Fate of the Galaxy

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Fate of the Galaxy (FotG), also known as The Star Wars Conversion, is a singleplayer and multiplayer total conversion for the FreeSpace 2 SCP engine set in the Star Wars universe. The game is currently in development.


Gameplay

Fate of the Galaxy is a space simulator game where the player takes the role of a starfighter pilot through a series of missions in a story campaign. A multiplayer mode will also be available. The game is primarily played through the perspective of single-manned craft, and there are no plans for control of capital ships or multiplayer vehicles. Most missions will be set in space, though atmospheric missions are planned as well in later releases.

The player will choose to play as either a pilot for the Rebel Alliance (later the New Republic) or the Galactic Empire. Each side will have its own unique ships to control. Story missions will likely also include neutral factions such as pirates, though these are not planned as playable factions.

The gameplay will differ from that present in the default FreeSpace 2 engine. Ships will be much faster and combat quicker paced, with a larger focus on avoiding damage rather than absorbing it.

Authenticity

Fate of the Galaxy strives to recreate combat as close to as seen in the original trilogy of Star Wars, during scenes such as the Battle of Endor and the Battle of Yavin. To achieve this, the members of the development team have extensively analyzed individual movements and moments within these scenes to determine a baseline for such game concepts as damage, speed, and maneuverability. Each fighter will stay as close as possible to its canonical statistics stated in various sources.

Vehicles

The game will initially include a small number of ships unique to each side, with some designs being shared between factions. Each side's fighters and capital ships will have unique strengths, leading to a different gameplay style for each side.

Alliance to Restore the Republic/New Republic

File:Rogue.jpg
The X-wing Starfighter, main fighter of the Rebel Alliance

The Alliance to Restore the Republic and New Republic maintain a focus on versatile and durable starfighters and small, fast capital ships. Most of the Rebel fighters are equipped with secondary missile weapons such as concussion missiles and proton torpedoes. Rebel players will, in most cases, be unable to outmaneuver their Imperial counterparts and will rely on their superior durability and weapon complement, as well as teamwork to engage the enemy. Rebel capital ships are smaller than their Imperial counterparts, with each having diverse strengths due to their construction by various manufacturers. Rebel Mon Calamari Cruisers are noted for their incredible shield regeneration rates, while Corellian Corvettes are known for their speed.

The following Rebel fighter craft are planned to be included in the first release of the game:

  • T-65 X-wing Starfighter
  • BTL-S3 Y-wing Starfighter
  • BTL-A4 Y-wing Starfighter
  • RZ-1 A-wing Interceptor
  • B-wing Starfighter
  • E-wing escort Starfighter

The following Rebel starships are also planned to be included:

  • Braha'tok-class Gunship
  • Corellian DP20 Grigate
  • Thranta-class War Frigate
  • Assault Frigate Mk. I
  • MC80 Liberty-type Star Cruiser
  • MC80 Home One-type Star Cruiser
  • MC80 Reef Home-type Star Cruiser
  • MC80B Mon Remonda-type Star Cruiser

Galactic Empire

File:Fighterrender001.jpg
The TIE/ln Starfighter, main fighter of the Galactic Empire

The Galactic Empire's main strategy for fighters revolves around the concept of numerical advantage. Imperial TIEs usually lack shields and durability, but have very potent weaponry and great maneuverability to counter this weakness. Most Imperial fighters also forego any sort of missile secondary weapons and focus entirely on their lasers for offensive armament. Imperial capital ships are much larger than those of the Rebels, and focus on heavy offensive weaponry and great hull durability.

The following Imperial fighter craft are planned to be included in the first release of the game:

  • T.I.E. Starfighter
  • TIE/ln Starfighter
  • TIE/In Interceptor
  • TIE/sa Bomber
  • TIE Advanced x1

The following Imperial starships are also planned to be included:

  • Carrack-class Light Cruiser
  • Lancer-class Frigate
  • Strike-class Cruiser
  • Vindicator-class Heavy Cruiser
  • Immobilizer-418-class Interdictor Cruiser
  • Victory I-class and Victory II-class Star Destroyers
  • Imperator I-class and Imperial II-class Star Destroyers
  • Tector-class Star Destroyer
  • Allegiance-class Star Cruiser
  • Executor-class Star Dreadnought

Neutral Vessels

The following ships will be available to various factions. In addition to this list, a number of transport designs are planned.

  • Z-95 Headhunter
  • Corellian CR90 Corvette
  • Corellian CR70 Corvette
  • EF76 Nebulon-B Escort Frigate
  • Dreadnaught-class Heavy Cruiser

For a full list, as well as the status of each vessel's completion, see this post

Development

The progression of model work, from Model (Right) to Normal Maps (Center) and Diffuse Texture (Left)

Fate of the Galaxy picks up after a number of previous attempts to create a Star Wars mod for FreeSpace. For several years the "Star Wars Conversion Project" was worked on by various teams and developers, but without any releases.

In early 2007, chief1983 took over as project leader, and began to assemble a new team of developers. Choosing the name Fate of the Galaxy, the initial team consisted of chief1983, Brand-X as a modeler and Turambar as a texturer. The initial plan put forward was to use the models and textures that had been completed by previous teams. Soon after the reformation of the mod team, however, it was decided that all new art assets were needed to compete with the high graphical standards of the newer models, and all previously completed ships were discarded.

Work continued on ship models and textures through the next year and a half, as new staff members were added to the development team. In May of 2008, work began on implementing the new ship models into the game and work began on redesigning the feel and pace of the FreeSpace 2 Open engine. Work still continues on the models needed for a campaign and demo release. The story for the campaign has not been decided on yet, though it will be set sometime during the Galactic Civil War era of the Star Wars universe

Newsletter

On June 1st, 2008, the mod development team released their first newsletter, giving a brief update on the status of the project and advances made throughout the month. This newsletter, edited by Brand-X, will be updated monthly and can be found on the official forum.


First Release

The first release of Fate of the Galaxy is planned to be released sometime late 2008 or early 2009, and will include a short demo campaign, a basic ship set, and multiplayer functionality.

Developers

  • chief1983: Project Lead
  • Brand-X: Senior Artist and Content Moderator
  • Turambar: Artist
  • Axem: Artist
  • Tempest: Artist
  • Galactic Emperor: Artist
  • Turey: Coder
  • TopAce: FREDder

Links