Hard Light Productions Forums
Off-Topic Discussion => Gaming Discussion => Topic started by: Adept on January 18, 2009, 11:01:41 am
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Greetings FS2 fans
I hope I'm not the first to mention Allegiance here, but in case I am, here goes.
This Allegiance (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegiance_(computer_game)), right here (http://freeallegiance.org/)
/edit:
Here's some truly glorious footage from a 10 vs. 10 deathmatch
http://www.motionbox.com/videos/0a99d6bc1211e7c387?iid=switch_player_&type=hd
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I had a great review/advert style article written up, but apparently it has disappeared into a memory hole. I'll just do a teaser for now, and answer any questions you may have.
Here's the opening movie, in crappy youtube resolution: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pW9e7lgjBFY
Allegiance was created by Microsoft Research Group (which gave us such gems as Crimson Skies) in 1999 and released in 2000. It was a decade ahead of it's time then, and still unmatched now, especially as our beloved devs keep polishing and updating the game. It's a fully multi player space combat simulator, with elements of submarine hide-and-seek intelligence warfare. Every combat ship you meet from scouts to battleships will be crewed by human players. Every game starts from zero, so there is no level grind. All you take with you is skill, and reputation with fellow gamers.
The game should be one known for all space shooter fans. My personal favorites were the Wing Commander games (especially Prophecy) that had inertia. Allegiance has a great balance between realistic newtonian movement and the needs of gameplay. It has also slightly spoiled me, since as I can't map sidethrusters for true 3d freedom of movement in almost any other game they have lost their grip on me.
Such is the enduring pull of the game that many of our prominent players have played since the beta release in 1999. I kid you not, there are professional people in their fifties and sixties who are just as crafty and skilled as eight years of gaming will make you. But here's the best bit. Allegiance is all about team work. There are very useful and respected players who can't dogfight worth a damn. They build the probe networks to spy on enemy movement, fly the scouts and stealth fighters who don't rack up kills, but often ultimately lead to their side winning the game. Even the most heroically skilled player can't do much on his/her own. Bombing runs take most of the team working together, as does stopping such a run. Assaults on enemy miners, and the protection of the teams own assets takes coordination and cooperation.
In addition to the Interceptor-jockeys (the pilots), one guy on both (or each) teams takes the role of commander. He has a RTS gamers role, in investing the teams resources, building new space stations and working out overall strategy.
If you think you have what it takes to battle it out with and against other human pilots, head to www.freeallegiance.org and join the fray!
I leave you this wonderful background done by one of our pilots, using actual in game graphics. That's the Belters Junkyard Armada in action:
(http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/8657/allegbackjw0.jpg)
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One thing I have to mention. Our current version has trouble with the new Nvidia cards, as Nvidia dropped support of certain graphics functions used in older games. There's a beta test version of a DX9 compatible version available, and we have a great helpline. If the game seems to only get 10 FPS or so on your turbo-charged gaming comp, that's where the problem lies. Other than that, the game looks good and runs great even on really old machines.
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Certainly looks interesting, but I'm sworn off of MMO's at the moment, since they tend to be a time-vacuum, and time is somewhat limited at the moment.
I'll certainly be taking a look after the Uni year finishes though :)
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Hey, I actually played it, so your title hurts my sensitive feelings! :p (Note: It doesn't really)
It's definitely a good game, and not actually an MMO.
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Well, basically, anything where some kind of team is needing a member that can be relied on to be around at certain times etc, since I'm not certain when I could get online to play etc, I wouldn't exactly be reliable, and that wouldn't be fair on the team.
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Well, basically, anything where some kind of team is needing a member that can be relied on to be around at certain times etc, since I'm not certain when I could get online to play etc, I wouldn't exactly be reliable, and that wouldn't be fair on the team.
I'll try to clarify this up a bit.
The games last about an hour each, and there's usually one going or starting soon (the active player base it fairly small at the moment, due in part to the graphics hickups, so it can get pretty quiet when most people in the US and Europe are asleep).
If there's a game in progress, you just look which side is down a in players and join up. There are player ranks to help us all keep the games balanced. There are no permanent teams, all players on one side are a team, so they are very fluid. The game is very complex, and especially commanding is not something to attempt in your first few months.
On the more permanent teams side, I belong to an Allegiance Squadron called Steel Fury. There are many of these, and we play Squad Games on sundays.
We also have a Cadet program, run by really cool people. Allegiance is a complex game, and the cadet school (both a newbie course and a higher level course) are there to help new and returning gamers get fully into the game. Cadet was absolutely cool, and I still can't believe such a professional thing is run by fans for fans, just for the love of the game.
Here's my game banner, with the wings from my cadet class:
(http://users.utu.fi/mikrin/Adeptbanner.jpg)
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I tried playing it a while ago, but it didn't like my internet connection. Haven't touched it since.
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I tried playing it a while ago, but it didn't like my internet connection. Haven't touched it since.
Can you specify? Did you get high ping or what happened? Maybe it's something I can help with.
Here's more game pics. Iron Coalition Fighter Bombers approaching an aleph (that is - wormhole).
Personally I have turned off the nebula's from the background, so I can see a bit better. Alternatively there's a whole lot of graphics enhancements one can upload if one wants more eye candy.
(http://www.freeallegiance.org/screenshots/Teamwork/ICFigBombersCampAleph.jpg)
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I'm always willing to try some thing new(old).
Especially since first tiem around I limited myself to ONE pay-to-play game (EQ1) I missed out.
Problem, I tried to register 3 times , getting an asgent? Server Error...
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I'm always willing to try some thing new(old).
Especially since first tiem around I limited myself to ONE pay-to-play game (EQ1) I missed out.
Problem, I tried to register 3 times , getting an asgent? Server Error...
Can you be a bit more spesific. Did you register a callsign already? ASGS (the security system you launch the game through) may cause anti virus softwares and firewalls to block it's action. At least I needed to check my "blocked programs" list, and give it permission to send info out. It's our (utterly brilliant) anti cheating system. It basically makes sure the allegiance files haven't been tampered with, and links your callsign to your computer.
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Played it a few years ago. Couldn't really get into it.
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I actually installed this and registered an account some time last year but never got around to setting it up properly. Hmm.
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A professional recorded some combat footage a few days ago. It looks gorgeous. I'll link it here when it's out offiscially.
Seriously, the combat and gameplay is the best space flying you'll find anywhere. The learning curve is high, so don't expect to get good quickly... but it's all worth it.
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Read some of the stuff at the website sometime last year, and all of it gave off this overwhelming "hard-line extreme dedication and neo-elitist level of discipline required to play this game" feel.
Enough to actually scare me away.
I don't consider myself as one of those "casual" gamers who play without much purpose, but I also don't like the intense atmosphere of fighting for something at an ultra-top level either... experience with some other game showed that to me.
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I don't consider myself as one of those "casual" gamers who play without much purpose, but I also don't like the intense atmosphere of fighting for something at an ultra-top level either... experience with some other game showed that to me.
I can see how it can look like that.
Thing is, it's actually very easy to get into the game. A new player can be super useful piloting a scout. You can eye enemy stuff and learn when to run and how to stay alive "Ripcording!". If you fly a scout, put down probes and fix friendly ships/miners/cons with the nanite repair system, you'll be loved from the get go.
There's a lot of us who go out of our way to help new player over the initial hump in the learning curve.
Think of Allegiance in the same way as with Warbirds or those other WW-II multiplayer games. One needs to set up good controls and read up on the basics. Still you have the 3D-freedom of space flight, so you won't be crashing on the ground so much (maybe hit the occasional asteroid). Being familiar with things like Freespace and Wing Commander really helps too.
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I have played it, and I quite liked it (Therefore, it is not the best game i've never played. That would be... Heck, I don't know. Any suggestions?)), Especially when I used my I-war learned tactics to take down an heavy bomber in a Scout :) (I only managed that once... It is like taking down an Ares in an peggy (with Realflight physics)).
From what I hear from Battlefield 2(142), its quite like it, featuring one commander, and the 'soldiers' following orders.
I had no real problems learning to play the games, the tutorials were nice and my universal knowledge came in quite handy. Especially the I-War and BtrL knowledge.
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From what I hear from Battlefield 2(142), its quite like it, featuring one commander, and the 'soldiers' following orders.
Battlefield 2142 FT-****ING-W
Superb game, if it's anything like 2142 I'll get Alliegance, how much does it retail for?
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From what I hear from Battlefield 2(142), its quite like it, featuring one commander, and the 'soldiers' following orders.
Battlefield 2142 FT-****ING-W
Superb game, if it's anything like 2142 I'll get Alliegance, how much does it retail for?
$0 :p
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Allegiance is absolutely free!!!*
My experience is kind of like Joshuas. One can pick up the basics quick when one is experienced with space combat games. Oh and Joshua, come play more. The game is better than ever
*Microsoft, in a rare moment of niceness released the source code to the fans when they lost interest in developing the game. We're still developing and polishing it.
There are even mods (cores) for Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica versions. They are played some, but mostly it's the latest iteration of standard Allegiance that gets played. Sometimes just deathmatches, but mostly Conquest. The full game, that is.
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Seriously, the combat and gameplay is the best space flying you'll find anywhere.
Them's fighting words, mister. :p
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One thing I have to mention. Our current version has trouble with the new Nvidia cards, as Nvidia dropped support of certain graphics functions used in older games. There's a beta test version of a DX9 compatible version available, and we have a great helpline. If the game seems to only get 10 FPS or so on your turbo-charged gaming comp, that's where the problem lies. Other than that, the game looks good and runs great even on really old machines.
I know. I used to play regulary, but lately I've been getting chrases...so I'm not playing ATM. *sniff*
Damn good game.
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This starts to sound pretty interesting. Could be the kind of combat "simulator" I have been looking for. Unfortunately, I'm currently out-of-gaming time since Ph. D. studies are getting on the way. Until I next time get that "screw the doctorate" -feeling.
Does Falcon 4.0 experience help? I've been playing flight sims since I was 12, but I never found WWII related flight simulations appealing.
Mika
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Well, the training missions have done a pretty good job of souring me on the game. The controls are much too fiddly for my liking and the gameplay just doesn't catch my fancy. I can't see myself ever having fun doing that 'nanning' thing and it sounds like it's something I'd have to do a lot.
Ah well. It's nice to know people are still playing stuff like this, anyway. They don't make games like this any more.
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Does Falcon 4.0 experience help? I've been playing flight sims since I was 12, but I never found WWII related flight simulations appealing.
Mika
Yes and know. If you've had the dedication to master Falcon, the learning curve of Allegiance shouldn't scare you. I was a rabid Falcon 3.0 fan back in the day :yes:
Well, the training missions have done a pretty good job of souring me on the game. The controls are much too fiddly for my liking and the gameplay just doesn't catch my fancy. I can't see myself ever having fun doing that 'nanning' thing and it sounds like it's something I'd have to do a lot.
Ah well. It's nice to know people are still playing stuff like this, anyway. They don't make games like this any more.
Those old MS training missions are only good for... uh, not much actually. Fixing things with the nan is a very useful skill, but not something everybody does. There are pure combat pilots in the game. Just focus on Interceptors and Fighters if scouting isn't your cup of tea.
On the controls. I wonder if you fly with a joystick or a mouse? Try switching on the Quadratic Response instead of Linear Response, and aiming should become easier (the controls are slower close to center, and then accelerate towards the edges for quick turns). I've been playing (again) for over a year, and just adjusted those controls a month ago. I've been very pleased with the results.
Here's something I probably should have stressed from the get go:
Make sure to bind the up/down/left/right and Forward/Back thrusters so you can use them. There is no atmosphere to bank against, so any quick dodging and much of your overall agility depends on being able to fire all your thrusters. When you go head to head with an interceptor, and the other guy opens up on you with his miniguns, hitting the top thrusters and shunting your ship below his streat of fire (while still facing him and hammering away yourself) is how you win fights in Allegiance. Obviously you can substitude any sidethruster for the top there, and when you get the hang of it you want to be changing your vector all the time.
Make it hard for the enemy to hit you, and work on your own accuracy. That's the basic creed of the interceptor jockey. Even better is pouncing on enemies who can't see you, or who are busy fighting your allies :cool:
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Here you go people, the best footage of an Allegiance deathmatch ever:
http://www.motionbox.com/videos/0a99d6bc1211e7c387?iid=switch_player_&type=hd
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I pretty much played in all roles.
INTs are fun, but since they can't jump they are slow to get from system to system.
FIG's have less firepower than int's, but they have shields and can ripcord, which makes them very useful for quick responses.
Bombers are also fun, atlough I prefer to be a gunner during such raids.
Stealth Bombers are the bomb. The planing, the setup of several SB's as they slip into a enemy system and hide, then wait. It's like a WW2 sub move, you wait, hide behind asteroids while your energy re-charges and avoid scouts dropping pulse probes. Wait for the setup (all SB's appox 6000m from the target), a diversion, then the attack signal. Move in, decloak and hope you can let the missiles fly before your paper-thin hull is gone.
Scouts are almost the most fun. You can actually do 3 things in them.
1. Nanny - following and repairing any crtitical ships - capships, miners, bombers
2. Scout - exploring system, placing sat probes all over hte places. Or sneaking and placing a rip boy strategicly
3. interferance - load up on proximity mines, use hte comotion during an attack to fly in front of the enemy base exit door and start dropping! Nothing beats a minefiled right at the base hangar or Aleph (wormhole)exit.
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I turned off WD and Kerpasky and it seemed to log in for a sec, but then windows said there was a problem...
I run vista home premium and ran it as admin... No idea...
I ave dx10 and net 2 already but I dont use ie or that extra dl extension I use ff...
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There are some problems with various Net Framework versions.. In my case, I got logged-off/kicked out of the game periodicly every 15 minutes. Damn irritating.
Go to the forums and the tech support threads
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Sorry to hear about the tech problems. Vista is fiddly, and the net framework needs to be the correct one.
Our tech support guys are very helpful and skilled. Just be polite and have a bit of patience on that forum :)
It's worth the effort to get the game working. The 15 min crash sounds awful! Do you use the experimental graphics engine?
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I recall using some new exe downloaded from the forums .Uninstalled it since.
Damn, now I'm soooooo drawn to playing it again. :p
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I know. I used to play regulary, but lately I've been getting chrases...so I'm not playing ATM. *sniff*
Damn good game.
Same here :sigh:
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Well, re-installed it and played last night.
Damn 15 minutes crash is back. Methinks it has something to do with my card drivers. Still, was fun.
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When I played it last a bunch of weird yellow squares (or circles, I forget) started appearing over everything, and it slowed down 'til finally it froze and crashed. :blah:
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Trashman & Hellstryker, check if your problems are described in the tech support FAQ, and ask for help if they aren't. It would be great to have you guys back in the game.
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I had the same issue as Hellstryker. Using the DX9 alpha build from here (http://www.freeallegiance.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=41463) solved it.
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Trashman & Hellstryker, check if your problems are described in the tech support FAQ, and ask for help if they aren't. It would be great to have you guys back in the game.
I got a reputation there for being a crazy commander (curtesy of trying to early..altough some of my tactics were so crazy they actually worked :P I still recall detonating a Nova bomb in my own base and vaporizing the whole enemy attack force :lol: ) and a pain-in-the-ass scout/fighter (cause I sooo love proximity mines + enemy base exit combo :lol: )
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The currently played version is Community Core 03 (I think I have the version right).
Phoenix faction has been removed as fundamentally unbalanced (and unpopular), and we are waiting a new faction to get it's finishing touches. At the moment the Squads are duking it out in a long league, the first matches of which have been fought now.
Academy is a bit out of date, but still gives a good place to start or refresh memories.
http://www.allegacademy.org/index.shtml
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I hope Phoenix gets back, altough rebalanced. It's just had too cool ship designs.
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Yes and know. If you've had the dedication to master Falcon, the learning curve of Allegiance shouldn't scare you. I was a rabid Falcon 3.0 fan back in the day
We are planning to do some on-line fighting with my friends me being the wing leader. That'll be when I have time to do that. Allegiance doesn't really sound that bad when it comes to learning curve, the only thing is that there are different kinds of gameplay elements included. With modern day jet sims I have managed with the old faithful CH Flightstick Pro, this particular piece being maybe 14 years old. They say that it would be good to map some thruster stuff on joystick. I'm wondering if this would mean I have to buy a new one.
I still own Falcon Gold. MiG-29 was neat also, I loved the IRST and helmet mounted sight. "Go back to computer games, comrade!"
Just to clarify, is there a difference between nose pointing vector and velocity vector in Allegiance? If so, can you make it as large as you want? And if so, then this would be exactly the space combat "simulator" I have been wishing for.
Mika
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[quote author=Mika link=topic=60477.msg1193057#msg1193057 date=1232565595
Just to clarify, is there a difference between nose pointing vector and velocity vector in Allegiance? If so, can you make it as large as you want? And if so, then this would be exactly the space combat "simulator" I have been wishing for.
Mika
[/quote]
It is all that. You have full freedom of movement, and can turn computer assist totally off you you want. Your ship is a newtonian rocket, except there is space drag. You can just adjust the throttle and point the ship, and you'll more or less go there (eventually) but you have true inertia, and your ships side thrusters will actually have to kill the momentum and...
Trust me, it's good. Download it and find out. If you need help, I can come and show you the ropes. We use Team Speak 2 a lot, so one can have voice coms too.
I updated my joystick recently btw, and can recommend this sweet (and fairly cheap) baby:
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/gaming/pc_gaming/joysticks/devices/297&cl=US,EN
(http://www.terralab.ru/upload/terralab/input/logitech/logitech_force3d_pro.jpg)
More people play with mouse & KB, but I never got into that. Each to their own.
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Well, he don't go on forever. AFAIK, they do lose some speed and eventually will slow down unless thrust is given.
But yea - you an afterburing in one direction, cut the throttle and tun around, shooting whoever there is behind you.
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Well, he don't go on forever. AFAIK, they do lose some speed and eventually will slow down unless thrust is given.
But yea - you an afterburing in one direction, cut the throttle and tun around, shooting whoever there is behind you.
If you hit "vector lock" or backthrust when going backwards your ship will keep going in that direction much better. If you just cut thrust and spin around the computer assist will think you want to stop and fire the main thrusters (at the rear of the ship) to stop you really quickly.
But yes, freedom of movement. Many of the best players almost never fly straight ahead, unless they are in a hurry to get somewhere.
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OK, I'll give it a shot. I'll contact you when I have time available for learning something a little bit more complex (maybe in a month or so). Send me a PM in which I can get you email so I don't need to resurrect this thread again.
Mika
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OK, I'll give it a shot. I'll contact you when I have time available for learning something a little bit more complex (maybe in a month or so). Send me a PM in which I can get you email so I don't need to resurrect this thread again.
Mika
My Allegiance callsign is Adept. When you register for the website you can send me a private message with that.
I'll see you in space :cool:
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Oddly enough, I came back here after I played Allegiance mostly because I didn't think Allegiance was pretty enough.
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Oddly enough, I came back here after I played Allegiance mostly because I didn't think Allegiance was pretty enough.
You shallow thing :lol:
Allegiance is plenty pretty to me. The gameplay and the flight model still moves me to tears, and the aesthetics have never been a problem. Did you know there are a bazillion add ons you can use to tweak the graphics?
Not only that, but I learned today that we've recieved 32 CDs full of original & concept hi-res art from one of the developers. We'll end up updating the graphics to higher resolution using the original material!! Joy :pimp:
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Oddly enough, I came back here after I played Allegiance mostly because I didn't think Allegiance was pretty enough.
You shallow thing :lol:
Allegiance is plenty pretty to me. The gameplay and the flight model still moves me to tears, and the aesthetics have never been a problem. Did you know there are a bazillion add ons you can use to tweak the graphics?
Not only that, but I learned today that we've recieved 32 CDs full of original & concept hi-res art from one of the developers. We'll end up updating the graphics to higher resolution using the original material!! Joy :pimp:
Woah, that's awesome :D
Secondly, I wonder if like interplay did anything similar
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Secondly, I wonder if like interplay did anything similar
/me thinks half of the SCP staff are actually :v: members in disguise :nervous:
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Oh my! I never thought about that!
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Lot's of new players lately. I wonder if any of you chaps and gals have been around yet. :cool:
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Secondly, I wonder if like interplay did anything similar
/me thinks half of the SCP staff are actually :v: members in disguise :nervous:
:v: members used to post on the forum a while ago didn't they?
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Man, I really need to get around to playing this. Been busy lately though. Did they ever get those newer nvidia card issues straightened out?
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Man, I really need to get around to playing this. Been busy lately though. Did they ever get those newer nvidia card issues straightened out?
The DX9 compatible version is still not the general issue one. One needs to look into the tech support section and download it manually if one has a new nVidia card. Sorry.
But trust me, Allegiance is worth it for any HC space combat fan.
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Maybe I should mention this as well. Check out our swanky leaderboard, which uses the "trueskill" algorithms. There are some big bonuses for having a player base with the average age of about 30.
http://leaderboard.alleg.net/
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i justt tried it its a bit cubist when it comes to the graphics
other than that im sure you could have fun
i think we should opost a link to the fsopen so that the players there can experience something with a lot more eyecandy and some good missions in multiplayer
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Oddly enough, I came back here after I played Allegiance mostly because I didn't think Allegiance was pretty enough.
You shallow thing :lol:
Allegiance is plenty pretty to me. The gameplay and the flight model still moves me to tears, and the aesthetics have never been a problem. Did you know there are a bazillion add ons you can use to tweak the graphics?
Not only that, but I learned today that we've recieved 32 CDs full of original & concept hi-res art from one of the developers. We'll end up updating the graphics to higher resolution using the original material!! Joy :pimp:
Can you give me a link for such add ons and tweaks?
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Can you give me a link for such add ons and tweaks?
Mesial's site is a good place to start:
http://www.mesialonline.com/Allegiance/alleg.html
Here's a little treat from that treasure trove of Allegiance development cd's that were released to us:
(http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e313/Adaven/AllegianceWallpaper.png)
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So people, I've been playing Alleg for the last week, and I really like it.
The hotkeys are different, so FS players may get lost, and the flight physics is different. The game uses directional thrusters a lot more than FS (which only really uses it in Mods), so instead of turning only by turning the joystick, you might have to use upward, downward, left or right thrusters, which adds a lot of tactics. The learning curve is steep, and I'm still slowly climbing it. The game requires a lot of teamwork, and that's great. You must have a lot of situational awareness, and tactical thinking. It has a mode that is somewhat like an RTS, which is when you use the command view, to give orders to the other players, or to the AI Units (constructors, miners, etc.)
The game flows greatly, and has many factions that have varied ways of playing.
Graphically, it's not as great as FS2 (with MediaVPs), but has some graphical upgrades too. (Mainly to textures and backgrounds.)
By the way, the in-game training isn't really good, IMO.
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By the way, the in-game training isn't really good, IMO.
To be honest it's awful, bordering on the useless. Then again, we do have a cadet program which is all the training anybody should need :cool: