Discovery Freelancer Mod Installation Guide

[Echo 7-7]

I tried using FLMM to install 4.80 or 4.81 to my original Freelancer game, both failed for different reasons.
AND...I get only repeated "Copy failed" for every file when trying to install 4.88 (or even 4.87)
cant even get 4.84!!

Why cant I use/get any of the Discovery mods, what am I doing wrong...?

My current game now claims to be 4.81 but it has none of the "Discovery" items/ships

1: installed a fresh original freelancer to the PC.
2: Downloaded discovery v. 4.88.1.
3: Installed. / asked for location of default Freelancer installation

I have got this far, but 4.88 wont actually install...
fails to copy all files.

Trying to install multiple different versions of the Discovery mod, when using FLMM, is like driving a turbo-charged sports car down the fast lane to Freelancer hell.

Your installations are probably completely corrupted and you will have to start from scratch.


1) Uninstall everything. Literally everything: FL itself, Discovery, FLMM. Back up any save games you want to keep first in a folder that is well and truly clear of any possible locations for Freelancer or mod installations.


NB: Do not install anything related to Freelancer in the Program Files directory. It is a common cause of failed installs.


2) Make a new installation of vanilla Freelancer - preferably from the original disk. Do not modify this install at any time, ever - it is your "clean" install.

3) Download and run the Discovery v4.88 installer. When it asks for your Freelancer directory, put in the directory of your vanilla installation that you just made. Then, make sure your desired Discovery v4.88 directory is in a separate folder to that vanilla install.

4) If that worked properly, you should be able to run Discovery. Test by attempting to join the official server. If it didn't work, do not proceed, and seek additional help.

5) To install older versions of the Discovery mod: If they have an installer (.exe), use the same procedure as above, but you won't need to install vanilla FL again.

For versions that are zipped files (.flmod): rename the file from <name>.zip.flmod to <name>.zip, and then unzip them. Copy your clean install to a new folder, which will be used as the basis for this modded install. Copy the unzipped mod files into that folder, and then it should be ready to play.

Note that every time the Discovery Launcher is run (in order to play v4.88), your save game files will be wiped in order to prevent the game from crashing. You will need to back up save files from older mod versions / different mods every time before playing v4.88.