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DOSBox has been the gold standard for running classic '80s and '90s games on modern computers for quite some time, but it's definitely not the only player out there. FreeDOS is another solid OS emulator with an established history. They've just released the long anticipated version 1.3. Folks like PhilsComputerLab have been running tests, and the results are promising. Check out the video below for a sample of what to expect. Privateer and Strike Commander show up in the 1:00-1:30 point and WC1-3 appear around 4:30 (along with the tip to select the second boot option to get expanded memory). This still may be more of a tinkerer's method to get the games going as DOSBox is more broadly compatible, but it's great to have options! I remember during the Windows 98/XP transition being very upset that future generations wouldn't be able to readily play the WC games, and I'm very happy to have been

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L.I.F.'s recent 3D printing experiments have proven successful, so he's been able to take his exciting Excalibur model to a much larger scale. Now is't nearly 20 centimeters or 8 inches long, which is pretty respectable for such a detailed fabrication. The design is based on Klavs' Excalibur, which is a real winner. Keep it up!

And after 19 hours, here's the 20 centimetres long version. Really, really happy with it even though painting it will be a much more complex endeavour.

Thanks so much, Klavs, for this superb model of yours!

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The GOG Spring Games Festival has been going on for a while now, so if you put off completing your digital collection because there was still time to spare, that time is coming to an end. This is the final weekend of the event, but there's still an opportunity to pick up any games you need at 75% off. The entire DOS/Windows lineup is under $12! Even if you own physical copies, the price can't be beat!

Also particularly exciting for people like us: GOG has updated its Wing Commander 4 graphics! Tomorrow marks ten years since GOG first listed the game, so they must have figured it was time for an update! Here you can see their old banner followed by a slick set of new artwork. The updated imagery seems to be based off this key art. It adds the shadow of Seether to the mix against a stormy sky.

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In light of the disturbing Epsilon Sector reports concerning the loss of the passenger liner Blue Horizon, ISDN conducted a Q&A session with a spokesperson from the Confederation Department of Contagions (CDC).

ISDN: Transcripts recorded on the TCS Belliard describe people who came in contact with Nephilim hardware and then contracted an itchy rash. The ship's chief medical officer noted, "Subject(s) died as a result of extreme complications caused by an unknown viral agent 14 hours after pick-up." What should people do if they touch Nephilim hardware?

CDC: Well, first determine the length of the contact. If it was less than five seconds, then the five second rule clearly applies and no action is needed. If contact lasts longer than five seconds, then run your hands under a faucet and be sure to get your fingers wet. If handwashing facilities are unavailable, at least brush your hands off on your

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Due to rising fuel costs, the Confederation Space Force has determined that the F-110 Wasp interceptor will now be launched into combat without booster rockets. This is after analysis has determined that 1400 kps is sufficient for most engagements. Studies are under way to determine if the craft's afterburners can be electrically powered going forward. After the drivetrain retrofits are complete, pilots will be responsible for plugging their craft into charging stations on the flight deck after each mission.

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Federal Congress has temporarily postponed making a decision on whether to extend presidential term limits.
President Zachary Hudson had proposed to repeal the 77th amendment of the Federal Accord, which specifies that a president can serve for a maximum of eight years. If approved, Hudson would become eligible for re-election in June 3309.
A statement was delivered by President Hudson:
"I have agreed that more time is needed to analyse the potential repercussions of this change to the Federation's constitution. A congressional subcommittee will perform a detailed inquiry to investigate the civil and legal aspects."
"In addition, I am very conscious of the public disturbances caused by the Hudson Contravention. This delay should help to defuse political tension and provide our security services with an opportunity to keep the peace."
Shadow President Winters welcomed the president's decision,

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The procession of physical Wing Commander models continues! Today we've got a magnificent Border Worlds Avenger torpedo bomber made in Lego by John Nelson. While the ships featured over the last few days have been amazing, the creativity and talent on display here shines through in a unique way. It's quite a constraint to be forced to build within the limits of the physical Lego bricks at your disposal, which makes color-matching to a fighter's particular paint scheme like this super impressive. He's got the silhouette there - and if anything, this version is slightly sleeker than what we saw in Wing Commander 4. The turret is also an especially nice touch! We'd love to see him build more!

Hello. I finally got around to a project I’ve wanted to tackle and that’s making Wing Commander fighters from Legos.

My first go was the Border Worlds Avenger. The colors aren’t perfect and the proportions

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Today we've got more physical models in the news. Not everyone is up to building a giant intricate model by hand, but 3D printing is a much more accessible way to go about creating something of your very own. L.I.F. has started down this path and his first creations are the Excalibur and Rapier. They look pretty solid for an initial effort with an impressive level of detail retained in a small package. He's done some non-WC tests next, and with those learnings in hand, he'll be moving on to a bigger Excalibur next!

We got our first 3D printer at our family workshop, and after calibrating it with a provided file, my first move was to test it with a more... complex shape, AKA Klavs' very own Excalibur. 6 centimetres long for a first run to see how well it'd work and what additional actions I'd have to take, but it's looking pretty nice already even if I´ll have to ensure the layering leaves no holes

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
Taurus Mining Ventures has requested help with a mining and delivery operation in the Synuefe CE-R c21-6 system.
In recent weeks, the mining corporation has performed research on what it claims are atypical radiation signatures detected within Synuefe CE-R c21-6. It now seeks shipments of the system's native ores to explore commercially valuable applications of any molecular changes caused by this radiation.
Dr Ruben Carpenter, head of the company's research division, outlined the initiative:
"I'm very excited to offer pilots this opportunity to support our scientific studies, which will hopefully prove lucrative for all involved. We require coltan, lithium hydroxide and methanol monohydrate crystal to be mined from locations within Synuefe CE-R c21-6 and delivered to the Heart of Taurus megaship."
"We will also pay for shipments of the same ores that have been mined

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
The Reorte Pro-Alliance League's success over the Reorte Mining Coalition means the system will stay in the Alliance.
A greater quantity of advanced medicines, skimmer components and building fabricators were delivered to the Trobairitz megaship than to the opposing faction. As a result, Reorte will remain an Allied system.
Pilots who contributed to the Reorte Pro-Alliance League's initiative can now collect their rewards at the Trobairitz, along with the additional pre-engineered heat sink modules provided by Sirius Corporation.
Chief Administrator Louisa Leblanc proclaimed:
"I am deeply grateful to all those who helped convince our people that Reorte's future is more secure with the Alliance. We look forward to working alongside Sirius Corporation on increasing defences against the Thargoids."
The Reorte Mining Coalition's CEO Fergus Cassidy expressed his regret

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We are very excited to finally unveil the finished version of elend's physical Dralthi model! As you can see, it's absolutely exquisite - just a sight to behold! The detail is completely next level. All of the angels, curves, panel lines, intake serrations, tubes and more have been carefully sculpted and assembled by hand. The paint has been layered for rich dimensionality and there's even a Kilrathi pilot in the cockpit! All told, it likely took some five hundred hours to complete, and it's an amazing counterpart to the Banshee that he built a number of years back. Enjoy the pictures!

This is a scratch built Dralthi from the Wing Commander games series. More specifically, this is a reimagination by "Hangar B Productions", which I used as inspiration. I started this last year in June and basically worked daily on it, probably 2 hours on average. In hindsight I should have planned some things

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It may not have been the smartest course of action, but we've all been there (there being the Alcor System after the destruction of the Behemoth).

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Emperor Arissa Lavigny-Duval has outlined a plan for the Marlinist Colonies to be officially reconnected with the Empire.
The Marlin Standard published an exclusive report from Prime Consul Kayode Tau, after he attended a diplomatic meeting on Capitol:
"The essence of Emperor Arissa's proposal is a pledge to grant the status of Imperial protectorate to the Marlinist Colonies, in return for swearing allegiance to the throne."
"In practice, local government would remain autonomous but the Imperial Navy and security agencies would have a permanent presence. There would be investment in trade, with Empire-based companies as preferred partners. New channels of transportation and communication would be opened between Marlinist and Imperial systems."
"Emperor Arissa and I discussed the issues at length. Following her experience with the Lords of Restoration, Her Majesty now accepts that most

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
Plans for a new mining initiative by Taurus Mining Ventures in the Synuefe CE-R c21-6 system have been announced.
The corporation's megaship Heart of Taurus has been conducting scientific studies on 'unusual radioactive signatures' within the system. The next phase of this work is to identify mineable resources to learn more about the radiation's effects.
Dr Ruben Carpenter, head of the Taurus Mining Ventures research division, provided an update:
"The source of the radiation found in Synuefe CE-R c21-6 has not yet been unidentified. But our team has theorised that naturally occurring ores in the system may have altered properties. If we are correct, that ore may have high commercial value once processed into usable metals and minerals."
A public statement was delivered by Commodore Morag Halloran:
"It is paramount that we maintain positive relations with the

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We've seen a ton of Rapiers out of Klavs' hangar over the years, but this one's a little bit different. It's the CF-117 Rapier from the Wing Commander Movie! There are a handful of Wingnut versions floating around, but this is probably the most beautiful one yet. The gritty wallpaper really gives you a nice sense of how these might have looked zipping around Vega Sector outside the context of the film. You can download a 3D model version for yourself here. Klavs' other recent designs are available on Sketchfab.

So... I couldn't sleep and then THIS happened. Also, if anyone uses Substance Painter and wants to have a go at your own markings, the spp file is here.

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Here's a video from Geeky Dad Gaming about a seminal year in gaming, 1990, and what some of the biggest games of the year were. Origin and Wing Commander take up a big chunk of the clip. He talks a lot about what a big deal the development process was and how it shaped the industry going into the rest of the '90s. Check it out below!

As we round into a new decade, PC gaming goes from strength to strength. The PC game landscape sees the introduction of the big budget release and the birth of a company that would go on to change the whole video gaming landscape. Inbetween that we have a titan of a point and click adventure showing how story and characters were just as important to a good game as graphics and gameplay.

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Christian Klein has posted some lovely pics of the new Spanish Wing Commander Academy that he's recently added to his collection. Aside from the obvious localization, the box also comes in a slightly different shape with different cropping. The local publisher DROSoft logo has been added to the front, but the back is especially interesting. More of the game's holo simulator room is visible - it's not just a case of them stretching the original back cover image. An additional horizontal span of greebles past the vertical frames on either side can be seen. It's very cool!

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The WC4 Fan Remake team has a new update to share regarding shields. Wing Commander 4's game engine didn't visually depict shields for capships: it's one of those things your brain either glosses over or subconsciously imagines was there all along. We got some gorgeous effects during cutscenes, but you don't experience them in flight. After 26 years, that's finally being rectified with a fancy animated texture technique. The thumbnail below expands into an animated gif so you can see the sparkly results in action! You can also read about the whole process in a new article at WCRespace.com.

We’ve tried to create something similar, but not identical. The FMV has flat, circular ripples which can be carefully placed. We have no control over where the player fires and, if the player fired into a corner, it would clip into the geometry or extend past it (as seen in WCP). Instead we project an animated

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
Commanders have worked alongside Federal authorities to destroy criminal ships in the Gliese 868 system.
The pirate gang was responsible for multiple raids while Federal security services were distracted by public protests around the Hudson Contravention. To help protect shipping and eliminate the threat, bounties were placed on all criminal vessels.
Gliese 868 Services, which organised the counter-offensive against the pirates, announced:
"The combat expertise of Federal Navy auxiliaries and independent pilots has succeeded in driving back these ruthless criminals. We will be pleased to reimburse bounty vouchers at Bacon Port in Gliese 868."
The Federal Times reported on the political repercussions from these events:
"It is not just the security agencies that are embarrassed at relying on volunteers to protect trade in Gliese 868. Members of both the Republican and

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots' Federation ALERT*
Deliveries to the Reorte Mining Coalition or the Reorte Pro-Alliance League will help determine the system's status.
The system's controlling faction wishes to declare independence, in protest against Sirius Corporation's proposed anti-xeno defence pact with the Alliance Defence Force.
The Reorte Mining Coalition's CEO Fergus Cassidy announced:
"Prime Minister Mahon's insistence on working with Sirius leads us to believe our interests are best served outside of the Alliance. To prepare for Reorte's potential transition to an independent system, we ask for shipments of advanced medicines, skimmer components and building fabricators to be delivered to Davies High starport."
It is expected that if Reorte Mining Coalition is successful, all systems currently under its governance would similarly be classified as independent.
Another faction in the system, the Reorte