[Zeke]

I've never played FS or FS2, but -have- recently pre-ordered the 20th anniversery edition. I can't wait to play this game! I used to love Wing Commander 3 and 4, Mechwarrior 2 etc. While reading some forums on Freespace 2, I saw where FS2 Open will let me play without disk-swapping and use hi-res textures etc for my Ti 4200 128 card (w/athlon 2000+, win 98). Sooooo- I FTPed all the files from Karajorma's Freespace Oracle site (thx!) and the "latestrelease.exe" and the launcher from the FSSCP site. But I'll be danged if I know where to put them all or what to click on to get the whole she-bang installed and running. What am I missing? I've been reading all the FAQ's I come across and trying to catch up on HLP forums and HOTU, FSSCP and more but there's still to learn. I'm guessing that I gotta somehow actually have a retail install going for me, and this FSO stuff is just to overwrite/supplement a directory path that already exists. Aye? Nay? If so, it would prolly be useful to mention this on all these aforementioned sites, so clueless noobs like me can figger thangs out a lil quicker about what all's up. I clicked the launcher from the desktop folder where I saved it, and that didnt install anything, nor did the latestrelease.exe when I clicked it. Dunno how it would know where my HOTU files were saved, but it was worth a shot, heh.

With respect, I think yall old-timers here (and elsewhere) forget how confusing all this is for peeps like me, and take for granted anyone reading this stuff knows something about how to start doing this from scratch. Mebbe step back a lil bit and see the forest instead of the trees, aye? Somewhere back around the release of Windoze 95, the puter bug-hunting, hoop-jumping section of my brain got completely burnt out, and doesn't work good anymore. College courses in Studio 3D Max, ElectricImage, PShop and more didn't help that situation much. Now I just like to click setup.exe, then when all the things on the screen stop making motion, click on whichever desktop icon looks newest, and start blowing things up. If that fails to work, I just go back to playing Everquest a while...

Anyway, /rant off.
BTW, in addition to the already DLed files I mentioned, I DID see the sticky where the newest links to files of dif kinds is posted, if that helps.


TIA for any help from square 1,
Zeke

[Flipside]

Yes, you are probably correct there, we do get so involved with the game that we can sometimes mention things like vp's or tables etc, and forget that theres a possibility someone doesn't know what we are talking about
Your best bet to start off is to read Karajorama's FAQ on the Freespace Open project, that will probably help a lot.
If you have the download files from the Oracle then you should have all the files you need to play Freespace.
With the SCP, there is a FAQ done by karajorama (check the bottom of one of his posts, theres a link), if I tried to explain here, I'd probs just confuse you more
Anyway, you'll find most people here will be glad to help you, so just hang on in there

Oh Yes :-



Flipside

[Bobboau]

assumeing you have a working install,

simply download the latest FSO build and the latest launcher build, place them in your root FS direcory, run the launcher then run the FSO exe (either from the launcher or simply directly from the exe) if you get an error about a video string missing, you didn't run the launcher or it didn't save to the registry (you probly had some other program running)

once you have the FSO build running you then need to get some of the new media VPs, simply place them in the root FS directory and run the game

finaly you will need to use several comand line options to activate most features, ether useing a shortcut or from the launcher add
-htl -jpgtga
at the very least.

[karajorma]

I don't actually have much on the SCP in my FAQ cause I've been waiting for everyone else to put one together so I can link to it. I need to update my links to the Wiki cause most of the SCP info is on there.

Zeke I'm afraid you do need a copy of FS2 before you can use FS2_Open. If you grabbed a copy off of HotU you're in luck cause apparently the link has just been removed (otherwise you'll have to wait until you get your copy). If you do have the HotU version tell me and I'll tell you exactly what to do with it.

[Unknown Target]

Zeke, the thing is, we all talk about it assuming that everyone knows, because the vast majority knows Most everybody here has been around for more than a year, so we are kind of apathetic to the new guys  

But, if you check out Kara's tutorial, that should bring you quite up to speed. Good luck, and welcome to HLP!

[kasperl]

click the link under my name, and scroll down to the SCP link. it ought to help.

[Zeke]

Wow u guys are fast! Thx for the speedy replies, I like u guys already heh.

Flipside- thx, I had already read Kara's faqs, as well as most stuff on his website. It is all very informative, to be sure, once one gets a toehold on what's happening. Kudos a-plenty to Kara. I'm sure I will understand more of what I read there in the fullness of time. TY for your encouragement Flipside.

Bobboau- VERY helpful info there, TY. It does shed some light. I had read somewhere about switches to type into the launcher, and now I have these you gave me too. I also liked  Kara's tut about the Dword registry hacks for bigger textures. Good stuff. I'm trying to read as much as I can so when I get my copy of the game I can hit the groud running. Hurry Interplay!!!

Karajorma- WOOT! TY and great job I can see you and your buds doing! As I say, yes, I got all the files on your site FTPed ok. I did it  last night while I was at work.  But didnt you just say I still need the retail version of FS2 installed to use your files? I have to wait til my pre-order of it comes in from Interplay then. Well, at least I found out that much. A little less head scratching. I can be reading the forums and doing my homework til then.  I hope it gets shipped soon. Hell, I've spent HOURS already just reading joystick reviews to find one that can be recalibrated proper (how do they overlook something like that, sheesh!) and is built fairly well, with good software to program buttons. I don't think my old Gravis Phoenix thing with its DOS software and weird throttle would cut it heh. (or would it, with Win 98?)

I liked the page that has links to all viewers and what to do with them. As for using Truespace to make models with, is there a special reason for it over other freeware progs like Now3d or Gmax? I bet I would like GMax since I have worked with (but no longer have) Studio Max 3D, and GMax is like Studio Max Lite heh. And free too! I haven't done ANY modeling in a couple years tho, no time. But in college I DID do a pretty sweet lil flyby dogfight shot of a custom Shadow-type ship (ala Babylon 5) for my Studio Max final. I couldn't -quite- come up with a realistic procedural for those awesome shifting hull patterns tho bah.  But my ship design was deadly awesome. I called it the "Spectre" class. Anyway, I ramble, sorry.

Are HOTU files compatible with FSO files from other peeps? I read (somewhere) that the FS2 open executables are somewhat different, from the two main camps. If I have that right...

Unknown Target and Kasperl- Cool, I been checkin that stuff out. Good stuff.

Thx again for the quick responses and encouragement, everyone. I am an old burnout who prolly only has 3 or 4 genius brain cells left. But I have a feeling it would be worth using them up to figure out how to get this thing happening. But I won't say bye to my Everquest pals untill the new FS2 copy ships out from Interplay I can't wait!

Zeke the Geek

[karajorma]

Zeke. If you have the HotU download (from the get FS2 for free image link at the bottom of my FAQ) then you can install FS2 and FS2_open using it quite easily.

The HotU download is around 200Meg so it's easy to tell if you have it Install that and then follow the rest of the advice on this thread to install FS2_open.

You absolutely have to have Truespace for making the hierachy but you can build the ship itself in GMax. If I Remember Correctly you can then get the ship converted for the game by using the tempest pack to export the model in the quake format and then using Lithunwrap or 3D Exploration to convert the model into a truespace cob.

[aldo_14]

To be clear, the only format that we have convertors for is the truespace cob format.... basically means we have to assemble the model parts via truespace.

[Bobboau]

if you have used any other 3c package you are going to hate truespace.

specificly, you are going to hate the interface, peronaly I love it, but you are going to hate it, trust me this is a universal reaction.

[Zeke]

Ok so lemme get this straight-  I -DON'T- have to have the retail game to play, you're saying now, Kara?. Just the 200meg hotu download you mentioned and the other files I FTPed from your site? I dont see a "get FS2 for free" image link at the bottom of your faq. You mean the faq in your sig, at http://homepage.ntlworld.com/karajorma/freespace/hotu.html? There's a gif anim at the bottom that says "Like what you see?/Download Freespace 2 from Home of the Underdog" That link takes me to http://www.the-underdogs.org/game.php?id=4150. But I dont see any download there except a manual at the bottom of your review, freespace2-m.zip. I'll look some more for a 200meg hotu DL there, but  I don't see it yet. It's prolly right in front of me, I know.

[Bobboau]

the HOTU FS2 has aparently been taken down as the owner is useing it's copy writes

[aldo_14]

It has doubtless found it's way onto Kazaa and the like, though.  The whole FS2 copyright thing is / has been a bit fuzzy...........

[Zeke]

Ah I guess that explains that. Thx Bobb and Aldo. That was the link yall was saying earlier was no longer there ah. Sheet. Me and my cable modem was all rdy for a throughput extravaganza on that 200Meg puppy. Bah. I have gotten now where I don't even register ad banners on my brain or what they even say, so I didn't even notice the one mentioned. (sorry Kara) Too much spyware, adware and junk accumulated that way over the years. But now with Mozilla, I at least get no popups, and have Spybot Search and Destroy, and Ad-aware to help clean up.

Well I guess I could shake the dust off my Shareaza and see if it can find FS2. I better make sure my Norton AV definitions are up-to-date first tho, heh. Ya never know what's floating around out there. About the copywrite thing, I remember reading somewhere how FS2 was all fuzzy about that, saying it was ok to copy for friends and such. Well off I go, wish me luck! And again, what fast responses! This is more like a chatroom than a forum LOL!

Zeke

[Lightspeed]

Oh no, they took the HOTU download down!

This is indeed very sad news.

[Taristin]

HEh, I could always host ISO files from my 3 CD's.

[karajorma]

Well zeke I hope they send you your copy of FS2 soon but until then you can still join in with us and chat

Making ships and posting them on the Modding forum is a nice idea too. some of the modellers on there don;t have FS2 installed either so you won't be out of place  

[cyavhn]

well ... lucky me ... I archive`d the HOTU d`load ... otherwise I am fairly happy .../sad  `cause I ended up having to reformat/install the whole of XP ... it seems that there is need of a proper install/register ... otherwise the whole kit `n kaboodle seems to go to hang ...happy to see something in open source but it seems to be lacking in the essentials...like playability...open source prerequisites at least compatability with the OS...
heh...and maybe you can list those files which give the pop-ups` that burn my eyes so I can delete them...along with anything else in the way of unexpected...
heh...don`t get me wrong ... I have one of those unregistered programs on my machine and it works quite well (small...only 26 MBs`)...

[Zeke]

K yall. Shareaza is dead to me now, won't connect anymore, to look for FS2. It does that after non-use for a while. You have to go into its discovery service page and initialize whatever newer links they give on the support faq. Only this time it didn't work. Bah. I no have patience with this crap anymore. That or modeling fer dayum sure, LOL! (talk about one big pain in the butt) Just as well, ya never know what's out there in P2P, even with Norton AV around. I quit even looking for MP3s a long time ago, too much monkey bizness happening with all that, and nothing is ever quite what it seems. (But -everything- is always exactly what it is)  I think I may feed my puter to the squirrels and go fishing. Or just watch DVR cable TV alla time. I soooo fed up with hoop-jumping, and quirky puter stuff. Ok anyway I can yak here sometimes I guess. (or in general area) Forum software not driving me crazy yet. I used to be an Ikonboard admin, and these is similar. I like. Later, new buddees!

[Bobboau]

overnet's good, and for general p2p protection get peergaurdien, though thats designed for kazza, it works for just about anything.
or you could just wait for someone to post an uploaded HOTU. or just wait for your order.