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General FreeSpace => FreeSpace Discussion => Topic started by: gaa00 on July 25, 2003, 07:23:41 am

Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: gaa00 on July 25, 2003, 07:23:41 am
Hi,  I am new to this forum. I bought the freespace games having played the demo of the great war yonks ago. By far the best games I have played in a long long time.

I just replayed the main campaign in freespace 2 and for some reason I cannot get passed Commander status. I am playing the game on insane and I just cannot see where I am going wrong. I have all the medals and 2 SOC crests.

Can anyone please help ???

Thanks in advance and if anyone is on ICQ then please feel free to add me!!! :D :D
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: J.F.K. on July 25, 2003, 07:41:44 am
Welcome to HLP, mate. :)

As far as I can gather, ranks in FreeSpace 1 & 2 are handled by a points system. The amount of points required for each rank increases exponentially... 1000 points for the first rank, then 2000, then 5000, etc. You get points for getting kills and completing certain mission objectives, and more points when on higher difficulty settings. It should just be a matter of time before you reach the next ranks. ;)
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: gaa00 on July 25, 2003, 07:44:48 am
Thanks for the info. I guess I will just have to disarm my own capital ships and tell them to stop firing and let me do the wasting!! I have over 50% of the total kills possible :( Oh well. I guess I have to replay the campaign for the third time in the past 4 days :D

Thanks for the welcome.
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: karajorma on July 25, 2003, 08:26:24 am
From my FAQ (link Below)

Quote
I'VE BEEN PLAYING A LONG TIME AND I HAVEN'T GOT A PROMOTION. IS THERE ANY WAY OF TELLING HOW MUCH FURTHER I'VE GOT TO GO?

Not from within Freespace. However there are tools that allow you to look. Download pilot manager from
Hard Light Productions (http://www.3dap.com/hlp/freespace/downloads.shtml) You may have to download the DLL pack to get it to work though.
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: gaa00 on July 25, 2003, 08:42:24 am
Thanks for the information but can someone please explain to me why gamespy or fileplanet whichever of the two it is put all the FS2 files on servers for paying members only?


My bad, I am just plain stupid!!!
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: DeepSpace9er on July 25, 2003, 09:11:40 am
One of my characters became a Rear Admiral. But then i downloaded Noise's campaigns to test them out. I put them in the main FS2 directory (foolishly) and played them with my Rear Admiral. I come to find out that Noise adjusted the tables to change the basic ships with new ships he made. I played his campaign until i reached a point where the game crashed every time i played it. Then i tried to play the FS2 campaign again, but every ship was a Ulysses. So I deleted his tables and campaign off of the Fs2 directory, but i still have a record of killing some of his ships, which do not exist anymore. Thus, i cannot play with the real admiral that, to get, i had to play the main campaign at least 10 times. Ive decieded to leave the character there as a reminder of something stupid I did and also, there is, to me, the possibility that someday he might be resurrected and work again. Moral of the story: :hopping:
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: StratComm on July 25, 2003, 09:41:45 am
Quote
Originally posted by DeepSpace9er
One of my characters became a Rear Admiral. But then i downloaded Noise's campaigns to test them out. I put them in the main FS2 directory (foolishly) and played them with my Rear Admiral. I come to find out that Noise adjusted the tables to change the basic ships with new ships he made. I played his campaign until i reached a point where the game crashed every time i played it. Then i tried to play the FS2 campaign again, but every ship was a Ulysses. So I deleted his tables and campaign off of the Fs2 directory, but i still have a record of killing some of his ships, which do not exist anymore. Thus, i cannot play with the real admiral that, to get, i had to play the main campaign at least 10 times. Ive decieded to leave the character there as a reminder of something stupid I did and also, there is, to me, the possibility that someday he might be resurrected and work again. Moral of the story: :hopping:


I took one of mine all the way up to admiral one time, but it was a bit of a hack.  Can be done with FRED, mind you, but it's a hack just the same.  I just wanted to see what it would do more than anything; I think the point value on Admiral is something like 5,000,000 and no one will ever get that playing the main campaign repeatedly.
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: gaa00 on July 25, 2003, 09:43:21 am
Stratcomm

How did you hack it???????? :D
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: Nuclear1 on July 25, 2003, 09:49:38 am
In FS1 you're called a cheater if you get past Commodore.
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: StratComm on July 25, 2003, 09:55:44 am
Quote
Originally posted by gaa00
Stratcomm

How did you hack it???????? :D


A few notes on this beforehand... I did this with a clean (no kills) pilot, and you generally should create a new pilot for each mod campaign you play so it won't really accomplish much.  The admiral was based on a set of only barely legal tables so there's no telling what would happen if I tried using him elsewhere.  I think my actual main campaign pilot is a captain.

In FRED, there is a setting in ship properties that sets points...  And points only apply to your ranking if you play the mission as part of a campaign.  Play around with that information, and try not to skip ranks if you can help it.
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: karajorma on July 25, 2003, 09:59:17 am
Quote
Originally posted by gaa00
Stratcomm

How did you hack it???????? :D


Make a campaign in FRED worth an obsene amount of points for a simple objective :D
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: TopAce on July 25, 2003, 10:24:52 am
One note to our newbie: gaa00 about scoring:
If a ship has 10 point as award when you kill it completely alone, you don't get the full amount of that score only on Insane level, because FS scoring depends on the difficulty level:
(x/5) x score = score granted

x is the number of the difficulty level, very easy is 1 ... and insane is 5, so if you kill a craft that has 10 score on medium, you get only 6 score. because:

(3/5) x 10 = 6

Ohh ... I hope I explained it understandable :doubt: :)
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: gaa00 on July 25, 2003, 10:31:46 am
Thanks for that :D

I think that for some reason on my new campaign had medium on teh first few levels but then I changed to insane half way through guess I need to restart for the fourth time!!!

:D
Title: Rank = career death...
Post by: Star Dragon on July 25, 2003, 03:54:57 pm
I wouldn't want to be promoted higher than Captain myself. Then again in my fan-fiction I get shoved into a Major's slot only because you HAVE to have that rank (or Above), reluctantly. Then again due to politics I get shoved upline two more ranks in 2 years!(Unprecedented)... Due to both exemplerary performance and the cowardice of the joint chiefs (like they want to leave Earth for a possible onw way trip!).
     Now I want to learn how to change ranks in FS2 just for one pilot (if possible) or for a group of pilots who choose to go ground pounder/joint task force option. US Army ranks go for Mechwarrios( RDF Destroids). Though most Starships and Naval units use US NAval ranks, Rank/Grade makes equal lines of Command and Control so that is not a problem of mixing rank types (generals/Admirals)...

BTW My rather 'unconventional' style of command has only gotten worse due to the influence of a certain Major General in the REF (named Hunter)... ;)  My XO ends up 'taking the con' more often than any other ship in the Earth fleet. I mean where is it written the the CO of a warship MUST be on the bridge as long as there is a clear channel of communication between them? Oops! can't talk now bogey on my six! L8tr!!! :lol:
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: karajorma on July 25, 2003, 04:29:32 pm
Quote
Originally posted by karajorma
Make a campaign in FRED worth an obsene amount of points for a simple objective :D


Quote
Originally posted by StratComm
In FRED, there is a setting in ship properties that sets points...  And points only apply to your ranking if you play the mission as part of a campaign.  Play around with that information, and try not to skip ranks if you can help it.


Okay Bash us both with the stupid stick for forgetting the much simpler method of simply using the Grant-promotion SEXP :D

What was I thinking? :D

That said I feel better that no one else noticed either :D
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: Drew on July 25, 2003, 04:35:23 pm
Quote
Originally posted by karajorma


Make a campaign in FRED worth an obsene amount of points for a simple objective :D

gezz ive been doing that ever scince i got the game :D
i mad a mission with one mara in it and mad it woth about 100000000000 points when you killed it :D
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: TopAce on July 25, 2003, 04:51:49 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Drew

gezz ive been doing that ever scince i got the game :D
i mad a mission with one mara in it and mad it woth about 100000000000 points when you killed it :D


My version was different, it had an event that was true, and it gave you 5000000 points per second.
Title: Don't know what to say to that!
Post by: Star Dragon on July 28, 2003, 03:52:52 pm
Ummm, except for why?

Isn't it more fun/better to earn your way up even if it means playing the whole campaign (or one set of missions) repeatedly instead of Bang I've gone from ensign to Vice admiral in one mission? (just curious)

BTW any clue about what I asked on changing/adding ranks (like Army)?
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: Carl on July 28, 2003, 04:30:58 pm
Quote
Originally posted by karajorma
That said I feel better that no one else noticed either :D


i did :p
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: karajorma on July 28, 2003, 04:41:12 pm
Quote
Originally posted by Carl
i did :p


But you gave me time to notice and correct myself. What a good admin. Letting the users save face by discovering their own mistakes :D
Title: Re: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: Hippo on July 28, 2003, 06:34:37 pm
Quote
Originally posted by gaa00
I am playing the game on insane



and how long did it take you to beat the game?
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: Carl on July 28, 2003, 11:06:22 pm
...cheat codes.
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: TopAce on July 29, 2003, 04:55:44 am
I don't like playing on Hard and Insane, the odds are really against the human player, you get killed in an Ursa in no minutes, because the Ai weapon's damage has been doubled at least. That's not fair and takes the feeling away.
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: Woolie Wool on July 29, 2003, 02:08:47 pm
Heh heh. I fooled around with promotions with FRED too. One of my pilots is an Admiral but only a double ace.
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: Woolie Wool on July 29, 2003, 02:14:50 pm
My campaign has a different rank system:

2nd Lt: 0
1st Lt: 1000
Captain: 2000
Major: 4000
Lt. Colonel: 8000
Colonel: 16000
Commodore: 80000
Rear Admiral: 160000
Vice Admiral: 320000
Admiral: 640000
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: diamondgeezer on July 29, 2003, 02:29:41 pm
Well that's nice in theory, Woolie, but you realsie that will screw with the built-in ranks, right? Hope you know some good table hackers...
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: TopAce on July 30, 2003, 05:27:08 am
This is somehow better than the [V] rankings.
Every rank is reachable without playing more than 10.000 missions with the same pilot.

I was planning RR to have different ranking system, too, but I gave it up, because I think it might disturb your pilot file what rank your pilot is on, and this might cause barracks, or pilotview to crash, freeze, uninstall, self-destruct, or anything like that :)

[V] ranking sys is better for PXO, when you play almost every day at least once. But not good on the side how easy it is to hack any multimissions and play them on PXO.
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: JR2000Z on July 30, 2003, 03:32:13 pm
if your going for certain rank, do you have to get it the first time through the campaign or can you restart it after completing it? :confused:
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: Flipside on July 30, 2003, 05:36:06 pm
You can restart the campaign, your pilot details are saved :)

Flipside.
Title: How do I get higher than commander?
Post by: TopAce on July 30, 2003, 05:45:09 pm
Your stats are even saved if you restart a campaign while you are in the middle of your it. The guidebook tells your stats would be erased if you didn't complete your current campaign, and restart it.