SP balance issue

CF definitly is not balanced by the singleplay
multiplayer is the number one priority

Try some Trade runs and wreck lootings before you start to slaughter NPCs - with better weapons than the NPCs you will be very fast in getting them.

For example - loot some wrecks near and in NY, sell the goods and keep the best weapons - buy a better ship, mount the weapons and go on the bader equipped rogues missions - sell their pods in prisons nearby (1 life pods is more worth than the entire mission reward) - goto rheinland buy a valkyrie for example and equip it with rheinland weapons - this way you can make it in about 3 hours to a good ship and some money in the background.

With trading you will be faster - and you can stop in every station while keeping an eye to your family in RL.

Good Luck pilot, fly save

Im on the third mission..... its so hard, that its ridiculous you know. I downloaded CF for the SP, I heard it had a good story.... Now that OP said that its mainly focused on MP I doubt I'll play the game with as much enthusiasm as before, I dont care for multiplayer, it bores me.

But thanks Daywalker, thats a good idea, and I think I'll give it a try before I sweep my system of this mod all together
You should try it too.. teancum79 person.

actually with every new version of the mod I have reduced the SP difficulty as much as possible
even changed the money requirements between missions so the players have all the time in the world to make money and get good equipment
if you play with crap weapons you shouldnt wonder why SP is so hard for you

Hi Juniase,

Believe me, it only good that is SP difficult. Sooner or later you find that this is one from thing what is the best on this mod. Easy not cooperating stupid NPCs are really pain and kills fun in many games. ...You need be smarter and think how do things which looks first as impossible. ...First you need learn that impossible is only difficult and after you learned do this things easy ... you find in this mod next almost "impossible" and must go the same way as before. It is corner stone for this mod .... things are hard to get but you are well rewarded if you learn how solve things yours own way. ... Ofc MP is something else, but not all can or want play MP

I am new to Crossfire my self and loved the SP campaign, yes it was difficult but worth the effort. It took me about 60 hrs all up to get through the storyline and starting out was the hardest. I suggest you buy a Rhino from Pittsburg and visit all the bases you can and find the most profitable trade run backwards and forwards,remember commodities change every day, fastest way to make early money IMHO, then as soon as you can get to the wrecks for the weapons and the BS in texas for a Shade fighter, then just do missions or kill pirates for the pods and sell them to the prisons.

Quote from teancum79

CF is a lot harder then the original FL (which is great). It takes long time to drop enemy ships which is fine, but the balance seems to be off. I’m playing in SP ... finishing up mission one going to the rogue base near Pittsburg. Beta 4 dies very quickly.

Haha! Clearly it has been a long time since most of the regular players have played SP! The above answers will help you in Missions 2 and above, but not on Mission 1.

Mission 1 is the most difficult mission in SP, because it happens before you have the opportunity to take trade runs or buy a new ship. You are stuck with your Starflier and limited credits, and the enemies are numerous and aggressive. Also, there are two or three skirmishes in a row, with no break to repair and resupply.

The result is that you will play Mission 1 several times, at least. It takes a reasonably high level of skill in order to complete the mission. Once you have time to earn credits and upgrade to a better ship, the rest of the missions are relatively easier.

A few tips:

- Immediately sell your lasers and buy more powerful guns (Lavablades). The stock lasers on the Starflier are simply too weak to do much damage. If memory serves, your first opportunity to buy Lavablades is on Manhattan. I think that Ft. Bush and Pittsburgh do not carry Lavablades, and those are the only three bases that you can stop at before the raid on the secret Rogue base.

- Do not use missiles for Mission 1. There are too many enemies to kill before you can resupply. You will run out of missiles before the end of the mission.

- Slide during combat. Use the Z key to kill the engines. This allows you to turn while you continue to coast in the same direction that you were previously going. Use the thrusters (Tab key) to accelerate. Sliding increases your maneuverability and simultaneously makes it more difficult for enemies to hit your ship. Also, sliding allows you to circle a target while keeping your guns aimed at the target.

- Avoid letting your shields go completely to zero, unless you are very close to killing an enemy. There is a waiting period before your shields can recharge. You will be vulnerable to damage during that time.

- When you get to the Rogue base, take out the Weapons Platforms before you engage the enemy fighters. The Weapons Platforms are powerful and have long range. They will kill you before you can kill all of the enemy ships.

Good luck! After Mission 1, then follow the suggestions above to upgrade your ship before you respond to more of Juni's missions.

Quote from teancum79

I guess what I'm wondering is did the NPC's get overlooked when the game was altered?

The NPC balance is fine. If anything, the Starflier is just under-powered by a little bit. After you complete Mission 1 (b), you will see that the balance is pretty good throughout the game.

"Pretty good" does not mean "easy"! Crossfire is definitely more challenging than vanilla Freelancer.

BTW, "How to complete Mission 1b?" is the single most common question asked by new Single Players. That might be a good thing. In order to complete Mission 1b, you must learn to slide, evade, and make good use of slow-but-powerful guns. Those three skills are important throughout the game. Mission 1 is a training mission, after all. When you complete your training successfully, you will be ready to take on much more serious enemies... just earn some credits and buy a better ship!

Quote

I think I'll take another crack it that or find a compatible no story mod

Sorry, but if you do not have the patience to try the missions a few times, then you may very well be happier with an easier mod such as Discovery!

If you are referring to playing Crossfire without the Single Player Campaign (Missions 1-13), then you can re-install Crossfire for Open SP, which is just SP without the story line campaign missions.

Tough it out... you will learn to be a better pilot, and Crossfire is probably the most fun of all mods for Single Players (because nobody else has fully implemented Quests yet).

Quote from teancum79

If I get past mission 1 I can upgrade my ship a ton as soon as I can get to a prison so it might work.

Yes, exactly. If you look through older threads, especially in the Spoiler forum, you will see that many new CF pilots are surprised by Mission 1b. They ask questions similar to yours, and they get the same answers. After they get through the first mission, they usually continue on to complete all of the Quests, which is a lot more play time.

And, yes, Crossfire will make you a better pilot. In some situations it is a matter of "adapt or perish".

As you discovered, selling escape pods at prisons is a favorite way to earn credits. Also, there are usually a few highly lucrative trade routes, if you keep your eyes open. Note that the trade routes change daily, if you allow the launcher to download the fresh economy files (when you start Crossfire).

Have fun!

Quote from teancum79

Wow okay got past mission 1. The drift tings works well. It feels a little like Endor's Game trying to relearn concepts of direction etc., but my shield battery use has dropped and I'm hitting fairly well with the 2.0 refire weapons. Thanks for the help.

Excellent!

And now you can see a glimpse of why Crossfire is so much fun. You have played only a single mission -- one that you have played several times before -- and, already, you have become a better pilot!

By the time that you get to the Inner Core, you will have improved your piloting skills several more times.

Take your time, don't try to rush through the missions, and have fun while you improve your skills.

maybe its just me... but mission is fairly easy.. as for the starter starflier use the third weapon slot for stunpulse(the one with good shield killer)
i've use the weapon and starter ship until the first mission with juni...
it just takes longer then the usual time to beat the mission...

juz what l1ian said...
but for the 1st few mission u cant go anywhere 'cept round NY... so no prison ship..
how bout make a trade run around NY and Custodian...

edit: forgot one more thing... in sp sometimes the npc tends to spam cm even when the target is not them... so missiles always miss when fighting more than one npc cuz its like cm field...