Descent - Freespace
DESCENT:
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| | | _ | | |__ | |__ __ | | / / | |_ | |__
|_| |_| _ |____ |____ /_____|_| /__/ __ |___ |____
THE GREAT WAR
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| / | | |__ | | | |_| | | | | |__
| | / /| | | __| | | | | | _ | | | |__ |
| | __/ | | | |__ | |_/ / | | | | | |__ __| |
|_| |_| |____| |____/ |_| |_| |____| |____|
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= /
*** = **
** == **
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==
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-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Game: "Descent: Freespace"
Platform: PC
Version: 2.00
By: David "CuBes" Wood
Contact: davidlcwood@yahoo.com
Updated: 2-05-04
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
____ /////////////////////////// ____
| * Table of Contents * |
| * * |
| * 1yz........................Update History * |
| * 2yz.....................Legal Information * |
| * 3yz..........................Introduction * |
| * 4yz......................Before You Start * |
| * 5yz.............Single Player Medal Guide * |
| * 5az..................Basic Training 3 * |
| * 5bz...................Field of Battle * |
| * 5cz...................Avenging Angels * |
| * L 5dz....Out of the Dark/Paving the Way * |
| * E 5ez...............Advanced Training 2 * |
| * V 5fz..........The Hammer and the Anvil * |
| * E 5gz......................First Strike * |
| * L 5hz......................The Big Bang * |
| * 5iz............La Ruota Della Fortuna * |
| * N 5jz........................Shell Game * |
| * A 5kz..................Enter the Dragon * |
| * M 5lz.....................Playing Judas * |
| * E 5mz..........................Doomsday * |
------| * S 5nz..........A Failure to Communicate * |------
| * 5oz............................Exodus * |
| * 5pz.........................Last Hope * |
| * 5qz...............Reaching the Zenith * |
| * 5rz..............Running the Gauntlet * |
| * 5sz.......................Black Omega * |
| * 5tz...............Clash of the Titans * |
| * 5uz.........................Good Luck * |
| * 6yz....................Multiplayer Medals * |
| * 6az..............Running the Gauntlet * |
| * 6bz.........................Last Hope * |
| * 6cz....................Convoy Assault * |
| * 6dz.......................Unstoppable * |
| * 6ez..........A Failure to Communicate * |
| * 6fz...................Vasudan Assault * |
| * 6gz.......................Black Omega * |
| * 6hz............................Exodus * |
| * 6iz....................Cruiser Rescue * |
| * 6jz....................Orion Recovery * |
| * 7yz.....................Ace Badges & Rank * |
| * 7az......................Point System * |
| * 7bz....Single Player Points and Kills * |
| * 8yz............Frequently Asked Questions * |
| * 9yz........................Special Thanks * |
|____* *____|
///////////////////////////
_______________________________________________________________________________
|1yz Update and Version History /
|______________________________/
____________________________________11-18-02____________________________________
Started and completed the guide.
____________________________________11-28-02____________________________________
Decided to make guide into FAQ. Recovered it from message boards and saved it on
computer.
____________________________________12-05-02____________________________________
Made the Guide more detailed, added Rank and Ace Badges, changed some of the
information, added example.
____________________________________12-28-02____________________________________
Started the ASCII art and changed the setup to accommodate GameFAQs.
____________________________________12-29-02____________________________________
Finished the ASCII art, added FAQ info, Table of Contents, Legal Info., Update
and Version History, FAQ, and Thanks To and Credits. Polished up the guide and
started to put in difficulty levels needed to get medals. Did lots of work
today... thinking of putting 4(variable) next to medal names for simpler usage
of the find tool.
____________________________________12-30-02____________________________________
Going through the game and checking difficulty levels which are not complete
yet. Touching up guide some more, changed the way it looks. Completed V. 1.00
____________________________________12-31-02____________________________________
Still getting the difficulty levels. Fixing some errors in document.
_____________________________________1-1-03_____________________________________
Happy New Years!! Today I finished the difficulty levels, brushed up on the
guide, and started the level ratings for Rank.
_____________________________________1-2-03_____________________________________
Went through and checked FAQ for errors and read it over to see if everything is
good. Working on level ratings for Rank (MUCH more work than I thought it would
be). Completed V. 1.01
_____________________________________1-3-03_____________________________________
Still working on the ratings for rank. It may take a while. Fixed an error
thanks to Tahna Los.
_____________________________________1-4-03_____________________________________
Same thing.
_____________________________________1-6-03_____________________________________
Same thing. Fixed more errors. Completed V. 1.02
_____________________________________1-7-03_____________________________________
Changed the guide tremendously to make it easier to use.
_____________________________________1-10-03____________________________________
Completed the ratings for both Rank and Ace Badges. This might be my last update
for a while. Completed V. 1.03
_____________________________________2-8-03_____________________________________
Changed many errors and legal junk. Got my computer up and running again.
V. 1.04
_____________________________________4-24-03____________________________________
Fixed errors here and there, read a few e-mails for the guide, added a site
to the list of sites that can post this guide. V. 1.5
_____________________________________5-11-03____________________________________
Changed parts of guide that are barely noticeable, changed the rank section
completely.
_____________________________________5-16-03____________________________________
Put in Multiplayer Medals. Other than that, made changes that were barely
noticeable. V.1.6
_____________________________________6-30-03____________________________________
Well, I'm back. I've started doing the multiplayer medals section, redoing the
Ace Badges section (DMan pointed out a mistake I had made), and maybe even
making the last big change to this guide. But maybe not. I knew when I started
that I was delving into an area almost unknown to man...
_____________________________________9-21-03____________________________________
Well, I'm not going to really do that much now since I don't have the time. But
I do feel like I need to make an Emergency Update, partly because I feel that I
haven't done much on the guide in a while and partly because people are telling
me to. So instead of waiting until I have it all finished, I may just do it bit
by bit. Sorry this is sooo belated, I know I promised it in the summer, but I
had my room to remodel and I just got my computer set up a few days ago. Now
that I've found time to get on my computer, I am doing this. If I don't have
enough excuses yet, then add the fact that I'm a few weeks into being into a
sophomore, not like many people here would know how it is because the majority
is younger than me on gaming websites. So, bear with me and I'll eventually get
it done, one way or another. Make sure not to say anything that may piss me off
right now or you'll automatically go to my list of blocked e-mails. Sooo, with
that we have emergency update 1.61.
_____________________________________2-05-04____________________________________
Another update. I've taken out unneeded info, put in a lot of useful info. I've
added a new section, combined rank and ace badges, and made many small changes.
Long time users may have trouble adjusting to the new setup, but it also
conserves space and time on my part. I haven't had much luck with the
multiplayer section, so it will have to remain the way it is until the winds
change in my favor. The point system is under construction, I'm trying to figure
it all out, but I have made it less confusing so everyone knows exactly what I
do. And so, this is huge change V. 2.00.
_______________________________________________________________________________
|2yz Legal Info. /
|_______________/
This document is protected under Copyright law, (C) 2002 by David Wood. The only
sites it can be found legally are listed below.
http://www.gamefaqs.com
http://www.dlh.net
http://www.neoseeker.com
http://www.cheatchannel.com
http://www.cheatbook.de
If it is found anywhere else including another FAQ/Guide, or if it is altered in
any way, it is a violation of copyright law. Please tell me if you find it
anywhere besides the sites listed above! Feel free to make a link to this page
and to print or copy down any information needed, as long as you do not
distribute any part of the document to, or as part of, an organization, free or
otherwise, without my permission. This document is for private use only.
_______________________________________________________________________________
|3yz Intro./
|_________/
Hello and welcome to the first and, by the date of December 29, 2002, only
Descent: Freespace medal guide on the internet (though it may not be anymore)!
My name is David Wood, but on the internet I go by my handle, CuBes. I live in
the suburbs of a small village in the state of New Mexico in the U.S.A. which is
called Cloudcroft. I made this guide, because, when I was younger I always was
looking for something that helped me get all the medals in Descent: Freespace.
However, I could never find one. Now I am a veteran to the game and have gotten
all the medals (to my knowledge) so I decided to make this guide to help all
those other people out there who still play this great game. If you have any
information, suggestions, or questions regarding this FAQ or an aspect of the
game, my E-mail is at the top just below the ASCII art. Unlike most FAQ/guide
writers, I will accept any feedback about the guide, including mistakes.
However, please do not ask a question that is already answered in this FAQ nor
send me prank mail, ads, or junk mail of any kind. Any of the above (except
questions, though I prefer to develop my FAQ section) will be ignored and
blocked if continued. My E-mail is up there only for those who need it. Please
don't send me E-mail asking why I haven't replied. I will reply if I feel there
is a need to and I will try not to neglect any questions, though sometimes I
forget to check my e-mail (I'm only human). Thank you for reading this section,
and enjoy the guide!
_______________________________________________________________________________
|4yz Before you start/
|___________________/
So you're going to collect medals in Descent: Freespace? Well first you need to
know a thing or two! This section covers many things, from the basics to the
advanced. Even if you are an expert I strongly suggest you look through this
section. You can skip through and see what information might be useful to you.
--What are medals?
In Freespace, you get medals for doing certain things. Each medal is supposed to
symbolize something, like if you got the Distinguished Service Cross, this would
mean you perform your duties well. But really the thing medals are for in this
game is to show other people how good you are. And collecting medals is very
catchy! You get only one medal per mission.
--What are Ace Badges?
Ace badges are, obviously, badges and not medals (though they are included in
there). There is only one thing you do to earn ace badges. That thing is...
killing! Ace badges are only earned when you reach a certain number of fighter
and bomber kills. That's the combination of fighter and bomber kills ONLY. (For
more information see Ace Badges section.) The following list shows the ships you
can destroy to obtain ace badges, which are in order of how heavily equipped the
fighter is.
-Terran- -Vasudan- -Shivan-
Valkyrie Anubis Scorpion
Apollo Seth Manticore
Ulysses Horus Dragon
Hercules Thoth Basilisk
Athena Amun Shaitan
Ursa Osiris Nephilim
Medusa
--What is rank?
Much of what I know about rank is just educated guessing, but I will explain
anyway. Rank is your status in the game. To be determined, rank takes into
account many things from medals and ace badges. One thing that determines rank
is how many kills you have, though kills in rank, unlike ace badges, are also
affected by what kind of ship it was you destroyed. Since there are all sorts of
different things being thrown in, the programmers can't use the same system they
do in getting medals (completing certain objectives or events) or ace badges
(getting to a certain number of kills). Instead they must convert all the
information that is used for rank into one unit, and then the game adds all
those units up. Combined, those units determine your rank. Everyone I know and I
call those units points. Everything in the game has a default point value, but
this can be changed in FRED (I have no clue how). In this guide I assume
everything has its default point value. (See Rank & Point sections for more
info.) The following is a list of all the different positions of rank, in the
order that you get them, plus the point range for each, and how many pins you
have for each one. If there is a - next to a number, it means one pin has no
triangles on it. If there is a + next to a number, it means there is a gold pin
on that many regular pins. (See The Medal Box in this section for more info)
RANK POINTS PINS
Ensign 0-4000 1
Lt. Junior Grade 4001-10000 -2
Lieutenant 10001-25000 2
Lt. Commander 25001-50000 -3
Commander 50001-150000 3
Captain 150001-400000 4
Commodore 400001-2000000 +1
Rear Admiral 2000001-5000000 +2
Vice Admiral 5000001-9000000 +3
Admiral 9000001< +4
--How do I know when I get a medal?
You will know when you get a medal on the debriefing screen of the mission.
Normally there is only the debriefing screen, along with the usual buttons. When
you get a medal, ace badge, or promotion, there will be an additional screen
connected on the side of the first. This screen has what all medals, ace badges,
or promotions you received in the mission.
--How come I didn't get a medal on this level?
Most likely there is no medal for you to get on that level. If the level is
listed on this guide and you didn't get it, then you probably missed a part of
the instructions that were needed to acquire the medal. If you did everything
word for word, e-mail me and I'll get back to you.
--The Medal Box--
--How do I find the medal box?
There are two ways to get to it. The first is to meet up with the situation
described in "How do I get a medal?", and then find the medal icon that is
located on the medal screen. The second is more complicated, but always
available. On the Flight Deck, find the Barracks and click on it. This will take
you to a screen with the different players you've made, single and multi player,
plus it will show you all time stats for each player. To get to the medal box,
click on the medal icon that is in the lower middle area of the screen.
--Where does each medal belong?
Going left to right and top to bottom, first is the Conspicuous Gallantry medal,
and next is your current rank, then next are the Ace Badges, and then the
Vasudan Alliance medal. The first one on the next row is the Distinguished
Flying medal, then the Commendation Medal, then the Pilot Wings, then the
Galatea Survivor medal, and finally the Legion of Merit medal. On the next row,
the first thing is the Meritorious Unit, then next is the Medal of Honor, next
is the Galactic Service medal, followed by the Military Defense medal, and then
the Good Conduct medal, and finally the Distinguished Service Cross.
--I need an explanation of the medal box!
No problem. I even have a pre-made ASCII art medal.
____________
/
/ **
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/_
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*** = **
** == ** (League of Defense 2)
****===***
==
===
The way the medals are set up is like so: each time you get a new medal, it
appears in the medal box. When you get a repeater, a small patch will appear on
the cloth part of the medal (this is what the stars in the picture represent).
When you get 3 of a medal, 2 patches will appear, one on top of the other but
still with enough room to count them. Some of these patches are hard to see, and
it is hard to use them to see how many medals you have. The arrow in the picture
represents the cursor in Freespace. (League of Defense 2) is the name and number
of this medal, which only appears when you move the cursor over the medal.
___ ___
/*^* /*^*
|*<0>*| |*<#>*|<--- Double Ace
___/ ___/
The ace badges are circular, with a star in the middle and ridges on the edge.
The ace badges are set up a little differently than the medals. There are only 3
badges, and each have a minimum fighter/bomber kill limit that must be hit to
get the badge. When you get the second ace badge, instead of sitting on top of
the first or replacing it, it will just show up next to it, and so will the
third.
_ _
/_ <---- Lt. Junior Grade
V
Rank is set up much differently than both ace badges and medals. You start out
as an Ensign, which has 1 pin with the triangles. Then you get promoted to Lt.
Junior Grade, which has 2 pins, one without triangles. Then you get promoted to
Lieutenant, which has 2 pins, both with triangles. Next is Lt. Commander with 3
pins, 1 without triangles. Then you get to Commander and you get 3 pins, all
with triangles. When you get to captain you get 4 pins with triangles. After
that you go to Commodore and go back to 1 pin, with triangles, and it has a
small, round, gold pin on it. You get one more of these as you rise in rank
after Commodore, for Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral, and Admiral.
--Other Useful Information--
--A note to Windows users: If you run Windows NT or later, you can press Alt+Tab
during game play to minimize Freespace. However, this can be dangerous because
the game can crash if you try to bring it back up. In order to avoid this, first
minimize all programs, press Control+Alt+Delete to open the Task Manager, go to
the applications tab, highlight Descent: Freespace, and click the button that
says 'Switch To'. Recently I have run into a strange glitch of some sort where
the game sort of freezes. It may have to do with the fact I am running the game
in hardware mode. This seems to be overcome only by pressing pause in mission
and minimizing then. You may or may not want to take the risk of using Alt+Tab!
--You can restart a campaign without losing any stats or medals. To do this,
first go to the Flight Deck, then click Campaigns, then select the campaign you
want to restart, then click restart campaign in the lower right corner of the
screen.
--There is something useful you can use while in mission to see what kills you
have and what objectives you've completed. To access it, press F4. The mission
log has 3 parts:
The objective screen displays what your objectives are and whether or not
you've completed them. It will always display Primary and Secondary objectives,
but Bonus objectives only appear on this screen when you've completed them.
Uncompleted objectives are represented by a white circle, complete by a greened
in circle, and failed by a red x-ed out circle.
The message log displays all messages received in mission, and at what time.
Not too useful I think.
The event log shows when objectives are satisfied, when enemy wings arrive and
depart, when ships arrive and depart, when ships are destroyed and by whom, but
unfortunately it only tells the name of the ships, not their class.
There are three useful glitches I have found in the game, and I will make
reference to them throughout the guide so you may want to take note.
--The first glitch is: if, on any level, you enter cheat mode (type
www.volition-inc.com in mission) then enable infinite weapons for yourself (hold
~ and press w), your ship will have infinite missiles and weapons energy on any
level until you quit or until you disable the code.
--The second glitch is: if a level has no debriefing, then the campaign will
allow you to pass the level with cheats. Plus, if you cheated for weapons, you
get to keep those when you go to the next level. I've listed the levels that
have no debriefing below.
Tenderizer
Evangelist
Reaching the Zenith
The Great Hunt
Good Luck
--The third glitch is: Any time a capitol ship is warping in, you can go through
it, all the way until the point that it's out of the vortex completely. However,
if you are already in the ship when the vortex closes, you will remain unharmed,
and will be able to fly around freely within the ship's hull, as long as you can
keep up with the ship as it is slowing down from warp speed. When you are inside
the ship, you can do many things, such as enter the fighter bays, destroy
turrets, destroy the ship, or destroy fighters (they can't fight back). The
following are missions where this glitch can occur:
La Ruota Della Fortuna
Tenderizer
Playing Judas
Last Hope (unlikely you will reach the Hope in time)
Running the Gauntlet
Clash of the Titans
The Great Hunt
_______________________________________________________________________________
|5yz Medal Guide and List /
|________________________/
And finally what you've all been waiting for: the medal guide! The following is
a short list, in alphabetical order, of all the medals you should have after
completing the main Freespace campaign. The medal guide is in chronological
order, and covers the medals you get in the main Freespace campaign ONLY.
Commendation Medal - 2
Conspicuous Gallantry - 2
Distinguished Flying Cross - 3
Distinguished Service Cross - 1
Galactic Service - 1
Galatea Survivor - 1
Good Conduct - 3
Legion of Merit - 1
Medal of Honor - 1
Meritorious Unit - 2
Military Defense - 1
Pilot Wings - 2
Vasudan Alliance Medal - 1
________________________________________________________________________________
This is what to do in order to obtain medals, besides your normal objectives,
unless that is what you must complete. If you want more information, look under
the 'Single Player Points and Kills' section.
-5az-
Basic Training 3 [Any Difficulty]: Complete Basic Training 3.
Medal: Pilot Wings
-5bz-
Field of Battle [Medium+]: After you destroy two Vasudan wings, the Vasudan Ace
will warp in. In order for the Ace to appear you must be above 50% health.
Medal: Distinguished Flying Cross
-5cz-
Avenging Angels [Any Difficulty]: Disable and capture the Rasputin, ensure the
GTT Intelligence 1 survives.
Medal: Commendation Medal
-5dz-
Out of the Dark, Into the Night & Paving the Way [Any Difficulty]: These two
levels both have requirements that need to be fulfilled in order to get the
medal on the second level. On the first level, kill a Shivan fighter. These you
can't target. Easiest is the SB Shaitan (the one that looks like a flat computer
chip thing), but one SF Scorpion (the bigger, faster ships) will stay in the
area longer, and has less armor, but is much harder to hit.
After finishing Out of the Dark, Into the Night as stated above, keep the
Galatea's hull above 50% on Paving the Way, the level after it.
Medal: Distinguished Flying Cross
-5ez-
Advanced Training 2 [Any Difficulty]: Complete Advanced Training 2
Medal: Pilot Wings
-5fz-
The Hammer and the Anvil [Any Difficulty]: Make sure all 3 shield prototypes
survive. You can call Rho 1, who warps in with the Andromeda, to assist you.
Medal: Vasudan Alliance
-5gz-
First Strike [Any Difficulty]: Disarm, disable, and capture the Taranis.
Medal: Good Conduct
-5hz-
The Big Bang [Any Difficulty]: Ensure the GTC Ravage survives.
Medal: Conspicuous Gallantry
-5iz-
La Ruota Della Fortuna [Any Difficulty]: Keep the Galatea's Hull above 50%.
Medal: Distinguished Service Cross
-5jz-
Shell Game [Any Difficulty]: Destroy both transports.
Medal: Good Conduct
-5kz-
Enter the Dragon [Medium+]: Complete all mission objectives without Delta wing
jumping in.
Medal: Distinguished Flying Cross
-5lz-
Playing Judas [Any Difficulty]: Scan all ships and cargo except for the fighters
and sentry guns, they will detect you if you get closer than 800 meters. Do not
fire until the enemy detects you. This is easier if you assign the sentries and
Dragons to an F key by using F3.
Medal: Meritorious Unit
-5mz-
Doomsday [Medium+]: Ensure all of the escape pods survive.
Medal: Galatea Survivor
-5nz-
A Failure to Communicate [Any Difficulty]: Save at least 2 of the escape pods.
Medal: Good Conduct
-5oz-
Exodus [Any Difficulty]: Make sure all non-fighter ships that warp in survive.
Medal: Meritorious Unit
-5pz-
Last Hope [Any Difficulty]: Make sure the Hope and Isis Repair survive, destroy
all enemies, and stay in area until Vasudan reinforcements arrive.
Medal: Conspicuous Gallantry
-5qz-
Reaching the Zenith [Medium+]: Destroy the Zenith and the Benedict.
Medal: Legion of Merit
-5rz-
Running the Gauntlet [Any Difficulty]: Make sure the Rosetta survives.
Medal: Commendation Medal
-5sz-
Black Omega [Medium+]: Make sure both Omega transports survive.
Medal: Medal of Honor
-5tz-
Clash of the Titans [Medium+]: Keep the Bastion's hull above 35%, destroy the SD
Tantalus.
Medal: Military Defense
-5uz-
Good Luck [Any Difficulty]: Destroy the Lucifer or its reactors.
Medal: Galactic Service
_______________________________________________________________________________
|6yz Multiplayer Medals/
|_____________________/
Since they are in no particular order, I organized the Multiplayer Medals in
alphabetical order. Sorry the guide for them isn't complete, it's the best I can
do right now. I am currently working on this list. Thanks to Basilisk for the
backbone of this. This part of the guide will only cover the multiplayer
missions that come with the game.
Commendation Medal - 1
Conspicuous Gallantry - 1
Distinguished Flying Cross - 1
Distinguished Service Cross - 1
Galactic Service - 1
Galatea Survivor - 0
Good Conduct - 1
Legion of Merit - 1
Medal of Honor - 1
Meritorious Unit - 1
Military Defense - 1
Pilot Wings - 0
Vasudan Alliance Medal - 1
________________________________________________________________________________
This is what to do in order to obtain medals, besides your normal objectives,
unless that is what you must complete.
-6az-
Commendation Medal
Running the Gauntlet: Any Difficulty
-6bz-
Conspicuous Gallantry
Last Hope: Hard+
-6cz-
Distinguished Flying Cross
Convoy Assault: Hard+
-6dz-
Distinguished Service Cross
Reaching the Zenith: Hard+
-6ez-
Galactic Service
Unstoppable: Insane
-6fz-
Good Conduct
A Failure to Communicate: Any Difficulty
-6gz-
Legion of Merit
Vasudan Assault: Hard+
-6hz-
Medal of Honor
Black Omega: Hard+
-6iz-
Meritorious Unit
Exodus: Very Easy
-6jz-
Military Defense
Cruiser Rescue: Hard+
-6kz-
Vasudan Alliance
Orion Recovery: Hard+
_______________________________________________________________________________
|7yz Ace Badges & Rank/
|____________________/
--Ace Badges--
Nothing but fighter and bomber kills go towards getting Ace Badges. Thanks to
Dman4835 for getting me this info.
Ace - Have at least 60 fighter/bomber kills.
Double Ace - Have at least 150 fighter/bomber kills.
Triple Ace - Have at least 350 fighter/bomber kills.
--Rank--
The following is a list of all the different positions of rank, in the order
that you get them, plus the point range for each, and how many pins you have for
each one. If there is a - next to a number, it means one pin has no triangles on
it. If there is a + next to a number, it means there is a gold pin on that many
regular pins. Thanks to Basilisk for the points for each rank.
RANK POINTS PINS
Ensign 0-4000 1
Lt. Junior Grade 4001-10000 -2
Lieutenant 10001-25000 2
Lt. Commander 25001-50000 -3
Commander 50001-150000 3
Captain 150001-400000 4
Commodore 400001-2000000 +1
Rear Admiral 2000001-5000000 +2
Vice Admiral 5000001-9000000 +3
Admiral 9000001< +4
-7az-----------------------------[Point System]---------------------------------
The point system is probably the most unknown aspect of the medals realm in
Freespace. Because of this, I have divided this section into two parts: what I
know for sure, and what may be true.
What is certain??
The point system is a feature that determines your rank. Each kill you get gives
you a certain amount of points depending on the ship class it was. There are
default point values for each ship, but they can be manipulated using FRED.
//EXAMPLE: This means that a cargo container with 1 HP could be worth 20,000
points, but an Orion class destroyer that only has Shivan Super Lasers would be
worth 0, even though by default a cargo container is 100 points and the
destroyer is 10,000.EXAMPLE// The list below is what I believe (not for sure) is
the order of ships from lowest to highest default points.
What is speculation??
Assists are worth points. Objectives are also worth points. Skill level is an
important factor as well. Skill level multiplies points to the level of skill
you have it on (i.e. very easy = x1, insane = x5).
This is the order I think the defaults in FRED have points.
1. Cargo
2. Support Ships & Primary Objectives
3. Sentries
4. Fighters
5. Bombers
6. Escape Pod
7. Transports & Secondary Objectives
8. Freighters
9. Cruiser
10. Stage 2 Cruisers (Lilith, Leviathan)
11. Installation
12. Destroyer & Bonus Objectives
13. Super Destroyer (Lucifer)
-7bz-------------[Points & Kills List for Single Player Levels]-----------------
This is the list of each level, in chronological order, and how good each is for
getting points and kills. When reading through this, assume everything is worth
its default value of points. This guide only applies if you play all the levels
on the same difficulty. Also listed are what all kills are possible on the level
and what mission objectives are on each level. Apply everything from the medals
section here as well. Any enemies that aren't listed but are in the level are
important ships that you can't kill! I like to complete all mission objectives
on each level, and get the more uncommon kills before I get the common ones, but
you can do it however you like.
TRAINING MISSION 1: No stats kept! To skip this mission, click the 'Skip
Training' button at the top right corner of the screen.
TRAINING MISSION 2: No stats kept! To skip this mission, click the 'Skip
Training' button at the top right corner of the screen.
TRAINING MISSION 3: No stats kept! On this one you get a medal for beating the
level so don't skip this mission.
THE EVE OF DESTRUCTION: 1 Mission Objective: 1 Primary (Protect the GTC Orff).
13 kills, 13 f/b: 13 Anubis Vasudan fighters.
THE FIELD OF BATTLE: 2 Mission Objectives: 1 Primary (Destroy all Vasudan
Wings), 1 Bonus (Destroy Vasudan Ace). 13 kills, 13 f/b: 12 Anubis, 1 Seth
Vasudan interceptor. The Seth only jumps in if you are above 50% health.
BASIC TRAINING STAGE 4: No stats kept! This mission is fun because you get to
kill a Terran cruiser, but it's not great. To skip this mission, click the 'Skip
Training' button at the top right corner of the screen.
SMALL DEADLY SPACE: 4 Mission Objectives: 1 Primary (Secure area until Orff
arrives), 2 Secondary (Protect the cargo containers) (Eliminate all Vasudan
freighters), 1 Bonus (Find Weapon Prototype). 25 kills, 13 f/b: 15 Anubis, 7 VC
3 Vasudan cargo containers, 1 Bast Vasudan freighter, 1 Ma'at Vasudan freighter,
1 VAC 4 Vasudan cargo container. Ignore the first secondary objective; it
fulfills itself if you pass the mission. The only way to get the cargo container
kills is to destroy them before you destroy all the ships in the area. Before
you destroy all the cargo, find the Weapons Prototype cargo container (it's dark
grey with blue spots) and make sure not to destroy it. If you let 1 or more
freighters escape, 2 Anubis class fighters will jump in (all included in the
kills). This is the only level with a Bast class freighter kill. Omega cannot
die.
AVENGING ANGELS: 3 Mission Objectives: 1 Primary (Disable and capture the
Omega), 1 Secondary (Destroy all enemy fighters), 1 Bonus (Disable and capture
the Rasputin). 14 kills, 13 f/b: 6 Anubis, 4 Apollo Terran fighters, 2 Horus
Vasudan interceptors, 1 Osiris Vasudan bomber, 1 Isis Vasudan freighter. That
Isis class freighter is the Rasputin, and if you destroy it, you are giving up a
medal and bonus objective. If the GTT Comet or the Omega is destroyed, you lose.
This is the only level with enemy Apollo class fighters.
OUT OF THE DARK, INTO THE NIGHT: 2 Mission Objectives: 1 Primary (Escort the
crew of the Plato to the Jump Node), 1 Bonus (Destroy the Unknown Fighter). 10
kills, 9 f/b: 7 Anubis, 2 Osiris, 1 Aten Vasudan cruiser. There are other
(unknown) ships that jump in, but they don't count towards your stats when you
destroy them, except for the bonus objective. Most likely you will only get 1
wing of Vasudans, which consists of 3 Anubis fighters and 1 Osiris bomber. The
other ships are very far away, and are set up to be destroyed like so: when the
unknowns appear, they go after the Vasudan fighters. When the first fighter is
destroyed, a timer is started so that X seconds after that, the Taurus dies on
its own. Don't let Plato Escape die or you fail the mission.
PAVING THE WAY: 2 Mission Objectives: 1 Primary (Escort the Galatea to the Jump
Node), 1 Secondary (Ensure Galatea hull remain above 50%). 0 kills. Just like in
the previous level, the mere 2 kills in this one don't go towards your stats.
Put the skill level on very easy for this one, as you get little points for the
difficulty of this level.
PANDORA'S BOX: 2 Mission Objectives: 1 Primary (Destroy the Sentry Guns), 1
Secondary (Use your sensors to scan the Shivan cargo containers). 35 kills, 0
f/b: 21 SC 5 Shivan cargo containers, 8 SAC 2 Shivan cargo containers, 6 Trident
Shivan sentry guns. Just like in the last two levels, any Shivan fighter kills
you get do not count towards you stats. Your secondary objective in this level
is set up to fail (there is no way for you to get it unless you fail the
mission). The only way to get 29 cargo container kills is to approach them
slowly, and when they start exploding on you, destroy as many as you can, but do
not destroy cargo containers 35, 34, 37, or 32, unless you have scanned them
already.
THE HAMMER AND THE ANVIL: 2 Mission Objectives: 1 Primary (Escort Shield
Prototypes), 1 Bonus (Escort all prototypes to Jump Node) 39 kills, 39 f/b: 20
Basilisk Shivan fighters, 7 Anubis, 6 Seth, 6 Scorpion Shivan interceptors. It
is unlikely that you will get the first Vasudan wing (2 Anubis, 2 Seth) that
jumps in, as they will jump out as soon as the Andromeda is destroyed. Also, the
last Vasudan wing will only turn hostile if you dispatch of the Shivan enemies
quickly enough, so that when the Vasudans jump in, there is enough time for them
to go traitor without the cargo jumping out.
ADVANCED TRAINING 2: No stats kept! On this one you get a medal for beating the
level so don't skip this mission.
THE DARKNESS AND THE LIGHT: 3 Mission Objectives: 1 Primary (Capture the
Ramses), 1 Secondary (Destroy Cargo Depot), 1 Bonus (Destroy Any Freighters). 36
kills, 15 f/b: 11 VC 3, 8 Scorpion, 5 VAC 4, 4 Satis Vasudan freighters, 4
Anubis, 3 Seth, 1 Aten. Your primary objective is set up to fail, because a few
minutes into the mission a Shivan strike force will warp in and destroy the
Ramses. If you knock its health below 50%, you will get the Ramses's kill. The
rest of the Scorpion fighters appear if you stay in the mission after everything
has happened. There are two things on this mission that make you automatically
fail: if you destroy the Shivan cruiser that warps in (called the Taranis), or
if you destroy the Ramses before you destroy all other Vasudan ships, unless
they have departed.
FIRST STRIKE: 3 Mission Objectives: 1 Primary (Capture the Taranis), 2 Secondary
(Disable The Taranis) (Disarm The Taranis). 59 Kills, 59 f/b: 28 Basilisk, 28
Scorpion, 3 Shaitan Shivan bombers. Ensure Omega 1, Omega 2, the Halkins, and
the Taranis survive.
THE AFTERMATH: 2 Mission Objectives: 1 Primary (Escort Iota to meet with the
Pinnacle), 1 Secondary (Destroy All Remaining Fighters). 41 kills, 41 f/b: 24
Basilisk, 8 Scorpion, 6 Shaitan, 3 Manticore Shivan interceptors. Don't let any
transports/freighters die in this mission or you'll hear about it in the
debriefing.
THE BIG BANG: 2 Mission Objectives: 1 Primary (Protect GTS Asimov), 1 Secondary
(Protect GTC Ravage). 15 kills, 15 f/b: 9 Scorpion, 6 Basilisk. There are
Shaitan bombers on this mission, but they must not count in your stats. Keep the
Asimov's HP above 8%, and don't let the GTT Spomer die or you fail the mission.
LA RUOTA DELLA FORTUNA: 1 Mission Objective: 1 Primary (Destroy All Shivans in
Area). 27 kills, 25 f/b: 17 Scorpion, 4 Nephilim Shivan bombers, 2 Shaitan, 2
Basilisk, 1 Lilith Shivan cruiser, 1 Cain Shivan cruiser. Make sure you go after
the Lilith, because it is a less common kill, and because (according to my
theory anyway) it is worth more points. Don't let the Galatea get destroyed or
you fail.
WHERE EAGLES DARE: 3 Mission Objectives: 2 Primary (Clear the area of all
Hostile ships) (Patrol until the freighters have finished), 2 Secondary (Destroy
Gemini Transports). 27 kills, 13 f/b: 7 Seth, 6 Anubis, 3 Ma'at, 3 Ankh Vasudan
sentry guns, 2 Isis, 2 VC 3, 2 VAC 4, 2 Satis. Don't worry about that 2nd
primary objective; as soon as the Terran freighters arrive and command says
something afterward, you can depart. You can destroy all the cargo on the level
without penalty. This is the only level with Ankh class sentry gun kills.
TENDERIZER: 2 Mission Objectives: 1 Primary (Protect the Galatea until it
Jumps), 1 Secondary (Inspect the Sentry Guns). 45 kills, 38 f/b: 16 Anubis, 9
Seth, 8 Osiris, 6 Cerberus, 5 Amun Vasudan bombers, 1 Aten. This is probably the
third hardest level. To get all 10 kills in the beginning, destroy the sentries
after destroying all enemy wings. Amun class bombers and Cerberus sentries only
appear as enemies on this level.
SHELL GAME: 3 Mission Objectives: 2 Primary (Destroy the Shivan Transports)
(Protect the Shivan Cargo), 1 Secondary (Destroy the Shivan freighters). 18
kills, 18 f/b: 12 Scorpion, 2 Azrael Shivan transports, 2 Mephisto Shivan
freighters, 2 Asmodeus class freighters. To get all the freighters, go after the
Mephistos, then the 2 Asmodeus freighters, then the transports. If any cargo is
destroyed, you will fail the mission. Ensure all friendly transports survive,
and at least two warp out. Mephistos can only be destroyed on this level.
ENTER THE DRAGON: 3 Mission Objectives: 2 Primary (Destroy the Cain cruiser
Shakti) (Disable and Capture the Arjuna 1 Fighter), 1 Bonus (Disable Arjuna
without Delta's help). 19 kills, 5 f/b: 6 Trident, 5 SAC 2, 2 Basilisk, 2
Shaitan, 1 Scorpion, 1 Azrael, 1 Asmodeus, 1 Cain. Ensure the Charon survives or
you will fail the mission. If you destroy the Lorkonius, there will be fewer
enemies on the next level. The last SAC 2 is the one the Lorkonius brings in.
PLAYING JUDAS: 3 Mission Objectives: 1 Primary (Scan all Destroyers and
Cruisers), 1 Secondary (Scan All Freighters and Transports), 1 Bonus (Scan all
Cargo). 10 kills, 6 f/b: 6 Manticore, 4 Trident. In order to get the small
amount of kills on this level, you will need to wait until the Lucifer jumps in
(after the Eva departs) and use glitch #3. You will have to 'enter the docking
bays'. I think this means fighter bays, but whatever. You don't really have to
enter them, just get very close. You fail this mission if you fire before you
are detected, or if you are detected by a Dragon class fighter or Trident sentry
gun. Detection happens when you get within 800 m of the enemy.
EVANGELIST: 1 Mission Objective: 1 Primary (Destroy the Eva). 13 kills, 12 f/b:
10 Manticore, 2 Dragon Shivan fighters, 1 Demon Shivan destroyer. Wait until the
Eva stops launching ships before you destroy it to get max kills.
DOOMSDAY: 2 Mission Objectives: 1 Primary (Protect The GTD Galatea), 1 Secondary
(Protect the Escaping Escape Pods). 20 kills, 20 f/b: 10 Manticore, 10 Nephilim.
The primary objective is set up to fail, but you should still try to go after
the fighters and bombers, mainly because you pass this mission only if the
Galatea is destroyed after the Lucifer arrives.
EXODUS: 3 Mission Objectives: 2 Primary (Protect Allied Ships) (Secure Area
Until Relief Arrives), 1 Secondary (Safely Escort All Ships). 38 kills, 36 f/b:
16 Basilisk, 9 Scorpion, 6 Shaitan, 2 Cain.
LAST HOPE: 1 Mission Objective: 1 Primary (Protect the Hope). 35 kills, 33 f/b:
18 Nephilim, 4 Dragon, 4 Manticore, 4 Scorpion, 3 Shaitan, 2 Cain. Don't let
Isis repair die or you will fail.
A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE: 4 Mission Objectives: 2 Primary (Defend Communications
Station) (Protect Aquilae Installation), 1 Secondary (Protect Escape Pods), 1
Bonus (Protect all four escape pods). 42 kills, 42 f/b: 15 Nephilim, 10
Manticore, 8 Basilisk, 4 Shaitan, 3 Scorpion, 2 Dragon. Your second primary
objective listed is set up to fail. This is an extremely hard mission; I'd say
the second hardest in the campaign. If you can get the Bonus objective then pat
yourself on the back, otherwise don't bother trying. You can let 2 pods die, but
you won't get the medal then. If you leave one Krishna fighter alive, the rest
won't warp in, but you still need to destroy that fighter (and 1 wing
afterwards) to finish the level.
REACHING THE ZENITH: 3 Mission Objectives: 1 Primary (Disarm the Cruiser
Zenith), 1 Secondary (Destroy the cruiser Zenith), 1 Bonus (Destroy the
Benedict). 25 kills, 23 f/b: 9 Scorpion, 9 Manticore, 3 Thoth Vasudan fighters,
2 Dragon, 1 Lilith, 1 Aten. The Scorpion interceptors only show up if you don't
destroy the Zenith's Comm. Subsystem. If you take out the Zenith's engines, you
will have infinite time for this level.
RUNNING THE GAUNTLET: 3 Mission Objectives: 1 Primary (Get at least one Omega to
the Jump Node), 1 Secondary (Get both Omegas to the Jump Node), 1 Bonus (Protect
the Rosetta until it departs). 117 kills, 116 f/b: 80 Basilisk, 20 Shaitan, 16
Scorpion, 1 Lilith. The only way you can get a Lilith kill on this level is if
you didn't manage to kill the Zenith in the previous level in time (but it
always shows up in the mission sim). The way you get so many kills is to first
use glitch #2 on the previous level, then stay in the area until the Lucifer
stops launching ships (20 wings of Basilisk). Make sure 1 Omega transport
survives.
BLACK OMEGA: 3 Mission Objectives: 1 Primary (Escort Omega to Jump Node), 2
Secondary (Escort Both Omegas to the Jump Node) (Destroy the Anvil). 21 kills,
20 f/b: 9 Horus, 9 Thoth, 2 Osiris, 1 Typhon Vasudan destroyer. Ensure 1 Omega
survives to proceed to the next mission.
CLASH OF THE TITANS: 3 Mission Objectives: 1 Primary (Escort GTD Bastion to the
Lucifer), 1 Secondary (Keep the GTD Bastion's hull above 35), 1 Bonus (Destroy
the SD Tantalus). 33 kills, 32 f/b: 18 Basilisk, 8 Nephilim, 4 Manticore, 2
Shaitan, 1 Demon. Out of all the single player missions, I have the most trouble
with this one. It's unlikely that you will get the Demon class destroyer kill,
as you will be occupied with fighting the Bastion's attackers. Instead have Beta
wing take it out, and tell them to disarm it, but don't give them stilettos.
THE GREAT HUNT: 1 Mission Objective: 1 Primary (Reach the Subspace Node). 57
kills, 55 f/b: 29 Basilisk, 9 Dragon, 6 Manticore, 7 Thoth, 4 Scorpion, 1
Lucifer Shivan Destroyer, 1 Typhon. You may be wondering "How on Earth could I
do any of that?" Well, this is one of the levels you can use glitch #2 on. If
you decide you are going to cheat, you'll want a fast ship (Valkyrie of course),
and since there is a large number of kills and a nice selection, you will want
to do this one solo. Also, switch your primary weapons to ML-16's (you'll see
why). As soon as you enter the mission, enter cheat mode as fast as you can.
Make yourself invulnerable, then switch both of your primary weapons to Shivan
Super Lasers (select gun mount, hold ~ and shift, press 0 only once). Select the
Lucifer with the escort button (e by default), then hold ~ and press k a few
times until its health reaches 12%. Aim for the Lucifer and shoot however many
times you think it will take you to finish off the Lucifer (it only takes 2-3
hits to kill it, but your accuracy may not be perfect). If you hit it, you will
get a Lucifer kill! After you kill the first wing of fighters that jumps in,
Command will talk to you. At this point, select the Bastion and use the same
cheat you did on the Lucifer (if you do it earlier you fail). Do the same on the
Ursas it spits out. Now you can collect all the kills on this level. Another
thing- when my time hit 12:41, command told me Earth was doomed, but I jumped
out anyway and seemed to complete the mission successfully. But this was in the
mission simulator, so you may not want to try it.
GOOD LUCK: 1 Mission Objective: 1 Primary (Destroy the Lucifer). 304 kills, 303
f/b: 294 Manticore, 9 Dragon, 1 Lucifer. Use glitch #2 on this level. To get 304
kills, first disable the Lucifer (it has 2 engines). After you do this, the
Lucifer won't jump out, but it will keep spitting out ships (you can leave the
game running while the mouse is on trigger and you've got Synaptics). When it's
done, destroy it like you normally would destroy a ship. Make sure you DON'T
destroy all 5 reactors; otherwise you won't get the Lucifer kill.
_______________________________________________________________________________
|8yz FAQ /
|_______/
All questions so far have been on the point system & rank. All that I know is
covered in this guide. To people with questions about this: Please help me out
and start asking around. You can ask on Freespace Boards (GameFAQs, Gamespot, or
any place that has Freespace as a Message Board), Freespace Websites (Interplay
(they seem reluctant), Volition-Inc, Parallax), or any webpage owner that knows
anything about Freespace (Use a search engine and type Descent: Freespace.
You'll have to use exact phrasing).
So I can give recognition, make sure and tell me your handle (and the person you
got the info from, I don't want legal issues).
_______________________________________________________________________________
|9yz Special Thanks & Conclusion/
|______________________________/
I hope this guide was satisfactory in every way possible. If not please E-mail
me and tell me why and I will fix the problem. Any feedback will be appreciated.
I want to bring people the best guide possible.
First, I want to thank myself for making this guide.
Second, I want to thank my parents for bringing me into existence.
Third, I would like to thank my ancestors, for if they were any different I may
not exist.
Fourth, I would like to thank the celestial process which took place before
humans were on this planet whatever that may be, for if it had not happened I
would not exist.
Fifth, I would like to thank the developers, coders, artists, musicians, and all
the other people who put time away from their life to make this game.
Sixth, I would like to thank CJayC for starting GameFAQs, for if he hadn't, this
guide and many others would not exist.
Seventh, I would like to thank GameFAQs and all the other great sites for
accepting this FAQ/Guide.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~
And lastly, I would like to thank the reader for using my guide. And this
especially goes to anyone who gives me feedback. Here is a list of helpful
people:
redalert19243: For requesting a medal list on the message boards, for if he
hadn't, this guide would not exist.
Tahna Los: Pointed out a few errors in my FAQ.
Razoriel: Made me have an innovation about making a basis for the point system.
Basilisk: Giving me many fixes and tips on the guide, as well as the idea of
a multiplayer guide and an e-mail. Also has given me the points for
the ranks.
Dman4835: For pinpointing the Ace Badges kills and helping me identify an error
in my Ace Badge ranking system.
Valkyerie: Gave me missing info in the rank section.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~
If you give me help of any kind or give me any information chances are good your
name will be on this list too! 'Twas an honor to make this FAQ and a privilege
to present it!!!111!11!1111one! I hope it was very useful to you!
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