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Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Here's the nav map from the original Wing Commander. That "Sector: Vega XR-231.3" is my favorite kind of texture... you know what the Vega Sector is and you assume the designation makes sense to the character; the world is implied to have history and rules beyond what you see.

Unfortunately, the mission disks let us down by not changing it (they're set in the Deneb and Antares sectors, respectively). The name is stored in WC.EXE so it couldn't easily be changed for Thor's Hammer... while Secret Missions 2 is probably a case of just forgetting about it.

HOWEVER! We have to again praise the Mindscape team that did the SNES ports... they thought to swap it to XR-41.8 for The Secret Missions. Which is not only right, it continues the implication that there's some sector classification system we don't understand.

The folks adapting Super Wing Commander, on the other hand, solved the problem the opposite way:

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

George Sanger, aka The Fat Man, has just announced the immediate release of his Wing Commander I Complete Original Soundtrack: "MT-32 Archival Edition." Way back in 2007, George put out a fantastic album of WC1 music known as Wing One, and it's been on our highly recommended list ever since. This new edition scrubs Fat's archives for a complete reckoning of all the music in the game. Today's release clocks in with 55 tracks and 85 minutes of audio - compared to 27 tracks and 34 minutes in the original release fifteen years ago.

You can stream the entire album below or listen to all of the individual tracks at the publisher Xeen's YouTube Channel. I'm listening right now and it's wonderful! You can also buy a digital copy for $10 at Bandcamp to get access to high quality downloadable files - or just thank the team for their continuing commitment to Wing Commander! When you check out, there's a

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Here's another video that I wasn't at all expecting but am very happy to see. ODVS has further branched out from the core WC FMV games and has created an impressive 4K 60 FPS enhancement to the cutscenes included with Freelancer. There aren't very many, which helped make the work pretty manageable. All of the prerendered portions look fantastic. The engine-rendered bits show the limitation of the models used at the time, but everything still gets a very nice upgrade here.

Freelancer was made by Chris Roberts and a number of Wing Commander vets out of Digital Anvil. Cruising around its open Sirius Sector sandbox was a popular pastime for quite a few Wingnuts through the mid 2000s. Maximize your window and make sure the 4K stream is selected to see the full effect below!

Freelancer: not directly Wing Commander-related, but it is a Chris Roberts game... so maybe a Wing Commander cousin?

Anyway, I was

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots Federation ALERT*
Large amounts of food commodities have been delivered to the Marlinist Colonies.
Multiple shipments of animal meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, and grain were transported to Stillman Hub. Messages of gratitude were broadcast from all the Marlinist factions, which have distributed these vital supplies across the eight colony systems.
The Free Marlinists of Carinae also issued bounty vouchers for wanted ships, in order to protect the deliveries. Contributing pilots can now collect their rewards from Stillman Hub in the HIP 22550 system.
In related news, the first Marlinist Parliament has been democratically elected. The respected community leader Dr Jenna Fairfax was chosen by a majority public vote to be First Minister. In a public address, she said:
"This path was not chosen by us, but our people have turned Marlin Duval's ideology into a functioning republican

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Here’s the Union of Border Worlds’ Avenger torpedo bomber! The Avenger was introduced in Wing Commander IV as a flyable ship.

The Avenger was named in honor of the TBF Avenger, also a carrier-based torpedo plan. In lore it was said to have been built by Saab Engineering, a nod to Origin 3D artist Pauline Saab.

The Avenger made one more appearance in the Wing Commander canon: a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo as a renegade shuttle in the second episode of Academy. You can see the scale is way off: compare the 33-meter Avenger to what should be 28-meter Dralthi parked nearby!

Here’s the original concept sketch for Wing Commander IV!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

LOAF found a great mention from a game design document for the original Wing Commander a while back. It includes a previously unspecified last name for Shotglass. He is listed as Major Sam Walker (retired). Previous speculation had guessed his last name could be Siegler after mention of his cousin in The Secret Missions. As interesting as this is, it's not necessarily the final official word since Colonel Halcyon's name is listed as Walter rather than Peter. And although not new information at this point, the references to Dart and Joker (who later became Hunter and Maniac) are fun inclusions as well. Anyhow, for anyone out there writing Shotglass fan fiction or for folks involved in the creation of a future WC product, keep "Walker" in mind!

Another fascinating discovery for WC fans: Shotglass' last name!

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

As the first week of the Alliance Festival of Culture draws to a close, Lave residents have shared mixed feelings about the decision to stage the opening ceremony in their home system.

"Clearly this was a political gesture from Edmund Mahon," said Grady Chen, an independent journalist speaking at Lave Station. "An independent faction rules Lave now. There was military conflict here just last year. Yet we have Alliance leaders trying to garner support despite losing control of the system. It's blatant propaganda."

Sarai Messemer, a financial consultant, offered a different opinion when interviewed in The Orange Sidewinder. "Lave has been an Alliance system for decades. We lived by the Alliance's ethos for a couple of generations, y'know? Sure, we've got Lave Radio in control of the system now but that doesn't change who we are, or what makes us Lavians."

A spokesperson for Lave Radio, Dr Allen

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
The engineer Ram Tah has discovered a method of immunising existing Guardian modules against the effects of anti-Guardian fields.
Earlier this year, Ram Tah discovered that certain Guardian relics revealed and activated nanite clusters when exposed to specific electromagnetic frequencies. These nanites proved disruptive to Thargoid technology on a molecular level and, importantly, were entirely unaffected by anti-Guardian fields unlike other Guardian technology.
In an urgent press conference, Aegis leadership announced a breakthrough in researching that latter quality.
The following statement was given by Professor Alba Tesreau:
"Our knowledge of the Thargoids' ancient adversary, the Guardians, is still so very limited, and yet Guardian technology has once again paved a way forward for humanity."
"We urge pilots to use the modifications we are producing to utilise

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots' Federation Alert*
Titan Leigong is under siege. This is an urgent call to all independent pilots to aid in the complete defeat of a second 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.

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Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Privateer 2's spaceflight has an interesting design where each ship model has just one set of textures... but they are designed to change their appearance based on which of ten or so palettes are selected.

The odd thing is that it's barely used! Each faction has a distinct livery that it uses this to display... but the game itself never actually changes them so you end up only ever seeing each ship with just one look.

I'm not sure why it works this way at all, but it sure is cool to go back and see familiar ships in other colors!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

This week I learned that there was a fully localized South Korean release of Wing Commander 3! Which means you’re all going to have the option to play WC3 in Korean soon. French, German and Japanese are well documented but this one stayed hidden until now. Here's a quick sample!

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
Aegis has requested materials to construct sub-surface extraction missiles that recover imprisoned humans from the Titans.
Professor Alba Tesreau, head of Aegis, announced:
"Using blueprints provided by Sirius Corporation, engineering teams have worked around the clock to modify sub-surface displacement munitions. These adaptations enable the projectiles to breach sections of the Titans' hulls and jettison the bio-storage capsules embedded within."
"We could spend the next few months in a testing cycle, and ideally that would be the case – but lives are at risk and we can't be sure how much time our missing have. Therefore, we have approved mass production of these sub-surface extraction missiles. Industrial materials are urgently needed to establish assembly centres, so that we can distribute them as rapidly as possible."
Princess Aisling Duval, who is coordinating

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
Requests for tissue samples obtained from the Thargoid Titans have been made by Aegis and Azimuth Biotech.
Leon Banerjee, science correspondent for Vox Galactica, reported on the rival initiatives:
"The Titans offer a tremendous opportunity for xenological research, but carry equally significant risks. These involve passing through the Maelstroms' caustic clouds and energy barriers, avoiding Thargoid patrols, and escaping with tissue samples intact. Only the most determined pilots would undertake such missions, and the two leading anti-xeno organisations seek to attract these individuals with considerable payouts."
"There are numerous unique materials identified so far. In this campaign, both Aegis and Azimuth Biotech are looking to acquire a large stock of tissue samples. These are recovered using research limpets at various points on the Titan's architecture,

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

The aptly named Tiger Claw TV YouTube channel has done a review of an interesting bootleg "100 in 1" SNES cartridge from AliExpress. It contains the ROMS of a hundred Super Nintendo games, including Wing Commander: The Secret Missions. It looks like this dates back to 2021 and just includes the standalone expansion sequel. We don't necessarily encourage piracy, but we do like finding Wing Commander in crazy places! You can jump to 4:35 for the SM part.

SNES Multicart from AliExpress

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The Marlinist Colonies are struggling to survive the harsh realities of independence while preparing for the impact of the Thargoid war.
An editorial in The Marlin Standard summarised their situation:
"In recent months, our noble goal of building a Marlinist Republic has been harshly curtailed. Many of the original eight colony systems, among them the capital Concordia, are now dominated by outsiders including Federal and Sirius-aligned corporations. We have survived persecution, civil war and terrorism, only to find our people exploited by the opportunism of neighbouring factions."
In the Empire, the prevalent viewpoint is that the Marlinists are suffering the consequences of their own actions. As Senator Arturo Durant remarked: "They voted to reject the Emperor's offer to become an Imperial protectorate, so now they must pay the price."
Compounding this is the increasing danger posed by the

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Trillionaire entrepreneur Zachary Rackham has launched his campaign to be elected as Federal president in the forthcoming election.
He outlined several policies during a press event in the tropospheric suite of Rackham's Spire on the planet Homeland:
"As I see it, the job of president is to help ordinary, hard-working people from humble backgrounds – just like me. So I pledge to reduce all civil taxes and public service fees, and boost government funding for business grants and commercial opportunities. Let's make everyone rich and successful – just like me!"
Mr Rackham is running for the position of Federal president as an independent candidate and claims support from several corporate interests including Rackham Capital Investments. His manifesto has triggered a surge in popularity, with several high-profile celebrities promoting his campaign slogan: 'Just Like Me'.
However, economists have

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

AD reports that GalaxyCon is hosting another virtual autograph event with a Wing Commander star! Back in 2021, they had an arrangement with Freddie Prinze Jr that included the option to buy autographed WC posters. A similar deal is now running for Matthew Lillard. This time the the artwork has been updated: the Blair offer used the newer blue-tinted "DVD reprint" art while this is the original theatrical poster for Maniac. There are several options ranging from an 8x10" photo for $85, 11x17" mini posters for $100 or custom items that you send for $95-115. Send Ins need to be figured out by March 5, but you have until March 16 to order one of their WC photos or posters. This is a very cool opportunity for autograph collectors!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Here's one you might never notice: Privateer has four different gameflow backgrounds for the ship dealers! New Constantinople (stripe), Oxford (wood floor), New Detroit (darker wall) and everything else!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

We are sad to report the passing of a veteran Wing Commander actor. Earl Boen, who voiced two characters in the first episode of Wing Commander Academy, passed away on January 3 at age 81 after a battle with lung cancer. Mr. Boen is best known for his appearances in the first three Terminator films as psychologist Dr. Silberman who continually finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time with regards to futuristic android appearances. Gamers know him best as the voice of Ghost Pirate LeChuck through most of the storied Monkey Island series (he had retired from acting just prior to development of the recent Return to Monkey Island). He was beloved throughout the entertainment industry, appearing in dozens and dozens of roles in every medium imaginable. You can read more about his career in this Variety article.

Mr. Boen guest starred in the first episode of Wing Commander Academy, "Red and Blue",

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

With 2022 now firmly in the rear view mirror, our last task is to conduct the annual CIC Fan Project of the Year contest! I hesitate to frame it as a competition, since everyone who contributed to these efforts and more are really all working to improve the fan community together. Nevertheless, we like doing this to recognize a small handful of amazing endeavors that brightened the landscape over the past year. Read up on the nominees below, and then scroll down to vote!

• Challenge Coins - ZOmegaZ’s successful 2021 crowdfunding campaign resulted in these beautiful trinkets in 2022! He took fan feedback to balance the sizes of the ships in the design and the results turned out great.
• elend’s Physical Models - elend is a master craftsman and his recently completed Dralthi model is high professional grade art. It belongs in a museum!
• Emulation Technology - Whether getting DOS games to run on Linux, Mac WC