Freespace 2 Open Source Code Project spotlight
In another part of "the best mods for Good Old Games" we're taking a peek at some of cool stuff made for Freespace 2.
Thanks to the release of the game's source code, Volition's hit is among the most fan-supported space sims around. That's why we're taking a closer look at the Freespace 2 Open Source Code Project. It allowed a group of gifted coders, artists and fans to start working on pimping out the game's engine. Soon afterward, enthusiasts from other paths also put their hands to work on this beauty, creating mods, total conversions and more! As you're about to find out, they all did (and still do) a damn good job!
To fully experience the beauty and excitement of the mods you should start with FS2OPEN and MediaVP from the Source Code Project site. The first one will upgrade the game engine and allow you to install other mods and upgrades (shiny HD stuff;)) while MediaVP will make your game look like it was made in 2009! Just those two will enhance your gaming experience with this all-time great combat space sim.
Just Another Day
JAD is a mod for the Freespace Source Code Project. It implements a lot of new flashy things in FreeSpace Open – just look at the screens! But the story is the best part of this mod! Imagine a mix of bad Internet jokes (but the good ones!), Freespace story and movie satire... GONE WILD! Every single mission is created only to make fun of some story point in FS or to laugh at tired old movie scripts.
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Beyond the Red Line
BTRL is a Battlestar Galactica (2003) Freespace Open total conversion. It is still a “work in progress” and the demo has just three missions, but they are impressively polished and sport some very convincing voice acting. The action-packed fight scenes feel like they've been pulled straight out of the series – everything is here: Viper and Raider sound effects, characteristic radio distortion and more!
Check out their YouTube profile, so you can get a general idea of what we're talking about.
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The Babylon Project
The Babylon Project is one of the largest total conversions for the Freespace Source Code Project, created by about 30 people. It's full of cutscenes, missions and new flight-model features like gliding. In 17 specially made campaigns and a bunch of individual missions you will be able to join the Terran Alliance, Narns and even fly Shadow Fighters! Almost all of them have their own spoken lines of dialog (made by the team's own voice actors or taken directly from the series). The feeling of immersion is just incredible - there are some scenarios that are a recreation of events that happened in the series but from a different perspective (like Garibaldi's wingman).
Videos of mission examples can be found here and here.
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Wing Commander – Total Conversion
A group of Wing Commander Saga fans gathered together to crate this incredibly good total conversion. Thanks to FSO you can finally see how big a Ranger-class light carrier is and fly through its landing deck without asking yourself “why so small?” In this TC you can fight Kilrathi and pirates in arrow, longbow, hellcat and thunderbolt fighters. For fans of the original Wing Commander games there is a lot of fan service (mentions of historical events, some ship classes, etc.) Also, flight model and game mechanics are taken directly from Wing Commander games (like fuel for afterburners).
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