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Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
A successful initiative to hold the California Nebula against Thargoid invasion has succeeded, for now at least.
Systems recently invaded by Thargoid fleets were protected by a militia organised by the Kumo Council, the criminal syndicate's ruling authority in the enclave. But an attempt to assume control of the region's ports has been surprisingly repelled by opponents of Delaine.
The Pegasi Sentinel reported on the situation:
"There can be no doubt that Archon Delaine takes the security of the California Nebula seriously. Many lives were saved thanks to his decisive actions. A Kumo Crew anti-xeno militia is already being considered for future Thargoid attacks."
"Local residents remain wary of Delaine's reputation, however. Security forces deployed to local ports have been driven out, with communities apparently unconvinced by claims of 'emergency security

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Last fall we introduced a creative new project where EmuMusicFan began sketching out Freedom Flight's interrogation of Ralgha nar Hhallas in comic book form. We only had one page to go off then, but now Emu has released an additional six. It's enough to set up a pretty suspenseful scene! Check them out below and give you feedback to Emu at the CIC Forums.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

USA used this first 2D Wing Commander Academy title for all the print ads, commercials and bumpers... but they swapped it for a kind of incongruous 3D version in the actual show. I like the original better!

The EARLIEST print ads reuse the titles from the (narratively unrelated) game of the same name.

Members of the production team received a snazzy crew jacket. It used the original 2D logo!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Fun, minor change to Privateer: the build used for the manual screenshots says 'engage' versus 'launch' in the final game.

There are a few more of these in the manual! Since printed docs had to go to print well before a game went gold you can often find little changes like this. The price for the plasma gun was increased (inflation!) as has the location where the weapon gumps appear on the Tarsus:

The mission computer screenshots all show that this build had a '+' before the credits. Additionally, neither of the briefings for the missions on the greyscale shots are possible in the final game's mad libs random mission generator.

The Merchants' Guild mission example IS possible, though! Still has the old credit display:

The Orion cockpit has a Centurion VDU showing upgrades only possible on the Centurion... and one that isn't in the final game, a central tractor beam slot.

Big change in scanner prices!

The

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

There's a handful of scenes that don't show up in any of the workprints I've seen from the movie, so I've recreated these from the raw takes. These are work in progress edits with no real sound enhancement and minimal attempts to at least make the color consistent (though sometimes the footage is too dark to truly rescue). I understand why they would cut this particular scene for pacing reasons, but at the same time I think it's a decent moment that sets up Blair and Angel's relationship a bit more. Plot-wise, it's not essential, but if I had a choice I'd keep small character moments like this in the movie. It's not really a long scene either.

This scene also has one of the few outtakes I've found... more of a prank really (not included in this video) where in one take the elevator doors open and Blair and Angel are pretending to make out on the ground.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Today we've got a peek at the August 1999 advertisement for Wing Commander on Pay Per View. We shared this clip many years ago, but it was on an account that was taken down at some point. So now we've rehosted our own permanent copy. Why is it important? In today's modern streaming landscape where digital copies are easily accessible at your fingertips, it can be hard to imagine a world where you couldn't just call up any movie on demand. The DVD had just come out in July and wasn't necessarily readily available everywhere. The VHS cassette was still only sold to rental stores. Many people weren't yet accustomed to buying things online, so ordering a PPV showing was the prime way for some people to watch. It's a very '90s product of its time!

At the edge of the universe, all hell is about to break loose! The final battle for Earth begins on Pay Per View. Take a high flying thrill ride through

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
Aegis has requested materials in the YZ Ceti system to mass-produce a defence for ships entering the Maelstroms.
Professor Alba Tesreau, head of the tri-superpower agency, announced the initiative at a press conference:
"Final tests have been conducted on the Thargoid pulse neutraliser, which offers ships a brief window of insulation from the energy wave encountered inside a Maelstrom. Their primary components are based on unclassified relics, which are created by interfacing Guardian artefacts with Thargoid surface sites. Ram Tah and Professor Palin have donated some of their research supplies to this project."
"Aegis has been assigned a generous budget to purchase large quantities of cobalt, ion distributors and power converters. These will be used to create a manufacturing and distribution base, making the Thargoid pulse neutraliser commercially available on all

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
Azimuth Biotech has requested shipments of rare commodities to Xi Wangda, as luxury supplies for its business convention.
Torben Rademaker, CEO of the anti-xeno corporation, announced the initiative via public channels:
"We expect this prestigious gathering to be attended by many representatives from research groups, manufacturing companies and military forces. To ensure that our esteemed guests are made welcome, we will pay handsomely for shipments of Albino Quechua Mammoth Meat, Gilya Signature Weapons and Harma Silver Sea Rum."
"The cornerstone of this event will be the commercial launch of Azimuth's newly modified ship-mounted weapon: the pre-engineered Overcharged Gimballed AX Multi-Cannon with Auto Loader. Our proprietary redesign will make a significant contribution when engaging Thargoid vessels in combat. Those who contribute the greatest number of rare

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Vox Galactica's Jade Sanderlyn discusses the successful recovery of people from the Titans and developments at the new Thargoid spire sites.
"When Aegis announced its plans to free abductees from the Thargoid motherships, I wasn't the only one expecting the worst outcome. Turning a core mining missile into a way to extract life-support capsules from the Titans sounded extremely risky. And even if it worked, what state would these poor people be in after such a horrific experience?"
"Much to my relief, the scheme is working. Many thousands have now been brought back to civilisation, and seem to have suffered few ill-effects. Wisely, all are being kept under strict quarantine while a battery of medical tests are run on them. But I understand that, in most cases, abductees are permitted to communicate with their friends and families - most of whom never expected to hear from them again."
"Another

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

StarvingPilot shared a cool tip for anyone with a Playstation 2 and PSX Wing Commander 3 or 4. There's a neat backwards compatibility feature for people who have the original Playstation versions of these two games. The PS2 supports "fast loading" and "texture smoothing" that adds bilinear filtering. This means the textures appear slightly less blocky and pixelated. If you've got the right hardware, it's a neat trick to check out!

I found that texture smoothing can be enabled for old PS1 games. This includes the PlayStation version of WC3 (tested), and possibly WC4 (which I don’t own). This is done for any PS1 game without emulators on original hardware, although I imagine anyone running a PS emulator has been doing this for years.

To get to the option, just enter the main menu for the console, highlight Browser and press triangle to enter the Version Menu. Using the menu options, Texture Mapping

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

I finally got around to taking pictures of a pair of mini standees that I added to the collection last year. They're visually quite different from each other, but were intended for the same function to sit on the counter of a Babbage's/Software Etc/Egghead/Electronic Boutique-type store and generate excitement about the next Wing Commander game. The Prophecy item looks like a box, but it's a triangular A-frame joined at the top with a flat panel on the bottom. The WC4 prop looks like a tiny version of a more traditional standee display. Both are unused (the adhesive tape is still fresh on the bottom of the WCP flap), so I'll be sure to give them a good home!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

The first three pages of EmuMusicFan's newest Freedom Flight comic have now been posted! These form the beginning of the story's second chapter. The first chapter followed Lord Ralgha nar Hhallas' interrogation. Chapter 02 is a decidedly different take!

Be sure to check out all the original pages if you didn't catch them last year!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

While discussing the latest and greatest

Wing Leader

build, developer Howard Day and former Origin director Siobhan Beeman got into a

conversation

about how the WC1 VDUs were coded. It turns out there was a typographical error in the way "component" was spelled, but it became so widely entrenched that it propagated into Wing Commander 2! LOAF dug up a screenshot of some of this code and there it is! So next time you see a flash on your dashboard, it means a componeant is being triggered!

Siobhan: Speaking of the VDUs, fun story: The base class in the WC1 codebase for all those UI elements like missile icons and shield health bars is named Componeant. Yes, just like that. Drove me NUTS having to misspell it all the time, but changing it for WC2 was too much work. (facepalm)

Howard: We're pretty spoilt nowadays - Visual Studio just lets you rename entire classes and everything...just works. And if

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

This weekend, starting Thursday, September 19th at 8AM PT to Monday, September 23rd at 10AM PT, we are running a special event where Captains can earn bonus Marks by playing content throughout the game! During the event, content that provides Marks (Fleet or Reputation) will reward a 50% (1.5x) bonus above normal amounts – this bonus is available for all content that rewards Marks, including the three new reputations that came to Console with Agents of Yesterday. Start building your Fleet projects and reputations! We hope you enjoy this special event and we’ll see you in-game! .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 .3s; transition:

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Star Trek Online is teaming up with Groupees to raise money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation, to help win the fight against Breast Cancer. You can head to the Groupees site right now and purchase an exclusive Star Trek Online Bundle on PC - with 100% of proceeds* going to the Foundation. These bundles will include a brand new item, the Genetically-Altered Safe Tribble, which grants you additional Health Regeneration and Maximum Health! And finally, we will be giving away 8 large Genetically-Altered Safe Tribbles from our partners at Tribble Toys! Check out the promotion for further details on how to win! Here’s how the bundles break down: Bundle 1: Rewards: Pink Genetically-Altered Safe Tribble Pink Risian Lunarian Caracal Pink Vanity Shield Pink Ribbon Badge Bundle

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

Content: Resolved an issue that could prevent completion of the mission “Frozen” based on certain choices made during the mission. Systems: Jem'Hadar Vanguard Heavy Destroyer [T6]: Resolved an issue that was causing the Vanguard Wingmen to not be present on while flying this ship Resolved an issue that prevented the Admiralty Ships from being usable by Klingon-aligned Jem’Hadar. Resolved an issue that prevented the ship’s stats from scaling with Structural Integrity, Shield Capacity, and Impulse Expertise boosts. Resolved an issue that caused Hangar Pets to have worse stats while at two stars than at one star. Resolved an issue that prevented the Polaron Beam Turret kit module from making sound when firing.

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

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 November 22nd at 9am PT to December 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;

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

The Alliance is always establishing new and expanded relations with allies throughout the galaxy. With the recent resurgence of the Borg, outreach efforts have focused toward the Borg Cooperative. Part of this renewed cooperation has resulted in some captains being able to command the powerful, all new Liberated Borg Command Juggernaut [T6]!” The Liberated Borg Command Juggernaut [T6] will become available with the release of the Borg Lock Box, scheduled to arrive on PC starting with our 10th Anniversary on January 28th, and on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in early 2020. This new starship can be used as soon as you’ve completed the tutorial, and will scale with you as you level up all the way to max level! Without further ado, here are the complete ship details related to this experimental new starship! Liberated Borg Command Juggernaut [T6] The Liberated Borg Command Juggernaut is the

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

From Thursday, February 20th at 8AM PT to Monday, February 24th at 10am PT, we are running a special weekend event where you can earn Bonus Commendation XP by completing any Duty Officer assignments! To those junior officers who work tirelessly in cramped Jefferies Tubes, perish namelessly on away missions, or provide the endless streams of reports and analysis necessary for a starship to function – this event is dedicated to you! During this event, you’ll gain a 50% increase in all Commendation XP earned by completion of Duty Officer assignments. You don’t need to do anything special for this bonus – it’s automatic. Receive a FREE* special Purple quality duty officer with a unique active roster power by speaking with your duty officer contact. For Starfleet officers and Romulan allies, this is an engineering Exocomp duty officer; for KDF officers and Romulan allies, it is a Reman duty

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Rhystic Gaming has created a thorough video review of Wing Commander Privateer. Playing through Priv and its spinoff, Righteous Fire, has been a popular activity in our live All Wings Considered streams. The clip below makes for a really solid overview of the major features, options and highlights of the game. Music and the satisfying gunplay get specific nods, which I also consider absolutely tremendous aspects of the game. Even though you're probably more than familiar with these elements, it's still a simple joy to hear others gushing over things that you have also had so much fun with.

Wing Commander: Privateer is the precursor of many open-world space simulators, and was widely praised when it released in the now-distant 1993.