Descent: FreeSpace – The Great War
"Descent: FreeSpace" was well received as a single-player space simulation that integrated all the desired features of its genre, from competent AI wingmen, to the presence of large capital ships that not only dwarf the fighters piloted by the player, but also explode spectacularly when destroyed. However, the game's multiplayer mode was criticised, as it was plagued by lag and inaccurate tracking of statistics. An expansion for the game, which was less well received, was also released in 1998 under the title of "Silent Threat", and focuses on events after the main game's campaign with the player working for an intelligence branch of the Terrans' armed forces that later attempt to overthrow the Terran government. A sequel to "Descent: FreeSpace" entitled "FreeSpace 2", was released in 1999 to critical acclaim.
FreeSpace 2 Source Code Project
The primary project "FS2 Open" takes advantage of the upgraded engine for "FreeSpace 2". Most of the other projects are based on science-fiction television shows or movies. Diaspora: Shattered Armistice and the presumed-defunct "Beyond the Red Line" each tell a side story based on the humans and robotic Cylons of the 2004 "Battlestar Galactica" television series. Another science fiction television series based project is "The Babylon Project", based on the critically acclaimed "Babylon 5". All three of these projects are implementing their own Newtonian flight physics. The demo of "The Babylon Project" was downloaded 100,000 times within two weeks of its announcement, and was reported on Apple.com and in France's Joystick game magazine. A "Star Wars"–based project, "Fate of the Galaxy" is also in development.