Hard Light Productions Forums

Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The FRED Workshop => Topic started by: MikeRasschaert on December 24, 2012, 09:34:36 am

Title: clash of the titans II
Post by: MikeRasschaert on December 24, 2012, 09:34:36 am
perhaps someone has posted this before, but something bugs me about the last mission of Freespace 2, after the bastion collapsed the node, where you have to help a convoy to Vega, fighting all sorts of bombers and fighters. I have to admit, that using a particular strategy (don't know if anyone else used this). I made sure I got 12-13 trebuchets and hornet missiles. I tell the squadrons to ignore cancer wing and 3 of the 4 bombers from gemini and tell Gamma wing and Delta wing to target the SC Thanatos. I use my trebuchets to take out the bombers I told the rest to ignore, with the exception of one cancer bomber, which I take out without the trebuchet or with the hornet.
When the first wave is taken out, I order the rest of the fighters to target the Thanatos and resupply. By than another wave of gemini and cancer wing arrives and I take them out using trebuchets, except for two cancer bomber wingers. All of these leads to the SC Thanatos been destroyed between 2:05 and 2:20 minutes. Which means that around 7:45 I hear the voice over from command saying the third convoy is passing through subspace and into normal space. Depending on how many fighters I still got (and no other ship in the convoy is lost), I can make sure that Aeolus cruiser and at least one GTT Argo transport makes it to Vega. When the rest of my fighters still attached to protecting the Sydenheim, all enemies are down around 5:30-45, which makes around a minute that I got to spare. Isn't there a way to edit the mission so that the third convoy makes its way sooner?
Title: Re: clash of the titans II
Post by: mjn.mixael on December 24, 2012, 09:45:05 am
You can edit any mission to play however you want, really. But that pretty well destroys the game as it was designed. For instance, in this mission.. I suspect the reason some convoys leave so late and can never make it to the node is to add emotion to the player's choice to either stick around and try to help them or to ditch them and head for safety. IMO, it's a really good mission design choice and much better than everyone making it to the node safely and the game ends with sunshine and rainbows.
Title: Re: clash of the titans II
Post by: niffiwan on December 24, 2012, 08:14:51 pm
If you really want to save the 3rd convoy, then don't destroy the Cain class cruisers (only one of them is relevant to this, but I forget which one), just disarm then ignore them (also, search the forums for "Saviour of Capella" :D)

Seriously though, I'm with mjn.mixael on this from a story point of view, it's much better the way it's meant to be played.
Title: Re: clash of the titans II
Post by: Megawolf492 on December 26, 2012, 09:06:56 am
Isn't there a way to edit the mission so that the third convoy makes its way sooner?

IIRC, there were four convoys. Depending on when the supernova stimuli happen, the third convoy is en route and the fourth just warped in.

I suspect the reason some convoys leave so late and can never make it to the node is to add emotion to the player's choice to either stick around and try to help them or to ditch them and head for safety. IMO, it's a really good mission design choice and much better than everyone making it to the node safely and the game ends with sunshine and rainbows.

The first time I ever played the mission, I was fighting the cain cruisers when it happened. I tried to get to the node but even using full afterburners I still died. The supernova reaches you in about a minute, so you don't have much time to do anything less you're near the node. If you had 5-10 minutes to still fight off the shivans to get some more ships in, then sure.
Title: Re: clash of the titans II
Post by: Master_of_the_blade on December 30, 2012, 11:22:41 am
You are to reroute all power to the engines if you want to survive the supernova.
Title: Re: clash of the titans II
Post by: Crybertrance on December 31, 2012, 12:27:58 am
You are to reroute all power to the engines if you want to survive the supernova.

No, Not necessary.
It just might be that you are so far from the node, that even if you afterburner your way to the node, you probably won't make it in time.
Title: Re: clash of the titans II
Post by: Megawolf492 on December 31, 2012, 09:57:52 pm
You are to reroute all power to the engines if you want to survive the supernova.

No, Not necessary.
It just might be that you are so far from the node, that even if you afterburner your way to the node, you probably won't make it in time.

Yeah, I don't remember if I did route all power to engines, but I was so far from the node I doubt it would have mattered. Either way there is no time to make any "moral" choices.