Hard Light Productions Forums

Announcements => Getting Started => Topic started by: Dan_Brussels on May 22, 2021, 02:25:38 pm

Title: Back after 17 years, and now ?
Post by: Dan_Brussels on May 22, 2021, 02:25:38 pm
Hi,
I was a huge fan of Freespace a very long time ago (over 15 years). I found back my retail box of Freespace collection of 6 CDs (Freespace 1 & 2) and I would like to play it again. I installed FS2 but it does not launch (Not Enough RAM - FreeSpace has detected that you only have 0MB of free memory.  FreeSpace requires at least 32 MB of memory to run ).
I obviously have a recent PC with 24 GB of RAM and a good graphics card (Windows 7).
I'm confused about what to install: OpenAL? MediaVPs 4.4.x? In which order ?
Could you help me get it right? Preferably in French if it is possible, but I can understand English if no French version exists.
Thank you very much for your help. Every advice is welcome.
Title: Re: Back after 17 years, and now ?
Post by: Cyborg17 on May 22, 2021, 02:33:18 pm
First, find the link below for knossos, which is our combined mod installer and package manager.  It will get you the latest FSO build, which should fix that silly bug you're running into.  You'll just have to point it at your retail installation.

https://fsnebula.org/knossos/
Title: Re: Back after 17 years, and now ?
Post by: wookieejedi on May 22, 2021, 02:46:15 pm
Welcome! And feel free to join the Discord server too, that commonly results in more rapid-fire help with getting setup.

https://discord.com/invite/QFdueKEYrN (https://discord.com/invite/QFdueKEYrN)
Title: Re: Back after 17 years, and now ?
Post by: Dan_Brussels on May 22, 2021, 05:19:28 pm
Thanks Cyborg17. I will do install knossos. But what about MediaVPs 4.4.x  ? Is it useful ?
Title: Re: Back after 17 years, and now ?
Post by: Cyborg17 on May 22, 2021, 05:28:42 pm
It's a set of visual upgrades.  There are other campaigns and even standalone games on knossos, and a lot of them end up using the MediaVPs.  If all you want to do is play classic FS2 as few changes as possible, then you don't want it.  If you want an improved graphical experience, you do want it.
Title: Re: Back after 17 years, and now ?
Post by: TopAce on May 22, 2021, 06:04:13 pm
You make it sound like your original box version is broken, but that may not be an issue now. If you install Knossos, it will first ask you to point to the folder of your FreeSpace installation. It will then download and set up your FreeSpace 2 Open builds (basically: the modded .exes with the tons of new features implemented by the Source Code Project) and let you download user-made mods as well. These include the aforementioned MediaVPs, which are the graphical updates.

Since you asked about OpenAL: It is mandatory, and I think Knossos instalsl it automatically. If not, just Google OpenAL, click the first result and install it. It takes a minute.

Once you've successfully installed FreeSpace Open (abbreviated FSO) and the MediaVPs (MVPs), then select the MediaVPs as a mod, then click Play. If it launches and you see a non-2000-quality GTF Ulysses in the tech room, then you're good to go.
Title: Re: Back after 17 years, and now ?
Post by: Trivial Psychic on May 22, 2021, 08:59:22 pm
WOW! 17 years.  That would have been not long after the introduction of Hardware Transforming and Lighting (HTL for short), which started off the model upgrade craze.  Just don`t expect EVERY model to have been updated since then.  I think the Argo is the last holdout, though it DID get texture upgrades.
Title: Re: Back after 17 years, and now ?
Post by: Mito [PL] on May 23, 2021, 03:10:10 am
There's the Dis and Boadicea.


For the record, you could replay Freespace 1 if you want. You just need to install Freespace Port MediaVPs, which is an adaptation of Freespace 1 to the Freespace Open engine (+ its own set of MediaVPs for a couple things). But instead of Silent Threat, please install and play Silent Threat: Reborn - a very high quality community remake of the expansion.

There's also a topic regarding choosing what to play next: https://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=80688.0 (https://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=80688.0). A bit outdated but has a lot of relevance even at this moment.
Title: Re: Back after 17 years, and now ?
Post by: karajorma on May 23, 2021, 07:45:30 am
Hang on a second, back after 17 years? You're fooling no one cicada!  :p
Title: Re: Back after 17 years, and now ?
Post by: Trivial Psychic on May 23, 2021, 07:48:23 am
There's the Dis and Boadicea.

Right, forgot about the Boadicea, but the Dis DID get an upgrade.
Title: Re: Back after 17 years, and now ?
Post by: TopAce on May 23, 2021, 10:32:17 am
If it did, then we can't blame anybody for not noticing, can we?
Title: Re: Back after 17 years, and now ?
Post by: Dan_Brussels on May 24, 2021, 07:21:28 am
Ok, it works, I have knossos 0.14.3 and Freespace 2 open V21.2.0  :nod: except that it is a QWERTY configuration and I have an AZERTY. Do you know how I can change this ? Because it the teaching lessons, none of the keyboard keys are corresponding  :rolleyes:

I use a sidewinder force feedback 2, it is recognised by knossos, but it seems the "force feedback" is not activated : I feel the "afterburner" in my joystick but except that no other force  feeling in the joystick
Title: Re: Back after 17 years, and now ?
Post by: Colonol Dekker on May 24, 2021, 07:57:42 am
Press F2, and rebind as needed 👍👍
Title: Re: Back after 17 years, and now ?
Post by: Dan_Brussels on May 24, 2021, 07:58:50 am
By the way, it seems that somebody has questionned the title of my message. I have checked my timeline and indeed there is a small mistake : it is not 17 years but...exactly 20 years ago that I played FS and FS2 and Silent Threat ! Yes, I'm back to my first loves ;-)
So I thank all of you that help me to sit back in the seat of my ship.
Title: Re: Back after 17 years, and now ?
Post by: Dan_Brussels on May 24, 2021, 06:11:36 pm
This qwerty is really ennoying : all keybord keys explained in the training missions are different than on my azerty. I have tried to rebind but there are so much keybord keys that it is now a mess.  :banghead:
Even on my Sidewinder Force Feedback2, I don't know witch function to assignate to the buttons. What a pity, I would loved to play again Freespace 2, like hours and hours spent 20 years ago...
Title: Re: Back after 17 years, and now ?
Post by: Cyborg17 on May 24, 2021, 06:44:26 pm
There is a patch for that in the works, iirc.  z64555 is our controls coder
Title: Re: Back after 17 years, and now ?
Post by: Dan_Brussels on May 25, 2021, 04:18:28 pm
good  :). In the meantime, I will try to find the good keyboard key to continue the pilot training :D