[Huggybaby]

These files will soon be hosted on their own site.

Hosted by Hunter, more links may be coming:
FreeSpace2.part1.rar
FreeSpace2.part2.rar
Download both files to the same place, then un-rar the first one.

FreeSpace 1 SCP Port 3.04:
227MB 7zip, takes a LONG time to decompress
388MB RAR, decompresses much more quickly


I took Shivan's FreeSpace 2 SCP 1.9c Install and made some changes:

Cleaned up the root, moving Fred and debug files to an Extras folder.
Renamed launcher to "FS SCP Launcher 5.5a.exe". (I've been told this could be a problem, I don't know)
Ruthlessly removed every file and directory that I could get away with.
Added every manual to Extras folder.
Added latest OpenAL to Extras.
Added Hunter's Cutscenes vp file.
Added Wanderer's Nebulae and made it default.
Added the smaller shockwave3d.tga and made it default.
Added two fs2open_pxo.cfg files, with the "fs2netd.game-warden.com" header.
Sprinkled ReadMe files around to explain everything.
And a few other small things.

The root looks like this:


Then I rar'ed it into two CD size pieces.

I welcome suggestions for improvement to the next revision.

ReadMeFirst file contents:

Welcome to the world's easiest FreeSpace2 Enhanced Version Install.
Everything is included and updated already!

BUT---BE SURE TO
Follow these instructions before running your game!

1. Put your FreeSpace2 folder somewhere; the traditional location is "C:\Games". Usually we don't put spaces anywhere in the path.

2. Important: Go to the "FreeSpace2\Extras\OpenAL" folder and run oalinst.exe. If you don't, you'll get error messages.

3. Make a shortcut to "FS SCP Launcher 5.5a.exe" somewhere easy to find, like your desktop. To make a shortcut, right-click the file and drag it to its destination, then click "Create Shortcuts Here".

4. Double click the shortcut. Click on the "Browse" button at the top of the launcher. Click on the "fs2_open_3_6_9.exe" file in your FreeSpace2 directory one time to highlight it, then click "Open". Back in the launcher, click on "Apply".

5. Go to the "MOD" tab. It should say "mediavps" in the box.
(If it doesn't, click on "Select MOD". Click on the "mediavps" folder one time to highlight it, then "OK". Back in the launcher, click "Apply".)

6. In the Video tab, Graphics box, make sure OpenGL is selected. (Direct3D may work, but it's NOT supported.) Recommended Resolution is at least 1024 x 768, and 32-bit Color Depth. (Set Anisotropic Filter to Off because it doesn't do anything right now. To turn on Anisotropic Filtering you must do so in the control panel that comes with your video card's drivers.) Put the General settings to "High" and check "Use large textures". Click Apply.

7. In the Audio/Joystick tab, Sound box, select Generic Software if it isn't and hit Apply if you made a change. If you select Hardware you might not hear speech.

8. In the Features tab, go to easy setup and select "High memory usage features on" to start. That way you can see all the effects,  and if your game runs too slowly you can scal back later.

That's it for setting up the launcher. Now you can click the Run button to start your game!
====================================================================
IMPORTANT! When you run your game for the first time, you may have a problem (but only the first time) related to your firewall. If you're using the Windows firewall, a box will pop up asking if you want to unblock the program, say yes or no, and you shouldn't see the message again. If you use a different firewall, you may or may not have this interruption.
You may have to ALT-TAB to get out of the program and back to your desktop so you can see the warning box. If that doesn't work, Escape out of the program. In the Launcher/Features tab, go to the "Dev Tool" list type setting, and check "Run in window". This may help you gain access to the desktop.
Uncheck the setting when you get the problem cleared up.
If you're an advanced user, you can configure your firewall permissions beforehand.
====================================================================

9. After the intro video plays (or you hit ESC to bypass it), you'll see the Create Pilot screen. Type in a name, hit Enter, then click Select or just hit enter again.

Whew! You're on the Flight Deck! It will be much simpler to start the game from now on.

10. Finally, hit F2, turn the mouse on and sensitivity all the way up. Then, at the top of the configuration window, click on Detail, turn everything up, and click Accept.

You are ready to play!

After you play a bit, see the ReadMeSecond file for some more info.


THANKS TO:

ShivanSPS. If it weren't for his installer, you wouldn't be reading this.

[DW] Hunter for his help and his hosting, and packaging the cutscenes vps. He's done way more behind the scenes than most people know.

Turey for his installer, so I could steal the extra mods he packaged.

Karajorma for helping all the above and explaining some things to me, and for his fs2open_pxo.cfg tip, and his guide.

Taylor for programming this thing, and answering my questions. He's a genius or something.

CP5670 for the shockwave3D tip.

And maybe some others, but they're all found at http://www.hard-light.net/forums. Go there and tell them Huggybaby sent you.

ReadMeSecond file contents:

In the Extras folder are all the manuals for both FreeSpace 1 and FreeSpace 2. There are lots of keys to use, but you'll quickly memorize the important ones.

To play the FreeSpace 1 Enhanced Version, you will need to download the FreeSpace Port (fsport) mod, currently at version 3.0.4. You can find it at the same place you found this game.

This game was preconfigured with the files for maximum visual and game performance. However, if you have an older machine, or perhaps an extremely powerful one, you will want to read the Advanced Effects ReadMe.txt, Shockwave3D ReadMe.txt, and Nebulae ReadMe.txt files, found in their own directories.

THE FEATURES TAB

Following are some general suggestions for settings.
If you double-click a setting and you're connected to the internet you'll be taken to an explanation at the Wiki.

Graphics:
Everything checked except "Disable scale-to-window for movies" and "Apply Lighting to Missiles".

Game Speed
Everything checked. If you have a tearing problem, uncheck "Disable vertical sync".

HUD
Everything checked.

Gameplay
Everything checked except "Toggle features for The Babylon Project" and
"Toggle features for Wing Commander".

Audio
Check Preload mission game sounds.

Experimental
You can try checking "Use specular alpha for env mapping".
Not all objects support it yet---you may see stars shining through a ship!

Dev Tool
Check "Show frames per second on HUD".

[Turey]

I'm REALLY hoping you got the recently-updated 3.6.9 Final Executables, or you'll have to re-upload these. (get them directly from the release thread, the Installer hasn't been updated to include them yet.)

EDIT: You have any mods in there? Tell me which ones and I'll give you a text file that will let people who use this update without re-downloading everything.

[Unknown Target]

Ok...


But why is everyone these days making/writing easy-to-install/follow guides for the SCP? I mean...do we really need five different ways to do it? Not that I don't appreciate the effort, but all these different tuts will probably cause a backlash as people get overwhelmed and are not sure which to follow/download/etc.

Just my 2C.

Anyway, seems interesting, good job

[Turey]

But why is everyone these days making/writing easy-to-install/follow guides for the SCP? I mean...do we really need five different ways to do it? Not that I don't appreciate the effort, but all these different tuts will probably cause a backlash as people get overwhelmed and are not sure which to follow/download/etc.

I don't know.With the exception of Shivan's, all of them seem to have popped up after I first released the Installer. Maybe I started a trend. Though I think I'm the only one who asked the SCP Team before releasing my setup.

You're right though, all these methods of installing DO make things more complicated. It was simpler when there was just three choices: Shivan's, mine, and DIY.

[Commander Zane]

Ok...


But why is everyone these days making/writing easy-to-install/follow guides for the SCP? I mean...do we really need five different ways to do it? Not that I don't appreciate the effort, but all these different tuts will probably cause a backlash as people get overwhelmed and are not sure which to follow/download/etc.

Just my 2C.

Anyway, seems interesting, good job

Well I spent ten hours trying to install FreeSpace through three different installers just because none of them worked, I got the forth installer to work somewhat properly.

[Turey]

Well I spent ten hours trying to install FreeSpace through three different installers just because none of them worked, I got the forth installer to work somewhat properly.

Did you try mine? If so, tell me what was wrong with it here.

[Commander Zane]

It says that one needs FreeSpace already installed.

[Huggybaby]

I'm REALLY hoping you got the recently-updated 3.6.9 Final Executables

Yes, that's where the launcher 5.5a came from. I didn't say that explicitly, but there is a screen shot showing that.

You have any mods in there?

No, it's the basic package, as again, my screenshot makes clear. Next download will be fsport.

But why is everyone these days making/writing easy-to-install/follow guides for the SCP?

I wasn't happy with any of the others.

I mean...do we really need five different ways to do it?

I wish we didn't.

all these different tuts will probably cause a backlash as people get overwhelmed and are not sure which to follow/download/etc.

This download doesn't require a tutorial, that's the beauty part. My readme is for configuring FreeSpace, not installing. And has any other readme mentioned how to turn on the mouse, or the firewall issues? Nope. Plus, there will be a website. This forum is hard enough to read already.

With the exception of Shivan's, all of them seem to have popped up after I first released the Installer

Could be. But I never saw your new downloader until I'd written my guide for cleaning up Shivan's installer. I helped troubleshoot your Java, and my guide was written before that. If you're talking about one that existed before that then I'm not sure why you wrote another one.

Though I think I'm the only one who asked the SCP Team before releasing my setup.

Is permission required? I've read comments from veterans expressing the desire for a better solution, and this is my version. If I get lots of questions from new users about how to do this and that, and how to make it work, like I've seen in relation to the other solutions, then I've failed. Time will tell.

It was simpler when there was just three choices: Shivan's, mine, and DIY.

Can't fault that logic. And it would be even simpler were there only one, wouldn't it. From three to four isn't a major difference.

Well I spent ten hours trying to install FreeSpace through three different installers just because none of them worked, I got the forth installer to work somewhat properly.

And thus, my entry. This is a package that fits on two CD's. It's not an installer.
It actually has a useful readme. I won't go into the pluses and minuses of the other available options, anyone who reads the forums can see which are causing support hassles and which aren't.
And no one else has the same details as mine.

As lengthy as my Shivan's guide is, a good handful of people have thanked me already. Nobody has asked me how to make it work either. And my new install contains manuals, the explosion tweak, etc.

Maybe Shivan's 2.0 will make this obsolete, but I didn't want to wait for the new mediavps. I will never release a patch, I don't like them. Maybe Turey will implement a GUI and an updater that recognizes existing files.
Even if all that happens, my option will still be unique.

I understand I'm stepping on toes. However, my allegiance is to the first time user, not other install creators, or veterans who don't need what any of us is offering.

[Turey]

It says that one needs FreeSpace already installed.

Then what was wrong with this one?

Yes, that's where the launcher 5.5a came from. I didn't say that explicitly, but there is a screen shot showing that.

I don't mean 3.6.9. I mean the fixed 3.6.9 that Taylor uploaded this morning.

Could be. But I never saw your new downloader until I'd written my guide for cleaning up Shivan's installer. I helped troubleshoot your Java, and my guide was written before that. If you're talking about one that existed before that then I'm not sure why you wrote another one.

I wrote the Java one because the NSIS one was Windows only, and was getting more difficult to update as the number of mods increased. With the Java one, the addition of a mod doesn't require any real work on my part.

Is permission required? I've read comments from veterans expressing the desire for a better solution, and this is my version. If I get lots of questions from new users about how to do this and that, and how to make it work, like I've seen in relation to the other solutions, then I've failed. Time will tell.

No, permission isn't required. I just think it's a nice idea to tell someone before you distribute their work in a project that they haven't seen.

And no one else has the same details as mine.

Such as?

I understand I'm stepping on toes. However, ,y allegiance is to the first time user, not other install creators, or veterans who don't need what any of us is offering.

Fair enough. 

[Huggybaby]

Wasn't aware of a new 3.6.9. There's no way I can keep up as well as your updater can.

All the differences are listed in my first post. Did you read it? Stuff like the smaller explosion, compressed Nebulae...it goes on.

And there's nothing wrong with an online installer..but it's online. Mine is ready for CD.

[Commander Zane]

It says that one needs FreeSpace already installed.

Then what was wrong with this one?

That's the one that worked, after I managed to bypass an error with the cinematics installation.

[[DW]-Hunter]

It says that one needs FreeSpace already installed.

Then what was wrong with this one?

That's the one that worked, after I managed to bypass an error with the cinematics installation.

Let me update the installer, i edited it so it doesnt include cutscenes, being that you will probably be installing open on top of it.

[Huggybaby]

I can't find any build released today.

[[DW]-Hunter]

the newest build is goobers new years build is the newest im aware of.

[Turey]

Taylor sent me this:

The 3.6.9 builds have been updated to have the bug fixes that we missed.  Just FYI.

and http://fs2source.warpcore.org/exes/3.6.9.rar says it was last modified today.

[Tamlin]

So if all the ruffled feathers are done,Wihich one of these F***ing things work,With a minimum of fuss. Cause I'm Downloading Pt1 of Huggy's right now, so before I wait another 5 hours for part2 can some just say which one to use..I want a backup FSO with the mods  In case my modular set gets f***ed

[[DW]-Hunter]

Well its your guy's fault the NEW build wasn't released on HLP yet. So its pointless to even mention the build if no one has access to it. And to top it all off turey, when you download a file, it will say it was modified the day you download it, even the time you started and finished downloading it. I will show you what i mean.

[Huggybaby]

Mine works great Tamlin. So does Turey's. Of course I prefer the extras in mine.

I'll post a link to the new exe's when they're public, that will be an easy download. I don't know what bugs have been fixed, but this is an ongoing project.

[Polpolion]

I think that everyone should learn to do it the old-fashioned way. I first installed the HOTU version of FS2 and upgraded it with the VPs, then to ISOs, then to older FSO versions, and finally I am updated to the bleeding-edge versions of FSO. I did it all without any "easy way here" shortcuts.

I'm not saying that you guys like Turey shouldn't be doing what their doing, I'm saying that there should only be one installer, and the instructions on how to update versions is included with it. With all these new installers, in the near future newbies aren't going to have a clue how to set anything up without installers. You guys are essentially making more work for yourselves by creating installers that need replacing every few months, than by posting an official guide on the forums that you can just copy and paste into the thread, PM to someone, or include with the SCP files. Of course, it would have to be done by the SCP team and stuff like that for it to be official.

All the guides out now, no matter how close, are different from each other, and that creates problems in situations like:

"XXX bug occoured. what I do?"
"did you follow the instructions? do YYY"
"that made it worse."
"read over ZZZ guide again"
"But I used AAA guide"
"you two should use BBB guide, it works well."
"hey, persons 1,2, and 3! I thought that CCC guide was the only one"
"no, I made that one up for you on the spot. It's based on BBB guide thought"
"I am going to make an official FSO guide called DDD"
"don't bother, everyone will just use the EEE guide"

In the end, we will have to eliminate all guides and installers except for one. There is to much un-conformity out there to trust that someone might accidentally make one wrong, or it be interpreted incorrectly.

...

[Turey]

Hunter: go to http://fs2source.warpcore.org/exes/ , look at 3.6.9.rar, check last modified date.

So if all the ruffled feathers are done,Wihich one of these F***ing things work,With a minimum of fuss. Cause I'm Downloading Pt1 of Huggy's right now, so before I wait another 5 hours for part2 can some just say which one to use..I want a backup FSO with the mods  In case my modular set gets f***ed

If you want the mods, you'll have to get mine (unless I'm mistaken, Huggy said that his had no mods.)

I think that everyone should learn to do it the old-fashioned way.

That's the way I first installed. I just got tired of walking people through installing FreeSpace Open, so I made something that would do it for me.

I'm saying that there should only be one installer, and the instructions on how to update versions is included with it.

Mine DOES include updating.