<s>
Descent	B-Application
:	O
FreeSpace	O
–	O
The	O
Great	O
War	O
,	O
known	O
as	O
Conflict	O
:	O
FreeSpace	O
–	O
The	O
Great	O
War	O
in	O
Europe	O
,	O
is	O
a	O
1998	O
space	O
combat	O
simulation	O
IBM	O
PC	O
compatible	O
computer	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Volition	O
,	O
when	O
it	O
was	O
split	O
off	O
from	O
Parallax	O
Software	O
,	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Interplay	O
Productions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2001	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
platform	I-Device
as	O
FreeSpace	O
:	O
The	O
Great	O
War	O
by	O
Hyperion	B-Operating_System
Entertainment	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
:	O
FreeSpace	O
was	O
well-received	O
as	O
a	O
single-player	O
space	O
simulation	O
that	O
integrated	O
all	O
the	O
desired	O
features	O
of	O
its	O
genre	O
,	O
from	O
competent	O
AI	O
wingmen	O
,	O
to	O
the	O
presence	O
of	O
large	O
capital	O
ships	O
that	O
dwarf	O
the	O
fighters	O
piloted	O
by	O
the	O
player	O
and	O
explode	O
spectacularly	O
when	O
destroyed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
multiplayer	O
mode	O
was	O
criticised	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
was	O
plagued	O
by	O
lag	B-Application
and	O
inaccurate	O
tracking	O
of	O
statistics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
to	O
Descent	B-Application
:	O
FreeSpace	O
entitled	O
FreeSpace	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1999	O
to	O
critical	O
acclaim	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
:	O
FreeSpace	O
features	O
two	O
modes	O
of	O
play	O
;	O
a	O
single	O
player	O
campaign	O
and	O
multiplayer	O
matches	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
main	O
menu	O
designed	O
around	O
the	O
interior	O
of	O
a	O
ship	O
's	O
quarterdeck	O
,	O
with	O
various	O
elements	O
(	O
mostly	O
doors	O
)	O
leading	O
to	O
different	O
options	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
starting	O
a	O
new	O
game	O
,	O
configuring	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
reviewing	O
the	O
crafts	O
featured	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
various	O
story	O
elements	O
,	O
and	O
replaying	O
completed	O
single	O
player	O
missions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
game	O
features	O
additional	O
third-person	O
camera	O
viewpoints	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
interface	O
-	O
the	O
head-up	B-Application
display	I-Application
(	O
HUD	B-Application
)	O
-	O
can	O
only	O
be	O
viewed	O
from	O
the	O
primary	O
viewpoint	O
,	O
and	O
can	O
be	O
customised	O
with	O
different	O
colours	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
of	O
the	O
flexibility	O
in	O
the	O
control	O
scheme	O
,	O
some	O
have	O
categorised	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
being	O
a	O
flight	B-Operating_System
simulator	I-Operating_System
,	O
since	O
it	O
has	O
more	O
controls	O
and	O
commands	O
than	O
a	O
typical	O
arcade	O
game	O
,	O
yet	O
its	O
flight	O
model	O
is	O
simple	O
,	O
and	O
incorporates	O
some	O
elements	O
of	O
Newtonian	O
physics	O
such	O
as	O
precise	O
collision	O
physics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
conducting	O
a	O
match	O
or	O
a	O
single-player	O
mission	O
,	O
players	O
rely	O
on	O
the	O
HUD	B-Application
of	O
their	O
craft	O
to	O
provide	O
information	O
for	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
includes	O
:	O
the	O
state	O
of	O
their	O
craft	O
and	O
its	O
shields	O
,	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
energy	O
for	O
primary	O
weapons	O
and	O
the	O
craft	O
's	O
afterburners	O
(	O
both	O
recharge	O
over	O
time	O
)	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
management	O
of	O
sub-systems	O
and	O
which	O
primary	O
and	O
secondary	O
weapons	O
are	O
being	O
used	O
;	O
overall	O
damage	O
taken	O
on	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
craft	O
and	O
sub-systems	O
(	O
the	O
latter	O
repairs	O
over	O
time	O
,	O
unless	O
destroyed	O
)	O
;	O
information	O
on	O
both	O
allied	O
and	O
hostile	O
craft	O
being	O
targeted	O
,	O
displayed	O
in	O
the	O
lower-left	O
corner	O
of	O
the	O
HUD	B-Application
,	O
including	O
their	O
condition	O
and	O
condition	O
of	O
sub-systems	O
,	O
speed	O
,	O
and	O
their	O
distance	O
to	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
own	O
craft	O
;	O
a	O
warning	O
system	O
that	O
alerts	O
the	O
player	O
about	O
incoming	O
enemy	O
missiles	O
;	O
and	O
an	O
in-game	O
radar	O
that	O
tracks	O
all	O
craft	O
in	O
the	O
area	O
around	O
them	O
(	O
green	O
for	O
allies	O
,	O
red	O
for	O
enemies	O
,	O
and	O
blue	O
for	O
craft	O
entering	O
or	O
leaving	O
the	O
area	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
single-player	O
missions	O
,	O
the	O
HUD	B-Application
also	O
displays	O
the	O
condition	O
of	O
any	O
wingmen	O
the	O
player	O
has	O
supporting	O
them	O
,	O
represented	O
by	O
a	O
circle	O
that	O
changes	O
to	O
a	O
darker	O
colour	O
when	O
the	O
craft	O
has	O
taken	O
critical	O
damage	O
and	O
becomes	O
an	O
outline	O
when	O
the	O
wingman	O
has	O
either	O
departed	O
or	O
be	O
killed	O
in	O
action	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
an	O
"	O
Escort	O
"	O
list	O
that	O
keeps	O
track	O
of	O
notable	O
vessels	O
that	O
the	O
player	O
either	O
must	O
escort	O
or	O
destroy	O
,	O
the	O
number	O
next	O
to	O
the	O
vessel	O
's	O
name	O
indicating	O
how	O
much	O
hull	O
integrity	O
they	O
have	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
features	O
a	O
flexible	O
targeting	O
system	O
that	O
works	O
in	O
conjunction	O
with	O
the	O
HUD	B-Application
,	O
allowing	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
track	O
any	O
craft	O
around	O
them	O
or	O
in	O
front	O
of	O
them	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
hostiles	O
and	O
any	O
craft	O
marked	O
in	O
the	O
Escort	O
list	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
objectives	O
are	O
not	O
listed	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
is	O
given	O
a	O
list	O
of	O
directives	O
in	O
their	O
HUD	B-Application
,	O
detailing	O
what	O
they	O
must	O
do	O
(	O
i.e.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
multiplayer	O
mode	O
,	O
players	O
compete	O
in	O
multiplayer	O
matches	O
online	O
or	O
over	O
a	O
local	B-General_Concept
area	I-General_Concept
network	I-General_Concept
(	O
LAN	B-General_Concept
)	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
they	O
can	O
band	O
together	O
to	O
complete	O
cooperative	O
missions	O
,	O
or	O
split	O
up	O
into	O
teams	O
to	O
battle	O
against	O
one	O
another	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
,	O
online	O
gameplay	O
was	O
free	O
over	O
the	O
services	O
offered	O
by	O
Parallax	O
Online	O
,	O
which	O
also	O
kept	O
track	O
of	O
players	O
 '	O
statistics	O
and	O
rankings	O
,	O
while	O
voice	O
chat	O
is	O
available	O
,	O
although	O
reviewers	O
advised	O
it	O
to	O
be	O
used	O
only	O
on	O
broadband	O
or	O
LAN	B-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
not	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
canon	O
of	O
the	O
Descent	B-Application
video	O
game	O
series	O
,	O
and	O
contained	O
none	O
of	O
its	O
ideas	O
and	O
only	O
small	O
portions	O
of	O
its	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
only	O
prefixed	O
with	O
Descent	B-Application
to	O
avoid	O
trademark	O
issues	O
with	O
Mijenix	O
Corporation	O
's	O
"	O
FreeSpace	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
disk	B-General_Concept
compression	I-General_Concept
utility	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
games	O
TIE	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
and	O
Wing	B-Application
Commander	I-Application
were	O
their	O
primary	O
inspirations	O
,	O
and	O
those	O
influences	O
made	O
their	O
way	O
into	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
flight	O
model	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
influence	O
of	O
historical	O
World	O
War	O
II	O
dogfights	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Themes	O
from	O
the	O
fiction	O
of	O
Star	B-Application
Wars	I-Application
,	O
Space	O
:	O
Above	O
and	O
Beyond	O
,	O
and	O
Ender	O
's	O
Game	O
form	O
a	O
part	O
in	O
shaping	O
the	O
background	O
and	O
story	O
of	O
the	O
FreeSpace	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
code	O
incorporated	O
small	O
portions	O
of	O
Descent'''s	O
code	O
for	O
specific	O
functions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mike	O
Kulas	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
worked	O
on	O
several	O
versions	O
of	O
Flight	B-Operating_System
Simulator	I-Operating_System
and	O
Descent	B-Application
,	O
brought	O
his	O
experience	O
into	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
(	O
AI	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
was	O
part	O
of	O
their	O
agreement	O
with	O
Interplay	O
for	O
the	O
latter	O
's	O
purchase	O
of	O
the	O
rights	O
to	O
Descent	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Apogee	O
decided	O
to	O
release	O
FreeSpace	O
as	O
shareware	B-License
,	O
with	O
themselves	O
as	O
the	O
merchant	O
of	O
the	O
registered	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Volition	O
aimed	O
for	O
a	O
quality	O
release	O
,	O
and	O
promised	O
to	O
deliver	O
a	O
product	O
without	O
major	O
bugs	B-Error_Name
.	O
</s>
<s>
Minor	O
bugs	B-Error_Name
would	O
be	O
fixed	O
in	O
a	O
prompt	O
manner	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
underwent	O
four	O
patches	O
,	O
which	O
resolved	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
bugs	B-Error_Name
,	O
and	O
improved	O
the	O
multiplayer	O
performance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
patch	O
allowed	O
EAX	O
capability	O
to	O
be	O
enabled	O
for	O
Creative	O
Sound	B-Application
Blaster	I-Application
sound	B-Device
cards	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
December	O
14	O
,	O
1999	O
,	O
Hyperion	B-Operating_System
Entertainment	I-Operating_System
made	O
acquisition	O
of	O
the	O
license	O
to	O
port	O
FreeSpace	O
to	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
date	O
,	O
Silent	O
Threat	O
has	O
yet	O
to	O
be	O
ported	O
over	O
to	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
platform	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	O
Data	O
,	O
which	O
tracked	O
computer	O
game	O
sales	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
reported	O
that	O
Descent	B-Application
:	O
FreeSpace	O
earned	O
nearly	O
$4	O
million	O
and	O
sold	O
around	O
100,000	O
copies	O
by	O
October	O
1999.Next	O
Generation	O
reviewed	O
the	O
PC	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
rating	O
it	O
four	O
stars	O
out	O
of	O
five	O
,	O
and	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
overall	O
,	O
despite	O
a	O
few	O
minor	O
lapses	O
,	O
Descent	B-Application
Freespace	O
:	O
The	O
Great	O
War	O
is	O
definitely	O
a	O
keeper	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
it	O
is	O
too	O
similar	O
,	O
especially	O
in	O
its	O
controls	O
,	O
to	O
other	O
space	O
sims	O
 [ ... ] 	O
to	O
be	O
considered	O
'	O
revolutionary	O
 '	O
,	O
it	O
does	O
take	O
the	O
space-combat	O
simulation	O
genre	O
one	O
step	O
further	O
"	O
.Descent	O
:	O
FreeSpace	O
received	O
generally	O
good	O
reviews	O
following	O
its	O
launch	O
,	O
with	O
PC	O
Gamer	O
UK	O
placing	O
it	O
20th	O
in	O
its	O
1999	O
Top	O
100	O
Awards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
splits	O
included	O
comparisons	O
between	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
that	O
of	O
Wing	B-Application
Commander	I-Application
:	O
Prophecy	O
and	O
X-Wing	O
vs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
TIE	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
;	O
while	O
some	O
felt	O
the	O
game	O
combined	O
elements	O
of	O
both	O
with	O
better	O
qualities	O
and	O
a	O
strong	O
story	O
,	O
others	O
felt	O
it	O
had	O
simply	O
taken	O
inspiration	O
from	O
space	O
simulation	O
classics	O
,	O
offered	O
very	O
little	O
in	O
original	O
ideas	O
,	O
lacked	O
depth	O
in	O
the	O
story	O
,	O
with	O
some	O
suggesting	O
the	O
player	O
could	O
have	O
had	O
a	O
greater	O
role	O
in	O
the	O
outcome	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
story	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
simply	O
playing	O
a	O
"	O
very	O
sweet	O
looking	O
arcade	O
title	O
"	O
with	O
considerable	O
detachment	O
from	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
a	O
reviewer	O
giving	O
a	O
glowing	O
praise	O
to	O
it	O
over	O
cable	B-Device
modems	I-Device
,	O
the	O
majority	O
,	O
who	O
played	O
it	O
over	O
dial-up	O
access	O
,	O
roundly	O
condemned	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Many	O
chiefly	O
complained	O
about	O
lag	B-Application
in	O
the	O
game	O
;	O
some	O
found	O
themselves	O
facing	O
a	O
similar	O
situation	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
ship	O
's	O
gun	O
fired	O
only	O
seconds	O
after	O
they	O
depressed	O
the	O
trigger	O
and	O
that	O
their	O
ship	O
randomly	O
jumped	O
over	O
the	O
multiplayer	O
battlegrounds	O
,	O
while	O
one	O
reviewer	O
called	O
the	O
mode	O
"	O
bug	B-Error_Name
ridden	O
"	O
after	O
finding	O
many	O
of	O
their	O
shots	O
did	O
not	O
register	O
hits	O
or	O
kills	O
on	O
enemy	O
ships	O
after	O
over	O
40	O
minutes	O
of	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
its	O
stand-alone	O
missions	O
were	O
complemented	O
well	O
for	O
being	O
conceived	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
contest	O
by	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
developers	O
-	O
Volition	O
put	O
in	O
a	O
call	O
to	O
the	O
FreeSpace	O
community	O
to	O
stop	O
creating	O
"	O
Battle	O
of	O
Endor	O
"	O
-type	O
missions	O
through	O
FRED	O
,	O
and	O
instead	O
create	O
missions	O
based	O
on	O
Volition	O
's	O
Jason	O
Hoffoss	O
 '	O
Zen	B-Application
philosophy	O
of	O
accomplishing	O
more	O
with	O
less	O
-	O
the	O
expansion	O
was	O
judged	O
as	O
decent	O
but	O
uninspiring	O
,	O
with	O
many	O
noting	O
that	O
the	O
campaign	O
missions	O
lacked	O
variety	O
than	O
those	O
of	O
standard	O
escort	O
or	O
destroy	O
missions	O
,	O
and	O
offering	O
no	O
new	O
equipment	O
which	O
were	O
unable	O
to	O
compete	O
against	O
the	O
older	O
equipment	O
,	O
with	O
some	O
feeling	O
that	O
the	O
story	O
was	O
worse	O
than	O
the	O
main	O
game	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
"	O
cold	O
and	O
inhuman	O
"	O
briefings	O
and	O
non-player	O
characters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Academy	O
of	O
Interactive	O
Arts	O
&	O
Sciences	O
nominated	O
Descent	B-Application
:	O
FreeSpace	O
for	O
its	O
1998	O
"	O
Simulation	O
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
award	O
,	O
although	O
it	O
lost	O
to	O
Need	B-Application
for	I-Application
Speed	I-Application
III	I-Application
:	I-Application
Hot	I-Application
Pursuit	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Descent	B-Application
:	O
FreeSpace	O
was	O
a	O
finalist	O
for	O
Computer	O
Games	O
Strategy	O
Pluss	O
"	O
Sci-Fi	O
Simulation	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
"	O
and	O
Computer	O
Gaming	O
Worlds	O
"	O
Best	O
Space	O
Sim	O
"	O
awards	O
in	O
1998	O
,	O
both	O
of	O
which	O
ultimately	O
went	O
to	O
I-War	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
PC	O
Gamer	O
US	O
nominated	O
it	O
as	O
the	O
year	O
's	O
best	O
action	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
its	O
editors	O
wrote	O
that	O
"	O
Freespace	O
came	O
from	O
nowhere	O
to	O
wrest	O
the	O
3D	O
space	O
combat	O
crown	O
from	O
the	O
Wing	B-Application
Commander	I-Application
series	O
with	O
style	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
