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General FreeSpace => FreeSpace Discussion => Topic started by: IronForge on June 03, 2009, 05:27:19 am

Title: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: IronForge on June 03, 2009, 05:27:19 am
Is INFERNO Alliance that good? Is it dead or still in development (don't want to play a dead game even if its the best campaign out there)...
Player blue planet, waiting for the voiced one coming, warzone claims to be voiced now but it ISN'T...

So... no where to turn to really.  :mad:

Soz I just need a quick and fun campaign to tie me over to Diaspora multiplayer goodness.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on June 03, 2009, 05:42:17 am
Try JAD. :p
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: General Battuta on June 03, 2009, 08:35:42 am
If you've played Blue Planet, try Derelict - it's a classic, and it's voiced.

Transcend isn't voiced, but it does have custom sound in the places that matter, and it's brilliant.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Sushi on June 03, 2009, 09:27:34 am
No love for The Second Great War Part II (http://www.freespacemods.net/download.php?view.206)? :D

Just kidding, don't play it unless you want a crash course in how NOT to design missions. Alternately, play it if you want a good laugh (why I'm playing it right now).

Attached image from the campaign is titled "why yes, those ARE all BFReds firing from friendly ships!"

[attachment deleted by ninja]
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Rodo on June 03, 2009, 10:04:35 am
well if you want to get really good at FS fast and you don't mind about massively replaying missions then your best choice would be the Aeos Affair.

you can find it on the restoration project boards.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: wistler on June 03, 2009, 10:19:03 am
I don't know if Inferno is still alive but i played Inferno Alliance, or INFRA, or INFA, or whatever its called and didn't like it.

The Procolyn (spelling?) Insurgence is really good, I'd recommend that.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Ziame on June 03, 2009, 10:20:32 am
The Derelict is good. Warzone is good. Into the Halls of Valhalla is good. Into the depths of Hell is good. Cookies are good.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Mikes on June 03, 2009, 11:50:36 am
Derelict definitely if you haven't tried yet, if you are looking for something along the lines of a "classic" Freespace campaign.

And if you didn't try Transcend...  it's definitely worthwhile too if you want to see something very very very different. But not just different, intense and unique as well...  just approach it with an open mind and don t expect a "traditional" campaign hehe ;)
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: NGTM-1R on June 03, 2009, 02:49:24 pm
It would be easier to list the recent campaigns that were of poor quality than those that were good.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: General Battuta on June 03, 2009, 03:33:40 pm
Yeesh. Why so serious?
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Rhymes on June 03, 2009, 05:32:04 pm
HEY!  

...That's my line

<--------- Look over here.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: NGTM-1R on June 03, 2009, 06:36:53 pm
Yeesh. Why so serious?

I'm implying they were fewer. :P
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: General Battuta on June 03, 2009, 07:22:56 pm
I gotta agree, but, well, Sturgeon's Law.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Kolgena on June 03, 2009, 07:30:44 pm
I'm assuming that bringing up FSPort and STR is pointless, but just in case...
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: General Battuta on June 03, 2009, 08:34:30 pm
FSPort isn't all that recent, and I imagine NGTM-1R considers STR good.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: NGTM-1R on June 03, 2009, 09:33:10 pm
FSPort isn't all that recent, and I imagine NGTM-1R considers STR good.

I'll confess: I haven't played the finished version because I tested many of the missions.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Dilmah G on June 04, 2009, 09:30:00 am
No love for The Second Great War Part II (http://www.freespacemods.net/download.php?view.206)? :D

Just kidding, don't play it unless you want a crash course in how NOT to design missions. Alternately, play it if you want a good laugh (why I'm playing it right now).

Attached image from the campaign is titled "why yes, those ARE all BFReds firing from friendly ships!"

Is it really that bad?
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Sushi on June 04, 2009, 09:49:27 am
No love for The Second Great War Part II (http://www.freespacemods.net/download.php?view.206)? :D

Just kidding, don't play it unless you want a crash course in how NOT to design missions. Alternately, play it if you want a good laugh (why I'm playing it right now).

Attached image from the campaign is titled "why yes, those ARE all BFReds firing from friendly ships!"

Is it really that bad?

The Demon in the screenshot was vaporized in about 3 seconds. Meanwhile, command is asking you in your bomber to help take it down. This process repeats for three or four ships that jump in: command asks you to take them down, but before you can blink they are vaporized by a friendly Sathanas, a Colossus, and a Hattie & Hecate each sporting BFReds.

The first mission consists of about 10 wings of enemy fighters against an equivalent number of friendly ships. It's presumably an escort mission, but the enemy fighters & bombers jump in about 10k away. Both friendly and enemy ships have multiple waves, resulting in a big dogfight. This continues for about 15 minutes, and then the mission ends.

The (third?) mission has you going into subspace to disarm THREE Sathani. Luckily, you get shields, reinforcements, and support.

A couple of missions later, you have a "strike" mission where you need to take down a dozen cruiser-size ships and fighters, along with 3 or 4 comm nodes. You have plenty of friendly support to help you (including the aforementioned friendly Sathanas) but some of the targets are literally 20k away from where you (and all other friendly ships) warp in. Thank you time compression!

That said, I'm enjoying it so far. :) It's dumb and some of it is frustrating, but mostly it's so silly that it's kind of fun.

Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Dilmah G on June 04, 2009, 09:53:34 am
Pointless dogfights :yes:
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on June 05, 2009, 01:22:31 am
I don't know if Inferno is still alive but i played Inferno Alliance, or INFRA, or INFA, or whatever its called and didn't like it.

The Procolyn (spelling?) Insurgence is really good, I'd recommend that.

PROCYON, boyo. Remember the spelling so we don't have to. :p
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: mxlm on June 05, 2009, 10:41:33 pm
A note about Warzone, since it was recommended upthread; I just played it, and while I mostly liked the mission design, it pretty much fell apart in the last two missions. Moreover, the Shocking Plot Twist made me laugh. For about a minute straight.

Just something to keep in mind.

Also; it's easier to rec campaigns if we know what you've played already.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Spoon on June 06, 2009, 04:33:34 am
A note about Warzone, since it was recommended upthread; I just played it, and while I mostly liked the mission design, it pretty much fell apart in the last two missions. Moreover, the Shocking Plot Twist made me laugh. For about a minute straight.

Just something to keep in mind.

Also; it's easier to rec campaigns if we know what you've played already.
On that note, the "Into the Depths of Hell" that has been recommended in this thread is not exactly earth shattering either...
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on June 06, 2009, 05:04:47 am
ItDoH 5 doesn't work for me, by the way, so bear that in mind if you're going to try the whole series.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: wistler on June 06, 2009, 05:52:22 am
I just downloaded In to the Depths of Hell and I'm not that fussed on it. It's got some nice dogfights although saying that a lot of missions feel like I didn't need to show up to complete.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Jeff Vader on June 06, 2009, 06:07:28 am
I think I once played a few missions of ITDOH chapter 1. Basic stuff. Not world-shaking but also not crap. There was just one thing that kept bugging me: during those few missions I managed to encounter all the known misspellings of "Sathanas", as well as some new ones.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on June 06, 2009, 06:44:08 am
I think I once played a few missions of ITDOH chapter 1. Basic stuff. Not world-shaking but also not crap. There was just one thing that kept bugging me: during those few missions I managed to encounter all the known misspellings of "Sathanas", as well as some new ones.

Wow, that's pretty close observation. I don't usually care about spelling errors when I play. :pimp:
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Dilmah G on June 06, 2009, 07:30:23 am
If I notice it, it annoys me.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: General Battuta on June 06, 2009, 09:36:43 am
A note about Warzone, since it was recommended upthread; I just played it, and while I mostly liked the mission design, it pretty much fell apart in the last two missions. Moreover, the Shocking Plot Twist made me laugh. For about a minute straight.

Just something to keep in mind.

Also; it's easier to rec campaigns if we know what you've played already.
On that note, the "Into the Depths of Hell" that has been recommended in this thread is not exactly earth shattering either...

The good campaigns are:

Derelict
Blue Planet
Transcend
The Procyon Insurgency
Silent Threat: Reborn
Windmills

and, on a kind of B-list
Homesick
Sync

If it's not on that list, odds are there's one thing or another off about it. Either that or it's a genuinely good campaign I forgot about, or one that didn't get much buzz ('Echo Gate', for instance.)
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: colecampbell666 on June 06, 2009, 11:00:42 am
Just Another Day?
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Dilmah G on June 06, 2009, 11:14:41 am
That's purely on comedic value :P
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: General Battuta on June 06, 2009, 11:15:40 am
Just Another Day and DEM are definitely worth playing. They're comedy.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on June 06, 2009, 11:42:11 am
JAD = Lunacy
DEM = EEEEEVVVVIILLLLLL
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Spoon on June 06, 2009, 03:50:43 pm
The good campaigns are:

Derelict
Blue Planet
Transcend
The Procyon Insurgency
Silent Threat: Reborn
Windmills

and, on a kind of B-list
Homesick
Sync

If it's not on that list, odds are there's one thing or another off about it. Either that or it's a genuinely good campaign I forgot about, or one that didn't get much buzz ('Echo Gate', for instance.)
I'd switch Sync and Derelict around.
Derelict is filled with incredible boring missions that just have 2 waves respawning 10 times over (or worse, those drone loki's) and a lot of those missions are "filler" that add nothing to the story.
Sync for me was a far more engaging experience, the mystery and story kept me playing.

But in the end, it remains an opinion.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Dilmah G on June 06, 2009, 11:49:39 pm
Yeah, I'm perfectly content with taking my hand off the joystick and listening to Microsoft Anna babble on for a few minutes, rather than blast some ships.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Droid803 on June 07, 2009, 12:00:30 am

Derelict is filled with incredible boring missions that just have 2 waves respawning 10 times over (or worse, those drone loki's) and a lot of those missions are "filler" that add nothing to the story.
Sync for me was a far more engaging experience, the mystery and story kept me playing.

But in the end, it remains an opinion.

If you're taking Derelict off for that, take off Transcend first. It's got like 10 missions in a row of the same thing (avoid cruisers, kill some fighters, jump out). However, the good parts of it are chilling.

Derelict gets good pretty much right after Nyarly wakes up from her sleep.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on June 07, 2009, 12:18:18 am
Derelict is good with the Nyarlathotep asleep.

It becomes win when she wakes up.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: mxlm on June 07, 2009, 01:42:45 am
I think Blue Planet's plot is problematic. Not so much the concept as the execution. But the missions themselves are strong enough that it's not really a big deal.

Stormfront is pretty solid. At least the first episode. Haven't gotten too far in part 2 yet.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Spoon on June 07, 2009, 04:22:32 am
If you're taking Derelict off for that, take off Transcend first. It's got like 10 missions in a row of the same thing (avoid cruisers, kill some fighters, jump out). However, the good parts of it are chilling.
Very true, Those jump, lol cruisers, jump again, lol cruisers, jump again, mission were pretty bad as well but in the very least it was all part of the story.
The rest of Transcend however is excellent.
The 'filler' missions in Derelict served no purpose whatsoever though. Both undercover/GTI loops were unimportant as well. It's just that the ratio of boring missions in Derelict is much higher then it is in Transcend. 
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Mobius on June 07, 2009, 04:29:45 am
Is INFERNO Alliance that good? Is it dead or still in development (don't want to play a dead game even if its the best campaign out there)...

A serious and consistent upgrade is WIP.

Player blue planet, waiting for the voiced one coming, warzone claims to be voiced now but it ISN'T...

No one claims that Warzone is voiced. Where did you read that?
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on June 07, 2009, 04:40:12 am

...warzone claims to be voiced now but it ISN'T...

Now that's a first. I didn't see it on the FSCRP re-release thread.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Mobius on June 07, 2009, 04:44:15 am
Voice acting was in progress, but events like Blaise Russel's inactivity have halted it.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: wistler on June 07, 2009, 07:35:44 am
I never finished Derelict, the mission repetition turned me off. Same with Transcend. I think because of that I just avoid "highly recommended" Campaigns because they usually seem to put story before individual mission design.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Dilmah G on June 07, 2009, 07:44:22 am
Yeah I never finished Derelict, but Transcend I finished in one sitting (I think).
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: wistler on June 08, 2009, 07:07:01 am
I don't know if I'm flat out wrong but it seems that people feel the need to pad out there story heavy campaigns with some filler missions, especially in the beginning. I think this can be counterproductive.
Although theres a risk with making a campaign to story heavy, I'd chose that over mission filler any day.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Dilmah G on June 08, 2009, 07:43:53 am
Mmmm, I suppose I could say it was a bit evident in Derelict. However I have no objection as long as it's there for a purpose. For example, the campaign I'm working on at the moment is being "padded out" by two or so missions in the beginning for some additional character development (it's a mini-campaign with <10 missions by the way). Whereas Mackie was really the only main you had to worry about in the beginning of Derelict.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Mongoose on June 10, 2009, 12:38:47 pm
The 'filler' missions in Derelict served no purpose whatsoever though. Both undercover/GTI loops were unimportant as well. It's just that the ratio of boring missions in Derelict is much higher then it is in Transcend. 
So they served "no purpose" other than being very well-designed, providing some very memorable play-through moments, and fleshing out the game universe as a whole?  Because those seem like pretty worthwhile purposes to me.  And the two undercover loops elaborated on core plot material; they weren't "unimportant" in the least.  There's a big difference between throwing in random dogfighting missions for the hell of it and crafting an effective story setting, and at least in my opinion, Derelict sat squarely in the latter category.  Those "filler" missions have you do everything from decimating a whole cargo depot with a few well-placed bombs, to disabling and capturing pirate fighters, to fending off waves of drone-controlled Lokis, to examining a mysteriously-abandoned freighter while on a long-range survey mission.  All of that is about as far from "boring" as I can think of.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Spoon on June 10, 2009, 01:59:13 pm
The one that comes to mind is where you are suppose to destroy a pirate depot but when you get on the scene it's already destroyed and then some pirates show up and blame you for it.
The pirates will then arrive wave after wave after wave (Derelict had the most suicidal pirates ever) until the cruiser is like "lol k, lets jump out". Incredibly boring mission.
The drone controlled loki's were just as bad. Only those didn't even attempt to fight back. And as far as I recall, the whole drone idea didn't came back after that mission. Again, boring as hell. Placing 2 wings of 4 craft in FRED and setting a respawn of 10 is not what I call 'well designed'

I'll say again as a disclaimer that I think Derelict as a campaign is pretty good overal but had several lazy filler missions that I didn't liked at all.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: xXGrifterXx on June 10, 2009, 03:04:13 pm
Derelict has a great story and the missions were fun, so I would check that out. Probably the best all around campaign I've played, and voice acting just adds more to the experience.
Warzone is really fun, there are a lot of big battles, and you have plenty of support so you are never alone. I play this more than any other mod because of the action.
If you really want to kick the Shivans in the nads check out the Aeos affiar, lots of capital ship battles, but there are some mission which are excruciating (scanning mission!).

And if you haven't played it, FSport and Silent threat reborn are really good.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: TrashMan on June 10, 2009, 05:45:32 pm


The good campaigns are:

Derelict
Blue Planet
Transcend
The Procyon Insurgency
Silent Threat: Reborn
Windmills

and, on a kind of B-list
Homesick
Sync

*ahem*  ;7 ;7 ;7 ;7 ;7
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: General Battuta on June 10, 2009, 05:46:28 pm
I honestly haven't played FoW. I'm mostly basing that list off the ones I hear recommended most often, and the stuff that gets included in the Installer. I think I'd like to try it out, though.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Aurora Paradox on June 10, 2009, 05:59:26 pm
I would give Awakenings and Cardinal Spear a play through as well.  Destiny of Peace is another that comes to mind however I never finished it.  All these campaigns are voiced acted for those who can't stand synthesized voice.

For the record Derelict is an awesome campaign although I never finished the last mission.  I forget the reason why I never finished the last mission.  Yes, some of the early missions are slower paced but they add to the story in their own way.  At least play past the mission  "The Horror in the Deep".  After that I think you will find things heat up.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Kie99 on June 10, 2009, 06:00:40 pm
There are 4 campaigns I've played that are far and away ahead of anything else, they are Derelict, Sync, Homesick and Transcend (in that order).  Hugely immersive campaigns, due largely in the case of the latter 3 to extremely good characters and stories.  Derelict is also a hugely enjoyable campaign about a war on two or more fronts.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: Jeff Vader on June 11, 2009, 12:14:57 am
I would give Awakenings and Cardinal Spear a play through as well.  Destiny of Peace is another that comes to mind however I never finished it.  All these campaigns are voiced acted for those who can't stand synthesized voice.
Or reading.
Title: Re: Any really really great campaign to tie me over to diaspora?
Post by: eliex on June 11, 2009, 12:56:32 am
Derelict was thoroughly enjoyable in my opinion. While long, the story was innovative immersive. The only qualms I've got with it was the repetitive suicidal pirate missions, but other than that I'd recommend it to anyone who hasn't played it yet.