As a spectator sport, this is the grift that keeps on giving. :brace-watching:

  • goboman [any]
    ·
    edit-2
    2 years ago

    It's a shame. I used to play Freelancer on a custom server kept up after the official ones went down. It even had custom content and areas. All run on a old school fourm. I think it was called Discovery?

    There are people hungry for this kinda game hypothetically, so hungry they'll take anything as long as someone promises they'll give them it... eventually.

    • UlyssesT [he/him]
      hexagon
      ·
      2 years ago

      I was interested in Star Citizen early on and considered buying in at a basic level ("pledges" as the grift calls that), but that was before I watched from the sidelines long enough and was really put off by the lore and worldbuilding direction. It's not like Wing Commander (with its Confedation :fash-bash: ) was that much better in its ideology (utterly destroying the homeworld of the KILL-WRATH-EEE so they don't... do slightly less than that to the space Confederates, according to Wing Commander 3's bad ending?).

      There are people hungry for this kinda game hypothetically

      Rebel Galaxy Outlaw scratches that itch in a lot of ways, and Elite Dangerous scratched it in others. Even EVE Online has some facets that cover that craving but unfortunately it also has the Randroid space :libertarian-approaching: bullshit strewn all over its setting, lore, and even its development corporation (they released an unironic "GREED IS GOOD" public memo when peddling very expensive cosmetics for their defunct "get out of ship" gimmick mode).

    • Dis_Illusion [they/them]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Freelancer Discovery was pretty great. I think it's still up and running actually. Also, free. I remember trying to RP as a deep space research vessel that needed a shit-ton of contraband drugs for "science reasons" lol.

      • goboman [any]
        ·
        2 years ago

        Surprised to hear that it's still going and also find someone else who played it here. Wasn't the server quite small? a few thousand?

        I think I RP'd as a traveling drone ship ran by AI. I was pretty young at the time however and my spelling was awful so I dread to think what it was like for others.

        • Dis_Illusion [they/them]
          ·
          edit-2
          2 years ago

          I think it was hundreds when I played, and the amount of game space made running into folks pretty rare outside the core areas, but I was playing with someone else (who went back for a bit last year, hence why I think it's still up) and we still had some cool experiences with pirates, cops, etc. But yeah definitely wasn't expecting it to pop up here either lol.