Page 2: More Gameplay, Fighting, Missions...
<B>Fighting</B>:
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Ship to ship combat in the game is pretty simple, point and shoot. A plus sign indicates where to shoot at, which I think makes it way too easy. Combat itself is a joke, the AI is totally stupid. It only takes time to kill higher level enemies. And there comes a point where the game no longer becomes challenging.
If you think you're going to be a pirate, think again. You can't disable enemy ships and board them, nor can you try to capture them. You can't even hire or steal wingmen! What are you, the only Freelancer in the entire universe, Alpha 1-1?
<B>'Random' Missions</B>:
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You can't be a Freelancer without jobs to run, and the game boasts a whole one type of job. Kill people. That's all. This is what makes the game very, very boring after awhile. Sure, there are variations, like tractor in and go back to the base, but every mission is essentially to kill someone, or everyone. I expected a bunch of different mission types, including: Cargo runs, Ferry passengers, Mining for a specific type of ore, Escort, Bounty Hunting and more. I also expected random on the fly missions, not just the ones you pick up at the bar. There are none, if you try to talk to a NPC in space, they just say some scripted thing, with no communication. I mean, really, no distress calls or anything.
<B>Mining</B>:
One of the worst aspects of the game is mining. You don't really mine for ore. You shoot little chucks of stuff and hope something pops out of it, no drilling here. Another thing you'll notice when mining is that asteroids or other space debris will be stationary. Yep, they don't move and bounce off each other. And the ones in the background or the foreground will mysteriously disappear out of view. Scary.
<B>Planet Side</B>:
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On planets, or any other type of base, you have a number of options to choose from. You don't walk, though. You just click and go, which I think takes away from the game. I'd like to walk to the bar or the commodity person. Whatever though. It is at planets and bases where you will be equipping your ship or buying a new one. Don't think that you can dabble in freighting though, you'll lose your other ship, that's right. You can only have one ship at all times, and no wingmen to increase your cargo or combat capacity. When you go to the bar, no one sits together. And when you talk to someone, prepare yourself for some very repetitive dialogue and the same faces over and over.
<B>Commodity</B>:
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Dynamic economy, not in this game. The commodity trading is a pretty normal. You'll see the list of static prices when you want to buy and sell an item. There are no trade missions, so you'll need to do this stuff on your own.
<B>Ships</B>:
You get a fair number of ships to try out, and the problem is, you'll only want to fly the Titan or the Sabre. They are the best ships in the game. There is nothing to compel you to get a better ship. You cannot pilot any large ships, which I think is a bit of a let down. I think you should be able to buy any ship in the game, but when they all go the same speed, it really sucks.
<B>Weapons</B>:
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You have energy weapons and missiles. Each weapon has a specific class restriction, which just sucks. Each ship has a weapon level restriction, you can't put a higher level gun into a lower level hardpoint. I've found that the best weapons are the moderately slow, but very powerful ones. The faster firing weapons take a great deal of energy and have a lower damage output per second. Missiles in the game are a complete joke, they are just a waste of money. I never used them pasted level 1. Each energy weapon comes in three types, and they differ by which shield type they are most effective with.
<B>Shields</B>:
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You get three shield type in each level, Graviton, Positron, and Molecular. The only shield that I used was Graviton, as it proved the most hit points at the same level than the other two, by alot. The hit points of the shield cancels out any other weapon modifiers, so you should only use Graviton shields. The AI's shields do not regenerate, but yours do. That makes it really unfair and easy.
<B>Other Equipment</B>:
You get to buy different afterburners (but the speed is the same), and nanobots and shield batteries. Nanos and batteries will replenish your hull and shields respectively. What really sucks is that there is no other equipment. That's right, no different power sources, different armor plating, shield modifiers, sensors, nothing. What a drag.
<B>Reputation</B>:
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Your reputation changes dynamically with your actions in the game. If you're playing the story, your reputation will change dramatically, based on the scripted events. When you're done, you'll be a pretty clean slate with everyone. The various groups have a great deal of leeway, I killed at least 20 liberty ships and they still thought of me as friendly. If I kill someone, I should be an enemy, no questions or doubts.
<center>
</center>Ship to ship combat in the game is pretty simple, point and shoot. A plus sign indicates where to shoot at, which I think makes it way too easy. Combat itself is a joke, the AI is totally stupid. It only takes time to kill higher level enemies. And there comes a point where the game no longer becomes challenging.
If you think you're going to be a pirate, think again. You can't disable enemy ships and board them, nor can you try to capture them. You can't even hire or steal wingmen! What are you, the only Freelancer in the entire universe, Alpha 1-1?
<B>'Random' Missions</B>:
<center>
</center>You can't be a Freelancer without jobs to run, and the game boasts a whole one type of job. Kill people. That's all. This is what makes the game very, very boring after awhile. Sure, there are variations, like tractor in and go back to the base, but every mission is essentially to kill someone, or everyone. I expected a bunch of different mission types, including: Cargo runs, Ferry passengers, Mining for a specific type of ore, Escort, Bounty Hunting and more. I also expected random on the fly missions, not just the ones you pick up at the bar. There are none, if you try to talk to a NPC in space, they just say some scripted thing, with no communication. I mean, really, no distress calls or anything.
<B>Mining</B>:
One of the worst aspects of the game is mining. You don't really mine for ore. You shoot little chucks of stuff and hope something pops out of it, no drilling here. Another thing you'll notice when mining is that asteroids or other space debris will be stationary. Yep, they don't move and bounce off each other. And the ones in the background or the foreground will mysteriously disappear out of view. Scary.
<B>Planet Side</B>:
<center>
</center>On planets, or any other type of base, you have a number of options to choose from. You don't walk, though. You just click and go, which I think takes away from the game. I'd like to walk to the bar or the commodity person. Whatever though. It is at planets and bases where you will be equipping your ship or buying a new one. Don't think that you can dabble in freighting though, you'll lose your other ship, that's right. You can only have one ship at all times, and no wingmen to increase your cargo or combat capacity. When you go to the bar, no one sits together. And when you talk to someone, prepare yourself for some very repetitive dialogue and the same faces over and over.
<B>Commodity</B>:
<center>
</center>Dynamic economy, not in this game. The commodity trading is a pretty normal. You'll see the list of static prices when you want to buy and sell an item. There are no trade missions, so you'll need to do this stuff on your own.
<B>Ships</B>:
You get a fair number of ships to try out, and the problem is, you'll only want to fly the Titan or the Sabre. They are the best ships in the game. There is nothing to compel you to get a better ship. You cannot pilot any large ships, which I think is a bit of a let down. I think you should be able to buy any ship in the game, but when they all go the same speed, it really sucks.
<B>Weapons</B>:
<center>
</center>You have energy weapons and missiles. Each weapon has a specific class restriction, which just sucks. Each ship has a weapon level restriction, you can't put a higher level gun into a lower level hardpoint. I've found that the best weapons are the moderately slow, but very powerful ones. The faster firing weapons take a great deal of energy and have a lower damage output per second. Missiles in the game are a complete joke, they are just a waste of money. I never used them pasted level 1. Each energy weapon comes in three types, and they differ by which shield type they are most effective with.
<B>Shields</B>:
<center>
</center>You get three shield type in each level, Graviton, Positron, and Molecular. The only shield that I used was Graviton, as it proved the most hit points at the same level than the other two, by alot. The hit points of the shield cancels out any other weapon modifiers, so you should only use Graviton shields. The AI's shields do not regenerate, but yours do. That makes it really unfair and easy.
<B>Other Equipment</B>:
You get to buy different afterburners (but the speed is the same), and nanobots and shield batteries. Nanos and batteries will replenish your hull and shields respectively. What really sucks is that there is no other equipment. That's right, no different power sources, different armor plating, shield modifiers, sensors, nothing. What a drag.
<B>Reputation</B>:
<center>
</center>Your reputation changes dynamically with your actions in the game. If you're playing the story, your reputation will change dramatically, based on the scripted events. When you're done, you'll be a pretty clean slate with everyone. The various groups have a great deal of leeway, I killed at least 20 liberty ships and they still thought of me as friendly. If I kill someone, I should be an enemy, no questions or doubts.