Hard Light Productions Forums

General FreeSpace => FreeSpace Discussion => Topic started by: Beowulf on May 13, 2003, 08:21:16 pm

Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: Beowulf on May 13, 2003, 08:21:16 pm
First off, hello all.

I am curious as to what happened to the FS community. It seems to have dissolved quite a bit. When did the old SW forums go down (VBB)? What's the status of Squad War? It is disheartening to see that apparently FS is dying.

I've been gone for a few years. Could someone fill me in? Thank you.


--Beowulf
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: Blue Lion on May 13, 2003, 09:14:07 pm
SW is as good as dead I believe, I haven't seen a new match since March and now I can't get the site to load. The FS community is more or less here, as well as VW and such. But what did you expect for a game that's so many years old?
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: karajorma on May 14, 2003, 02:27:18 am
I think it's a bit early to say that the FS community is dying. Squad War may be dead but it may rise again once the SCP get their version of multiplayer up and running.

You only have to look at the activity on VWBB over the last few days to see the number of people who suddenly appear when a major release occurs.
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: Solatar on May 14, 2003, 05:21:31 am
Besides, we're going to get our stuff into Freelancer. :D
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: RangerKarl on May 14, 2003, 06:20:00 am
Crap. I just uninstalled that game.
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: Unknown Target on May 14, 2003, 06:33:14 am
Whoah, dude, you are behind the times!

Seriously, the SW forum got deleted around 2000, and the VBB got taken down permanently around 2001, and Squad War stopped around late 1999.
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: Sheepy on May 14, 2003, 06:59:20 am
Quote
Originally posted by Blue Lion
SW is as good as dead I believe, I haven't seen a new match since March and now I can't get the site to load. The FS community is more or less here, as well as VW and such. But what did you expect for a game that's so many years old?


Fuuny that, i could of sworn the SSC had a SW just the other day :D
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: Steel on May 14, 2003, 11:06:17 am
Well, if you get "our" stuff into FreeLancer, then FreeLancer is going to be played, NOT FreeSpace...

My opinion only, but if folks concentrate on updating and maintaining FS2 via SCP and mods, then FreeSpace will continue...  Move it into another engine, and it will just go away.
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: tEAbAG on May 14, 2003, 01:15:12 pm
Definently check out the Source Code Project, really cool stuff going on there.  The Babylon project just had a new release and some of the major campaigns are looking good(Blackwater Ops, Lightning Marshall, Inferno, and the Terran Vasudan War project)

And if you never played FS1 or just haven't picked it up in a while look at the FreeSpace Conversion.

We ain't dead yet!

  Viva la FreeSpace!!! :D
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: diamondgeezer on May 14, 2003, 01:39:52 pm
FreeSpace 2 will live for ever thanks to the infinite power of the S:AAB mod :nod:
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: J3Vr6 on May 14, 2003, 02:59:58 pm
Quote
Originally posted by diamondgeezer
FreeSpace 2 will live for ever thanks to the infinite power of the S:AAB mod :nod:


Speaking of that,  how is it coming along?
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: Nuclear1 on May 14, 2003, 03:14:26 pm
Bah, VBB is dead...

Who cares. We still got VWBB, Warpstorm, and HLP (and F2S when it wants to behave) :D
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: Tar-Palantir on May 15, 2003, 03:46:38 am
FreeSpace - the game that just would not die. :)
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: J.F.K. on May 15, 2003, 03:58:19 am
I think this place, HLP, is virtually the entire FS community. There is an extended community over at Volition Watch, but from what I can see, it's far less active... or far more secretive. :)
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: Petrarch of the VBB on May 15, 2003, 04:02:04 am
True, I'd say about 90% of all community goings-on go on here. The pace at VWatch and F2S seems so slow that you could out run it in an old brass diver's suit.
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: karajorma on May 15, 2003, 12:32:52 pm
Considering that VWBB have managed to get 2 releases from TBP I don't think HLP has much right to start saying we're better. Seriously can you point to any releases from this board that have managed to gain as much exposure outside the community?

Maybe most of the chat in the community goes on over here but I wouldn't be so quick to start saying that VWBB is any less active.
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: StratComm on May 15, 2003, 01:13:45 pm
[cough] SCP [/cough] ;)

Well, maybe not outside the community, but still much bigger in the long run.
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: karajorma on May 15, 2003, 04:59:33 pm
Quote
Originally posted by StratComm
[cough] SCP [/cough] ;)

Well, maybe not outside the community, but still much bigger in the long run.


Unless I'm mistaken the SCP is a joint effort between both communities. That's why the forum is on HLP but the website is on VWBB

EDIT : Seems I'm right

Quote
Concieved by Freespace Watch, this is a joint project between them and Hard Light Productions - uniting the entire community to take the basic source code with fixes and features that the community wants. The main site and downloads will be hosted on Freespace Watch, and the forums on Hard Light Productions.
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: Cetanu on May 15, 2003, 05:41:16 pm
Quote
Originally posted by J.F.K.
I think this place, HLP, is virtually the entire FS community.

Beside from what karajorma wrote ( :yes: )  and most saying or thinking that PXO has already died - the multiplayer crowd is still alive, but as usual not on the VW or the HLP forums :)
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: karajorma on May 15, 2003, 05:54:34 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Cetanu

Beside from what karajorma wrote ( :yes: )  and most saying or thinking that PXO has already died - the multiplayer crowd is still alive, but as usual not on the VW or the HLP forums :)


Do you guys actually have a hang out? If so is it secret/not open to newbies?

I ask cause I mention HLP and VWBB in my FAQ but I don't have any idea where to reccomend fans of multiplayer should go for more info.
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: Cetanu on May 16, 2003, 08:14:02 am
Well, unfortunately no true hang out for all of them.
With the fall of the VBB and the Squadwar system broken, the only place where all meet is the PXO Lobby itself.
A lot of players are in no squads these days, those still in squads usually have their own boards: SSC ("http://forums.shatteredstar.com/user-cgi/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi"), FF ("http://www.globalgamerz.net/ffbb/"), DW ("http://members.lycos.co.uk/vetchsarena/DWphpBB2/"), BDHR ("http://165thbdhr.com/forum/"). There sure are more, I just listed the ones remaining continually over the last years ;)
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: karajorma on May 16, 2003, 09:24:20 am
If any of the squads are taking new members it's worth linking them :) I'm not gonna send a newbie anywhere he'll just get abuse for asking though :D
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: Cetanu on May 16, 2003, 09:48:51 am
No one would bash them just for asking. The order I put them there followed the difficulty level of joining -  from easiest to hardest :D
And they can ask other squads too - they only have to loggin on PXO and meet them in the Lobby ;)
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: karajorma on May 16, 2003, 10:35:33 am
Okay. Thanks for the info. As you can guess I don't play multiplayer very often (I think I've ventured on a couple of times). That said I really should make an effort to play online a little more often so I might give it a try the next couple of nights. Just gotta remember to disable the huge number of Mods I have in my FS2 folder :D
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: Cetanu on May 16, 2003, 10:56:57 am
Good idea to disable the mods - you dont want to get kicked out for "has hacked table data" messages :)


Just remember the basic rules and all newbies should have a good time:
1.) Always stay on low object updates when you join a game as a client (F2 key > multi settings) Most think because they got a good con that isn't mandatory, but it really is: If one client pulls to much data, he lags the host and the host lags all the other clients - a sure and fast way to find out that the host sees the transfer rates and owns the kick button :D
2.) Never haste a host. No "go go go" "when do we start here?" Usually waiting time is spent to get more players in a game and/or to keep a game open for some time so friends can join.
3.) Stay polite - that works wonders ;)
4.) Don't click or type in the debriefing screen until it says stats saved - PXO seems sensible and sometimes drops the process if you don't.
5.) Make sure you installed the missionpacks (I also recommend the additional voicefiles) from the BDHR site (see my sig) - nothing is more annoying then waiting for a mission transfer. Btw the few mods on the same site work in multiplayer without getting the hacked data message.

The online community got a lot less hostile to newbies since squadwar only works at random times (if at all). Most players are around on the weekends - and you certainly will find games to your liking (TvTs, Coops, Dogfights). If you stumble into TvT players that shoot you all the time, don't get frustrated you can just leave and find yourself some Coop players who are always around too. The main difference between single- and multiplayer FS2 is that you need to get used to forward aiming because your ping isn't zero when you are the client. :)

Last: Have Fun!
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: Steel on May 16, 2003, 11:14:21 am
Those rules pretty much go for any multiplayer game...if you abstract them and make them generic.  It is surprising the number of folks that connect to your game and then hassle you and/or other players...

The group I belong to is looking at FS2 just for multiplayer.  We use the single player aspect for training, but all of the games we play are to play with/against each other.  Nothing is more fun.  I have had Raven Shield since it came out, and not once have played single player...

We will not likely frequent PXO though...  We are tired of folks that cheat and complain, act like children, etc. so we most often play with a password and invite only...  We like coop mostly, but if we have enough folks and it makes sense we do adversarial as well...
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: Cetanu on May 16, 2003, 11:29:45 am
Sure you could make the rules generic, I just went into details because some are PXO specific and I wanted to help karajorma (maybe some of them go into his FAQ). I think its a shame that such a jewel of a game didn't attract more online players. Last but not least I think some would have helped those newbies who tried it but left because they got frustrated to early and before they got hooked. ;)

edit: sorry for all the editing, I'm not fully awake yet :D
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: karajorma on May 16, 2003, 06:23:12 pm
Thanks for the advice. I knew most of it already but what I didn't put in the FAQ will definately go in :) (I was never sure about that one about saving stats until now :D )

Time for a final look over HLP then I'll see about going online :)
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: Hunter on May 18, 2003, 04:33:57 am
Just because VW and F2S doesn't have lots of chit-chat doesn't mean there isn't things going on behind-the-scenes all the same. ;) ;)
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: J.F.K. on May 19, 2003, 07:50:31 am
Quote
Originally posted by karajorma
Considering that VWBB have managed to get 2 releases from TBP I don't think HLP has much right to start saying we're better. Seriously can you point to any releases from this board that have managed to gain as much exposure outside the community?


In light of that, I would say that HLP is more like a bar, and VW is more like an office. One's more lively, the other's more productive (perhaps because it's less lively).
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: karajorma on May 19, 2003, 12:14:26 pm
I wouldn't go that far. There is some work going on here. :D
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: Sesquipedalian on May 19, 2003, 12:52:05 pm
SA is working. :D
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: Petrarch of the VBB on May 19, 2003, 12:57:01 pm
yeah, you've got the Outrider released.
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: tEAbAG on May 19, 2003, 01:27:26 pm
Quote
Originally posted by J.F.K.


In light of that, I would say that HLP is more like a bar, and VW is more like an office. One's more lively, the other's more productive (perhaps because it's less lively).


I agree with the analogy, but I think it's because there is far more public urination going on at HLP.
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: Flaser on May 22, 2003, 11:36:53 am
I guess FS2 is turly dying...
Unless we change it so it's no longer plain FS2.
The SCP is out only hope...let's hope our saviours come up with something good.

The engine is already in the forge.
The multiplayer routines are being ironed.
The open FRED seems to fit like a glove - the ropes have to be tied to make it fit for parrying.
Newtonian physics is on the horizon for all the "realism freaks"...*myself icluded*

We have hope...a slim hope, but with great promises.
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: Windrunner on May 26, 2003, 04:47:06 pm
many of you guys are bleving that freespace is dying, but on the contrary its pretty mutch alive. I know that we don't have many new community sites sprouting up like we had in the good old days but its people like us that keep the this great game alive.  NEw projects will allways come up, and as long as we stick around Freespace communty will live on.
I have been around the freespace community since 1999 and i havegot to know some really great people. As long as i have internet coonection i will allways remeber of FS and its community.
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: Gloriano on May 27, 2003, 11:54:44 pm
all good is dying in our world but i only hope that FS community live on more years
Title: FreeSpace Community
Post by: Crazy_Ivan80 on May 28, 2003, 01:41:54 pm
Freespace as a community seems to be immensly resilient and appears to be growing still (I think I may have won us a few new converts over at a small B5-fanforum, obviously pointing them to the B5 Total Conversion and the fact that FS2 can be downloaded for free at the Underdogs).

Witht he source-code project I think the FS2 community basically has the ace of spades in its hand. Maybe the community should try to get the current results of the Source-code project (along with some campaigns maybe?) on the disk of a computer mag? Or at least mentioned.

PCGamer UK might be a good try (thy still list FS2 as the best space sim.... ever!) should this be an option.