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Good Old Games is celebrating the lunar new year with a big sale on the WC series (and 1500 other games). We're happy to see the super low prices, since each discount means more people get a chance to try out Wing Commander. The entire series is just $11.92, or individual game packs are just $1.49. Even if you still have your boxed copies, the GOG editions come with plenty of extras and make startup a snap!
Oct
…We are excited to announce the return of the Phoenix Prize Pack, which return to Star Trek Online on PC from October 3rd at 8AM PT til October 10th at 10am PT. Just like Zefram Cochrane’s experimental vessel, the Phoenix Prize Pack blazes a trail into new frontiers! And, following in the model of its mythological namesake, the Phoenix Prize Pack also represents the return from the ashes of items, ships and other rewards that have been retired from Star Trek Online, and are no longer accessible by any other means. Purchasing and opening this promotional prize pack will offer players the unique opportunity of obtaining many otherwise inaccessible items, ships and equipment, which were previously available from events or promotions, or as other limited-availability rewards. (Check further below for complete prize information!) How it works is simple: Players may visit the Dilithium Store to purchase
Dec
…We have exciting news! Captains on PC will be able to enjoy a bonus on purchased ZEN! Is there a ship in the C-Store that is tempting you? Now is the perfect opportunity to grab ships, keys, and whatever else has caught your eye. From December 19th at 9am PT to January 2nd at 9am PT, Captains will earn an extra bonus on purchased ZEN when you charge through Direct Credit Card, PayPal, Skrill, BoaCompra, Xsolla, Paysafecard, or Steam. *Please note that this Charge Bonus offer is ONLY available for the following payment processors: Direct Credit Card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover) PayPal Skrill BoaCompra Xsolla Paysafecard Steam .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;
Jan
…Just before the holiday break, our good friends at Priority One: a Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast, sat down with a plethora of STO guests to talk about the year in review. First, they sat down with Content Designer John Hegner and Lead Producer Jarrod Fisher. Then, they were joined by Executive Producer Andre Emerson and Community Manager Mike Fatum. If you'd like to hear our thoughts on the past year, plus some hints at what's to come, this is the place to do it. Here's how Priority One described the episode: This week on Priority One --- things are already beginning to shake up with Star Trek Picard; Tarantino starts to put some distance between himself and Star Trek; and Paramount places bets on VR. In Gaming News, the mobile game Fleet Command is getting a huge update; then, we wrap our year with TWO interviews with Cryptic Studios to discuss 2019 milestones and take a glimpse into 2020….
Apr
…The Torturous Wing Commander Poetry Department
Editor's note: in honor of the pop culture Behemoth that is the release of Taylor Swift's Tortured Poet's Department and the fact that it is the author's birthday and he is allowed one needlessly self-indulgent Wing Commander article per year we present to you…
One of my favorite things in popular media is finding a reference to some classic aspect of literature. Growing up, I found that it was something particularly distinctive in Star Trek. From Kirk quoting John Masefield or D.H. Lawrence to Picard's love of Shakespeare, there was something that was both enticing and approachable about these little connections to our greater culture. Such moments have always served to both elevate and contextualize the media in a way I've found incredibly satisfying. It lets you connect with characters, understand storytellers and to my liking it gives you exactly my
Jan
Has anyone ever noticed how many versions there are of the Strike Commander art? They seem to derive from two separate renderings. The one with painted flames on the F-16 is the older of the two.
There's also this version from the GOG release which... I think they made out of stock photos for some reason? Note that Strike Commander currently happens to be on sale for $1.49 for the rest of this weekend.
Tactical Operations variants go hard, too!
I need there to be a Strike Commander version of me that I can hand this responsibility off to...
Jan
LeHah reports that GalaxyCon has a new Wing Commander autograph opportunity with Matthew Lillard. Fans can order either an 8x12 inch photo or 11x17 poster with his signature. If you happen to have a particular piece of Wing Commander memorabilia that you'd like him to sign, you can also send that in! These items have to be confirmed by February 11 and the regular orders get a bit more time. Hit the links below for more info!
Jan
We now know why the Wing Commander series was left out of GOG's big annual winter sale... because it was being saved for the Classic Winter Sale! A whole host of games from a similar era are now on sale, especially from Origin and EA. You can complete your digital collection for less than $12 as the series is now 75% off.
Sep
German friends! We are still looking for this diskette. Do you know any packrats or collectors?
Requesting assistance from the German retro gaming community! It looks like the October 1993 PC Player cover diskette had a Wing Commander Academy campaign on it. Does anyone have a copy?
Aug
A you may know, we recently purchased a collection of Wing Commander IV continuity photographs which we've been researching for front page updates. In honor of the birthday we thought we'd jump ahead and share the full collection of photos. Stay tuned for more articles covering the unsung histories of these actors and characters! You can find the current slate of feature articles here.
Aug
Earlier in the summer, we reported on a WC1 retrospective review that was especially comprehensive. At the time, we noted that it was well researched, covered a vast range of topics and was surprisingly entertaining for a lengthy two hour episode. My favorite thing was how earnest the author was about helping new audiences discover Wing Commander. And many people agreed! It's since gone out to rack up 115,000 views. It's been so successful that others have taken notice. In this new clip, vidIQ dissects what made it so popular, which is an interesting meta analysis. I think both creators underestimate how many Wing Commander fans are out there eager for more content! I've relinked the original vid below as well if you missed it in June.
Aug
A few months back, LOAF took a look at the development timeframes for the Wing Commander games. It's really interesting comparison! Someone asked how these durations correlated with the size of the development teams, which is also a very neat set of data, so LOAF compiled a new table!
This question fascinated me so I decided to put together some rough numbers with the previous chart. I divided credits by modern disciplines... you can see the size of the development teams basically quadruiples in eight years! (Does not include film shoot crews.)
With regards to the expansion packs, they were all very tight 3-4 month productions. A small team of rising juniors would usually develop them while the rest of the group moved to the next big game. They kept it up as long as the concept was profitable!
Aug
If you missed the big news earlier this week, be sure to check out the new WC4 Fan Remake demo! There are numerous fixes and updates, better joystick support and new in-flight comms. You can download it here (886 meg exe) and get right to playing! The WC Respace team has posted a full article with instructions and FAQs if you have any questions or issues. If you're not quite ready to jump in yourself, here's a video of The Eradicator checking the demo out. It's actually the original release, so the latest version is even better!
It looks like a team of modders are trying to remaster Wing Commander IV. In this video, we will check their work out.
Jul
Kotaku recently reported on a massive leak of Sega documents from the 1990s. One interesting bit for me: Sega's release calendar lists a Saturn port of Wing Commander IV for October '96. I don't believe that was ever announced (or otherwise leaked).
A Saturn port of Wing Commander III, not mentioned here, WAS announced and was supposedly shown in some capacity at the first E3 in 1995. Little else is known!
The leaked documents also have Sega's internal estimated release dates for the Playstation ports of WC3 and 4. They're just a month off for 3 (February vs. March '96) but way off for 4 (September '96 vs May '97). It's unlikely that a Saturn port could've shipped in October '96!
You can download the document leak directly from Sega Retro here (61 meg PDF).
Jul
If you were hooked by LOAF's deep analysis of the Confederation Handbook over the weekend and can't wait for more, the time is now! Part two of the stream is live! Check it out below:
In 1999, HarperEntertainment published the Wing Commander Confederation Handbook. Was it the greatest book ever written in the history of the world? Yes. Let's talk about it! AGAIN.
Jul
Display MoreWing Commander II has some excellent tuckerizations! This is from Special Operations 1. Denis Loubet is the famous Origin artist, and the Miller is Craig Miller, who designed the Wing Commander II box.
General Snell of Niven Colony was Wing Commander II's executive producer Dallas Snell (who is likely well known to many Origin Systems fans)!
Lady Blue, CO of the Concordia's Ferret wing, is writer/assistant diretor Ellen Guon (who you probably know first as the co-author of Freedom Flight).
Ghorah Khar Sabre pilot "Ladyman" is the man behind the manuals, David Ladyman.
Blair's gunner Lieutenant Haley is programmer Richard Haley.
Ghorah Khar rookie pilot "Cafrelli" is programmer Charles Cafrelli (who also voiced a Kilrathi admiral!).
Do you know any others?
Jul
Display MoreWow, look who is trending! Mothers, lock up your ejected pilots.
To be clear: there are two Deathstrokes. They are similar but they are different kils. Dakhath nar Sihkag is the Wing Commander I ace, Dakhath nar Caxki is the WC3/CCG/Arena ace.
The original Deathstroke flew a Dralthi during the Vega Campaign. He was ultimately shot down at Gimle by Spirit! Color art from the SFC manual:
The later Deathstroke flew a Dralthi IV (and later a Dralthi Striker). The red livery is from WC3 but never actually appears since he isn’t really in the PC version!
Some clever and handsome fellow did think to lampshade the similarities in their backgrounds:
Jun
…Wing Commander Prophecy veterans: do you remember Lt. Anderson, the TCS Midway's comm officer? He showed up in briefings and other cutscenes as well in dozens of postage stamp videos in-flight.
So, Origin's Official Guide to Wing Commander Prophecy has a surprisingly extensive biography that claims that Anderson traces his lineage back to an RAF pilot who fought in World War II. Is there a historical figure who matches the clues?
We're looking for an RAF pilot (specifically an officer) who defended against the Blitz. Luckily, The Few are extensively memorialized online… which leads us to a clear candidate: Squadron Leader Michael Anderson!
Anderson commanded 604 Squadron during the Battle of Britain flying Bristol Beaufighter night fighters. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for shooting down a Heinkel 111 (and two probables). Here's a great painting of that encounter by Mark Postlethwaite!
Nov
It's been quite a while since we checked in with EmuMusicFan's graphical novel project, but he's continued to make steady progress all the while. He's crafted a variety of new Kilrathi characters to populate his universe, and they look quite nice. While the care and attention paid to each person's facial detail is obvious, I'm also intrigued by their outfits. In some cases they're just cursory gowns and outlines of armor, but there's some real potential to build up some hypothetical Kilrathi fashion here. Let him know what you think at the CIC Forums.
Feb
…*Pilots Federation ALERT*
An independent vessel has detected a fragment of a mysterious message coming from an unexplored region of space.
Commander Elsa Solomon was travelling through the Swoilz XX-D c1-30 system when her ship's communications array picked up a faint transmission. The message was as follows:
This is an emergency broadcast on all frequencies from Serene Harbour. We are –
The transmission ended abruptly and did not resume. The signal did not contain any identification data or indications as to its origin.
Commander Solomon gave more details to Vox Galactica:
"The message appeared in my comms panels as text and an electronically generated voice. I wasn't able to determine a source, only that it was broadcast within 80 light years of that system. My schedule was tight so I couldn't spend long tracking it."
"I have no idea if Serene Harbour is a starport, a settlement or even a
