Posts by Bullwinkle

Quote

Originally posted by jimmyBB
All rumours seem to have disappeared from bars in the coalition stations

JimmyBB, You are the third person (including myself) with a similar report (an apparent "dead end" to clues in Coalition space).

If I take your description literally then OP is correct: you have missed something obvious.

However, if you got stuck where I did, then OP's suggestion will not help you at all!

Discussing this on the forum may require too many spoilers, so I suggest that we discuss it via PM, and then report back here if the result has value to the community and/or OP, ok?

I will send you a PM with some questions in a few minutes.

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Originally posted by Jerra
I started to play the campaign again too and it just sucks. Bounty hunting is useless, you don't earn enough money and the enemys are just too hard to kill. ...

Trading won't earn me enough money too. I buyed the cargo ship, but the next ship after the defender costs about a million credits...

Jerra, the first couple of missions in the Single Player (SP) campaign are a little tedious, as you point out. But be patient... things change rapidly when Juni unlocks the rest of the Liberty gates for you.

For SP, I prefer the Rhino over the Defender. The Rhino has tougher armor, a larger cargo hold, and 8 guns. However, either ship should be more than adequate. Be sure to use hard-hitting weapons, such as the LavaBlade Plasma Cannons sold on Manhattan.

Missiles also work better in CF than in vanilla Freelancer, so maybe experiment with them.

Some pilots fire a cruise disruptor (CD) and missile(s) at the same time. The CD hits first -- which momentarily makes the NPC enemy stop their afterburner -- which makes it easier for the missile to hit its target.

Bounty Hunting missions become extremely profitable after Juni unlocks the gate to Texas. You know all of those $1 cargo pods that you have been collecting? Hint: Keep collecting them until you find a station that pays more than $1.

Trading is also more profitable in Crossfire than in vanilla Freelancer. Stop at all of the bases in New York, and you will see that there are some extremely profitable trade routes.

Between Detroit and Pittsburgh alone, you can find some very profitable short runs.

Keep at it. You will soon be earning credits very quickly.

Also, Crossfire adds quite a bit beyond the original Freelancer campaign, so watch for Quests in the News after you leave Liberty.

Quote

Originally posted by jimmyBB
I can't see any Bar based rumours in Coalition any more, and consequently can't seem to continue the story...

I've got the first couple of BB's and dont know what to do next...

...once Ive at least completed the 1.7 storyline.

JimmyBB, you may have received a clue and not followed it as far as the game intends. That is not really a "bug", but it might be a point where the game could be improved -- like an "enhancement request" (ER). Most ER's seem to be posted in the CF 1.9 thread.

It is hard to know exactly where you are in the game without discussing which black boxes you have found. If you ask your question in the Freelancer Spoiler Forum then I will help you.

BTW, I hope that you meant the "1.8 storyline". CF 1.8 has fewer bugs than recent versions of 1.7, so there is no good reason (that I can think of) not to use 1.8... unless *I* have missed something (which is also possible!).

Tip: You can hide possible spoiler information by using the "Spoiler" button above the text box for the message that you write. The rollover text for the button should say that, but it does not.

Quote

Originally posted by Ryleous Arkane
There is a quirk with AutoCAD ...
all blacks appear white while all white appears black on a print out.

That's not a "quirk", Arkane, that's a "feature".

It allows you to have a dark background with light text for viewing, and it prints out black on white without making a big, black, ugly, mess.

In other words, it sounds as though that is exactly what you want!

Unfortunately, most of us don't have Autocad, so you will probably have to render your maps in some other format?

Is there any chance that you might be able to render both with and without a background, so that we can print without the background if we want to?

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Originally posted by solathan
ok a maze system wow! i'm new by the way!

Welcome, Solathan, and good luck!

PS: Don't spend too much time in this thread... too many "Spoilers" will spoil your fun!

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Originally posted by Hellraiser

what is the item?
just gimme a clue
what type is it
like a gun or....?

Display More

Hellraiser, it really does not matter what the item is, does it? The goal of the maze is for you to find your way through it, and to receive the "bonus" for making the effort.

Just in case you have never played an adventure game before, mazes are a common object. The original adventure game (surprisingly named "Adventure") had TWO mazes:

• A maze of twisty little passages, all different.
• A maze of twisty little passages, all alike.

Of the two, the second maze was far more difficult. The first maze, at least, had some differences in each location, so that you could easily map the maze.

Don't let Hagar scare you... you should only get blown up in Hiruga a couple of times. :-o

So, save your game at Kyoto before entering Hiruga, and save again at one of the bases inside Hiruga.

Then just carefully map the maze. In an hour or two you will be out of the maze with your "prize".

Do not panic. Just be methodical. The Hiruga maze is not difficult, and it does have a couple of fun surprises. It is very well done, IMHO.

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Originally posted by Hellraiser
is there a jump hole in utopia that warps you inside the planetoid surrounding the devron jump hole

No, there is not a jump that lands inside the planetoid (other than the Devron System jump hole itself).

Combine that answer with the answer I gave you in the CF 1.8 Mod thread...

Now you know what to do, right?

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Originally posted by Ryleous Arkane
I'm still debating whether a background image is really going to do much good IMHO, it will make the names of the systems difficult to read

My vote is no background image. Preferably a white background.

I sometimes like to print a map and make notes on it. Printing a color background wastes a ton of ink and makes the map very difficult to mark up.

Also, as you say, it is just plain easier to read with less background visual "noise".

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Originally posted by voxxraiden
I know I'm to get something from 3 of these right(?) - ok, I've killed at least 30 and was close enough several times to had them crash into me when they died, and I immediately use my tractor. I also get some nice guns and a few metals but thats it -

No data, black boxes, anything... stuck again

You almost certainly have what you need. If I recall, there IS something that you need to tractor, but it does not appear in your cargo manifest.

Just continue with the Quest.

PS: Is this SP or MP? If you can save, then you might want to make a save now and another before you travel in any especially funny-looking gates.

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Originally posted by SWAT_OP-R8R
i asked this community at the last meeting to work on a PR campaign, news, ads, videos

What "meeting", OP? Did I miss a community meeting, or was it a private meeting only for the people working on Crossfire?

I saw your post that looked like "minutes" of a meeting, but the meeting itself appeared to be private. If so, that's fine... I am just asking.

I would participate in a public meeting if I knew about it ahead of time.

Quote

Originally posted by Hellraiser
as for the devron jump hole..
tell me if im right....there is a jumphole somewhere lese which warps u inside the planetoid
or there is a hole in the planetoid somewhere(i looke for it but could not find it)

Yes, you are correct. Please ask in the Freelancer Spoiler Forum if you want more help with the jump hole.

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Originally posted by I am D
Let us bring down the volume, SP is nice and so is MP.

...

Nice idea on the original post

Good points, I-am-D.

As Synkron points out, the motivation behind creating Crossfire was MP. On the other hand, the download statistics suggest that there are many more SP players -- like ten to one hundred times more SP players.

Does it really matter who plays SP or MP? There is room in the world for both kinds of players.

SP and MP are very different games. To say one is "better" than the other is like saying that apples are better than oranges. They are, simply, different.

Sure, nobody is going to play the same campaign forever, but that is not how many (most?) of us play SP. I flew a Dagger to Menton with difficulty_scale set to 2.0. The wings got blown off, but that only made the Dagger a smaller target and harder to hit.

The trip was a lot of fun, and it is a challenge that cannot easily be done in MP (without a change to the mod or a coordinated effort between multiple players).

I don't care at all who plays what. Crossfire may be the best SP mod for Freelancer already. And Crossfire is on the path to becoming the best MP mod as it matures.

So why argue about which is better? Crossfire is good for both communities.

So, yeah, I am just agreeing with you, I-am-D.

Peace!

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Originally posted by Centaurian
Actually, I'm kinda lazy, so I just restarted my comp first, and FL launched just fine...

Haha! Excellent solution... that should be the Number 1 tip for any Windows problem!

A "I am D" points out, you can also use the Task Manager. But rebooting fixes a wide range of problems and it gives you a couple of minutes to get up and take a short break (good for preventing carpal tunnel syndrome!).

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Originally posted by voxxraiden
OMG Thank You much i'm about to get on it right now!

You are welcome, Voxxraiden.

If you have any more trouble, just let us know.

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Originally posted by voxxraiden
I read every bar post and recalled all rumors, I don't want to spoil my fun but this is insane for me i've been at this and the d-system going on my 3rd day matey help!

OK, 3 days certainly counts as having "made an effort"!

Just to confirm, you did make it to the

...right? If not, then you will have to do that, first.

Once there, the clue that you are missing is:

I think that we are mostly in agreement, Michael. Let's see whether we can fine-tune the thoughts a little, ok?:

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Originally posted by Michael
There are more than 2 Threads made to announce Crossfire 1.81

The above is an example of what I meant about using references or pointers to other threads and messages. When you provide a link to the threads that you discuss, then a statement such as yours is helpful. Without the link, it just appears as though you are being defensive without having an actual point. I'm not trying to be difficult... just hear me out:

I only see one thread matching your description: CF1.8>1.81. That thread was created while OP was still discussing whether or not he would have further updates and whether or not updates would happen through the launcher. Unless I missed something, his final word on the subject was "all updates will happen through the launcher". OK, so maybe he meant "all updates AFTER 1.81" but that is another example of my point about the tendency toward not communicating clearly that I see often here.

The point that I am trying to make is that, even though the CF1.8>1.81 thread has the correct solution, it is anything but clear when taken in context with the other threads posted around that date.

Another way of saying it is this: There is a LOT of noise on this board, and the actual content can be difficult to find.

Please do not take any of this personally or think that I am complaining -- In fact, I think that you are one of the better communicators around here. I am only using your remark as an example, for clarification. I hope that is "OK" with you!

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Originally posted by Michael
Also, in your suggestions, I notice much spoiling.

True.

As you know, I am fairly new here, and I try to follow examples set by others, who (including you) have given out more "complete solution spoilers" than I have. I try to give only hints. Nevertheless, as you point out, even the hints should be clearly marked and posted in the Freelancer Spoilers Forum.

I just figured out how the Spoiler button works (thanks, Arrow!) so I will use that, as well.

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Originally posted by Michael
Would you play the something you already memorized again and again like a game cards with one combination(or the same puzzle) ? I don't think so.

Right, exactly!

That is one of the reasons that I never took much interest in MP games. After meeting a few people, it is all the same. I get a lot more "workout" and more variation in gameplay in SP by varying the challenges.

I would be much more interested in an MP game that allowed for a little more variation. Perhaps a controlled amount of cheating, rather than the strict no-cheating policy? (And, no, I do not have a suggestion for how to implement that!)

As an analogy, I have always been more interested in rallying (leaders in both technology and style) than in the International Race of Champions (IROC), where all cars have identical preparation. While I can see a certain "pure" elegance in IROC, I find more entertainment in watching a good game of tennis!

But I also think that MP games are amazing technology and are terrific for those who enjoy them.

That is why we have choices.

Regarding the launcher issue, I will try again with 1.81. Thank you for that suggestion!

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Originally posted by Michael
Are you sure you installed the NEW version, 1.81 ?

I appreciate your help, Michael. But what "new" version? Do you mean the new version that OP said that he was working on for a few days and then, instead of announcing it, he said that he was "definitely not going to post a new version" because everything could be done through the launcher?

Ok, Ok... so I see that there really IS a new version in the Downloads area but, seriously, how would anyone trying to follow the Crossfire beta know that?

The following is not directed at you, Michael. It is just a general thought for the Swat/Crossfire community:

I realize that English is not everyone's first language here but, come on... a little communication would go a long way toward attracting new members, if that is what the community wants.

Lack of documentation combined with flaming every newbie who asks a question... what kind of "marketing campaign" is that?

You reap what you sow.

If the Crossfire community wants to attract new members, my suggestions would be to:

• Remember that the majority of your readers are lurkers.
• Remember that the majority of the lurkers are probably Single Players.
• Be a little more courteous to those who do ask questions.
• Document the information that newbies need to know.
• Make information easier to find by using stickies, pointers to threads and messages, and the Quote feature rather than dumb-ass Quick Replies that make no sense to anyone other than the poster.
• A wiki would be great. Set it up, and maybe people will help populate it, wikipedia-style.

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Originally posted by Michael
Yes, all players on this forum should get their backs in-game

Since you asked so nicely, Michael, I gave it a try. But I had the same problem as FL_Freak: The Crossfire server cannot be selected from the list of servers.

If I filter out "incompatible builds", then the Crossfire server does not show up on the list at all.

This is with a straight, clean, updated, Crossfire installation.

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Originally posted by Hellraiser
do u really think any1 would not see it
send a PM to OP if u wanna report bugs

"Situational Awareness" (SA) is an important concept in military operations of any kind. In fact, SA is important throughout life.

Be aware of your surroundings, Hellraiser. Work on improving your Situational Awareness.

You just "corrected" an Admiral, who has been here for several years. More importantly, he used proper forum etiquette. Therefore your "correction" is incorrect.

You seem like a smart guy who is not making an effort at all. What's up with that?

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Originally posted by Hellraiser
what i ment to say was that i was neutral to rienlanders b4 jumping to utopia.

Ok, that is a different question. It is still not a complete question, however, since there are at least half a dozen "Rheinland" factions, if not more.

When you pay attention to which faction is attacking you, then you will be able to figure out why. Maybe you are too friendly with one of their enemies? Maybe you are in a top-secret military area? Maybe one of the faction's friends does not like you?

It is still the normal rep system. The rep system is complex, but you can figure it out by paying attention to Rumors and News as well as by noticing which factions like or dislike other factions.

The rep system is intentionally not easy. Your rep changes constantly -- almost every action you take has some effect on your rep with somebody.

That, too, is part of the game.