News categories list

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Dominus of Exult has some more cool collectibles to show off! He's managed to track down a pair of Wing Commander games localized in Portuguese. These rare copies of WC4 and Privateer 2 have a bit of warping and tearing damage, but it's still wonderful that they were saved. I'm still poring over the minute differences here despite not speaking the language! These should look great alongside his Portuguese copy of Privateer 1.

Got some new rarities. Portuguese Wing Commander IV and Privateer 2. Unfortunately the seller stored them in a very humid place. Trying to open the IV he destroyed the slide cover.

LOAF: Are they localized at all?

Dominus: Boxes and documents all in Portuguese. At least the intro has no subtitles. Look like the standard UK CDs. Even the quadruple CD case inlays are the UK ones and not translated (manual etc. are translated).

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Mr. Hasgaha recently shared this nifty video that he built for a "10-second Cinematic" contest in Star Citizen. He was able to use elements of the existing game engine to recreate the briefing room run, launch and death of a pilot in the original Wing Commander. It's a short clip, but it's very cool to see this modern take on a classic!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

StarvingPilot shared a cool tip for anyone with a Playstation 2 and PSX Wing Commander 3 or 4. There's a neat backwards compatibility feature for people who have the original Playstation versions of these two games. The PS2 supports "fast loading" and "texture smoothing" that adds bilinear filtering. This means the textures appear slightly less blocky and pixelated. If you've got the right hardware, it's a neat trick to check out!

I found that texture smoothing can be enabled for old PS1 games. This includes the PlayStation version of WC3 (tested), and possibly WC4 (which I don’t own). This is done for any PS1 game without emulators on original hardware, although I imagine anyone running a PS emulator has been doing this for years.

To get to the option, just enter the main menu for the console, highlight Browser and press triangle to enter the Version Menu. Using the menu options, Texture Mapping

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Seo Jin-ae has returned from a visit to Utopia following an invitation from Simguru Pranav Antal to discuss the possibility of Salvation's survival.
The leader of the Utopia commune invited her to review the schematics that she recovered from an abandoned Azimuth Corporation facility in March. The schematics detailed a mysterious Guardian-based device named the Nemesis Failsafe. Seo Jin-ae believes this was used by Salvation to transfer his living mind to a remote location before his death in HIP 22460.
Aegis confirmed that it has no information about the meeting in Utopia, and that Seo Jin-ae refused to discuss the matter with them upon her return.
Pranav Antal transmitted a message that was shared across public newsfeeds:
"My sincere thanks to Seo Jin-ae for allowing me to explain my theories about Salvation's 'Nemesis protocol'. We have agreed not to disclose our conclusions. I must respect

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

DO YOU think that these--seen in Wing Commander III, IV and Prophecy--are supposed to be the same space station?

The answer is: maybe? It's a classic case of the individual game's developers probably intending them to be the same station but the endless march of lore deciding otherwise. Let's take a closer look...

The script refers to the WC3 base only as "Confed HQ" with no location specified. The novelization, however, decided that it was Epsilon Sector HQ, located at "the Confed HQ complex on Torgo III." (A reasonable choice since the Victory picks up Tolwyn at Torgo later.)

The folks doing the Kilrathi Saga manual don't seem to have been aware of that, though, as we have orders sending Blair to "Addington Station, Border World 8, Leyton Sector" for his new assignment. Must've been a stopover!

The story behind the WC4 base is a bit messier. The script calls for the shuttle to appear near the rings of

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Weird choice for a publication to rank games on a scale of 1 to 57, but it takes all sorts!

Team Nerd: Bill Walsh College Football (Mega Drive) / Wing Commander Secret Missions (Super Nintendo) - reviews from Computer And Video Games Issue 144 - November 1993. #RETROGAMING

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Development of the WC4 Fan Remake is picking up again, and the team has a new update today on comm videos. If you were thinking the clips that play in the communications VDU were simply upscaled, that's just the tip of the iceberg! It was quite a process for AllTinker to extract the colorful Playstation versions and then sync them with the PC version which are higher resolution. They aren't even cropped to the same frame. Then all of that was given to ODVS for an advanced enhancement based on color channels. It was quite a process, and you'll need to read the full article at WC Respace for the details. There's also a video that walks through the comparison.

Oh, and last - but not least - there's a whole new playable demo! Grab it here (886 meg exe). It showcases these new comms, and also a whole bunch more:

• Prioritize GPU based on maker if multiple are found
• Support for 128 button joysticks

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

The month of May is blazing by, and that means the campaign to create a Deluxe vinyl pressing of the WING COMMANDER score has just a week left to go! Pledges have dropped off a little bit in the later half of this month, but Supercade Van is using the "flexible goal" model where all proceeds are collected no matter what the final number is so that the funds can be put towards still making the project a reality. You can still put in for a $35 contribution which nets you a dedication in the liner notes and the standard edition of the vinyl album. More deluxe editions are available at $50 and $75, and there are some bonus categories above that for extra swag. You can learn more about the campaign here!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Good Old Games is running a variety of new sales, and there latest discount is marking down the Wing Commander series by 75%! The theme revolves around games that are 10+ years old. This is an especially welcome event because GOG skipped the WC games in their big Spring Sale last month. Cheap Wing Commander is always a big hit, so we're glad folks get another chance to grab the franchise on the cheap. You can fill out your digital collection via the links below. Grab them before the end of the weekend!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Wing Commander Armada comes with one of the greatest game manuals in history, an all-the-more impressive achievement given Origin prided themselves on producing wonderful lore material. That manual is Voices of War, a fascinating and evocative look at both sides of the Terran-Kilrathi conflict. For a game with very little internal narrative it's impressive that Armada's lore manual has been so massively influential on the rest of the Wing Commander universe. But Armada had TWO similarly sized manuals! Voices of War is dedicated only to world building while a second Play Guide offered all the details on how to actually interface with the game. It was only ever available digitally in an ancient 'VEBE' format which does not open with any kind of modern viewer. For whatever reason, GOG did not bother to include a copy with their release. Not having access to a copy hasn't been a huge problem for Wing

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Here's a Wing Commander/Origin ad I don't think I've seen before. Unfortunately, it's... not great. From the May 1995 issue of Wired:

And here's an Apple ad from 1996 with Wing Commander IV! All that empty space is because the Macintosh only had these ten games in 1996.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Klavs has wrapped up the exquisite Sabre and Ferret models that he showed off last month. There are two styles of Ferret - one P-64C in In-Sys colors and a Super Ferret in active Confed gray. The Sabre is also on display with plenty of heavy ordnance. Both have also been posted in high quality on SketchFab for potential fan project use. Klavs has also talked about the texturing process in greater detail. Here's a snippet:

I've started using Substance Painter for the textures, it's really intuitive after you get the hang of it. I'll typically draw panel lines, vents, fasteners, thermal protection materials, and other details. I'm really just trying to think about how the ground crews would access stuff, how the complex shapes would be manufactured, and assembled how the pilots get in and out (hand holds, ladders, etc). I'll then add placards and other details. The grunge is largely determined by

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Crazy find on the Internet Archive: an article from Soft World that's the 1992 Trade Commander press releases translated to Chinese... and the pen-and-ink art has been recolored in pastels! COOL!

Here's the original art. This was the first announcement of what would become Privateer and it features a lot of details about a much earlier version of the game's storyline. It's also the (only) source of 'Grayson Burrows' as the player character's name. I found the Chinese text by searching for "Tolnidan," the original name for the Gemini Sector and a word that's very close to being a googlenope.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Today's update is one of those 'under our noses the whole time' events! It turns out that Wing Commander III and IV co-writers Terry Borst and Frank De Palma actually wrote and spoke quite a bit about the game at the time. Both gave lectures and provided interviews for academic books relating to interactive storytelling... and we've found three fascinating ones that were published in the wake of Wing Commander IV that go into detail we've never seen before about the process behind scripting the game!

The first and most detailed is Chapter 10 of a book called The Multimedia Scriptwriting Workshop (Douglas J. Varchol, Sybex, 1996). The book spends a full 50 (!) pages walking through the development of Wing Commander IV's script, complete with screenshots and script extracts. Even more shocking is the fact that it was published in January 1996... some six weeks before Wing Commander IV even came out! If

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The Artificers Clan dredger has entered the Upaniklis system, where the generation ship Golconda currently resides.
The Golconda, when it was discovered in 3305, was still inhabited with the descendants of its original crew who left Sol in the 22nd century. They accepted the Federation's help to abandon the ancient generation ship and resettle on the Forester's Choice outpost, where their unique culture would remain undisturbed.
The Artificers Clan is a nomadic community living aboard a Dredger-class bulk cruiser, an old design that refuels by scooping raw materials and salvage. Little is known about this particular tribe, which rarely enters inhabited systems.
The dredger's arrival was initially reported by independent pilots. Commander Javi Alvarado gave a statement to Vox Galactica:
"I regularly make trade runs to Forester's Choice. I've made a few friends there, but the Golcondans are

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots Federation ALERT*
The Haithis Purple Dynamic Group has fought off the Kumo Council assault, securing the completion of Neomedical Industries' onionhead project.
The pharmaceutical corporation had received deliveries to Haithis to begin producing onionhead gamma strain for medicinal purposes. In response, the Kumo Crew syndicate attacked Neomedical's corporate partner but failed to achieve its objectives.
Neomedical Industries confirmed that investment in its project to mass-produce onionhead gamma strain has increased following the conflict's resolution. The news was eagerly received in many Alliance and independent systems, which have expressed interest in the new healthcare treatment.
Olwyn Kendrick, CEO of Neomedical Industries, told the media:
"We owe a huge debt to the galactic community for defending our operation. Large-scale manufacture of onionhead gamma strain can now

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

L@Zar0 is back with another impressive translation of a Wing Commander game! He's previously converted WC1, WC2, the Secret Missions and the Special Operations, and now he's done the same for both Privateer and Righteous Fire. It appears to be really well done. Cinematics and dialogue have new text, the spaceflight interface has been converted, and even the planetside menus and Quine computer are all seamlessly displayed in the new language. It's just wonderful to see fans pull off these comprehensive upgrades to our Wing Commander classics. This is another mod made possible by UnnamedCharacter's WC Toolbox. You can download the translation and apply it to your GOG or CD installation here (135 meg zip). Specific installation instructions are included. Hopefully there's a whole bunch of Wingnuts out there who will enjoy this!

This translation includes the translation of both texts and graphics

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Mike Winterbauer is back with another Kickstarter based on his famous Wing Commander art! There are some old favorites in the mix as well as a set of new high end metal prints to add to your collection. In the lower tiers of the campaign, there is another chance to get his softcover book on video game cover art (fewer than 25 left!) or his hardcover Wing Commander portfolio. A larger 14x20 inch giclée of his original Hornet cockpit painting is available, or you can pledge to receive an all new 16x24 inch metal collage of the piece and how it's been used across multiple printings. This is a great opportunity to grab some of the earlier collector's items or add another showpiece to your wall. I know where I'll be hanging mine! Some of the smaller/lighter prints are $34-35 plus shipping, and the large aluminum spread is $150 (plus $30 for shipping). Read up on all the details here.

Wing Commander

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

Four Score and Seven Years ago, a cry went out from Captains across the galaxy. They had seen the epitome of style, the grandest of Space Barbie, and they wanted it. And now, The Emancipator costume can be yours – for free! From February 13th to February 17th, you’ll be able to pick out the most presidential of outfits for free in the Zen Store. Wear the stylings of Abraham Lincoln on all races, with the Long Coat, Bowtie, and Top Hat that the man himself made famous in The Measure of Morality. Not only that, but if your style is a little more jaunty, you’ll find the Top Hat Mini in this package as well, for all of your fanciest party needs. Enjoy Captains, but grab the costume now, you only have a limited time! .share-footer a { margin: 20px 10px 10px 0; background: url(d7afaaa14e96d0d973f76157ae31ec5b1466398539.png) no-repeat 0 0; opacity: .5; display: inline-block;

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

Greetings Captains! Star Trek Online is proud to partner once again with Humble Bundle’s December Bundle – YogsCast Jingle Jam 2019! Starting December 14 at 9am PT, STO will be offering the Federation Elite Starter Pack for this great cause! The Pack contains the following: T6 Reliant Class - Advanced Light Cruiser (Scales as you level) 12 Inventory Slot 12 Bank Slots 2 Bridge Officer Slots 1 Borg Bridge Officer 13 Mark II Very Rare Space Gear 7 Mark II Very Rare Ground Gear Starfleet Academy Uniform Your contributions will go to help some amazing organizations! This year, by purchasing the bundle and paying what you want, you can again help a mix of charities across a variety of causes. For more details, please head to Yogscast Jingle Jam 2019 (pay what you want and help charity). .share-footer a { margin: 20px 10px 10px 0; background: url(