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Every week, designers, engineers and other developers from our five offices around the world answer backer questions submitted on SPECTRUM and voted on by YOU.
You can submit your questions for consideration in future episodes of Calling All Devs here.
And for info on becoming a subscriber, go to: Subscriptions - Roberts Space Industries | Follow the development of Star Citizen and Squadron 42
Sep
…The Star Trek Online Team is pleased to bring back the Breach Special Event. For the special event version of the Breach, Captains will be flying a streamlined route into and out of the Voth Fortress. From September 6th 8:00AM PST to September 27th at 10:00AM PST, Captains between levels 50-65 can queue up for our 5-captain “Breach Event” to defeat the Voth City Ship and earn one Voth Operative Transmission every 20 hours. After collecting 14 Voth Operative Transmissions, players can complete a new Event Reputation project to be rewarded with 50,000 Dilithium Ore, 500 Fleet Marks, 250 Marks of their choice, and a Bio-Engineered Furiadon Combat pet. Completing this project on any character will unlock this new Combat Pet for all characters across your account. Your other characters can also complete the project to receive the Marks and Dilithium Ore. The Bio-Engineered Furiadon Combat Pet can
Sep
…Star Trek Online is featured in Star Trek Discovery: The Official Companion magazine, out today! Get your hands on a copy of the magazine to see a full page spread on STO, and to get a code for awesome rewards! Each copy of The Official Companion comes with a code to get the Discovery Uniform in game, three Phoenix Prize Packs, a Large XP Boost, and a Tier 1 Constitution Class starship! Star Trek: Discovery: The Official Companion magazine is the ultimate guide to the making of the smash hit series. Episode by episode, the companion delves behind the scenes of the show, charting the triumphs and challenges of the first season – from script to production design to visual effects – as related by key creative personnel from both sides of the camera. Featuring interviews with and commentary by Executive Producers Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts, Production Designer Tamara Deverell, Costume
Sep
The first three German translations of the Wing Commander novels used the same Paul Alexander paintings commissioned by Baen as their covers. Starting with Heart of the Tiger, however, the publisher began using 'slush' artwork that they happened to own the rights to reuse. As a result, four books were published with covers initially used by (and created for) for other works. The first two unlikely sources were discovered in 2015 and now a third has been located!
The German cover to Heart of the Tiger (Book 4) is a painting by Romas Kukalis originally appeared in 1993 as the cover to Turning Point by Lisanne Norman, the first book in the Sholan Alliance series. The German publisher mirrored the image, making it more difficult to search for mechanically! With this discovery, the remaining unidentified cover is the translation of the Peter Telep film adaptation.
Sep
Display MoreThis report presents the latest data on starports experiencing technical issues as a result of Thargoid Sensor related interference.
The following starports are currently closed:
Abetti Platform, Ross 1051
George Lucas, Leesti
Napier Station, HIP 94863
Chaviano Dock, Hapats
Sinisalo Holdings, HIP 18305
Thirsk Enterprise, Montet
Meanwhile, the following starports are on the brink of closure:
Alexandria Dock, Chanab
Alexeyev Hub, HIP 36485
Extra Refinery, Azrael
Matheson Prospect, 45 Tauri
Rond d'Alembert Lab, HIP 88595
Wheelock Ring, Zavijah
Sep
…Introducing Tier VI Reputations! We’re excited to announce a new addition to our reputation system, Tier VI! With the new Tier comes new powerful and useful rewards. Our Tier VI additions focused on expanding on an already extensive number of options for Captains. Things such as, alternate energy type weapons, new vanity shield coloration options and improved reputation traits are some of the rewards you can expect. We didn’t want to just give power and variety though. With the release of Tier VI reputations we will also be streamlining the process of reputation sponsorship. Reaching Tier V of any reputation will now automatically sponsor that reputation for your account. That’s not all though, for every Tier 6 reputation that a player achieves they will be able to claim a Fleet Ship Module and a Retrain Token. We didn’t want to give all of these options without making it easier to try
Sep
…Who says print is dead? In 2669, Major Todd "Maniac" Marshall, eternal teenager, still has a stash of printed pornography in his locker. When you chat with him in the barracks during the Blackmane series he takes a break from reading an issue of 'Playpen' magazine to tease Blair about flirting with Rachel. Is Playpen something created for Wing Commander III or is it the real 1980s magazine it appears to be? (And if the former is the case, why didn't they use the already-established Playboy parody "Plaything (tm)" from Privateer?)
Long story short: it's not real AND it wasn't created by the prop department. There are often legal issues involved with showing real products on television and in film. Take a close look at any popular sitcom and you'll find that what look like real groceries, magazines, books and posters are actually careful knockoffs that resemble (but are legally distinct from) familiar
Sep
…When Colonel Blair is first introduced to 2nd Lt. Mitchell "Vaquero" Lopez in the Orsini series of Wing Commander III, Vaquero is strumming a guitar and explains that guitars are an important part of his history: "But my family, they made guitars for many generations. I’ve got one that’s almost two hundred years old. The sound just keeps getting richer... Someday I’m going to open a cantina and bring in the best to play that guitar. A place for old fighter jocks like you and me."
There's just one thing odd about this: while Vaquero may have a guitar that dates back to the middle of the 25th century stored safely at home the one he's happily playing in the lounge is over seven hundred years old! The guitar used as a prop in the game is a Gibson SG Junior Cherry from the 1960s. The Gibson SG Junior is a solid-bodied electric guitar intended as a lower cost alternative to the Gibson SG. If you're
Sep
…This is the first in a series of updates identifying props used in Wing Commander's various live action productions. Movie productions typically use a range of props: some (like Kilrathi masks and laser rifles) are fabricated specially for an individual shoot, some (like whirring computer consoles and background decorations) are rented from companies that build generic props that can be adapted to different productions and then reused and sometimes 'real world' items can be used.
The latter is the case today. In Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger, 1st Lt. Laurel "Cobra' Buckley fastidiously sharpens an ugly utility knife, apparently a symbol of the psychological damage she has previously suffered as a Kilrathi prisoner of war. Interestingly, Cobra's knife is not specified in the Wing Commander III shooting script and thus is never mentioned in the game's adaptation (like most novelizations, the
Sep
…Here are this week's major stories.
Independent pilots have engaged a previously unseen type of Thargoid vessel in both the Pleiades Nebula and the core systems. Admiral Aden Tanner, Aegis's chief military liaison, confirmed that the new ship – classified as the Hydra – is a variant of the Thargoid Interceptor.
Federal President Zachary Hudson has announced that Aegis Core is to relocate from Socho to the Federal home system of Sol. The move is a response to the criminal occupation of the Socho system, which led to the temporary immobilisation of Aegis's Eagle Eye network, a system of orbital installations designed to determine potential Thargoid attack sites.
Engineer Ram Tah has detected unusual energy signatures in the NGC 2451A sector, the IC 2391 sector and the Synuefe EN-H region. While the precise nature of the signals is unclear, Ram Tah has encouraged independent pilots to
Aug
Salty Starfarers, CIG goes to Gamescom, off to the Scramble Races, and color one’s wheels in this week’s update.
Aug
Display MoreJump Point Now Available!
Attention development subscribers: the August 2018 issue of Jump Point is now available in your subscription area. You’ll learn about the development of the RSI Apollo, meet the team working on the all-new racing mechanic, learn about the Tumbril Cyclone and more!
Interested in becoming a development subscriber? You can learn more here.
Aug
Aug
…Maddox Hurd, owner of Herculean Machines, has publicly dismissed the efforts of rival company Supratech. Both companies are currently developing new computer designs.
Mr Hurd referred directly to Supratech's forthcoming product, the Torc, while addressing the media:
"There's a reason Herculean has never explored the concept of wearable devices – it's a ridiculous idea! I bet a million credits that those fragile gizmos will break, or their holograms will start glitching, the moment you turn them on."
"If you want a reliable piece of tech, you need the Duradrive. Believe me, our device will keep on working whatever you throw at it…and even if you throw it."
When invited to comment, Supratech CEO Scorpio DeVorrow responded:
"It's regrettable that those with a clear vision of the future are often denigrated by individuals of limited imagination. We offer an elegant and revolutionary approach to
Aug
…Alliance President Gibson Kincaid has confirmed he will campaign for re-election in October.
Addressing the media, President Kincaid also said he wanted to make significant changes to the Alliance constitution:
"The role of Alliance president is largely ceremonial. I believe that should change. I have been lobbying to invest the position with executive powers, over and above the prime minister and the Assembly. By streamlining our bureaucracy, we can make decisions as efficiently as the other superpowers."
"I also believe that each presidential incumbent should remain in office for six years, instead of a maximum of two one-year terms. That will allow time to renegotiate diplomatic relationships and correct past mistakes."
Gibson Kincaid was the governor of the Zaonce system before assuming the presidency in 3303. He has repeatedly claimed that the Alliance is failing to fulfil its true
Aug
…We have exciting news! Captains on PC will be able to enjoy a bonus on purchased ZEN! Is there a ship in the C-Store that is tempting you? Now is the perfect opportunity to grab ships, keys, and whatever else has caught your eye. From August 30th at 9am PT to September 4th at 9am PT, Captains will earn an extra bonus on purchased ZEN when you charge through Direct Credit Card, PayPal, Skrill, BoaCompra, Xsolla, Paysafecard, or Steam. *Please note that this Charge Bonus offer is ONLY available for the following payment processors: Direct Credit Card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover) PayPal Skrill BoaCompra Xsolla Paysafecard Steam .share-footer a { margin: 20px 10px 10px 0; background: url(d7afaaa14e96d0d973f76157ae31ec5b1466398539.png) no-repeat 0 0; opacity: .5; display: inline-block; height: 60px; width: 60px; padding: 0;
Aug
…From August 30th at 8am PT to September 4th at 10am PT, on PC and Playstation 4, we are having a 20% ship sale. Enjoy not just a discount on our ships, but fleet modules, dry dock slots and ship upgrade tokens as well! Have you been eyeing a new ship or ship bundle in the C-store? Now is the time to grab the ship you've always dreamt of commanding! All ships and dry dock slots in the C-Store are 20% off. This includes bundles which are comprised only of ships. This does not include bundles that have items other than ships in them. The ship upgrade token, ship upgrade token bundle, and the fleet module are all 20% off as well. Each time a player buys a Tier 5 ship, they will receive a free ship upgrade token. This only occurs when the Tier 5 ship is bought for the first time on an account. The Claim for this token will appear in the Promotions tab of the C-Store. When the
Aug
During the CIC 20th Birthday celebrations we
launchedour
Game Cabinetfeature. This allows you to try out the WC1 and WC2 rolling demos from within your browser - no installation required! By tweaking a few things, we have been able to unlock a bit of extra performance so those demos now run more smoothly. But more importantly, we have been able to add the WC3 playable demo to the collection! The demo features a trailer cinematic followed by a playable mission, although it requires a fairly beefy machine to run completely smoothly. Check it out
here!
Aug
…In May, a criminal organisation known as the Socho Gold Raiders assumed control of the Socho system, headquarters of Aegis Core.
Since then the system has descended further into chaos, culminating in the loss of services at Dantec Enterprise due to Thargoid sensor-related interference. This in turn led to the temporary immobilisation of Aegis's Eagle Eye network, a system of orbital installations designed to determine potential Thargoid attack sites.
In the wake of this calamity, Federal President Zachary Hudson has announced that Aegis Core is to relocate from Socho to the Federal home system of Sol.
In a statement broadcast directly from the White House on Mars, Hudson said:
"Recent events in Socho have taught us that no matter the scale of the Thargoid threat, there will always be those more interested in fighting their fellow man than engaging the enemy."
"Let me be clear: we are at war.
Aug
…Juanita Bishop, a leading campaigner against the Far God cult, has announced that she is running for Federal Congress.
Mrs Bishop's vocal condemnation of Thargoid worship has gained her a strong following in many Federal systems. She is now campaigning to be elected to Congress as an independent candidate.
At a rally protesting against the Far God sect, Mrs Bishop addressed the crowd:
"I may lack political experience, but I care about protecting decent families from alien-loving deviants. If you elect me to Congress, I will make sure our leaders rid us of the Thargoid spies undermining our great Federation!"
Dr Jameelah Griffin of the Galactic Interfaith Commune made this response:
"Juanita Bishop is building her powerbase on the fear and paranoia that she herself has invoked. As has happened before, an innocent religion is being used as a scapegoat for society's ills."
"We should be more
