FreeSpace 2 didn't help matters. Needing a massive 1.5Gb on full install (I wouldn't have it any other way), it's ironic that a game calling itself FreeSpace leaves you none at all. Still, I managed to find the room from somewhere and now the game, sequel to the best space combat game in living memory - if you've yet to reach the grand old age. FreeSpace 2 - Video Game Keyboard Diagrams - PC/AT - US 104 Key (ANSI) - CIELCh Plain (Light) - HTML/SVG - GRID:28 'Video Game Keyboard Diagrams' software was created by Michael Horvath and is licensed under GNU LGPLv3 or later. Well, Getting Freespace 2 up and running is still an ongoing process for me. I have left it alone for a week or so, to get some other stuff done. I have had the 3 disc images, converted from iso to bin, got the bin2iso utility for the Terminal.

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1. Star Trek: Armada II

Description of Star Trek: Armada II Windows

Ferengi. Who needs 'em? Stinking bottom-dwellers of the universe. Not only do they sound like nasally twelve-year old girls, but they look like rats on a bad hair day. Heck, I'd rather hob-knob with the Borg than associate with those furry excuses for a life form. In fact, give me one day as a Federation Admiral and I'd photon torpedo them all back to their homeworld. Wham, see you in the next rerun, ya hairball!

And while this is not exactly the plot for the new Next Generation-era real-time strategy game, Star Trek: Armada II, you do encounter the annoying species occasionally. In the skirmish mode you can even blow their cargo ships off the face of the universe. Cool. Besides that, you'll also resolve a new Federation crisis with those nasty Borg, power more ships and command two new races, and compete against other Trek fans in a highly improved multiplayer environment.

It's a strange twist that the single-player campaign is not nearly as interesting as the arcade-like gameplay of the original, released about two years ago. Memorable sequences abounded, from the time you had to slither you're way through a nebula-infested blockade as Worf, or the ambush missions where stealth played a more important role than outright combat. Armada II offers only three campaigns, including the Federation, Klingons, and Borg.

Somewhat of a letdown, the scripted sequences feel more like the design team was struggling for ideas. Why start the game with a mission against the impenetrable Borg, making one of the fiercest Federation enemies into hapless idiots? Usually, the Borg would deploy their gigantic Cubes and crush the Federation like ants. Instead, because it's the first mission, you can easily wipe them out in about 15 minutes. Other missions keep you on your toes in ambushes and escort missions, but there's rarely the adrenalin rush of a more fast-paced space combat RTS.

This might have been intentional. Changes to the basic gameplay mechanics include new resources to gather (metal and latinum), a new Y-axis similar to the one in Homeworld where ships can move up and down in space, and a new colonization requirement. In other words, you'll spend more time performing routine functions and strategizing about unit movement than actually firing phasers and killing off your enemies. Battles take more time to develop, and even a new 'tactical' viewing angle that rotates around the action can't help hide the fact that there just isn't enough happening on screen other then lots of ships firing at each other. Cheesy cutscenes that introduce some missions don't make up for the lack of variety during the campaigns.

Still, the single-player mode does have its shares of strengths. There are 45 new ship classes and 22 new special weapons, plus a plethora of new space stations and incidental space matter. One obvious disadvantage to a space combat game that uses a real-time strategy model is that the game takes place in the blackness of open space. Fortunately, all the locations are well populated (or maybe over-populated) with space dust, dilithium moons, planets, black holes, asteroid belts, wormholes, and exactly seven different kinds of nebulae. Seeing the Borg stuck in the middle of space with the Federation on one side and Species 8472 on the other has its own appeal.

Multiplayer and skirmish modes have been beefed up significantly. In addition to the races included in the campaigns, you can also play as Species 8472, the Cardassians, and the Romulans. Only Species 8472 offers a significantly different gameplay experience. Organisms are birthed from a 'mother' and then evolved into ships and stations. There's no resource gathering, but it takes longer to build up a fleet. The powerful Battleship is one of the only units that's a match for the new Borg fusion cube, which is essentially a combination of eight regular cubes. Borg can't assimilate Species 8472, so gameplay is balanced nicely. New modes such as capture the flag help keep battles interesting.

More than anything, it's the social aspect to multiplayer that makes it so entertaining. Trek fans are definitely devoted to their series. Newbies can easily find someone to show them the ropes, and clans have been forming quickly ever since the release. Players online are generally more helpful and serious about the game, as opposed to some multiplayer experiences where everyone is far less intense. This actually helps with the actual gameplay balancing because players are willing to change races, offer advice, and generally even the playing field.

There are just a few other new features worth mentioning. Armada 2 now allows you to group units into formations, which is helpful since there are so many new ships and intense combat sequences. 'Facing Based Damaged' is a new strategy element. Frontal assaults will affect weapon systems and life support, whereas a rear attack will cause engine damage. In practice, the combat is just too quick and there are too many ships to even make this a viable strategy. If Armada 2 had focused on larger ships with more weapon systems it would have been a more important factor. Even the Armada 2 website mentions the fact that the best attack is to just send wave after wave of smaller ships into combat, so it's a negligible addition.

A revamped 3D graphics engine definitely enhances the experience. Borg stations have an incredibly high polygon count with layer after layer of detail. It's cool to see the wireframe ghost image when you first place these structures. Federation vessels are probably the most lacking since they look a little pale against black space. Some weapons send an expansive shockwave of destruction; others look a little more like peashooters. But, for the most part, everything you see in the game looks really impressive, especially when you zoom in for a close view.

One problem, though, is that you rarely CAN zoom in for a close-up. Since there are so many units, the game almost requires an overhead perspective to keep track of the action. There were many times when the screen just didn't seem big enough, even at high resolutions. The control interface takes up about a third of the screen, and most sections cannot be hidden from view.

Armada 2 has a low-key soundtrack and sounds that seem to be lifted right out of the Next Generation series. Each race has its own set of blips, weapon effects, and unit responses to match the tone of that race. It's especially rewarding to play as the Klingon and feel like you're getting chewed out for every action you take.

So, while the campaign mode doesn't offer as much arcade action and the new strategic additions actually lessen the overall space combat feel, there's still plenty here for Trek fans and non-Trekkies alike. Some gamers might decide to skip right past the campaign mode and dive right into skirmishes and multiplayer, and that's certainly not a bad thing. If Activision and new developer Mad Doc can think up more interesting things for these races to do during campaigns, add bigger ships to more races, and keep the multiplayer the way it is, we might see a third installment that outdoes them all.

Review By GamesDomain

External links

Captures and Snapshots

Screenshots from MobyGames.com

Comments and reviews

Strip2020-11-03-2 points

followed instructions, but unfortunately I can't get it to work on my win10 machine. tried every possible compatibility mode. Splash screen appears but then the exe disappears from the list in taskmanager. log files also show nothing.

spellfire2020-10-070 point

not sure why everyone is complaining about the cue bin files its just another form of cd rip never had probs with cue bin except if the files themselves are currupted

phoenix2020-09-19-1 point

i downloaded the game extracted the files to default location but there wasnt anything there to b able to actually play the game was just 2 files BIN and CUE files that wanted another file to b downloaded B4 they could b opened did i do it wrong ?

oldman2020-01-29-5 points

I have a win10 32bit pc and armada runs perfect in windows 7. I used the nocd.exe and have copied it to drive D. It runs fine stand alone and you can make as many copies you want. I have 3 modded version on my D drive. But the map editor and the ship viewer only works in the default folder.
It's still fun 19 years later. :-)

kg2020-01-150 point

worked fine win 10 for me, although you may have to troubleshoot the compatibility on some computers. mine did it automatically, but I think theres a submenu option (right click file) that lets you do it manually.
1.1 patch is on this page under the entire comments section, so is link to no-CD patch. its under these comments, scroll down. you need these patches, you can also find 1.1 on modDB. windows mount utility didnt recognize, so i use powerISO to mount. (daemonlite and wincdemu are also great.) Afterwards head over to modDB and check out the fo:roots mod +patch, its pretty fun and actually recent. (2019) or check out the Fleet Operations mod 3.2.x, an older variation but also fun. good luck gamers.

ANTI-SATAN2020-01-110 point

It doesn't work well with windows10. Although I got a right game,I can't play the game.

lol2019-08-27-3 points

I install game right now

A Lesser Man2019-03-09-1 point

This is NOT an ISO file. It's a BIN and CUE file, zipped up! Liars.

TJ2019-02-142 points

ARMADALOVER,
I followed your steps to the letter. Unfortunately when I have attempted to launch it, it gave me a 'insert CD' window.
I do not know how to over come this, and I cannot play the game. If you have an ideas, let me know.

Armadalover2019-01-041 point

Weazle,
1) Download and install Fleetops (https://www.fleetops.net/download)
2) Navigate to the fleetops directory and create a folder called 'Mods' (Default directory is 'program files/fleet operations/data/mods'.
3) Download STA2 Classic (It's essentially Armada 2, optimised as a Fleetops mod, which is crazy, 'cause Fleetops was originally an Armada 2 mod) from https://www.moddb.com/games/star-trek-armada-ii/downloads/a2-classic, unzip and place in the Mods folder.
4) Run Fleetops, click on 'options' and the 'mod options'. You can launch the game from there.
You will require the ISO from this site, or an original game disk to run it.
I know it's a little long winded, but I have never managed to find another way to get the game working.

Weazle2018-12-073 points

Mounted the iso , ran patch, crack etc.. game now states i dont have enough memory or hd space.
win7 64bit ultimate os
1tb hd
16g ram
any one know a fix for this armada 1 works fine. Compatabilty adjustments make no dif.

The7PercentSolution2018-12-021 point

I was able to install the program but it would never boot up the game. It just had the splash screen for a few seconds and then nothing. I tried opening it both with and without the 'no cd' exe. Also had the patch installed. As someone else noted it apparently doesn't work well with Windows 10. Also didn't work when trying to change the compatibility with older Windows.
Oh well, at least Armada 1 works!

McKraken2018-11-152 points

PS
wincdEMUmounter is the mounter that helped me get the battle net version of warcraft 2 to work that I also downloaded from this site

McKraken2018-11-150 point

Ok. This is what i did to get this to run
-download armada 2 from link above
-download a .iso mounting program (i use wincdEMUmounter. its easy to figger out .. from the drop down menu choose cd-rom)
-once you do that the game will run an installer
-then download the latest patch from modbd.com
-run the patch (it has an installer)
-then go to https://megagames.com/download-ready/266793/0
(BIG THANKS TO TOROUS83 FOR THIS ONE) and download the no cd crack
-unzip the crack and you will get armada2.exe
-move this new armada2.exe to your armada 2 game directory and REPLACE the old armada2.exe
-I also made a new desktop shortcut (dunno if I had to but thought it was a good idea)
Hope this helps :)

Torous832018-10-301 point

you need the game crack and the patch to play, first install the game, run the patch then copy the crack to installation directory. You can find the crack here: https://megagames.com/download-ready/266793/0

RK2018-06-22-2 points

If you are trying to play this it does not play well with windows 10 however in the compatbility tab select windows 2000 and it should start, it may not be as good as the first one however it does have the best mod avilable which turns the game into babylon 5 rts game which is awesome. Play the vorlon/Narn/Earth Alliance/Centari (they can ally with draak or solo)Rangers faction (vorlon or rangers) Vorlons/Shadows or B5 faction which can choose to ally with 3rd space or use any league nation ships

Vandreal2018-06-21-22 points

How do I get this to play without the CD? I'm trying to use a crack but they won't work...

Goodiej172018-04-241 point

Thank you. I have been looking for this. My brother lost my disc.

ArthurRex122018-03-26-6 points

Can someone help me troubleshoot the installation process? I'm at a loss here.

Ferb2018-02-252 points

Compared to the original, this was pretty rubbish - less variety to the races, borg cubes that went down like flies, missions with more set-in-stone failure conditions (so whereas in the first game, if you were spotted during a stealth mission, the enemy would all start fighting you and making the mission harder but still giving you a chance, in this game getting spotted would mean the mission immediately ends with a game-over message). Fortunately the modding community made so many improvements that they effectively made a third game from this, known as Fleet Operations. If you download this game, it's essential to download that mod. Their website also has some patches for getting the original game working on modern computers.

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Freespace 2 Game

Various files to help you run Star Trek: Armada II, apply patches, fixes, maps or miscellaneous utilities.

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The FreeSpace 2 Source Code Project is the project of a group of programmers maintaining and enhancing the game engine for the space combat simulator FreeSpace 2, developed by Volition. The source code was released in 2002, and is used by several projects. Most prominent among these are games based on the Babylon 5 and 2004 Battlestar Galactica universes.

History[edit]

Volition, the company responsible for developing the game FreeSpace 2 was bought by THQ in 2000. With Interplay Entertainment holding the licenses for the FreeSpace series, Volition could not continue to develop the series. Without any viable use for the source code, Volition's Dave Baranec released the source code for FreeSpace 2's game engine on 25 April 2002.^[1][3] This allowed modders the possibility of modifying the game engine almost without limitations. However, because the source code is under a noncommercial license,^[4] it does not qualify as free and open source software.

To prevent a plethora of different versions of the game from appearing, a single 'umbrella' project (with the unified goal of enhancing the game) under the name FreeSpace 2 Source Code Project was formed. Initially led by Edward 'Inquisitor' Gardner, the team is currently led by Tyler 'DahBlount' Blount. Previous leaders also include Ian 'Goober5000' Warfield, Taylor Richards, Cliff 'Chief1983' Gordon and Fabian 'The E' Woltermann.

In addition, content update packs have been developed which take advantage of the upgraded game engine. These packs include higher-poly models and higher resolution textures. The end result of this project is to create a graphically superior (and far more flexible) game engine, while still retaining all of the gameplay elements that made FreeSpace 2 successful.

Notable projects[edit]

The primary project FS2 Open takes advantage of the upgraded engine for FreeSpace 2. Most of the other projects are based on science-fiction television shows or movies. Diaspora: Shattered Armistice and the presumed-defunct Beyond the Red Line each tell a side story based on the humans and robotic Cylons of the 2004 Battlestar Galactica television series. Another science fiction television series based project is The Babylon Project, based on the critically acclaimed Babylon 5. All three of these projects are implementing their own Newtonian flight physics. The demo of The Babylon Project was downloaded 100,000 times within two weeks of its announcement, and was reported on Apple.com and in France's Joystick game magazine.^[5][6]

There are several projects to recreate established video games using the FS2 Open engine. These include Star Fox: Event Horizon for the Star Fox universe, and Wing Commander Saga^[7] for the Wing Commander universe.

Some notable original mods and campaigns have been created, such as Wings of Dawn which takes place in an anime-style world, and Blue Planet which offers a continuation of Freespace 2, telling of a civil war between Earth and the GTVA. The FreeSpace Port, sometimes called FSPort, ports the original Descent: FreeSpace – The Great War to the FreeSpace 2 and SCP engine with many graphical enhancements, and serves as a base for many mods set in the FreeSpace: Great War era, such as Shrouding the Light and Awakenings. Silent Threat: Reborn similarly ports the Silent Threat expansion for Descent: Freespace into the Freespace 2 SCP engine.

See also[edit]

Freespace 2 Torrent

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abtimeline on github.com
2. ^COPYING on github.com
3. ^Sulic, Ivan (2002-04-25). 'Freespace Source Code'. IGN. Retrieved 2007-10-25.
4. ^Volition Copyright
5. ^Joe Blancato (2007-06-19). 'Gaming's Fringe Cults'. The Escapist. Retrieved 2007-10-25.
6. ^Nick Breckon (2007-07-31). 'Mod is Dead: Beyond the Red Line'. Shacknews. Archived from the original on 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
7. ^Back In The Cockpit: Wing Commander Saga by Richard Cobbett on Rock, Paper, Shotgun (March 22nd, 2012)

External links[edit]

Freespace 2 Iso Download