[JC]

Gaargh, 2 years after the birth of my daughter and I finally have some freetime. I try to install my cd of freespace and it installs (apparently) on my win 764bit (home premium) machine. but it wont run.
can you give me some help?!
I feel like such a newby nowadays

[MatthTheGeek]

Are you trying to run FS2 retail or FSO?

If FS2, be advised that if you have more than 2 (I think it was 2?) GB RAM, retail will overflow and think you have negative RAM. I don't think there's any other workaround than using a FSO exe.

If FSO, Please post your fs2_open.log file.  Instructions on how to do this can be found in this post.

[JC]

Ah it will be the retail version (the great war) with 2disks and the silent threat addon/expansion.

So is FS2/FSO an open source, I briefly scanned and assumed it was freespace2?

ive got 8gb
Don't min dusing the open version if its outthere!

[MatthTheGeek]

Oh right you were trying to play FS1, my mistake.

I suggest trying out FSPort instead, the port of FS1 to FSO. Nearly the same experience, but with better compatibility and visuals and stuff.

But first, you should follow this guide (stickied on top of the Getting Started subforum, can't miss it) to, well, get started properly.

[JC]

I forgot to add, thanks for the prompt reply!

[JC]

Is the freespace stuff free? as on the gog site there is a dl for that.
Whereas the freespace2 stuff is only chargeable?

lookslike this is going to be work for another day!. Glad this forum is still around cant believe I joined in 2007!

[MatthTheGeek]

FS1 and FS2 used to be abandonware, but since they're both sold on GoG now and GoG are cool DRM-free guys and all, we encourage players to buy a legal and working copy there rather than to acquire it from... more shady places.

FSO itself, as in the game engine, is open-source and free to DL and use, but a game engine is nothing without game data, and although you have things like Diaspora or TBP that play standalone, the vast majority of mods require and base themselves on the retail FS2 game data to run. Basically, you just drop and use the FSO exe and launcher instead of the retail FS2 ones and you're set.

The instructions I linked earlier should provide you with ample enough details. Feel free to ask if you hit any trouble, here or on IRC.

[Luis Dias]

Yes well his problem is that he has a Freespace copy and perhaps not a FS2 copy. Only with a FS2 copy one can install FSO and then FSPort.

[MatthTheGeek]

Well then he needs to buy it.

[FSW]

Only if he wants to play FSPort.

There must be a way to get FS1 to run on a modern machine. How does GOG's version do it?

[niffiwan]

I think they patch the exec to remove/modify the 2GB RAM check.

[JC]

OK.

your beginning to lose me with acronyms.
I have both Freespace and Freespace 2 on original cds -bought and paid for
so do I need to pay again? especially for FS1?

I will move onto FS2 eventually, but at this time im just looking to get it to work on my pc! thanks for all the help so far!

[General Battuta]

If you install FreeSpace 2, then install FreeSpace Open, you can use it to play FreeSpace 1 in the FreeSpace Open engine via the FreeSpace Port.

[Luis Dias]

That's great. So what you have to do is the following. You can uninstall Freespace, it's useless in your win7. Then you need to install Freespace 2 (FS2). Then you install Freespace open (FSO) which is the new marvelous executable. You must also install the new marvelous launcher. Then you must install the Freespace Port, which is what will enable you to play Freespace (1) with all the new goodies and looks.

There's a bar up there in the forum, and the next to last menu is called "Installing FreeSpace Open". Follow everything it says and you'll be absolutely safe. Any doubts, come back we will gladly help you.

[Herra Tohtori]

Since I wrote this already, I might as well post it

it contains same info as Battuta and Dias, but with MORE WORDS




You have everything you need.

The best way to play the FreeSpace: The Great War campaign is by using the FS2 Open game engine to run the FreeSpace Port.

To accomplish this:

1. Install FS2 on your computer, preferably on some other location than C:\Program Files\ as that can sometimes cause some problems. Something like C:\Games\FreeSpace2\ will probably work better.

2. Set up FS2 Open (Launcher and fs2_open.exe) and, if you are so inclined, MediaVPs (which you could think of as HD remake of original FS2).

3. Install FreeSpace Port and, again if you so wish, the Port MediaVPs (which as you might guess are HD remakes of the original FS1 files).


Steps 2 and 3 may need expanding but I'll leave that for someone else as it's getting late and I should go to bed...


Acronym legend:

FS1 = FreeSpace: The Great War
FS2 = FreeSpace 2
FSO = FS2 Open = FreeSpace 2 Open
FS Port = FreeSpace Port
FS SCP = FreeSpace Source Code Project
VP = Volition Package, a proprietary container file format designed by Volition, the developer studio of FreeSpace series.

EDIT: Oh, and I forgot: You mentioned the Silent Threat expansion for the FreeSpace 1?

Well, HAVE NO FEAR for it has also been re-done for the FreeSpace Port and it is in many ways more fabulous than the original. It's called the Silent Threat: Reborn. It should be played between FreeSpace: The Great War and FreeSpace 2 campaigns, chronologically speaking.

[JC]

a couple of other questions then quickly if you don't mind!
FS2 you don't mean the retail version  do you, you mean the version form GOG

also do add-ons I previously downloaded,
eg
aftermath (is that for FS1)
Aeos affair
Derelict
Transcend -

will they still work?

[Herra Tohtori]

I'm pretty sure the data files in retail FS2 (patched to version 1.2) and GOG FS2 are identical. There may be some small differences in the executable, but since you're going to be playing the game with the FS2 Open executable, only the data matters.

In fact, the only thing you technically need for making a fully functional and expandable FS2 Open installation are the stock FS2 VP files. Everything else you then add in: Launcher, FS2 Open executables, FRED2 Open executables if you wish, and mod directories. The game will automatically create a data directory for cached model files and such.

Here's the list of what you need:

Code: [Select]

root_fs2.vp
smarty_fs2.vp
sparky_fs2.vp
sparky_hi_fs2.vp
stu_fs2.vp
tango1_fs2.vp
tango2_fs2.vp
tango3_fs2.vp
warble_fs2.vp

The add-ons you mentioned are usually referred to as mods, or mod campaigns. This here is an excellent resource for checking where in the overall FreeSpace storyline a campaign happens.

http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Campaign_List

You can follow the links to the campaigns' individual wiki pages and find out all the relevant requirements. Aftermath and Aeos Affair have both been treated with the FreeSpace Campaign Restoration Project, so they should work. Derelict SCP version should work. Transcend should work.


Aeos Affair campaign happens during FS2 events. The other three campaigns happen in Post-Capella era (after FS2 campaign).

[JC]

Patched to version 1.2.  Are the patches/updates still available?

Brilliant stuff with all the help everyone.

[Herra Tohtori]

Here:

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/karajorma/FAQ/Downloads/HotUv1.20Pack.rar


The only relevant file in that archive from FS2 Open perspective is the root_fs2.vp. Extract that into your main FS2 directory and replace the old root_fs2.vp.

[jr2]

Wasn't there an issue with the HotU and Retail, or was that just the executable?  I seem to remember something from a long time ago about not using the HotU patch, but not sure what it was exactly.  Maybe mixing up something, it's very vague.