Beyond the Red Line
Encyclopedia
Beyond the Red Line is an unofficial and free stand-alone total conversion for the 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.
", 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").
, Macworld
, PC Gamer UK and Pelit
. The development team has been interviewed on several occasions including a "making of" special in Pelit . 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
.
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. 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.
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. 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.
's "Mod of the Year Award" for "Best Independent Game". 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. In 2008 the game was featured in Popular Science magazine. In December 2007 the game was featured in Computer and Video Games
' "The Best PC Mods. Ever!" review.
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.
FreeSpace 2
FreeSpace 2 is a 1999 space combat simulation computer game developed by Volition, Inc. as the sequel to Descent: FreeSpace – The Great War. It was completed ahead of schedule in less than a year, and released to great critical acclaim...
, based on the reimagined TV show Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica TV series in 1978, and was followed by a brief sequel TV series in 1980, a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games...
. It allows players to fly into combat as either a Colonial Viper
Colonial Viper
The Colonial Viper is the primary fighter spacecraft type used by the human protagonists in the Battlestar Galactica fictional universe. Appearing in both the 1978 original series and the 2003 reimagined series, as well as various derivative works, the single-pilot spacecraft are carried aboard...
pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
, or a Cylon
Cylon (reimagining)
Cylons are a race which appear in the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series and its prequel Caprica. They have several forms, some of which resemble and even mimic the behavior of humans, while others are mechanical in appearance and function.In the first DVD, one of the show's creators...
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, "ScarScar (Battlestar Galactica)
"Scar" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on February 3, 2006....
", adding some background to the events of that episode. Online play, including "Deathmatch
Deathmatch (gaming)
Deathmatch or Player vs All is a widely-used gameplay mode integrated into many shooter and real-time strategy computer games...
" 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 EscapistThe Escapist (magazine)
The Escapist is an online magazine covering video games, gamers, the gaming industry, and gaming culture. Published by the Themis Group, it was edited by Julianne Greer up to June 30, 2009, then by Russ Pitts through September 2011, and is currently edited by Steve Butts. The Escapist was first...
, Macworld
Macworld
Macworld is a web site and monthly computer magazine dedicated to Apple Macintosh products. It is published by Mac Publishing, which is headquartered in San Francisco, California...
, PC Gamer UK and Pelit
Pelit
Pelit is a Finnish video games magazine published 11 times a year by Sanoma Magazines, a division of the Sanoma Group. Being by far the largest of its kind in Finland and covering both PCs and consoles, it has for a long time lacked serious competition and is thought by many to be the magazine of...
. The development team has been interviewed on several occasions including a "making of" special in Pelit . The BtRL demo has also been featured on the covers of two Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
magazines as well as in cover DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
of Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
computer magazine Mikrobitti
MikroBitti
MikroBitti is a Finnish computer magazine, founded in May 1984 and published by Sanoma Magazines, a division of the Sanoma Group. MikroBitti is aimed mainly for beginner to mid-level computer users...
.
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. 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.
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. 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 DBMod DB
Player's Choice*Best Indie Game: Tremulous*Best Released Mod: Point of Existence 2*Best Unreleased Mod: Black Mesa*By genre-2005:*-2004:*-2003:*-2002:*- External links :* *...
's "Mod of the Year Award" for "Best Independent Game". That same year the game was also recommended over the official Battlestar video game
Battlestar Galactica (video game)
A number of video games have been released based on the various incarnations of the Battlestar Galactica franchise.-"Space Battle" & "Space Attack":...
(released: 2007 for XBox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
and Windows PC), citing the latter game's low production values and publisher's mishandling of the license. In 2008 the game was featured in Popular Science magazine. In December 2007 the game was featured in Computer and Video Games
Computer and video games
A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device. The word video in video game traditionally referred to a raster display device, but following popularization of the term "video game", it now implies any type of...
' "The Best PC Mods. Ever!" review.
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.