Freeworlds: Tides of War - A Star Wars Mod

[Sushi]

I hope you don't mind the post here but I figured this would be as good of place as any to tell you about the new mod we're in the process of making; Freeworlds: Tides of War, a SW total conversion mod for Freelancer (FL).

FW:ToW is currently in development and I'm the mod head there. We're looking to totally change the way FW used to be played. We're adopting a much more "XvT/XWA" type environment, with still the feel of FL. Tides of War (ToW) also has merged with us for this project. We've also been fortunate enough to get ships models from the First Strike mod, thanks to Red Monkey and the crew, as well as the X-Wing Alliance Upgrade Project. Our developers have been posting up blogs for everyone to read. They're viewable to guests, so you don't need to register to view them. Although, I do encourage you to register as you can ask questions of the developers.

Here are some links I think you guys should take a look at. The first are two development videos; the 11th in the development series as well as our new 130,000 polygon player flyable Imperial Star Destroyer.




The second is our site at MODDB. There you can see all our updates we done over the past few months as well as other goodies. We update this regularly, so I encourage you all to bookmark it and check there often :
Freeworlds: Tides of War ModDB site

And lastly, this is a link to all our development blogs. You'll be able to see a lot of the new effects, models, systems, ideas we're trying to incorporate for FW: ToW.
Development Blogs

I really hope to see some of your faces there. If you guys have any questions, feel free to PM me on our forums or here. I'll bookmark this link and check back as often as I can.

Thanks Everyone,
Sushi

[Qi__]

Allow me to add some info to that; I'm also a developer of Freeworlds.

We have a community about half the size of Stardestroyer.net. Our bbs is also very active.

We have made a mod that is a total conversion to the Starwars universe, currently at date 40 After the Battle of Yavin. The mod runs on the Freelancer engine. So you have to install Freelancer (still for sale at Amazon for $10) and then download our mod to install it on top of Freelancer. Our mod will run without cd, but you need the Freelancer install to start with. It is all explained in our 'downloads' and 'help and trouble shooting' section of the forum.

Our mod is running on our own gameserver called "Freeworlds USA 24/7". Don't pay attention to the "USA" part; next to USA we have players from all over the world; especially UK France and Germany. So you can download the mod for free and start playing now. Welcome to it!

And join a faction!
we have
- Galactic Empire
- New Republic
- Corellia (civilians with cap ships)
- Black Dawn (organized crime)
- Sith
- Jedi
- pirates (shoot everybody)
- Crimson Aces (mercenary)
- First Sun Mobile Regiment (mercenary)
- Bounty Hunter Guild

The mod Sushi is talking about is the development of a new release; a new universe situated in 13 ABY. That mod will come out beginning of 2010, and it merges a couple of development communities.

Any questions posted here gladly answered for you!

[Ghost Rider]

Off to at least the right forum

[Qi__]

Oh sorry.
It's http://www.freeworlds-tow.net

[Qi__]

Just to be clear:
Download the mod for free.
Play on our game server for free.
There are no strings attached. We are a Starwars community and we sustain ourselves, have our own game server, have our own mod, do our own game development and play in our own game.

In the weekends we have territorial engagements where there are about 60 players online at the time.
Week days there is always some online too.

Come play with us!

[Serafina]

Looks interesting - i might give it a shot, if i can reacquire my copy of Freelancer.

However, stop that blatant advertising - looks a bit akward im my oppinion .

Eh, and WE are supposed to play YOUR game, YOU are supposed to contribute to OUR forum ^^

[Qi__]

I apologize for that.
When the moderator moved the topic to the games forum the delete and edit button in my post disappeared.
I could not expand my post when I wanted to give you more info.
I assure you I'm not a spammer.

[Serafina]

Ah, no offense taken. I just wanted to point out that you might move into that direction - if a topic consists of mostly (or completely) one guy advertising one game, that IS spammy.

And we have a limited or disabled edit-function in most forums, since it otherwise can be used to cheat in debates.

[Qi__]

Reason I'm posting here (asked Sushi to post) about Freeworlds was that I was very impressed with the level of real Starwars roleplay on Stardestroyer.net.

We have a very active community just like this one, but lack in that area. Many people regret that, especially the force users (Sith, Krath, Imperial Knights and Jedi) we have.

If you would just come to join roleplay in our forum, it would already be a huge improvement.

*edit* (edit button works now) -- You are also welcome to advertise about Stardestroyer.net on our forum -- attract new roleplayers

[MKSheppard]

This is interesting. Sufficiently interesting. Your images don't work. Are there any other images so we can see what you have?

[Qi__]

Yes, we keep a steady stream of news going on moddb.com which is a website about mods.

Here is the news page: http://www.moddb.com/mods/fwtow/news

It has a great deal of pictures.

[Serafina]

If Shep plays your game, don't introduce nukes or any other kind of WMD. EVER!!

Either way, i agree with him, but i have a question:

How is the balance between Capships and fighters/bombers? Frankly, it was horrible it the original freelancer, since capships had no shields, and hardly any better in most mods i played - if two bombers can take out a capship, why bother with them in the first place?

Oh, and are there any plans to introduce Trade-Fed ships? And which ones are currently avaiable?

Regards
Fina

[Sushi]

Bombers are a lot different in FW:ToW than they are in FWs. It will take at least 8-10 bombers, with one to two reloads of ammo to even think about taking down a ISD or MC90. As I said, these ships are as realistic to SW Canon as gameplay and balance would allow. That being said, we've made bombers formidable dogfighters. If you want to think of them on a scale, they're like very very heavy fighters; a bit sluggish but armed to the teeth. One mistake by the fighter pilot and you'll be clobbered by the menacing bomber guns. In PvP tests that I ran, bombers would do, approximately, half hull damage on all fighters they faced about 80% of the time. And sometimes I was even able to pull off a few wins. Interceptors, though, will take bombers down fairly easy as the bombers are no match for the interceptors agility. Mind you, the interceptor has paper for hull so they still need to be careful.

Bombing will also be a lot more involving and challenging but still extremely useful when working in a groups. For reloads, docking at carriers will be viable options. They will also be places where you can repair, too. In addition to bombers, we have the patrol ships which are my favourite new addition in FW:ToW. These are mini-gunships with 360 degree turrets and have enough ammo to do significant damage on corvettes and frigates, on their own, to be of great concern and fun for everyone.

[PREDATOR490]

Having played both Tides of War and Freeworlds seperately before they both had their unique attributes and problems.
Freeworlds was extremely fighter based to the point that capitals were useless and a single fighter could even kill a Star Destroyer with its lasers by simply grinding it down. The capital pilot was effectively shafted because they couldnt run (Disrupter missiles) and couldnt fight because the laser systems were almost impossible to use against even a single fighter. For a Star Destroyer that might be reasonable but even the Lancer Frigate and its counterparts couldnt hit anything with any reasonable amount of accuracy.

Tides of War was very role play based with the focus on capitals but trying to make an MMORPG universe out of a decade old game engine does not work so well.
Case in point: Docking at carriers for fighters was impossible the last time I played FL because the game engine would crash if the mothership was destroyer with other player fighters inside.

Granted, FL is a good game and I happily played both mods for months but that was over 3 years ago and even then Freelancer was dying due to people leaving for greener pastures like EVE Online - which I actually did. One of the major things both games had in common was the restriction on capital ships and the 'shiplist' restriction making anyone joining only able to use certain equipment and ships.
The latter got excessive at points and the former kinda defeated the entire point of playing when you have at max 1 Star Destroyer ship available AT ALL. Thus once players jumped into the capital ships there was little hope of getting one until someone left. Getting stuck in an X-Wing or TIE Fighter for months is simply boring beyond belief and even more so when your effectively going to be outgunned against players who fly the 'Uniques' like Darth Vaders X-1 Tie with 6 more guns and 50% increased stats.

IF this has changed then I would probably go back to FL for a bit but even the simplest glance at the forums indicates its the same situation regarding shiplists and online limits.

[MystacX]

Hello,

I'm one of four admins that currently run the Freeworlds 18.* community and server. I was asked by Qi to elaborate on the points put forth by Predator490 here.

I'll edit in the post and answer in red.

Having played both Tides of War and Freeworlds seperately before they both had their unique attributes and problems.
Freeworlds was extremely fighter based to the point that capitals were useless and a single fighter could even kill a Star Destroyer with its lasers by simply grinding it down. The capital pilot was effectively shafted because they couldnt run (Disrupter missiles) and couldnt fight because the laser systems were almost impossible to use against even a single fighter. For a Star Destroyer that might be reasonable but even the Lancer Frigate and its counterparts couldnt hit anything with any reasonable amount of accuracy.

This has changed quite a bit. There is, naturally, still a heavier focus on fighters and bombers but that focus has begun to shift. Capitalships are a vital part of TE's (Territorial Engagements) now. Capital ships are now effectively shielded against normal fighters. There are special shieldbuster missiles though that will take down a medium class' shields in two shots. These are heavy on the cargospace though and only expect alot of those when you're up against a large force (TE's) or against a bomber squadron (doesn't happen all that much).
There now also different kinds of guns: Turbo Lasers for capital combat, Ion Lasers for shields, Lasers for antifighters along with Quad cannons.
In short; Capital ship pilots have a tremendous advantage against fighters. They are still limited by an online limit to not introduce more lag to a player then is needed.


Tides of War was very role play based with the focus on capitals but trying to make an MMORPG universe out of a decade old game engine does not work so well.
Case in point: Docking at carriers for fighters was impossible the last time I played FL because the game engine would crash if the mothership was destroyer with other player fighters inside.

I'm not a developer on FW:ToW but I will say this: It has been fixed. FW:ToW will be using a program called FLHook that allows the STABLE docking of fighters on a Carrier or the like. When the carrier dies, so do the docked players. I've seen it work, I've done it on an early early test version about half a year ago, it works. More on this, please direct your questions to Qi and Sushi, they are developers on FW:ToW

Granted, FL is a good game and I happily played both mods for months but that was over 3 years ago and even then Freelancer was dying due to people leaving for greener pastures like EVE Online - which I actually did. One of the major things both games had in common was the restriction on capital ships and the 'shiplist' restriction making anyone joining only able to use certain equipment and ships.

The shiplists still exist, but the Freeworlds shiplists are extensive and, if channeled through your faction command, subject to discussion and change. I'm sure you'll understand the need; after all, imperials flying Xwings, Sith flying Hutt ships, etc, etc, doesn't make for good roleplay. Also, so-called heavy fighters and bombers are restricted by the faction's command because they are limited. For example, there is a squadron of 15 people. That squad has only gotten 12 heavy fighters. That means only the best or the most dedicated get to fly these ships (or whatever else the faction's command has decided.
As far as I know, there is only one Equipment restriction which is capital ship power cores. They're not sold anywhere but can be transferred upon buying a new ship. That's against the rules as it provides an unfair advantage.
I just thought of something: Only civilians (people not in a faction) are severely limited in what they fly.

The latter got excessive at points and the former kinda defeated the entire point of playing when you have at max 1 Star Destroyer ship available AT ALL. Thus once players jumped into the capital ships there was little hope of getting one until someone left. Getting stuck in an X-Wing or TIE Fighter for months is simply boring beyond belief and even more so when your effectively going to be outgunned against players who fly the 'Uniques' like Darth Vaders X-1 Tie with 6 more guns and 50% increased stats.

Not sure what I can say about this one. Yes, capital ships are a coveted thing. It's big, its powerful, ofcourse you want to fly it and many others like you. But for the sake of server stability we still cannot give the full go-ahead to bring more then your share of capitals online. I mean, we don't have a subscription fee that allows us to upgrade our servers into a very large fibre-internet connected cluster like eve online (yes i play too ).

However, the Unique's were banned some time ago to counter exactly what you just described. So that too, has been solved.

IF this has changed then I would probably go back to FL for a bit but even the simplest glance at the forums indicates its the same situation regarding shiplists and online limits.

Now, after all this, if you still think "No it still is not how i want it to be", then I suggest you go back to Eve and enjoy it's limitless goodness. After all, freeworlds is not for everyone If you don't like it, don't play it.

Hope I was able to clear alot of things up.

Regards,

Myst

[Serafina]

Ok, i tried it, and i have to say - nice game.

I started my life as a smuggler, and joined the smuggler faction after about a day.
The Kessel Run is done very well - flying more or less blindly trough a nebula, where straying a kilometer off course is deadyl within seconds.
There are some navigation aids, but it is challenging.
Surprinsingly, thats not the only challenge - you actually have to evade player patrols.
However, fighting or bribing mcan be possible, too.
(It's especially funny to stop, let the pursuing player stop next to you and them blast him with all you have).

Combat seems good, too - the difference between ships is not too great.

Summary:
-Interesting gameplay
-good community
-multiple interesting factions
-outdated but watchable graphics

[OmegaChief]

Ah, good old FW/ToW, I remember those.

It's good to see you guys still alive and going at it, I might just have to dig out Freelancer to go and see how you're all doing.

[Qi__]

You're very welcome!

The more the better (in my target box)

[Sushi]

The Freeworlds: Tides of War mod team has been busy over the past few weeks fixing bugs, building an economy and, of late, creating more of the mission systems for players to enjoy (ie. Battle of Yavin). Below, you'll find the latest video of this new mission system Deety has designed called, "Battle of Bilbringi." Essentially, this mission will feature a gigantic ongoing battle between the New Republic and the Empire full of huge capital ships, hundreds of laser beams and a whole lot of fun!



In other news, Qi, our resident Economy Guru, has completed the first alpha prototype of our economy and it contains over 1000+ trade runs. He strove to make this economy as canonical as he could to further the immersion factor of the mod and we all really think you will love what he's done. In addition to this, Qi is working on a web interface that will allow players to view the changes in commodity prices based on what is being traded on the server. However, I will release more information about that when the graphical interface is near completion.

Lastly, I wanted to show you all the new Pirate factions Deety has created based on what systems you're in. Below is an image on how the territories will be seperated:


Thanks again everyone for following this mod. We've really appreciated the ongoing support and compliments.

And please, if you haven't already, please take the time and give us a vote for the mod of the year awards over at http://www.moddb.com/mods/fwtow

Happy holidays,
Sushi

[Ritterin Sophia]

Is there a simple way to manipulate damage and shield/armor values in this game? I saw what looked like a Star Wing Gunboat take three or more direct hits from the Mon Cal Cruiser's guns, didn't sit well with me. Needless to say I'm less than thrilled to hear that you have lone ISD's running about.

[Sushi]

The Assault Gunboat would have blown up after two hits from a MC80 class vessel. That being said, there are also different sized turbos lasers based on ship class. The turbos you saw that hit the ship may have been ones from a frigate class ship, such as the MC30c.

As for the "one ISD", there were multiple ISDs (4-5), with a multitude of other ships (VSDs, Strike Cruisers, Lancers and Carracks) it's just hard to show footage of all them in a four minute piece.

[Sushi]

Welcome to another development blog post First I wanted to say thank you to everybody who voted for us in the MotY 2009. There is a present in form of a 1080p HD ingame video when you're brave and read until the end of this post
But lets get started:

I have been working on various stuff since my last update, a quick overview:
- X-Wing Alliance inspired flight model (max turning at 0.3 velocity and some other tweaks)
- new cruise behaviour and cargo affecting ship mass (-> affects ship handling)
- wing folding animations (also with triggers and synced in Multiplayer)

I dont really want to go in detail here, so lets skip to the eye-candy feature instead and save the boring stuff for later.
Freelancer has pretty much no built-in functionality for taking hud-less screenshots or shooting videos. This always bugged me so one day I decided to dig into the code and see what I can find. The result has been pretty elaborate and time-consuming, but its definately worth it.
VideoMode is the feature called, and it basically allows you to see awesome fly-bys of your favourite ships. Also, there is built-in functionality for completely disabling the HUD on-the-fly and you can spectate other ships, something completely new in regards to the Freelancer engine.
It has been quite a task smoothing out camera movement: Its one of those things where you start with 100 lines of code but eventually end up with 30 lines of code that work just like you wanted it. In comparison it has been pretty easy to program the actual fly-bys, switching in front of the ship once the camera is too far away.
Videomode has a "shake" effect applied when the ship flys by, which was also quite challenging, but not as annoying as camera rotation smoothing.

Enough of the technical talk, here comes the eye-candy. Its a 1080p ingame video.
You'll also see a wing animation on the X-Wing, triggered by entering cruise. Yes, animations are in and also synced in Multiplayer (but was too boring actually filming it).
Also, please excuse me for using yet-again our super-ugly combat prototype system, I'm just that lazy.
I'm sure the testers and other devs will make use of VideoMode in future videos, so stay tuned



http://www.moddb.com/mods/fwtow/videos/ ... de-feature

To vote for our mod at the moddb awards please follow this link http://www.moddb.com/events/2009-mod-of ... rds/top100 under the best upcoming mods under Freelancer!

[Feil]

A question - have you added widescreen support, or will users with widescreen monitors have to alter the relative .inis themselves as with standard Freelancer? The film in your last post is obviously shot with widescreen, hence my question.

[Sushi]

Yup, we finally do have widescreen support within FL. Users won't have to edit the .inis

[Sushi]

We wanted to know how good our Star Wars models are when compared to the best models out there, ones from the Star Wars movies. So, our FW:ToW testing team (Slyder, Cropto, Orac, Avenger, Shadow and Chewie) have taken it upon themselves to use all ingame video recordings to reproduce some of the most epic scenes from Star Wars. Much to our surprise, we found the quality of our ingame models were almost as good as the movies. I don't have a finished video to show you yet, as we still are in the process of filming, however we are excited to show you a sneak peak of what is to come.

The following image montage are all ingame screenshots that have not been digitally edited or enhanced.

Episode IV Intro
Tantive IV is being chased by Darth Vader's ISD























Episode VI
Vader's Lamda undocking from his ISD

















Images courtesy of Cropto