[rocknroll237]

I was wondering, is the entire Freespace 2 game free to download?

If it is, could someone tell me where to download it?

PM me.

Thanks,

rocknroll237

[Phantom Hoover]

It's on sale at GoG for something ridiculously cheap. Although none of that money is going to the people who actually made the game. Just saying.

[Luis Dias]

It isn't. You can go to "Good Old Games" dot com, (GOG for friends), and buy it there for the incredibly expensive number of SIX dollars.

[Crybertrance]

But the game is not free (unless you, uhm....) although its open-source, always wondered why... The FS SCP though is completely free, you can find downloads in the respective threads.

[Luis Dias]

The Game is not Open Source at all. The game's Engine is.

Volition had the rights of the Engine, and when they were bought by THQ, the rights of Freespace did not transfer to them. They remained with Interplay. Without the rights of the game, they decided to Open Source their engine.

[Flipside]

There was a time that we thought FS2 was Abandonware, but when it was put up for sale on GoG, it became apparent it was not. But Luis is 100% right, the game is not Open Source, nor is it Freeware.

If the Source Code had not been released, there is little doubt this site would have gone the way of the Dodo some years ago, in return we strongly suggest you buy the game from GoG, not only does one good turn deserve another, but it also adds another tiny bit of weight to the 'bring back Space Combat Sims' argument

[Luis Dias]

Well that argument is already made in Star Citizen. Much louder.

[Phantom Hoover]

The people who put FS2 up for sale on GOG had nothing to do with releasing its source code.

[Flipside]

Every single purchase that is made in the 'Space Combat Sims' genre is going to be sales weight for the genre though, regardless of who owns the rights or who put what up for sale, simple official sales recognition through normal channels will register.

Yes, other games etc are also doing things that will encourage the market in that direction, to greater or lesser degrees than we are, but every little helps.

[Phantom Hoover]

That is perhaps a poor reason to donate $6 to the people keeping FS3 from being made.

[Flipside]

You can be certain that Volition and Interplay did not allow the game to be sold out of the kindness of their own hearts, I'm not privy to their legal department, so I cannot say whether the royalties are per-unit or time based, but the length of time it's been on GoG implies a per-unit arrangement, so just because they are not selling the product, do not be so certain they are not profiting from the sales.

As for 'preventing FS3 from being made', I applaud your sense of the dramatic, but it's far, far more than the fact that a third party is distributing the original game that is preventing FS3 from appearing.

[Luis Dias]

That is perhaps a poor reason to donate $6 to the people keeping FS3 from being made.

This is the excuse you have in your brain while you click in that Pirate Bay link, INNIT? HMMM?

[Phantom Hoover]

I used torrentz, actually.

[headdie]

abridged version of the relevant history.

Volition entered into a publishing agreement with Interplay for the FS franchise, in the deal elements of the IP were transferred to or always owned by Interplay.

1999 FS2 is published

A couple of years later Volition is bought out by THQ one of interplay's rivals.  because of the legal mess future attempts to publish new games under the FS IP would cause Volition released the Source Code for the FS2 game engine.  Interplay on the other hand still retains it's share in the IP for the franchise thus it is still owned by a private concern.

in summary, the game engine is open source but the rest of the game is still owned by Interplay, so WCS and Diaspora can release at will because the only FS content is the engine itself, anything involving the retail story and related assets is still owned by Interplay.

[Flipside]

Also, HLP will not tolerate the posting of pornography or warez files anywhere on the site. However the discussion of a pornography or warez related topic is still allowed. The difference being that the former contains content or links to said content - the latter does not.

This thread is dangerously close to this line. Any more discussion of illegal downloading sites by name will result in a lock.

[Luis Dias]

ROFL Pirate Bay is no state secret, and I was merely guessing.

[Flipside]

Understood, hence the reminder and request to stay within the guidelines rather than simply locking the thread and treating it as a direct rule violation.

[Solatar]

HLP, as I understand it, has a really good relationship with GoG.  For several years there was NO legal way to acquire FS2, and we're grateful that there is now a cheap way to legally get it that we can point new people to (we used to have to say "go 'acquire' it, but remember our no warez rule and don't post where you got it).  They feature the SCP and some of our popular mods here, and although they don't mention HLP and it's not the best shout-out ever, it's more than they have to do.  Paying $6 once to download a game that most of us paid $20/30 for when it first came out isn't much to ask, but there are always slightly out of touch people who feel like they are getting unforgivably ripped off and/or victimized by the corporate machine if they pay a single cent for something on the internet.

I mean, if they were charging $60 for it, I might have a different opinion 

[Klaustrophobia]

there was always Ebay.  that's now i got it.  at the low, low price of $80 (i was young thought the sim of the year edition came with MEANINGFUL extra content)

[mjn.mixael]

Memories, Memories... I was given FS1 as a birthday or christmas gift when I was a kid. Loved it. I played it over and over and over. I remember when I was just before high school I was browsing a video game store in a mall. I happened to look at the wall of PC games (which I didn't care about at the time.. I was into consoles) and noticed this box that said FreeSpace 2.

 

WAT.

There's a FreeSpace 2?! O.M.G. 

Bought it (like $15). Played it. Loved it. Went to college, forgot about it. Started job. Remembered FS thanks to nephews. Reinstalled it. Played it. Loved it. Posted.