FLShell templates

Long Range
A "Long Range" fighter is the economy version of the basic ship. They have additional space for cargo, but are slower, their cruise speed is longer than the basic version of the same name. They can also mount weapons of a lower maximum level than the basic model. Regardless, the "Long Range" versions are still widely used. They provide an effective cross between of a freighter and the typical fighter class. Beware of traveling in hostile areas with long range very heavy fighters as once cruise disrupted it takes a long time to recharge. 7 seconds for a very heavy fighter, meaning that you will most likely be forced into fighting whether you wanted to or not.

Superiority
"Superiority" classed ships are the ships with the highest level guns and armour available. Their abilities, in combat are superior to that of the basic model due to more weapons of the highest class being able to be mounted. The engine is a cross between the basic and Interceptor, providing the pilot with a ship designed to work effectively in combat. The vessel also has additional capabilities with the amount of shield or nanobots it can hold and can usually mount a higher shield class than would normally be available. On the down side, the engine requires more cargo space than the basic version. But, this will be of little concern to the freelancer who spends most of their time in combat and is searching for the extra edge. Works best with military or edge world power plants due to their extra Power capacity and regeneration. The Superiority can mean different things too according to the ship class. On a heavy or very heavy fighter they remain as above, but for light fighters they mean that the cruise disruptor hard point has been converted to be a weapon mount instead.

Intercepter
"Intercepter" classed ships are rare. They are most likely a pirate, police or military vessel as the civilian corporations do not use them. They are simply the best performance that is currently available within the boundaries of current technology. Their cruise speed is further improved on the Superiority meaning that a Heavy fighter will reach cruise in 3 seconds and a light fighter in 2. Such qualities come at a price and the Interceptor is limited to only being able to use weapons up to the basic for that name of ship. It is still possible to upgrade the power plant and max the ship to provide a hard hitting ship with great performance. Who would win in a battle with a Superiority and an Interceptor? Most likely the Superiority, due to its higher weapons compliment. But, if you like being able to fight on your terms and the ability to scout the area within hostile territory, this class is for you. Works best with Police or Border world power plants due to their extra thrust regeneration.

Prototype
Most of the information regarding the specific details of prototype ships still remains classified by their developers. You can assume that they will be superior to any other class of that ship and may bare little resemblance to the original version. They are mostly still in development and only available to established and trusted members of the developer's faction. Prototypes take the best abilities of the superiority and the Interceptor and meld them together along with military classified technology to provide the best that money can buy. They usually have metal of a superior quality and have improved armour and structural capabilities. Allowing the vessel to be mounted with weapons of a higher capability that either the basic version or the superiority. The only bad thing about these babies is that they are extremely expensive and that their Interceptor class engine tend to fill most of their cargo hold. One thing is for sure, if you get engaged by a squadron of prototype ships and they are hostile they mean business..

Basic Freighter
The basic freighters within Frontierspace have been given an armour upgrade. The game is harder than before, so believe me, you'll need it. Basic freighters have 150 percent of the freighter from the original game.

Heavy Hauler
The Heavy Hauler class has additional armour and cargo space. On the downside it has higher mass, so it takes longer for the ship to reach its maximum speed. Its engine is the same as those found in the basic freighters. Heavy Haulers have 200 percent of the freighter from the original game.

Fast Clipper
Fast Clippers are best used in territories that are hostile and are more suited to running expensive cargo. Its offensive capabilities remain the same as the Basic and its engine is the most advanced within the freighter class. It's mass co-efficient is also heavily reduced meaning it can reach its maximum speed the fastest out of the freighter class. The volume of the engine is higher than the Basic freighter class. Fast Clippers only have 100 percent of the freighter from the original game.

Gunship
The Gunship class is the freighter class that is aimed towards combat. Its armour is extremely high and the maximum weapon class increased. The maximum shield class is increased and the engine increased from the basic freighter class. It's mass co-efficient is also reduced meaning it can reach its maximum speed faster. On the downside, the volume of the engine is so high and the armour increased to such an extent, its cargo capacity is severely reduced. Even with these limitations, the Gunships remain some of the most effective ships found throughout the Sirius Sector. Gunships have 300 percent of the freighter from the original game.

Groups within Sirius

Below is some of the major groups found within Frontierspace.

The Raiders
Little information is available about the Raiders, they operate in groups and are seen only outside of the core systems, around the frontier of known space. They are allied with the Corsairs so that they can both operate out of each others bases within the border and edge world systems. They are also believed to have been dealing with the Hogosha, most likely through the Corsairs for access to the Hogosha's weaponry. The Raiders use modified versions of the civilian ships, custom made and refitted to their purposes.
Fighter ships-Custom made civilian ships

The Jackals
Within frontier space they are a constant threat as they operate in large groups. They are believed to be technology junkies and are responsible for making illegal equipment used for hacking into government systems. They are one of the most seen groups outside of core systems. Their alliance with the Outcasts is most likely due to the Jackals need for Cardamine.
Fighter ships-Raptor, Predator, Phoenix

The Independent Gas Company
An Independent group who operate outside of the core systems mining the gas pockets within nebulas. The Independent Gas Company are similar in some way to the Independent Mining Guild in that they are a group of several smaller companies grouped together for mutual gain. As they operate within only the border world, edge world and Frontier systems they are well armed as you would expect. Any group who wishes to seriously oppose GMG needs to be well organized and the Independent Gas Company is one of the few that could truly compete.
Fighter ships-Star blazer, Vindicator, Battleaxe

The Frontier Police
The house corporations hire the services of this independent faction to operate around frontier space. Their ships and weapons are of the highest caliber. The Federation has also hired the services of the Frontier police to patrol their systems, meaning that more Federal ships can be assigned to the war between the Imperium and the Nomads.
Fighter ships-Superiority and Interceptor class civilian ships

The Federation
A large body of unified worlds, allied towards a common cause, to repel the Imperial advance. The Federation has also allied itself with the Order once they found that the Imperium has been in negotiations with the Nomads. The Imperium is their primary enemy and the Federation has been in open warfare of the last 16 years.
Fighter ships-Ghost, Black Spectre, Raven Claw, Phantom

The Imperial Navy
The Imperials have been attacking and in enslaving worlds for decades. The Slave Trade is a large part of the Imperial war machine and is considered illegal by all other good houses. The Imperium has been at war with the Federation for the past 16 years. They are the only people who have stood up to the Imperium and survived their attack. They use ships based upon an advance Rhineland explorer fleet which traveled through Omicron Theta to the previously unknown system of Anayeth. There they were attacked and their vessels salvaged and then reversed engineered. The Imperium are the most aggressive and warlike faction within the Sirius Sector. even more so than the Corsairs, Federation or Nomads. The Imperium is also believed to have been in negotiations with the Nomads.
Fighter ships-Storm blade, Storm sword, Storm hammer

The Duchani
An independent group who operate outside even the edge systems. Their main role is to search for high yield mining areas for other factions to harvest. They are considered elite and have ships, weapons and abilities exceeding that of the typical groups. To the extent, that most pirate groups tend to leave them alone and search for an easier target. When the Duchani vessels were destroyed in 70 Ophuichi by the Imperium, the Duchani swore revenge and have joined the Federation-Order fleets operating throughout the Frontier systems. It was through the Duchani that the Federation learned of the apparent alliance between the Imperium and the Nomads. With the combination of Federation, Order and Duchani vessels raiding from their hideaway within 70 Ophuichi the Imperials really have their hands full.
Fighter ships-Star blazer, Cougar, Star viper, APS-Hornet

The Eastern Coalition
The Eastern Coalition is a group of smaller worlds allied for mutual benefit. They are peaceful and welcome trade with most groups. The Coalition was formed some five years ago. It was the result of the Imperial Navy's assault upon Andcefa. Some of the people believed that the coalition was a bad idea and that instead of gaining strength, it would cause the Imperium to regard them as a greater target. Thus the Western Alliance was formed. The Alliance is a splinter group that has adopted a pirate like nature in order to attempt to bring down the coalition.Fighter ships-Arrow, WC-Centurion, WC-Thunderbolt, Hawkeye

The Western Alliance
The Western Alliance is a group which formed in protest to the Eastern Coalition. Initially, they were opposed to militant action and were wanted to resolve their problems peacefully. For many years they struggled, then they were approached by members of the Xenos. In return for goods difficult to locate within Liberty space and a restriction on their ships never entering Liberty space, the Western Alliance have been trained and armed by the Xenos. They have now become a band of well equipped and dangerous outlaws, aiming to bring down the Eastern Coalition.
Fighter ships-Pegasus, Griffen, Hydra, APS-Hornet

The Sirius Trade Guild
The Sirius Trade Guild is a corporation that have explored and colonized the space around Tau Ceti. They are traders of most commodities and trade their goods throughout many of the systems outside of their space.
Fighter ships-Ebon Hawk Multirole freighters and Ebon Hawk Gunships

Edilazians
The Edilazians are a corporation that have explored and colonized the space around Edilazie. They are traders of most commodities.
Fighter ships-Enforcer, Challenger Superiority

Aymifans
The Aymifans are a corporation that have explored and colonized the space around Aymifa. They are traders of most commodities and trade their goods throughout the frontier systems.
Fighter ships-Lynx, Puma, Jaguar

Altairans
The Altairans are a corporation that have explored and colonized the space around Altair. They are traders of most commodities and are specialized at Ice mining, mostly due to Altair having plentiful Ice fields.
Fighter ships-Stiletto, Antaeus

Ackarack Mining Company
The Ackarack Mining Company is a corporation that have explored and colonized the space around Ackarack. They are a group that specializes in mining the difficult regions of frontier space. They are comparable to IMG, who they are neither hostile nor allied to. As you would expect, their ships are to a high standard and their abilities are above average.
Fighter ships-Custom multi-role civilian ships

Sirius Rogues
An independent xeno group who reject any people other than their own. They are a relatively new group who are yet to spread deeper the Edge world systems. The Sirius Rogues have many different types of ships which make them dangerous. They are believed to be a syndicate, forcing small time installations and companies to give them credits for their "protection".
Fighter ships-Too many to mention

Independent Pirates
An independent group of Pirates that have left their other factions for whatever reason. They are most likely hunted by their old faction as once you join these groups it is usually impossible to quit. The shear diversity amongst the Independent Pirates makes them an extremely hard enemy to fight against.
Fighter ships-Many of the pirate ships found for other factions

There are many other factions within the game, these are some of the primary factions.

Mostly its been a bug hunt. From all of the feedback received from play testers of the first release, version 1.74 should be far more stable. The last release, v1.1, was still a beta version and it required the support of a number of people play testing the different regions of FS in order to find and remove any problems that were present.

Capital ships are much harder now, as are the larger transports. As a general overview, Gunboats 100k hit points, Cruisers/Destroyers 250k hit points and Battleships an unforgiving 800k hit points.

The weapons on the capital ships have been set so that battleships will find it tough to fire at fast moving fighters, but when they do they can cause some real damage. Gunboats on the other hand, often have fast tracking turrets that are superior to the normal turrets found on smaller vessels.

Capital ships are flyable now and in doing so all turrets have been modified to make way for the weapon classes. Instead of the class 1 to 10 of the normal turrets in the game, now they are 1 to 5. Their abilities remain the same , but the classes 6 to 10 are used for larger vessels.

There is also quite a few new bases, new secrets and new ships.

The version number has been modified so that it is possible to find servers running FS in the Server list.

Added an events system with a team vs team battle going on and have opened up Omicron Minor to allow access to the Order base there.

The Jetan have had a real make over with all of their ships being removed and new ones added. They are also one of the few races to have the new "Corvette class" ships which are designed as class between Very Heavy Fighter and Gunboat. They also get an Ion cannon beam version too.

All lasers have had their effects modified so that the beams are smaller.

All guns are now visible in the weapon mount screen. You can now see the archetype of the weapon before you buy.

Been sorting through the icons to make them have unique archetype names to remove the sometimes seeing the wrong image error.

Alien weapons are now even more dangerous and class 10 weapons are a step up from the existing class 9's. Most Class 10's have had their abilities adjusted so that they are of a higher refire rate. Some weapons have had their class reduced so that they are just very strong class 8 or 9 weapons instead.

Server Operator (Multiplayer) options when activated.

MP Start location (97 choices).
MP Start ship and loadout (85 choices).
MP Start money (9 choices).

Open Single player (no storyline) choices when activated.

SP Start location/faction (7 choices).
SP Starting costume (25 choices).
SP Start money (8 choices).

Kusari and Bretonia are harder now.
Hundreds of ships.
New Background Music for major systems.
There are 134 systems now. All populated with many bases and with trade routes.
Wrecks all moved around and lots added.
Wreck cargo modified.
Class 10 weapons removed from wrecks, but they are buyable.
Existing weapons modified and increased.
Weapon damage modifier set to 160%.
Bribes removed in 99% of bases.
86 factions in total now.
Custom rumours for different factions.
Faction reaction changed, they are harder to please and get hostile easier.
Pirates scan you more often and demand mine and missile ammo.
Junkers and liberty rogues use extra ships.
Corsair's and Outcasts have freighters now.
Nomads have two ships the light fighter interceptor (3 weapons + CD) and Heavy fighter superiority (6 weapons + Torpedo/missile).
All house corp. have loadouts with a mixture of their house and civilian weapons.
House corp. ships when bought have the engine type of their region.
Several custom ships which allow the player to build the ship to their requirements. Mostly the engine type.
Power plants, scanners, tractors, armour and ship upgrades all buyable.
New shield types, all hidden away deep in the game.
Hundreds of bases, all populated, equipped and offering commodities from their base type.
Cargo pods mountable onto larger transports.
Second cargo pod economy.
Larger ships like the train and transport flyable.
Gunboats and cruisers are flyable too.
Capital ship Encounters set in varying amounts throughout the house systems, including the federation and Imperium.

Lots of secrets, including a hidden quest.
Loads of new weapons.
Loads of commodities, most are for long range courier which is transported to only one base.
Long range destroy missions, telling you to make your way to an enemy system, go to a location and destroy their target, tractor the loot and return to base.
New targets for random missions.
Open Single player players can choose Liberty Police, Liberty Rogue, Xeno, Bounty Hunter, Liberty Corp or Zoner. I did add about 20 more with varying loadouts, but the levels of the game is set so high it wasn't practical.
Tested with FLScan v1.3, should be fairly bug free.

Commodity Limitations
For this second installment, the commodities for bases are still a little wild. In some places it is possible to earn lots of credits trading a short distance. This will be fixed in future installments. I don't consider it to be a problem that would ruin the game. Mostly due to the ships being a great deal more expensive and that the regions where these bases are of a higher difficulty level. If you want to be trader in these regions then it's up to you. If you do find an easy run, I'd encourage you not to exploit it too much. But, there are faster and more enjoyable ways of earning credits so its up to you, In the future instalments, there will be much less things for sale and in places like mining bases in the middle of nowhere, they will have very poor supplies. The operation of these bases is not aimed at selling weapons or equipment and so they only have limited choices.

Weapons of Frontierspace
The basic weapon damage of most weapons has been increased. It used to be that the wrong type of weapon on the wrong shield only inflicts 80 percent of the damage, now it is 120 percent. The weapons give an additional 40 percent to those found in the original game. Therefore, if you have the right weapon on the right shield type, you will cause an impressive 160 percent damage, instead of 120 percent. It's this kind of information that sets an average player from a good one. It's also worth bearing in mind that not all weapons are affected in this way. Missiles and weapons with no fixed energy type remain the same. They are however more effective against specialist shielding, which you'll have to find out for yourself. Some missiles too have been changed, the homing and pulse missiles are now more effective. Making each of them actually pretty useful. Mines too, travel faster than they used to and so are more dangerous. Also, just to make things even more complicated, the shield damage ratio of hull to shield has been changed too. Meaning weapons that aren't pulse based will cause less damage to shields than they used to. I strongly recommend that players use pulse weapons with there ships. Stunpulse turrets can also be mounted on to cruise disruptor hard points and Heavy Stunpulse turrets (class 5) on to torpedo hard points. I'd recommend that you use them.

New Ships for Frontierspace
For those of you who are not either modders or ship modellers, there are a few things about the new ships that you need to know. The main thing is the differences between ships from the original game and the added ones. From the way that the original ships were made, parts are able to be blown off. This makes them weaker to missiles as they can cause damage to several areas at once. Added ships do not usually have this problem. The Battleaxe is the exception to the rule as it was created with bits to be blown off too. It does mean that depending on who you are fighting, it might be best to exchange a missile for an extra weapon instead. All ships use armour which negates the damage caused, but missiles still do less damage. Now that that is clear, everybody is on the same level of understanding.

Courier Commodities
These are goods that are of a sensitive nature and usually belong to house military or police. In order to acquire the good you may need to be of a certain reputation with that group. You then buy the contract of the good and travel to its destination. Each good has a single destination and, after a time, the good will expire. In a similar way to perishable commodities. It helps to know the destination of the cargo before hand and the route to be taken. Pirate factions will be scanning you for the cargo, so keep an eye out for them too. For best results, it's obviously best to trade in the higher level cargo that requires higher rep using a freighter. If you get the hang of trading along the routes, a high profit can be made.

Long Range Destroy missions
These are a new thing for Frontierspace. They are only available to a few groups. The more established pirates, Federation and the Imperial Navy. They are very difficult as each base has a standing garrison defending and the target can be in hostile space. More information is in the Imperial War info. But, basically, you buy or note down the location from its target good. Then it's up to you how you approach the target. There is no time limit for completion. You destroy the base, tractor in proof of its destruction and return it to the base of operations. Pirates and the owner of the base will scan you for the good until you return it. Be careful not to have a full cargo hold when attacking the base as you will not be able to tractor in the mission complete good and you would need to start jettisoning cargo mid-battle. Most bases destroyed will drop technology of a specialist or custom nature. These goods are un-buyable in the game and can only be obtained by its base's destruction. Just remember to have an extremely strong combat based vessel before attempting these missions. They are mostly aimed at co-operative play in multiplayer.

Faction Relationship changes
There's been a few changes to how reputation works. In Frontierspace, destroying a vessel will cause the faction to become more hostile to you and factions will be slower to let you gain a standing with them. Their completed missions will have less effect than they used to. The empathy between the groups is also a bit lower too. This way, if you attack everybody you meet, everybody will hate you. Can't say I blame them really..

Wreck Hunters
For those of you who already know all of the locations of the wrecks from the original game, you'll find that most of the ships have either been moved around, had their cargo changed or both. Just to make things more interesting.

Scanning Cargo
This has been changed a bit too. Pirates are now more Pirate'y (for want of a better word). So, now they will also be scanning you for more commodities and also things like mine or missile ammo. For this reason pirates tend to fight amongst themselves more too. It can be quite funny sitting outside a Junker base. Seeing loads of ship on either side, then one of them demands cargo and all hell breaks loose. It can also be a pain in the ass too. You think, I'll just pop to that corsair base and make some repairs. Then they demand your 50 Firestalker missiles as you are surrounded by high level Titans on all sides. Well, they are pirates after all. It can be a healthy idea to sell missiles off before going to these bases.

Bribes?
These were one of those things that I didn't really like in the original game. They were ok as an idea, but in reality, it became too easy to simply pay off the Corsairs or Outcasts taking away the need to work for it. All bribes have been removed except a couple which are part of a hidden quest. Even now the ones that are in it are very expensive.

Shield abilities
Yup, these are different too. In the original game, Graviton shields were so much better than the others that there was little reason not to have them (apart from the higher level shields not being available). In Frontierspace, the shields are of similar abilities. The main differences are that Graviton shields have increased capacity, but reduced charging, Molecular shields have reduced capacity, but increased charging abilities and Positron shields are the middle between the two. Also, just to make things more interesting, the class of the ship will affect the abilities of the shield. Light fighters have reduced capacity, but higher charging abilities. Freighters have higher capacity, but reduced charging and the Heavy and Very Heavy are the middle of the two. With this many variations, you can tailor the shield to match either the strengths or weaknesses of you ship class. There also other shield types, which you're going to have to find out yourself. They are hidden away deep within the game.

Engine types
For fighters, there are 4 engine types. Basic. Long Range, Superiority and Interceptor. The abilities of these are all different. Long Range is the slowest, then Basic, followed by Superiority and finally the fastest, Interceptor. The size of the engine within the ship is as you would expect higher for the better performance engines. Once again, these are further modified by the ship class. Light fighters are naturally faster and with a lower cruise time than the others and Very Heavy fighters are slower with a higher cruise time. So, its up to you, you get to choose the ship that is ideal for your chosen profession. Watch out for the Long Range Very Heavy fighters though, they are quite lumbering and seem to take forever to cruise charge. If you are surrounded by enemy fighters, it's almost not even worth trying to escape and to just get on with fighting instead. Interceptor Light fighters, on the other hand, offer a very high performance.

Thruster changes
Thrusters too, offer lower energy consumption and higher performance with each improved model.

Fresh Ideas? Problems?
If while playing this you think of some interesting new ideas, feel free to post on the new mod announcement forum at The Lancers Reactor. I can't guarantee that I will add all of the ideas. But, I hope to bring fresh updates to this mod to solve any problems and make it as good as I can.

The Federation
A large body of unified worlds, allied towards a common cause, to repel the Imperial advance. The Federation has also allied itself with the Order once they found that the Imperium has been in negotiations with the Nomads. The Imperium is their primary enemy and the Federation has been in open warfare of the last 16 years.

The Imperial Navy
The Imperials have been attacking and in enslaving worlds for decades. The Slave Trade is a large part of the Imperial war machine and is considered illegal by most other good houses. The Imperium has been at war with the Federation for the past 16 years. They are the only people who have stood up to the Imperium and survived their attack. They use ships based upon an advance Rhineland explorer fleet which traveled through Omicron Theta to the previously unknown system of Anayeth. There they were attacked and their vessels salvaged and then reversed engineered. The Imperium are the most aggressive and warlike faction within the Sirius Sector. even more so than the Corsairs, Federation or Nomads. The Imperium is also believed to have been in negotiations with the Nomads.

One of the main features of this mod is the war between the Federation and the Imperial Navy. The game is set so that once you begin working for one of the factions, it is difficult to change and switch sides. For both factions, there is a variety of different jobs that you can do. You could simply attack their ships, work as a destroyer of their bases or as a trader of sensitive goods. Destroying ships is pretty obvious, but the long range destroy missions in Frontierspace are different. You first either buy or note down the location of the base. Its target is very cheap and gives you the system and grid reference of the target. There is no time limit, it's up to you how you approach the base and what route you take. Many of the harder targets are fairly deep within either Federal or Imperial space and the local garrison defending each base are all business. As well as there being the typical Federation and Imperial Navy groups, there is also the Federal Elite Forces and Imperial Special Forces. These guys are the cream of their forces military might and have access to technology that is unavailable for sale. Only even consider attacking these targets once you have one of the best ships with maximum weapons. It can help as well if you aren't hostile to the Corsairs, Outcasts, Raiders or Jackals. At least that way, you could dock at one of their hideaway's to re-arm and make repairs. Watch out though, these guys would as soon rob you as help you.

Another role is the Trader of sensitive goods. These are available to all house factions, the Imperial Navy, Federation and Frontier Police. The Junkers even have a few, but they are a bit different. When trading, it helps to know the destination and how long it will take to reach. Remember, you buy the initial contract and these goods are time sensitive, so if you take too long you may be out of pocket. As said before these are available to other groups too, the only difference is that the Federation and Imperial Navy have some of a higher level and therefore you can earn a greater profit. If you get these goods sussed, it can be one of the most effective ways of earning credits. The downside being, you really need a freighter and the systems that offer the goods tend to be of quite a high difficulty level. Pirates and the opposite faction will also scan you for these goods, so it isn't guaranteed as means to earn credits with no risk to yourself. Also, to get the best out of the goods, you need to be established members of each group in order to buy them. These are all stated with the goods themselves, in the info section. A good idea is to have a group of players online grouping together for mutual protection, maybe with a couple of fighter escorts. All of the systems belonging to the Federation or Imperium are pretty busy anyway. Chances are a couple of lawful ships shouldn't be far away.
Another option, is to not work for the Federation or Imperium directly. There is very good money to be made for those who are able to work between the two groups. In most major bases there are goods which fall into two categories. They are either for the local faction, or against the local faction. For example, you could dock at a federal base and buy an imperial contract to withdrawal an Imperial spy and return them to Imperial space. The local ships would then scan you and demand that you hand over the spy. Once you are out of federal space pirates will still scan you for them but the Imperials won't. You will get paid when you drop them off at a decent base. Or, the other example is you could dock at a federal base and buy a contract that is allied with the local group. You could get the contract of a federal assassin, drop them off at an Imperial base. The local forces wouldn't scan you for it, but the pirates would until where you reach Imperial space. Then, both the local forces and the pirates would be scanning you. When you drop off the assassin you get the payment. Its good money, but risky, remember, the scanning chance has been increased so you may have to defend yourself and if you fight too much, you won't be able to dock at their bases anyway. Again, it helps to get in with pirate groups and to use the jump holes, but watch out for pirates robbing you and you really need a freighter too. The good news is if you attack the local pirates, you can increase your standing with both the Federation and the Imperium.

Note-About Long Range destroy missions.
The bases that are targeted for destruction are un-dockable. There is a bug where if a player is docked at a base and it is destroyed it crashes the server in multi-player. In an attempt to keep this as painless as possible, the only destroyable targets cannot be docked with by players with a fighter or freighter classed ship. The Long Range destroy missions are meant to be something that players can work towards. They are difficult, intentionally so, you really do need to get the best ship you can find, max out the best weapons and choose the ideal shield type to negate you enemy's weapons. In multi-player, I'd recommend players grouping together to attack bases. It is possible solo, you just need to know the mod very well. One of the good things about doing these missions apart from the very high payment is that you can get access to technology which is impossible to acquire by other means. So, once you do a few, you should find doing them easier. You might end up spending a few hours scouting out a target or trying to find the best route, but the result will be worth it.
Finding the Federation or Imperium

The fastest ways of reaching the Federation is through the jumphole in Dublin to Ross-154. From there it is a simple matter to travel via the trade lanes. For the Imperium, the best way is to travel to Omicron Theta, then through the jumphole to Phiagre and finally Anayeth.

People
Accushot Setting up the tutorials thread and helping people
Argh General help with anything ship creation based, excellent ideas with regard to modifying weapon capabilities
Moderators at TLRChips, Harrier, Baked Potato, parabolix, Glock36 (sorry if there are others, i tend to stick to a few forums)
Giskard For the Empty Dll (and for being very helpful on Total War)
Blackeagle Showing interest for months and following Frontierspace's development

Tools
Digital Anvil For creating the game in the first place
Microsoft For saving the game and releasing it
Freelancer Mod Manager by Matthew "IGx89" Lieder
FL Model Tool By Anton, an amazingly useful and simple program to use
SDK Louva Deus, obviously very useful
Freelancer Explorer By Louva Deus, an excellent program
Milkshape Cmp Importer By Kurt Fitzner
Milkshape Cmp exporter By Mario Brito
Milkshape mat exporter By Mario Brito
Bini.exe By Bws, BnBWSoft
fledids By Dixi

Tutorials and mods
Open SPXerx
Intro scripts By Wasabe
Destructible universe By Integer Man, (i've had to limit it to non-dockable bases to avoid the multiplayer crash)
Tutorial Capital ship encounters By Nephilim
Tutorial The Complete ship editing and creating tutorial By Drizzt4.0

Ships
ships The privateer ships arrow, centurion, hellcat, orion, vindicator
Models by:Bob McDob, Eder, Howard Day, Lynx, M.Kruer, BoH_Havoc, Stannum, and Tolwyn
Models converted by:Bob McDob and Tolwyn
Initial Programming by:Warzog
The privateer ships belong to Origin and their parent company Electronic arts

ships Awing/IRD Fighter By Porsche
ships Jedi fighter with the blue/red skin/E3 Jedi StarFighter By Porsche
ships Sharlin/Nial by TFKKiller matrix
ships Shadow ships Original model by TFKKiller matrix
ships B5 East fury, Omega Fury, Thunderbolt fury By Killer matrix
ships Talarca By Asmo (KitiHawk), Original Mesh and Textures: By Atrahasis
ships Hellbringer By Asmo (KitiHawk) and Supersniper
ships Shroud By Asmo (KitiHawk)
ships Blockade Runner, Mancer Gunboat 1 and 2, Star Hauler, Nebula Frigate By Mancer
ships Mancer cargo 1 and 2 By Mancer
ships Thargon ships Original model by redeye, Modified by Mace
ships Battleaxe Model by redeye
ships Firbolg By awts0c
ships Stormhammer Initial model based upon the Firbolg by awts0c, reskin based on the Firbolg skin
ships Starviper, Cougar, Hornet by Astral Prime Studios
ships Pegasus, Griffen, APSHydra by Astral Prime Studios, Redone to originals with unique architecture entries by Mace
ships Antaeus by Konflikt
ships Basilisk, Black spectre, Raven claw and Phantom By Firebase
ships Vesuvius By Plague
ships Starlancer Ship Pack Volume 1.0 By Roland 'Hobbes' Orr, Samurai Studios
ships enforcer Mogadin
ships Junker csv/Hogosha csv By Buckaroo Banzai
ships Reman Bird of prey By Wrath of Achilles
ships Bretonian champion By Caid
ships RazorII By Jason Knight (Deathshadow)
ships Camara By Konfliction Industries
ships Behemoth/HydraB multirole/Hawkeye By AuGuR
ships Raptor, Predator, Pheonix, Original models from level 2 mod. Redone with unique architecture entries by Mace
ships Hornet By JohnHawke and Kurgan
ships Andromeda By Crabtree and AC Cooperations Network
ships Liberty Gunboat (model from Excelcia Mod)
ships Black Drake Digital Anvil model, modified by Mace, Original skin created by Glitch
ships Black Drone Digital Anvil model, modified by Mace, Original skin created by Glitch
ships Black Tetra/Black Moray Digital Anvil model, modified by Mace, skin based around the Black kusari skin by Glitch
ships Ackarack Hammerhead Digital Anvil model, modified by Mace, skin based around the house original skins created by Kasdia
ships Tiger Moray/Tiger Tetra Digital Anvil model, modified by Mace, skin based around the Police Gepard Eagle Skin created by mhonolog (Noire)
ships Multirole Civilian Ackarack hawk/falcon/eagle Digital Anvil model, modified by Mace, skin based around the house original skins created by Kasdia
ships Komodo Drake Digital Anvil model, modified by Mace
ships Stormblade/Stormsword Digital Anvil model, modified by Mace
ships Blood Dragon red/Blue/Green Digital Anvil model, modified by Mace
ships Hacker Dagger/Hacker Stiletto Digital Anvil model, modified by Mace
ships Hovis Racers Digital Anvil model, modified by Mace
ships Small armoured transport Digital Anvil model, modified by Mace
ships Modified Nomad model Digital Anvil model, modified by Mace
ships Outcast Razor Based around the Dagger by Digital Anvil model, modified by Mace
ships Imperial Trader Based around the Humpback by Digital Anvil model, modified by Mace
ships Bundschuh Dromedary Based around the Dromedary by Digital Anvil model, modified by Mace
ships Hessian Dromedary Based around the Dromedary by Digital Anvil model, modified by Mace
ships Zeus Corsair freighter Based around the Titan model by Digital Anvil model, modified by Mace
ships Hessian Dagger/Hessian Stiletto/Hessian Sabre Digital Anvil model, modified by Mace
ships Bundschuh Dagger/Bundschuh Stiletto/Bundschuh Sabre Digital Anvil model, modified by Mace

Skins
civilian Farmers Alliance (cream/white) Digital Anvil skin, modified by Mace
civilian Frontier Police Digital Anvil skin, modified by Mace
civilian Slave trader reskin based around the camouflage skin created by Diamondback, modified by Mace
civilian camouflage, Original skin created by Diamondback, modified by Mace
civilian Redblack/Blueblack Original skin created by Furry Angel.
civilian water Eagle Skin Original skin created by Diamondback, modified by Mace
civilian Bretonia/Kusari/Rhineland/Liberty skins Original skin created by Kasdia
civilian Black Original skin created by Furry Angel, further modified by Shiden
Borderworld Bundschuh Original skin created by Glitch, modified by Mace
Kusari Black Original skin created by Glitch
Bounty Hunter Black Skin Based around the Black kusari skin by Glitch
Bounty hunter Leopard skin Based around the Police Gepard Eagle Skin created by mhonolog(Noire)
Borderworld Hessian Digital Anvil skin, modified by Mace
Borderworld Hacker Digital Anvil skin, modified by Mace

Other
Ship icons (too damn many to mention)
All with the "shipicon_" prefix. Don't bother with any credit with that one, they are just useful things to have. Oh, yeah, by the way, the models have been added using existing 3db's for commodities and equipment and they have been selected so that it works within FS. If you are to use these in your own mods, I can't guarrantee you won't get problems with the wrong map coming up for models sharing the same texture map name. Sorry about that, but it is designed for FS.

Commodity icons(also too damn many to mention)
If you use the specialist ones with the text overlapping, i'd like the credit for that one, they turned out pretty well.

Navmap background
I'd rather that nobody reused the texture map for this, just so that the mod is still unique. Its not very hard to do anyway.

As far as using models that i've modified/created. Any models that aren't of my original design remain the property of the initial model's creators. Whatever their rules are the rules still, so usually either ask permission or give full credit depending on the creator. Any ships that i've created completely can be used as long as you give the credit and don't turn them into anything completely stupid. I loathe boxes on wheels with 20 class 10 weapons, so please try to use them in a respectful way.

If you feel that I should have given credit to you, but haven't, please let me know and I'll update the credit list for the most recent version of the mod.
If you have any comments on the mod, problems found or ideas for possible upgrades, post on TLR new mod announcement. Theres a thread on there for that sort of thing. I plan to keep updating as long as it takes to get rid of any major problems or annoyances, until i begin work on my next project.

Effective Weapon Selection
The weapons are each more and less effective against the different shield types. So, by choosing the right weapon to fit each enemy and choosing your shield to match their weapons you can have the optimal ship.

Laser/Photon/Pulse Weapons vs Graviton Shields = 120 percent damage
Laser/Photon/Pulse Weapons vs Molecular Shields = 140 percent damage
Laser/Photon/Pulse Weapons vs Positron Shields = 160 percent damage
Tachyon/Neutron Weapons vs Graviton Shields = 140 percent damage
Tachyon/Neutron Weapons vs Molecular Shields = 160 percent damage
Tachyon/Neutron Weapons vs Positron Shields = 120 percent damage
Particle/Plasma Weapons vs Molecular Shields = 120 percent damage
Particle/Plasma Weapons vs Positron Shields = 140 percent damage
Particle/Plasma Weapons vs Graviton Shields = 160 percent damage

Missiles, Mines and weapons which have no fixed energy bias remain the same.

Using Missiles
Some of the strongest ship configurations come from using the combination of high level pulse weapon and a high level missile. These are very effective against the ships from the original Freelancer game, but are less effective against most of the new ships that have been added.

Power plants buyable
Powerplants are buyable now in a number of different models. It is one of the upgrades which is of the most use to the ship and it is recommended that you buy the highest level powerplant to match the abilities of your ship.

Armour buyable
When you have become established and have a decent ship, shield and armaments, it is recommended that you invest in some armour for you ship. Only one can be fitted to you ship at any time. They increase your vessel's hit points and reduce the effectiveness of mines and missiles. Once you have got deep into the game, armour is essential as some of the higher level ship's are so heavily armed that they can destroy you with a single pass.

Shielding
The shields have been changed so they are more similar in abilities. In single player, its best to buy the highest shield your ship can mount and to keep the other shield types in your cargo hold. Then mount the shield of choice depending upon your current enemies and which weapon they use. Later on in the game, it is essential to adapt to you enemies whenever possible. In multiplayer you can also hold shields in you cargo hold. The only problem is that shields are very expensive now and if you are killed, you lose any spare shield generators unmounted to the ship.

The Quest
Hidden away within the mod is a quest. The location and details of this quest is something you will need to find for yourself. I'd recommend that you have a top level ship before attempting. Some aspects of the quest require some serious combat and it will just avoid fustration later.

Ship Upgrades
One of the last things added before releasing the mod is the addition of ship upgrades. These are mountable onto dedicated ship upgrade mounts. They come in 5 different variations:
Power Cell - Increases recharge rate of powerplant
Shield Cell - Increases recharge rate of powerplant
Shield Capacitor - Increases capacity of powerplant
Multirole- Increases abilities of both shield and powerplant to a lesser degree
Most ships only have one ship upgrade mounts. Very heavy fighters and some larger ships have two ship upgrade mounts instead.

Mountable Cargopods
Some ships are able to mount cargopods on to specific mounts. These ships include the Heavy Lifter, Transport, Heavy Transport, Train and Mancer Cargo freighters. There is a second economy in the trade of cargopods available at any bases that allow the larger ships to dock. These are usually planets and a few shipping platforms. Stockprice database cards are available from the house capitals and a few other bases.

Good luck and enjoy the game.