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GameSpot's Preview of FreeSpace 2

Page 5 of 6

Multiplayer

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click to enlarge.
With FreeSpace, Volition promised some interesting multiplayer features. But the game that shipped lacked some of these (notably a straightforward dogfighting mode) and worked only intermittently in the team games that were included. After several patches, FreeSpace's multiplayer worked significantly better, and Volition has some plans for FreeSpace 2 that, if they work as intended, will more than make up for any residual disappointment.

While FreeSpace 2 will include the cooperative missions and team-based play from the original, two new modes have been added. The first of these is the straightforward deathmatch-style dogfoghting mode that was originally planned for, but was left out of, the original FreeSpace.

screenshot
click to enlarge.
The second mode is a bit more ambitious. Dubbed "Squad Wars," this new multiplayer game has some elements in common with the Galactic Wars games that have recently been successful with Total Annihilation on Cavedog's Boneyards service. With Squad Wars, you will team up with other pilots to create a squad, then engage in battles over PXO, the free online gaming service jointly operated by Volition and Descent maker Parallax.

What's interesting about Squad Wars is that your team's successes and failures cause dynamic changes to a huge star system. Your squad can choose a logo (which will appear on your ships in combat), and you begin in control of a single sector. From there, you challenge other squads for control of other sectors. As you win battles, your squad's territory and reputation increase.

"The territories will be color coded," explains Boone, "so that everyone will be able to quickly reference the map and see who the dominant squad is and how big their empire has grown."

Couple these new modes with the extensive co-op modes of the original, and you have a pretty interesting selection of multiplayer games available. Volition is promising support for 12 players in dogfight mode and eight players in team-vs.-team games.

Next: Conclusion