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Garrett
Joined: 13 Jul 2001
Posts: 74
Location: Munich, Germany |
| RPGDot Feature: Freelancer Review |
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In our latest review, <a href="http://www.rpgdot.com/index.php?hsaction=10053&ID=544">Ekim took a close look at Freelancer</a>, the latest space sim title from Digital Anvil, which offers some RPG elements also:<blockquote><em>Now, I hear you asking: "What about the RPG elements?". Well, the best RPG element in this game lie within the many different factions. There are many, many factions in Freelancer. Most are neutral to you at the start of the game, and it will be your choice (and duty in some occasions) as to which ones you cross and which ones you will keep on your good side. Careful choices have to be made when choosing missions, which under that light may serve purposes far more impacting than to simply earn you some credits. The many factions are what makes the universe as deep and as open ended as it is. You may bribe hackers to correct the factions that you need to be neutral with. The possibilities are many. But don't expect any grand quests beyond the single-player storyline missions here. And if you thought Morrowind's main Quest was linear, wait until you see this one. Still, Freelancer offers more than enough open-ended gameplay to please most RPG fans out there.</em></blockquote> |
Fri Mar 21, 2003 3:52 am |
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Remus
Overgrown Cat
Joined: 03 Jul 2002
Posts: 1657
Location: Fish bowl |
Ekim, i thought your "Gamer's view" articles are usually very good, but this game review is even better!  . Certain Freelancer reviews is either not comprehensive (not enough on multiplayer), miss something that actually exist in game, or give you an impression that the reviewer didn't play the game long enough.
As for the linearity and intrusion of main story or missions, i think it's issue that have no obvious or best solution for game developers. In one hand a developer might want to include an open-ended gameplay to the game, and yet this element is usually incompatible with telling a continuos or exciting main story without some extend of linearity. Just look at Morrowind, which the open ended nature also made the main story became less focus or more forgettable.
Also, the restriction of level up to the main missions seem to be necessary. Otherwise, you can keep level up with trading or commit massacre here & there, and in no time you'll come in as level 30 pilot for a low level main mission. This exactly what happen in Morrowind, and then gamer will find something else to complaint - "Hey DA, the game is too easy!".
I have spent many hours playing Freelancer, and i really hope several annoying restrictions to go away. But when i think further, its only cause other problem to emerge, open up a dead end, or making the game imbalance. Sure, there are few aspects that can be improve or add in without the side effects, just wait for Freelancer 2 . |
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Fri Mar 21, 2003 3:59 am |
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Ekim
Eagle's Shadow
Joined: 27 May 2002
Posts: 2365
Location: Montreal, Canada |
quote:
Originally posted by Remus
Ekim, i thought your "Gamer's view" articles are usually very good, but this game review is even better! . Certain Freelancer reviews is either not comprehensive (not enough on multiplayer), miss something that actually exist in game, or give you an impression that the reviewer didn't play the game long enough.
Regarding the linearity and intrusion of main story or missions, i think it's issue that have no obvious or best solution for game developers. In one hand a developer might want to include an open-ended gameplay to the game, and yet this element is usually incompatible with telling a continuos or exciting main story without some extend of linearity. Just look at Morrowind, which the open ended nature also made the main story became less focus or more forgettable.
Well, thanks for the compliment 
As for juggling between linearity and open-ended gameplay, I agree it's a very difficult act to pull. And I agree that the way Freelancer handles it is adequate, but I'm not sure there ever will be a way to perfectly juggle between the two. They are too opposed to be viable together.
Freelancer certainly is very balanced as a game. The downside of this balance is the lack of upgradability to the ships. I tried not to fault the game too much for these things, but this is mostly where I took off points in the Fun category. The game would have been so much more if we could have tweaked the ships even just a little beyond what was available.
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Fri Mar 21, 2003 4:40 pm |
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Remus
Overgrown Cat
Joined: 03 Jul 2002
Posts: 1657
Location: Fish bowl |
One question.
Since i am just recently playing space sims, what & how much the different between simulation & roleplaying? Maybe most people don't think much about this issue, but wellcome any comments.
Is space sims a sub-genre from other simulation games like flight simulator and the famous The Sims? Or it's more like a whole independent genre?.
What i knew is space sims have at least two types: either emphasizing empire building through economy (still got some combat) like Elite, X - Beyond the Frontier, the soon to be release X2: The Threat; or space sims emphasizing on combat like Freespace, Freespace2.
Is there could be third type, with combine both combat & simulation (trading), like Freenlancer?.
Sorry its became more than one question. |
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Sat Mar 22, 2003 3:12 am |
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dteowner
Shoegazer
Joined: 21 Mar 2002
Posts: 7570
Location: Third Hero of Erathia |
Question from me, too, Ekim.
So, if they added (via patch or expansion pack) significant customization to player ships and a wider variety of missions (trade runs, escort, whatever that isn't straight combat), we'd have a Game-of-the-Year contender?
FWIW, that's my opinion for now. As it stands, Freelancer is, deep in its bones, primarily a space shooter. The addition of the above features would add enough to push it over the top.
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=Proud Member of the Non-Flamers Guild=
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Sorry. No pearls of wisdom in this oyster.
RIP Red Wings How 'Bout Dem Cowboys! |
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Sat Mar 22, 2003 4:59 am |
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Ekim
Eagle's Shadow
Joined: 27 May 2002
Posts: 2365
Location: Montreal, Canada |
quote:
Originally posted by Remus
One question.
Since i am just recently playing space sims, what & how much the different between simulation & roleplaying? Maybe most people don't think much about this issue, but wellcome any comments.
Is space sims a sub-genre from other simulation games like flight simulator and the famous The Sims? Or it's more like a whole independent genre?.
What i knew is space sims have at least two types: either emphasizing empire building through economy (still got some combat) like Elite, X - Beyond the Frontier, the soon to be release X2: The Threat; or space sims emphasizing on combat like Freespace, Freespace2.
Is there could be third type, with combine both combat & simulation (trading), like Freenlancer?.
Sorry its became more than one question.
Hard question(s) to answer Not sure if I have propper answers... Space sims, when they are more like simulations (ex.: X-Wing\Tie Fighter series, Wing commander) are much more akin to the Flight-Sim genre, only they are set in space. Whether they have a story or not doesn't really matter. They are just action space-sims.
I don't know if I'd call the other variety "strategy" games though. They're harder to peg... They're still mostly action games usually, but then again they have a lot in common with RPGs and\or adventure games. Freelancer can fall in that category, and it's very hard to say to exactly which genre it belongs to. In this case though I'd call it an action game, with some RPG element, a little like Diablo, if you like (to an even lesser extent).
EDIT: I seem to have posted right at the same time as you dte
@dte
To answer your question simply: yes, in my opinion the addition of these would definately make a GOTY contender. But two things:
1) I doubt they could add these things in a patch since I think these things were left out by design (ship customization primarily)
2) the year is still VERY young 
EDIT 2:
Actually I see dte also mentioned "expansion packs". It's my opinion that if the previously mentioned features would be added in an expansion pack, Freelancer could not then be considered "fixed" and GOTY material since the expansion pack requires you to actually buy another box. An expansion pack is almost another game in itself, and they actually have categories of their own for the most part. A patch, on the other hand, is very much part of the original game. Just thought I'd clarify my view here
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Sat Mar 22, 2003 5:07 am |
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Dhruin
Stranger In A Strange Land
Joined: 20 May 2002
Posts: 1825
Location: Sydney, Australia |
I think space-sims are a true genre of their own, although if you go with very broad categorisations they're obviously action games.
A game like X:BTF/X:Tension where you can genuinely pursue a range of activities from trading to factory owner to empire-builder to combat pilot offers an experience that has a lot of parallels with an open RPG like Morrowind - perhaps even more so (I can't open a chain of shops in Morrowind). In this case, the players ship becomes both his avatar and his equipment in one. |
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Sat Mar 22, 2003 6:44 am |
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afterburner
Guest
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One question...
After you do the first mission is there anything after level 18 or is it open ended ? |
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Sat Mar 22, 2003 9:33 am |
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Remus
Overgrown Cat
Joined: 03 Jul 2002
Posts: 1657
Location: Fish bowl |
After you finish main mission, the story end, but you still can continue to play the game, like trading (figure out best trade routes, valuable goods), go sight-seeing (still many places and bases that not involve in main plot), find out easter eggs, look out for more good looking and powerfull ships, or weapons, etc. You can pump up to level 38.
It depend on you, some people when finish a game then everything is not interesting anymore, so everything end - uninstall the game & let the CD collecting dust.
I already finsih the game, but still poking around . I will waiting for some mods, and maybe expansion from DA, while lurking around Lancers Reactor.
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Questions: Anyone here played Starlancer? I know it story not very related to Freelancer. But still, how good it is? What kind of gameplay it got, can the game running on WinXp? |
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Sat Mar 22, 2003 10:24 am |
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the mighty stamar
High Emperor
Joined: 01 Feb 2003
Posts: 602
Location: arcata ca, humboldt county |
I think Freelancer is definitely going to be game of the year contender. Last year some publications chose battlefield 1942. When you compare those two similar game I feel freelancer looks great in comparison.
I dont even think it has even vague rpg elements lol. I think its what people will refer to as the 'action' category. The single player campaign includes lots of little 3d movies which vaguely qualifies it as adventure... There are however almost no player influenced aspects to the storyline....
Small aspects of strategy game economics are included also.
Of all games I played in the last six months, so many seemed to come to market feeling uncompleted. Even games I liked such as divine divinity and arx fatalis. Or morrowind.
Moo3 especially came to release in unplayable form.
Freelancer was released extremely polished and balanced. Gameplay is tested at exactly the right difficulty for me. Anything that can become tedius in running your ship can be assigned to be automated. Game players played and tested and tuned this game it shows, and it never bores you.
I do however give it about the exact same rating of 90% but I am trying to come up with a game I played the last year I liked more. Only wizardry 8 for me. |
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Sun Mar 23, 2003 7:45 am |
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