News categories list

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The Affiliated Counter-Terrorism unit has reported progress in its efforts to eliminate the Neo-Marlinist Liberation Army.
Captain Milo Castile, one of ACT's joint leaders, told a press briefing:
"The recent civil war in the Marlinist Colonies was a tragedy, of course. But many pro-NMLA individuals were exposed during the conflict. Minister Jean-Christophe Lyon, the newly elected leader of the Marlinism Reformation Party, has cooperated fully in rooting out extremists from his faction."
"As a result, our agents have successfully raided dozens of NMLA cells and arrested several thousand paramilitary activists. We also acquired intelligence leading to hidden assets in multiple systems."
"I can confirm that Theta Seven – as the NMLA's de facto leader calls himself – personally directed the Marlinist starport attacks. Unfortunately, we have yet to confirm Theta Group's current whereabouts. The

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots Federation ALERT*
Assistance is needed to track down an ACT operative who vanished while on a mission to identify NMLA suppliers.
The missing agent is Captain Niamh Seutonia of the Imperial Internal Security Service, one of the joint leaders of the anti-NMLA intelligence unit. She was following up on clues resulting from analysis of the 'Nine Martyrs' starport bombings.
Senior Agent Tanya Ramirez, a co-leader of ACT, gave this statement:
"Captain Seutonia and her team were travelling on an Anaconda-class vessel named the Valkyrie. Mission details are scarce as information was compartmentalised for security, but she was investigating a minor faction that may be supplying the NMLA."
"We know that her ship left the Mudhrid system on the 24th of March, on a heading toward the Marlinist Colonies. Captain Castile of the Marlinist Constabulary, on secondment to ACT, arranged a rendezvous that

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The Affiliated Counter-Terrorism unit (ACT), formed by all three superpowers to combat the NMLA, has launched its investigation.
The organisation has been working closely with Alliance Interpol, the Imperial Internal Security Service and the Federal Intelligence Agency to collate data on the terrorist strikes against nine starports.
Captain Niamh Seutonia, one of ACT's joint leaders, told the media:
"Initial forensic results from the targeted stations suggest the use of a more compact bomb design than in previous attacks, possibly constructed on-site. Worryingly, the NMLA's new generation of weapons seem to be easier to transport and conceal."
"The good news is that a comparison of reports has revealed one very promising lead. I will personally take a team to follow this up, and we're hoping for an early breakthrough."
Inspector Mara Klatt also provided a brief progress report:
"Our working

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

GOG.com is having a sci-fi midweek sale that's briefly discounting Wing Commander - and many more space sims! Each WC package is just $1.49 or a whopping $11.92 for the entire set of DOS and Windows games in the series. Of course, most of the people reading this already own the games, but there's a whole new generation of gamers out there who barely know what Wing Commander is. The GOG sale ends late tonight, but their frequent discounts are an excellent opportunity to bring new people into the fold! Also, Rebel Galaxy Outlaw is now included since it has been recently released on GOG. It's a wonderful WC-inspired game half off now for just $14.99! RGO makes it easy to pretend you're playing a brand new Privateer spinoff.

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The Affiliated Counter-Terrorism unit has unveiled a secret cabal of Imperial senators who masterminded the NMLA's terrorist activity.
The information was obtained after ACT successfully penetrated the NMLA's dark-comms network. Captain Saskia Landau provided this summary to the media:
"Senators Gereon, Jourdain, Nerva, Scordato and Torquatus were at the heart of a powerful conspiracy to permanently remove the position of Emperor. They called themselves the Lords of Restoration, based on their aim to restore executive power to the Senate."
"The NMLA became their terroristic agents, weaponised to assassinate the Duvals and other obstacles. Its members were militarised at Darkwater training camps and provided with sophisticated equipment by corrupt Imperial Intelligence agents. But the Lords could never fully control the terrorist figurehead Theta Seven, whose attacks against non-Imperial

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The Alliance, Empire and Federation, have agreed to close down the Affiliated Counter-Terrorism unit.
A joint statement from all three superpowers stated: "ACT's primary mission to locate and destroy the Neo-Marlinist Liberation Army has been successfully accomplished."
ACT was formed in March 3307 following the Nine Martyrs attacks, when the NMLA simultaneously bombed multiple starports. The independent taskforce rapidly took the lead in investigating the terrorists, calling upon the resources of many agencies, specialists and freelance pilots.
The co-leaders of ACT have now returned to their respective security services. Captain Saskia Landau was personally awarded the Achenar Service Cross by Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval, in recognition of her key role in identifying the Lords of Restoration. Landau has now accepted overall command of Imperial Intelligence, reporting directly to the

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The Affiliated Counter-Terrorism unit is actively investigating Imperial Intelligence, despite the Senate ordering it to cease operations.
Inspector Mara Klatt, one of ACT's co-leaders, told the media:
"We are convinced that elements within Imperial Intelligence provided support to the NMLA. Our view is that a modified version of the Omega Grid software was supplied to the terrorists, allowing them to build their own dark-comms network. Thanks to Captain Saskia Landau's inside knowledge, we are learning how to detect a unique identifier associated with the network employed by the NMLA."
"Our actions may have political repercussions, but this taskforce is dedicated to finding and destroying the NMLA. We must follow the trail wherever it leads."
Civil and military leaders in the Empire have reacted with outrage, including Senator Zemina Torval:
"Are we expected to risk our citizens' lives by

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The Affiliated Counter-Terrorism unit has published an update on its investigation into the Neo-Marlinist Liberation Army.
Senior Agent Tanya Ramirez, one of ACT's joint leaders, gave a statement to the media:
"ACT is currently pursuing multiple lines of enquiry, which must remain classified for reasons of security. Our agents are gathering evidence from sites across the Alliance, Empire and Federation."
"As yet we cannot report any significant breakthroughs. NMLA activists appear to use a dark-comms network that defies detection. They also compartmentalise their operations, so individual cells have little knowledge of each other."
"In recent months, NMLA incidents have been restricted to minor strikes against Imperial authorities, which were dealt with by local police forces. There has been no activity by Theta Group, the hardcore extremists responsible for the 'Nine Martyrs' starport

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The creators of the NMLA's caustic enzyme bombs have been arrested, although the terrorist figurehead Theta Seven remains at large.
Theta Group is directly responsible for 17 starport bombings conducted by the NMLA across the core systems. These attacks resulted in a combined death toll of almost 800,000 people, with twice as many suffering serious injury.
Senior Agent Tanya Ramirez, one of the Affiliated Counter-Terrorism unit's co-leaders, told the media:
"We have finally tracked down the NMLA's bomb-making engineers, and a joint task force made the arrest with minimal casualties. Large quantities of Thargoid corrosives and explosive components were also seized."
"This achievement was only possible due to intercepting Theta Group's communications with Neo-Marlinist sympathisers. We are unsure why the NMLA's dark-comms network was not used in that instance."
"As our intel predicted, the

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

And here’s a fascinating Wing Commander I behind-the-screens story I had never heard from Denis Loubet! We alluded to this in our big post about how radar works, but never reported on the original anecdote:

LOAF: Is there anything more thrilling than the Wing Commander I box art? Despite the claim that “what you see is what you play” it’s not a screenshot but a digital piece carefully composed by the incomparable Denis Loubet!

Loubet: I invented the radar display as a super-quick way to know which direction to turn to bring a target into view! I think it worked really well.

LOAF: Wow, I had no idea! It felt so natural to me, I could never go back to the Elite-style radar.

Loubet: I had to do some fast-talking to get it in the cockpits! I’m glad I did! The idea sprang from an idea I had for a flat 360 degree display, where the image got more and more compressed and distorted toward the screen edges

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

A goodwill initiative from the Achilles Corporation has now concluded.

Chairman Gus Weaver of the Sol division of Achilles Corp announced:

"Thanks to the dedication of many independent traders, we have now acquired enough commodities to manufacture replacements for all robots destroyed in the wake of the spy robot scandal."

"I'd also like to remind our customers that the illegal surveillance program was safely deleted by our latest coreware update. Remember, you can always trust Achilles."

The deliveries were organised by the Adenets Pro-Alliance Bond, which also arranged to protect traders from attack. Pilots who contributed to the initiative can now collect their rewards from Henslow Market in the Adenets system.

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The Achilles Corporation has announced plans to replace all robots destroyed as a result of the recent spy robot scandal.

Chairman Gus Weaver of the Sol division of Achilles Corp said:

"We take customer support seriously. That's why we're offering to replace – free of charge – any robots destroyed or damaged by owners who suspected them of behaving inappropriately."

"To achieve this, we've asked the Adenets Pro-Alliance Bond to organise deliveries of robotics, computer components and microcontrollers to Henslow Market in the Adenets system. These will be used to produce brand new PA912 administration robots and other models."

"The Adenets Pro-Alliance Bond has also placed a kill order on all ships on its wanted list, to ensure that those delivering commodities can do so safely.

The initiative begins on the 29th of November 3304 and will run for one week. If the final target is met earlier

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Intense investment into research on Titan travel has been announced by the aerospace subdivision of the famed robotics company.
Their research has been centred on the method used by the Thargoid Titans to travel at speeds well beyond that of humanity's current technological capacity.
A spokesperson for Achilles Aerospace had this to say:
"For so long now, the means of space travel have been controlled by one company in a strict monopoly. Under that monopoly, progress seems to have stagnated entirely. But Achilles is a corporation built on the iteration and refinement of technology, and we intend to bring space travel into a new age."
"We have been limited to observational data alone so far, but that is no longer the case. The remnant of Taranis is now accessible, and within it lies the missing component to our work. We urge pilots to venture to the wreckage of the destroyed Titan and try to

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

A suite of new Supercruise Overcharge Frame Shift Drives entered the market earlier this week alongside several other upgrades to the new modules.
To celebrate the company's recent success, Dr. Namin Tirel, Achilles Aerospace's Head of Research and Development, offered a rare interview to Vox Galactica:
"It boggles the mind, truly. We were working in secret on what would eventually become our Supercruise Overcharge technology for over a year now. We had mountains of data and plenty of theories still to test, but we were struggling to make headway on anything that had real practical application. When we got hold of some of the actual parts of the Thargoids' drive-like technology, all that time, energy, and financial investment finally paid off. We were able to make huge strides in a short time frame, as you're now seeing."
"We purposefully made these drives difficult to modify as they're still

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The Alioth-based facility housing production of Achilles' new Supercruise Overcharge capable Frame Shift Drives came under attack today.
The crime was perpetrated by a small group of individuals piloting a ship loaded with high-impact explosive weaponry, seemingly with the intention of sabotaging SCO drive production.
The group piloting the ship had posed as Achilles' Aerospace engineers and had somehow gained high-level clearance to bring the vehicle deep into the facility. Achilles themselves are unsure how this could have been possible, stating to reporters that the malicious agents would have required "incredibly sophisticated technology" to forge the appropriate passes.
The group were able to bypass the facility's first checkpoint before the automated security robots identified them as a potential threat. The malicious agents apparently opened fire on the facility, preventing the robots

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

The subject came up on the CIC Discord and I was surprised some folks didn’t realize that the aces in Wing Commander III had custom, souped up versions of the standard fighters. Let’s go, there’ll be a spreadsheet at the end!

Victory Streak introduces us to five Kilrathi ace pilots, one per ship type in the tradition of Wing Commander I. Three of them appear in the PC version and two were cut but still have cool ships hidden in the game’s guts. All five appear in the 3DO port without special ships.

The aces themselves all look the same… in fact all the Kilrathi VDUs in the game use the same footage with updated dialogue. Each one does have its own set of taunts:

Aside: the 3DO and PSX versions use color versions of the Kilrathi pilot… and in the spirit of using every part of the animal, Wing Commander Prophecy reuses them with new audio instead of making/rendering new cats.

Time to meet the cats! For each

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

For a limited time only starting today, players will be able to purchase the Key Ring Bundle! This special pack includes 20x Master Keys (used to open any Lock Box) for the price of 2250 Zen. As an additional special promotional offer when purchasing this bundle, every pack also includes a single Ultimate Tech Upgrade. Applying this item to any upgradeable piece of equipment will instantly set both its Mark and Quality to maximum (usually Mk XIV and Epic/Gold quality) with zero Dilithium Cost! This promotional bundle will be available in the C-Store beginning July 7th at at 10am PT to July 8th at 10am PT. .share-footer a { margin: 20px 10px 10px 0; background: url(d7afaaa14e96d0d973f76157ae31ec5b1466398539.png) no-repeat 0 0; opacity: .5; display: inline-block; height: 60px; width: 60px; padding: 0; border: 1px solid transparent; -webkit-transition: opacity

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

ODVS has something new and a little different on the video enhancement front. He's put together a quick test cut of the Academy intro transformed into 1080p. He stresses that this isn't a carefully curated version to maximize quality, but even the quick and dirty experiment is pretty slick. He won't be able to actually remaster the show due to copyright considerations, so it's not worth the effort to painstakingly clean this up much further. Nonetheless, it's very cool! Note the embedded view below is sharpened, but still low resolution. Grab the actual 1080p file here (16 meg mp4). You can right click to download, but many browsers will play it natively as well. You can buy the show on Amazon for $8 or watch it streaming on Peacock. Maybe someday one of the official NBC Universal-authorized sources will go HD!

I've actually got several Wing Commander projects on the go at the moment, but I

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Renowned comic and storyboard artist Tim Eldred has posted an awesome article about how he got involved with Wing Commander Academy and how it influenced the rest of his career. It's a combination of being in the right place at the right time as well as having the knack for visualizing the series' key concepts in engaging ways. He's got lots of fun concept art in the piece, including these two glorious shots. We've posted versions of them before without the color, but they really pop here fully illustrated like this.

When I sat down to watch Episode 3 (on a Saturday morning), it was a revelation to see my work on TV for the first time. In addition to what I mentioned earlier, this was also a case where some characters I designed were moving through scenes I created. It looked like I had somehow drawn every frame of this Saturday morning cartoon. I was also surprised to see that some of my shots were

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

LAZY SATURDAY SPACESHIP POST! I thought it might be fun to sort of roughly compare the Wing Commander Academy ships that originated in Wing Commander 2 with their original meshes. And you know what? It was fun! The Sartha:

The Kilrathi Jalkehi heavy fighter, which appears in a single episode! (Word of Honor)

The furball Grikath bomber, a series regular:

And the Kamekh corvette! The coloring is a little more like the all-tan Privateer version (which was the same mesh retextured).

On the Confed side, we've got the Ferret. This appears in only one episode BUT somewhere there existed an unseen toy prototype of it, the only one made for the series. Wish I knew more!

The Epee medium fighter. This one shows up a few times on the show but it always seems like it didn't get a fully fleshed out model sheet...

... which is also the case with the Sabre, which actually looks like a different design in its two