[Riptide572]

Hey everyone!
Long time lurker on HLP, and even longer-time fan of the Freespace series. I have been playing since the original game came out, made a mission and submitted it to get a free copy of Silent Threat, and bought Freespace 2 on opening day. Since then, I have been absolutely in awe of the Hardlight and Freespace Open community; watching each iteration through the years. I have replayed this game more than I would admit, but pretty much every two to three years I get the itch to go around again. Everytime I tell myself "Wow! They have pushed this engine to it's MAX! It is awesome and there is no way they could top it!" and each time I am just blown away again. In 2024, I returned to replay again and am just astounded that the game with Knossos support has again exceeded my expectations, and I feel as though I am reliving a great memory but with glasses on this time.
Having said all of this, It has been in my 'bucket list' since I was a young teen in the 90's to make a Freespace campaign. The ease of the FRED engine has obviously lent the game to lean towards fan creations. Only now, I feel I am late to the game. There are so many fantastic, epic, and emotional campaigns out there over the 25 years since the release of the game. I have for decades had an idea of what I envisioned as FS3 in my mind and where I would go with the story, based on the lore that has been shared and what the developers original intentions were. Which leads me to the big question.
Is there any desire to still play "Random guy 572's" campaign?
My concerns are:
• Too many campaigns out there: There are so many FS2 campaigns that I won't even try to count them. In a sea of other takes, is it worth it for me to throw my hat into the ring?
• Not technically proficient: I wont have the time or effort to build brand new 'content' like unique weapons, ships, or setups to the game. Would you play another campaign with the same ships you are used to?
• It's been done before: There are many INCREDIBLE takes on a continuation of Freespace out there already. Would a new take even be desired?
• It would use established assets: FS1 and FS2 will always be GOLD in my mind. I would probably use most of my assets from the two of them and supplement with other pre-existing mods. On top of that, my campaign would be set with roughly a decade of FS2. Realistically, it is hard to build an entire new fleet of new technologies in that time (just look at the jump from FS1 to FS2 and that was 30 years). Would you play a campaign with assets you have used before?
• It would use mod created assets from other campaigns: There are MANY campaigns I love that I feel assets from would slip easily into my campaign from. Would you #1, play a campaign with assets drawn from the community and other campaigns?
Also, as almost a separate question, it I were to incorporate a modded craft, what is the community etiquette? Should I search for the original poster, the mod that used their work, or the community here for permission to use it? Or are the mods treated as 'freeware' within the community? Obviously, any credit will be given to the creator.
At the end of the day, I may make my 'vision' of a Freespace campaign even if I will be the only one that ever plays it, but I would love to share it with the community and make it something you would all like to play.
Thank you all for reading and have a great night!

[qweqwe321]

Well, just to provide my own input, I made Chanticleer as a solo project using the existing Blue Planet modpack, with no new assets, no new mechanics, no extra complexity - just a 13-mission campaign with limited ambitions.  If you're interested in making a first mod, I strongly suggest using one of the big modpacks (Inferno, BP, SerRes, etc) as a base and build off it so you don't have to do all the tedious work of putting tables together.

[procdrone]

give your creative desires form, create a mission, campaign, even if you use stock FS2 assets.

[Borgkube]

I am a player not a modder. I can't see the problem with creating "another" campaign with the original assets. Two things made this game a success originally. The quality of the original assets, that were well thought out and well executed, and the quality of the story. There is nothing wrong with using th original assets and creating a new high-quality campaign story. I enjoy the "complete make-over" mods, they are great, but you do what you can do. Better to create a new original environment campaign, and finish it than to take on a complete makeover project and quit halfway. I for one look forward to playing your effort.
Cheers

[Nohiki]

I think all you need is a good story.

Look at Sync, uncharted territory, shrouding the light, Deus Ex Machina or Trimutri. You do not need a bunch of original assets, ton of new features or even voice acting to make a fun piece of work.

Also, this is how the game stays alive. Yes, you're probably not going to be the next BP on your first try. But even those get old. New stuff keeps people playing.

[Iain Baker]

New campaigns are always welcome. Don’t worry about not creating new assets, there are plenty  of pre-existing ones to use. All you need is a decent story, or a interesting gameplay hook - such as using what is there already in a different way.