The largest problem with 'artificial gravity', is that it's...well...artificial. Gravity is a physical law; we've quantified gravity, but only in terms of mass, because that's how gravity exists - sufficient mass. in order to have gravity comparable to earth, you have to have an object equal in mass to that of earth. So, any notion of ships being large enough to possess noticeable gravity is out of the picture.
Therefore, you have to find a way to create the PULL of mass on an object, without actually HAVING the mass required. This is why every artifical gravity theory comes with a great big honking WTF??!?! at the end of it. Where's the mass coming from? You couldn't just have it in one spot, either - assuming it was possible to have an object or field that is SO dense, it holds the same gravity as earth - this obect or field would have to be concentrated absolutely equally around the whole of the ship, unless all spacecrafts were round. otherwise, you'd have everything on the ship pulled toward the center of the mass, wherever this 'gravity making thingy' is located.
Of course, this would also mean that the ship would be at least as heavy as earth; God forbid it ever tries to approach another spacefaring object, or stellar body. For that matter, how would it MOVE? You'd have about as much luck trying to attatch jet engines to earth itself, and hope it can generate enough thrust to move us.
Put simpy, it's very difficult to justify artificial gravity, in it's truest sense - even though all deep-space exploration would depend on it, especially freespace.
The way real world physicists get around this, is by either (theoretically) magnets on boots, or (more realistically) centrifugal force. This second form utilizes a spinning compartment, wherin the decks, or rooms, are positioned so that the floors are on the inside edge of this spinning room, and the momentum itself holds everything to the side of the compartment. This is utilizing the principle of momentum, however, not gravity. The B5 series uses this process, as did 'mission to mars' the popular, yet stupid, movie. (insert flame here)
However, freespace ignores both ideas.
The ineresting part is the infamous 'hallfight' cutscene. in it, it's apparent that Elysium transports do not 'create' gravity (an impossiblity, besides), nor does the shivan ship, and the space marines are shown using magnetic boots. however, in an (earlier? later? can't rememver) cutscene, the wing leader of your squadron onboard the Galatea is shown pacing as he's giving you your briefing, while the pilots are sitting down.
So, we're led to believe that Warships of sufficient size somehow create gravity at will, even though even the most extreme methods of doing so (like dark matter, or trans-dimensional material, or fields designed to emulate gravity)would render the ship immobile and dangerous to any object it approaches.
The only viable theory is listed above, somehow creating a directional, and short-ranged, field that SOMEHOW replicates the effects of gravity, WITHOUT effecting anything beyond it's range, which makes little sense, because gravity is gravity. Perhaps a form of this would be the use of magnetics in a more creative sense, like hallways that hold you down, but roofing above that repels you, due to the field generated by an IMMENSE electromagnet. But, this of course, does not take into account the smoke and particle details listed in previous posts.
So, FreeSpace not only ignores physics, but contadicts the physics it has made up or altered. such as flight.
To be fair, so has Star Trek, Star Wars, and 99% of all the other space licences. The funny part is that each licence finds a very creative way to solve SOME problems, such as distance, and the speed of light, and a totally, bafflingly stupid way to solve others, such as 'listing' ships (star trek 6), or gravity. Sometimes the theories used, especially for flight physics, or power generation, are quite ingenious, even plausible. But some are just...stupid. Like Gravity. And the effect a laser beam has on the human body. And shields. This doesn't mean that the genre should go the opposite direction, and sacrifice gameplay mechanics (ala X2), but some of this is just plain silly Oh well. We'll get over it.
Please excuse the long post.
