of that have absolutely no known way to work in Windows 7?


By the way, do I need any service packs for XP to run FS Open? Or for that mater FS1 and 2? I don't remember.

I don't know, but if you're going to use XP, then I recommend Service Pack 2 regardless. Service Pack 3 might be ok, but I remember avoiding it because it took away some things that I relied on, such as the Address Bar toolbar for the Taskbar. I remember disliking some other minor things about Service Pack 3, but I don't remember what they were, so I can only recommend Service Pack 2 in good conscience. Again though, I don't know if any of the 3 service packs are needed in XP for this, but still, I feel that XP SP2 was the best version of XP.


Stand by for now and I will post updates as they happen.

Again, thanks for all of your time people. ( I love hangin with fellow entheusiests.)

SpaceAce.

Me too. hehe You're very welcome.


P.S. the spell Check doesn't seem to want to work today.

No, it's just your keyboard. :D
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: SpaceAce on December 19, 2014, 10:46:49 am
I want to get XP because Medal of Honor plays better on it. On Windows 7 even with the mouse slider down to absolute minimum, its' still just too sensitive. Not good for survival. But if I can play FS1, FS2, and FS open on windows 7, I may just let it go at that.  :rolleyes:

SpaceAce.
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: TwoCables on December 19, 2014, 11:15:34 am
I want to get XP because Medal of Honor plays better on it. On Windows 7 even with the mouse slider down to absolute minimum, its' still just too sensitive. Not good for survival. But if I can play FS1, FS2, and FS open on windows 7, I may just let it go at that.  :rolleyes:

SpaceAce.

Oh. I wonder if someone has a fix for that. I would Google things like, "Medal of Honor in Windows 7", or "Medal of Honor Windows 7 mouse fix" or "Medal of Honor Windows 7 mouse acceleration fix", etc., etc. Be creative, of course.

Anyway, all you will need to install is FS2. After you install that, you install FSO into the root directory of FS2 (which should be C:\Games\FreeSpace 2) using FreeSpace Installer (http://"http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=87537.0"), linked previously by -Joshua- . The thread linked here says that it installs FS2, but that's only if you obtained it from Good Old Games (http://www.gog.com/) (GoG). Presently, if you want to use the CDs, then you have to install it from the CDs manually first, the old way. Then after that, you install FSO into the root directory of FreeSpace 2, which again should be C:\Games\FreeSpace 2.

I think that the only way to play FS1 through FSO is by using one of the mods (FSPort, or FSPort MediaVPs, and then FSPort Silent Threat: Reborn), which are just complete/total modifications of FS2 to make it become FS1. I believe that if you wanted to install FS1 from the CDs (or is it just one CD?) and play it, then you would only be able to do it the old way, and probably only in XP. I mean, unless I'm missing something, I think that FSO is only for FS2.

So, don't think of FreeSpace Open as being separate from FS1 and FS2. Instead, it's what enables FS2 to work in Windows 7 on modern hardware, and it comes with "total conversion" mods called FSport and FSPort MediaVPs (the better of the 2), and FSPort Silent Threat: Reborn so that we can play FS1 as well. So, you don't need the FS1 installation CDs.

Of course, FSO is more than just a way to get FS2 to work in Windows 7 and to play FS1 and FS1 Silent Threat. Have a look around on the forums, and you'll find tons of mods and user-made campaigns and a bunch of other goodies.
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: SpaceAce on December 19, 2014, 11:30:45 am
Yea, I've watched a few trailers and seen new ships and weapons. And I love the detail you all but into them.  Any new comands  you can give to your pilots?
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: TwoCables on December 19, 2014, 11:34:48 am
Yea, I've watched a few trailers and seen new ships and weapons. And I love the detail you all but into them.  Any new comands  you can give to your pilots?

This part has been left unmodified. I'm just a user though; I wouldn't even know how to create a simple training mission. lol

The new ships and weapons that you saw were probably from other mods. From what I can see, FS2 is exactly the way it has always been, except for the improved graphics in the mods named MediaVPs 3.6.12 and 2014. For FS1 though, I am clueless because I have never played it until now. I don't even have the FS1 installation CDs. I did ask recently, and I was told that FSPort is nearly perfectly identical to retail FS1 except for some minor differences with the graphics and some other little things due to the FS2 engine (such as an increased accuracy of aspect-seeking missiles, I think). Of course, FSPort MediaVPs is preferred due to the superior graphics.

Fortunately, everything will become significantly clearer once you get into this. You basically have the option of playing FS2 with significantly better graphics (MediaVPs 3.6.12 or 2014), or you can play FS2 with the original graphics (no mod). Beyond that, there are dozens of mods and user-made campaigns to play, including the mod that makes FS2 become FS1, called FSPort and FSPort MediaVPs (these are "total conversion" mods). FSPort MediaVPs uses the MediaVPs 3.6.12 mod for its graphics, but there's a user here on HLP who has a download available that makes it use MediaVPs 2014. I can help you with that if you become interested. It's not presented in a very straight-forward manner. Fortunately, the differences between FSPort MediaVPs using 3.6.12 vs. 2014 are very subtle.
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: TwoCables on December 19, 2014, 11:40:10 am
I apologize that I keep editing my posts after I submit them. I hope that I haven't caused you to miss things that I've added or changed...

I believe that I'm done editing. lol I'm going to go finish FS1 (I have 3 missions left). After I'm done with that, I'm going to install and play Descent 2! I still have to choose between these two though:

http://www.descent2.de/index.html

http://www.dxx-rebirth.com/

I think I'll do both in order to settle on one because they both look like they'd be quite awesome in their own ways. I haven't played D2 in so long that I'll probably shed a tear or two of sentimental joy during the intro movie. lol
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: SpaceAce on December 19, 2014, 12:57:50 pm
If you get hung up on the last mission, post about it here and I'll give you some hints. Kinda thinking outside the box stuff.

Space ace.
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: TwoCables on December 19, 2014, 01:10:28 pm
If you get hung up on the last mission, post about it here and I'll give you some hints. Kinda thinking outside the box stuff.

Space ace.

Oh? Thank you!

For the time being, I'm going to use the "way cooler" way to complete the mission as described here:

http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Good_Luck

Quote
Also note that there is an alternative—and way cooler—way to complete the mission; disable the Lucy and eliminate all hostiles. With the Lucy disabled, you'll have all the time in the world to take her out. Lucy will spit out a lot of fighters before her innards are depleted. After all is quiet, proceed to eliminate the crippled behemoth as you would any other huge chunk of enemy metal. Please make sure you do not destroy the five reactors, just smash her to pieces. If you destroy the reactors, you will not receive that fabled Lucy kill. It'll inflate your ego to titanic proportions when you check your kill stats afterwards and it says "Lucifer: 1".

I want that kill. lol I already have a Sathanas kill, so adding this will inflate my ego even more! hehe
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: SpaceAce on December 19, 2014, 01:28:27 pm
Boy, never though of that one. That IS thinking outside the box too.

Post here when you've done it and I"ll give you another way. It's not as outside the box as disabling Lucy, but it does work.

SpaceAce.
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: TwoCables on December 19, 2014, 02:45:42 pm
This isn't working. Disabling it is proving to be impossible, and I'm getting tired of the disorienting effect of subspace. I ordered everyone to disable the Lucifer, but we only managed to get the first engine down to 30% before it finally reached Sol. To add insult to injury, I'm playing this on Very Easy.

heh

Y'know what? I like FreeSpace 2 far more than FreeSpace 1. This will probably be the only time I'll ever play it. At this point, I don't even know if I will finish Good Luck, but I really do want to see this with my own eyes. I'm tired of only hearing about it in FS2. lol
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: TwoCables on December 19, 2014, 03:25:45 pm
I've given up. I'm going to cheat and get this over with. I'm not having any fun! I mean goddamn, I can play FS2 100 times in a row and never have a moment where I'm not having fun. All FS1 does is it kind of bores me, and then this Good Luck mission is incredibly discouraging.

Edit: I'm disappointed. It worked, but I heard nothing about the collapse of the jump node. I guess I need to play Silent Threat: Reborn?
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: Goober5000 on December 19, 2014, 04:35:29 pm
This isn't working. Disabling it is proving to be impossible, and I'm getting tired of the disorienting effect of subspace. I ordered everyone to disable the Lucifer, but we only managed to get the first engine down to 30% before it finally reached Sol. To add insult to injury, I'm playing this on Very Easy.

You're not supposed to disable it.  You're supposed to destroy the four reactors.  Delta will follow its own orders, so you just have to keep the fighters off them (as well as yourself).

And you might find this surprising, but raising the difficulty level causes your wingmen to fight better.  As long as you can keep yourself alive, you might find it easier.

Edit: I'm disappointed. It worked, but I heard nothing about the collapse of the jump node. I guess I need to play Silent Threat: Reborn?

The ending cutscene of FS1 alludes to it.  The briefings of both Silent Threat and Silent Threat: Reborn describe it more clearly.
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: Mongoose on December 19, 2014, 04:41:31 pm
In terms of graphics card, any midrange card manufactured in the past few years (Like the Radeon 57xx series, 67xx series, 78xx series or nVidia GeForce 4xx or 5xx series) that has support for DirectX 10 and 11 will be sufficiently powerful. CPU-wise, any Intel i5 or i7 or AMD FX-series chip is sufficiently powerful.
Honestly, you can even get by with a lot less than this.  I have a hideously ancient box with a Radeon 4670 and a Pentium 4(!) processor, and it's able to handle FSO with the vast majority of the bells and whistles enabled.  You'd start to run into a hard compatibility limit with a few of the cutting-edge engine features, though.
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: TwoCables on December 19, 2014, 04:48:28 pm
This isn't working. Disabling it is proving to be impossible, and I'm getting tired of the disorienting effect of subspace. I ordered everyone to disable the Lucifer, but we only managed to get the first engine down to 30% before it finally reached Sol. To add insult to injury, I'm playing this on Very Easy.

You're not supposed to disable it.  You're supposed to destroy the four reactors.  Delta will follow its own orders, so you just have to keep the fighters off them (as well as yourself).

I know I'm not supposed to disable it. As I said before in this post (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=88878.msg1771949#msg1771949), I decided to do that because it was recommended to do so here:

http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Good_Luck

Again:

Quote
Also note that there is an alternative—and way cooler—way to complete the mission; disable the Lucy and eliminate all hostiles. With the Lucy disabled, you'll have all the time in the world to take her out. Lucy will spit out a lot of fighters before her innards are depleted. After all is quiet, proceed to eliminate the crippled behemoth as you would any other huge chunk of enemy metal. Please make sure you do not destroy the five reactors, just smash her to pieces. If you destroy the reactors, you will not receive that fabled Lucy kill. It'll inflate your ego to titanic proportions when you check your kill stats afterwards and it says "Lucifer: 1".

So, no, I'm not stupid. lol I was just trying to see if I can get the Lucifer kill.


And you might find this surprising, but raising the difficulty level causes your wingmen to fight better.  As long as you can keep yourself alive, you might find it easier.

If I feel like trying it again, then I might do that.


Edit: I'm disappointed. It worked, but I heard nothing about the collapse of the jump node. I guess I need to play Silent Threat: Reborn?

The ending cutscene of FS1 alludes to it.  The briefings of both Silent Threat and Silent Threat: Reborn describe it more clearly.

Yeah, they do. I was expecting it to be mentioned at the end of FS1 though. That's all. It's no big deal now though because I saw what I wanted to see. I've moved on already to seeing if I can get Descent 1 and 2 working. It looks like it's going to be a little bit more work than it was to get FreeSpace working, but I feel that it will be worth it.
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: AdmiralRalwood on December 19, 2014, 05:10:40 pm
Yeah, they do. I was expecting it to be mentioned at the end of FS1 though. That's all.
I thought "all the jump points from Earth are gone" was pretty explicit, myself.
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: TwoCables on December 19, 2014, 05:33:05 pm
Yeah, they do. I was expecting it to be mentioned at the end of FS1 though. That's all.
I thought "all the jump points from Earth are gone" was pretty explicit, myself.

Alright, so apparently I missed some dialogue.
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: SpaceAce on December 22, 2014, 07:24:02 am
Good morning all. :nod: It's Monday morning and I'm back here at work. :sigh:

OK TwoCables, I'll tell you what worked for me. Give me some time to compose some kind of intelligent instructions and I'll try to post them later today.

By the way. Wrong attitude toward FS1.  It should be to become it's master. I know how frustrating gaming can be. BELIEVE me I know.

We'll all figure it out together. :yes:

SpaceAce.
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: SpaceAce on December 22, 2014, 11:19:26 am
O.K. Here is what worked for me.

 The premise for this mission is to kill the Lucifer by using harbinger bombs to destroy it’s reactors.

Here 's the thinking outside the box part:  LEAVE THE BOMBERS BEHIND. :eek: :wtf: :shaking:  It’s just too easy for bombs and bombers to be shot out of space, but a Prometheus cannon cannot be stopped. The idea here is to mass as many cannons as you can against any reactor, ONE reactor at a time.

1.    Equip yourself with a Valkyrie  fighter. You’ll need the speed as you are the primary fighter cover for this mission.
2.   Designate one other wing as fighter cover and equip them with Apollo fighters as they carry more missiles and equip them with Interceptor missiles.
3.   Equip the rest of the group with as many Hercules fighters as you can as they carry more cannons and equip them with a mix of Interceptor and Phoenix 5 missiles.

And everyone gets Prometheus cannons all around.

4.   As you make your run in to the Lucifer, tell your fighter cover (extra Toths sent to help you included) to protect the group but ignore the Lucifer. That way they’ll attack enemy fighters only.
And tell the rest of the group to target the first reactor.
5.   Now you can race out ahead and kill as many enemy fighters as you can until the group reaches the Lucifer. Hope you’re a good pilot.
6.   Once the hole group reaches the Lucifer, it’s up to you to use your speed to kill as many enemy fighters as possible and if you can get ahead of the game and catch them as they come out of the fighter bays, so much the better, but you MUST keep track of the groups progress with each reactor as once they destroy one, they will do nothing until you tell them to go on to the next one and you will have lost some time. Keep the fighters off your group and keep them busy.

Be prepared to tell another wing to ignore the Lucifer and go chase fighters if you get behind but get them right back on the Lucifer when your space is clear. Then as fast as you can, you should position yourself to jump on the next group of fighters coming out of the fighter bays. By the way, you are never, NEVER flying in a straight line but changing direction constantly to avoid getting hit by turret fire.

If you want, you can try different things like using  Urea bombers equipped with disruptors and stiletto bombs but now you have the basic idea.

And if you haven’t learned how to use the hot keys, do so first as they make giving all the different orders so much faster and easier. And as we all know, time counts here.

When you do kill the Lucifer, the ending sequence and game narrator will pull the whole story together and tell you what the Shevins are all about. I think the game tells one H#!! of a story and everyone who plays FS2 should play FS1 to get the background history of the game.

So go give this a few tries and report back here how you did.

You have your orders.

SpaceAce.
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: niffiwan on December 22, 2014, 03:20:40 pm
I kinda like using an Athena with two banks of Stiletto's, take out the one reactor that Delta wing isn't targeting then shoot down fighters. The 2nd bank of Stiletto's is mostly insurance in case Delta miss a reactor :D
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: jr2 on December 23, 2014, 01:54:07 am
Always fun to see Shivan fighters squirm without their fat shields protecting them. :yes:
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: S-99 on December 24, 2014, 10:29:53 am
Why yes, dragon fighters with more energy to allocate to weapons and engines :banghead: :nono:

Here's the carl light show...
(http://www.hard-light.net/forums/Smileys/HLP/wel_blue.jpg)
(http://www.hard-light.net/forums/Smileys/HLP/wel_green.jpg)(http://s13.postimg.org/hab9ut7fr/carl.png)(http://www.hard-light.net/forums/Smileys/HLP/wel_red.jpg)

Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: Torchwood on December 24, 2014, 09:26:28 pm
Good to have some new traffic around here. Welcome to our fun little corner of the 'net. Enjoy the spoils, there's plenty of fancy mods here.
Title: Re: New Pilot on board.
Post by: S-99 on December 24, 2014, 11:44:37 pm
Thank god i don't know how to make a hot carl mod for fso ;7