[IronForge]

I know its not right for me to say this as a freeloader, but I am absolutely infuriated that after an hour bumping around all over the place trying to find the technical requirements, I STILL HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH BANDWIDTH THIS IS GONA SOAK UP. I am limited to a tight 12gb a month budget and cannot afford to exceed it or my internet is gona be slowed down to a snails crawl for the rest of the month. Yes I could upgrade my plan but I'm poor and usually don't need it.

ANY HELP?!!!  

I'm really trying not to look bad, but I think listing the download size is not too much to ask. Sure, I am just a useless leecher and you can choose to totally ignore me, as well as the others who probably want some information like this (I know a few actually) but don't post/not part of forums). You still have millions of fans worldwide, but I think it would be really nice for you to make an official mention. It would not only win me and many others over, but make the millions out there know you care about their internet costs and are at least doing something. That way people don't feel cheated after downloading a 5GB file. I hope it aint 5GB...

[Narvi]

Even with all my mods and everything, my folder takes up only eight gigs.

[IronForge]

8 gigs? bye bye online gaming for the rest of the month.

    * Do I need anything special to play?

[list=1]

    * OS: XP, Vista, Linux or MacOS
    * OpenGL capable GPU (Shader Model 3 reccommended)
    * CPU: Anything respectable made in the last few years
    * Joystick (not required): (proper one preferred) or X-box 360 pad
   * HD space: a few gigs

A few gigs? Can you be more specific please?

[General Battuta]

No. The reason is because there are a lot of optional components. The size of a Freespace Open install can vary from multiple gigabytes to just a few megs.

The basic Freespace Open executables are only a few megabytes each.

If you want to add in all the MediaVPs, however - which are required for all the eyecandy - you're going to be throwing in another gig and a half.

And remember, all this is on top of the core Freespace 2 files (the retail game), which you'll need to get from GoG. I can't tell you off the top of my head how many gigs that is.

[portej05]

It really does depend on which mods you install. There are quite a few.
MediaVPs (at least, mine) are 1.3GB
OggCutscenes are about 250Mb

You'll also need to have the original disks/isos handy, as FSO needs to install over those (unless you're playing a total conversion)

This is something we should put on the list of things to address for the next launcher/installer.

EDIT: Ninja'd by the chief

[IronForge]

Well I used to play fine without the original disks. Can I play freespace open WITHOUT them? 

[General Battuta]

If you already have Freespace 2 installed, yes - you'll never have to actually put the disks in the drive (but please, please hang on to them, and don't lose them.)

But the Installer won't install Freespace 2 for you, just Freespace Open. And FSOpen requires the original FS2 retail files.

If you don't have Freespace 2 installed, you'll need to install it from the disks or from GoG.

[IronForge]

Understood. so its  useless if i don't have the original?
Can ANYTHING be played on it without the original files? I'm pretty sure I have it lying around in an old computer... Can just take that installation over and update it.

[Jeff Vader]

FreeSpace Open 3.6.10 RC3 (FSO build, FSO debug build, FRED Open, FRED Open debug): 24.9MB uncompressed, 8.05MB zipped.
Launcher 5.5: 260kB uncompressed, 70.2kB rar'd.
3.6.10 MediaVPs: 1.19GB uncompressed, 347MB 7-Zipped.
FSPort 3.1.1: 776MB uncompressed, less when packed (sorry, I've removed the archives and am hesitant to redownload just for this).
FSPort MediaVPs: 136MB uncompressed, less when packed (read above).

Those are what I'd concider "basic" for people who play FSO. Opinions may vary.

Understood. so its  useless if i don't have the original?

Yes.

Can ANYTHING be played on it without the original files? I'm pretty sure I have it lying around in an old computer... Can just take that installation over and update it.

Standalone total conversions like The Babylon Project, Wing Commander Saga, Beyond the Red Line, the upcoming Diaspora...

[General Battuta]

You can do that, yes.

The only things you can play on the FSOpen engine with the original files are total conversions. Beyond the Red Line and The Babylon Project will work without retail files, for instance.

[IronForge]

Since when has the installer not included files required to run the game?

Will freespace open allow me to play the main freespace 2 campaign, derelect, etc or must I go get those from my old installation?

I don't have the disks, only copy I have is and old old copy of Freespace Open, back when it still containted the files.

Why did you folks stop hosting it and let that GoG of whatever rip off your work that is supposed to be based on an open engine?

Anyway, no matter, I can't get it even if I wanted to (unless they allow download online).
BIG QUESTION: CAN MY OLD FREESPACE FILES BE SALVAGED FROM MY OLD COMPUTER AND USED HERE? can I just move all files over and run the patcher?

[General Battuta]

Please don't yell. We can read you just fine without capslock.

Yes, you can move the files over from your old install. You will not be able to play the main campaign or any user-made, non-total-conversion campaigns without those files.

But Freespace has never been legally distributed for free. The only reason the Installer ever contained retail files was because there was no other way to get them. Now that GoodOldGames is legally, safely, and cheaply selling the retail files, our distribution would be illegal piracy. The team did the right thing and stopped distribution immediately.

There is no ripping off on GoG's part. The Freespace engine is open, but the content has never been. We are lucky to still be in business at all. And we're equally lucky to have such a reasonably priced, DRM-free source of the Freespace files.

Freespace 3 will never happen because Freespace 2 didn't sell well. Purchases of Freespace 2 aren't exactly going to encourage Freespace 3, but they're all tokens of support for Freespace nonetheless.

And yes, GoG allows download online; it's download-only, I believe.

[jambo]

GoG aren't ripping off anyone. FSOpen is still free, it's just the retail component of the game that you have to purchase now.

But if you have the retail component on disc or on your hard drive you should be able to update over the top of it with the new launcher, new EXE and new MediaVPs afik.

[IronForge]

Does GoG have legal right to FS2? If so, I don't mind paying them some $$ just to show there is still demand for the game, and hopefully make them make a FS3. But no way I'm paying to a pirate site.

[General Battuta]

Yes, of course they do. They're a legitimate business that sells good, old games. They have the rights to everything in their store, and (unlike most digital distributors) they sell it without any DRM or nasty software.

[IronForge]

Great, I'll do it sometime my bandwidth can allow. Your 4gb file that I just downloaded already blew my monthly limit. That hurt. A lot.

Will the GoG thing come with a disk? I'm paying 90 bucks a month for 12 GB. Gona be cheaper paying $6 for a probably equally large file than trying to download it illegally


Anyways, when I download total conversions, can I extract the files over there so I don't have to waste so much bandwidth again?

Also, can the retail files be extracted and moved over here? I'd pay for conscience but if I have to download another killer 2-4gb file, its just too much for me. Paying them is no sweat. Paying my ISP for crap service is hell. Thats telstra for you.

[Jeff Vader]

Since when has the installer not included files required to run the game?
...
Why did you folks stop hosting it and let that GoG of whatever rip off your work that is supposed to be based on an open engine?

I really, really like to lock all threads that start with or end up becoming a rant about "why doesn't the installer download freespace2 freespace 2 is free/abandonware/opensource/not a game to be sold".

What Battuta said. FreeSpace 2 is not open source, it's not free, it's not abandonware, it's not anything but proprietary software. The game engine (known as FreeSpace Open) was indeed released as open source in 2002. But that still leaves a ****load of assets like textures, models, music, voices etc that are not free. HLP offered means of downloading FS2 because there were no other realistic means for getting the game. Now there is: Good Old Games. They distribute FS1, Silent Threat and FS2 at decent prices as well as numerous other games. It is quite irrelevant if you happen to think they're incarnations of pure evil or something. HLP supports GOG. That's final.

Anyway, no matter, I can't get it even if I wanted to (unless they allow download online).

You specifically have to download GOG games from teh Internetz.

my old installation?

...
If you have a (working) installation somewhere, use it. Copy it over to your new computer. Delete launcher6.ini, rerun the Launcher and that's it. It'll work. Don't redownload everything. That wastes buttloads of bandwidth and makes all the hosters really really sad.
Of course, if you don't own a legal (bought) copy of FS2, we'd really appreciate it if you bought one from GOG. But really, how could we possibly force you?

Will the GoG thing come with a disk?

Read above.

Anyways, when I download total conversions, can I extract the files over there so I don't have to waste so much bandwidth again?

Excuse me?

[IronForge]

Understood, thank you. Feel free to lock this now.
One last question though: Can installation be paused and continued for the open installer? Lets say I need to off my comp...
Will move my old installation over.

[portej05]

Paying them is no sweat. Paying my ISP for crap service is hell. Thats telstra for you.

I know what you mean. We've had iPrimus, Bigpond and iiNet here, and iiNet has seriously been the best of the whole lot (by quite some distance, IMHO).

[IronForge]

Subscribing to telstra was the biggest mistake of my life. I'm going for iinet once my 2 year contract expires lol