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Rendelius
Critical Error
Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 16
Location: Austria |
| Internal Affairs: Freelancing |
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Some visitors mailed us asking why we do not report about Freelancer at RPGDot, since the game has some nice RPG elements in it. The question is a valid one, and some here at RPGDot think that it is indeed an omission. However, we think it is a little bit late to add the game to our news database, now that it has been released.
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<br>A lot of staff members are playing Freelancer now, me being one of them. So far, I think the game is great and interesting, but you know something? I have already stopped playing the regular game and switched to soloing in the multiplayer. Multiplayer is the game without storyline, and for me that's pretty close to playing a space RPG. You need a decent machine to run it this way, since client and server are on the same computer, but even my old Athlon 1300 is capable to run it this way (a little choppy sometimes, but playable). You get all the random missions in multiplayer, all the enemies, all the ships and all the trading, and for me it's fun to work my way through the different star systems and see what the developers built into the game. I was a big fan of the old Elite, and while I didn't like X - The Frontier, I sincerely hope that X2 will find a publisher and add its splendor to this revived genre. By the way: do some of you know HardWar? This game was totally overseen at the time it was released, but it was a mini-version of Freelancer on a single planet. It had some nice features, like the ability to own a couple of vehicles and building where you were able to keep them. The content was a little too shallow, but apart from that, this game was nice and severely underrated.
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<br>I would love to open a Freelancer server for our visitors, where we could fly together and be taders, pirates or bounty hunters. The only problem is that both my computer and my uplink would be too slow for that. So I will stay lonely in the Freelancer universe - but hey, that's still a lot of fun. If you consider buying the game: don't hesitate. I am quite sure that you won't be disappointed. |
Tue Mar 11, 2003 10:22 am |
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Saint Proverbius
Guest
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Actually, I was disappointed in Freelancer, Rend. The story line in single player is too combat focused, as is the unending flow of pirates everywhere. That makes freighter jockeying a little.. impossible.
Freighters are also weak, which doesn't help them considering the million pirate march that is tradelane travel in the game. There are heavy fighters with more armor and better shields than freighters. Given that the best freighter can only take a Class 6 shield, there's certainly room for defense improvement on them.
I think the big disappointment though is that Freelancer doesn't push the genre forward. In fact, it lacks the big additions to the genre from X:BtF/X:Tension and Hardwar, owning and running property! It's a step back for the genre, in other words. Basically, there's not much to do in MP after you get the biggest, baddest ship, so... |
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Tue Mar 11, 2003 10:29 am |
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Rendelius
Critical Error
Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 16
Location: Austria |
Now that you mention it: I found X:BtF extremely boring, tedious and uninspired. Yes, you were able to own property, but to what avail? Management wasn't implemented well, and the benefits were little. As far as i remember, you had just one ship to fly - that was it.
You are right in saying that Freelancer doesn't advance the genre, but I think it is a great game nevertheless. There are some weak points, granted, but freighters not being as strong as fighters isn't one, IMHO. I think that it is the way it should be  .
And isn't it the problem with nearly every game, that once you have the best equipment, there's little left to do? For me it is important that Freelancer will give me dozens of hours of fun - and if it sells well (I think it does), it will revive this genre. Hell, maybe we'll even get Elite IV then
And here's my wishlist: planets you can walk on or fly over. Own more than one ship at a time. More diverse missions.
_________________
Rendelius
former Senior Editor RPGDot
now at http://www.theastronomers.com |
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Tue Mar 11, 2003 11:15 am |
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Dhruin
Stranger In A Strange Land
Joined: 20 May 2002
Posts: 1825
Location: Sydney, Australia |
Freelancer isn't quite the sim I expected but it's a lot of fun once you realise what it is. I've played 20 hours so far and I think I'm halfway through the SP campaign plus I'll try Rend's MP solo, so that will be pretty good value in the end.
I agree it doesn't really advance the genre (other than the control which I'm surprised to find I like and some interface elements) but hopefully it will assist in reviving the genre. |
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Tue Mar 11, 2003 11:32 am |
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Ariel
Harmonious Angel
Joined: 21 Jul 2001
Posts: 432
Location: Germany |
~However, we think it is a little bit late to add the game to our news database, now that it has been released.~
Never say never. 
Even if it were too late to post news about this game, shouldn't it at least be in our Games database?
_________________
“Through the sounds of falling rain, through the clouds of bitter times
I see the pure grace of your smile, in dreams of the warmth in your eyes” - Tim North |
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Tue Mar 11, 2003 12:24 pm |
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Remus
Overgrown Cat
Joined: 03 Jul 2002
Posts: 1657
Location: Fish bowl |
Freelancer is not pure space sim, it's space sim + action + RPG. So don't expect play it like previous space sim titles. |
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Tue Mar 11, 2003 4:33 pm |
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Ragon
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Posts: 41
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Lending a helping one to the kitten:
And the German (even the UK!? ) release is still outstanding - April 18 !?
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Tue Mar 11, 2003 5:59 pm |
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Saint Proverbius
Guest
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X:Tension was where the property thing got managable. Hardwar was pretty good at owning and running property, though. You bought a hanger, and you turned it in to a shop if you wanted to. Gave the shop money, and listed what you wanted to buy, and traders would bring you goods at that price which you could haul elsewhere. Give the shop goods, set a price, and traders would buy goods there. It was simple, but it worked well.
Also, just because X:BtF did it poorly, doesn't mean it's a bad idea. The idea of owning a mining operation in Freelancer, or a factory, or a trade lane defense station where bounty hunters could get paid to hang around, etc. would have made Freelancer a hell of a lot better.
As for the freighter thing, they should be big, turn slow, etc. However, the best one is severely limited, and that's definitely not the way it should be. A freighter, given the money, should be a mini-cap ship if you have the funding to outfit it. It should be able to defend itself. Tell you what, buy a Humpback freighter and try to run a route through Rhienland Space sometime. You'll basically see how pathetic freighters are.
If freighters are that weak, you should at least be able to hire wingmen to protect you on a route. As the game stands now with the Pirates ad Infinitum, there's no way trading in a freighter stands a chance on your own.
Like I said, because Freelancer doesn't have anything beyond getting the best ship, multiplayer on a server really has an "end" to it's fun because there's nothing to do once you've got that stock sabre with class 10 weapons.
Really, though, there's not much Freelancer does that Hardwar didn't do better. Freelancer has nice control, but that's about it. |
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Wed Mar 12, 2003 12:47 am |
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Remus
Overgrown Cat
Joined: 03 Jul 2002
Posts: 1657
Location: Fish bowl |
It seem like what you hope for Freelancer is a deep or heavy space simulation gameplay. Unfortunately, as i said before, Freelancer is not that kind of game. Several reviews already mentioned that Freelancer is not space sim. From Freelancer forums, certainly quite many space sim fans also disappointed about this (include the issue of no joystick support), although overall think it's good game.
The genre is dying/unpopular, unlike FPS, RTS or RPG, so i think that's why Digital Anvil/Microsoft chose to combined several elements from different genre for Freelancer, to get a wider market appeal. They need the big casual gamers market, not particulary/only for hardcore space sim gamers.
And as a casual gamer for this genre, i have no particular high expectations for Freelancer. And although i hope for certain improvements, overall like it very much. I don't care it's space sim or genre bending title, as long as it giving me tons of happy gaming hours. And it did. |
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Wed Mar 12, 2003 4:33 am |
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Saint Provberbius
Guest
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Apparently you have trouble reading, Remus. That's not what I said at all. The fact I praised Hardwar should clue you in that I'm not talking about a hardcore space sim. If I were, I would have said Freespace or Tachyon.
In fact, Freelancer has way too MUCH space sim in it. The story campaign is something that fits a military space sim a hell of a lot more than an open ended space trader for a number of reasons:
- All missions in the story are heavy combat
- Missions in the story play hell with your reputation, closing trade routes
- No options at all for cargo runners
- No way to ditch a mission once started - including GAME OVER events when objectives aren't met
In fact, for a game that's supposedly open ended, like a space trader should be, it's pretty damned linear and confining. The prime example of how it's too much like a space sim in it's campaign is that lovely escort mission near the beginning where the game ENDS when a cargo transport gets destroyed. Come on, how open ended is that? It's not. |
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Wed Mar 12, 2003 10:00 am |
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Guest
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I don't find freelancer that good in MP. It's way too easy to earn a lot of credits. If you've found the right trade routes you can make it to level 30+ in about 2-4 hours. Especially, the factions attitude towards you is very easy to manipulate. Also there seems to be some bug in the netcode since even the fastest servers tend to crash when more than 20-30 people are playing the at same time. |
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Wed Mar 12, 2003 3:34 pm |
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