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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
May
Today we've got a new test render to show off what Mac is doing with Klavs' Concordia model. Everything about this scene is impressively intense: the model geometry, the textures, the lighting. Look closely and you'll even catch a couple bonus Sabres taking off!
The Concordia is a pretty slick model still, well worth learning how to texture 3d models for lmao. I've actually been slowly going back to texturing her lately, since I made a lot of mistakes with how I went about things the first time out. Especially in terms of how well it was optimized.
May
…*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
Deliveries to the Rabh system will help mass-produce a pulse wave xeno scanner which can analyse Thargoid Titans.
Dr Maximo Fonseca, the Allied scientific liaison to Aegis, outlined the initiative:
"The Thargoid capital ships, now designated as Titans, are the top priority for both military and scientific study. Reaching these gargantuan objects is hazardous since it involves travelling through the Maelstroms' corrosive environment, avoiding hostile Thargoid vessels along the way. But even at close range, ship sensors have been unable to obtain meaningful data on their composition."
"In response, Aegis has fast-tracked a project to modify the xeno scanner originally developed by Professor Ishmael Palin. This adaption utilises the electromagnetic technology found in pulse wave analysers, casting the scanner's range over a much broader area."
"Simulated tests show that
May
Display MoreDrooling over these photos of Wing Commander III's costume shop. I wish we had high resolution images of all those Kilrathi sketches!
Massive kudos to Dundradal for figuring out that one of their references is the PLANET OF THE APES SOUNDTRACK!
Thought I found one in the prop book but it turns out it's Melek who is not in the photos!
Here's one! From the digital assets used for the Kilrathi Saga calendar. Sadly not in color.
Low resolution versions of two extracted from the Wing Commander III Behind the Screens CD. Someone who isn't as dumb as I am should science the color from the little one into the monochrome big version.
Here's one of the sketches! It was reused as the drawing of Sivar on the wall of the temple seen in the Prophecy intro... and was included with the Electronic Press Kit!
May
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!
May
Here's a little detail you might miss in Wing Commander IV: Colonel Blair and Seether have the same three ribbons on their uniform but they wear them in reverse order!
May
Here's a neat translation of the Privateer 2 cheats that LOAF found in a Chinese game guide. Did you know that Privateer 2 even had cheats? Here's what each of them do. To enter the codes, open the navigation screen by pressing Alt-N. Then press F and type one of the following. Press enter to initiate:
- NO TALENT (Invincibility)
- REP ME UP (Repairs armor and shields)
- NAPALM (Unlimited nukes)
- PETY PETY (Full afterburners)
- CHILL OUT (Lasers produce less heat)
Privateer 2 cheats from a Chinese game book!You can find more codes for Wing Commander games here!
May
…Vox Galactica's Jade Sanderlyn reports on the discovery of the Titans, and new Thargoid craft both in space and on occupied worlds.
"The true scale of the challenge facing humanity became evident this month, when we finally learned what was within the Maelstroms. It has long been theorised that the Thargoids have 'motherships' of some kind. But few were prepared for the shocking reality of the Titans, squatting at the centre of the corrosive clouds like bloated spiders in their webs. I can't be the only one whose guts knotted with fear when I first saw those floating monstrosities."
"The Maelstroms also revealed a new type of Thargoid vessel, the aggressive Glaive-class hunter. Resembling multi-bladed throwing knives, these quickly drew blood as they hurled viciously into our midst. There are reports of Glaives sighted within systems that have fallen to the Thargoid invasion fleets,
May
…AllTinker has a brand new exciting fan project to share with fellow fans. For quite a while now, he's been working on reverse engineering some of the original Wing Commander games in a new engine he's dubbed 'Confederation'. There's a lot of ambitious stuff he's got planned, and you can visit the CIC Forums to read up on all the details. One of the most eye-catching is the potential for enabling a proper widescreen mode. He's mocked up some terrific concept art of how that would look aboard the Tiger's Claw. It might only be a handful of pixels on the sides, but I really like what he's done here! Click on each of the thumbnails for an animation that compares the original to his new design:
Confederation is essentially a custom cross-platform engine which reads original data files from the Wing Commander (and Privateer) series - based on some of my own ("clean room") reverse engineering, but also
May
…An interview with Hadrian Augustus Duval has caused ripples in Imperial society for his direct criticism of Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval.
Speaking to Paresa News Network, the former Nova Imperium leader discussed the Empire's commitment to Aegis:
"I have always known that the Empire is stronger alone, especially when protecting our people from the Thargoid hordes. Supposedly, Emperor Arissa felt the same – until a visit from Princess Aisling turned her head. Suddenly her principles were cast aside, and our valuable resources pledged to more foreign military projects."
"I can only wonder when the Emperor became so easily swayed. Was it during her year in captivity? Did all that time in suspended animation drain her resolve? We cannot afford to allow the Empire to be governed by someone with a weak spirit. Our citizens deserve a strong, determined ruler."
Gudrun Vestergaard, royal correspondent
May
…Like most people, I can't walk down the street without someone stopping me and demanding to know: is System Shock set in the Wing Commander universe? Buddy, I tell them, no it isn't. But there's a lot of fun backstory getting there...
(System) Shocking but true: the game DID begin development as a game set in the Wing Commander universe! Here's a pitch by Warren Spector for 'Alien Commander' that might seem pretty familiar (and in other ways... pretty... alien).
That's right, System Shock could've taken place in the wreckage of the Tiger's Claw! This was a popular idea at Origin at the time. When the Baen package was first announced the third book was also scheduled to be about the end of the 'Claw! With an outline by Jerry Pournelle.
It was even the focus of the Wing Commander II team's shirt... which artist Paul Steed famously decided was so ugly that he volunteered to design the following shirts
May
AtolmAzel is an artist over on DeviantArt who specializes in sci-fi art. Among their many galleries is a special section with sketches inspired by Wing Commander. Check out some of their slick pieces below! The sampling below shows off the Dralthi, K'ha'haf, Rapier, Longbow and a handful of capships. They incorporate some very distinct familiar themes with some smooth artistic license. You can find all of their sketches here!
Jun
We’ve come down to the last day of the crowdfunding campaign to create a Deluxe vinyl pressing of the WING COMMANDER score. The tally at this point is around $6000, which is a fair bit under the stated goal, but we’re still very hopeful that everything will continue to progress and we’ll see the finished album. The current estimated completion is March 2024, and we’ll continue to follow the project closely and share any updates along the way. If you’d like to stake your claim on one of these records, you can still do so here through tonight!
Jun
…*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
An initiative in Rabh has enabled Aegis to begin manufacturing a module that gathers data about the Titans.
Deliveries of ceramic composites, polymers, gallium and indium were immediately put to use mass-producing the pulse wave xeno scanner. Distribution is underway and rescue ships have already begun stocking the module.
Professor Alba Tesreau, head of Aegis, released a statement:
"The Thargoid Titans represent not only the greatest threat to humanity, but also the greatest scientific opportunity in a generation. Learning more about these enormous constructs could be crucial to our understanding of the Thargoid species, which I still believe is the only path to ending the war."
"A coalition of Allied, Federal and Imperial technicians worked around the clock to modify Professor Palin's xeno scanner using pulse wave technology. Thanks to the dedication of independent
Jun
…It's well established that some of the earliest Wing Commander games had music that was built around specialty sound cards. People with the right Roland hardware could listen to the background tracks exactly as the composers imagined them. George Sanger recently capitalized on this by releasing a special MT-32 Archival Edition of his WC1 soundtrack, and even the SC-55 tracks for Privateer have gotten some renewed interest of late. But there is another! Wing Commander Armada was also composed using an SC-55, and it has absolutely glorious music locked behind this card as well. Nerdly Pleasures recently took the time to record it, and here it is for your audio enjoyment! I just listened to the whole thing straight through. Thanks to Anatoly Shashkin for the tip.
Wing Commander: Armada is a spinoff of the Wing Commander series with music composed by "Midian" (Marc Schaefgen, Dana Glover). Recorded
Jun
…Sprite sheets for explosions in Origin FX’s Armageddon mode (Left) versus Privateer (Right). I had not realized FX shipped nine months before Priv! You can see a few frames were cut in that time:
Armageddon is an Origin FX movie which displays a variety of explosions and damage effects on the desktop. There are six types of explosions, two of which are taken from Wing Commander Privateer. Three sound effects can play. The movie is named after the armageddon spell from the Ultima series."Be careful — if you stop typing for long, there could be trouble brewing. It’s a terrorist attack of the software kind . . . explosions everywhere, blowing away your application and clearing the screen with the violent beauty of detonation after detonation. Whether they leave pitch black craters, smoke or no trace at all is your own decision to make from the safety of your console."
Here are the other four explosions in
Jun
AD found a neat beer being served at The Quakerhouse in Darlington, UK. Apparently they have an in-house microbrewery dubbed Mad Scientist, operated by Brian (The Scientist) Dourish and Rob (Egor) Brunton. Wing Commander is one of their creations. It's listed as a "spiced/herbed beer" and the little table card pictured below says it's a 4% ABV made with ginger. If anyone's nearby and able to check this out, definitely let us know how it is!
Jun
…Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval has responded to criticism from Hadrian Duval regarding her decision to contribute to Aegis.
During a public address at the opening of a naval research and development complex on Achenar, the Emperor stated:
"For the avoidance of doubt, my decree to halt interaction with the Alliance and the Federation remains in effect. Whatever advancements in weaponry or defence are made at these impressive facilities, they will be used exclusively by the Imperial Navy to protect Imperial citizens."
"Aegis's status as an independent agency makes it a legal exception under the Cornelius-Lasky Convention. Only a small fraction of the Empire's military expenditure is being devoted to Aegis's anti-xeno forces."
"As for Hadrian Duval, some may recall when his Nova Imperium extremists once threatened to trigger widescale civil unrest. I chose to spare him from the fate of his
Jun
…AllTinker has a variety of updates to the Confederation project that we shared last month. First up, there are more shockingly good graphical test assets to share. His extended take on the flight deck looks incredibly natural - it's surprising to check out the animated version that compares his take to the original. There's also a great interpretation of what a young Ralgha looked like. He was a pretty buff guy in his youth! This version was partially inspired by EmuMusicFan's sketches. There's also a handful of technical enhancements that have been made that you can read about in more detail at the CIC Forums. This includes some in-depth discussion about how visuals like the landing sequence below were made!
A quick update on the project: I've recently started work on splitting out the code for reading the original data formats into a separate C++ base library which will be open sourced as soon
Jun
…Did you ever wonder why Privateer's missions go from series 5 to 7 in the game's internal numerical sequencing? Series 6 was cut pretty late in the process... but now we've found an earlier version of the game's script that includes them! After finding the derelict, you take the gun to the ship dealer on New Detroit...
There a man named WILMER tells you that he can't install the gun because you need to talk to Roman Lynch again. Roman Lynch is the mob boss you last saw earlier in the game after he sent his henchman Miggs to murder you and steal your artifact.
Incidentally, this finally explains why there is a never used closeup background stored in the game for a conversation with the ship dealer!
Lynch runs this town and you can only get the gun installed if you fly a series of missions for him. The missions are especially immoral, attacking business rivals and civilians...
... and one of them is an
