![]() ![]() The third Alpha-only mission-the second in the Alpha "campaign"-is arguably the most interesting of them all. There were a total of three missions in the Alpha versions, two of which are the ones we know from the FreeSpace 1 Demo. The Alpha versions of FreeSpace also contained unique missions. Screenshot from the near-mythical Juggernath mission. Secondary Weapons Alpha-Only secondary weapons Less powerful than Heavies.įires shells, but uses energy, since it's a cannon. ![]() Primary Weapons Alpha-Only primary weapons These names can easily be read by examining the VP files. The point of interest is that many of the Alpha names are still present in the retail version(s), namely as the names of the sound FX files. The pre-release version(s) of FreeSpace had unique weaponry, both primary and secondary. The Apollo fighter still called Generic Fighter. For all intents and purposes, the screenshots can be said to reflect the actual gameplay of the playable Beta version. The official screenshots, however, are from the last stages of development. In sheer volume, most of the screenshots can still be seen on Volition's official Descent: FreeSpace site. Very few screenshots of the earliest development phases of Descent: FreeSpace are still available (as of 2007). Some of the generic lines present in the Alpha/Beta releases were later dropped in favour of the present ones, such as " Enemy at three o'clock high!", " Sir watch your tail" and " Enemy fighters just appeared on radar". The Alpha/Beta versions also included unique dialogue. The screenshot is also proof that the Rockeye secondary was already part of the Beta release, and was simply re-introduced in FreeSpace 2. Look for evidence of the the Mag-Pulse and Angelfire missiles ( screenshot here), for instance, check for stats below. Unique weaponry for the Alpha included weapons that are still present in some of the screenshots on Volition's official FreeSpace site. Not a single screenshot post-Alpha reflects this earlier development decision. This was probably deemed too processor heavy, and was quickly dropped. the ship's fuselage got literally "blown to bits". In the earliest phases of development, and thus apparent in the Alpha screenshots, the fighter and bomber ship models disintegrated in the same fashion as the ships in the 6DoF Descent series, i.e. Some graphics decisions unique to the Alpha are, amongst other things, a completely different HUD with shield integrity as exact percentage instead of graphics, a different pilot stat screen with your current fleet affiliation on display and totally different pilot appearance graphics, different POF models and mission backgrounds including multiple planets ( official screenshot of early planet background here). Some of the Alpha-only content included things such as unique ships-the Shivan cruiser Caldera and the Terran cruiser Juggernath-and unique dialogue deepening the storyline. There was a lot of unique gameplay content in the Beta and the Alphas-of which there was a total of two content that was not included at all in the released versions of the game or was changed to the point of unrecognizability. Evidence of the remnants of the G-13 Medium Laser from FreeSpace Alpha.īefore the retail release of Descent: FreeSpace, a number of Alpha and Beta versions were shipped to various testers and magazine editors in order for them to get a preview of what's coming, plus it allowed them to advertise the coming game. ![]()
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