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Yesterday we talked about WC4 rumors in the press, and today's the whole big preview. A lot of magazines got in to glitzy cover stories on Wing Commander 4 like this, which was fabulous to see on news stands in game stores in the mid '90s. Based on the success of WC3 just a year earlier, editors weren't going to miss out on this, and the January 1996 issue of X-Gen is a prime example of a flashy six-page preview of the game. They gush about the production values and technical benchmarks that the game sets. They also talk about how it was made with Playstation development in mind (WC3 was actually the first PSX game, shortly after PC WC4 shipped). The article also has some nice storyboard art and set photos, which can be somewhat uncommon for this shoot. Good stuff!

Blair, Maniac and Admiral Tolwyn return in the biggest games production of all-time. Wing Commander IV is the most expensive, most

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Today's update is a brief one, but this tiny column off to the side of a December 1994 CGW page brings back some huge memories. Many fans had yet to even play Wing Commander 3 at this point, but early signs were that it was a huge hit, and Origin/EA were ready to strike again with a blockbuster sequel. Although WC4 ultimately did slide out from Christmas 1995 to February 1996, it was still a very fast turnaround. The Wing Commander franchise was firing on all cylinders at this point, and anything seemed possible! Thanks to Shot97 for spotting this one.

Just a year later, we'd have this on the cover of CGW!

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Potential solutions to the threat posed by the Thargoid race are being debated at the diplomatic conference in the Sirius system.
Political correspondent Conrad Sterling reported for Vox Galactica:
"As always, the topic of the Thargoids brings division. The Alliance delegation has portrayed the aliens as a universal danger, while the Empire and Federation took a more balanced view."
"Professor Alba Tesreau's plea to increase support for Aegis was well received, but many delegates argued that further anti-xeno breakthroughs were needed to justify additional funding. To this end, Aegis will undertake new research into the Guardians, hoping to discover a technological advantage from that ancient species."
"Prime Minister Mahon's proposal for strategic cooperation against the Thargoids – known as the Sirius Treaty – is now being examined in detail. Supporters view it as a logical progression

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Marty2Life has had great success with the project he first shared last month to convert the original Wing Commander over to German. The translation has technically existed since 1992 on the SNES and Amiga, but was never available in the more popular DOS edition of the game. He's done a really comprehensive conversion here that goes beyond just the cinematic and conversational text. Everything from the main menu to the in-flight systems have (mostly) been ported over. Marty intends to tackle the Secret Missions next and then eventually circle around to ensure compatibility with other variants such as the Kilrathi Saga. You can grab the patch here (570 k zip). Installation is as simple as copying the key files over your WC1 installation (so backup first as needed).

Hello all Pilots,

After almost 30 years the time has come ...

Wing Commander 1 in German

Thanks to the toolbox (a great thing) and the

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At the Galactic Summit, the infamous pirate leader Archon Delaine has demanded to be accepted as the legitimate leader of a political power.
A gap in the schedule allowed him to make an address in the main conference chamber:
"Most of you see me as a common criminal, rather than the rightful ruler of multiple systems. That must end now! My efforts to build a Kumo nation deserve respect. I am here to declare my sovereignty and take my rightful place on the political stage."
This was immediately dismissed by many delegations. Princess Aisling Duval said this was a barbaric mockery of nobility, while Shadow President Winters asked how much bloodshed the pirates had caused to obtain their power. Archon Delaine replied:
"Are you all so innocent, then? Every civilisation begins with barbarism, and maintains authority with the threat of violence. None of you can say otherwise. We all wear a crown of

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Origin founder Richard Garriott has reached another personal goal. This past week he completed a successful dive to the Challenger Deep at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the lowest known point in the ocean. This makes him the first person to reach both the North and South Poles as well as travel to outer space! Fewer people have been to the bottom of the ocean than set foot on the moon, so this is no small feat! Deep sea veteran Victor Vescovo served as guide and pilot. The oceanic trip coincided with World Book Day, so Mr. Garriott recorded several reading videos during the adventure. He was also recently elected president of the Explorers Club and has no plans for slowing down. He ultimately hopes to reach Mars!

From the Daily Mail:

From the expedition ship Pressure Drop Mr Garriott said: 'I've been to the bottom of the Earth – you can't go deeper than that. It was a descent into darkness

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The Digital Antiquarian has posted a lengthy article on the history of Wing Commander 3. Much like his previous works, the piece is extensively researched and draws on both archival materials and personal interviews to build the historical context for game. It's a good recap of what WC3 was and how it came to be. The later parts of the article shift more into a meta review from the perspective of 2021. Our author here comes across as fairly critical of the more formulaic missions, binary nature of the plot choices and cheesiness of big space cats. He seems to realize the tonal shift is somewhat jarring after talking about how impressive a product WC3 is, so he ends on a conciliatory note. You can check out the full article here.

The presence of so many recognizable actors on the set, combined with the broader mass-media excitement over multimedia and CD-ROM, brought a parade of mainstream press

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Coffeehound RetroSharka has published a fun video in her Nostalgic Nibbles series. This one focuses on the Super Nintendo version of Wing Commander. The author here has a lot of positive things to say about the game, and they're coming from a place of experience. She played the original Amiga Wing Commander and picked up the SNES version not long after its release. They've even played the Sega CD edition and Super Wing Commander on 3DO but considers this version a favorite. I have to agree - there are many limitations compared to the DOS release that most folks are familiar with, but the game's punchy opening music coming through lo-fi speakers is just an indelible memory. The controls were dense for a console at the time, but it was possible to do almost everything in the cockpit that a PC could. This is a good overview of the game, although I can't forgive the person for pronouncing SNES as

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Former Core Dynamics CEO Jupiter Rochester has received a summary judgement for multiple crimes against the Federation.
The Federal Justice Department gave this statement:
"The facts in the case of Jupiter Rochester are self-evident. His principal role regarding Starship One and Jupiter Division make him guilty of treason, mass murder and many other crimes. He will serve a solitary life sentence in a maximum security prison."
Milandu Okoro of the Federal Attorney's Office expressed surprise:
"It is highly unusual for the FJD not to litigate such a major case, considering we don't know the full extent of Rochester and Fleet Admiral Vincent's conspiracies. Unfortunately, our request to open a full investigation has been denied."
Shadow Vice President Isolde Rochester has reiterated that her family were not involved with her eldest son's clandestine activities.
Core Dynamics is continuing to

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Pirate warlord Archon Delaine has unexpectedly appeared at the diplomatic conference and demanded to participate as a political delegate.
Delaine is the leader of the Kumo Crew, a notorious crime syndicate that controls dozens of systems. Their arrival at Patterson Enterprise station initially caused many delegations' security teams to begin evacuations.
However, representatives of the Sirius Corporation called for calm and delivered this message:
"We have vouchsafed Archon Delaine's presence and extended full diplomatic immunity to his retinue. As with all attendees, they are expected to abide by our rules and etiquettes."
This reassurance did not prevent several ambassadors from walking out in protest. Some accused Sirius Corporation of striking a deal with Delaine to prevent even more pirate vessels from swarming through the Sirius system.
Mainstream newsfeeds also covered the impact of

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*Pilots Federation ALERT*
The Empire is aiding Sirius Corporation by offering bounty hunting and trade opportunities to support the Galactic Summit.
The diplomatic conference is now entering its second week, with superpower and independent leaders gathered at Patterson Enterprise in the Sirius system.
Sirius Corporation's CEO Li Yong-Rui announced:
"Our thanks to the Federation for organising additional security against unexpected numbers of vessels this past week. Anarchic extremists, political enemies and opportunistic criminals all attempted to disrupt the conference to no avail. Pilots who helped maintain the peace can collect their rewards at the Spirit of Laelaps."
"For the coming week, we are working with the Empire to maintain the security operation by offering bounties on all wanted ships. The Empire will also pay generously for extra supplies of animal meat, coffee, fish, fruit and

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A cool Wing Commander II preview in Spanish! Posted by La Abadía del Juego.

This is first news I'd seen about Wing Commander. Here they talked about part 2, and in Spain the first had not even come out. One of the sagas that has affected me the most in all my life.

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Renowned comic and storyboard artist Tim Eldred has posted an awesome article about how he got involved with Wing Commander Academy and how it influenced the rest of his career. It's a combination of being in the right place at the right time as well as having the knack for visualizing the series' key concepts in engaging ways. He's got lots of fun concept art in the piece, including these two glorious shots. We've posted versions of them before without the color, but they really pop here fully illustrated like this.

When I sat down to watch Episode 3 (on a Saturday morning), it was a revelation to see my work on TV for the first time. In addition to what I mentioned earlier, this was also a case where some characters I designed were moving through scenes I created. It looked like I had somehow drawn every frame of this Saturday morning cartoon. I was also surprised to see that some of my shots were

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Leaders from the Alliance, Empire and Federation have agreed a series of minor treaties at the diplomatic gathering in the Sirius system.
Vox Galactica featured this report from political correspondent Conrad Sterling:
"Following days of heated arguments, temperatures in the conference chamber finally cooled enough for all three superpowers to formalise a raft of agreements. These were ratified in person by Chancellor Blaine, President Hudson and Prime Minister Mahon."
"The most significant of these treaties is the Cornelius-Lasky Convention, named after its two leading proponents. This requires the Alliance, Empire and Federation to share information on any large-scale threats to civilian populations, including environmental, medical and xenological crises."
"There has been slow progress on other topics, such as military limitation and border control. Many independent ambassadors are

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Here's a fun Origin advertising pamphlet that you might not have seen if you weren't on Origin's mailing list (like Dan Gheesling was). This brochure went out to promote the holiday lineup on CD. Wing Commander 3 gets top billing, of course, with special mention of the Premiere Edition that was only available via direct sale from EA. A lot of collectors picked theirs up on eBay after the fact without realizing these weren't readily available in stores, although a similar boxed film reel edition was sold at Sam's Club. The reverse side is a System Shock sandwich flanked by Wings of Glory and Bioforge. This sheet represents a magical time in Origin history. The company was no longer held back by the limitations of floppy disks, and they were taking full advantage of the new disc format!

Origin's Holiday CD Line Up is a folded mailer which was sent to registered customers to promote the companys

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ODVS has more big news on the video enhancement front. He's no longer pursuing 4K remasters of WC4 footage, but he reports that 1080p versions are looking better than ever. With the latest iterations of the AI/neural net tools at his disposal, he's reached new heights of quality in the footage. There's less artifacting and crisper lines, but best of all, even traces of uncanny valley in the augmented eyeballs have been virtually eliminated. The technology continues to evolve and there will likely be even further advances in the future, but the clips below are stunning examples of what's possible today.

After much, much experimenting, I've decided to abandon 4K FMV for the remake. My reasons are twofold:

1. The quality improvement over 1080p was neglible at best (it's just asking too much to upscale by 600%)
2. The file weight for all the game's FMV at 4K would have been excessive

When you combine those two

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Delegates at the diplomatic conference have clashed over long-standing political issues, with some threatening to abandon the event.
Journalists at Patterson Enterprise in the Sirius system reported their observations via mainstream newsfeeds.
The Imperial Herald: "Minister Whyte's claim that the Empire had fomented terrorism by repressing Marlinism was somewhat predictable. But nobody expected Princess Duval's icy retort, which caused shocked gasps across the chamber."
Sol Today: "President Hudson easily dealt with Patreus's whine about the Federation's so-called 'war-mongering', putting the bombastic Imp in his place."
Eye on Achenar: "The dull-witted thug of a president was no match for Senator Patreus, who received cheers for his condemnation of typical 'Fedneck' arrogance."
The Alliance Tribune: "The conference's hosts were visibly embarrassed by Councillor Kaine's claims that Coalsack

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Marty2Life is a Wingnut from Germany with a dream to play the original DOS Wing Commander in German. He's been asking questions at the CIC Forums and may have finally overcome the technical hurdles to make it happen. Check out some impressive results from the first mission!

Hello to all the pilots out there.

I'm new to the forum and have known Wing Commander since the beginning of 1990.I played the first part on the Amiga 1200 when I was a child. That was the OCS version.Then the other parts on the PC.

I'm working on my DOSbox fork, which is a mixture of Dosbox-X and Daum (Windows95 and 98 run in my Dosbox). Got all the parts in the Dosbox (yes also the Windows95 versions).Now to my question. Since I am a German user, I would like to translate the PC Wing Commander 1 Dos version and / or the Kilrathi version into German. I have the CD32 (combi with Dangerous Streets).

Before I die, I want to play Wing

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Here's an interesting video by ShivanSPS. It features the mod Wing Commander Saga running on a Raspberry Pi 4. I don't really know much about Raspberry Pies (Pis?), aside from how they're tiny little $35 microcomputers. Freespace 2 and WC Saga aren't new or especially demanding pieces of software by today's standards, but it still seems impressive that they run so well on such a cheap tiny machine. It sounds like these were made to run via FS2_Open and WXlauncher in a 64 bit Ubuntu environment, and instructions on how to get those things going on the Pi can be found here! Let us know if you get it to working on yours.

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Andrea Contato has a great surprise for everyone today. He's allowed us to share the Wing Commander 2 bonus chapter from his new book Through the Moongate, from Wing Commander and Ultima VII to Portalarium. It includes discussion about some of Chris Roberts' initial expectations for the game and draws heavily on extensive interviews with WC2 director Siobhan Beeman. The chapter provides some really helpful insight into how Origin and the game industry worked in the early '90s. You can grab it in PDF format and read for yourself here (350 k). And if you'd like to check out the rest of the book (or part 1 covering the pre-WC days), check out Andrea's shop here.

The Wing Commander II team was not satisfied, however, to simply improve on what they already had. Despite the limited timeline, there was also the intention to add features and expand the gameplay. Siobhan explains:

“We knew we wanted to