[karajorma]

The "teach as you go" form of tutorial has been a welcome development over the past several years.

Try writing an FS2 campaign that allows you learn as you go and you'll soon see why didn't do it that way.

Learn as you go works well in FPSs or other genres where you can easily control the action. In FS2 you could very quickly get the player out of their depth doing that.

[Scotty]

They kind of did that by spreading the six training missions over 8 in-game missions.  It sure was better than six training missions back to back ( )

[Akalabeth Angel]

People need to learn how to think again first... FS2 is too complicated for most standards, most of my friends (on the intelligent end of the spectrum) didn't make it past training 2 before getting bored. People need to change.

Yeah, I got a couple friends hooked recently; they happened to be the ones who listened when I told them to sit through the training because it'd be worth it. The rest were like "forget training, I wanna play NOW", skipped to the first mission, realized they didn't know how to move or target or dodge missiles or do anything important, and lost interest.

These days, people want games that they can just pick up and jump right into the action. FreeSpace simply doesn't work that way...

And yet ****loads of people play GTA 4 which is from what I've heard is basically half gameplay, and half "training missions" or tutorials.

[Mongoose]

The "teach as you go" form of tutorial has been a welcome development over the past several years.

Try writing an FS2 campaign that allows you learn as you go and you'll soon see why didn't do it that way.

Learn as you go works well in FPSs or other genres where you can easily control the action. In FS2 you could very quickly get the player out of their depth doing that.

I do understand that FS2's comparatively open combat environment does present some unique challenges, and that the normal FPS model of hand-holding the player through the first few minutes isn't all that practical, but I think there's still a bit of room for improvement.  I really like Woolie Wool's idea of tying the end of a training mission into a vaguely storyline-related occurrence.  If you go back to FS1's model of physical flight training, instead of FS2's simulator modules, you can have the downtime at the end of a training mission or set of missions interrupted by actual craft jumping in, perhaps by something like a freighter under attack by one or two heavily-damaged enemy fighters at the lowest AI level.  It'd be a way of ensuring that the player wasn't in over their head while simultaneously breaking up the Simon Says instructor routine.

[Scotty]

So, basically, MechWarrior 4 training?

[Woolie Wool]

The "teach as you go" form of tutorial has been a welcome development over the past several years.

Try writing an FS2 campaign that allows you learn as you go and you'll soon see why didn't do it that way.

Learn as you go works well in FPSs or other genres where you can easily control the action. In FS2 you could very quickly get the player out of their depth doing that.

I do understand that FS2's comparatively open combat environment does present some unique challenges, and that the normal FPS model of hand-holding the player through the first few minutes isn't all that practical, but I think there's still a bit of room for improvement.  I really like Woolie Wool's idea of tying the end of a training mission into a vaguely storyline-related occurrence.  If you go back to FS1's model of physical flight training, instead of FS2's simulator modules, you can have the downtime at the end of a training mission or set of missions interrupted by actual craft jumping in, perhaps by something like a freighter under attack by one or two heavily-damaged enemy fighters at the lowest AI level.  It'd be a way of ensuring that the player wasn't in over their head while simultaneously breaking up the Simon Says instructor routine.

Not only would it break up the routine, but it would also provide a true test of all the various skills  the pilot may have learned, as enemy pilots aren't going to hold anything back.

[IronForge]

I doubt V wants to bring FS back. Or they would have done it a long time ago.
No, they are far from dead. http://www.volition-inc.com/History/2009
In fact they have been releasing one shiny looking game every year on average.

[Mongoose]

has said relatively recently that they'd love to bring it back if they could, but the question in their minds then becomes whether or not doing so would be financially feasible, or whether or not they could obtain the necessary permission from THQ to do so.  It's fairly evident that they still love the universe they created, and those who have looked in on the SCP in the past have seemed amazed by what the community has been able to accomplish.

(Note: this was not an "OMG FS3!!!1" post. )

[Ziame]

Dunno, i always liked the training mission (not playin them anymore cause i don't have to... only the third one to get "wings" xD)

[IronForge]

Flightskool is always a good investment.

Anywayz, V is making heaps of cash under THQ so I don't see why they cant make a FS3. Make it more like freelancer, EPIC WIN.

You're right its not a OMGLULWUTROFL FS3 post, its a cautiously optimistic outlook on the prospect of a continuety of the FS series one of these days. I don't care if I have graduated by then, I just want it.

[Spoon]

Make it more like freelancer

No thanks, just make it like freespace. 

[IronForge]

Freespace but at the end we get honerably discharged after a d*** injury and can explore the universe FL style will be great.

[karajorma]

That wasn't even great in Freelancer.

[Colonol Dekker]

Iron Forge, do you want to FRED a universal amount of backgrounds, node positions and docking SEXPs to at least ten Arcadias



Cos i don't

[IronForge]

LOL if its to make a RPG freespace I don't mind. Who wants to pick up em modding tools and make a freespace mod for freelancer? AWESOME!!

[Colonol Dekker]

Freelancer already has FS ships in it, Discovery mod i think.


EDIT Modding FL to FS would be easier haha.

[Akalabeth Angel]

Are RPGs really that great anyway?

I mean. A Freespace RPG would be what? The same battles, except with a bunch of stupid hauling and shipping for cash inbetween??

Just give me the battles.


Space RPGs don't honestly do it for me. I lost interest in Privateer. And EVE bored the hell out of me as soon as I started playing.

[IronForge]

No i mean the fast paced gameplay storyline sytle but non linear, then after that open multiplayer.

And discovery has freespace ships? I don't see any and I've been playing it some time now.

[The E]

Fast-paced and non-linear pretty much exclude each other. And open world gameplay? Please. It's fun in games like GTA, but FreeLancer, X3, EvE, all of those manage to make flying in space boring, IMHO.

[Akalabeth Angel]

No i mean the fast paced gameplay storyline sytle but non linear, then after that open multiplayer.

Like Mr. Vowel said, I don't think you can have fast paced and open-ended gaming in the same box. RPGs quite honestly about grinding. Whether your grinding by whacking monsters and getting XP, or whether you're grinding by mining some asteroids or hauling cargo here and there basically you spend a lot of time essentially "levelling up". There's nothing fast paced about that.



And quite honestly, what is there to do in the Freespace universe anyway?? Despite the frequency of pirates in 3rd party campaigns, I don't think most peace time adventures are going to see a lot of action. So what will the player be doing?? When there's no war going on they're just going to be flying around doing jack all and when the war does start then it's going to be mission after mission. So . . .