Beyond the Red Line is an unofficial and free stand-alone total conversion for the award-winning game FreeSpace 2, based on the reimagined TV show Battlestar Galactica. It allows players to fly into combat as either a Colonial Viper pilot, or a Cylon raider.
Gameplay[ | ]
BtRL features an original soundtrack with pieces inspired by or remixed from Bear McCreary and Richard Gibbs' soundtrack. It also includes character-based gameplay and voice acting. The three-mission demo campaign follows a storyline that precedes the episode, "Scar", adding some background to the events of that episode. Online play, including "Deathmatch" and "Team vs. Team", is supported and a large multiplayer community has sprung up. The Mk II and VII Vipers are featured with authentic weaponry, flight controls, and semi-Newtonian physics (the development team state that, "if you've seen it on the show, you can do it in BtRL").
Development[ | ]
On March 31, 2007, a demo was released that allowed players to play a tutorial, two single player missions and multiplayer. This demo has since been noted or reviewed in various gaming related websites and magazines such as The Escapist,[2] Macworld,[3] PC Gamer UK [4] and Pelit.[5] The development team has been interviewed on several occasions [6] including a "making of" special in Pelit.[7] The BtRL demo has also been featured on the covers of two Ukrainian magazines as well as in cover DVD of Finnish computer magazine Mikrobitti.[8]
In October 2008, the majority of the team announced that they had left the Beyond the Red Line development team to work on a different project, known as Diaspora.[9] Although Diaspora is also a Battlestar Galactica game built on the FreeSpace 2 engine, it is being developed independently of BTRL and the projects have no affiliation with each other.[10]
In August 2009, it was announced that as a consequence of the Diaspora fork, BtRL's subsequent inactivity, and BtRL's perceived hostility toward its fans since the split, BtRL would no longer be hosted at Game Warden, its historical home.[11] BtRL's primary website has been moved and the demo hosting mirrored on a number of providers.
No release date for the full project has yet been specified.
Reception[ | ]
In February 2008 Beyond the Red Line received Mod DB's "Mod of the Year Award" for "Best Independent Game".[12] That same year the game was also recommended over the official Battlestar video game (released: 2007 for XBox Live Arcade and Windows PC), citing the latter game's low production values and publisher's mishandling of the license.[13] In 2008 the game was featured in Popular Science magazine.[14] In December 2007 the game was featured in Computer and Video Games' "The Best PC Mods. Ever!" review.[15]
Player feedback was initially very positive, and a number of dedicated Beyond the Red Line gaming clans sprung up. However, the limited number of ships in the demo, as well as netcode-related lag, hampered the multiplayer experience, and most of these clans have since become defunct or broadened their activities to Battlestar Galactica fandom in general.
References[ | ]
- ↑ Beyond the Red Line data 1. GameFaqs. Retrieved on 2009-05-23
- ↑ Howard, Wen (2008-02-26). So Game We All. The Escapist (magazine). Retrieved on 2008-03-18
- ↑ Hodge, Karl (2007-09-03). Battlestar Galactica: Beyond The Red Line Review. Macworld. Retrieved on 2008-03-18
- ↑ "Beyond the Red Line". PC Gamer UK (James Binns): pp. 98. 7/2007.
- ↑ Mäkinen, Marko (5/2007). "Paahdinjahtia" (in Finnish). Pelit (SanomaWSOY): pp. 34.
- ↑ Mod is Dead: Beyond the Red Line. Shacknews (2007-07-31). Retrieved on 2008-03-18
- ↑ Kankola, Tuomas (5/2007). "Pitkä tie punaiselle viivalle" (in Finnish). Pelit (SanomaWSOY): pp. 35–36.
- ↑ Huvi & Hyöty DVD 2008 (Finnish). Mikrobitti. SanomaWSOY (3/2008). Retrieved on 2008-03-18
- ↑ Diaspora FAQ. Diaspora Team (2008-10-01). Retrieved on 2009-08-20
- ↑ About Beyond the Red Line. Beyond the Red Line Team (2008-10-01). Retrieved on 2009-08-20
- ↑ Farewell BTRL. Game Warden (2009-08-14). Retrieved on 2009-08-20
- ↑ 2007 Mod of the Year Awards. ModDB (2008-01-29). Retrieved on 2008-03-18
- ↑ Buckland, Jeff (2007-11-04). Battlestar Galactica PC Review. AtomicGamer. Retrieved on 2008-03-19
- ↑ Chuck, Cage (4/2008). "Have a blast". Popular Science (magazine) (Bonnier Corporation): pp. 81–82.
- ↑ The Best PC Mods. Ever!. Computer and Video Games (December 28, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-06-21