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Here's some old graphics card history: in 1996, 3Dfx developed a line of high end cards for the professional market. These Obsidian cards were the stuff of gamers' dreams at the time: for thousands of dollars you could get a 3dfx card with 24 megabytes of memory instead of the 4 to 6 retail cards were sporting! Would this actually make any difference to Wing Commander Prophecy or your 3dfx game of choice? It's not really clear, but you certainly imagined it would! The next year, 3Dfx spun off a consumer graphics card company called Quantum3D to take advantage of the gold rush they had started. They promoted high end consumer cards as "the affordable reality company", whatever that means.

Quantum3D retained the Obsidian trademark and put out a line of Voodoo 2 cards which largely focused on offering SLI configurations on a single card. But here's the cool part: they included the Wing Commander Prophecy

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

"Hey, leader, why us?" someone called sarcastically. Hawkins chuckled sadly, "Because we're here, lads, because we're here."

Well, the Wing Commander movie club was there and we had to watch From Justin to Kelly. Which is not a good movie by any measure of the idea. But it was stupid fun that reminded us of our misspent youths, so we'll chalk it up as a good time. Did we mention that the climax of the movie is a hovercraft fight? A surprisingly boring hovercraft fight.

The only real Wing Commander connection going into this was lead actress Kelly Clarkson being the namesake for the Clarkson-class transports in Wing Commander Arena… so here's that:

Kelly Clarkson went on to great success as a singer and a talk show host and it's not at all surprising that she never acted again. But remember what a great song Since U Been Gone was? With a great video! Eh, I'm old now.

Also, the 2003 text messaging bits are

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

This is a reminder that we have another fun #Wingnut movie night planned on Discord this evening! The ongoing theme will be movies that are referenced by Wing Commander in some way. Tonight's film is American Graffiti (1973) and you can find details on why we're watching it in the announcement post here. The movie will start at 7 PM PST/10 PM EST but feel free to drop by and hang any time!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Micromanía was an esteemed Spanish gaming magazine that ran from 1996 to 2024. The scans below are from an insert they published in early 1998 which has walkthroughs for several different major games... including Wing Commander Prophecy! But this simple unofficial hint book hides a much greater secret: look closely at any of the screenshots that dot the article. Every single one is from a pre-release build! You can tell immediately by the ship VDUs which were completely reimagined before the game shipped. Seems like the folks at Micromania had access to an early build or a press kit when they were putting together this one...

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

The original Claw Marks opens with a 'letter from the editor' written by Aaron Allston's fictionalized version of himself. In a few paragraphs, it establishes a massive amount about the Wing Commander universe with a story about how the Tiger's Claw recently lost two pilots and the impact of their deaths is having on everything else. It talks about how this sort of tragic stalemate is now the state of the war and it genuinely colors everything else we ever think about the Wing Commander universe. The movie's story about World War I style replacements and veterans who've taught themselves not to feel comes directly from this page!

Space is a near-vacuum, as all good Academy graduates and most two-year-old children know. And if you ask, "If I drop a pebble into space like I do into a pool of water, will it cause ripples?" you'll get some strange looks from everyone.

Nevertheless, someone dropped a pebble

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Brewer Corporation has confirmed that the Dodec Station has entered full production.
Previously available in limited numbers, the Dodec is the largest Tier 3 starport that can be constructed for use in colonisation efforts.
Brewer Corporation CEO Madelyn Teague issued the following statement to Vox Galactica:
"The Dodec is the pinnacle of modern station design. Available with three truss variations and immediate access to a Human Tech Broker, it's simply the best option available for those looking to colonise new systems and to offer services to all who visit."
The Dodec is now widely available for purchase through Colonisation contacts.

Quote from Freelancer News-Bot

Rise of Hiigara v0.7 brings new Taiidan, Independent, Count, and Republic systems, along with rebuilt ship balance, updated flight handling and improved visuals. This update pushes the story deeper into non-core Taiidan Worlds, the fragile Fornax system just a few years before the supernova, and the growing threat of the Taiidan warlord Count Bergauthur.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

From Justin to Kelly was… a movie that existed. Next up, we have ANOTHER birthday pick… this time belonging to Comchia! Comchia has more wisely than I chosen George Lucas' classic American Graffiti for this week's movie and it should be a fascinating one! You can join us this Friday via Discord to watch along.

George Lucas is one of several directors to have star systems named after them (others include Michael Crichton, Steven Spielberg and Akira Kurosawa) and so we get a slot to pick one of his movies. Except there aren't many options! We already watched Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and THX-1138 for specific references… so American Graffiti is kind of the option by default!

Where can I find a copy of the movie for the watch party?

American Graffiti is available for rent or purchase on all of the standard streaming services (and on Netflix in the US).If you would like a physical copy, it was

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Character actor Richard Riehle typically steals any scene he appears in… and Wing Commander IV is no exception! Blair's interactions with Pliers' lighthearted grump is maybe the funniest part of your time aboard the BWS Intrepid… and when you think about it, he's actually responsible for some pretty complex gameplay mechanics under the hood! Like a lot of Wing Commander IV's outside-of-flight ('gameflow') mechanics, exactly what your interactions with Pliers are doing isn't always 100% clear… so we thought we'd take a closer look to see how things work. One of Wing Commander IV's goals was to expand on Wing Commander III's pretty simple division between interactive cutscenes and flight portions… and they accomplished quite a bit under the hood so that the choices you make (or don't make) impact other parts of the game pretty significantly!

One note on terminology. The HANGAR BAY is where you typically

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Admit it, we've all wondered: what would it look like if you could click on the 'strip club' storefront in Wing Commander Privateer's pleasure planet options screens? Well, it looks like Cybot has taken it upon himself to try and visualize the answer. He posted this to DeviantArt:

D-floor 0005 (DeviantArt)

Jolson Pleasure Planet Concourse (DeviantArt)

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

You aren't going to believe this one: GOG... has put the Wing Commander games on sale again! The entire series will be 50% off for the next two weeks as part of their Sci Fi Promo? No, turns out it's their concurrent Shooter Promo! There's also a matching RPG Promo that includes Wing Commander's sister series, Ultima. Here's the great GOG grid (GGG):

Ultima Games:

Other Origin Games:

Free Games:

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Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Excalibur was a very interesting movie! I still can't believe I'd never even particularly heard of it before; as soon as it was added to my brain I started noticing references to it all over the place in pop culture. None of the descriptions I had read going in prepared me for how much more like David Lynch's Dune it is. It was repeatedly called a proto-Jackson's Lord of the Rings but I don 't think that's even accurate; it's part of that earlier fantasy tradition where the movies feel darker and dreamier.

I also think it's a lot of fun to get a handle on Paladin's character. One consistent point in all of his appearances is that he's especially well read. There's the medieval stories from Claw Marks, his quoting Yeats in Wing Commander IV, listening to a Mozart opera in the movie and so on… his character has always touched on that. So it's fun to see those first person sources he references and

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

This is a reminder that we have another fun #Wingnut movie night planned on Discord this evening! The ongoing theme will be movies that are referenced by Wing Commander in some way. Tonight's film is From Justin to Kelly (2003) and you can find details on why we're watching it in the announcement post here. The movie will start at 7 PM PST/10 PM EST but feel free to drop by and hang any time!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

All the recent talk about corvettes prompted me to revisit Milk Run, the Christopher Stasheff novella that proceeds End Run, for its story about a Venture-class ship in action behind enemy lines. On re-reading it, I was struck with a question I somehow never pondered before: who is the TCS Johnny Greene named after, anyway?

The second corvette in the story is named the TCS John Bunyan after the English preacher who wrote The Pilgrim's Progress in 1678. Knowing this and that Christopher Stasheff was an English professor who loved literary references I think I simply assumed that Johnny Greene was a similar figure. It turns out the real story is a little more interesting!

The real John Greene was a dear friend of legendary SFF author Anne McCaffrey, creator of the Pern series. He was killed in France in November 1988 while serving with the French Foreign Legion. An Easter Egg page quotes McCaffrey on the

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

October Consortium has announced that the research initiative to collect Guardian artefacts was a success.
According to reports from Exogene Sciences in HIP 87621, the number and variety of artefacts recovered by independent pilots from across the galaxy means that the Consortium's exobiology research efforts will be accelerated greatly.
In a statement by Lexi October to Vox Galactica, she praised the efforts by all independent pilots taking part who travelled beyond the core systems to collect the rare artefacts.
"We were inundated with Guardian artefacts of every kind," she said. "With this new and expansive Guardian collection we can look forward to unravelling a few more mysteries of the galaxy."
Contributing Commanders can now collect their rewards at Exogene Sciences.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Today we've got a preview of the original Wing Commander from the February 1st 1991 issue of Japanese gaming magazine LOGIN. It's always fascinating to see how Wing Commander was treated in different places and of course Japan has always been the place to be for gaming. They certainly make it look colorful and fun... which, of course, it was. One interesting thing to note: this magazine took its own screenshots instead of relying on the press kit. You can tell because the script is addressing the pilot as JUNE!

This also seemed like a good place to share an advertisement discovered by the wonderful X-Wing/TIE Fighter Game Series social media account: a 1996 advertisement for Wing Commander III PSX from the October issue of Jugemu. Thanks for thinking of us!

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AllTinker has another treat for Wing Commander obsessions: they've successfully extracted the 3D models from the 3DO port of Wing Commander III! The 3DO version of WC3 is a significant update to the game which reworks every single mission and changes a number of aspects of the game, some to adapt to the platform and some to finish small features that couldn't be closed out on the original release. All of the game's 3D models are reworked for the 3DO version of the engine… but that's not just to lower their resolution. Many of them, the super large objects in particular, are redesigned in significant ways… and new textures make all of the Kilrathi ships feel especially different.

• WC3 3DO Objects (ZIP, 4mb)

Some that are of special interest include the 3DO-exclusive Kilrathi gun platform, which the game uses to replace the ground missions. The Hvar'kann dreadnaught is also special because we believe you

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Zorgon Peterson has announced the release of the Lynx Highliner, a new medium ship engineered for maximum passenger capacity.
Designed as a pure passenger liner, the Lynx Highliner prioritises capacity expansion and luxury over versatility and its five hardpoints to provide it with enough defensive capability for even the most dangerous tourist spots.
Engineers have also confirmed the ship will be fitted with supercharged Frame Shift Drives, with a focus on speed, charge rate and deceleration.
A Zorgon Peterson senior technical designer stated:
"The Lynx Highliner was built to provide maximum capacity, and it can be fitted with the new Mk II Class Passenger Cabins, ensuring it takes passengers to their destination in style."
"The new cabin designs were well received with early focus groups.", he added.
Due to the overwhelming success of internal design trials, the Lynx Highliner has received

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Authorities in the Lhou Mans system have issued an urgent call for assistance following a series of attacks on local tourist facilities.
Although security forces successfully prevented further attacks, Dashiell Port, Sabine Gateway, Ryman Enterprise and Webb City all suffered heavy damage during the raids.
Independent pilots have been asked to evacuate stranded civilians to safety from all ports within the system to nearby systems while emergency teams secure the damaged facilities.
A Zorgon Peterson representative issued this statement to Vox Galactica following the news of the attacks:
"We have accelerated the shipyard release of the new Lynx Highliner to assist with any evacuation efforts in light of these attacks."
"The Lynx Highliner's capacity to carry more passengers than any other vessel, together with its multiple hardpoint configuration, has the potential to make a difference where

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Here's a fun one for a lazy Sunday: AD has discovered a set of Privateer 2: The Darkening screenshots on a Czech cover CD. These images were originally published with the December 1996 issue of Score magazine (#36). As you can see, they are from one of Origin's press kits and represent a pre-release version of the game. Some of these have been seen before but several have never been archived! Some of these images are also the ones used on the back of the box. You can find an image of the entire cover disc here.