Posts by Finisher

All this sh*t has sort of been laid to rest here, I have not heard anything mentioned about it for the better part of a week, the other clan that was thinking of leaving is now staying put, etc. etc.

Then PiA's representative comes back and tries to stir things up again.

Geisha: You need to take a lesson from Riddick_7. Here is a quote from a week ago, pulled from another thread:

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Originally posted by Riddick_7
You are completely right Drakon, it needs to stop. I will stop, even if its hard to hear undeserverd bad words on your back, I will stop. I dont wish anything bad to anyone here.

Have fun everyone

And Riddick_7 did stop posting, which was a conscientious decision.

And this community has also moved on.

I think it is obvious, that the CF forums have moved away from this topic. Why do you want to keep stirring the hornet's nest? I will answer for you: because you like the controversy. You are feeding on it.

I agree with Marshal that we don't need this thread here. This continual airing of grievances is worse than pathetic -- it has become silly, childish, and tedious.

It's a sci-fi game, didn't you know? Like Ruivo said, play the game, don't live it.

Yeah I <b>thought</b> it seemed kinda weird....
[konfus]

I noticed something weird. One of my characters has a Saracen. When I trade with another character, there is a Civilian Very Heavy Power Plant in the list of items I am able to trade away.

This has never happened with any of the other VHF's I have flown or am currently flying.

And the power plant only shows up in the trade window. It is not visible in the inventory/equipment.

(BTW all the ships in question have the Power Generator MK V.)

Is this, like, an extra power plant I picked up somewhere? What to do with it? If I trade it to the other character, does it then automatically replace that char's current power plant?

Also, out of curiosity, is this the same power plant that comes with all the VHF's, or are there different power plant configurations?

I find it strange. I thought the fighters and their power plants were inseparable/integral (the way the engine and the basic hull are an integral part of every ship). I never heard of separating a power plant from a fighter. I never saw one listed and named like this before. Is it some fluke limited to ships in Coalition space? Any insights?

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Originally posted by Marshal Cunningham
Bah, it'll make great RP.

Maybe so.

This type of "uppity" behavior couldn't help but add some flavor, if "Robin Hood's Gang" follows through on it. As for the clan systems, what's the fun of owning a chunk of space if you don't get the chance to loose the dogs on an occasional trespasser?[biggrin]

You wouldn't likely catch me in there, though, without a well-trained squadron at my back. Some of those clans will beat infiltrators like the proverbial redheaded stepchild.

This is definitely going somewhere.

Any chance of having this bi-weekly, such as Wednesday and Friday, or Wednesday and Saturday? You might get more involvement if there is a weekend event, as work or school schedules will then be less of a factor for many people.

Red Katipo: Thanks for staying involved and continuing to refine and establish the rules. It's looking good to me.

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Originally posted by Darkxx

Excuse my bad English -- , however, I learn daily here !

Yes, you are definitely learning your English by interacting with the English-speaking crowd. Your post is pretty easy to understand. I can already see significant improvements made, in your short time posting here. Keep it up!

And, your English is about a hundred thousand times better than my German.

I never took the Junkers bribe with any of my characters.

If you can get someone to give you a million credits or so, you'll be in good shape.

Or else, fight a lot of Outcasts to make money. Make sure you collect those escape pods.

Or else look for the Junkers bribe.

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Originally posted by Tanatos

To Finisher: no way to hit a target with miss/torps like a sniper (if your target stands still yessss.....) or out of the melee. If you learn that pls tell me

I don't know...I never use missiles. But yes, I see your point, missiles are slow as hell (except CD's, but they are like mosquito bites). Maybe "sniping" is a bad word for it, maybe I should call it "taking potshots."

But suppose two or three pilots (or a swarm of pilots) are engaged in dogfighting; couldn't a lurker park his rig and lock on from a distance when one of them gets too close? If a ship is already weakened, one good missile lock would spell "instant frag" -- the damage done by just one of those coalition missiles is tremendous. It wouldn't even require much reflexes or timing -- just a quick lock, or a little luck. I only bring it up because of the tremendous damage potential caused by someone lobbing missiles into the fray.

As I said, I never use missiles, ( not yet, anyway) so don't ask me how to use them, my knowledge of them is next to nothing. (<b>As is my knowledge of PvP.</b> I need practice!)

The missile users probably do not like my suggestion. If my concerns are as unfounded as Tanatos says, I withdraw it wholeheartedly.

As for unloading bots and bats beforehand, I think it's a good idea. This way there will be no "heat of the moment" excuses.

But I also see Tanatos's point: keep it simple.

I like this overall idea though. I hope it becomes official.

I think it's an awesome idea. Classic deathmatch in Arena, hats off to you, Red Katipo, for bringing it up. This is just the kind of thing this server needs -- the gloves come off!

Heaven knows I <b>desperately</b> need the PvP experience. This is just what the doctor ordered; a chance to hone my skills in a long match with respawns allowed.

Like Oriris_72, I am also GMT minus 5 (I'm in the eastern time zone -- I think I got that right), so 8:00 GMT translates to 3 AM for me. I will admit I am a night-owl but would there be any chance of pushing it back to 7:00 or 6:00 GMT, or else cut the duration to one hour, or have two one-hour sessions? Two hours is a grueling marathon, especially that late ("Twilight Zone" indeed, for many of us).

Red Katipo: you helped me out when I first came onto this server. Thanks mate! I haven't forgotten. I took a lesson from it, and passed the favor forward to a few other newbies.

PS: your rules seem pretty solid and well thought-out. I especially like the dumping of bats and bots beforehand. How about this, as well: no missile weapons (except maybe CD's?). I can already see one or two campers hanging back from the main action, firing homing missiles like Nemesis and Cataclysm, and scoring kills without getting their hands dirty while the rest of us hack away at each other melee-style. Missile sniping (spamming?) could spoil some of the fun of testing our true gunnery skills, especially in a free-for-all situation.

I am new here. I really don't have the credentials to be speaking out about all these matters -- no, I really don't have the credentials at all. I am outspoken by nature, though. And opinionated.

Yesterday I sent OP a private e-mail, trying to be constructive on the one hand, and really letting him have it at the same time, hoping to maybe keep him from tipping all the way over and giving up, because I feel bad that his considerable achievement should go through this mangling process that has been happening of late.

I sort of laid my opinions on the line in no uncertain terms -- and, again, I have basically zero credentials -- and many an admin would have been provoked to anger by that. This was not the case.

Op replies to me within a day with a short, very restrained message. I was impressed with that.

As for the aforementioned mangling process, from where I stand there is plenty of blame to go around.

In my short stay here, I have only barely begun to develop an opinion of OP. What I notice so far from reading through this forum: he can sometimes be a bit taciturn, his sense of diplomacy runs the gamut from great to nonexistent, and I absolutely cannot abide the "call me God" phrase in his profile. (I know it's tongue-in-cheek, but maybe you should get rid of that, OP, before God tires of it. Seriously.)

So maybe OP is a bit of a prima donna and doesn't suffer fools lightly. In a way I cannot blame him. I tend to be the same way, myself -- in fact I am probably a lot worse (it takes one to know one, as they say). But it seems there are a lot of people here who claimed loyalty, and some displayed sycophantic behavior, when it was "fashionable" to be on Op's side. Then, as soon as adversity occurred here, those are some of the same ones that piled on and heaped coals on his head.

Ruivo, you have a lot to clear up. I hope you stay, my first (admittedly limited) impression of you was really very favorable, but I would not blame OP for banning you or even your clan. Your behavior recently has been cozening, duplicitous, deceitful. You have posts here and on NQ, not more than a day apart, that are so contradictory it is almost laughable. You have aggressively signed many new members to your clan just recently. Having done so, it's not nice to move on now that things seem a little less shiny. It's not even nice to threaten to move on, right now when things are unstable. Plus, there's a saying: "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." I think someone referred to it above, in so many words.

Ruivo, if OP allows it, I hope you stay and contribute to clearing things up. Bigtime. Because, honestly, you seem like a nice enough guy. Your clan concept is a good one. Your sin is in trying to play both ends against the middle. I think many of us have done that at least once in our life. You will live and you will learn, hopefully. If OP lets you stay, I don't think you need to fear retribution or banishment server-side; the nucleus of this group just doesn't seem like the type. (I mean, any group that could put up with those GAYS as long as you guys did...well, shucks and damn...that has to take tolerance and patience. )

And, Ruivo, you are by no means the only one on this server who has displayed, shall we say, wishy-washy behavior. In fact, I think there was some extreme wishy-washiness that led to your initial unease, and to your getting caught up with the idea of leaving. Panicky or capricious behavior is contagious; this is not an uncommon phenomenon. It's easy to contribute to it and more difficult to remain above it.

As for me, as I said, I am new, and have no real vested interest in this mod. I may or may not continue to hang out here. (Some of you may know my feelings in the wake of the Nephele sale -- but also know that I posted my complaints about that before I fully understood the turmoil that was happening due to broader issues, and before I read the latest threads in this sub-forum.)

I have met a few decent, interesting folks server-side but nothing has really cemented there. I have no clan, and have but a few people I interact with regularly or semi-regularly. But I have been following this forum pretty closely the last couple days (good as a soap opera, it is), and maybe the opinion of a youngblood member, with no ties to this-or-that group, will help nudge things in the right direction.

This mod deserves better than it has been getting.

I think that's one of the bees in OP's bonnet: his reactiveness reminds me of that character on Seinfeld, the soup guy: he demanded perfection from his soup; how could he expect anything less from his customers? You dig it?

I hope you can all forgive me for speaking up -- again, I really don't have the credentials. It's a flaw of mine, my big mouth is. But I played here for a few weeks and really grew to appreciate this mod. I wish all the best.

Yeah, I was just on multiplay and saw the VIS clan listed as full-fledged owners of Nephele. I must be honest, this is a shocker. Really has me disillusioned about investing myself here any further. Just when I finally found a FL mod I really liked, and I start getting settled into the atmosphere of the universe, this happens.

It's a kick in the crotch, a rude awakening.

I actually feel really down about this. That this was allowed to happen, pretty much ruins things for me. Enough is enough.

Hard to believe the other server clans are not in an uproar.

I mean, who <b>wouldn't</b> pick Nephele?!

Baene makes some awesome-looking ships. What I have noticed while playing this mod, is that many of his ships are an excellent fit for the traditional Freelancer game, but are sluggish in comparison to many other VHF's in this mod. That's why you don't see a lot of Ceptyrs or Gunstars flying around (two very nice looking ships, IMO). Actually the Gunstar is right on the edge when it comes to adequate maneuverability. But the Ceptyr takes its good ol' time when banking or turning. It has six class-10 hardoints but that don't help when the enemy consistently has the drop on you, rather than the other way around.

I think he makes the Bullpup series, which would be a notable exception.

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Originally posted by Tassie Devil
What new clan? Owning Nephele?

Hey mate as far as i know no clan owns that system or am i missing something.

Tassie, I sure hope you're right. Because this would seem to throw things way off-kilter. But there is a thread under Server News titled "Hello, here is new Clan" where VIS claims ownership of Nephele.

I too would like some official word from Op or server clan leaders or whatever other powers-that-be there be.

EDIT: Like you, Tassie, I also saw that VIS post the other day and thought nothing of it until [HC] Pale rider added Nephele to the list of closed systems in that other thread I started.

Anyway, I just went back and re-read the post from VIS and I am wondering if they are merely a new clan role-playing for "control" of Nephele. But here is a sample of the dialogue from their thread:

<i>Non-registered clans and freelancers are not allowed to enter the System. Temporary exceptions to this rule
can only be given by =VIS=-Darkxx or =VIS==-Fireball-. </i>

If they are in fact <b>not</b> renting the system, then such a declaration would seem to be an unprecedented display of audacity.

2nd EDIT: Here's a quote from Centaurian in that VIS thread, regarding their (ahem) "rules," that just about says it all:

<i>I will acknowledge the system rules only when I see a VIS billboard at the entrance, or a console bulletin showing that Nephele is a clan system; otherwise, I'm with Gunny, good luck enforcing them.... </i>

So I think perhaps me and a few others are jumping the gun here. I think my latest conclusion is, finally, the correct one: that VIS is engaging in some extremely audacious role-play, at least on this forum. Without official acknowledgment from Op and the server clans, I think they are going to have their hands full enforcing such "rules."

As I said in the other thread, now I feel like an idiot. [wall2]

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Originally posted by Poojah Nazol
Nope I was talking about Nephele, rent that system or sell and you're cutting off a vital trading access to those other system, I'm not saying don't rent any systems, but like this one there are some that should never be rented or sold...

My 2 cents...

I just wrote a reply about this very subject, under the thread titled "Clan systems update?" I wrote that reply before reading the latest posts in this thread. You can see what I had to say about it. I tend to be as thunderstruck by this as you, if not more so. Not sure I see the positive in a new clan owning an awfully vital system like Nephele.

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Originally posted by Raven19
Yes test all by your sefl theats how i learned it too do the basic things

Thanks, Raven19. Whatever works for you! [wink] But I may not be enough of a masochist. [7]

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Originally posted by Chrysocyon_ZERO
Try milkshape. It's a good starting point. But don't be lazy.

Thanks for the advice. If and when I get past the drudgery of file compatibility and all that boring (to me at least) sh*t, I may actually have something to contribute. I actually looked around for quite a while trying to find some real tutorials, before I posted here. But good modding advice seems to be conspicuously lacking for this game. A lot of Freelance modders seem to be rather individualistic...uh...individuals. And I suppose there's a fair share of people like Raven19 who broke ground on their own and are loath to give up the knowledge they fought so hard to obtain. It's perfectly understandable.

Thanks again for your replies!

Anybody have any good resources or suggestions for wannabe shipwrights? I found one or two tutorials but they seemed a tad Mickey-Mouse for any serious modeling.

In college and when I worked as a mechanical engineer I was a wiz at solid modeling. But it's been a few years since I did 3D modeling, and I really don't have the patience to ferret out all the necessary steps and the most useful tools to integrate a physical ship model into Freelancer. I have some pretty interesting ship ideas drawn up, but I have no desire to spend hours deciphering the routine for building it into a Freelancer-friendly file. (Besides, others have already figured all that out.:D)

I guess I am saying, I would like to try my hand at modeling ships, but I am too damned lazy and unmotivated to do any extensive legwork in learning the ropes.

...Or perhaps I am just averse to tedium.

If anyone has anything that will catapult me into the region of basic understanding, I would appreciate it.

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BTW in case there's any question...this is intended as a constructive dialog, not in any way a flame or criticism.

I think you'll find you do not need to tread too lightly here. It would be extremely difficult to construe your comments as anything but constructive and thought-provoking, and as such they are welcome.

You are right in any case; almost all players will fight in a VHF. Personally I could never bring myself to use a light fighter or even a heavy fighter, unless, perhaps, it had at least two class 10 hardpoints. And it would have to have some spectacular maneuverability to make up for the shield and armor downgrade. It would indeed have to at least be able to <i><font face="Century Gothic, Verdana, Arial">trot</font></i> circles around the VHF's. But the concept of the VHF as the be-all fighter is a throwback to that first time we all played Freelancer and finally got enough cash to buy the coveted Eagle.

Sometimes there are interesting observations and suggestions that come up here. I wonder what changes there will be in the next revision....

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Originally posted by StingRay
Thanks for the suggestion. The use of escorts has occured to us as well. Unfortunately, or rather fortunately the LPs most active members are from varying timezones. Having 4 or 5 online a the same time is unfortunately less the rule than the exception. And tying up 4 players for an hour to make 11 mil a piece is probably not going to work. After all that is 2 taxes at current rates.

Even assuming your fellow LP are absent, I would bet there are usually two or three bored Freelancers online at any given time, who could assemble with you on fairly short notice, and would be more than happy to take such missions from time to time. There's bound to be some good shootouts that way, now and again.

Many FL'ers I chat with are flying around in VHF's, not getting into trading too much (this is me to the letter), and five or ten million for an hour's work is reasonable pay. Many could probably use the practice, and who knows? -- you might pick up a few reliable new members that way.

<b><font color=white>And,</font></b> even if you ended up with a few crappy pilots (taking what you can get at the moment, such is life) they might serve as "cannon fodder" and provide enough of a distraction that you could run the gauntlet.

You can't mess around when activating this mod; it is too large and complex to be "manhandled" by the Mod Manager and so it taxes that resource. It is really more of an expansion than a mod, the way I see it.

Let me go through a few things that may sound tedious, but if you are trying to take a shortcut around any of them you will not have luck getting the mod to take.

* Reinstall Freelancer

* Remove any saved games in the directory "Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\My Games\Freelancer\Accts\SinglePlayer"

* <b>Reinstall the Crossfire Mod</b> -- this is what hung me up once. If you do anything that causes it to not load properly, such as activating this mod and then deactivating it, you need to start over again from scratch, including doing a fresh install of the Crossfire 1.62 mod itself. It is a touchy business getting this mod to load with the Mod Manager. For this reason, avoid turning other mods on. And once you get the Crossfire mod loaded, do not deactivate it unless you want to start from ground zero.

If I missed anything or stated something inaccurate, I am sure there are others here who can fill in the missing information or supply any necessary corrections.

Good Luck!

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Originally posted by StingRay

In about an hour a police friendly clanmember can net 45mil from a sucessful Sol run. Less 5 mil if they are taxed.

An LP Pirate must successfully tax 9 different trains in that same hour before being run off by multiple members of the 6 police role clans to do the same.

In the next hour, a police friendly clanmember can repeat the run without the cost of being taxed, but an LP must find 9 different trains that haven't been taxed by an LP that day.

This should make recruiting fun.

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Yes there are an awful lot of police clans out there, fired up to take on the smugglers and the pirates. I see...in your future...an escort of VHF's.

Using escorts seems the obvious solution. Why are smugglers traveling alone? (Especially pirate smugglers.)

If a trader can net 45 million, suppose he is surrounded by, say, 5 well-equipped VHFs? That might substantially increase your odds of a successful run. One or two police, who might otherwise make mincemeat of a lonely trader, are going to have their hands full, so it forces them to mobilize <i>en masse</i> in response to your previously organized party. Why make it easy for the police to halt your activities? Make it tough, and fun!

Pay each escort 3 or 4 million if the run is successful, and you still end up with a 25 or 30 million net gain, plus it might liven things up a bit.

With the switch of DC over to police, I anticipate interesting changes to the pirate clans' strategies. I mean, the last thing we want is a preponderance of law and order in the galaxy. That would be damned boring.