IONCROSS Total War is a new multiplayer game created by modification of Microsoft's Freelancer game universe.  You must have a legal copy of Microsoft Freelancer to play this game.  It is not designed for single player use. 

The game has taken over 18 months to complete and relies not only on sophisticated modification of the Freelancer universe, but on proprietary server programs that monitor game parameters, introduce dynamic change and enforce compliance with the game rules.

IONCROSS Total War (ICTW) is a battle for dominance between the forces of Liberty and Rheinland and you must choose to join either of these major factions or one of the two pirate clans that prey on them.  The Ioncross Web site provides constantly updated statistics on the progress of the war.  House scores, player performance data, rank ladder and player information are updated automatically. 

If you wish to participate in ICTW you are welcome.  However, before you make a decision to join, please read the information below to prevent any misconceptions.

To survive in ICTW you need good flying skills, good aim and the ability to accept occasionally losing shields and sometimes pieces of equipment.  Most importantly, you will need to work well in a team.  Player vs. Player combat is possible in Total War, but will usually be avoided due to the consequences - damage or possible death. 

You only have ONE character and dying is something to be avoided at all cost.  Lose your life and you lose your ship - your cash and points will also be severely depleted.  Die a few times and you cannot continue.  You will need to delete your character and restart.

For a cautious player with average flying skills and the ability to learn, survival at the lower levels of the game is not hard, but it is unforgiving.  We suggest you read this manual and scan the forums for tips to enhance your survival.

There are only 4 systems in IONCROSS Total war and there are no trade lanes.  Cruise speed is faster than normal Freelancer, but ambushes are frequent, thrusters use fuel and everything uses cargo space.  You will always need to be balancing the space taken up with your protection, against the free space needed to pick up valuable dropped objects.

Cheating is unfortunately common on FL servers.  Cheating on this server will be automatically detected and penalties will be applied - which include removal from game and/or banning. 

As you will find, most of the common causes of player disputes in multiplayer Freelancer have been removed in this game.  Everyone involved in the development of this mod has donated hundreds of hours of their time and they are interested in PLAYING the game not being involved in endless forum disputes.  If you play honestly, are polite to other players and do not annoy the Admin players then you can do what you like, otherwise you will be banned from the server.

You are responsible for your behaviour on this server.  To play on this server you must agree to the Terms of Service agreement.

To play IONCROSS Total War you need

• A freshly installed FreeLancer 
• The IONCROSS Loader program

For those of you used to playing FL mods, it is imperative that you keep a separate FL folder for this game.  You cannot use FLMM to load this game.  You should not load any FL mods into this version of FL.  You must always start this game from the Ioncross Total War icon on your desktop.  The Ioncross Loader will keep your files up-to-date and run concurrently with FreeLancer to monitor your file validity.  Any attempt to modify game files while playing ICTW will result in automatic banning.

If you have played a lot of FL mods, then try and forget what you have learned.

In Ioncross Total War you have a number of priorities:

• survival
• upgrading your ship, weapons and equipment
• upgrading your skills in different ships and roles
• accumulating money (a millionaire is a RICH player in ICTW)
• accumulating Economy, War and Neutral points
• increasing your performance rating/increasing faction score
• working with a team

Now before we get into the detail, some quick pointers for those players who are beginning to fidget and will want to ignore everything and simply get in there and die.

• This is a G-rated server.  No swearing or unacceptable language or behaviour.
• Using the F1 key in space is regarded as cheating.  You will be kicked and logged
• No Player versus Player (PvP) combat is allowed in New York
• You may only kill players that are RED to you
• You are in New York.  To enter the real game you needs a $300K entrance fee - payable at Rochester. 
• Be careful who you annoy.  Reputation is everything - you need it to buy things
• Your starter ship has only two forward guns.  Check your batts and bots before you exit.
• Leave Rochester.  Choose a faction by taking missions at a base, kill ships, pick up drops
• Look at the Trade path maps of the system for destinations.
• Be cautious