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Dennis Mull has been on a bit of a Wing Commander bender lately, and he's added several nice additions to his extensive PC gaming collection. The first up is an Italian Hit Squad release of WC1. The original game was bundled with a wide range of EA titles and compilations, but a solo pairing with an Indianapolis 500 game is a new one for me. I guess if that and Wing Commander were just what you were looking for, then you could buy this box and save some money! He's also got an Italian copy of Privateer 2, which is tons of fun. Last, but not least, he also picked up a combo lot with various European editions of WC1-4. That's a pretty good haul so far this week!

More beautiful Wing Commander games arrived ? You can’t have enough, right? Now I have to reorganize my shelves, again ?

I know what you mean!

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The Witch Head Nebula has been confirmed as a primary source of meta-alloys, following an initiative hosted by Aegis Research. The news has triggered efforts to swiftly establish a human presence in the area.

Aegis Research released this statement from Professor Alba Tesreau:

"Having analysed large amounts of exploration data, graciously provided by the galactic community, we can confirm that the Witch Head Nebula contains enough barnacle sites to meet the demand for meta-alloys. I am confident that these sites will offer a suitable alternative to the exhausted barnacles in the Pleiades Nebula."

The Alliance, Empire and Federation have already dispatched advance teams to the region. Each superpower has asked the galactic community to support its respective initiative and help them establish megaships and Ocellus starports in the nebula.

With the Pleiades sources of meta-alloys now almost

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

I heard something about boosters being needed soon. We've got your boosters right here! #CombatInformationCenterforDiseaseControl

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

We're a sucker for a good physical Wing Commander model, and Conrad Teves recently made a slick one! He printed this Arrow light fighter a few weeks ago, which happened to be just in time for Wing Commander Armada's 29th birthday. A lot of people closely associate this ship with Wing Commander 3, but it appeared in Armada first. Arrows even take up a pretty big chunk of the box cover!

Made a 3d print of the Arrow. Here it is fresh off the printer.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Bricks With Wings has massively expanded his Wing Commander fleet, and the results now set the stage for a huge Vega Sector battle. The Exeter has been added to complement the Tiger's Claw and her fighters, but the Kilrathi side also has a complement lineup in the form of the Fralthi cruiser, Ralari destroyer and five prominent fighters. Both sides even get a transport! We've seen a fair number of amazing WC Lego designs over the years, but including several gorgeous Kilrathi capships is a first. I especially like the Jalthi, and the new angles of the Bengal class carrier are exquisite too. saf0775 will be working on build instructions next! Keep tabs on the latest on Instagram.

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John Nelson has made a number of impressive Lego Wing Commander fighters, and his new Longbow might be the best yet. His latest creation incorporates many of the iconic bomber's famous elements from bubble cockpit to side hatch. Both the rear turret and forward gun emplacements look great. The angle of the 'wings' also looks spot on and the colors are accurate to Wing Commander 3. It's a very impressive build!

I tweaked the wings a little from those first photos and got the right color bricks into place for the front by the cockpit but the Longbow is done! Technic pieces were needed for the angled wings and while there are some gaps in the middle fuselage just behind the outcroppings I am pleased with the result.

Pliers (would) say, “The Longbow is Confed's finest bomber and has the firepower to turn any convoy to scrap iron in its wake, if a bunch of light fighters don’t gang up on it first.”

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

As we mentioned last month, LOAF, AD and team are working through an exhaustive overhaul to the CIC's original video archive. Our Holovids video index was pretty great for its time, but this takes the concept to an entirely different level. Right off the bat, you can see how branching plot choices work along with alternate video clips and dialogue script. With that text, you can understand exactly what was being said, even through the muffled parts. Alternate language French, German and Spanish editions are also included as are alternate quality sources where available. Plus, there are an enormous number of behind-the-scenes clips, deleted scenes, reviews and more. Want an extensive array of print reviews? That's included too! If that wasn't enough, a complete rundown of in-flight comms from both the story and gameplay are now available. Incredible! Today's update is all about Privateer 2,

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I dug this up after seeing Limited Run Games' extremely cool System Shock re-release: a doc from Wing Commander I's development that lists possible trinkets! I would've loved to see any of these... but miniature ships would've been amazing.

Of course the set of blueprints they decided to go with are hard to beat!

And the Japanese FM Towns port of Wing Commander did include a map poster!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

NakaKen has an incredible creation to share! He's been building the TCS Tiger's Claw in Space Engineers, the game that gives you the building blocks to put together your own intricate spaceships! The new video below is a fly through that shows off all of the amazing little aspects of the design. From afar, the ship almost gives off some WC Arena Battlecruiser vibes. This is super cool as is, but it gets even more amazing when you go inside. There's a fully fleshed out flight deck stocked with Hornets on elevators. They can launch through the main bay or out the side ports. Digging in a little further, there's a bar with a TrainSim, a red light briefing room and more! What fabulous attention to detail. You can download the blueprint/mod for the ship at the Steam Workshop here.

There are also multiple videos that show off the construction process necessary to get this far:

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Why play ports? Let's take a quick walk through the TrainSim enemy selection screen in ports of the original Wing Commander! Here's the original from 1990 in EGA and VGA.

The Amiga version swapped the line art for rotating ship sprites! Then the CD32 version made them a little smaller.

Game Arts' Sega CD port brings back the ship diagrams but has them glow when highlighted.

... and Mindscape makes some big changes for the SNES version! Name plate at the top, extremely tiny soda can on the dashboard (seriously, compare it to the hand).

Then Super Wing Commander for the Macintosh and 3DO has totally new ships and even has a second screen showing their stats!

Then the PSP version, included in the EA Replay compilation, takes the SNES version and cruelly stretches it.

Did you know the TrainSim has a name? If you leave it idle on the PC release you find out it's SQUADRON (which was the original name chosen for

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

The phenomenal expansion of the CIC Holovid video archive continues! Having recently vastly expanded what was available for Privateer 2, LOAF and AD have moved on to Wing Commander Prophecy. Their complete catalog of the game's cutscenes includes every clip in high quality, complete with transcripts, storyboards, alternate languages, variations and branching choices depicted. The game's ICIS mission briefings have also been digitized and transcribed, and THOUSANDS of in-flight audio communication clips have been added. This even applies to the 3Dfx Test and playable demo. Plus, a fun variety of behind-the-scenes and bonus videos are available as well. You don't want to miss it!

Here's LOAF with more detail:

• A page for every cutscene in Wing Commander Prophecy! Each page embeds the cutscene in question and collects all sorts of bonus materials:
  • The alternate, higher quality DVD footage
    • The German dub

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The Federal Diplomatic Corps has officially denounced President Hudson's attempt to capture Yuri Grom in the Delta Pavonis system.
The political conference was to determine whether the system's ruling faction would ally with the EG Union or the Federation. It was abandoned when a Federal black ops team attempted to arrest Yuri Grom's delegation, triggering a conflict in the system.
Ambassador Delphine Dumont told The Federal Times:
"We have no option but to state that our own government has violated the conventions of diplomatic immunity. This conference was established in good faith with all parties. We were not informed that any hostile act against EG Union was planned."
"I offer my personal apologies to Yuri Grom. Our negotiations were spirited but honest, and I genuinely felt that progress was being made."
This is the first time that the Federal Diplomatic Corps has distanced itself from

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Scribbler has a new entry in his line of classic Wing Commander ambiance/ASMR videos. This one takes place in the green bunkroom of Caernarvon Station. You can hear the hum of equipment and various chirps from time to time. There's a solid hour in store to help you zone out!

In this file we remain in the ambiance of the quarters on the Caernarvon space station. A remote outpost of the Confederacy. Ideal for making money without the dangers of war. Except for a few minor skirmishes on patrol. Another day comes to an end in space. Then come to your sleeping quarters and rest. Everyday life stays outside. Today we don't do anything anymore.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

If you thought Scribbler's WC1 ambiance series had come to an end, he's got a surprise! The flight deck has joined the bar, barracks and briefing room. He's incorporated a bit of feedback and hidden the cursor this time. Most of the sound effects revolve around the crew fixing up fighters on the deck: ratchets, sparks, carts, elevators and the like. Check it out below!

In this file we stay in the ambience of the flight deck of the TCS Tigers Claw. Intended for radio plays or playing in the background while working or falling asleep. Where you want to let your imagination run wild.

Show time. Time to start. Quickly onto the flight deck. The pilots are ready. The mission begins. And everyday life for the technicians on deck. After the pilots have started, the daily routine continues. Repair, prime and prepare the other fighters. Attention, another flight returns. Clear the deck...

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Scribbler has posted the first in a series of Wing Commander ambiance videos. These have gotten more popular in recent years with examples such as this hour of Borg cube humming from Star Trek Lower Decks. In this case we get an hour of Shotglass' bar aboard the Tiger's Claw. Scribbler has looped things a bit, played with some low key sound effects and added some less repetitive music to get to the end result. Let him know what you think here!

In this file we stay in the ambience of bartender Shotglass on board the TCS Tiger's Claw. Talk to other pilots, fly a lap in the simulator. What's the news today? Maybe a little snack? And how does the flight list look today? Rest because the next mission is coming soon

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

In the run up to Wing Commander 4's release, Electronic Arts kicked off a massive marketing blitz that included

theatrical trailers

before movies and a full court press in printed material. Highlights included its record setting budget, gorgeous live sets in the background of FMV and advanced integration with the gameplay. WC4 was popping up everywhere - even in the air! LOAF recently found this in the December 1995 of

American Way

, American Airlines' in flight magazine.

"It's a movie. It's a space combat game. It's the most excitement you'll ever have on your PC."

And they were right!

A few weeks ago I read an old article about marketing Wing Commander IV that mentioned they ran an ad in American Way, the in-flight magazine of American Airlines. It didn’t say what issue, so it took a bit of trial to find... December 1995! ... and if anyone wants a fat stack of old airline magazines from the eBay

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Sometimes when things get stressful, it's relaxing to kick back with an old school unboxing video. Here's one by GreekRetroMan that takes a look at the Amiga edition of Wing Commander 1. I never get tired of Claw Marks or the fighter blueprints, and it's also nice to see the Amiga version in action once in a while. Although it doesn't support as many colors as its PC counterpart, many people swear by this edition!

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
Aegis and Universal Cartographics have announced that the project to survey ammonia worlds has ended satisfactorily.
Special mention goes to Commander aRadish, Commander Lone WolfPack and Commander T'Verez for their efforts.
The exploration initiative was praised by Congressman Tom Gillespie, who oversees Federal contributions to Aegis:
"An impressive number of terrestrial planets with ammonia-based atmospheres were scanned and catalogued over the last two weeks. Universal Cartographics certainly considers the project to be a great success, and I know our xenological scientists do too."
"This is the kind of task for which independent Commanders are absolutely unmatched in dedication and expertise, and they remain our indispensable allies."
Vice Admiral Skylar Anderson, the Imperial military liaison to Aegis, added:
"This information is of considerable strategic

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Here's another interesting chapter in the tragically funky series of EA advertisements for the 3DO. We've previously reported on the prints that used a dead fish, cubic lard and fancy pastries to sell Super Wing Commander and Wing Commander 3. RetroDetect has recently posted pics of a whole EA Lard booklet that includes promos for both WC games, among other offerings for the console. There's no telling if the system would have been more of a success if the marketing firm here would have gone with slightly less disgusting subject matter, but at least the games were awesome! You can find the other pages here.

#3doThursday is cool & its fun.... But dont ever try to put a #3do up your bum! Instead, lets take a look at this product booklet featuring some Electronic Arts Lard!

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The Order of the Far God has reached out to Seo Jin-ae, offering information on the possible fate of the Dedicant.
The megaship was due to transport members of the True Chapters sect from the Popontia system to the Alliance-governed Mullag system, but made a hyperspace jump ahead of schedule and disappeared. The Federal Intelligence Agency has interrogated cult members still waiting in Federal prison cells, but reportedly obtained no useful information.
Days later, Aegis was directly contacted by chapters of the Order within independent space. They volunteered to discuss the Dedicant but only with Seo Jin-ae, whom they refer to as 'the Preceptor' for her ability to interpret to the Thargoid hive mind.
After meeting Far God representatives at a secure location, Seo Jin-ae made a public statement:
"The meeting wasn't as productive as the FIA hoped. I asked the cultists for information, but they