Gibbon

Old topic for those who love Freelancer but seriously, why didn't Microsoft make a sequel to Freelancer?

For those that know, there was one, cunningly called Freelancer 2, but it got cancelled. The big mistake MS made was to make it for the XBOX. Their attitude is, games are for the XBOX, serious computing is for the PC. Yeah right. The whole reason Freelancer is still going is because it is PC based which allows various talented modders to create addons that are in some cases, breathtaking. MS should be employing these people, not letting them exist on the fringes of various communities. These guys are talented and should have that talent nurtured. But then look what happened to Microsoft Games Studio, i rest my case. Now focused on their console and not much else, otherwise why the re-branding?

Let's face it, Freelancer was a giant pig's ear in terms of programming. For those that have delved into the code, you can see what i mean. Unfinished items, faulty models, unfinished systems, hurried storyline, list goes on. Not to mention what's going on in the exe file and so on. I guess when a project is rushed, then this is what happens. Freelancer could have been so much more, but i appreciate the fact it was taking too long, so MS rushed it along in their enthusiasm and gave us a game that didn't quite live up to the hype.

One thing i saw in the early videos of the game was a very nice 3D radar they had in development. I had the good fortune to have a private chat with one of the developers and asked him about this. Turns out they couldn't get it to work properly which i find strange, as a number of the programmers worked on Starlancer and that had a perfectly good 3D radar system. Never understood that, so the team removed it and gave us what we have today.

Thankfully there are a few of us who have corrected the wrongs that were thrust upon us when we first booted up the game, and turned Freelancer into more than it ever was on release. Plenty of excellent mods out there that have really moved the game along and made it much better than the original.

Doesn't stop the fact i still want a Freelancer 2 with a full editing kit so modders like myself can add our own content.

Oh, and i want 'Freelancer - The Movie' as well, and if we're talking movies, i want ice cream...