Hello, everyone!
First off, my apologies for never posting on here prior to today. I am grateful for the individuals who keep this community growing and keeping the memories of the Freespace games alive and kicking in 2019.
Thanks to you, this game has never felt non-relevant and very much feels like it stands up to the current standards of today.
I've been watching this forum for many years now, having discovered you long after I realized that "FS3" was never going to come to fruition without a painstakingly long wait and an unhealthy dose of optimism.
(I do know that the topic of a third game is irksome for some, however, I will
never give up the dream
..)
I played the first game back in '98. My dad had a computer technician build me a custom machine that was "top-of-the-line" for its day and time.....an AMD64 with a 4GB hard drive and 64MB of RAM.
Soon after, FS2 was released and I was unable to play it due to being too young to make online purchases and no stores anywhere remotely near stocking it. Unfortunately for me, I had a dial-up internet connection, so downloading even a demo was pretty much out of the question. After quite a long time, I did manage to finally snag the demo after about 36 hours of patience and "Callwave"...only for the file to be corrupted after completion, leaving me with less will to try again. I was able to join a few multiplayer FS1 games on Parallax a couple of times, long enough to lag like a MF'er and lose my connection, however, I did enjoy participating in the online chatroom that my connection did manage to handle without much issue. There was no DSL anywhere within miles and satellite wasn't even an option yet. (Even when it became one, it still wasn't).
I remember finally being able to download the video trailer for FS2 - it took me 6 hours just to get a video tease of something that I'd never get to play.......up until about 10 years later, thanks to your website and the downloadable FS2 Open installation. I should have logged on to say thanks back then, but I was way too excited to play the game immediately.....and enjoyed every second of it.
Ever since, I have wandered through the internet a few times a year, every year, keeping my ear to the ground and watching the IP change hands, ever optimistic that one day we will finally get a continuation into the story that left us on the edge of our seats as we dodged laser beams and flak cannons. (Screw those flak cannons to hell..)
Anyway, I start with my long introduction to say that I plan on playing some of the fan-made mods at some point this year, which is also something I have yet to do. The job I have takes up 95% of my time, but I do still get some downtime during the nights, so I want to jump back into the keyboard and mouse days, (I never used the joystick much...mouse kills were much higher), and relive a little bit of my youth for nostalgia's sake.
I would also like to participate in any upcoming fan mods as far as voice acting goes - I am by no means a professional, nor have I worked in games in the past, but I do my fair share of semi-public speaking, so I can rattle off a script in various tones well enough to pass, I think
. If anyone needs any volunteers for future projects, feel free to let me know - it would be cool to contribute even minor details, as my schedule leaves little hope for ever delving into the modding world.
Once again, I appreciate the community for keeping a very well told story alive in 2019. I will always want an additional game from the original storytellers because they did such a great job with the story and the antagonist. By withholding most information about the enemy, but providing just enough to draw the player into the mystery, there's almost a feeling of obligation to discover the secrets of the Shivans. While some may favor not knowing anything more about their part in the fictional cosmos, I feel the slow buildup would be better suited if an even bigger payoff came through in the end.....I'm always gonna wonder what they did to Admiral Bosch
. No matter how unfeasible it may seem, a part of me still believes that we live in a world where Adam Pletcher, Jason Scott, Jim Boone, or some others involved in the past may eventually regain some influence, (or rights), and release another chapter to officially close out the saga. It may not happen, and apologies to those whose eyes are probably rolling in their heads as they read this, but I've found hope is a pretty powerful thing in all aspects of life, especially wishful thinking
.
One thing about it - if the original authors ever
do continue this story, it's going to be because you have proven that the fans are still here, and we still play these games even after 20 years have passed.
It most definitely would never happen without any interest at all, and you folks have carried the Freespace name long after the ship went under and have become a very talented group in the process.
Thanks, all -
keeping doing what you do.
I may not speak up much, but I have been cheering you on for a long time now.
I will continue to watch and wait for good things to come.
