9 years to complete this game!

Pete J

Spaceman
When I was 12, my brother and I played the original game and managed to get up to the end of the ES missions (my brother used to fly through the asteroid fields whilst I did the fighting). Unfortunately after this point we didn't know what to do and went everywhere apart from a mining base! I even fought with it for around an hour but obviously to no avail!We started a search of the whole universe but the next day my Dad had bought a new computer that wouldn't run it and returned the old one (it was on loan to him from his job).

Since Privateer was the first 'proper' computer game I ever played, this has always bugged me as I have finished every other game I have played and from time to time I even used to dream what the ending would be like!

Now I know and I can't tell you how satisfying it was to kill that egg thing. It made my day to see the original ending as well! I didn't realise how close we were to completing the game.

I know I've already posted a thank you thread, but thanks again!

Well now, on with Righteous Fire!!!!
 
Same Tale

I have much the same tale to tell. I have for /years/ wondered "What happened next?" in Privateer. You see, with open ended games, I don't exactly advance the story very quickly; I have too much fun blowing things up. Then came college. Then my computer wouldn't play it. Then I had dosBox but my disks had MOLD on them. and they wouldn't work after that. Then where was work, more school, and finding a copy of an old game just didn't seem worth the time anymore. After all, they make better games now, right? Right? RIGHT?

After a huge disappointment with Freelancer (Level 8 guns mounted on a ship that only takes level 3 guns, anyone? How about an engine bigger then the entire ship?) and its cheating, lousy slow AI, glitches, and problems, I gave up on new space games. I've even seen SWG, and it doesn't have anything on elite: frontier for me. So I've been playing elite remakes.

Then one fateful day I happened on a thread. It mentioned something called "oolite" which I doubt any of you have heard of, but poking around I found a reference to the vegastrike engine.

Well, I thought the vega strike project died out years ago... So I went looking. And not long after, I found this site, and got download happy. I am now about to go on a full retreat from the "Real World" and submerge myself in a good old game.

Sure, the balance is different. The feel is different. The AI is actually difficult. I can't figure out the software screen well yet. I've forgotten all the keystrokes. (Thanks for hiding the pdf manual. Took me almost half an hour to find out where I remembered seeing it :)


But the heart of the game is pure privateer.

And that makes me want to waste my life away in front of a CRT...
 
Shadow Black said:
(Thanks for hiding the pdf manual. Took me almost half an hour to find out where I remembered seeing it :)
It's called Manual.pdf and it's in the main Privateer Directory. There is a link to it in the "Privateer" program group in your Start Menu. Personally, I think that it's not too hard to find.
 
Heh

That presumes I'm running some version or other of Windows, which I am not. I don't get a link to privateer in any of my menus; I run it from console by hand, just like almost everything else. Yes, I know it's a strange way of doing it, but it's how I am most comfortable. :)

While privateer wanted to install a start menu, it didn't do that bit right - Most likely because either KDE stuffs isn't where it expects to find it, or because I was installing it as a user. (Although in that case it should look in ~/ for a KDE user menu directory imo.)

So no, I didn't have a link to it; I found it by hand the hard way.

However, now that you mention it, there is a Manual.pdf in the install bz2. I suppose I should have looked there first. :)
 
It was the same with me. Is was only when I was downloading PR that the I.T. tech in my school told me that you could download a patch off a bullitin board.
 
Shadow Black said:
That presumes I'm running some version or other of Windows, which I am not.
My fault. I figured I'd take the chance and assume you were running Windows.

Anyway, Manual.pdf is there for your 97 pages of reading pleasure. There is an updated manual included in the 1.1 release - it's 98 pages. :)
 
Yeah - I got the 1.1 version and have viewed it in both a native PDF viewer and in a converted format. I havn't read the 1.0 version yet. I probably won't. I'm having an absolute blast with manned turrets - the only thing that ever bugged me in the game. Everyone elses turrets could fire while they steered, why couldn't mine? And now it's fixed! It's so much fun :) I have been recommending this to everyone I know.
Alot of people are enjoying it that until a few days ago didn't know this project existed.
 
I think that automated turret make the Galaxy the best ship choice, from the Centurion -- you can effectively bring up six guns in front. It always made me wonder why in the original Priv I couldn't jam the two turrets aiming forward and put a relay on the trigger button or something :)
 
I think that automated turret make the Galaxy the best ship choice, from the Centurion
Nah... I tried that. The Centurion is still better for combat. Much more maneuverable.
Although... in that configuration, the galaxy can bring down any ship in seconds. The thing is... they bring you down as quickly as well.
 
klauss said:
Nah... I tried that. The Centurion is still better for combat. Much more maneuverable.
Although... in that configuration, the galaxy can bring down any ship in seconds. The thing is... they bring you down as quickly as well.

I like the Galaxy for bounty missions. If you are quick enough and don't let them get you the thing is a killingmachine. But you can't do anything else with the galaxy. For the rescue or protection missions it is the lousiest ship ever. Also if you do a little mining the cow gets hit to easy.
 
In linux the manual is available from the installer :)

glad you like the new features... the galaxy is a beauty--especially with the enhanced viewability (the old game had some speed hacks that prevented you from seeing space in certain parts of the cockpit)
 
I went to the basement and looked in the box ...ahhh ther it was...My original ORIGIN PRIVATEER manual... here is some info from the back page, ORIGIN BBS baud rates 300/1200/2400/9600/14,400, or call 1-512-331-4446 24hrs ,7 days a week..
 
I bought Privateer right after it came out, but never finished it
I just finished the Steltek campaign in Gemini Gold
 
It took me years to actually get round to playing Strike Commander, because I couldn't work out how to fly in an atmosphere. :) But once I did, it easily became as addictive as any WC game.
 
Back
Top