Tuesday, January 07, 2003
Freelancer (Digital Anvil)
Freelancer was a sprawling sci-fi game in which the player started with a single ship and, in an attempt to turn a fast buck in a dangerous universe, soon found themselves navigating a complicated web of political alliances and back-room deals. It was an ambitious attempt to create a big universe -- full of unique cultures, planets, and people -- and then allow the player the freedom to wander and explore. Designing such games is as much a challenge of content generation as it is technological innovation, and so working with fellow writer Adam Foshko, we created a voluminous amount of backstory for just about every aspect of the game.
(Trust me, the first desert planet is easy. By the time you need to create a history for the sixth desert planet, it gets a bit trickier.)
Freelancer was released to positive reviews and, given its open-ended nature, is still being played by dedicated fans.
To give you an idea of the vast amount of work that was required to create this universe, you can take a look at the background document I originally wrote for the house of Liberty, as well as the full back-story for the mysterious Nomads. Please note that a lot of this information may or may not have made it into the final game, or may have been changed along the way.
Content
Awards
- Editor's Choice Award, Computer Games Review (2003)