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There's an incredible new update to Origin composer George Oldziey's project to make a new live orchestra Wing Commander album! Mr. Oldziey is traveling to Salt Lake next week to record the choral elements of his new album. He would then transition into the mixing and editing phase. On that front, he's managed to partner with a world renowned audio engineer, Bruce Botnick, who has worked on the audio of numerous Star Trek films and other sci-fi classics. They won't be able to formally begin their work together until early next year, but it still feels to me like the project is on an excellent track. It's still been less than five months since the crowdfunding campaign ended!

Greetings all. I just wanted to post an update about what's happening with this amazing project. I am about to head out to Salt Lake City next week to record the choir parts for the music. I will then have everything

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

About a decade ago, there was a push to modernize Strike Commander and implement a fan remake that could be playable on the then-emerging field of VR/AR headsets. The thought was that it would be similar to the WC4 Remake and be an up-cycling that built on the game's original assets. Eventually the development led by Fabien Sanglard cooled, but with his code publicly available, Remi Leonard has since resumed development over the last couple years. He's put together the beefy video below to show off the latest progress. It's great to see there's still plenty of people out there that appreciate the other Origin franchises!

Progress on the strike commander remake based on fabien sanglard's work (some gameplay footage, conversation, flight simulation, transition, source code available at GitHub - remileonard/libRealSpace: Tools to parse and render Origin Systems RealSpace engine assets..

Thanks to

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

In February 1999, FOX put out a set of Wing Commander postcards to promote the upcoming film. Each features one of the movie's main characters with some pretty flashy graphics and a strange focus on retina scans. These were distributed at conventions, theater lobbies and elsewhere alongside a sweatshirt featuring the nose art and the movie logo down the arm. Origin even had a digital version at the now-defunct wingcommander.com which you could send as an ecard! So be sure and send someone you love a big honking Wing Commander picture today. We've scanned three of the original cards in high resolution and have made them available below. You can also access a 1200 dpi version of the scans here.

The flavor text for Blair and Maniac is taken right from the Confederation Handbook... but it's not at all clear what Angel's facts and figures refer to!

- FLIGHT RECORD -

SQUADRONS LED - / 175 [113]
SHIPS DOWN - /

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

AD spotted this new Instagram Reel posted by Microsoft. It features a Sidewinder joystick and a trackball mouse under the caption, "Taking a trip to the '90s." The interviewee explains, "Back in the '90s, everyone wanted to be playing space games like Wing Commander..." and goes on about how popular joysticks were to that end. We know an increasing number of our visitors were born in the 2000s, so it's nice to be able to share an example of people talking about how the WC series was a major force in gaming in this very transformative decade!

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Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

We've got a fun video to share today! LOAF participated in a special stream to celebrating the upcoming 30th anniversary of Wing Commander 3. He joined MaruMalandra's Twitch channel to play through The Heart of the Tiger. LOAF was broadcasting live on the camera, but I also really like the idea of Maru's "joystick cam" as well. There's plenty of fun gameplay to watch, but what you really want to follow along for the expert commentary. It runs for almost four hours, so there's lots packed in here! Jump to 10 minute mark to bypass the initial setup.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

That Armada ad earlier sent me down a rabbit hole. I noticed two screens were likely bullshots. In the first, look at the more complex fighter icons, the DEPLOY button, the labeling in the map, the border around enemy space and how everything is named NGC-2877-R (a real lenticular galaxy!).

In the second, which only appears on the sales sheet so we only have in lower resolution, the base graphics are missing, the ship order is changed and most interestingly the planet and the system no longer share the same name (hard to read but it looks like 'Planet 75' or similar)!

Looking for high resolution scans led me to a surprise reveal: the 3.5" and CD-ROM boxes have two screenshots that switch despite shipping together! It looks like for the CD they replaced two early shots, including the map, with ones from ones much closer to the release build.

Next I compared those two some other releases and was surprised

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Earlier this week I neglected to mention that there was a huge accompanying article for the WC3 livestream. Maru Malandra has penned a thorough overview of the game in anticipation of its upcoming 30th anniversary. The article sets the stage for the rapidly evolving state of technology in the mid '90s, introduces the epic shift to interactive movies and talks about the game's stunning 3D engine. It's also another chapter in a whole series of Wing Commander retrospectives that were initially posted back in 2019. Check them all out for the full rundown!

The leap from Wing Commander II to III feels enormous, even with the ‘missing link’ that is Strike Commander. It almost feels ludicrous that we went from mute talking heads and short pre-mission cutscenes to full-motion video and a complex storyline where choices outside the cockpit can affect both story events and relationships with other

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Sending good thoughts to folks in Central Florida. The region has a little history with Wing Commander: novelist Peter Telep is a professor at UCF. First he highlighted Florida in the movie novelization... though the actual scene being described is maybe not so detailed!

In the followup novel, Pilgrim Stars, he turned his university into a Pilgrim concentration camp. In that vein I tried to honor Mr. Telep by establishing in Star Soldier that the crazy liberal professor from Fleet Action also taught there (and he’s an awful conservative now, as happens to old men.)

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Heritage Auctions has posted a preview of a November video game art auction and their slate includes a stunning, almost-never-seen-before piece of Wing Commander art:

Here's how they describe it:

Steve Lang

Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger Unpublished Video Game Original Box Art (Electronic Arts 1994).

Although the publisher ultimately selected a different image for the cover of Wing Commander III, this breathtaking painting offers a rare glimpse into an alternate vision for the game's box art. It depicts a colorful, action-packed outer space battle scene, showcasing the grandeur of the Wing Commander universe. Rendered in acrylics on Crescent all-media board measuring 20" x 17," it is signed and dated by the artist along the bottom border. Debuting on home computers in 1994 and ported to the 3DO in 1995 and the PlayStation in 1996, Wing Commander III is a landmark title, notable for its

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

I started emulating Wing Commander SNES with RetroAchievements and am having a great time! I picked up a Bluetooth SNES controller and having the intended form factor really improves the experience. They’ve got cheevos for the SNES, PlayStation and Sega CD ports all set up! I’m going to try and earn them all. Onward to Gimle!

Weird note for posterity: no Silver Star for McAuliffe 3 despite scoring every kill and logging every victory point. Checked some let’s plays and it was the same for all. Something changed or broken in the port?

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Yesterday's shocking Wing Commander II SNES painting news wasn't just of interest to the Wing Commander community. Hardcore fans of Nintendo history were also all over the reveal! John Rairdin of Nintendo World Report even went right to work creating an image that simulates what the game's box likely would've looked like:

This is a case where the artist is the bigger expert to begin with but it looks pretty accurate to us! The real game probably would've had a different tagline but since we have no idea what it would've been reusing the original is a smart choice. Nintendo World Report also published an article on the find as did Go Nintendo. It's great to see coverage from the serious Nintendo community; when the game is someday located, I suspect they will be prime movers! For those unfamiliar with SNES branding and who would like a point of comparison, here are box scans for FCI's other Origin ports

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

The promised Wing Commander III saved game reference pack is here! As with our previous releases we've tried to include a saved game after each mission with multiple variants wherever alternate cutscenes are available. It's a great excuse to explode some of the game that you may never have seen before... or a nice quick way to track down a screenshot in a hurry! If you are playing the GOG version, drop these in the "cloud_saves/WC3" folder (but be sure to make a backup copy of your saves first as these will replace them).

One that we know is missing is a version of Hyperion 2 where cutscene N0BARFHS plays with the 'low morale' version. The scene requires that Flash be alive to discuss the Kilrah mission and theoretically has a 'bad' version where he isn't hopeful. As far as we can tell there's no way to have Flash's morale actually be low at this point in the game! Let us know if you've encountered

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

More reference saves for the collection! We've played through both Armada campaigns and saved a game at the start of each sector. Want to explore unfamiliar regions of the Wing Commander universe or maybe see the ending cutscenes without playing a full evening of Armada? Here's your ticket! Drop these in your Armada folder (but be sure to make a backup copy of your saves first as these will replace them). Because Armada only has eight save 'slots' per game mode, we've divided this archive into three sets. Pick the one you want and go save the galaxy!

• Wing Commander Armada Saved Games (24kb .ZIP)

Stay tuned for additional packages! Privateer and Privateer 2 are coming soon. Previous releases:

• Wing Commander III
• Wing Commander IV
• Prophecy and Secret Ops

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Zorgon Peterson has delighted fans and investors alike with the confirmation of its first new vessel in six years.
At an extravagant launch party, the Mandalay was introduced to an enthusiastic reception. Presented as an exploration-focused vessel, Zorgon Peterson chief marketing officer Devin Kaneda provided the following details:
"With the Mamba, Zorgon Peterson's team showed we can match all other manufacturers in terms of speed. With the Fer-de-Lance, we demonstrated our understanding of excellent military design. Now, with the Mandalay, we aim to provide consumers with a premium exploration option."
"Our design division has focused on specific performance advantages once again. The Mandalay brings a significant jump range for a medium-sized vessel. Careful attention has also been placed on improving ship handling in atmospheric environments."
"We've also listened to explorers regarding

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

In the lead-up to the Wing Commander movie, Starlog magazine covered the film extensively. After Starlog shut down in 2009, the powers that be offered scans of the entire run of their flagship magazine. This included a Wing Commander cover story and three feature articles which we reported at the time. What they did not include in their archival efforts, however, were two spinoffs that covered Wing Commander: a cover story in Sci-Fi Teen (#5, March 1999) and their dedicated Wing Commander Movie Official Magazine. Today we're adding the former to the collection! Sci-Fi Teen was a short-lived spinoff of Starlog aimed at a younger audience that was starting to take an interest in increasingly popular science fiction media like X-Files and Star Trek Voyager. Here's the Wing Commander material:

We have also scanned the individual pages of the centerfold 'pin-up' poster. Perfect for your locker!

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Aegis scientists have recently held a public forum to discuss ongoing research into the wreckage left behind by Thargoid Titans.
The Xenological Science Symposium on Procyon B 7 discussed topics including technological advances made since the start of the Second Thargoid War, their potential application to non-military industries, and hypothetical future-tech in the event of victory against the Thargoid invasion force.
Keynote speaker Professor Shamus Madigan, part of the Federal delegation to the Aegis Initiative, chose to discuss the Thargoid Titan wreckage and potential advancements from the components thus far recovered from them.
"Obviously, we've seen huge strides in human aerospace technology with the SCO frame shift drive. Achilles Aerospace has delivered a marvellous device which greatly amplifies the travel speeds of small spacecraft within a star system."
"But the reality is that

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Yesterday we looked at the March 1999 issue of Sci-Fi Teen, one of four Starlog publications that covered the Wing Commander movie during its release. That might not seem unusual today but remember that Wing Commander was up against The Matrix and Star Wars Episode One for limited print space in world where most people weren't yet getting their news from the internet. Today we're looking at the most exciting of the bunch: STARLOG Movie Hits Wing Commander The Official Movie Magazine is a 72-page officially licensed magazine covering the actors and techniques behind the scenes of Wing Commander. It contains a lot of broad promotional writing and you've seen many of the set photos before... but there are also some real gems hidden in there! We're very pleased to finally have a digital copy available online as prices for once-ignored physical back stock seem to be rising. You can download the PDF here

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Quick, what's that missile? I was studying Wing Commander Prophecy recently and realized I had never taken a good look at the alien missile graphics. Missiles are visible for perhaps a few frames at most so it's hard to get an idea of how they look in the game… but it turns out there was a lot of effort put into distinct missile textures, especially in Wing Commander Prophecy! Not only do the unusual alien weapons all have unique, organic graphics but almost every single Confederation missile and torpedo has a unique design. More, even, than were included in the high resolution renders in the manual and official guide!

From there I decided to look at the other games where I found lots of interesting missiles! I put together the following charts so that everyone can enjoy taking a longer look at the different objects than is usually possible. It also includes several cut weapons that you can't see in

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots' Federation Alert*
Titan Raijin is under siege. This is an urgent call to all independent pilots to aid in the complete defeat of the seventh Titan.
The key modules for the assault continue to be readily available at all Rescue Megaships:
• Thargoid Pulse Neutraliser – To break through the maelstrom defence wave.
• Caustic Sink Launchers – To protect your ship from caustic effects of the maelstrom.
• Guardian Nanite Torpedo Pylon – To hamper the Titan's vents and make it vulnerable to damage.
Rewards have been requisitioned for all Commanders able to participate in ending the Titan threat.
Good luck, Commanders.

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Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Seo Jin-ae, special advisor to the Aegis initiative, has suffered a 'significant medical emergency' according to reports from the Duamta system.
A leak from within the Aegis medical facility reached media outlets early yesterday evening, claiming that Seo had suddenly fallen ill. The source also claimed that Seo was registering incredibly high brain activity while unconscious.
The intense speculation resulted in a surprise response from Head of Aegis, Alba Tesreau, only hours later.
Her brief statement was delivered by a spokesperson outside the facility to gathered journalists:
"While it is unfortunate that a member of our staff decided to leak this information, the news is true. I have chosen to confirm the claims myself, rather than let speculation and falsehoods grow about Seo's condition."
"Approximately sixteen hours ago, Seo experienced a generalized tonic-clonic seizure. The