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This week’s episode features a Star Citizen project update, takes a look at the development of Service Beacons, and welcomes Bugsmashers back into the ATV fold.
You can purchase CitizenCon tickets here: https://robertsspaceindustries…izenCon-2948-Announcement
You can find the April 2018 Monthly Report here.
Mar
This week, Sean Tracy and Eric Kieron Davis host our latest Squadron 42 special, where we get a detailed project update and a look into the intricacies of Ship AI.
And for info on becoming a subscriber, go to: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/pledge/subscriptions
Apr
This week, Around the Verse takes us to our studios in the UK for a full report highlighting their recent work on everything from Squadron 42 to the PU, and even Arena Commander. We also get a look at recent improvements to mobiGlas apps and UI.
And for info on becoming a subscriber, go to: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/pledge/subscriptions
Apr
This week on Around the Verse, Jared returns with more Ship Shape than you can shake a xiphopod at. Get inside looks at the bigger, better Avenger, the ultra-classy 600i, and a brand new ship from Origin Jumpworks.
And for info on becoming a subscriber, go to: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/pledge/subscriptions
Apr
This week, we look forward to Alpha 3.2 with a PU project update looking at the current Roadmap, and explore a feature that recently debuted in 3.1, the Character Customizer. As mentioned in the episode, check out officially licensed Star Citizen merchandise at https://www.jrfabrication.co.uk/
And for info on becoming a subscriber, go to: https://robertsspaceindustries.com/pledge/subscriptions
Apr
This week, on our monthly Squadron 42 special, we’ll get a development update and learn about how the Gameplay Story Animation team fleshes out the game’s world, where storytelling and interaction collide.
Learn more details about CitizenCon 2948 here: https://robertsspaceindustries…izenCon-2948-Announcement
May
This week, Ricky Jutley returns with another PU project update, and Jared serves up a double helping of Ship Shape, with looks at the Anvil Hurricane and the reveal of a new series of concept ships.
You can purchase CitizenCon tickets here: https://robertsspaceindustries…izenCon-2948-Announcement
You can find the April 2018 Monthly Report here.
Apr
…As revealed on our Ten Forward Weekly community stream last night, Star Trek Online is incredibly happy to announce our next Star Trek actor to join Victory is Life: Aron Eisenberg! Aron is returning to the role of Nog, the first Ferengi to join Starfleet, and the Captain of the U.S.S. Chimera. Nog is a former Chief Engineer of the Enterprise, as well as a veteran of the Dominion and Iconian Wars. With the return of the Hu’rq, he’s been called into action and will once again be interacting with your Captain in a race to save the galaxy. Welcome, Aron, we’re so glad to have you back! Check out our official reveal and interview with Aron Eisenberg from last night’s Ten Forward Weekly. .share-footer a { margin: 20px 10px 10px 0; background: url(http://images-cdn.perfectworld…157ae31ec5b1466398539.png) no-repeat 0 0; opacity: .5; display: inline-block; height: 60px;
Apr
…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
Apr
Hercxena is big into Wing Commander streaming. His avatar is even a Bluehair-looking guy, and he gets good crowds for it on Twitch. We shared his Righteous Fire stream back in 2016, since that's less common on most platforms, and now he's been digging into Armada. He's cross posted the first few Twitch streams over to YouTube, which are potentially a little easier to check out. I admit I haven't watched the whole thing myself yet, but it looks like he takes a good crack at the lengthy campaign. There's so many wonderful things about this game. The cockpit sounds are great and the explosions are gorgeous. A lot of people consider the strategic aspect to be on the basic side, but it's still a joy for me. It's really nice to see people playing still playing it! (And it's fun to see that my box scan from 2005 is still circulating around the internet)
Mar
Here's a funky bootleg shared by Patrick_Patman. The Super/Multi Game bundle is a CD packed with a whopping 808 games. Wing Commander Armada is the clear headliner here, and other notables include Litil Divil, Gateway2 Homeworld, Heimdall 2 and Zool2 (Sonic). The other 803 games are part of a shovelware Game Master collection. "Over 800 of the highest quality games on CD-ROM." I can't vouch for the rest, but at least one included title is fantastic!
Feb
…FekLeyrTarg has been teasing us about his Armada video for a while now, and it's finally here! He's taken advantage of the high quality files in the WC2/Privateer/Armada-era Origin 3D Model Archive to recreate the Armada introduction in glorious 4K. Be careful: it might make you want an actual Armada update in 4K now. Those ships are simply gorgeous, and the music and logos aren't half bad either! The 3D archive really is a gift that keeps on giving...
Using the original assets by Origin Systems found in the Privateer 3D Archive, I remade the intro sequence of "Wing Commander Armada" in 4K resolution.Models: Origin Systems (Privateer 3D Archive)
Vectorized logos: elend
Animation, rendering, cut: Fek’Leyr Targ
Music: Midian’
Reorchestration: Fek’Leyr Targ
Soundfont used: Timbres of Heaven 4.0
Programs used: 3D Exploration, Blender, Synthfont, Premiere Pro
Special thanks: Chris Roberts, Jeff Everett,
Oct
…Deathsnake was recently trolling the archives of the German magazine PC Player and came across a neat video on Wing Commander Armada. The clip is brief and in German, but it represents what would have been super cutting edge at the time. There's a small handful of contemporary videos with WC3 info, but clips on Armada are especially rare.
Now we're used to getting fancy trailers and streaming gameplay previews months before release on any game imaginable, but the world was very different 25 years ago. PC Player was one of the first magazines to distribute a CD-ROM that had short multimedia clips such as this in an era where standard television broadcasts were the only time you'd see video content, and there was no gaming material to speak of. In special cases you may have been able to go to a software store and see one of these discs playing on repeat. You can use an app like Google Translate
Nov
…Believe it or not, Ark: Survival Evolved does in fact have a story albeit one that’s obscure and told as interpreted by players. That story is set to conclude with the release of the latest expansion for the game called “Extinction” and takes players back to where the story began: Earth.
Studio Wildcard has dropped a new launch trailer showing off the various new features such as a new “Orbital Supply Drop” that sees players fending off waves of enemies to gain loot. The enemies that survivors will face in this new feature are known as “Corrupted” and they variants of existing dinos that become unable to be tamed do to being corrupted by “Element,” causing them to become highly aggressive regardless of normal temperaments.
Like the Titanosaur released in a previous expansion, Extinction also adds a monstrous new type few creatures called Titans that make even the massive Tyrannosaurus Rex look tiny in
Feb
…Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval has attended a public ceremony following her year-long abduction by the Lords of Restoration.
Her proclamation from Trasken Square, standing before millions of Capitol's citizens and flanked by legions of Imperial Guard, was broadcast across all channels:
"To those who protected the Empire during my enforced absence, I offer my deepest gratitude. My trusted chancellor, senators and security agencies are to be commended."
"To those who dared to attack Imperial citizens, who dared to impersonate me and mislead my people…who took the lives of my family. Know this: there will be no place to hide from my wrath."
"And to all citizens who may fear these uncertain times, I vow that your Emperor will lead you into the glorious future that is ours by right."
Subsequent messages from the Imperial Palace praised ACT and its supporters for their work in freeing Arissa and
Feb
…Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval has been found alive after being secretly imprisoned by the private military firm Darkwater Inc.
The Imperial Herald published a special report on recent events:
"The absence of the Emperor from public life for over a year has prompted much speculation. The Senate claimed that she was being kept safe from assassination attempts by the NMLA, and that they remained in contact with her."
"In truth, she was being held captive by the NMLA's secret benefactors. This group of Imperial senators referred to themselves as the Lords of Restoration. They were revealed only after ACT recruited independent pilots to help decipher the terrorists' dark-comms network."
"Chancellor Blaine immediately ordered the Imperial Guard into battle against Darkwater soldiers. A ship fleeing from the Summerland system was intercepted, aboard which was a cryogenic pod containing the Emperor
Mar
…Various Imperial allies, ambassadors and nobles have been summoned to Capitol for a series of meetings with Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval.
Political journalist Cassia Carvalho provided details for The Imperial Herald:
"There are rumours of many behind-the-scenes changes among the upper echelons of power since Emperor Arissa returned. But this latest event was mostly in the public eye and seemed designed to reassure the citizens of her physical presence."
"Members from all echelons of the Imperial aristocracy arrived at the palace with their entourages. Court ceremonies were held to reaffirm their fealty to Emperor Arissa, all with as much spectacle and grandeur as possible."
"Less public were Arissa's closed sessions with representatives from the Imperial Diplomatic Corps. Laurentin Sharpe, the Empire's senior ambassador to the Alliance, said: 'The purpose of these briefings is to update Her
Jan
…The Imperial Senate has shared a personal message from Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval, who has been in a secure location for nearly a year.
The brief statement was broadcast on all public channels:
"Citizens of the Empire, be assured that your Emperor is alive and well. I regret that my temporary seclusion has lasted for so long, but I have remained in contact with the Senate during this time."
"I was advised to depart from Capitol when Imperial Intelligence warned me about a legitimate NMLA assassination attempt, and of Marlinist sympathisers within the highest levels of our government. Once the work of this loyal agency is complete, I will continue my work in leading us toward a prosperous future."
Eye on Achenar reported that this address was "welcomed by a relieved Empire", adding that it was vital to "root out all Marlinist traitors". The Imperial Herald noted that the Emperor seemed to
Apr
…Following a referendum by the Marlinist Colonies, Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval has formally recognised their autonomous status.
Prime Consul Kayode Tau of the Marlinist Consulate reported on his latest meeting with the Emperor:
"Her Majesty was clearly uncomfortable with the democratic way in which the ex-Imperial citizens in the colonies now govern themselves. But she gracefully acknowledged that the Marlinist population had declined her invitation to become an Imperial protectorate, and would thus remain independent."
"However, there was a proviso to Emperor Arissa's acceptance of the decision. She insisted that the Marlinist Colonies must work with the Empire's intelligence agencies to prevent any resurgence of the NMLA or similar terrorist groups."
It has since been agreed that Imperial Intelligence and the Marlinist Constabulary would collaborate on identifying Neo-Marlinist extremists.
Jul
…It's July, so that means this is the final month that Wing Commander Arena will be offered for sale by Microsoft! Although the game will remain playable for the foreseeable future, potential players will need to purchase their copy now to be able to download it to their Xbox 360 later. The game has been heavily discounted to just $0.99, so there's no reason not to pick a copy up just in case! It's also a really good idea to read LOAF's excellent Arena FAQ to get all of the details straight. To go along with this countdown, here's a couple of videos that AD recently found that show Andre BigBoss hunting achievements. The first clip shows what it takes to organize 16 players for the big "TCS Tiger's Claw" unlock. I very much admire the effort and appreciate how this sort of thing is preserved for history, since modern streaming infrastructure didn't exist back in 2007. I believe the clips are
