For those that need yet more variety, Freespace has plenty of vessels for you to fly in Freespace. These range from small, light fighters which are fast and agile but lack serious weaponry, to advanced fighter bombers that move like snails but packs enough weapons to wipe out a small fleet on it's own. Indeed, each of the crafts has its own unique flight model and AI characteristics. Each and every one of the different crafts has their own strengths and weaknesses, some as said carries huge payloads while others rely on agility for effectiveness. As an example, one of the more powerful crafts in the game is the Hercules heavy attack fighter, which is made available deep in the game after several research breakthroughs. This fighter comes with two missile hard-points and a total of three energy weapon mounting racks which gives a massive six shots at once. Quite an arsenal against any enemy ship and certainly not one to be messed with. On the down side, the Hercules top speed is pretty sluggish and its lack of agility makes it vulnerable to smaller enemy fighters that can buzz around it without being caught/hit.

Throughout the game there are a whole load of different weapons that are made available to you. Many of these are the direct results of research on captured enemy technology and hence as you fly these missions the outcome may directly affect development in terms of weaponry and new space crafts.

Choosing weapons for your crafts is a science in itself but thankfully detailed data is available in the game outlining each of the weapon types strengths and weaknesses. Once you get familiar with the different combos you'll be able to choose the best load-out for any particular mission (key in this game). As you have a choice of both craft and weapons in most missions, this adds an interesting aspect to the game in terms of strategy. Of course if you don't want to bother with it, the computer always delivers a well-rounded alternative by default.