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Source: Lost Fleet update released news - Crossfire 2.0 mod for Freelancer - Mod DB
Crossfire 2.0 bonus mission - Lost Fleet
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What can you expect from the Lost Fleet bonus mission? Aside from the many improvements to the Crossfire 2.0 mod, new story content is available. It tells the tale of a long forgotten faction that fell victim to the 'Great War' between the Western Alliance and the Eastern Coalition. In the Sol Sector you will be now able to discover a new, very unique region of space full of new secrets, new friends and old enemies.
Lost Fleet is created as a strong foundation for future-updates in which the newly discovered region of space will evolve ...
| Author's notes: When the Coaltion/Alliance war broke out the Coaltion started a surprise attack against military bases, civilian fleets and Alliance battlegroups located at the outer Sol system. The very first attack completely destroyed the Italian and French fleets at Fort Kennedy around the Jupiter moon Europa. The inner Sol system fell under Coalition control and the Alliance had to retreat to Titan. As we know from Freelancer, the war raged on for ~100 years, which means that the Alliance managed to survive a very long time... probably even gained enough territory to rebuild lost fleets. We also know that the Sleeperships which reached Sirius were not the only ones launched when the Alliance finally was defeated. With the Lost Fleet update I intend to bring back France as a faction into Crossfire. Not as a major faction but as a barely surviving part of the past. The faction survived the Nomads but got stuck in a dangerous region of space. With almost no resources this faction struggled to rebuild and expand. No resources, no way to go back, no way to move into new regions. Their situation: desperate. Their stations and ships are rust buckets trying to defend the very little that is left of humanity (from their perspective). |
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Crossfire Short Stories Part XVII - New discoveries in the Sol system?
By Balefire
Sometimes it is hard to distinguish bad luck from good.
On his way to a new assignment in Sol System, very junior Order Lieutenant Nico Slate had flown his brand-new Horizon from Liberty space through Bretonia without serious incident. A few encounters along the way had resulted in criminal pilots either retreating after a brief exchange of gunfire or sheering off before engaging. Lt. Slate suspected that his sleek very heavy fighter, bristling with weapons, was just too intimidating to present a desirable target for them. Being young, however, he told himself that his piloting skills were the source of his successes. Pleased with both his new ship and with his good luck—no, skill—he was smiling and humming a cheerful tune right up through the Hyperion System and nearly to the Warp Anomaly. It was there that both his ship and his luck went awry.
Forewarned, he had avoided the weapon platform orbiting Sylvin, and was making his final approach to the Warp Anomaly when a wing of Xenos fighters swooped down on him, unleashing a barrage of gunfire and missiles, overwhelming his shields, setting off hull and equipment damage alarms across his console. Wise despite his youth, Lt. Slate chose discretion over valor. At the best speed he could coax from his power plant, struggling to control his damaged ship, he entered the Warp Anomaly.
He arrived in Sol System somewhat rattled, and although his on-board repair systems and shield batteries sufficed to make his ship flyable, his guidance, communications, and maneuvering systems were well below optimum levels. Several times in his long journey he was forced to reorient his ship from unusual vectors, realigning himself and calculating better trajectories. During one of these stops in Sol asteroid belt close to Mercury, his long-range_scanner registered an anomaly, but it soon disappeared. He saw it, or one very like it, again later at extreme range, but once again it disappeared. It was a puzzle, but Lt. Slate had no time to investigate puzzles: he was intent on surviving the rigors of a long journey through Sol System, including the debris of many battles and the obstacles presented by the asteroid belt.
When he finally arrived safely at Order Military HQ and reported for duty, the “possible anomaly sighting, possibly unstable” was recorded in the records of his debriefing. His superiors decided against immediate investigation; resources were spread thinly as it was, the lieutenant's ship had damaged and unreliable systems, and nobody else had reported any unknown anomalies, unstable or otherwise. Perhaps someday when conditions were more settled and more ships and pilots were available, a search could be mounted. Meanwhile there were many more urgent priorities with which to deal, and the report was essentially forgotten.
Lt. Slate helped to deal with those more urgent issues, in his subsequent career flying many patrols and engaging in many successful sorties. He had neither the time nor the inclination to look for the anomaly or anomalies, although he mentioned the sightings whenever he told his story to appreciative bartenders or squadron mates. It was a good story, with both good and bad luck, fraught with danger and hardship, but with a happy ending. The phantom_anomaly sighting was merely a mysterious detail, much like a tale of undiscovered treasure, and like many such tales it became a persistent rumor.
Sometimes, investigating rumors results in surprising and even lucrative discoveries. Whether one or more uncharted anomalies exist in Sol System, and where they might lead, has yet to be determined by some intrepid_ explorer.
How to start the bonus mission?
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Bonus mission files are automatically downloaded via mod launcher (you need allow update, if you play only SP). Bonus mission itself can be played ONLY during active SP Campaign! Use one from offered "campaign pauses" during missions added by the Crossfire mod (1st pause is in Mission 24: Crossfire Chapter 5 - Coalition_) and go explore asteroid belt in the Sol system. It is big area, but with 'turreted view' you can find unusual 'things', like are for example anomalies, at long distances.
Above mentioned first 'pause' is offered by Juni and King when you will for a first time visit bar at Order Military HQ in the Sol system. It will have automatically launched short cutscene where you will be asked if you want to continue. Choose answer "No" and campaign will be paused. When you next time return to bar at Order Military HQ, the same cutscene will repeat. Choose reply "Yes", and campaign (main story) will continue.
During side story freely look around, explore and/or buy better ship or equipment, and then continue in campaign main story. However it is advised to continue with main story right after the side story end, because Freelancer engine have its limits and the same applies for Trent's new adventures added by the Crossfire mod. This mod's coding itself is going numerous times on edges of what is possible, so is not very wise to trying what all you can do before it breaks. Important note: during paused main campaign, for duration of side story, you will be unable to do classic missions from bases bars, because it is hard coded Freelancer's engine restriction.
Important, please read when you use old saves created before LF release. Newly started campaign with LF already installed DO NOT need patch saves!!!: after will be your Crossfire mod installation updated with LF files (it happens automatically via mod launcher), please check Freelancer directory for newly added utility called "FactionPatch.cmd". This utility do first backup to all of your "old" SP gamesaves, and then will update theirs copies with information about new faction(s) added into the mod. This step is for older saves absolutelly necessary for proper functioning of the NPCs in the side story mission. Patching process needs some time, so be patient.
Autosaves: please avoid use of these during SP Campaign play completely! It was repeatedly confirmed that use of them can corrupt all further saves (including mission-saves) and broke SP campaign progress!!!
What is now possible to be found in the Sol Sector may be a real surprise ...
