Thanks IskatuMesk for the tip.
MyFist0--someone waaay back started (and never finished) a Freelancer mod. In the texture set there re a lot of UI/Ship specific textures that won't have much use for most Sins mods but if someone wanted to create a Freelancer mod, they'd want the textures pulled out of the mat files in FL.
Otherwise, there are some tiles within the FL textures that are usable--you just have to look through them some. Fl was lower quality textures overall.
As to the game Goafan--holy cow! It is a GREAT game and considering it's age it is actually mind boggling--way ahead of its time. Microsoft dropped support of it a few years back but a fan base maintains a listserver and there are a few dozen servers active all the time.
I'll have to look through my HD's but I'll dig out my old copy if you want to see it.
It has a storied-campaign mode but then can be run on a server (yours if you are up to it--or anyone else's) as a persistent universe.
Ships can have their loadouts customized and there are numerous FL server mods with custom commodities as well as server and modeling utilities and the like fan made.
You play the role of a single pilot and basically prowl the "Sirius system" as a trader, asteroid miner or do missions for the "house governments" of the NPC factions for cash.
Their are many factions in the game all with different allies, allegiances and likes and dislikes. killing their allies or partners drops your reputation with them. Completing missions for them (or killing their enemies) raises your reputation.
You can't enter a faction base without good rep and commodities are tiered requiring higher reputations to get the better goods--like advanced weapons. In bases are bars and stores with patrons who offer tips, missions or rare items randomly as well as regional news feeds that offer info you might need.
Their are wrecks with prototype weapons that can be salvaged, contraband that will cause the local police to attack if you are scanned in their systems carrying it--all sorts of things.
The modded servers have added dockable capital ships, player owned bases, cloaking devices, dynamic economies, automated clan registrations. it's pretty hard to track everything that's been put in.
I'd love to see Ironclad acquire the rights to this game and remake it.
In game "pew pew skills" are essential if you plan to pvp through other players but trading and staying in friendly systems missioning or mining also gives you opportunities.
It might sound a lot like "budget Eve Online" but Fl has heart--factions and killing people have consequences, governments exist and levy their laws and forces on lawbreakers--much more believable.
If I can find a good video on Youtube I'll insert it here in a bit.
Consider this game was started in development in 1999 and raken over and released by Microsoft in 2003 because the original developers were "taking too much time adding stuff and making it better". It's quite amazing. A lot of things--like in Sins--are "promises never delivered" and many of those have been added by the very hard core modders in FL. I've seen more freelance programmers and developers in that community writing software and utilities than I can count. Microsoft was the one who made the decision to cut development--Digital Anvil wanted to delay release to perfect it further.
The original designer is the one who created the Wing Commander series.
Here's a video that shows what can be done in Freelancer:
