Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The journalist Jade Sanderlyn of Vox Galactica was recently invited to conduct rare public interviews with admirals of the three superpowers.
This excerpt is from a conversation with Admiral Henry Paul Atherton of the Empire.
Jade Sanderlyn: This is Jade Sanderlyn reporting for Vox Galactica. I am sitting with Admiral Henry Paul Atherton of the Imperial Navy. Thank you for agreeing to this interview, Admiral.
Henry Paul Atherton: Oh, please. Call me Henry.
JS: I'd be delighted to. This is a very impressive ship, Henry.
HPA: Some might say Majestic. [laughs] Yes, the Succession is a wonderful vessel.
JS: How long have you commanded her?
HPA: Several years now. It has been an honour to have my name listed on the Succession's exemplary service record.
JS: You were promoted to admiral only three years ago. Does that change the personal dynamic with your crew at all?
HPA: Well, they salute a

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The journalist Jade Sanderlyn of Vox Galactica was recently invited to conduct rare public interviews with admirals of the three superpowers.
This excerpt is from a conversation with Admiral Rachel Ziegler of the Alliance.
Jade Sanderlyn: This is Jade Sanderlyn reporting for Vox Galactica. I am here with Admiral Rachel Ziegler of the Alliance. I'm pleased to have this opportunity to speak with you, Admiral.
Rachel Ziegler: You're welcome.
JS: We're on board the Salote Charm, which is currently stationed in the Didio system. Two days ago, a large Thargoid force arrived here and began attacking human ships and ports. There are reports that Salvation has asked your fleet, and those of the other superpowers, to hold the Thargoid force at bay until the anti-xeno superweapon…
RZ: Let me clarify your question before you finish it. My priority is the safety of the billions who call Didio home. We

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The journalist Jade Sanderlyn of Vox Galactica was recently invited to conduct rare public interviews with admirals of the three superpowers.
This excerpt is from a conversation with Admiral Henry Paul Atherton of the Empire.
Jade Sanderlyn: This is Jade Sanderlyn reporting for Vox Galactica. I am sitting with Admiral Henry Paul Atherton of the Imperial Navy. Thank you for agreeing to this interview, Admiral.
Henry Paul Atherton: Oh, please. Call me Henry.
JS: I'd be delighted to. This is a very impressive ship, Henry.
HPA: Some might say Majestic. [laughs] Yes, the Succession is a wonderful vessel.
JS: How long have you commanded her?
HPA: Several years now. It has been an honour to have my name listed on the Succession's exemplary service record.
JS: You were promoted to admiral only three years ago. Does that change the personal dynamic with your crew at all?
HPA: Well, they salute a

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The journalist Jade Sanderlyn of Vox Galactica was recently invited to conduct rare public interviews with admirals of the three superpowers.
This excerpt is from a conversation with Admiral Maxton Price of the Federation.
Jade Sanderlyn: My name is Jade Sanderlyn, reporting for Vox Galactica. I'm here with Admiral Maxton Price, onboard the FNS Amphion in the Sosong system. I was very impressed with the tour of the ship prior to our interview, Admiral.
Maxton Price: I can't say I'm surprised, Miss Sanderlyn. Is this your first time on a Farragut-class battle cruiser?
JS: Yes. It's one the reasons I was so excited that my interview request had been granted. The Amphion is just as impressive as I'd hoped.
MP: That's gracious of you to say. Of course, the Farragut-class vessels value performance over aesthetics. It's a lesson our Imperial friends would do well to learn one day.
JS: I take it,

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

People are always asking me: Ben, I want to enjoy The Secret Missions, The Secret Missions 2, Super Wing Commander's extra campaign and Freedom Flight together in the most technically correct but narratively meaningless order possible...

... well if that's you then boy did I ever spend my day off making a needlessly confusing spreadsheet for you!

It also tells you when to read sections of Wing Commander I & II: The Ultimate Strategy Guide because Secret Missions 2 is the rare game that's novelized by two completely different writers!

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

Section 31. The Tal Shiar. The Obsidian Order. Intelligence services like ours have always been shrouded in mystery and the allure of power. One day, it will likely be known that the Romulan Star Empire was manipulated into war with the Dominion. When that day comes, it will brush aside the other legacies of Captain Benjamin Sisko like footnotes for all but Bajor’s faithful. Stories of secret intelligence service have resonated with us throughout the ages. The means they use (and the ends which justify them) cast a long and deadly shadow, shrouding the victors in a heavy moral gray. Folk scarcely notice the extra wrinkles on their leader’s face as they stand among the ruins of a town sacrificed to keep a secret. From the tiny spec that listens in the right room to the ultimate prize of a compromised head of state, intelligence services are a heavy burden and powerful tool for any nation. Star

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

NMLA terrorist attacks and the Marlinist refugee crisis have driven an increase in military spending from both the Empire and the Federation.
The Federal Times has reported on President Zachary Hudson's actions:
"Building on the public outcry following the Neo-Marlinist bombing of a Federal starport, President Hudson has positioned himself once again as the Federation's strongman. This is clearly a calculated effort to regain political power after negative associations from the Starship One trial."
"Shadow President Felicia Winters's acceptance of Marlinist refugees has lost popularity, now that terrorists concealed among them have murdered thousands. However, cooler heads in Congress agree that provoking the Empire could lead to a far greater death toll."
The Empire's response mirrored its counterpart, as observed by The Imperial Herald:
"As well as the construction of new capital ships,

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

The Infinity Lock Box, containing prizes from nearly all previously-retired Lock Boxes, will be available again for a two-week appearance beginning on September 27th, 2018. During this time, enemies defeated on both Ground and Space maps will have a small chance of dropping one of these prize-filled packages, while the Deep Space 9 Lock Box will be retired. Updated Prize Lists Along with all of the prizes previously offered in previous appearances of the Infinity Lock Box, additional prizes originally seen in the Discovery Lock Box have been added to the drop tables. They now include all of the following: Crossfield-class Science Spearhead [T6] Sarcophagus Dreadnought Carrier [T6] Cross-Faction Consoles Multi-Target Tractor Arrays (Federation) Mycelium Ambush (Klingon) Cross-Faction Starship Mastery: Honored Dead (Federation) Black Alert (Klingon) DS9-themed Ground

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Form up, Wing Commander fans! Tonight we're taking a look at some spaceships that never were: the ones that were being built for Privateer 3 when it was cancelled in 1998. Thanks to years of game archaeology, we know quite a bit about them!

The CRUSADER (sometimes called FURY) was shaping up to be the big hero ship, equivalent to the Centurion:

Here's a shot of the Crusader in the game engine (a development of Prophecy's Vision technology):

The Crusader is actually 'canon' since EA reused its artwork for a recruiting ad in Star*Soldier. The concept artist, Ruben Garza, also submitted it to an art book called Spectrum 6 where it was printed as "Privateer--Black Star". (Available on Amazon!)

I should also mention the origin of the name! Privateer 3 was being developed by Origin's Loose Cannon team which had previously develoed the Crusader series of games.

Next up we have the VAKTOTH which is slotted here as

Quote from Star Citizen News

Fuel Mechanics

How It Works Today and What’s in Store for the Future

With the introduction of the Origin 100 series and its unique AIR system, we wanted to spend a little time talking about the current and future role of fuel in Star Citizen. The career of Refueling, and by proxy the gameplay of fuel, is one of our many non-combat driven gameplay loops and key to creating a believable universe.

This piece is a primer to the Refueling design and career, which will be discussed more in the build up to its release.

Fuel Mechanics in Star Citizen Alpha 3.1

In Alpha 3.1, all of our ships have a Hydrogen Fuel Tank and most have a Quantum Fuel Tank, snubs being the common exception. The ship’s thrusters consume fuel stored in the Hydrogen Fuel Tank and convert it into thrust with a small draw from the Power Plant. When in Quantum Travel, thrusters use the fuel contained in the Quantum Fuel Tank.

A common

Quote from Star Citizen News-Bot

Medical Gameplay

How It Works Today and What’s in Store for the Future

Following the vision for life and death mechanics detailed in Death of a Spaceman, and the announcement of the new RSI Apollo medical ship, this design post will bring details and clarification about what future medical gameplay will entail. While some elements have evolved from the manifesto written a few years ago, it is still very much the basis for how players will experience injury and death in the persistent universe, so is still a relevant read.

Read the original Death of a Spaceman (Feb 2013).

Taking care of injured players is one of the several non-combat oriented careers in Star Citizen and is an important element in building a believable universe. It’s crucial for us to make it a fun and impactful part of the game.

How Health Works in Alpha 3.2

In Alpha 3.2, we’re using a damage system that consists of

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The date of Princess Aisling Duval's wedding to Federal Ambassador Jordan Rochester has passed without comment from either party.

Entertainment journalist Solomon Helios discussed the situation:

"Public reaction to the cancelled wedding has ranged from outrage to delight. Jasmina Halsey expressed regret at a 'lost opportunity for long-term peace', while Senator Zemina Torval called it 'the mercy killing of a catastrophically bad idea'."

"With no word from the Imperial Palace or the White House, it's easy to imagine both Emperor Arissa and President Hudson breathing sighs of relief. But the silence from Aisling Duval and Jordan Rochester rings loudest. What might they be feeling? Was their relationship terminated against their wishes? Did it ever really exist?"

"Naturally I invited the princess to tell her story, but her previous openness is apparently a thing of the past. The Rochester family

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The Thargoid victory in the HIP 22460 system has raised many questions which neither Azimuth Biotech nor the superpowers have officially responded to.
Ernesto Rios, field correspondent for Vox Galactica, published a report summarising the latest developments:
"Two days have passed since the massacre in HIP 22460, which left many thousands dead. There have been no updates from the Alliance Defence Force or the Federal or Imperial navies. All press outlets have banned their journalists from entering the system, due to the extreme risk of Thargoid attack. We still lack specifics as to why the Proteus Wave failed. As the echoes of these horrific events fade, the authorities' silence is deafening."
"Azimuth Biotech's surviving megaships, the Glorious Prospect and the Musashi, remain in the nearby Pleiades Sector CW-U B3-2 system alongside Sirius Corporation's vessel El Centinela Cadejo. These are

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

LOAF followed the Bricks with Wings instructions that we posted about last year, and I'm in love with the results. I don't actually see the plans available on the BWW site anymore, but fortunately LOAF was able to source all of the necessary pieces and make a tiny squadron of Confed fighters from the WC1 Vega Sector fleet.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Wing Commander veteran Paul Hughes has posted a shot of some fabulous wall art he's had made. They're Photobox canvas prints designed to commemorate Starlancer, Elite and Privateer 2. The '90s space sims are based on the straight European box art while the Elite cover comes from the fancy Acornsoft release. Modern print-on-demand services make cool projects like these relatively easy, and the results are super sweet!

Final home office canvases. Really chuffed how well they came out. Space games and I have a bit of a history. So many tales to tell... It was a fun project.

We were lucky; the cover art and manuals were done in house by a member of the Dev team - Mr Paul Chapman. The Elite one is a Photoshop retouch of the artwork that I did, the other two come from the original hires artwork and were all printed on Canvas by Photobox.

Loved Wing Commander (especially WC3) I was a tad star struck when

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Does the British monarchy still exist in Wing Commander's 27th Century? It's not directly stated but it is implied by the "sir" in Admiral Tolwyn's formal title. As seen on office doors in Wing Commander II:

Tolwyn's knighthood isn't mentioned very often but the novel Action Stations calls him "Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn, VC, MOH, DSC, KCB" which means that he's a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath.

The VC stands for Victoria Cross, which would also suggest Britain still exists in 2673. It's the nation's highest military honor.

As for England itself, Fleet Action has Tolwyn stopping to fret about England CONSTANTLY!

He thought for a moment of a distant ancestor of long ago, who, when contemplating the invasion and destruction of England,announced that even if England fell, the Empire, and with it the fleet, would still continue the fight. England. No, he didn't want tothink of that now. ...

But it was

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

Everything Old is New Again, and that’s certainly the case for starships. The Age of Discovery Operations Pack, out soon, features exciting new starships based on 23rd century designs, but brought up to speed on modern combat capabilities. Federation-aligned captains will gain access to the following starships: Shran Light Pilot Escort [T6] Gagarin Miracle Worker Battlecruiser [T6] Walker-class Prototype Light Exploration Cruiser Klingon-aligned officers will be able to obtain: M'Chla Pilot Bird of Prey [T6] Qugh Miracle Worker Battlecruiser [T6] This ships in this bundle continue the recent experimentation into scaling starships that can be used as soon as you complete the tutorial!* We hope you share in our excitement as we continue exploring the concept of scaling starships, and see how this may shape the way you fly ships in the future of Star Trek Online at all levels.

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

Starting with the release of Age of Discovery this Tuesday, October 9th, new Battlecruiser-class vessels are being made available on the C-Store for Federation characters, and its allied members among the Romulan and Dominion factions. This new vessel will be available in both Non-Fleet and Fleet variants. Special Introductory Pricing Discount! From release until Monday, October 15th you can get this ship for 20% off. Thereafter, it will return to their normal pricing at 3000 ZEN when. Fleet versions of this Battlecruiser will unlock upon completing your Fleet Starbase’s Tier 5 Shipyard. The standard Fleet Module discounts apply if you have purchased the ship from the C-Store. Europa-class Heavy Battlecruiser [T6] The Europa-class Heavy Battlecruiser is well-suited to the frontiers of the Federation, whether the mission is one of exploration or defense efforts. It is named after the U.S.S.

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

As Alliance engineers delve into Hur’q technologies to better understand them and how to best adapt their technology to ours, one specialized team has been hard at work adapting their starships for incorporation into the Alliance’s fleets to help replace the vessels lost in many recent conflicts. The following starships will become available with the release of the Swarm Lock Box, scheduled to arrive on PC starting with the release of Age of Discovery on October 9th, 2018. Hur’q Assembly Multi-Mission Science Vessel [T6] The Assembly appears to have originated as a long-range scout, with strong sensor suites and auxiliary systems designed for support roles and scientific endeavors, but highly adaptable to more offensive pursuits since the Hur’q transitioned into a ravening swarm. Despite a relatively civilian design (when seen through the unique lens of Hur'q society), these vessels

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

This Tuesday, October 30th come and watch some of the Star Trek Online development team form a crew and explore the galaxy, in a live stream play of Modiphius’ new Star Trek Adventures tabletop roleplaying game. The stream will take place at 7:00 pm PT (instead of the usual 4:00 for Ten Forward Weekly), and will follow the story of the U.S.S. Pathfinder and her crew on a mission of science, exploration, and probably some phasers. What: Members of the STO Dev Team play Star Trek Adventures! When: 7:00 PM PST LINKS TO WATCH: The Cryptic Studios Twitch Channel or The Star Trek Online Facebook Page We'll be starting a new story in this episode, but if you want to watch past episodes, you can find them here. MEET THE SHIP The U.S.S. Pathfinder (NCC-97600) was developed as part of Starfleet’s “Four Quadrant Strategy,” (4QS) which was designed to help them explore and defend the