[FUBAR-BDHR]

Just doing the rounds and checked out ModDB.  Downloads since yesterday are through the roof.  Anyone have any idea what might have caused a spike in activity?  I haven't seen any releases or videos or anything like that.

Wow Download.com is even more shocking.  We normal average about 35 downloads a day.  Yesterday 336. 

[hdecay]

GameStar (German games magazin, www.gamestar.de) published an article on TBP (and a video on their dvd).
Subscribers got their magazin yesterday; it will be available in shops from wednesday on, so maybe expect some more activity then.

[FUBAR-BDHR]

Great.  Maybe we can get a translation posted. 

[Vidmaster]

I really like the GameStar since the people there are...    well, they act natural.
They always have these great videos on the DVDs, my favorite are the "ten-years-ago" ones. Sitting down and watching the games they reviewed in the month ten years ago and it's usually very ironic 

Well FUBAR, we should get Zathras first final quickly then  The GameStar is pretty popular


hdecay, what's the game they ship with the magazine this month?

[hdecay]

Great.  Maybe we can get a translation posted.  

It's a whole page, so I don't know if someone will translate it... (not me ) but they wrote basically just good stuff about TBP. Anybody who likes B5 or longs for good "space action" should download it!

what's the game they ship with the magazine this month?

It's "Pacific Fighters" and "Battle Forge" (which is now free anyway) on the XL-Disc.

[Vidmaster]

again a crappy game?     man...    last month and the one before sucked 

[captain-custard]

can anyone get a copy of the article? maybe vid or The E can translate it?

[karajorma]

Just posting an image of the page would be nice. Even those of us who can't speak German can see if we agree with their choice of screenshots.

[FUBAR-BDHR]

I'm assuming it's this page:  http://www.gamestar.de/index.cfm?pid=246&pk=1947790&p=12

[The E]

Maybe, but I don't think so. That Article is almost a year old, after all.

[Angelus]

I'm assuming it's this page:  http://www.gamestar.de/index.cfm?pid=246&pk=1947790&p=12

Haven't read the new Gamestar yet, but here's the translation of the article in the link posted above.


Rank: 9

The official game for the 90's show Babylon 5 never hit the shelves although it has been almost finished.
The fan-game TBP allows a intergalactic meeting between Humans, Minbari, Centauri and Narn on the PC.

[pic]

Based on a highly improved FS2 engine, the DEVs send you in a ship through two campaigns with together 22 missions which cover everything from escort missions to assaults on Shadow ships.

The ships and the effects from the show have been created with lot of effort, even the flight model orientates itself on the show.

[Vidmaster]

when I get my hands on the article, I'll translate it. But saddly, it's not on the webside and decide tomorrow if the rest of this month's magazine is good enough to justify a buy.

[noname z]

I have the magazine and have a jpg attached to this post.
It is a nice article that starts about the 90's and the TV-series Babylon 5 before it mentions a "great Space-Action-Game" on the base of the Freespace 2 engine. Then it mentions dozens of ships, build with love for detail, some of the campaigns having more than 20 mission, lots of voiced dialogue with scenes from the show. It goes than on about the graphic a bit (modells, backgrounds, effects and optically easily on par with the show) an gives a good example of atmophere. The article further says how you pilot a small fighter (like in Wing Commander, X-Wing, Freespace) and goes from there and writes about some of the included campaigns before pointing out the high difficulty. It ends with how TBP is a must-have for all fans of the series or Space-Action and that the "mass-fights"(epic battles?) are not only optically impressive but thank to the great basis of the Freespace-engine have a very good playability.
The ratings are very good as well.

I hope that helps as a somewhat detailed summary.
If this attaching thing doesn't work i can send the picture to someone over mail or something. That person could then post it here or elswhere (i'm not a member at any of those sites where you post pictures or share files).




[attachment has decomposed]

[Vidmaster]

Bought it too today, since the cover story (about "Risen", the spiritual successor to the classic German RPG hit Gothic) is interesting.

noname's post pretty much sums it up.

Worth of note is that they mention the nonlinearity of some (although we know that this means one ) campaigns and rendered cutscenes, as well as the great sound effects and music directly out of the show.
And they also point out that some stuff has been voice-acted.
Mentioned by name are Earth Minbari War Demo, MAG's EBW, Orph's Drums of War 1 and 2 (with a hint about part 3 being available separately) and of course Raider Wars.

Overall, a well written and correct (finally) article about the game. Standart high GameStar quality.


The video on the DVD points out most of the same stuff.
However, they also show stress the fact that you even get to play as the Shadows in Dark Children and (now I am feeling really ashamed) that you participate in secret operations for President Clark. Goddamn, why did they play my buggy Operations campaign
And they actually show the ship's database.


To summarize it all, a great propaganda victory for us.

[Skullar]

 The 90' was the decade of space stations. In the TV series "Deep Space 9" Commander Sisko fought against the evil Dominion, onboard the 5-mile long space station BABYLON 5 Captain Sheridan tried to settle alien races like the Narn, the Centauri and the mysterious Vorlons. Sheridans efforts sometimes ended in peace treaties, but more often in gargantuan space battles. Those were incited for TV with tremendous efforts at that time, and have even today lost nothing of their dramaturgization. Actually, the perfect setting for a computer game, but the officially announced port was never released.
Now you can experience the effect-rich spacebattles with THE BABYLON PROJECT, an excellent space action game based upon the FREESPACE 2 engine. The best thing : The title has been programmed by fans of the series and a download is offered for free. The orgiginal
FS2 is not needed.

Just like in TV
The size of the fan-game is enourmous : Dozens of ships were built with great love of detail, some of the campaigns stretch over 20 missions, even with alternate plot lines. Also, lots of dialogies are voiceacted, and some missions even have rendered cutscenes. The models and backgrounds were textured with canon textures, and the weapon- and explosion effects of the freespace 2 engine heavily boosted.
The otpical niveau of the TV series is achieved with easy : when the slicer beams of shadow vessels cut through the hull of a narn vessel, when the starfuy fighters skindance the enormous ships of the Earth Alliance, and the weapons of the fat ships charge up with the characteristic hum, then real Babylon 5 feeling comes up !

As it is poper for a game in the best tradition of titles like X-Wing, Wing Commander or Freespace, ypou experience these scenes in the cockpit of a barely secure attack fighter, sometimes on the side of the humans, sometimes on the one of the shadows or the pride Narn.

Just as Freespace
The campaigns offer a lot of variety. The two official mission sets of the game send you into battle against the raiders and as earth pilot against the superior Minbari in defensive battle. In addition, the DVD- ready 1.8 GB download offers a set of more campaigns. For example, in the dramatic EARTH BRAKIRI WAR you shall prevent an invasion of Earth, or in the first two parts of the "Drums of War" campaign, as narn pilot,  you fight out the bloody feud between your people and the evil Centauri. The final part of the Trilogy you have to download separately.

What all missions have in common : the spicy difficulty. Some missions are hard to come by, even in the 5th try. Fortunately, you can skip them then.
For fans of the series a must-have download, the terrific massive battles are not only optically impressive, but also very well playable thanks to the basis of the Freespace 2 engine.

Well. The gamestar magazine apparently is not aware of othe groups being involved, like the SOURCE CODE PROJECT. I'll make a post at their forum and tell them it's also their merit.

[colecampbell666]

Or about difficulty levels.

[Vidmaster]

not really. The game is difficult.
Most of us don't notice, since we play Freespace for decades now 

[karajorma]

To be honest, as an SCP member I don't particularly care if the SCP itself gets mentioned. If this was an online interview I might get shirty if we weren't mentioned but when it comes to a print magazine, the distinction between the coding team and the modding team is something that only really matters to people on this board.

As far as the general public are concerned I'm quite happy if they consider me to be on the coding team for WCS or SoL (teams I'm not actually a badged member of) since in essence I am.

[azile0]

Anything that brings attention to Freespace is awesome.

[colecampbell666]

not really. The game is difficult.
Most of us don't notice, since we play Freespace for decades now 

Well I guess it could be, but most people can pick it up in a few hours. TBP has a much different fighting style than FS.