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Here's a scene cut from Privateer 2! It's from the main plot (between your visit to the hospital and Taffin Reclamation) and has Lev flying a mission for the police to find the Canera's registration number.
Interestingly, there's a space for this in the game's internal file structure. I wonder if they shot it! I also initially read the 'menace to navigation' line as a Babylon 5 nod... but this predated the B5 finale by several years!
The scene was boarded, too!
Nov
I got curious about one of the transports from Secret Ops; turns out "Kyoto Rose" is a kind of tea! So we ordered some from Amazon to try. And it was just fine! Make your own fun!!!
You can also listen to all of the Kyoto Rose's comm transmissions in the WCPedia Holovids section here!
Jan
GOG is kicking off a belated new year's sale to help you start 2024 with a complete set of digital Wing Commander games! The entire series is on sale, but the exact discount varies. Most titles are 75% off ($1.49), but Armada, Prophecy and Privateer 2 are 65% ($2.09). Hop to it!
Jan
The widescreen Confederation images that we posted last week were a big hit, and now AllTinker is back with a whole set of expanded background plates for Secret Missions 2: Crusade! These include some great Firekkan scenes as well as some well-outfitted Kilrathi. He's got a great eye for continuing out the scene in the style of the original art.
Secret Missions 2 more or less done for now. Not everything is visible here because of animation/parallax in the real deal.
Jan
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And here’s a fascinating Wing Commander I behind-the-screens story I had never heard from Denis Loubet! We alluded to this in our big post about how radar works, but never reported on the original anecdote:
LOAF: Is there anything more thrilling than the Wing Commander I box art? Despite the claim that “what you see is what you play” it’s not a screenshot but a digital piece carefully composed by the incomparable Denis Loubet!Loubet: I invented the radar display as a super-quick way to know which direction to turn to bring a target into view! I think it worked really well.
LOAF: Wow, I had no idea! It felt so natural to me, I could never go back to the Elite-style radar.
Loubet: I had to do some fast-talking to get it in the cockpits! I’m glad I did!
The idea sprang from an idea I had for a flat 360 degree display, where the image got more and more compressed and distorted toward the screen edges
Feb
…We noticed something very special in an unexpected eBay listing about two week ago: an account listing deleted materials from Pinewood Studios which had posted a used copy of the script to "Darkside". Darkside is the little-remembered original name of Privateer 2: The Darkening, the one it had when the live action film shoot began in 1995. Material from behind the screens of Privateer 2 is rare and special so we were anxious to win the auction and scan the script for the community. Luckily, it worked out!
We have previously preserved a nearly-complete Draft 7 script donated by Erin Roberts. This is a slightly earlier Draft 5 script and it is complete, including the introduction missing from the last version. We've noticed a number of other smaller changes (like missions being set at different bars) but have not had time for a thorough comparison yet. Watch this space!
You can download a PDF of the
Jun
…A recent behavioural change in the Thargoids has prompted urgent discussion among Aegis researchers and strategists.
Since the fall of the fourth Titan, Hadad, there are increasing reports that the Thargoid expansion efforts have been growing weaker. While Thargoids are continuing to expand outwards from the Titans, they are no longer reinforcing their spire sites. Further, independent squadrons dedicated to defeating the Thargoid threat like SNPX, AXI, and MUDD, have noted increasing ease in thwarting attempts to probe and invade systems.
Dr. Ivano Colombera, Imperial Science Academy's director of xenological studies and Empire liaison to Aegis, gave their view:
"I have heard the strategy reports touting words like 'weakening Thargoid presence', and I must urge caution. I hypothesise that this change signals a strategic defensive response, not an enemy on their last legs."
"I believe that
Jun
…It's been a good month for fans of Wing Leader! Howard Day has another new ship and a handful of new prototype features to share. First up is the Strakha stealth fighter. It's inspired by Arne's Android Arts sketch of the ship with some additional WC3 elements brought in. Howie's also recorded several videos that show off new features such a cloaking effect to complement the new Strakha. There's also a preliminary communications systems that allow the pilots to talk with each other. On the graphical side, separate visual effects for project impacts against the hull rather than shields have been added, among other similar tweaks that make the gunplay pop.
So now that the Strakha is done, I needed to work on the Cloaking effect. Solution? Cloaking Devices for everyone! Wheee! Eventually, the drive flares will be hidden as well. I also re-figured out how to capture Wingleader properly in 60fps, so I
Aug
The News Collections section is where we package up sets of news updates that follow a specific theme for easier consumption. Here are a few we've just added:
- Point of Origin, the internal newsletter of Origin Systems, Inc. from 1991 to 1998.
- Star*Soldier Gloss, a page-by-page breakdown of Arena's manual.
- Wing Commander Props, a closer look at various objects from the live action shoots.
- And Wing Commander on the 3DO takes a closer look at two remarkable titles.
Previous collections include our memorials for developers and artists that have passed away, an overview of our anniversary updates and the April Fools slates.
Oct
…General: Lifetime Subscription updates: The following unlocks have been added to the Lifetime Subscription perks for Jem’Hadar characters: Veteran uniform options. A Veteran ship material option for Jem’Hadar Starships. The Jem’Hadar Vanguard Heavy Destroyer [T6] and Fleet Jem’Hadar Vanguard Heavy Destroyer [T6]. Note that your character will have to complete the tutorial mission before these perks will become available to your character. For more details, visit the, “Jem'Hadar Veteran Rewards!” blog at: Jem'Hadar Veteran Rewards! | Star Trek Online The ability to buyout the previous Coupon Progress Token Event, which is now called Event Campaign, has been added. Players can access the buyout in the Reputation UI where the old campaign progress is located. Any previous progress while playing Operation Riposte, Crystalline Cataclysm, and The Arena of Sompek
Apr
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I've been staying busy with a little CIC housekeeping. Enjoy a newly-transcribed Wing Commander II development document featuring very early (December 1990) character descriptions! You can find the whole document here.
Wing Commander II Characters is a development document created during the making of Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi. It is dated December 3, 1990 and is an early description of Wing Commander II's characters and their planned story arcs. The document is part of the Warren Spector Papers at the University of Texas at Austin's Briscoe Center for American History (box 2008-091/6).Much of the material planned in the document is significantly different from the finished game including plans for significantly more missions to take place before the arrival of the Concordia. Some of the characters were ultimately cut or referred to only in dialogue; others, like Bear and Minx,
Sep
Last month we reported on the MK Podquest team's exploration of the Warrior King Saga. They spent the summer checking out the various chapters of the bizarre and epic four-part crossover that culminated in Michael Dorn portraying a space viking aboard the Tiger's Claw. Not everyone is into the podcast scene though and some people prefer these types of shows on YouTube. Your requests have been answered, and this episode is now online below. You can also find their commentary on the Warrior King's Street Fighter, Savage Dragon and Mortal Kombat episodes here.
We've reached the end of the Warrior King's journey this week with Wing Commander Academy Episode 8: Recreation, easily the best episode of the crossover hands down. Neal is now fully a Wing Commander guy. Also we messed around with a soundboard on this one so expect a ton of airhorns.
Apr
…The procession of physical Wing Commander models continues! Today we've got a magnificent Border Worlds Avenger torpedo bomber made in Lego by John Nelson. While the ships featured over the last few days have been amazing, the creativity and talent on display here shines through in a unique way. It's quite a constraint to be forced to build within the limits of the physical Lego bricks at your disposal, which makes color-matching to a fighter's particular paint scheme like this super impressive. He's got the silhouette there - and if anything, this version is slightly sleeker than what we saw in Wing Commander 4. The turret is also an especially nice touch! We'd love to see him build more!
Hello. I finally got around to a project I’ve wanted to tackle and that’s making Wing Commander fighters from Legos.My first go was the Border Worlds Avenger. The colors aren’t perfect and the proportions
Jun
…A summary of key events around the rise and fall of the tri-superpower organisation Aegis.
The Alliance, Empire and Federation created Aegis in 3303 to lead xenological research and coordinate defensive actions against the Thargoids. With fears that the alien species might one day overwhelm human-controlled space, Aegis's role was to spearhead the resistance against a common enemy.
There were concerns that Aegis might adopt the same unethical practices as its notorious predecessor INRA, which had been formed back in 3125 during the First Thargoid War. But the new agency was welcomed by most, providing intelligence on Thargoid activity as well as advanced weapons.
Since capital ships were vulnerable to the Thargoid shutdown field, Aegis soon had no choice but to rely heavily on independent pilots to perform ship-to-ship combat. And despite its effectiveness at coordinating defence, it was
Aug
NakaKen has an incredible creation to share! He's been building the TCS Tiger's Claw in Space Engineers, the game that gives you the building blocks to put together your own intricate spaceships! The new video below is a fly through that shows off all of the amazing little aspects of the design. From afar, the ship almost gives off some WC Arena Battlecruiser vibes. This is super cool as is, but it gets even more amazing when you go inside. There's a fully fleshed out flight deck stocked with Hornets on elevators. They can launch through the main bay or out the side ports. Digging in a little further, there's a bar with a TrainSim, a red light briefing room and more! What fabulous attention to detail. You can download the blueprint/mod for the ship at the Steam Workshop here.
There are also multiple videos that show off the construction process necessary to get this far:
May
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The crowdfunding campaign for the Deluxe vinyl pressing of the WING COMMANDER score is in full swing, and the project has now passed 25% of its goal with more than $3800 pledged so far. To get even more fans to join in on the excitement, if a few more people add to the total this weekend and get us over $5000, LOAF will do a live Wing Commander Movie commentary.
The Wing Commander vinyl record campaign is at 25%! To sweeten the pot in absolutely no way, I’ll do a Twitter Space watch-along of the movie if we get to $5k this weekend.The $75 Deluxe Edition seems to be the most popular so far, but a standard LP is just $35! Learn more about the project here.
Supercade's exclusive new LP editions of the Wing Commander Orchestral Recording Project will mark the first time George Oldziey's orchestral score is available on vinyl. Working with a celebrated independent record press, we'll be sure these records
Jun
…There have been some new developments with the Peacock service this month, and this could affect your access to stream Wing Commander Academy. As you know, Peacock added WCA to its slate of shows back in 2020. Although the series is readily available on DVD for cheap, there are a handful of improvements that make the streaming edition arguably superior, including better music/voice sound balance. A few items fixed on disc were not incorporated, however, and you can read all about these differences here. In 2021 a countdown appeared that implied the show would be moving to a higher paid tier, but this was soon dialed back. The ticker has now reappeared, which suggests it may only remain in its current form until the end of the month. Presumably, the show would remain in either the Premium or possibly Premium Plus category.
On a very much related note, there have also been some big changes in who
Jun
…Rostov, huh? Guess they didn’t save the Ralari.
In a weird coincidence, the Wing Commander III novelization also names the TCS Victory’s bartender Rostov and makes him a shameless Space Russian in the grand tradition of Ensign Chekov.
There is a lot to talk about here. For one, isn't it odd that they just borrowed Shotglass' setup from Wing Commander I? Is every bartender in the fleet a wounded veteran?
I'll let folks with actual culture decide if "Dmitry Rostov" is a terrible made up Russian name but it certainly is an odd coincidence (?) that it's the same name as a system from WC1... which I can confirm was all over the series bible provided to Forstchen and Keith.
On the other hand, the TCS Leningrad reference is a very deep cut. It's from a brief mention in Freedom Flight where Hobbes reminisces about the time he destroyed it.
But just the implication that a ship named after a Russian city would
Aug
…An independent explorer has reported an unusual incident involving a Thargoid vessel, hundreds of light years away from the ongoing invasion.
Commander Renia Rakowski told her story to Vox Galactica:
"I'd been gathering exploration data for weeks without seeing another soul. Boring, I know, but I like a quiet life. As I jumped out of the Wregoe GA-X B3-0 system, my ship rocked violently and I panicked, thinking the hyperdrive had failed. I barely saw it at first, black against the black of space, until its outline glowed. A Thargoid interceptor. Just like on the newsfeeds, but right outside my canopy."
"I've never been in combat before, and my ship carries no weapons anyway, so I thought this was the end of me. My heart was drumming as I stared at the alien, and it stared back like some giant lidless eye. A writhing light lashed out, this rasping howl came over the comms, and then… it left.
Oct
…As we mentioned last month, LOAF, AD and team are working through an exhaustive overhaul to the CIC's original video archive. Our Holovids video index was pretty great for its time, but this takes the concept to an entirely different level. Right off the bat, you can see how branching plot choices work along with alternate video clips and dialogue script. With that text, you can understand exactly what was being said, even through the muffled parts. Alternate language French, German and Spanish editions are also included as are alternate quality sources where available. Plus, there are an enormous number of behind-the-scenes clips, deleted scenes, reviews and more. Want an extensive array of print reviews? That's included too! If that wasn't enough, a complete rundown of in-flight comms from both the story and gameplay are now available. Incredible! Today's update is all about Privateer 2,
