Hard Light Productions Forums

General FreeSpace => FreeSpace Discussion => Topic started by: GODzilla on February 15, 2012, 09:59:55 am

Title: Operation Templar - what can I expect?
Post by: GODzilla on February 15, 2012, 09:59:55 am: Or to ask directly: Would you recommend the campaign inside of fsport? Is it any good?

I just finished the last mission of Silent Threat - Reborn and it was a blast. Before that I re-played the original campaign of Freespace The Great War and it was cool too. Part of the atmosphere are fully voiced command briefings (not just the one for the missions, but also and especially the ones with the videos below) and voice-chatter. Plus the storyline of ST-R was really intruiging and some of the game mechanics used actually surprised me. I could tell they did the campaign with all their heart.

So...my point is: Can I expect equal quality from Operation Templar? Because if not, I'll go right ahead with FS2, Derelict and Blue Planet. :D

Thanks in advance for your help.
Title: Re: Operation Templar - what can I expect?
Post by: Goober5000 on February 15, 2012, 01:14:29 pm: Galemp has put quite a bit of effort into rebalancing (it used to be a multiplayer campaign) and upgrading Operation Templar. So as a member of the FSPort staff, yes, I can recommend it. :)

If you're going in chronological order, I can also recommend that you play Shrouding the Light (and Shrouding the Light: Origins) before Operation Templar. The STL campaigns are also extremely well done.

(Did you mean to post this in the General FreeSpace board?)
Title: Re: Operation Templar - what can I expect?
Post by: GODzilla on February 15, 2012, 01:19:47 pm: Ehrm...actually yes. I thought it'll be the right place for general gameplay and content questions. But of course you can move it if you want. ^^

And thanks for your input. Well...two other campaigns then? Not sure...:D I'm sooo looking forward to Freespace 2 actually. Beam weapons... :jaw: :D
Title: Re: Operation Templar - what can I expect?
Post by: Rodo on February 15, 2012, 01:20:23 pm: You could also try VI, aside from some very minor issues it's a really nice campaign, and gives you another POV into the T-V war.
Title: Re: Operation Templar - what can I expect?
Post by: GODzilla on February 15, 2012, 01:23:28 pm: Maybe later. Currently I'm following the chronology forward...Great War, Silent Threat, Operation Templar, Freespace 2, Derelict, Blue Planet...
Title: Re: Operation Templar - what can I expect?
Post by: -Norbert- on February 15, 2012, 04:01:12 pm: From the time alone yes, but I very much doubt that Derelict happened in the "BP continuity".
Title: Re: Operation Templar - what can I expect?
Post by: GODzilla on February 15, 2012, 04:05:26 pm: BP continuity? Do you mean like "official lore" or something like that? Well...Blue Planet is also just fan fiction, isn't it?

Anyway, those two campaigns came highly recommended, that's why I picked them. And yes, there are probably many more excellent campaigns. ^^
Title: Re: Operation Templar - what can I expect?
Post by: MatthTheGeek on February 15, 2012, 04:18:42 pm: Blue Planet has his own continuity, just like Inferno has its own continuity and Cold Element has its own continuity (which Derelict is part of).

For example, STR is considered BP canon. STR is not, however, real canon, it is strong fanon at most, and fan-made campaigns and continuities are free to consider it as part of "their" canon or not.
Title: Re: Operation Templar - what can I expect?
Post by: -Norbert- on February 15, 2012, 04:42:05 pm: What I meant is, wether you play Derelict before or after BP doesn't matter (for the story), since the Derelict events never happened, as far as Blue Planet background story is concerned.
Title: Re: Operation Templar - what can I expect?
Post by: GODzilla on February 15, 2012, 05:01:26 pm: Obviously not all fan projects can reference each other, so it's totally understandable. I just mentioned the timeline because that is simply what I'm orienting myself at.

And while the different campaigns might not play in the same "universe" so to speak there is one common ground: The tech.

In the early-era campaigns there is all blob-weapons, big bombs and ships of the older design. Now after the events of Freespace 2 and the second shivan incursion you've got all the fancy new stuff. :D

That's why I wanna play those in the "right order", to not mix up the tech. When I play a campaign with all beam-weapons and super-torpedos and then afterwards one centered around the Great War era tech...doesn't feel right. ^^
Title: Re: Operation Templar - what can I expect?
Post by: -Norbert- on February 15, 2012, 05:45:03 pm: Then you might push "Sol: A History" sometime between STR and FS2, since there you play a campaign during the time that beams are invented.
Title: Re: Operation Templar - what can I expect?
Post by: GODzilla on February 15, 2012, 05:53:58 pm: I'll have a look at this. Speaking of the time between...Operation Templar is a good example. Flack cannons, yet no beam weapons. Ships from the Great War era, yet the new Sekr-torpedo (yeah I know, it's design is still from 2335, but still...).

Cool continuity. :)
Title: Re: Operation Templar - what can I expect?
Post by: Ace on February 15, 2012, 06:40:55 pm: Quote from: MatthTheGeek on February 15, 2012, 04:18:42 pm
Blue Planet has his own continuity, just like Inferno has its own continuity and Cold Element has its own continuity (which Derelict is part of).

For example, STR is considered BP canon. STR is not, however, real canon, it is strong fanon at most, and fan-made campaigns and continuities are free to consider it as part of "their" canon or not.

Well I consider the re-writes for Silent Threat: Reborn as part of Cold Element's continuity since the detail on the Hades Rebellion and GTI (and GTVI) sections tie in nicely with Blackwater Operations. (if it ever gets released :p )
Title: Re: Operation Templar - what can I expect?
Post by: General Battuta on February 15, 2012, 07:20:49 pm: Quote from: -Norbert- on February 15, 2012, 04:01:12 pm
From the time alone yes, but I very much doubt that Derelict happened in the "BP continuity".

Derelict is at least nodded at in some BP material if only because we all love Derelict so much. (spoiler for BP in here
Spoiler:
Kyle Athanas was a decent inspiration for Nagari
)
Title: Re: Operation Templar - what can I expect?
Post by: Macfie on February 15, 2012, 08:51:53 pm: I'd check the campaign list. http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Narwhal%27s_Campaign_List
This divides campaigns into the appropriate eras and shows which ones go together.

If you look at the released campaigns thread, http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=70582.0, this will give you links to the campaigns.
Title: Re: Operation Templar - what can I expect?
Post by: GODzilla on February 16, 2012, 03:30:02 am: Quote from: Macfie on February 15, 2012, 08:51:53 pm
I'd check the campaign list. http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Narwhal%27s_Campaign_List
This divides campaigns into the appropriate eras and shows which ones go together.

If you look at the released campaigns thread, http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=70582.0, this will give you links to the campaigns.

Mhm...Operation Templar is not placed correctly though, imho. ;) It's 10 years after the Great War. The tech is also half-way (so to speak) to FS2. Flak cannons for instance.

Anyway, thanks for the links, I'll look it over. :)
Title: Re: Operation Templar - what can I expect?
Post by: Klaustrophobia on February 16, 2012, 07:07:22 pm: 10 years? granted i only played it like twice in retail, but i was under the impression it was supposed to be pretty much immediately after the great war.
Title: Re: Operation Templar - what can I expect?
Post by: Goober5000 on February 16, 2012, 08:39:48 pm: 10 years is the minimum, as it is a joint Terran-Vasudan mission carried out by the GTVA.
Title: Re: Operation Templar - what can I expect?
Post by: -Norbert- on February 17, 2012, 05:06:17 am: Most likely they just put together a few nice missions for multiplayer and didn't pay attention/give a damn about chronology, since it wasn't part of the main campaign anyway.