After nearly 15 years and four versions, I've decided to finally close down FreeSpace 2 Sector. It hasn't been updated much in the last 3 years, but despite that it is still the largest consumer of bandwidth on Sectorgame's server. But don't fret, I haven't forgotten about the FreeSpace communtiy entirely and I haven't just thrown you guys in the trash - Because I've created a new website in it's place, an archive of sorts. And then steps in FreeSpace files. FreeSpace files is basically everything that was stored on FreeSpace 2 Sector 'F2S' (mods, campaigns, images, fanfiction etc) rolled into one easy-to-use and tidy file manager. It doesn't have all the information that F2S once had (such as desriptions, ratings, screenshots etc) but I figured after so many years it's probably no longer necessary to have that as a requirement.
What FreeSpace files CAN do however is provide a constant around the clock access point for FreeSpace mods and projects. This is something that I couldn't do with F2S because the scripting was old and limited (built in 2006) and it was designed for a small server with limited capabilities. It is now a lot easier to obtain mods from the site, and even easier to add new content. All you have to do is login with a global username and upload the files, and then you're golden. You don't need to login to download content, and hotlinking is allowed. One thing I will stress though is that this new site won't work on older browsers.
What can you can upload to FreeSpace files? Anything, so long as it's related to FreeSpace. Mods, campaigns, music, artwork - you name it. There are no usage limits, and files can be as big as you want - The only limitation is your connection to the server, which is located in Europe. There are also some rules that apply when adding new content - You can see those on the main menu.
The F2S archive has been fully restored to FreeSpace files, so just about every mod out there is available on the server. There maybe some duplications or corrupted files, and overtime I'll weed those out. It's also possible to upload images and audio files to the server. A lightbox feature will allow you to browse through images, and an audio plugin allows you to play .mp3 and .wav files without downloading them. The site hasn't been fully tested yet, there are still some features that haven't been ironed out (such as the download folder button) and there maybe some missing files or simply broken packages I haven't seen. With time those will be caught and fixed.
Please remember the site is a work in progress and some parts are not finished yet.
http://sectorgame.com/fsfiles/
Project GroupsAs part of Sectorgames continued hosting for FreeSpace community projects, FreeSpace Files also features a private group exclusively for modders to use. If you want to setup an account, please PM me and I'll create a login for you. Private groups are secure and not open to the public.
On a side note, the Sectorgame forums have recently been semi-restored (
http://sectorgame.com/forums ) incase any former members were wondering what happened. They were broken for nearly a year (caused by php upgrades to the server) and I've just gotten around to restoring the database. I will be working on a new theme for the forums and Sectorgame homepage in the coming weeks, which coincides with a larger restoration project at Sectorgame. So far only the site moderators were aware of the forums being back online.
Over and out
[attachment kidnapped by pirates]
