Hard Light Productions Forums

General FreeSpace => FreeSpace Discussion => Topic started by: BlackDove on April 03, 2011, 03:55:38 pm

Title: History of Volition
Post by: BlackDove on April 03, 2011, 03:55:38 pm
Not sure if this is the forum for it, but it's topic appropriate partially anyway. (http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/03/30/the-secret-history-of-volition.aspx)
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: General Battuta on April 03, 2011, 03:56:15 pm
There's a thread for it in GenDisc, god knows why it's over there.
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: BlackDove on April 03, 2011, 04:05:52 pm
Well wherever, thought it should be posted on HLP.

I liked that the FS2 outtakes they showed aren't vanilla.

That was a nice nod.
Title: The secret history of volition by Ben Hanson.
Post by: GT-Keravnos on April 03, 2011, 04:10:44 pm
Thanks, Ben. Appreciated. I would advise every single (and romantically attached) one of y'all here to take a good look at the following link.

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2011/03/30/the-secret-history-of-volition.aspx

I admit that up until now  :v: for me, meant just a couple of Freespaces, namely FS1 and FS2, the descents and more importantly, their decision to release FS source code so that the talented coders of this community could come up with the improvements that became FSOpen. I gotta admit that I didn't know what :v: did after that point. Having seen what they did , I have to admit, I don't really like them. Saints row, a gang simulator? I mean, what were they thinking? Still, for a company that gave us FS 1, FS 2 and well, the code for the coders to create FSOpen with, I can somewhat understand what drove them at that point. After that, I admit I didn't even know what they were up to. Descent 1, 2 and both Freespaces were all the games I have played from  :v: and upon seeing the games they came up with, post FS II, that's likely to remain that way. Still, I am very focused on what I like and it's not as if I have a lot of time to play games any more, so I have to be entirely focused on what I like, just like everyone else, I think.

I advise watching this documentary if you are a regular here. I would advise watching this documentary even if you are not a regular. There is a very good reason why FSOpen has stood the test of time and that is, I think, because of the solid foundations  :v-old: build in to that code, despite universal admition that it's just a spaghetti code. The depth and options that  :v-old: an' FRED gave the mission designers, not to mention the new and improved options that the coders of FSO would come up with, were the reason why  we still play it and why so many missions, total conversions. campaigns, you name it, have been based on FSO. If you have played anyone of the other so called "space sims" out there, or sci-fi ones, (if that name could be utilized to describe FS 2), you 'd know that ever since FS2 was released no other space sim has ever come close.

It's getting late over here. Thanks for taking the time to read my 2cents worth of ideas. Enjoy the documentary and post to thank Ben, if you can. That's a job well done right there, Ben, enabling us, each and every one, to catch up with what  :v: is all about. 
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: Mongoose on April 03, 2011, 04:12:42 pm
I merged these two topics, since we already have another one in GD in addition to them. :p
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: GT-Keravnos on April 03, 2011, 04:15:02 pm
Apologies.   :banghead: I hadn't noticed that topic. Thanks for the speedy and prompt reply.
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: General Battuta on April 03, 2011, 04:20:06 pm
Saint's Row is an excellent game and I really enjoyed RF:G. V has nothing be ashamed of.
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: The E on April 03, 2011, 04:35:11 pm
Yes, as I said in the other thread, :v: has always been a developer one could rely on to deliver fun games. The FS series, Summoner 1 and 2, Red Faction 1, 2 and Guerilla, Saint's Row 1 and 2, all of these are fun games (Well, maybe not RF2, but I do remember not regretting buying that one for the PS2). I remember reading once that, while they're maybe not the most innovative of software houses, they do have a knack of taking tropes and gameplay concepts from other games and making them good.
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: sigtau on April 03, 2011, 07:53:22 pm
they're maybe not the most innovative of software houses

One word: Descent.

Unless we're being technical, in which case it was Parallax Software.
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: The E on April 04, 2011, 01:26:54 am
One big innovation more than a decade ago doesn't really count in my book. Also, I didn't say they were completely unimaginative, I'm just saying that they have a habit of remixing other people's innovations into something that is arguably more fun.
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: Snail on April 04, 2011, 03:09:40 pm
What about GeoMod? Wasn't that a :v: innovation? Or am I just going mad?
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: Mongoose on April 04, 2011, 03:31:37 pm
geomoooooood
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: General Battuta on April 04, 2011, 03:35:34 pm
when is scp geomod  :confused:  :confused:  :confused:
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: Rodo on April 04, 2011, 03:41:41 pm
*Rodo imagines the Colly getting bumped by the Repulse

Kool, but not cool.
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: NGTM-1R on April 04, 2011, 04:22:24 pm
when is scp geomod  :confused:  :confused:  :confused:

Right now.

If you go to the trouble.
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: Snail on April 04, 2011, 04:25:49 pm
...maybe I shouldn't have thrown that grenade into the conversation...
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: NGTM-1R on April 04, 2011, 04:28:19 pm
Well, to be honest, SCP has always been geomod, via destroyable subsystems, but it's such a hacky way to do things and generally poor at convincing that nobody tries.
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: karajorma on April 04, 2011, 08:09:30 pm
I do love how they seem to think that FS2 is the best thing they ever did. :)

The fact that they pulled development forward by two months is probably the reason for the hacks in Their Finest Hour.
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 04, 2011, 08:45:14 pm
Part of the reason why it probably seems so successful to them is because of.. well... us!  :yes:
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: Androgeos Exeunt on April 05, 2011, 11:30:08 pm
They may have made a very smart move by releasing FS2's source code. Without it, this community might end up like the Descent community, which seems to be fragmenting every year.
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: mjn.mixael on April 05, 2011, 11:38:48 pm
:headz: <- HLP's split.
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: Fearless Leader on April 06, 2011, 02:27:36 am
I love the freespace soundtrack running in the background of the 2nd video
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: Wobble73 on April 06, 2011, 05:23:13 am
Quote from: mjn.mixael
« on: April 06, 2011, 05:38:48 »
:headz: <- HLP's split.

shouldn't that be HLP's CUT!  :lol:
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: wistler on April 06, 2011, 09:11:43 am
I'm so glad they look back at FS2 with fond memories as the great game it is.
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: Enzo03 on April 06, 2011, 05:39:16 pm
Quote
We felt we did the best game we ever done and it was marginally profitable...
:(
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: ShivanSpS on April 06, 2011, 07:35:22 pm
I got the feeling if they make a Red Faction - Descent - Freespace hybrid, it will be the best game ever... Freespace style for space battles, Descent style for air combat in planets, Red faction style for ship boarding and planets. ANd offcouse the full breakeable enviroment of Red Faction for the whole game, incluiding ships.
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: Goober5000 on April 06, 2011, 09:25:36 pm
Derek Smart, is that you?
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: ShivanSpS on April 06, 2011, 09:29:17 pm
No, but lets face it, there is no chance for a space combat only game to made howdays.
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: Fearless Leader on April 06, 2011, 11:38:41 pm
No, but lets face it, there is no chance for a space combat only game to made howdays.

http://blackprophecy.com/

Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: NGTM-1R on April 07, 2011, 12:12:57 am
http://blackprophecy.com/

Isn't even out yet to prove it'll work, it's still in open/closed/door-ajar-light beta depending on who you believe in the topic we have. When the time comes for it to sink or swim it could still easily pull an APB on you.
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: Marcov on April 07, 2011, 05:53:34 am
Actually a grand idea of a FreeSpace franchise, Halo-sized, usually appears in my mind. Well, let's imagine, there's an RTS, FPS, RPG, Space Sim, Flight Sim, etc. of FreeSpace, perhaps some Sci-Fi fanon books (wasn't that part of the Reference Bible's intent anyway), and hell maybe even a movie.

Well it'd not be so interesting anyway, since the game rarely mentions Land Battles.

We might be pushing our luck here, but what the hell.
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: Mort on April 07, 2011, 07:50:14 am
There is a Ukrainian game called Precursors that has FPS and space sim mixed together.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precursors_(video_game)
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: wistler on April 07, 2011, 02:55:08 pm
Derek Smart, is that you?

Let me at him!  :hopping:
Title: Re: History of Volition
Post by: Dragon on April 09, 2011, 10:31:10 am
There is a Ukrainian game called Precursors that has FPS and space sim mixed together.
There's also a Russian game called "Parkan II" that has both FPS and space sim elements.