[A Future Pilot]

OK, I just got FreeSpace, and FreeSpace 2 from GOG. I installed Freespace and played through it, and I'm almost finished with the expansion. I absolutely LOVE these games!! So I'm actually downloading FS2 as I write this, and was wondering, what exactly does FSOpen add, and what does it change, and what does it take away, if anything. Obviously I'm all for better graphics, but I'm an old games kinda guy, and the graphics didn't bother me a bit in FS1. So do I need to get FSOpen? Does it change any of the original gameplay or anything? And does it still have everything the original did?

Thanks!!!

[Topgun]

you need it.




it is 1337.

it doesn't change the gameplay but mods exist for that. it doesn't change anything that can't be turned on/off and it will open the door to lots of really good fan-made campaigns.

[General Battuta]

It takes away nothing.

It will allow you to play FreeSpace 2, as well as dozens of high-quality user-made campaigns (many of which require FSOpen), using the best graphics your system can handle.

You can feel free to play retail FS2, but I'd strongly encourage upgrading to FSOpen afterwards (you won't regret it - so many good campaigns!), and if you encounter any bugs in retail FS2, our advice will be to get FSOpen.

[The E]

FSOpen, by itself, does not add much. Except, of course, better performance on modern systems, support for more resolutions, less bugs, that sort of thing.

The gameplay, in particular, is not changed very much. There are a few differences, notably in the AI behaviour, but those are being corrected.

The big graphical improvements start when you use the MediaVPs, a mod that revamps the retail assets to bring them closer to modern standards.

So, to answer your question directly, FSOpen gives you everything FS2 gave you in terms of gameplay, but it also gives you the opportunity to enjoy FS2 with really awesome graphics.

A comprehensive guide telling you exactly how to set up FS2Open can be found here: http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=47640.0

Follow the instructions in there, install the mediavps, and enjoy FS2 in all its glory.

[General Battuta]

Once you're done with retail FS2 (which is a blast - one of the best campaigns out there even after all this fan work), try out Silent Threat: Reborn, Transcend, Derelict, Blue Planet, and Windmills.

If you're in the mood for a real challenge, I suggest The Procyon Insurgency.

The_E, is Turey's Installer working okay?

[The E]

The_E, is Turey's Installer working okay?

I keep hearing ungood things about some of its download locations not functioning correctly. Thus I recommend doing it manually.

[General Battuta]

Right. Well, if you do choose to install, we'll be here to walk you through it if you want to take the manual route. 

[A Future Pilot]

OK, thanks for the quick replies!! And yeah, that was my second question was should I use the installer? I'm fairly computer knowledgeable (My OS of choice is Arch Linux ;-) so if you get me a guide I can probably install it manually. Thanks!

[The E]

There's a fairly good guide for FS2 on Linux available here: http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Guide_to_FS_Open_on_Linux

[A Future Pilot]

Heehee, oops, I definitely didn't say that well  I'm actually on Windows XP, but my favorite OS is Arch Linux :-)

[The E]

Okay, well, just saying that there is Linux support.

Windows has by far the easiest installation procedure, though.

[jr2]

FSOpen also revamps FS1 through the FSPort project.    So you can play through that again.. eh, here,   A Celebration of FreeSpace You can find lots of pretty screenshots in that thread.

[Goober5000]

The FreeSpace Port project is not a subset of the Source Code Project (which produces FSO).  However, it is definitely worth checking out for the stuff it provides, such as the the ability to play the main FS1 campaign in FS2 and the aforementioned Silent Threat: Reborn.

And I get really annoyed when the only thing people say about FSO is that it boosts your graphics.  In truth, it boosts a lot more than that -- multiple ship docking, scripting support, in-mission cutscenes, extra mission events, and loads of flags to customize just about anything you want.  In short, it provides a tool for mod makers to create truly awesome campaigns.  Things like Transcend, for example, would never have been possible without FSO's enhanced mission events.

EDIT: Incidentally, Turey's Installer works just fine; I just used it the other day.  It won't download certain campaigns because the campaign makers haven't updated their links, but all the campaigns it does download (and there are many) are well worth playing.

[Jeff Vader]

What about the cutscenes? fszmirror.com seems to have died and it was the only source for the cutscene packs at least a while back.

[Galemp]

You ought to use FSOpen for better performance on modern systems, including more screen resolutions. (Just don't forget to install OpenAL.) But the number one reason you should use FSO is so you can use the Media VPs mod. Note that at the FS Upgrade Project we are extremely strict about gameplay changes; we upgrade visuals only.

Let's have a comparison.

FS:


FS2 Retail:


FS2 Open Media VPs:


And when you've picked your jaw up off the floor, you can install FSPort and Silent Threat: Reborn to play Silent Threat how it should have been.

[Vip]

What about the cutscenes? fszmirror.com seems to have died and it was the only source for the cutscene packs at least a while back.

And... what's wrong with the ones shipped with the GOG.com version ?

[Jeff Vader]

What about the cutscenes? fszmirror.com seems to have died and it was the only source for the cutscene packs at least a while back.

And... what's wrong with the ones shipped with the GOG.com version ?

1. At least with FS2 they're placed in strange places (\freespace2\data2\ and/or \freespace2\data3\), which makes FSO ignore them.

2. When people install FSPort, they're like wuttehfuk when the FS1 cutscenes aren't playing while playing FSPort.

3. Some people are just concerned when the Installer informs them that it has failed.

[Commander Zane]

I miss that nebula.

[Mongoose]

I miss that nebula.

I've heard that there are remnants of the FS1-style nebula code in the original FS2 codebase, but they were never completed and/or activated.  If I felt more confident in my coding abilities, I'd try digging in and seeing what (if anything) could be done to get them working again.  It'd give a nice nostalgia-trip option, if nothing else.

[castor]

Yea, I loved that nebula too. Subtle, peaceful and yet unnerving.