Posts by Drakon

I had always been fond of the BPIII. Despite the weak shielding, the propulsion and weaponry capabilities were impressive. Even took one to Menton a couple of times. Hopefully the ship will remain well-balanced. It may suck in PvP but is one outstanding, unique vessel when pitched into the right sort of scenario.

Spiky, don't forget the Kamov. It needs help too; it has fewer guns and doesn't have that blue-blasty-thing-of-capship-doom! xD

Still looking awsome, OP! Glad my browser problems went away so that I could see. Interesting color schemes by the way.

Ya - I don't get it either. You made some of the major changes to the site well before the problem developed, too, so this doesn't make any sense. I'll do the best I can with it, but trying to view other threads after my last post led to IE going (Not Responding). Had to eventually go into Task Manager to end the process because closing it the regular way led to pop-up warnings. lol

Will do my best to stay caught up with current events here, but will probably seem inactive and oblivious until I can figure it out. Still available via email or the other forums though, so if anyone needs anything I'm still around. Sometime this week I'll try updating my browser. Also noticed that my image tags aren't working in my signiture anymore. Maybe if I delete some stuff there, it might help somehow. Don't know. Thanks for the fast responce OP. It's appreciated.

Sorry for redirecting the subject a little bit, but I've been having some problems of my own with the site. For the last week or so whenever I've come here to check up on threads there has been a considerable amount of lag for me. Used to be able to use tabbed browsing to catch up on all the new posts rather quickly, but doing such a thing now causes my browser to freeze up. Sticking to one-window navigation around the site is slightly faster, but this is the first post I've been able to make since this started. Every other time trying to reply in a thread has caused the browser to freeze for me.

I'm using Internet Explorer... forgot which version but it's not the newest out at the moment. I've got a strong wireless connection that tends to run at 54 Mbps. No changes have been made on my end that could be attributed to the sudden change though - things were perfectly smooth and fast for me one day, and then suddenly it started to be like this. So far I haven't had any similar problems on any of the other sites I visit. Until I can get it sorted out the only way I can really keep tabs on what's going on or easily communicate with other players is via the ASF forums, or those operated by the serverclans. Any advice on what I could do to cut down on my lag for this particular site so I can go back to being more engaged with the community again? :\

P.S. Happy birthday Spiky - w00t, finally got to say it! xD

Also, for reference, there was about a thirty-second delay between when I hit the "submit" button on this post and when I got redirected back to the thread. Hopefully making this edit won't press my luck too far.

Will 1.8 solve the problems with battleships mooring at some of the Vanilla planets? There are still small planets that cannot allow a BS to undock without destroying it in the process and forcing suicide before launch. If not it's certainly fine, but would just be good to know.

Technically... you can. I was in a soulforge once in New York and a pirate with a starflier tried to tax me (albeit this was several, several months ago). When I refused to pay, I got rammed until he blew up. Gunny was sure on the ball though - there was only a 3 second delay before I was getting asked what was going on. Accidental frags with a cargo-laden train are awesome. I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often. Anyway, at least that other person was shooting instead of ramming. Wonder if it'd be possible to make someone burn up in the atmosphere if struck at just the wrong moment... O.o

Oh well... trolls will be trolls, eh?

My only concern really with restrictions on being in NY is that it makes sense to use it as a place to do safe transfers, especially since it is the spawning point for new characters. The game does not allow for the trade of materials or credits unless the two ships are physically alongside one another (guess FedEx wasn't on the sleeperships O.o). There have been instances when I've done transfers in X-3043 and got shot and killed before it could be completed. More recently I picked up ASF licenses from someone to give to fellow pilots and was killed by another player inside an allied clan system less than three minutes later - well before I had a chance to hand them out. It's not that loss shouldn't be a part of the game, but it seems silly imagining certain ship classes on their way to clan systems to trade - especially if they may be at a level high enough to be targeted by RP opponents flying (comparatively) invincible spacecraft. Whatever is wanted by the SPs will be fine on the matter - just expressing my unease with that particular point.

Or...

1. Maintanence costs over the decades grew too high and so the bases were decommissioned or scrapped. It's rough having stations in the backwaters of space. Maybe when push came to shove - if the Zoners were biting the bullet with their finite resources at some point in time - something had to get cut back on. Costs of repairing and maintaining two of their stations could make sense, especially in those Freeports were in areas where incurring damages was quite frequent.

2. Those bases were built on what were frontiers at the time but may have lost their value when alternative routes of trade were established, new jumps were discovered, and the Houses expanded (ie. Kusari enters a new system and brings rule of law with them, and so its time for the Zoners to find a new home... or the discovery of a jump hole may have rendered the position of a station unstrategic).

3. Being located especially distant from the rest of civilization, costs of trade may have been too high for the stations to be cost-effective for the Zoners. Mind you many of their rumors mention a feeble economy and a constant struggle to produce and supply vital resources. If these two bases were too expensive to get supplies too, the bases themselves weren't producing as expected to send things back to the rest of the Zoners, or if the area in which they were built was simply too dangerous it would make little sense to keep investing credits and materials onto certain stations.

I have been very challenged as of late when it comes to time. There has not been enough to visit the server to play CF more than about nine days out of each month, and I've even fallen behind on the writing I do off on the side for ASF-CSF conflicts. Looking at the list of games you've listed though there are a few that I've played before, and amongst those I can either provide information based on my own experience or through second-hand sources that would be easy to track down. Games I know that I'll be able to provide at least something useful for are (in order of my experience with them):

1. Wing Commander III
2. Descent II
3. Wing Commander IV
4. Tachyon: The Fringe

I've got work to finish for my college courses first, but this weekend I will likely have a fair bit of free time on my hands. If a bit of a delay is acceptable, I will try to compile as thorough a description for each of these as possible. That having been said, I can only provide assistance in terms of the information being provided in text. I do not have original screenshots to provide, nor any knowledge in how one would take the information and incorporate it into a website. Hope this will still help though, OP.

Edit: ran into problems with time - will work on it as soon as my classes give me breathing space. x.x

*snickers*

This is something that has been there since those CF
systems were introduced. In the part of the map where
Sol is, every other system in DK space and Altair is also
stacked atop. If you move your cursor around you can
select any of the systems beyond Sol that you've
visited - usually though it's hard to move the cursor in
such tiny amounts and so it's just easier to click on one
and then follow the jump holes. xD

Take care m8

I'm usually a pretty big fan of communities cooperating with one another to work on things, but I tend to agree with where the thread is going here. Not really involved enough to understand why, so perhaps I am wrong, but it appears as though in the last year FL has gotten to the point where its base is simply not large enough to keep doing this. If they are stuggling with organization, lack of people on staff, and activity from the community my first impression is that TSP has lost its viability. While I do wish it well, this problem will not go away by sending a couple of our brightest minds to assist them. It would just weaken SWAT itself, which appears to be working prudently to diversify the kinds of games it covers and planning for the long-term. If OP is still planning next year to be done, people here have a lot to figure out about our own future before trying to help fellow communities. Besides, OP already does more than what is due for Freelancer. The worst thing that could happen for him is ending up with too much to work and getting burnt out from it. If a project isn't going to make you feel proud and satisfied by completion m8, don't do it.

Nobody is ever truly safe. Not anywhere, doing anything. That's life - it's full of risks. Sure there are places that are less safe than others, but one must bear in mind that insecurity is not justification for relying on violence to solve problems. Self-defense is certainly one thing - that makes sense - but remember that responding to a person's words with violence is disproportionate and rather brutish.

Even if people are being jerks here on the server, each person still has the freedom to ignore it, go someplace else, or simply log off. If it really crosses the line, get a screenshot and take it privately to the serverpolice. Nothing is forcing verbal confrontation or drama to happen - it can only play out that way if both sides want it. Harrassment really shouldn't have a place in a game, but if it has to it may as well be channeled into the RP. Put the anger into playing an authentic role, not venting it into forum posts or into system chat.

New Bond film to come out in 2012: "The Man with the Golden Spike"? A million dollars per hit indeed.

Interesting and colorful medals Max.

Take care the both of you, it's a splended time of year to go abroad and do things... whether for work or play.

I have a lot of potential drama, but it's much better off beaten down and stowed away in the overhead compartments whenever possible. People should be speaking their minds at any time, not just as an exception for blowing off steam. Despite the quirks and problematic conflicts that come up from time to time, I am very happy with this community and don't see a reason for being upset about server-side activity. Like OP said, it's whatever we make of it. Given my fondness for SP, I will enjoy Crossfire no matter how few or many folks log on (though it's certainly better to have more folks on than less). That having been said...

@Lucy's 1st post: I certainly agree more than not. Stripping down has not worked, however, so I intend upon swaddling up in a rediculously comfortable robe and hibernating until the weather starts to respect and appreciate me again.

Thomas: 'Cut your engines or I will open fire' contains no Chinese characters, so I've already ruled out Mandarin as being the language. It could be some dialect derived from the Germanic familiy, however!

@RogueJet: I miss your old avatar, but things are alright either way.

@OP: You have this tendency to apply weight-reducing kits to your posts that is rather admirable and certainly a trademark of your style. It makes messages very easy to understand, and in addition grants you a definite PvP advantage against slower, more cumbersome posters.

Spiky: To be honest I don't really drink beer. Or wine. Or whisky. Or rum. Or anything else that is good for a buzz, really. Is this going to have negative, long-term consequences on my quality of life?

jack: I am now back from vacation, so make sure to remind me to get out the tape from last week and watch you save America from that mercenary group and somehow survive that nasty run-in with the bio-weapon (or more likely, get left at the edge of my seat with an artfully crafted cliff-hanger and have to switch over to House afterwards to balance things out). Also, on a less awesome note, I have been gnawing on ice cubes for a great deal of time today, which takes me to my next point...

@Abras: Enjoying life is for people who see the ice tube as half full instead of half empty; unfortunately eating the half in the first place has not helped me chill out the least bit. Walking is still nice though.

Now that this has all been clarified, no more steam or dry humor for now.

I like the concept, but something I see as potentially being a problem is the number of characters each player goes through. People here use, to my knowledge, anywhere between one and five accounts. Though only having one account at the moment, I've personally been through nearly 75 characters on CF (that being said, there are people who have been here for much longer). Medals would be great, but would not truly represent a player's achievements by only looking at a single character, or only their present ones.

Ya - surely there is a line drawn between what is in-game and what is personal, but the easiest way to avoid conflict is simply to show your adversaries and enemies the same sort of respect you'd show towards your friends.

Ah - welcome back. It is good to see more UAC returning again. In the past weeks I've seen Sapphire log on a couple of times. Keep in mind however that the UAC leadership has namely dissolved since the last time you were here. Doppleganger is operating a charming corp on EVE, I am now in DC, and Ruivo has been out of touch for quite some time. Belph used to be in UAC. She has been on more often lately and is switching out to another org, too. It was either Fallen or K-41 I'm thinking - appologies for not knowing which for certain. Whatever you decide to do, make sure to try and catch up what's been going on and have a good time. It's good to have you back again.

Also, to my knowledge there is not a char wipe planned for 1.8 - though it is not beyond the realm of possibility.