First off, I'm new to the boards, so if this isn't the place to post this feel free to bump as ya see fit.
Hi. I'm Gestalt. I'm a long time gamer, dabbling in most genres (ranging from the more general FPS/RTS to imported sushi chef sims). My heart's always been in the space sims, starting from the first X-wing game. I'm sure that folks here can appreciate the joys and frustrations of being obsessed with one of the most underrepresented genres in modern gaming.
I worked my way through Wing commander, the star wars games, and to stave off withdrawl shakes even spent time playing the Mayan Legacy games (adventure with space sim sequences). Everything changed when I played Freespace. All the countless details that no one else had gotten right were perfect: the agility, the sense of scale, speed, ship roles, etc. Freespace 2 only upped the ante and completely ruined me on other spacers. I spent most of my time in the Lancer series wondering why the stations were so small (and on completing them immediately launched FS2). The engine was showing its age, but that didn't matter: the best was still the best, and nothing in the genre has come close to toppling the king from his seat.
Then, disaster struck. I had two sets of install disks (one as a "loaner set"). Both of them got destroyed (along with a lot of other games) when my luggage got ran over. I checked high and low and couldn't find a reasonably priced copy. That search also directed me here. I was initially wary: my experiences with modder communities have been very mixed, both as a consumer and a developer (having done a fair bit of UnrealEngine and NwN modding). Most of the time I've had to rely on open sourcing I've spent more time fleshing out the feature list for basic usability than actually enjoying my downloads.
My experience at Hard Light has been jaw dropping. Every problem I've encountered, someone has already solved, and done so with flair, process transparency, and streamlined, user-friendly methods. I had some problems getting audio to work: no worries, someone already fixed that. I had some issues with my joystick: one quick peek at the forums, problem solved.
The new graphic assets are amazing. It looks like a brand new game, and the framerate is just as smooth as ever. The new campaigns (and resurrected favorites) are wonderful, engaging, and provide more of the Freespace I crave. Y'all know this already. You know this looks and plays wonderfully (and if you don't, I'll be happy to remind you of the great job done in that department).
What some may not know, and is worth drawing attention to, is that this is the smoothest, most professional mod deployment I've yet seen. The bug checking, feature list, interface, file management, and especially install/update process are more thorough than most commercial digital deployments I've seen. I wish Steam was this smooth.
So, to all the fine folk who continue to put in their time on a fantastic mod community, thank you. You've given me my favorite game back, made it better, and made the process painless. I can't imagine asking for more.
