[zzz]

Hello. I've completed FS2's campaign and am looking for some mods to play. Preferably ones with the higest graphical fidelity, fleshed-out campaigns with lots of fleet battles with capital ships using their beam lasers against each other. Can also just be fan-made campaigns with no new assets. Any suggestions?

[General Battuta]

The best fit for your request is Blue Planet. It has a complete new Terran fleet and a lot of big fleet battles. Until we get Diaspora and Earth Defense, it probably has the best graphics of anything out there, too.

However, I'd strongly recommend playing Derelict and Transcend as well. Follow that up with Windmills, The Procyon Insurgency, and Inferno R1.

I assume you're using the MediaVPs?

[zzz]

Blue Planet does indeed look good.

I am not familiar with MediaVPS although I see it in BP's requirements. I downloaded the opensource version of FS2 about a year ago. Is it some kind of addon?

[General Battuta]

 

 

Yes. They make the game look like a 2009-level game, graphically, instead of a 1999 one.

Go over to the FreeSpace Upgrade Project forum. Download the 3.6.10 MediaVPs. Make sure they're placed in a folder in your FreeSpace 2 directory entitled 'mediavps'. Also make sure that you have the 3.6.10 Final build and that it's selected in the launcher.

To use them with the retail FS2 campaign, select 'MediaVPs' as a mod in the launcher's mod tab. They'll automatically activate when used with most other mods; if they don't, we'll teach you how to edit a mod.ini file.

Oh! How could I forget? Add Silent Threat: Reborn to that list of must-play mods. It's excellent.

[Colonol Dekker]

Derelict looks amazing on 3.6.10 as well.

[General Battuta]

Well, Derelict doesn't use any custom assets (for the most part), so it won't look any more amazing than FS2 retail. BP at least has some custom effects and maps and such, not to mention StratComm's fleetpack.

[Colonol Dekker]

Wasn't there a derelict scp re-release though? one that used mediavps?

BP is also great though.

[General Battuta]

Right, Derelict uses the MediaVPs, but so does every other campaign. It doesn't have any extra eyecandy above and beyond that.

[Colonol Dekker]

BP has superior assets no doubt, can't a guy reccomend a campaign he likes though? 

[Dark Hunter]

However, I'd strongly recommend playing Derelict and Transcend as well. Follow that up with Windmills, The Procyon Insurgency, and Inferno R1.

If we're mentioning Transcend, Sync is a must as well. The two are part of the same continuity, and while Transcend has more closure on its story, Sync is more... intriguing.

Also, absolutely cannot forget the trilogy of comedy campaigns: Just Another Day (1 - 3).

[General Battuta]

BP has superior assets no doubt, can't a guy reccomend a campaign he likes though? 

Absolutely - Derelict was right there in my first post, see? But eyecandy is a silly basis for recommending it; its strengths are in story and gameplay.

Sync is good, but...I dunno, a wee bit repetitive. I'd recommend it, but I got bored playing in it a way that I didn't with Transcend. It just seemed to meander about a lot.

JAD 1-3 and Deus Ex Machina are comedy campaigns with a lot of hilarious and excellent FREDding.

[Spoon]

Sync is good, but...I dunno, a wee bit repetitive. I'd recommend it, but I got bored playing in it a way that I didn't with Transcend. It just seemed to meander about a lot.

For me it was the other way around, Transcend had a lot of "node running" missions that bored me, whereas I was really pulled in the story with Sync. Love em both though.
Just a matter of what tickles your fancy

[Akalabeth Angel]

Sync is good, but...I dunno, a wee bit repetitive. I'd recommend it, but I got bored playing in it a way that I didn't with Transcend. It just seemed to meander about a lot.

For me it was the other way around, Transcend had a lot of "node running" missions that bored me, whereas I was really pulled in the story with Sync. Love em both though.

I hated Transcend. Sync was pretty good though.

But the original poster shouldn't let people's opinions colour your impression or desire to play various campaigns. People all have their own preferences.

One that hasn't been mentioned though is Procryon Insurgency. That's another damn good campaign.
Trashman's Flames of War: Coming of the Storm also has some new eye candy and a few nice Vasudan designs.


Inferno Release 1, while pretty dated, has some good action and battles as well.

[General Battuta]

The Procyon Insurgency and INFR1 were both in the first post.