Cheers,
Steel
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The Nova approaches the station and automatically negotiates docking rights. The lights turn from red to green and we begin to move towards the docking doors. They begin to open, as we get closer. The ship slows to the regulated speed and I allow it to continue as I flick between the different views available (the external one shows just how big this station is, as my ship is very small in comparison).
Back to pilot view and the ship comes to a stop inside the docking tunnel. What do I do now? The AI appears to have stopped the ship and I am tempted to move forward. Memories of exploding in previous games trying this manoeuvre twitch uneasily in my mind. I press the thrusters.
Suddenly the door is gone and I am staring down the length of a tunnel. It bends away below me. Metallic pipes and walls stare back at me. Ah well, “in for a penny, in for a pound”, I move forward. The detail of the station is fantastic, for a second I feel as if I am in one of the latest 3D shooters, but my attention is re-focused, as I am required to navigate the ship along the winding tunnel.
Then it opens up into a large area. The walls rotate around me and further on I can see what looks like an angled metal structure, kind of like metal scaffolding, but with an angled purposeful design.
This structure is the docking bay and a number of bays are occupied with various ships. I spot an empty berth and figure that’s my parking spot. I move towards it and as the whole room is slowly rotating I have to match the rotation of the bay.
I know I can turn this manual docking feature off (I’ve seen the option in the menu), but with each station type having a different interior design and layout, I’ll just have to manually dock at each one a few times until I’m satisfied.
The ship comes to an automatic stop just before it touches the metallic stop plate at the rear of the berth and the station menu is instantly displayed. Some options I am familiar with, some I am not. I can do all the expected things while docked. Communicate with my empire (if I had one), trade with the station, equip my ship with the limited supplies available (I must visit an equipment dock to see what else I can fit) and scan the cosmos. A quick view of the sector map reveals three default views. All, just stations or just ships. But the option that catches my eye is the Bulletin Board. I select it.
There appear to be a number of messages on the board for my perusal. Some are news bulletins about products and events around the cosmos. A little humour here and there (a tale about a song “Better dead than Split” upsetting the Split makes me chuckle) and there are various missions available, mainly cargo runs and the odd passenger request. I read them all and notice that I can also select a number of people on board the station to talk to. One name I recognise from being a pilot of one of the freighters I scanned in the docking bay.
I am considering waiting for him to leave so I can track him and see what cargo he has and his destination, but I remember the large Titan class ship patrolling the sector and decide it’s time to leave and go and have a closer look at that. I piloted the ship in, so now I have to pilot it out again and I am soon exiting the station taking in the visual delight of the sector once more. I find the large bulk of the Titan on the sector map, select it as my target and point the ship towards it.
Now, I am going to attempt to describe a visual treat. Settle yourself down and imagine that you are in this ship I am in, flying out into the sector. On your left is the approaching bulk of a station. Sitting their majestically, neon signs spinning and lights streaming forth. As you pass the station on your left, you have the light from the nearby star streaming forth from the right. Peer left, through the cockpit screen and there it is, your shadow flashing over the surface of the station as you pass! Incredible.
The Titan is a large ship. You may have seen this from various in-game movies released. It has an engine structure that resembles a large X and revolving radar like object on the top with a bulbous front that contains the flight deck.
As I approach I select lasers for the front mounted guns and assign the rear turret to “Attack my enemies”. The large ship is my selected target and the distance indicator counts down as I sweep in. I pull the trigger and the bolts of energy stream out. The shields on the large ship are visibly strained as an affect I can only describe as “runaway electricity” sweeps over that part of the ship. The ship is hailing me, but it all too quickly turns red on the HUD and is well and truly an enemy now. As I pass over the ship from right to left, diagonally, my rear turret begins to fire as its lasers come to bear. Alas, the high energy multiple turrets that adorn the Titan spurt out their deadly venom and my small nimble fighter meets its demise in front of my recently ejected body.
Just in time! I reached for the eject sequence with not a second to spare. The Titan moves off into the distance and I engage my suit thrusters towards the nearest station. Let’s hope I have enough oxygen in my suit to make the journey!
Beta Test part 4 can be found here: http://www.egosoft.com/x2/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4180
Sounds like its everything Freelancer should of been.
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