[Colonol Dekker]

I remember there being a hot sci-fi woman thread already.

[Kie99]

One thing I didn't like about FS2 compared to FS1 was the boiler plate "You did not have authorization to return to base pilot".  FS1 had pretty detailed debriefings on the consequences if you fled.

[Nightmare]

Oh that reminds me of something - the first time I played FS1, I was always wondering how in the mission where you chase the Lucifer to the node Command always told me to jump out; I ultimatly did so and ended up getting the No-RTB debriefing. My understanding of the game was pretty bad back then.

[Snarks]

One thing I didn't like about FS2 compared to FS1 was the boiler plate "You did not have authorization to return to base pilot".  FS1 had pretty detailed debriefings on the consequences if you fled.

While true, the debriefings were often also ridiculous. You'd end up getting court martialed or assigned to janitorial duties. The entire campaign falls apart and thousands died because you retreated, despite the player character supposity just being one out of many, many pilots in a the war. And this applies even if things have gone completely sour, and your fighter craft is on the verge of exploding. Compared to how pilots are actually treated in real life, it feels like you're a penal legion pilot that's supposed to fight until he dies or something.

[Spoon]

One thing I didn't like about FS2 compared to FS1 was the boiler plate "You did not have authorization to return to base pilot".  FS1 had pretty detailed debriefings on the consequences if you fled.

While true, the debriefings were often also ridiculous. You'd end up getting court martialed or assigned to janitorial duties. The entire campaign falls apart and thousands died because you retreated, despite the player character supposity just being one out of many, many pilots in a the war. And this applies even if things have gone completely sour, and your fighter craft is on the verge of exploding. Compared to how pilots are actually treated in real life, it feels like you're a penal legion pilot that's supposed to fight until he dies or something.

FS2 debriefs for failure states are not any better in that regard really.

Try failing the first mission of the FS2 campaign. Those refugee ships you're escorting are apparantly incredibly vital to the war effort.

[SL1]

FS2 debriefs for failure states are not any better in that regard really.

Try failing the first mission of the FS2 campaign. Those refugee ships you're escorting are apparantly incredibly vital to the war effort.

Damn, you're not kidding. If you lose both transports, the GTVA just gives up.

As officers of the GTVA, we have sworn to protect all citizens of the Alliance. The destruction of both Iota transports is a travesty, pilot. You have disgraced the 53rd Hammerheads, and I will recommend your immediate discharge from the fighter corps.

The Alliance's offensive is now in shambles. Only 25 percent of the Vasudan refugees have been recovered, while the NTF continues to massacre thousands without mercy.

Command reports we have lost the GTD Aeneas, the GTC Coriolanus, and the GVC Mirage. Our efforts to blockade the Alpha Centauri and Sirius jump nodes have failed. The Security Council will order the fleet to withdraw from Deneb and negotiate terms with the NTF.

[Mongoose]

Honestly those things always cracked me up.  I mean you are the Almighty Alpha 1, after all.

[Lorric]

Honestly those things always cracked me up.  I mean you are the Almighty Alpha 1, after all.

Exactly. Your presence galvanises them all. Even if you're not there in a particular battle, the knowledge you're there fighting and being Alpha 1 raises the standard of everyone else as they stand tall on the shoulders of the colossus that you are. Without you they are hopelessly lost, and they dissolve and crumble.

[X3N0-Life-Form]

My own theory is that how well the player does in a particular mission is supposed to be representative of how well the entire fleet does everywhere else (in FS2 anyway), eg. if you do well, they roll over the NTF or the Shivans at every turn, if you do poorly they still succeed but it becomes more of a Pyrrhic type of victory, and if you fail **** goes downhill for everybody.

[Goober5000]

My own theory is that how well the player does in a particular mission is supposed to be representative of how well the entire fleet does everywhere else (in FS2 anyway), eg. if you do well, they roll over the NTF or the Shivans at every turn, if you do poorly they still succeed but it becomes more of a Pyrrhic type of victory, and if you fail **** goes downhill for everybody.

I like this theory.


It's a shame Neo-Terra Victorious is dead, but if anyone ever restarted it, I think it would be fun to brainstorm ways to subtly shift events in FS2 to achieve different outcomes.  For example, we all think the Belisarius just stupidly sits there and dies, but what if it was supposed to be a sacrifice to distract the Psamtik?  If the Psamtik was delayed just a few seconds before arriving at the jump node blockade, it could have allowed enough time for an NTF destroyer to arrive, which would have further repercussions, etc.  One of those "for want of a nail" situations.

[Nightmare]

That's indeed a very interesting way to think about these things.

Even though FS2 had awesome writing, there are fans to give even the few flat parts a meaningful explanation.

BTW, why didn't the Belisarius try to fire upon the Psamptik?

[Iain Baker]

That's indeed a very interesting way to think about these things.

Even though FS2 had awesome writing, there are fans to give even the few flat parts a meaningful explanation.

BTW, why didn't the Belisarius try to fire upon the Psamptik?

Because the Belisarius' scans showed the Psamptik was at that point protected by impenetrable plot armour 

[X3N0-Life-Form]

They failed to make an effective prayer to the Almighty FRED to beam-free them.

[Snarks]

I know that mission designers don't want their players to just be sitting there doing nothing or ensure very long missions, but the rate at which a boarding party captures a ship in the Freespace universe really breaks my immersion. We're talking about huge ships, but one or two tiny transport ships are able to board marines that can not only traverse through the ship in record speeds, but also often shoot through all the crews and onboard marines of another ship. And while I try to image some kind of ridiculously efficient hyper loop transport systems inside of ships to make up for this kind of ludicrous speed, it very much does not match what we actually see on the flight deck in the menu (I'm looking at you exit animation button).

[General Battuta]

I know that mission designers don't want their players to just be sitting there doing nothing or ensure very long missions, but the rate at which a boarding party captures a ship in the Freespace universe really breaks my immersion. We're talking about huge ships, but one or two tiny transport ships are able to board marines that can not only traverse through the ship in record speeds, but also often shoot through all the crews and onboard marines of another ship. And while I try to image some kind of ridiculously efficient hyper loop transport systems inside of ships to make up for this kind of ludicrous speed, it very much does not match what we actually see on the flight deck in the menu (I'm looking at you exit animation button).

Internal partitions are thinner than hull armor so you just get inside and railgun everyone through the walls

[General Battuta]

Note: I just made this up

[SL1]

I know that mission designers don't want their players to just be sitting there doing nothing or ensure very long missions, but the rate at which a boarding party captures a ship in the Freespace universe really breaks my immersion. We're talking about huge ships, but one or two tiny transport ships are able to board marines that can not only traverse through the ship in record speeds, but also often shoot through all the crews and onboard marines of another ship. And while I try to image some kind of ridiculously efficient hyper loop transport systems inside of ships to make up for this kind of ludicrous speed, it very much does not match what we actually see on the flight deck in the menu (I'm looking at you exit animation button).

Related to that, something I've been wondering about lately is how moving between ships works when the ships are docked in such a way that it really doesn't look like people could walk upright between them. Like in Dunkerque, where the transports dock with the Messana vertically. It seems like instead of walking, you might have to frequently climb up or down to move from your transport into the ship it's docked with. That would probably slow things down considerably.

[General Battuta]

Zero G, or artificial gravity, either way it's not a problem.

[X3N0-Life-Form]

Internal partitions are thinner than hull armor so you just get inside and railgun everyone through the walls

Well, :V: told us that it was a valid way to fight as far back as the original Red Faction.

[Iain Baker]

Internal partitions are thinner than hull armor so you just get inside and railgun everyone through the walls

Well, :V: told us that it was a valid way to fight as far back as the original Red Faction.

I remember being railguned by the mercs whilst crawling through an air vent which allowed for zero movement. I died. A lot ;-)