FreeSpace Alpha
(Copied from Selectah's talk page.)
Contents
General
Before the retail release of Descent: FreeSpace, a number of Alpha and Beta versions were shipped to various testers and magazine editors in order for them to get a preview of what's coming, plus it allowed them to advertise the coming game. There was a lot of gameplay content in the Alphas -- of which there was a total of two -- and the Beta that wasn't included at all in the released versions of the game or was changed to the point of unrecognizability. Some of the Alpha-only content included things such as unique ships -- the shivan cruiser Caldera and the terran cruiser Juggernath -- and unique dialogue deepening the storyline.
Some graphics decisions unique to the Alpha are, amongst other things, a completely different HUD with shield integrity as exact percentage instead of graphics, a different pilot stat screen with your current fleet affiliation on display and totally different pilot appearance graphics, different POF models and mission backgrounds (including planets).
Unique weaponry for the Alpha included weapons that are still present in some of the screenshots on Volition's official FreeSpace site. Look for evidence of the the Angelfire missile, for instance, check for stats below.
The Alpha/Beta versions also included unique dialogue. Some of the lines were later dropped in favour of the present ones, such as "Enemy at three o'clock high!", "Sir watch your tail" and "Enemy fighters just appeared on radar".
Screenshots from FreeSpace Alpha
FreeSpace Alpha-Only Weaponry
Primary weapons
| Alpha-Only primary weapons | ||||
| Name | Damage | Velocity | Fire Wait | Description |
| Light Laser | 10 | 300 | .175 | Much like Descent lasers. Less powerful than Heavies. |
| Disruptor | 16 | 275 | .3 | none |
| Mass Driver | 40 | 240 | .15 | Fires shells, but uses energy, since it's a cannon. |
| Flail | 5 | 530 | .15 | Rapid-fire energy-based weapon. Shoots many smaller, rapid lasers. |
| Neutron Flux | 30 | 300 | 30 | Similar to Heavy Lasers, but more punch. |
| Shivan Light Laser | 8 | 300 | .15 | none |
| Shivan Heavy Laser | 12 | 275 | .3 | Self-explanatory. Fires slightly slower. |
Secondary Weapons
| Alpha-Only secondary weapons | ||||
| Name | Damage | Velocity | Fire Wait | Description |
| Rockeye Missile | 15 | 140 | .75 | none |
| Mag Pulse Missile | 10 | 200 | 1.00 | none |
| Fury Missile | 15 | 300 | .10 | none |
| Swarm Missile | 15 | 200 | 1.0 | none |
| Shrike Missile | 45 | 130 | 1.0 | none |
| Angelfire Missile | 60 | 100 | 1.0 | none |
| Fusion Mortar | 100 | 250 | 1.0 | none |
| Cluster Bomb | 60 | 50 | 2.0 | none |
| Cluster Baby | 25 | 120 | .5 | none |
| Stilleto Bomb | 60 | 75 | 1.0 | none |
| Tsunami Bomb | 100 | 50 | 3.0 | none |
| Harbinger Fusion Bomb | 200 | 40 | 3.0 | none |
Alpha Missions
The Alpha versions of FreeSpace also contained unique missions. There were a total of three missions in the Alpha versions, two of which are the ones' we know from the FreeSpace 1 Demo. The third Alpha-only mission -- the second in the Alpha "campaign" -- is arguably the most interesting of them all. This is the mission where you are ordered to escort the lone Juggernath, a Fenris class cruiser.
The mission also contains a lot of unique dialogue, dialogue which explains the sentiments regarding the newly founded Vasudan/Terran alliance and deepens the storyline, highlighting the still present animosity towards the Vasudans. A line from Alpha 3 in the mission might serve as example; "I just hope I don't accidentally fire on one of them in the heat of battle. Old habits die hard".
Please note that the first Alpha version handed out to (p)reviewers was not playable. Most of the first Alpha only consisted of pre-scripted action.
