Freespace 3 the search For bosch

This article is about a user-made campaign on acid. For discussion on the official third game of the series, please see FreeSpace 3.

Freespace 3 the search For bosch is an epic parody campaign for FreeSpace 2 created by xX_LORD_ULTRA_DEATH_Xx. The initial release, containing the first 5 of 34 planned missions, was posted on July 2, 2011, to rapturous community reaction.

It may or may not be worth noting that this campaign is not the official FreeSpace 3, despite implicit claims to that effect.

Overview

Status: Partially Released

Author: xX_LORD_ULTRA_DEATH_Xx

Released: 07/02/11 (R1)

Missions: 5 in first release (of 34 planned)

Features:

• 34 mission's [sic]
• new ship's [sic]
• realistic beleivabel [sic] caricatures [sic]
• custom sound track to make excite [sic]
• Set 2 yrs after Capella
• You are sent through new Knosos [sic] to look for Bosch
• Find out what happen [sic] to Bosch!
• Find out what Shivin's [sic] are and why they do what they@ [sic]
• Take war to Shivins [sic] home system's [sic]
• SF Mara (Terran's) [sic] is now main space supremacy [sic] fighter in elite GTVA squadron's [sic] like your [sic]!
• AND MUCH MORE

Description

The campaign is set two years after the Capella incident. The player character and her wingmen - each with distinctive and developed personalities - are highly regarded pilots stationed aboard the GVD Cleopatera [sic], a Hatshepsut-class destroyer modified with Shivan technology. The story opens with the announcement that a new Knossos subspace portal has been discovered in a remote corner of the GTVA, and that the Cleopatera [sic] and her battlegroup have been dispatched to investigate. Their mission is to find and apprehend Aken Bosch so that he can be interrogated and brought to justice. Along the way, the player character is subjected to the greatest tests of her career and her life, and makes shocking discoveries about the nature of Bosch, the Shivans, and the universe itself....

Reception

Initial responses in the R1 release thread ranged from skeptical to downright hostile, owing to the taboo against naming a campaign "FreeSpace 3" (and thereby unilaterally giving it implicit canonical status). Many members assumed that the post was a troll, posted specifically to generate some response from the community. The original poster's numerous idiosyncrasies, such as posting in extremely oversize green text littered with spelling and grammar errors, were another cause of initial skepticism.

However, once community members had the chance to download and play the campaign, they realized just how damn hilarious the campaign actually was. Several requests for a sequel, and at least one offer to assist in FREDing for one, were posted within 24 hours of the release.

There were lingering performance issues with some missions on older computers, but xX_LORD_ULTRA_DEATH_Xx quickly responded with a downscaled "lite" version of the campaign. This version preserved the storyline and broad mission balance of the original while making necessary sacrifices of the epic nature of some missions to accommodate those who would otherwise be unable to play the campaign at all. Both versions are currently available for download.

That the campaign contained numerous references to existing campaigns and tongue-in-cheek attacks on community members led to further suspicion that it was some kind of joke. It was later revealed by site administration that xX_LORD_ULTRA_DEATH_Xx's IP address matched that of an existing community member. However, which community member was ultimately responsible for the conception of this masterpiece remains unknown.

Identity of xX_LORD_ULTRA_DEATH_Xx

Several theories have been put forth as to the identity of the campaign designer, but nothing approaching a consensus has been reached.

• Axem: Axem, known for his parody campaign Just Another Day and its sequels, was suggested as a possibility within ten minutes of the release thread going live. Site administration has stated that Axem is not the campaign designer, and Axem himself has made inquiries as to the designer's identity. However, many community members remain convinced that Axem is xX_LORD_ULTRA_DEATH_Xx.

• General Battuta: Along with Axem, General Battuta is the most frequently suggested author of Freespace 3 the search For bosch. The main flaw in this theory is that Battuta was temporarily banned from posting on public forums at the time of the release. It is unlikely that site administration would take kindly to the so-called "Trollttuta" making alt posts while so banned. Despite this, unspecified and vague similarities between Battuta's writing style and that of xX_LORD_ULTRA_DEATH_Xx have been noted and the theory remains popular.

• Nuclear1: Theories that Nuclear1 is xX_LORD_ULTRA_DEATH_Xx have likewise been refuted by HLP administration.

• karajorma: Site administrator karajorma was suggested as a possibility for no clearly-stated reason. He has denied it on the grounds that "that would require me to be capable of finishing something I started." Has also further elaborated that he still hasn't "finished WiH or played enough FS2 recently to be able to reference recent campaigns."

• Goober5000: Goober5000, who like Axem has a history of creating parody campaigns (see Deus Ex Machina), has also been suggested as a possibility by multiple community members. However, he has not played War in Heaven, which Freespace 3's eponymous "Mission 5" references heavily. Administration has stated that this theory is incorrect.

• Spoon: TopAce created this theory due to the conflict between the two. See the splitlocked thread here.

• Vasudan Commander: Eventually Hard Light's very own Sherlock Snail figured out that xX_LORD_ULTRA_DEATH_Xx was, in fact, Vasudan Commander, further confirmed by Goober5000. Other users prostrated themselves and bowed down to Snail's superior analytical skills. Targically, Moriarty5000 subsequently revealed that he had been leading on his arch-nemesis for fun. Vasudan Commander was not, in fact, responsible.

Reviews

"...this piece of art...." - Jeff Vader

"Awesome." - Snail

"Very good campaign! I wish there were more of these out there!" - QueenHolley

"This is the best campaign that has ever been written." - Shivan Hunter

"This fine masterpiece...." - Swantz

"This is a new benchmark for campaigns." - Psychonaut

"Featured campaign of the indeterminate time period...you should play it." - Scotty

"Omg, the ending. Someone hand me a cigarette." - Darius

"Story is on par with many of today's works...dialogue is compelling and moving." - thesizzler

Links

• Release thread (with community reaction)
• TopAce/Spoon flamebaiting splitlocked from release thread
• Download from Mediafire
• "Lite" version with some ships removed for slower computers (Mediafire)
• Download from FreeSpace Mods