Overview

The development of Discovery 4.85 has taken 1,5 years to complete. Now we, the newly formed Discovery Development Team, present to you the result of our work. The wait is over. After months of online beta testing, Discovery Freelancer 4.85: Reunion is released and available for download.

Year is 817 After Settlement (A.S.), 16 years after the single-player campaign of Freelancer, and one year after Discovery 4.84 took place. A Sirius-wide war is on the brink of engulfing the sector. While Kusari pushes its onslaught against Bretonia deep into the Leeds system, Bretonia attempts to surround Kusari forces in Tau-31. Liberty attacks Rheinland in Bremen and Hudson, and Rheinland has to pull back to defend its own borders. As if this was not enough, in late 817 the Independent Miners Guild encountered a large number unknown ships in the Orkney system. The ships belonged to a rebel group formed within the long-lost House of Gallia, the existence of which remained unknown for centuries. Creation of a path into Gallia adds a new, powerful, player to the scene, and no one can tell what goals the new House will pursue in these troubled times. Rumors arise that the nation of France was betrayed during the Exodus, making historians and politicians of various Houses search deep into archives to find out what truly happened more than 1000 years ago in Sol.

Discovery 4.85: Reunion

Storyline is just a portion of the progress taking place in Discovery 4.85. As it was with previous Discovery versions, we created the mod as a full-scale expansion pack that adds diverse new content and yet remains balanced for online play, is stable, and is as bug-free as possible. Discovery 4.85 is the first version of the mod that was developed from the start by the Discovery Development Team, a dedicated group of 3D and 2D artists, coders, designers, writers, and testers.

Increased development time and an increased number of developers allowed us to finalize all features we were planning to implement, and make 4.85 the largest ever update for Discovery mod, which now became of the few mods that actually add more to the game than the original has. We introduced 79 brand new ships with new models, with over 30 previously included ships completely re-designed. Accurate hitboxes had been implemented for almost all ships, old and new. More than a hundred new weapon and equipment types have been added, many having custom models of their own, as well as custom weapon projectile and hit effects. Out of eight dozen new systems Discovery has, more than a half received significant updates, and 11 new ones were included, all of them following much higher quality standards than in previous versions.

The mod now has a renewed balance system for weapons, equipment and ships, plus a fully revamped economy system that provides profitable routes for all locations and factions. To add depth to the new economy, 46 new commodity types were introduced, and nearly all commodities (including original ones) received new detailed icons. The role-playing ID system (used on the official server and most other servers running our mod) has received 53 new IDs with clear and detailed descriptions. The new version also contains about 7000 new and rewritten infocard texts for various new and old ships, items, and places.

For those who love numbers, here are some statistics:
- 260 player flyable ships in the game total, of which 225 are introduced by Discovery;
- About 110 new player flyable ship models introduced by version 4.85;
- 134 systems in the game total, of which 79 are introduced by Discovery;
- 11 new systems in 4.85, with about 30 systems receiving significant updates in the latest version;
- 448 bases in the game total, of which about 275 are introduced by Discovery;
- 91 factions in the game total, 44 new factions added by Discovery, of which 11 were introduced by version 4.85;
- Over 100 new weapons introduced in 4.85, upping the number of new Discovery weapons above 200;
- 46 new commodities introduced in 4.85, with multiple new trade routes;
- 117 role-playing IDs in Discovery, of which 53 introduced by version 4.85;
- About 10,000 new infocard texts introduced by Discovery, of which about 7,000 added or rewritten for 4.85.

The integrated Discovery automatic updater allows to download and apply new updates easily without having to re-download and re-install the whole package. The updater does not restrict offline play, and you will still be able to play single-player or on a local LAN server without an internet connection.

If you prefer online play, you are welcome to join the official Discovery Freelancer RP 24/7 server and a number of other servers running Discovery. Currently active servers include Discovery USA RP 24/7, Discovery UK RP 24/7, Discovery Server Berlin, Discovery Kansas, Discovery of Discovery, Rise of the Fallen Empires. Server operators are welcome to run Discovery mod without any restrictions, IONCROSS data files are included, and we provide help and support for all servers running the mod. All servers that run our mod are listed in dsupdate.cfg file located in Freelancer\EXE folder to allow quick connect to all of them without using shortcuts or patches. To add another server, you simply need to add its address to dsupdate.cfg.

In January 2007, Discovery mod was chosen to receive the Simulation Genre Award of ModDB.com's Mod of the Year-2006 contest (MOTY-2006).

Features

New Content:
- 79 brand new player-flyable ships with custom models;
- About 30 previously added ships received new, custom-designed models;
- 11 new systems in 4.85: Languedoc, Dauphine, Burgundy, Champagne, Lorraine (Gallia); Pennsylvania, Kansas, Ellesmere (Liberty); Tau-39 (Border Worlds); Omicron-81 (Hispania); Unknown system (Nomad Worlds).
- About 30 existing systems received significant updates in 4.85, including Alaska, Alberta, Baffin, Bremen, Cassini, Coronado, Dundee, Frankfurt, Illinois, Londonderry, Minnesota, Munich, Okinawa, Omega-52, Omega-54, Omega-56, Omega-58, Omicron-80, Omicron-91, Omicron-94, Omicron-99, Omicron Iota, Ontario, Orkney, Tau-42, Tau-45, Vespucci;
- 11 new factions, most with their own NPCs and ship lines: Gallic Royal Navy, Gallic Royal Police, Council, Gallic Metal Service, EFL Oil & Machinery, IDF Shipping, Maquis, Unione Corse, Gallic Brigands, The Coalition, Colonial Remnant;
- Over 100 new weapons introduced, many of them having custom models and effects;
- 46 new commodities introduced, with multiple new trade routes;
- 53 new role-playing IDs introduced;
- Customized NPCs on many new bases, NPCs in Gallia have newly designed costumes;
- About 7,000 infocard texts added or rewritten for 4.85, including lengthy news texts and descriptions.
- Revised and detailed Readme.txt and other mod documentation, added the new Discovery system map.
- Included the Discovery automatic updater with an integrated list of Discovery multiplayer servers.   Storyline:
- Introduction of a new house: Gallia, with its own lawful and unlawful factions, and 5 densely populated systems with over 40 bases to explore.
- Fully formulated history of the new House which is embedded in the ongoing and dynamic discovery chronology/history, including rumors, news, and reputation adjustments;
- Dynamical adjustments concerning the war between Kusari and Bretonia;
- Political adjustments concerning Rheinland and Liberty;
- Many detailed news items present on all bases to reflect storyline developments.

Revised Gameplay:
- Adjustments to NPC AI and repair abilities;
- Rebalanced NPC loadouts and difficulty;
- New NPC behaviour that allows friendly fire;
- New wrecks and lore;
- Changed reputation relations between various factions to ensure smooth player reputation development.

Rebalancing:
- Unique and accurate hitboxes (collision & weapon fire hits) for almost all the ships, old and new;
- Revised balance for all ships, and rebalanced weaponry for all ship classes;
- Revised special weapons on capital ships (ship to ship torpedoes, flak cannons);
- Rebalanced damage on explosives;
- Revised equipment (CMs, CDs, Mines, etc.) along with durability, efficiency and functions;

Enhanced Trade System:
- Fully revised and rebalanced trade route system based on logical offer and demand as well as logical placements of commodities;
- Adjustments on profit, danger, flight time, political changes to reflect a complex economy;
- Graphically enhanced commodity icons for a better differentiation.

Graphical Enhancements:
- New weapon projectile and weapon impact effects;
- Large and detailed explosions for ships;
- New custom models for guns, turrets, and other equipment;
- Optional ENB mod that enables bloom (please read documentation and DO NOT enable it unless you are sure what you are doing).

Testing, Performance:
- During 9 months of internal testing and 3 months of public testing, fixed multiple bugs related to new features, as well as few bugs remaining from previous release;
- Ensured maximum clientside and serverside performance, fixed multiple graphic-related issues.

More Information

Please visit Discovery forums at Discoverygc.com, Discovery website at Discoveryfl.com and Discovery Wiki for more details. Also, refer to mod's Readme.txt for installation instructions, troubleshooting hints, information on mod options, credits, and thanks.

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Blog RSS Feed Report abuse Latest News: Discovery Freelancer 4.85: Reunion Release

11 comments by Igiss on Jun 10th, 2009 digg this super bookmark


Year is 817 After Settlement (A.S.), 16 years after the single-player campaign of Freelancer, and one year after Discovery 4.84 took place. A Sirius-wide war is on the brink of engulfing the sector. While Kusari pushes its onslaught against Bretonia deep into the Leeds system, Bretonia attempts to surround Kusari forces in Tau-31. Liberty attacks Rheinland in Bremen and Hudson, and Rheinland has to pull back to defend its own borders. As if this was not enough, in late 817 the Independent Miners Guild encountered a large number unknown ships in the Orkney system. The ships belonged to a rebel group formed within the long-lost House of Gallia, the existence of which remained unknown for centuries.

Discovery 4.85 Reunion Logo

The storyline is just a portion of the progress taking place in the new Discovery version. Increased development time and an increased number of developers allowed us to finalise all the features we were planning to implement, and make 4.85 the largest ever update for Discovery mod. We introduced 110 new ship models, with most new ships receiving custom hit boxes. More than a hundred new weapon and equipment types have been added, many with custom weapon projectile and hit effects. 11 new systems were included, and about 30 previously available systems were updated, all of them following much higher quality standards than in previous versions.

Menu Screen Kusari Station

The mod now has a renewed balance system for weapons, equipment and ships, plus a fully revamped economy system that provides profitable routes for all locations and factions. To add depth to the new economy, 46 new commodity types were introduced. The role-playing ID system (used on the official server and most other servers running our mod) has received 53 new IDs. The new version also contains about 7000 new and rewritten info card texts for various new and old ships, items, and places.

The integrated Discovery automatic updater allows players to download and apply new updates easily without having to re-download and re-install the whole package. The updater does not restrict off-line play, and you will still be able to play single-player without an internet connection. 

The Nomad Shrine Rogue Destroyer

If you prefer online play, you are welcome to join the official Discovery Freelancer RP 24/7 server and a number of other servers running our mod. All servers that have Discovery installed are listed in dsupdate.cfg file located in Freelancer\EXE folder to allow quick connect to all of them without any complications. To add another server, simply add its address to dsupdate.cfg.

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Discovery Freelancer 4.85: Reunion - Update 2

Discovery Freelancer 4.85: Reunion - Update 2

Oct 31, 2009 Patch 0 comments

Update 2 is a cumulative update for Discovery Freelancer 4.85 (Update 1 was not released on ModDB, and it's included into this update). All updates that...

Discovery Freelancer v4.85: Reunion

Discovery Freelancer v4.85: Reunion

Jun 09, 2009 Full Version 75 comments

Year is 817 After Settlement (A.S.), 16 years after the single-player campaign of Freelancer, and one year after Discovery 4.84 took place. A Sirius-wide...

Discovery Freelancer v4.84

Discovery Freelancer v4.84

Dec 08, 2007 Full Version 100 comments

Version 4.84 contains more changes than any previous Discovery version. Almost half a hundred original ship models were created for the mod by our community...

Discovery Freelancer v4.83

Discovery Freelancer v4.83

May 09, 2007 Full Version 6 comments

Freelancer Mod Manager (FLMM) v1.3 or v1.4 is required to activate this modification. After you download, rename this file from "Discovery483.zip.flmod.zip&quot...

Discovery Freelancer v4.82 7zip - only for FLMM 1.4

Discovery Freelancer v4.82 7zip - only for FLMM 1.4

Dec 02, 2006 Full Version 2 comments

Freelancer Mod Manager (FLMM) v1.4 beta is required to activate this modification. This file is NOT compatible with FLMM v1.3. This is 7zip archive, NOT...

Discovery Freelancer v4.82

Discovery Freelancer v4.82

Dec 02, 2006 Full Version 1 comment

Freelancer Mod Manager (FLMM) v1.3 or v1.4 is required to activate this modification. After you download, rename this file from "Discovery482.zip.flmod.zip&quot...

Comments  (0 - 10 of 295)
DeanX303
DeanX303 Nov 7 2009, 5:24pm says:

Can anyone help me?
I have downloaded the 4.85 mod but i dont know how to install the 4.85 part 2 update can anyone tell me please

+1 vote     reply to comment
lonewolf0409
lonewolf0409 Oct 26 2009, 9:14am says:

Would appreciate some help. I have never used mods before. I have downloaded FLMM 1.31 and Discovery 4.85 Reunion. The readme file says to double-click on the downloaded file and then the FLMM will do the rest, but everytime I have done this the only thing that happens is that the folder simply opens. I am sure that there is something simple that I am overlooking, but can not see it as of now. I would love to be able to play Discovery. Please help.

+1 vote     reply to comment
nkdv5
nkdv5 Nov 6 2009, 10:11pm replied:

hey " lonewolf0409 " rename the extension of the file..
it's probably zip, so rename it to .flmod
if u can't see the extension enable it in "folder options" in the tools menu.
then double click on it...should open by itself in FLMM

+1 vote     reply to comment
Igiss
Igiss Nov 1 2009, 6:09am replied:

Try launching FLMM once or twice first. Maybe file extension isn't processed correctly.

+1 vote     reply to comment
Anunnaki
Anunnaki Oct 17 2009, 7:20am says:

Where the heck is the Salisbury system as well as some of these so called new systems? I have pretty much explored the entire 4.85 Reunion map system without finding some of these new systems as proposed in your description of Reunion 4.85! If clues placed on info cards would be helpful pointers that would be fantastic! The Bastille system is an enigma! Why is it not available and why cannot it be available to the general public? Any reason? Please, make it viable in the next upgrade! Thanx! :)

+1 vote     reply to comment
Avient
Avient Oct 16 2009, 9:38pm says:

Hi I'm new, I need help. (In single player I just tried it for the first time)After the second time all the new things that Discover added like the weopons, jumpholes, ships, stations, systems,and IDs (like the recruit ID thing) have no description at all now and the name of the item is now IDS. Also ive been turning off and on for a while durring the day on the 4th time the game crashes at the "Discover" thing with the symbol.

Can you help me fix this problem.

thanks,
....Avient

+1 vote     reply to comment
Anunnaki
Anunnaki Oct 7 2009, 12:43pm says:

Thank you Johnpeter! Appreciate your help!

+1 vote     reply to comment
Johnpeter
Johnpeter Oct 5 2009, 11:34am says:

Lotharin, yes that is correct.
Anunnaki, use /stuck command.

All others, our forum is more populated than here, and you will get answered faster.
Discoverygc.com

+1 vote     reply to comment
Anunnaki
Anunnaki Oct 1 2009, 11:55am says:

There is one little flaw to this mod! Station docking! It seems that freighters have a hard time leaving certain stations in and amongst certain systems! Hence the meaning of the dreaded phrase as in "MY SHIP IS STUCK IN THE %$@%**** DOCKING BAY"! Please, if you could maybe patch this dreaded problem with the docking bay even if there is mooring beams upon each station that freighters and capital ships can dock and leave safely with peace at mind! Just one more thought, would it be possible for the AI's to drop more valuable loot and every so often rare loot for use or profitability!

+1 vote     reply to comment
Lotharion
Lotharion Sep 29 2009, 12:05pm says:

Hi all. I apologize I have such small question. I can install ver. 4.85 to play full Freelancer Mod "Discover" or have I to install from the beginning (previously version mod's)? Will I and second question - if this tell me second way from the beginning where previous versions Freelancer Discover below the version 4.80 ? I ask because i find only 4.80 - 4.85. (sorry for my not bad english ;-)

+1 vote     reply to comment
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Freelancer
Developed By
Igiss
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Release Date
Released Jun 8, 2009
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