Difference between revisions of "Freelancer"
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Revision as of 15:03, 26 July 2022
Developers | |
---|---|
Digital Anvil | |
Publishers | |
Microsoft Game Studios | |
Release dates | |
Windows | March 4, 2003 |
Reception | |
Metacritic | 85 |
Taxonomy | |
Monetization | One-time game purchase |
Modes | Singleplayer, Multiplayer |
Pacing | Real-time |
Perspectives | First-person, Third-person |
Controls | Direct control |
Genres | Action, Open world, Simulation |
Vehicles | Space flight |
Art styles | Stylized |
Themes | Sci-fi, Space |
Warnings
- SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows Vista and later (see Availability for affected versions).
Freelancer is a singleplayer/multiplayer open world space simulation game where the player flies around in spacecraft as a freelancer engaging in bounty hunting, piracy, trading, or all three at once. The world takes place in the Sirius Sector which spans across 48 star systems containing planets, space stations, and NPCs to interact with. Singleplayer puts the player in the shoes of Edison Trent who goes through a multitude of missions to solve a sector wide conspiracy he is unintentionally dragged into. Multiplayer skips the storyline and immediately unlocks all of the Sirius Sector for the player to explore where they can cooperate with or oppose other players. It was created by Digital Anvil and is a chronological successor to the game StarLancer.
Freelancer was first officially announced in late 1997[1] with a release date sometime in the fall of 2000.[2] Due to delays the project suffered and the need for more capital,[3] Freelancer wouldn't officially release until March 4, 2003[4] under the guidance of Microsoft Game Studios who bought Digital Anvil at the end of 2000.[5] After release, Digital Anvil's one and only update to the game was the official v1.1 patch released on June 6, 2003 to fix server stability and correct cheating exploits.[6]
Microsoft officially stopped supporting the game on April 8, 2008 which included the shutdown of the global list server, a dedicated service that provided a listing of available multiplayer servers and a means for players to connect to them.[7] However, due to the efforts of the community, a workaround was created to replace the now defunct Microsoft global list server, enabling current and future players the ability to use the in-game multiplayer connection manager.[8] Even with the lack of official support from Microsoft, the Freelancer community continues to maintain a sizeable presence on The Starport web forum, multiple Discord servers, game servers, and modding teams.
General information
- The Starport - The main Freelancer community web forum
- Freelancer Galactic Community - The main Freelancer community Discord server
- Freelancer Wiki
Availability
- SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows Vista and later (see above for affected versions).
- Freelancer is currently unavailable as a digital release.
Essential improvements
Patches
- Update v1.1 is an official patch that primarily affects server stability for multi-player and is not necessary for single player. It does not address any graphics or sound issues mentioned below.
- Jason's Freelancer Patch v1.25 is a community made patch that provides many improvements, some new features, and widescreen support while maintaining compatibility with vanilla servers.
Modifications
- Freelancer: HD Edition is a mod that aims to improve every aspect of Freelancer while keeping the look and feel as close to vanilla as possible. Includes both the official patch, community patch, and widescreen fixes. Singleplayer and multiplayer, vanilla server compatible. Unknown compatibility with current mods.
- Discovery Freelancer expands on the original Freelancer storyline by rebalancing the game to, as close as possible, suit a Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing experience, adding many new technical features and game content, as well as developments in existing story arcs and lore. Multiplayer only, not compatible with other mods.
- Crossfire is one of the largest and most complex Freelancer modification available. It builds and extends the Freelancer universe in both gameplay and story while pushing the boundaries of what's possible through modding the game. Singleplayer and Multiplayer, not compatible with other mods.
- Freelancer: The Nomad Legacy is a mod that is set in an alterate universe to the base game with a new story to tell. It aims to push the technological boundaries of what the game engine can do. Releasing, work in progress.
- LibreLancer is a cross-platform, open source game engine re-implementing the 2003 space trading and combat game Freelancer. Releasing, work in progress.
Utilities
- Freelancer Mod Manager v1.5 is a program that simplifies installing and managing mods for the game. Mods compatible with this program have file extension
*.flmod
. - FLStat parses the game files to build a database to show stats on bases, factions, weapons, and ships all within a clean and easy to use GUI.
- Freelancer Companion is a tool that helps players quickly find the best profitable and shortest trade routes, showing them on the map with precise timing.
Game data
Configuration file(s) location
System | Location |
---|---|
Windows | %USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Freelancer\PerfOptions.ini <path-to-game>\DATA\[Note 2] |
Save game data location
System | Location |
---|---|
Windows |
Video
Graphics feature | State | WSGF | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Widescreen resolution | See Widescreen resolution. | ||
Multi-monitor | |||
Ultra-widescreen | |||
4K Ultra HD | |||
Field of view (FOV) | See Widescreen resolution. | ||
Windowed | Launch the game with -win parameter. |
||
Borderless fullscreen windowed | Launch the game with -win parameter, then use Borderless Gaming. |
||
Anisotropic filtering (AF) | See the glossary page for potential workarounds. | ||
Anti-aliasing (AA) | See the glossary page for potential workarounds. | ||
Vertical sync (Vsync) | See the glossary page for potential workarounds. | ||
60 FPS and 120+ FPS |
Widescreen resolution
If you want to play Freelancer in widescreen you'll either have to edit several INI files or use a third party mod or patch. Below are instructions for installing Jason's Freelancer Patch as well as manual ini edits if you'd rather go that route.
Jason's Freelancer Patch[citation needed] |
---|
If you only plan on playing singleplayer Jasons Freelancer patch is a good option. You'll only need to download a file, put it in the right place and make a small edit to another file and you will have the best widescreen support you can get in Freelancer. If you plan on playing any multiplayer it is recommended that you do not use this option as it might be detected as cheating. Instead you should go for the INI editing option described further down. Do note that some of the servers that are still around use special mods, some of these mods include their own widescreen support.
You're done. Your install of Freelancer now supports widescreen resolutions. Start the game and select one in the options menu. Be sure to restart the game after changing from a 4:3 resolution to a Widescreen. |
Edit Ini files[11] |
---|
[WinCamera] fovx = 68.88 [CockpitCamera] fovx = 70 znear = 2.000000 [ChaseCamera] fovx = 70 [DeathCamera] fovx = 70 If you have a 16:10 screen use the following instead: [WinCamera] fovx = 63.50 [CockpitCamera] fovx = 70 znear = 2.000000 [ChaseCamera] fovx = 70 [DeathCamera] fovx = 70
[trueType] nickname = ButtonText font = Agency FB fixed_height = 0.038500 [trueType] nickname = PageHeader font = Agency FB fixed_height = 0.041000 [trueType] nickname = SubHeader font = Agency FB fixed_height = 0.034500 [trueType] nickname = ItemName font = Agency FB fixed_height = 0.021000 [trueType] nickname = ListText font = Arial Unicode MS fixed_height = 0.026000 [trueType] nickname = ToolTip font = Arial Unicode MS fixed_height = 0.026000 [trueType] nickname = Rollover font = Arial Unicode MS fixed_height = 0.022000 [trueType] nickname = HudSmall font = Agency FB fixed_height = 0.026000 [trueType] nickname = MissionObjective font = Agency FB fixed_height = 0.056000 [trueType] nickname = Normal font = Agency FB fixed_height = 0.031000 [trueType] nickname = NewsMission font = Agency FB fixed_height = 0.026000 [trueType] nickname = NewsTicker font = Agency FB fixed_height = 0.041000 [trueType] nickname = PlayerName font = Arial Unicode MS fixed_height = 0.021000 [trueType] nickname = TradePlayerName font = Arial Unicode MS fixed_height = 0.021000 [trueType] nickname = DebugText font = FixedSys fixed_height = 0.026000 [trueType] nickname = ConfirmPlayerText font = Arial Unicode MS fixed_height = 0.036000 [trueType] nickname = ConfirmText font = Agency FB fixed_height = 0.036000 [trueType] nickname = NavMap1600 font = Agency FB fixed_height = 0.015000 [trueType] nickname = NavMap1024 font = Agency FB fixed_height = 0.020000 [trueType] nickname = NavMap1280 font = Agency FB fixed_height = 0.01900 [trueType] nickname = NavMap800 font = Agency FB fixed_height = 0.02300
[trueType] font = 0, Arial Unicode MS, 18 font = 1, Agency FB, 26 font = 2, Arial Unicode MS, 22 font = 3, Agency FB, 24 font = 4, Agency FB, 96 font = 5, Agency FB, 20 font = 6, Agency FB, 30 font = 7, Agency FB, 18 [Style] name = STYLE_CONSOLE font = 0 bold = false italic = false underline = false color = 255, 255, 255 [Style] name = STYLE_DIALOG font = 1 bold = false italic = false underline = false color = 135, 195, 224 [Style] name = STYLE_DIALOG_SMALL font = 5 bold = false italic = false underline = false color = 135, 195, 224 [Style] name = STYLE_BUTTON font = 6 bold = false italic = false underline = false color = 135, 195, 224 [Style] name = STYLE_LOCTABLE font = 0 bold = false italic = false underline = false color = 135, 195, 224 [Style] name = STYLE_LOCTABLE_SELECT font = 0 bold = false italic = false underline = false color = 245, 234, 82 [Style] name = STYLE_LOCTABLE_INACTIVE font = 0 bold = false italic = false underline = false color = 182, 182, 182 [Style] name = STYLE_SMALL_HEADER font = 5 bold = false italic = false underline = false color = 135, 195, 224 [Style] name = STYLE_SMALL_HEADER_ACTIVE font = 5 bold = false italic = false underline = false color = 245, 234, 82 [Style] name = STYLE_SUBSUBTITLE font = 1 bold = false italic = false underline = false color = 135, 195, 224 [Style] name = STYLE_TITLE font = 3 bold = false italic = false underline = false color = 135, 195, 224 justify = center [Style] name = STYLE_ERROR font = 0 bold = false italic = false underline = false color = 191, 29, 29 [Style] name = STYLE_NN_AGENCY font = 5 bold = false italic = false underline = false color = 135, 195, 224 [Style] name = STYLE_PRIVATE font = 0 bold = false italic = false underline = false color = 59, 191, 29 [Style] name = STYLE_CONSOLE_SENDER font = 2 bold = false italic = false underline = false color = 0, 255, 0
Notes
|
Input
Keyboard and mouse | State | Notes |
---|---|---|
Remapping | ||
Mouse acceleration | ||
Mouse sensitivity | ||
Mouse input in menus | ||
Mouse Y-axis inversion | ||
Controller | ||
Controller support |
Audio
Audio feature | State | Notes |
---|---|---|
Separate volume controls | ||
Surround sound | With 3D sound option on. | |
Subtitles | ||
Closed captions | ||
Mute on focus lost |
Localizations
Language | UI | Audio | Sub | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
English | ||||
German | Sound, Text | |||
Russian | Fan translation by users forum «Elite-Games.ru» | |||
Spanish | Fan translation, download. Subtitles mod. |
Network
Multiplayer types
Type | Native | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
LAN play | Incompatible with Ipv6.[12] | ||
Online play | Official servers are offline; use replacement Freelancer listserver. |
Connection types
Ports
Protocol | Port(s) and/or port range(s) |
---|---|
UDP | 2302 |
- Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.
VR support
3D modes | State | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
vorpX | G3D Included in DGVoodoo2 Default Profile. Note: Profile may not work with the latest wrapper, in case of issues please report to the vorpx forum. |
Issues unresolved
Compatibility problems on modern operating systems
Two primary issues when running on modern systems:
- Graphics issues resulting in a black screen or general crashes.[citation needed]
- There can be sound issues causing voices or music to temporarily be muted.[citation needed]
Issues fixed
- It is sometimes necessary to start a new game, delete all your saved games or reinstall Freelancer in order for the following fixes to be successful.
Crashes on launch
Install DirectPlay[citation needed] |
---|
Use Freelancer - Windows 8/8.1/10 fix[citation needed] |
---|
Sound issues
If there is either no sound or voices or music cut in and out the following fixes may solve the problem.
- Most sound issues can be traced to problems with the Fraunhofer IIS MPEG Layer-3 Codec. Uninstalling and reinstalling this codec as described on Microsoft's website can fix the problem. Other people have had success in both Windows 98 and Vista 32-bit by copying the l3codeca.acm file from
%WINDIR%\system32\
to<path-to-game>\EXE\
and rename it tol3codecp.acm
.[13]
- Another possible fix is disabling 3-D sound in the options menu.
Video Issues
Microsoft lists several solutions for video issues.
"Freelancer Fatal Error: Freelancer did not detect a 3D capable video card in your system" error
Follow the Widescreen resolution steps to force the correct resolution.[14]
Other information
API
Executable | 32-bit | 64-bit | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Windows |
System requirements
Windows | ||
---|---|---|
Minimum | ||
Operating system (OS) | 98, ME, XP | |
Processor (CPU) | 600 MHz | |
System memory (RAM) | 128 MB | |
Hard disk drive (HDD) | 900 MB | |
Video card (GPU) | 16 MB of VRAM |
Notes
- ↑ SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows 10[9] or Windows 11 and is disabled by default on Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 when the KB3086255 update is installed.[10]
- ↑ When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below
%PROGRAMFILES%
,%PROGRAMDATA%
, or%WINDIR%
might be redirected to%LOCALAPPDATA%\VirtualStore
on Windows Vista and later (more details).
References
- ↑ The Digital Desperado - last accessed on 2022-04-02
- ↑ Chris Roberts Back In the Game - last accessed on 2022-04-02
- ↑ PC Preview: Freelancer - last accessed on 2022-04-02
- ↑ Microsoft Ships Freelancer - last accessed on 2022-04-02
- ↑ Digital Anvil Interview - last accessed on 2022-04-02
- ↑ Freelancer v1.1 Patch - last accessed on 2022-04-02
- ↑ Microsoft Product Lifecycle - last accessed on 2022-04-02
- ↑ Global Server Workaround v1.0 - last accessed on 2022-04-02
- ↑ Not Loading in Windows 10; this will break thousands of - Microsoft Community - last accessed on 2017-01-16
- ↑ Microsoft - MS15-097: Description of the security update for the graphics component in Windows: September 8, 2015 - last accessed on 2018-02-16
- ↑ http://www.craigmayhew.com/blog/2008/09/freelancer-high-resolution-hack/
- ↑ How to fix Freelancer not connecting to a localhost server? - Gaming Stack Exchange
- ↑ http://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/freelancer-sound-problem-t511183.html
- ↑ 3D Card issues with nVidia : freelancer