Four Freespace Easter Eggs You Probably Didn't Notice
It's no secret when it comes to developing games and campaigns that mission designers and writers like to slip little tributes to either theirs or others' works in their own storyline. It's a sign of respect in some cases, incorporation of other universes' elements in some others, and sometimes just cool little tidbits to reward players.
Some of these are fairly well-hidden yet clear references, while others are in your face but not immediately clear as to the origin. Freespace has a lot of both.
#4 – Blue Planet: The Former Slavedrivers of Mars are Still Around
Blue Planet: War in Heaven is the sequel to Darius' original work, Age of Aquarius. The story revolves around the war between the Sol-borne United Earth Federation and the invading GTVA forces. The player's character is a fresh newbie by the name of Noemi Laporte, fighting for the UEF 18 months after the conflict's beginning. Roughly a third of the way through the campaign, Laporte transfers from Earth's First Fleet to the Martian Second Fleet.
For those who are unfamiliar with it, Red Faction is a series created by Volition Inc., the same company that created Freespace. The first game in the series centered around a group of miners on the Red Planet revolting against the corrupt Ultor Corporation in the year 2070. The revolt succeeds, and Mars is freed from Ultor.
The War in Heaven team, in either a simple nod to our beloved Volition or as an inclusion of the events of Red Faction in Blue Planet history, note that Ultor is still alive and well three hundred years after they were driven off of Mars. Several UEF ships and weapons, including the Kentauroi interceptor, were built by the “Oxys-Ultor Threat Workshop.”
Additionally, note the Red Faction: Guerrilla logo:
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_DoMLXpRH5CU/TT8Fy13zI5I/AAAAAAAABI0/SerUr44X63M/s1600/Red+Faction+Guerrilla.jpg)
And then notice one of Captain Simms' lines in The Intervention: "That better not turn into some kind of running joke, Laporte. Netreba cracks down on chain-of-command romances like a guerilla's hammer, and I'm on thin ice as it is with the casualty rate."
While we're on the subject...
#3 – Volition Pays Tribute to Freespace in Red Faction
While Descent and Freespace were the franchises that made a name for young Parallax Software and Volition Inc. in the PC gaming world, Red Facton would be the series that would pave their way on the consoles. Scroll back to the previous section if you're unfamiliar with the premise of the series.
The third installment would be titled Red Faction: Guerrilla, an open-world game telling the story of the newly-reformed Red Faction's revolt against their liberators-turned-oppressors, the Earth Defense Force. One of the later operations involves a daring charge against a major EDF artillery base. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxEYrlzL13M&feature=BFa&list=SPAD78CF2A1594DEF1&index=72)
As you drive around reaching waypoints and trying to avoid being hit by artillery, you hear other panicked guerrillas over the comms:
Help me! There's blood everywhere!
Where's the damn waypoint?!
I can't see! I can't see!
Where's Beckett? Has anyone seen Beckett?
Wait, what? Beckett? Surely they didn't...
That one took Bosch's head right off!
(http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/5526/bosch.png)
Why yes, yes it did.
Yeah, they did. Volition included some Freespace names into this mission: you can also notice Cordova and Snipes if you play this mission enough.
Additionally, you can unlock an achievement for shooting down fifty EDF gunships: Freed Space.
#2 – Silent Threat: Reborn; Famous Ships, Pop Culture
Oh, boy. Silent Threat, how we remember ye. You came as an add-on pack to Volition's extemely well-received Descent: Freespace, but how you disappointed. Plotholes aplenty, unnamed jump nodes, generally-poor mission design. You were the one bad mark on an otherwise-excellent franchise. Oh well, at least you shipped with The Destiny of Peace. (http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Destiny_of_Peace)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/NelsonAndBronte/FS2/NepentheApproach.jpg)
Well...alright, I guess I'm not that mad...
Silent Threat should have succeeded; it had an interesting premise, that of the revolt of Galactic Terran Intelligence, and at its center, one of the coolest big ships in Freespace: the Hades. Fortunately, the good people at the FSPort spent several years rehabilitating the campaign. The result: one of the most highly-anticipated and well-received campaigns in recent years.
(http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/2051/strdead2qgi.jpg)
Doing quite well for a campaign dead.
While great care was taken to preserve most of Silent Threat's original story ideas, the FSPort team added in their fair share of nods to the community. Remember the GTC Lonewolf, the cruiser you spend most of your early missions in Derelict around? It was mentioned in Derelict that the Lonewolf had been in service since the Great War—and now it makes an appearance in Silent Threat: Reborn.
Another mission a little more than halfway through also contains so many HLP and pop culture references it borders on insane. Among the references: an overzealous ST:R fan (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,9643.msg225007.html#msg225007), unknown persons setting up explosive devices (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVsijmCFs50), and some famous last words. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWLBljvEG-M) Well, either the last one's a reference to good ol' Marlon Brando, or some Vasudans were in the middle of a ST playthrough.
The horror....the horror....
#1 – Blue Planet: Steele is More Badass Than You Know
Anyone who's played War in Heaven is probably familiar with the campaign's breakout character—the GTVA's Admiral Steele. The man is a tactical genius; a ruthless gentleman-warrior. At the time of his appearance, he's probably the single most feared man amongst all of the threats facing the poor Federation.
(http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/2718/downloadzu.png)
The United Earth Federation, Jim! Calm down!
So Admiral Steele's a badass isn't he? What exactly could make him more hardcore than a guy who makes contingencies for his contingencies and doesn't afraid of anything?
Well, you could base him off one of the most badass villains in recent sci-fi history: the Alliance Operative.
(http://i51.tinypic.com/117y9tz.jpg)
You are now seeing Steele as black and carrying a sword. You're welcome.
Every word you can use to describe Steele can be used to describe this man; ruthless, remarkably intelligent, calm, gentlemanly. As other characters say: a believer, kills and never asks why, comes at you sideways, someone his enemies have every reason to be afraid of.
Or hell, just listen to him for one minute. (http://www.anyclip.com/movies/serenity/the-operative-calls-mal/)
Now, why the hell am I making this connection? What does The Operative have to do with Admiral Steele, despite a few similar character traits?
Well, take a look at the tech room entries. You'll find Admiral Steele's first name: Chiwetel. And it just so happens, the actor playing The Operative shares that very same first name. Now, if it was “Bob”, I would have accepted a coincidence, but Chiwetel, even in the 24th century, probably isn't on the top list of baby names.
(http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/uu62/daily_firefly/Serenity/11-01-09fireflytheoperative.jpg)
Blue Planet team wanted to give Steele sword-training too, but they don't want to be held responsible for head asplosions.