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Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Here are the flick backgrounds for the Righteous Fire intro. The Origin FX system works just like an old cartoon with transparent cells animated over plates like these.

Did you ever wonder why the RF intro feels a little out of place? It’s so BIG compared to the rest of the campaign. It’s because it was originally a scene cut from Privateer that was given totally new dialog! It was made as a losing endgame on the case where you go bankrupt.

They solved the need for it by simply having the game not charge you a landing fee if there’s a chance it will take you below 0 credits. Space welfare! (Of course bankruptcy was already a rare case... compared to, like, just exploding.)

It’s a little crazy that Privateer, part of the interactive movie craze, has only three cutscenes: the intro, the ending and this.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Here's a little goodie that came in the mail this week. Many years ago we posted about the March 1998 review of Wing Commander Prophecy in PC Gamer. What we didn't show off at the time was that issue's nifty cover disc featuring the WCP demo. As far as WC-themed promotional discs go, it's pretty slick with a prominent Panther fighter and a Tiamat coming through the wormhole on the sleeve. Although it says "Not to be sold without magazine," I'm happy that someone broke the rules so that I could have one of my very own after all these years! And if you weren't aware, this isn't a tiny gauntlet. The full blown Prophecy demo includes four in-plot missions that weren't included in the game! You can download them (and many other awesome WC demos) here!

Sure, you've played Prophecy... but did you ever play the demo? If not, you're missing out on a special little chunk of the game. Unlike most game

Quote from Freelancer News-Bot

Freelancer: The Nomad Legacy still in development. And we looking for english voices now.

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Hadrian Augustus Duval has broadcast a message following the purge of isolationist group Nova Imperium:

"Arissa Lavigny-Duval has revealed the true face of her regime – one based on brutality and terror. The callous execution of Imperator Mordanticus, in conjunction with thousands of Imperial citizens, shows her desperation to cling onto power at any cost."

"Nova Imperium survives in the Paresa system, a single light in the darkness. We stand for an Empire that respects everyone, from slaves to senators. I truly hope that any who value honour and tradition will help keep our spark alive."

"Our martyred leader will never be forgotten. In his honour, I have taken the title of Imperator Duval, until such time as the people choose me as their rightful emperor."

"Memento Mordanticus!"

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

From July 26th to August 16th, we are running a promotion that will provide an additional bonus when opening a Research and Development Pack. When you purchase a Research and Development Pack from the C-Store and open it, you will receive either 10 Lobi Crystals or a Special Requisition Choice Pack - Tier 6 Promotional Ship Choice Pack in addition to the Research and Development Pack. We are excited to announce a new addition to this Promotional Ship Pack: The Hur’q Vedcrid Hive Dreadnought Carrier [T6]! After the events of the recent conflicts in the Gamma Quadrant, knowledge of – and access to – Hur’q technology has grown immensely. Now is your chance to experience flying a starship designed to support the swarms of the Hur’q! ** Complete stats/abilities of the Hur’q Vedcrid Hive Dreadnought Carrier are included at the end of this Dev Blog – keep reading for more information! In addition to

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Aligned Peoples’ Manta-class heavy fighter. Initial concept by Mark Vearrier, finished concept sketch by Syd Mead...

Initial mesh blockout and then Alias "cinematic" model renders...

Final in-game assets for both the standard fighter and the deadly "red Manta" bomber variant!

Shout out to the OG.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

I noticed today that no one ever bothered to measure the Wing Commander Armada afterburner speeds… ten short flights later, here they are! (Values in KPS)

Arrow	500	795	2090
Phantom	475	695	1790
Wraith	450	595	1590
Gladius	500	750	1690
Banshee	350	395	995
Dralthi	500	745	1990
Shok'lar	500	695	1890
Jrathek	450	595	1590
Kor-larh	500	695	1590
Goran	350	375	995

Does the Armada Arrow’s 2090 KPS top speed still make it the hottest ride in the Wing Commander universe? No, it dropped to third in 1997 because of the Squid’s travel mode (2400) and the Wasp’s booster mode (3000).

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

Computer- Start recording. Captain’s log, supplemental. Commander Jacob Trask of the transport Beowulf, in charge of convoy 72478, currently en route to the Maxia Zeta Sector; so tired, so tired- but we have to keep moving and keep vigilant. Those damned raiders in their red ships! The stories I heard from Lieutenant Singh, of our well-meaning (but, I fear, under–gunned) Federation escort, are that the raiders just appear out of nowhere, scan the ships and either disappear as fast as they came, or start firing- no quarter given. My first thoughts were that it must be Romulan or Klingon raiders, cloaking in and out, but red ships? Singh has assured me that Starfleet will be on Red Alert should any of the raiders show their faces. If I had the confidence he had, I wouldn’t be updating this log and my will. It’s been a few days since we’ve heard of the raiders hitting any convoys, and I feel

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The suspected 'Imperial assassin' who shot Caine-Massey CEO Johann Fleischer has been cleared of any connection to the Empire.
Executive Agent Viola Trask of the Federal Intelligence Agency gave a statement to the media:
"Our investigation has verified that the man we have in custody is a professional mercenary named Kieran Rayne , a native of the Alpha Caeli system. For over a decade, he has operated as a freelance contract killer using multiple false identities. The motive for the killing is not yet clear."
"Despite early indications, there is no evidence that Rayne was hired by Torval Mining Ltd to eliminate Mr Fleischer. The mission was arranged anonymously via an unregistered comms network that we are unable to access. The Imperial-issue weapon and security equipment that he used were provided to him specifically for this task. This seems to be a deliberate choice to foster the impression

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The cause of mass crop spoilage on key agricultural worlds has been attributed to a new disease affecting plants.
Dr Genevieve Kane of the Interstellar Association for Agriculture summarised the organisation's findings:
"The rapid decay of plant life on multiple planets was caused by the same strain of advanced blight. Its origin and vectors remain unknown, and it has so far resisted all established methods of treatment."
"Our analysis has not determined if the blight is a natural mutation or an artificial pathogen. Until we confirm this and develop a method of preventing further spread, viable cropland will become scarcer and the production of staple foods will continue to drop."
"The Vandermeer Corporation has offered to assist the IAA with its research. The company's experience of molecular diagnostics will hopefully contribute to a breakthrough."
Journalist Adalyn Cross reported on this

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

The Mycelial Network – a mysterious dimension outside of, and yet connected to, our own. Discovered by the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery, the knowledge of the Mycelial Realm was lost for more than a century when all details of that ship and their mission were declared classified at the highest levels. Now, that knowledge needs to be revived to rescue the galaxy from the schemes of J’Ula and her Helical Torsion Weapon. The weapon has already been used to devastating effect, but the Klingons need Mycelial spores in order to power it and continue their campaign of war and terror. In order to prevent that, you must journey to the Mycelial Realm and stop them. In Mycelial Realm, our newest Task Force Operation, step through a rift and into the Mycelial Network, and shut down the Klingon probes that are gathering spores for J’Ula’s weapon. But the probes cannot be destroyed by conventional means –

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

The Mycelial Network – a mysterious dimension outside of, and yet connected to, our own. Discovered by the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery, the knowledge of the Mycelial Realm was lost for more than a century when all details of that ship and their mission were declared classified at the highest levels. Now, that knowledge needs to be revived to rescue the galaxy from the schemes of J’Ula and her Helical Torsion Weapon. The weapon has already been used to devastating effect, but the Klingons need Mycelial spores in order to power it and continue their campaign of war and terror. In order to prevent that, you must journey to the Mycelial Realm and stop them. In Mycelial Realm, our newest Task Force Operation, step through a rift and into the Mycelial Network, and shut down the Klingon probes that are gathering spores for J’Ula’s weapon. But the probes cannot be destroyed by conventional means –

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

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Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

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Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

We had an absolutely fantastic weekend - one of our best birthdays yet! Thank you all for joining in and sharing it with us. If you couldn't make it to the party, we've posted the entire six hour stream below. The first three hours are a special bonus episode of All Wings Considered, and the back half is our official birthday celebration. Jump to 4:02:45 for the cake and countdown! We also took some time together on Sunday morning to play a bit of Wing Commander Armada together. There were some technical difficulties getting the game working initially, so Dundradal and I ended up doing a hot seat quick combat strategic game. It ended up being surprisingly close!

Birthday Stream:

Morning After Armada:

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Princess Aisling Duval has discussed growing concerns over Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval's lack of public engagements in recent months.
In an interview with The Imperial Herald, she said:
"Chancellor Blaine assures us that the Emperor has been kept in seclusion for nearly a year to protect her from the NMLA. But why has this prevented the Empire's ruler from engaging with her citizens? After all, Hadrian Duval and his family were placed under the same senatorial protection without disappearing altogether."
"We know that the Emperor has communicated with the Senate on various matters during this time. Government channels are generally trusted thanks to Imperial Intelligence's verification protocols. But Captain Landau's recent testimony, which links Imperial Intelligence to the NMLA, has me concerned. How can I be sure that a breach to our most secure networks wasn't responsible for the location

Quote from Star Trek Online News

The Mirror Invasion will be returning to Star Trek Online as part of a limited time event starting on May 10th at 8am PT and ending on May 31st at 10am PT.This event map will only be playable during this three week event timeframe. Once a day, players will be awarded a Multidimensional Transporter for playing this event. By turning in 14 Transporters through a new project available in the Event Reputation System, players can receive 50,000 Dilithium Ore, 500 Fleet Marks, 250 Marks of their choice, and a brand new unique weapon – the Agony Phaser Energy Torpedo Launcher! Based on the well-known weaponry typically fired in the form of directed energy weapons, this projectile is specially equipped to encase itself in the harmful power of agony rays, afflicting the crews and subsystems of enemy starships with a deadly overload of painful power. Upon hitting a foe, this torpedo has a chance to disable

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

The Infinity Lock Box, containing prizes from nearly all previously-retired Lock Boxes, will be available again for an appearance beginning on PC on December 13th, 2018 and on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on January 7th. During this time, enemies defeated on both Ground and Space maps will have a small chance of dropping one of these prize-filled packages, while the Swarm Lock Box will be retired. For the first time ever, this run of the Infinity Lock Box will introduce a chance at receiving brand new starship, never-before-seen in Star Trek Online! Continue reading further on for the full details on this new offer! Updated Prize Lists! Along with the new starship and all of the prizes previously offered in previous appearances of the Infinity Lock Box, additional prizes originally seen in the Deep Space Nine Lock Box have been added to the drop tables! They now include all of the

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

This 27th century press release was made for the Kilrathi Saga manual. It used the original concept sketches of the Strakha made for Wing Commander II… and they forgot to edit out the artist’s note identifying “meaningless pods”!

Also what a baller non-explanation for why the design changes so significantly between Wing Commander II and III. Up there with Worf not discussing it with outsiders.

Does the press release match the mission in the game (K’tithrak Mang B)? Yes, nine Strakha. Does it match the official guide’s in universe history? No, you shoot down seven of the Strakha and not six there.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Let's compare the Wing Commander 3 ship selection screen across ports! Here's the PC/Mac, 3DO (two screens instead of one) and PlayStation versions of the Arrow...

Three Hellcats V, primed, prepped, etc.

Thunderbolt!

The Longbow is largely cut from the 3DO version; it only appears as an option very rarely! (I found it in Delius 3, will have to chart it all out someday soon.)

And the mighty Excalibur:

There's an Easter egg in the PC version: if you hit ALT-S at this screen then it'll display specifications over the ships. None of the lore mentioned here matches anything else!

One discovery from the 3DO version is that the Hellcat, Thunderbolt and the Excalibur get six mines per hardpoint! But the mostly absent Longbow doesn't. The Thunderbolt mine loadout is the default for the Torgo 2 minelaying mission even though you don't actually use them.

The PC version assigns you a custom Longbow loadout for Torgo 2