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GOG.com is starting to rollout their annual Spring Sale, and Wing Commander has gotten a nice price cut across the board. In order to keep things interesting, rather than a straight 75% off each title, Prophecy, Armada and Privateer 2 are each marked down 65%. Happy Wing Commandering!
Apr
…Adm_Maverick has a very cool new model project to share! He's souped up a printable model of the Vampire and is making some very cool modifications to it. It's much larger than the original source and the engine pods rotate. As you can see from the pictures below, he's also adding lights so that the engines even glow! The sections that are complete so far look great. You can see more of the subcomponents come together with step-by-step captions at the CIC Forums here.
There comes a point in any project where you look at your in-progress work and you see the work coming together that you’re like “okay… this is looking friggen awesome!” Here is that moment with the Vampire model:
I decided to something crazy and I took the Vampire figure from Thingverse, and upscaled it to produce a roughly 14" long model. Now because of the size of my resin printer, I had to break the model down into segments. But
Apr
Display More*Pilots' Federation Alert*
Titan Oya is under siege. This is an urgent call to all independent pilots to aid in the complete defeat of the third Titan.
The key modules for the assault continue to be readily available at all Rescue Megaships:
• Thargoid Pulse Neutraliser – To break through the maelstrom defence wave.
• Caustic Sink Launchers – To protect your ship from caustic effects of the maelstrom.
• Guardian Nanite Torpedo Pylon – To hamper the Titan's vents and make it vulnerable to damage.
Rewards have been requisitioned for all Commanders able to participate in ending the Titan threat.
Good luck, Commanders.
Oct
…Our new poll asks about some of the most underappreciated games in the series. The "A-games" are all considered secondary titles, but each one fills a significant niche. We pulled Privateer from the list since it routinely gets plenty of accolades, but Privateer 2 has its own pros and cons that affect its popularity. There are also quite a few much lesser known ports that are remarkable in their own way. Prophecy Advance took a modern 3D accelerated game and managed to fit it on a tiny 2003 vintage handheld cart. Sega CD's version of WC1 includes full speech, Super Wing Commander is a complete revamp of the original and the 3DO port of WC3 has a slew of new missions, weapons and gameplay dynamics to suit the console. We think every game on this list deserves more credit, but you can just pick one this time around!
The old birthday poll asked when fans first arrived at the CIC. Once again, the
Oct
…Sometimes exploration of new ideas and new technologies leads to dark places. In Star Trek, we’ve seen many a cautionary tale about omniscient supercomputers, time travel, genetic manipulation, and telepathic oppression. The pursuit of knowledge isn’t always safe or pretty. Hearts and Minds is a mini-mission that explores the consequences of some unconventional research gone awry. This mission is a “story in one act,” so you can easily finish it in a quick play session, and it’s easy to complete it with any additional characters that you may have on your account – which is handy, because the mission offers a special reward. Since Hearts and Minds is a horror story, it will only be around for Friday the 13th, whenever that may fall on the calendar – and perhaps another sufficiently horrifying day that we might choose! Fortunately for the squeamish, Hearts and Minds is creepy, but not
Dec
…Cryptic Studios is proud to participate in the Extra Life Charity Gaming Event once more! On December 7 and 8, from 10am to 10pm Pacific Time, Cryptic Developers will be playing video, tabletop, and board games live to raise money in support of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals! You can tune in on Cryptic’s Twitch Channel, win in-game prizes, and donate to help children in need! Take a look at our schedule and see below for more details on the event and prizes! You don’t have to wait for the event to donate! Click here to donate right now! PRIZES & DONATIONS During the livestream, players can donate in support of Extra Life. For Neverwinter, there are 7 donation tiers where players will receive in-game codes for the tier they donate in and any tier below. Please note that prizes are subject to change and can be replaced by an item of equal or greater value.
Oct
Content: Resolved an issue that could prevent completion of the mission “Frozen” based on certain choices made during the mission. Systems: Jem'Hadar Vanguard Heavy Destroyer [T6]: Resolved an issue that was causing the Vanguard Wingmen to not be present on while flying this ship Resolved an issue that prevented the Admiralty Ships from being usable by Klingon-aligned Jem’Hadar. Resolved an issue that prevented the ship’s stats from scaling with Structural Integrity, Shield Capacity, and Impulse Expertise boosts. Resolved an issue that caused Hangar Pets to have worse stats while at two stars than at one star. Resolved an issue that prevented the Polaron Beam Turret kit module from making sound when firing.
Jan
Destiny's Way is back! DsW is the in-universe magazine of the Wing Commander Flat Universe project. It's the first issue since 2016, and it's actually a retro edition that turns the clock back from 2681 to 2654. The cover and lead article involve a fascinating story about a captured Jalthi. There'a also some immersive propaganda and a discussion on tactics. Grab the full issue here (3 meg PDF) and find back issues at Daedalus Station.
Time to wipe out some dust... Go and grab a copy WingNuts!Have Fun!
Mar
…EmuMusicFan has continued to experiment with and refine his art style for the Kilrathi characters he's sketched out of Wing Commander Action Stations. Here's a few different techniques employed on Baron Vakka nar Ki'ra. And while at first it might look like this guy could pass for any noble Kilrathi, Emu has put a lot of thought into how the look exemplifies the attributes of each character. Some of his rationale is included below!
When reading certain scenes of Action Stations, I really feel that this book depicts the Kilrathi as a relatively complex civilization, not just a simple fierce brutal race. There are complex relationships and politial issues among the clans. So I am trying to imply different feelings to different characters.Let's see Gilkarg and his two sons, Ratha and Thrakhath. These three characters are definitely villains. But they are not the same. Gilkarg's actual military ability
Nov
…Comchia recently shared some eye-popping screenshots of the EGA version of Wing Commander 2. WC2 is well known as a gorgeous game with lush colors and beautiful art, but not everyone in 1991 was able to appreciate its high end VGA graphics. Everyone with a high powered system quickly switched over to the 256 color option, but some fans were limited to just 16 simultaneous colors. It's pretty shocking how limited this was, however it's equal parts impressive that the artists were able to squeeze so much graphical fidelity out with such limitations. There's very little EGA Wing Commander content online these days. I've added an EGA WC1 video below so you can get a sense of what everything looked like in motion. It really makes you appreciate how far we've come!
Some screens of the EGA version of Wing Commander II. I'm used to seeing this game in the far more colourful VGA version, but I'm still
Mar
…*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
Plans for a new mining initiative by Taurus Mining Ventures in the Synuefe CE-R c21-6 system have been announced.
The corporation's megaship Heart of Taurus has been conducting scientific studies on 'unusual radioactive signatures' within the system. The next phase of this work is to identify mineable resources to learn more about the radiation's effects.
Dr Ruben Carpenter, head of the Taurus Mining Ventures research division, provided an update:
"The source of the radiation found in Synuefe CE-R c21-6 has not yet been unidentified. But our team has theorised that naturally occurring ores in the system may have altered properties. If we are correct, that ore may have high commercial value once processed into usable metals and minerals."
A public statement was delivered by Commodore Morag Halloran:
"It is paramount that we maintain positive relations with the
Mar
…*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
The Reorte Pro-Alliance League's success over the Reorte Mining Coalition means the system will stay in the Alliance.
A greater quantity of advanced medicines, skimmer components and building fabricators were delivered to the Trobairitz megaship than to the opposing faction. As a result, Reorte will remain an Allied system.
Pilots who contributed to the Reorte Pro-Alliance League's initiative can now collect their rewards at the Trobairitz, along with the additional pre-engineered heat sink modules provided by Sirius Corporation.
Chief Administrator Louisa Leblanc proclaimed:
"I am deeply grateful to all those who helped convince our people that Reorte's future is more secure with the Alliance. We look forward to working alongside Sirius Corporation on increasing defences against the Thargoids."
The Reorte Mining Coalition's CEO Fergus Cassidy expressed his regret
Mar
…*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
Taurus Mining Ventures has requested help with a mining and delivery operation in the Synuefe CE-R c21-6 system.
In recent weeks, the mining corporation has performed research on what it claims are atypical radiation signatures detected within Synuefe CE-R c21-6. It now seeks shipments of the system's native ores to explore commercially valuable applications of any molecular changes caused by this radiation.
Dr Ruben Carpenter, head of the company's research division, outlined the initiative:
"I'm very excited to offer pilots this opportunity to support our scientific studies, which will hopefully prove lucrative for all involved. We require coltan, lithium hydroxide and methanol monohydrate crystal to be mined from locations within Synuefe CE-R c21-6 and delivered to the Heart of Taurus megaship."
"We will also pay for shipments of the same ores that have been mined
Sep
…The Federal Intelligence Agency has warned of heightened interest in the Far God cult and groups considered sympathetic to the Thargoids.
Deputy Director Bethany Blake, who runs the Proactive Detection Bureau, delivered a public statement:
"We have confirmed a significant increase in communications between local chapters of the Far God religious order, which includes the sharing of unverified xenological data. The Thargoids' victory in HIP 22460 seems to have caused unprecedented excitement among the cultists. At present, there is no evidence that they pose any danger to the public. However, we are concerned by a recent increase in citizens abandoning their conventional lifestyles to join the cult."
"We have also noted the rising popularity of a civil movement that advocates diplomatic relations with the Thargoids. This rhetoric is being promoted by several high-profile media figures. There is
Apr
Today I'd like to share a few of EmuMusicFan's latest Kilrathi sketches. We've got several soccer themed pictures first. I can imagine that the inspiration for these began around the World Cup time, but I'll also point out that they arrived just in time for the new season of Ted Lasso. We also get a bonus Firekkan in the stands. There's a couple of buff shots of Ralgha and Jahkai as well!
"In the last minute of extra time, the goalkeeper made the save!"
Jun
Here are the amazing takeoff and landing sprites from the original Wing Commander. Along with the cockpits these were absolutely essential in establishing the player's ship in their head (and showing-not-telling damage after a mission!).
Here are the Wing Commander II versions:
This is an interesting comparison to the WC2 landing art, the similar (but decidedly different) side views used for the eject cutscenes. They didn't do these for the new ships in the mission disks!
And here's the kind of detail that makes a Chris Roberts game special: when the cockpit slides open you can see just a little strip of the tan cockpit... which matches the side view you have in flight!
You can download a reference pack with dozens of cockpit images from WC1, WC2, WC3, Academy, Armada and Privateer here!
Jul
…*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
Traces of a distress call from the Dedicant megaship have been detected in the LP 714-58 system.
Vice Admiral Amir Rafiq, a spokesperson for the Imperial Navy, broadcast an announcement on all public channels:
"An Imperial scout ship travelling through LP 714-58 has intercepted several fragmentary signals. Their identifying markers confirmed that they originated from the Dedicant. We believe there has been an encryption error in the system's communication beacons, which prevented the distress call from being rerouted to its intended destination in the Federation."
"Officially, the Imperial Navy no longer performs joint operations with our Federal counterparts. Nor do we involve ourselves in the activities of the illegal Far God cult. Nevertheless, we are sharing this information as a humanitarian gesture. Our hope is that this may aid a rescue mission for those
Aug
Aug
We've moved into August, and now it's just two weeks until the CIC's 25th Birthday Party! You can join in and celebrate with everyone on Saturday, August 19. We'll be hosting a huge bash in Discord #Wingnut. Discord has rolled out quite a few new features over the last year, and we'll be trying some of them out with the large group. The main event gets going at 7:00 pm EDT (4:00 pm PDT and 11:00 pm GMT). Hope to see you there!
Sep
…Starfield isn't even fully out yet, but those who purchase one of the premium editions have been able to play for the last few days. We've already seen lots of interest from Wing Commander fans, including the first designs inspired by Wing Commander ships!
One of the very first is a vessel based on the Banshee from Wing Commander 4, built by Chris Kabigting. You might recall that he was also one of the initial modders to create WC ships in Rebel Galaxy Outlaw among other projects. While these might not be pixel-perfect recreations of the originals, keep in mind that they are not conventional 3D models. This is what fans have been able to accomplish in just a day or two using the in-game ship customizer tools, which is amazing!
Here's another that is a great first attempt at a Kamrani corvette from LordTyrranus!
If you haven't kept up with the game otherwise, here's a trailer with what it looks like!
