[bloated]

bloated, go into the campaign list and make sure you have Blue Planet War in Heaven 1 selected, you need to play that first before War in Heaven 2.

I was REPLAYING BP until the mission where I was supposed to convince someone to stop being depressed and fatalistic.  The two of us fly around talking about whatever, then after I don't know how long, some fighters show to alleviate this psychological break in the action.  Suddenly my weapons fail so I have to fly around in circles avoiding enemy fire while diagnosing my ship.  Then the mission ends with the NPC being happy and committing to being less disenfrachised.  The worst part of that mission was my failure the 1st time because I chose to answer questions in the way someone would if they totally didn't care and were just trying to get past it.  Because of that I was forced to replay it and choose questions that would make the NPC happier.  If anyone has BP fresh in their mind, this is also the part of the BP campaign where the UEF is losing quite badly and most missions end with tragedies & debriefings that talk about how their was nothing you could have done.   It's just prior to the capture of the TEV's manufacturing ship...... Because I had finished this campaign and knew how it ended I figured I'd "mozy" over to BP2 in hopes of having fun & advancing the storyline...... lol.

for the record I finished both previous campaigns on insane, although I was playing with the skill at the time of someone who'd played FS1 & FS2 a cppl times through and every other mod available during that period.

Without a doubt I've grown rusty in the interim and am still blowing out the cobwebs.

I'll revisit BP2 after washing out the bad taste of these missions with some FS2 missions.

[Mars]

If you haven't played Age of Aquarius yet, you should. There's a lot more "action" missions, including probably the best escort mission ever made in Freespace. As far as War in Heaven, you simply aren't going to get a simple FS1/2 esqe mission in it, especially in Act 3. The story line takes rather a front seat, and although it suits a lot of people you're not the first to dislike the amount of text.

[bloated]

thanks for the recommendation, I'll look into it.

I've been attempting to complete the mission "Her Finest Hour" to no avail, the mission is so heavily scripted by it's time limit, dictated fighter and armament options and the sheer number of objectives that it's not really a mission so much as a scripted set of choices that have to be executed in the right order.

Nice looking game though and if it was a cartoon it'd be decent to watch.

[bloated]

Is their a way to skip missions in Blue Planet, I just tried to watch the "Her Finest Hour walkthrough" and couldn't stay interested in that, let alone bother with the mission.

time limits, multiple objectives combined with limited armaments and forcing the player to hide and not fight.... seriously?  Does Blue Planet2 have any fun missions in it?

p.s. yes I know, I'm considering it.

[TrickMagnet]

pretty sure you can go balls deep if you want, don't think there's anything forcing stealth on you

if it's that harsh tho i don't think the game disallows cheats to complete missions; just ctrl+k everything you want and knock out the carthages engines for the win

[TechnoD11]

Is their a way to skip missions in Blue Planet, I just tried to watch the "Her Finest Hour walkthrough" and couldn't stay interested in that, let alone bother with the mission.

time limits, multiple objectives combined with limited armaments and forcing the player to hide and not fight.... seriously?  Does Blue Planet2 have any fun missions in it?

p.s. yes I know, I'm considering it.

bloated, I've noticed that you've posted a lot of very critical comments on BP here. Perhaps you should focus your time on  a different mod if your that disappointed with BP.
Based on your desire for a FS2-like experience, you might enjoy Derelect, if you have not already played it.

[bloated]

pretty sure you can go balls deep if you want, don't think there's anything forcing stealth on you

neg, mission limits time, ship, and loadout options.

just ctrl+k everything you want and knock out the carthages engines for the win

thanks for this, wasn't aware of ctrl+k, mission isn't harsh, the problem is it isn't fun, once I get past it I'm hoping their is something better to be had.

bloated, I've noticed that you've posted a lot of very critical comments on BP here.

I'm conflicted and it's playing out here.

I love FreeSpace, I've enjoyed almost all of the mods including the Blue Planet campaigns until BP2.  Faced with this I've got 2 options, I can like some just stop playing it and walk away doing a disservice to the BP team by not offering any feedback.  Or 2 I can mention what's irking me and why in hopes that someone notices and applies it to future installments.  If the BP team is well aware of the annoyances and doesn't care then what I'm saying shouldn't matter to them in the least, it's likely been said before and they don't care.

If the BP team is wondering why some aren't playing and cares, then it's more constructive to mention why vs being non constructive and just calling the BP 2 campaign total garbage.

it's like your response, some might simply attack me personally and spout stupid dreck or ppl can choose the more constructive option regardless of their personal feelings on the matter which is what you chose to do by saying "BP2 may not be for you but this campaign might be modeled more in the style you are used to."

Perhaps you should focus your time on  a different mod if your that disappointed with BP.

p.s. yes I know, I'm considering it.

[niffiwan]

FYI - here's more details on the cheats if you want to use them to skip past a mission - just don't use skipmemymissionyo if you want to keep you campaign progress intact.
http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Cheats

[AdmiralRalwood]

thanks for the recommendation, I'll look into it.

I've been attempting to complete the mission "Her Finest Hour" to no avail, the mission is so heavily scripted by it's time limit, dictated fighter and armament options and the sheer number of objectives that it's not really a mission so much as a scripted set of choices that have to be executed in the right order.

Nice looking game though and if it was a cartoon it'd be decent to watch.

pretty sure you can go balls deep if you want, don't think there's anything forcing stealth on you

neg, mission limits time, ship, and loadout options.

I've played Her Finest Hour dozens of times (literally; I was tracking down a bug at the time, but I still played the mission through to completion many times in the process). I can assure you that the mission is completable in quite the variety of different ways. You are not forced to stay in stealth all the time; it's just a good idea. Similarly, you aren't forced to take out targets in any specific order; some things are just easier to kill first. Even when it comes down to calling in ships, you aren't required to call in any specific strike package (or even any extra assets, although I'd be surprised if you could finish the mission without some additional firepower).

The suggested action on your HUD is merely a recommendation; it's a good idea to follow those recommendations if you can't seem to beat the mission or are just too confused by everything going on to keep track of what's happening, but in truth, the mission isn't really as complicated as it first seems.

One thing that can easily elude players used to FS2 AI is that your wingmates are highly capable. For instance, saving the cruiser at the beginning of the mission is as simple as telling them to defend it. An easy way to feel overwhelmed is to try to do everything yourself because you don't trust your allies to take care of things for you.

[bloated]

I've played Her Finest Hour dozens of times (literally; I was tracking down a bug at the time, but I still played the mission through to completion many times in the process).

I've no doubt that one who's been involved in the process would know what to do, The worst part of that comment is that once the way is discovered the scripted nature of the mission leaves it being exceptionally easy to replicate.

Here's what I've done so far.

On Hard level I've taken out all of the tankers with artillery, had my wingmates save Serenity,  & take out the Mjolners while I took out the beam cannon on Carthage & the radar domes on the AWACS, I've then taken out the Aurora's & used artillery to destroy the minelayers, I've hacked the space station and then gone onto hack both Deimos while my wing spent all of it's time after destroying the Mjolners trying to take out the Carthage's engines.  I don't do some of this in one mission and some in another, I do it all in every mission, it's a notably repetitive process.

After doing all of this I've tried waiting until the last minute to allow my wing and myself to keep putting missiles into Carthage's engines or I've ordered in every reinforcement available in a last ditch effort, I know I've personally sent 16 grimlers into the engines of the Carthage only to watch it leave while I'm spraying it's engines with my rattler... closest I've gotten is 28%.

the reinforcement and artillery strike calls can't be specified, they just show and start screwing around, despite their presence it appears I'm still the favorite given the beam fire I face when I shoot missiles at range or spray while doing a pass on hard level.

I've typically got 475 seconds to dedicate to disabling Carthage.

I have tried lowering the level once to very easy at which point I did everything the same except that instead of taking runs at Carthage I just parked my fighter on top of the Engine Susbsystem and put everything I had into it but that's a waste of time too because suddenly the time drops to a minute even when their was plenty of time when I started and Carthage jumps out.  That time I got it down to 7% but really it was on very easy so who cares.

[niffiwan]

I recall some reports that the AI pathfinding for attacking subsystems was broken. You may have more luck if you position yourself in clear line of sight of the Carthage's engines before calling in reinforcements (below I think is where you want to be?); then ordering them all to disable the Carthage.  That way they should attack from the correct vector to actually hit the engine subsystem as opposed to random bits of hull.

[bloated]

that would explain a lot, I take it the mission is scripted so that I can never inflict enough damage fast enough.  which explains the scram order that drops the time down to around a minute.

I also take it I'll have to be underneath Carthage to send my wingmates and the reinforcements I call in to disable Carthage with it's engines in a clear line of sight.

Update: did it, finished it, game bug, figures.

bloated, I've noticed that you've posted a lot of very critical comments on BP here.

been serving a purpose.

[Gee1337]

Act 3 wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but it was nice to see what the FS2 engine could do with all these different complications. My biggest gripe was the lack of voice acting, but that problem is due to be solved and I am looking forward to the director's cut.

I expect Act 4 to return to much the same as Acts 1 and 2. But if there is one thing that Act 3 did, it was expand the story line brilliantly, and in a way it was something that was needed to help enlighten us with the workings of the universe in BP.

Regarding "Her Finest Hour", damn this mission was tough. But it's meant to be as it is the climax of the third act. My particular way of doing the mission was to save the ship (name escapes me) first by shooting the bombers and telling my wingmen to protect it, then kill the immediate fighters. I loaded out with Trebuchets and slowed to 1/3 throttle at the start of the mission, and as soon as I fired a missile I would cycle my bank and target the next fighter to get a swifter lock. After the ship was saved and the fighters destroyed, I went after the gas miners and destroyed two myself and ordered my wingmen to destroy the other two. I then told my wingmen to go after the radar domes on the AWACS and I started to upload the viruses. I then had my wingmen take out the Mjolnirs. I think I had the artillery taking out the mine layers at this point. Once I had done pretty much every optional thing I could, I warped in EVERY reinforcement available to me (it raped my FPS) then told all ships to disable the Carthage.

I can't remember which skill I had it on... in all honesty I think it was "Easy", however I noted that my wingmen appeared to be invulnerable, so I made use of this. My method is by no means the best way, but it worked for me. I chose to save the Carthage!

[bloated]

Act 3 wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but it was nice to see what the FS2 engine could do.

I agree fully, when Her Finest Hour launched I couldn't help but reflect on how much work has been done to the FS engine to bring it forward, I'm hitting the burners on my stealth fighter and just watching it all.... didn't even think about saving Serenity.... which died soon after as I aimlessly flew around taking it all in.

My biggest gripe was the lack of voice acting, but that problem is due to be solved and I am looking forward to the director's cut.

looking forward to it as well.

[AdmiralRalwood]

My biggest gripe was the lack of voice acting, but that problem is due to be solved and I am looking forward to the director's cut.

Only acts 1 & 2 are going to be voice acted in the upcoming release, you know.

[Gee1337]

Yea I knew. But I expect that the whole thing will be done at some point... maybe within the next couple of years or so. I meant to say that my biggest gripe overall of WiH was the lack of voice acting. But in all honesty it is a minor gripe to have anyways.

[bloated]

Just finished BP2 and am doing a shout out:  Bravo to the BP team on the story.  Congrats.

It took a while to get past my thinking that BP2 is a flight sim, but once I realized BP2 is the modern equivalent of a text adventure, the story began to grow on me.  The heavy scripting, limited options, time limits & RTS elements didn't seem nearly so silly once I gave up on the idea of destroying/disabling enemy fighters and ships.

I'll be replaying it in a few weeks without improvising and will focus on just doing what's asked instead, which should allow me to pay more attention to what's being said.

look forward to BP3.

p.s. I'm not being sarcastic, I did enjoy it once I got over what it wasn't.

on a side note: I will put out a recommendation that interested parties can ignore if they so wish.  Many FS2 missions were 2 parters, 1st  would be open to improvisation (no time limit, no worry about escorting, just kill) while the 2nd half would have an objective like stay alive or escort but at least the first half would allow for some fun before it became more focused.  That was likely one of the many elements that made FS the best flight sim to date.  (referencing: A Lion At the Door)

[Alzurana]

The big problem with the wall of text is that there is no voice acting. BP tries to condense a complex story about the future of earth, economy and political interests and everything has to be reasonable. Having that information read/spoken to you makes a huge difference. (This issue will be solved soon, yay)
I always thought about BP as an interactive movie, rather than a normal game or mod. It saddens me a little bit that I can't share the experience I had with others, since most people belong to the "casual realm", if you know what I'm talking about.
The story is rich and deep, and that's what you want in a movie, for example.
BP has a specialized target group, I think.

The fact that you're loosing almost every mission in the beginning helps to deliver that the chances for success are almost nonexistent for the UEF. It's meant to deliver desperation to the player, same as the series Battlestar Galactica does. Some people don't like that, though. They want to be passive viewers, not caught into it with their own emotions.
This also has an impact on mission design, obviously. I think the BP team did a great job and yes, it is possible to beat every mission in different ways, you just have to think outside of the good old FS2 box. You're not just a fighter pilot who blows things up. You are a tactical element and you have to take story elements into account when flying those missions. This increases realism and believability a lot, but that's only my personal opinion.
The heavy scripting also supports more believable battle scenarios, where active decisions have been made and the hell out there is entirely different to what you've been told in your briefing.
Missions like "Her Finest Hour" are so hard to beat because you're trying to achieve the impossible. Of course, no game should be frustrating because it causes people to jump off and abandon it. However, if you grew attached to the storyline you take the price to fight yourself through it. At least that's what happened to me.

I gotta say, Blue Planet blew my mind and took me deeper into the rabbits burrow than I ever expected.
It is rare that you will find such an amount of thoughtfulness and effort in mods or even games, nowdays. Since almost everyone here is playing at hard, at least, you guys should be used to some extreme action, anyway. ^^

Can't wait for Act 4 and 5! ^^

Keep up the great work BP-Team!

[bloated]

While BP2 is a decent interactive novella The lack of voice over isn't the only real problem.  To get the full experience you don't just deal with the wall of text, you also have to go through several missions that are nothing but more discussion, I don't believe I'd be exaggerating if I said 40%+ of the missions in BP2 are discussion missions where all you do is fly around and ask questions, even the epic ending mission was a discussion.

I always thought about BP as an interactive movie, rather than a normal game or mod.

that's why I called it a modern day text adventure.

if you grew attached to the storyline you take the price to fight yourself through it. At least that's what happened to me.

it is possible to beat every mission in different ways

I beat every mission, but in regards to the 2nd point not really.

to say their are several ways to beat every mission only works if that can be done dynamically, in order to beat every mission in BP2 you do pretty much exactly what they want which is your guide for any future improvisation and you don't go in with radically different approaches like say taking out the tankers on your own before doing anything else because time won't allow for it.

I gotta say, Blue Planet blew my mind and took me deeper into the rabbits burrow than I ever expected.

Some real questions come to mind when I read this, The original FS/FS2 team are no longer involved in FS at all so in order for me personally to be blown away by the story requires I just assume the BP team is the original FS/FS2 team because their vision is their own.

I like the storyline, it's interesting and I'd buy the book series if it was released I think but that's not the venue being discussed here.

BP has a specialized target group, I think.

currently that's by design and if that's what they want then it's fine but it doesn't have to be.

The Half Life series seems imminently comparable in this regard because across several installments they've still managed to maintain the beautiful balance between fun and story.

Since almost everyone here is playing at hard, at least, you guys should be used to some extreme action, anyway.

it's the lack of action combined with it's scripted nature that's in your words "pushed BP2 into targeting a specialized audience" which again isn't bad if that was the goal.  But if it wasn't the goal some minor tweaks could certainly broaden it's appeal.

p.s. I work with an audio engineer who's got a solid business and a minor background in video game audio (he did the audio for a Duke Nukem expansion back in the day)  When I first started playing BP2 and even when I was playing BP I was thinking I'd get ahold of him and we could do the voice work for the game.  But then as I realized how much their was and how much would be involved at which point decided it would be too much to ask of him and our group to do.  It's a shame but true and as a FSO player I feel bad about it because it's something I'd like to have done for the community.

[swashmebuckle]

I think the VA might help clarify potentially confusing situations in-mission, but I don't think their goal is to make playing the game less of an ordeal. They work hard to sell the whole war in heaven thing as being a major ordeal for all parties involved, and letting the player blast through at the speed they naturally want the game to move at would probably undermine their gestaltiness or something.

VA definitely won't help with wall-of-textness since everybody just reads ahead of the voice anyway. It adds flavor though!