Well, it's that time of year when i've tried to post a wider selection of games over a short period. I've porbably got about 30 games to post over the next 14 days or so I though i'd post 2 or 3 a day, but may post more on some days. I've got more childrens games this year than previous years, so keep an eye out for the little 'uns. :) Most of the thread is dedicated to the latest incarnation of the game FreedroidRPG, but I have included information and a few images of the original game FreeDroid Classic. All images are courtesy of the FreeDroid developers.
Thanks to pavid for Emailing me information about this free game. It wasn’t included in the free source list that I’ve been working through recently. You’ll find complete instructions on how to play the game within the installed folder or you can see it HERE or HERE
FreedroidRPG and FreeDroid Classic:
Introduction:
This game tells the story of a world destroyed by a conflict between the droids and their human masters. Play as Tux in a quest to save the world from the murderous rebel droids who know no mercy. You get to choose which path you wish to follow, and freedom of choice is everywhere in the game.
FreedroidRPG features a complete real time combat system with melee and ranged weapons, fairly similar to the proprietary game Diablo. There also is an innovative system of magic, with features such as forced casting and over 20 spells. You can use over 50 different kinds of items and fight countless enemies on your way to your destiny. We have an advanced dialogue system, which aims at being at least on par with Fallout's. The dialogues in the game represent a large part of the gameplay. Finally, if guns are too inaccurate and blades too messy, you can always take over your enemies and have them fight on your side.
FreedroidClassic (2D arcade game)
FreedroidClassic is a clone of the game "Paradroid" which was released on Commodore 64 in 1985. In this game, you control a robot located within an interstellar spaceship consisting of several decks connected by elevators.
The aim of the game is to destroy all enemy robots by either shooting them or seizing control over them by creating connections in a short subgame of electric circuits. The graphics are designed to be a fairly faithful reproduction of the original game, but a modern set of tiles is also available.
Development of this game is now finished. The final version came out in august 2003 and runs on Linux, Mac OSX, Sharp Zaurus and even that strange "Windows" wannabe of an operating system. Thank you to all contributors who made this game possible.
FreedroidRPG ( isometric role playing game)
The game tells the story of a world destroyed by a conflict between robots and their human masters. Play as Tux in a quest to save the world from the murderous rebel bots who know no mercy. You get to choose which path you wish to follow, and freedom of choice is everywhere in the game.
FreedroidRPG features a real time combat system with melee and ranged weapons, fairly similar to the proprietary game Diablo. There is an innovative system of programs that can be run in order to take control of enemy robots, alter their behavior, or improve one's characteristics. You can use over 50 different kinds of items and fight countless enemies on your way to your destiny. An advanced dialog system provides story background and immersive role playing situations.
The game is complete, fully playable, and can provide about 10 hours of fun. It is still being actively developed, and help is welcome in many areas. People having - or trying to acquire - programming, map editing, or writing skills will find FreedroidRPG to be an exciting, fast-moving project in which they can fully express their creativity.
Reference accessed http://www.freedroid.org/information/introduction/">HERE Dec 2010
FreeDroidRPG:
Save The World From Droids In The FreeDroid RPG Adventure by Ryan Dube on Dec. 17th, 2010I don’t know what it is about post-apocalyptic games, but I love them. The idea of exploring a world torn and destroyed by some violent or cataclysmic event is interesting to imagine. These are the type of games I always loved playing, like the 1997 Interplay game Fallout. The open source game called FreeDroid is an RPG adventure based on a post-apocalyptic world where the global adoption of one computer system known as “Megasys” led to a global war, when the Droids running the OS had some sort of horrible bug that turned them all on humans. As the hero, a penguin-like species called “Linerian”, your job is to explore this terrible world and right all of the things that went wrong. It’s rare that the worlds of Linux and Windows collide.
There are cases like the 8 games mentioned by Tim which are available for multiple platforms, but in this game it goes far beyond that – the game itself has a message to tell about operating systems. This game has somewhat better graphics than the 2D ones like Justin reviewed, but it does remind me of the Linux games you’ll find at apps like PenguSpy. Playing FreeDroid RPG A few years ago, many reviewers were saying that FreeDroid was clearly not ready for prime time, although most agreed it was a fun game even in that early stage. The game has come a long way. I usually don’t review any free game unless the graphics are decent enough to pass for a commercially available game. That’s definitely the case with FreeDroid.The download for Windows is a pretty good sized file, so be patient. It’s also included in most Linux distributions.
It’s pretty cool that Windows users can also enjoy it, although anyone who’s a major fan of Microsoft may not want to unless you have a good sense of humor! The controls, graphics and dialog really remind me of games like Fallout. Exploring this world is a lot of fun, and like other commercial RPG adventure games, you’re pretty much free to go wherever you want, and to accept and complete the missions that you would like. If you really want to work through the storyline, then make a point to talk to the characters and thoroughly question them about everything. That’s the only way to pick up clues and learn what you need to do next to move the plot along.
Thankfully, upon waking from your cryogenic slumber, the gear you had when you initially went to sleep is returned to you. This gear includes protective gear and a huge steel wrench, which you use as your first weapon to clobber Droids. At the start of the game, there are droids that come near you and zap you, and others that shoot from afar. Navigating through the treacherous world isn’t overly simple – you’re definitely going to have to fight a few droids and avoid the shooting droids to make it to your first safe town. As you meet and talk to new characters (like those at the safe town), you’ll not only get clues about how you can put things right, but you’ll also come across side missions that you can complete to gain favour with certain people or groups within this world.
Fighting droids and completing quests will improve your stats and help you complete the next levels of the game – so don’t be afraid to strike out and face the dangers head on. Your character is known throughout this world as a computer hacking hero, and they are counting on you to help put an end to the tragic problems created by the monster corporation known as Megasys. Throughout the game, you’ll find computers and terminals – playing around with these systems will give you a peek into the global system and you’ll discover opportunities to “hack” it along the way. At towns you find different services (like doctors that can heal you) and shops where you can pick up better protective gear or weapons. As the game progresses, you’ll need better gear. Keep an eye on your health and make sure to take care of yourself so all levels stay high.The game makers state that the game, in its current state, provides about ten hours of solid game play.
Additionally, when you’ve finished playing the game, the fun continues in the “Level Editor” section where you can completely edit existing game levels, or create your own levels to play. A whole library of objects are available for you to use – the possibilities are pretty much endless. FreeDroid RPG is one of those rare free games that really is fun and interesting to play. The storyline is pretty decent, and the little jabs at “MegaSys” will really give you a chuckle every now and then throughout the game. The hardly-veiled message of the game is pretty clear within five minutes of playing. Whether you agree with the message of the game, it’s still a total blast to play
Reference obtained from pavid; I don’t have the actual reviewers link.
Controls:
Movement:
The game is controlled using the mouse. Left click onto the locations you want to move to. Hold the button down to keep moving in that direction. Holding down CTRL key will make you run.
Attack:
Left clicking an enemy will cause Tux to come close to the droid and to start attacking it with the current weapon. If the current weapon is a gun then Tux will stand still and shoot the droid.
Special functions:
Use the right click to activate the currently selected skill/program. Default keys (most keys can be reassigned with the in game key chart - F1)
Escape - Show main menu
F1 - Show key chart
F2 - Toggle full screen (Linux only)
F3 - Quick save
F4 - Quick load
F5-F12 - Quick-select program 1 through 8
I - Inventory panel
C - Character panel
S - Skills/Program panel
Space - Close all open panels
Q - Quest log
0-9 - Use quick-inventory items 0-9
P - Pause
Hold A - Attack while staying at the same position
Hold Shift - Keep current target selected when moving
Tab - Toggle automap (if available)
R - Reload weapon
Hold Ctrl - Run
U - Toggle always run
Hold X - Show labels for items on the ground
Z - Toggle show labels for items on the ground
T - Toggle walls becoming transparent when Tux approaches (OpenGL only)
Installation information:
FreedroidRPG:
If you want to play FreedroidRPG under Windows, you will need the latest FreedroidRPG Windows package, usually named something like freedroidrpg-0.14-win32.zip. This is an archive, that will provide everything you need for the game. You can also get the .exe if it is available, this is an automated installer.
Freedroid Classic:
In order to play Freedroid Classic under Windows, you will need the latest Windows binary package: freedroid-1.0.2-win32.zip. In addition to this package, you will also need the SDL library files, which are in the package SDL_libs-win32.zip.
FreeDroid Wiki:
You can access the Freedroid Wiki HERE. There are spoilers so if you don’t want to spoil the game I’d leave the wiki until you really need help.
Download:
You can get all the files for both games via the deelopers site which is HERE. All the files are available from sourceforge, but I tohugh it best to post the developers link. You’ll better understand what’s required for the classic version. Both games are supported in windows, Linux and Mac OS.
