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Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots Federation ALERT*
A distress call has led independent pilots to locate an abandoned settlement in the Snake Sector GW-W c1-1 system.
The SOS was initially detected by one of the megaships that form the Colonia Bridge, inspiring many ships to search nearby systems. The source was eventually identified as Holloway Bioscience Research Facility 15 on the moon Snake Sector GW-W c1-1 AB 5 b.
Pilots unearthed a series of mission logs recorded in the year 3255 by a freelance military unit named Excalibur Troop. As yet, the contents of these logs have not been made available to newsfeeds.
Aanya Gupta, CEO of the Holloway Bioscience Institute, gave a statement to the press:
"Research Facility 15 was one of the first wave of planetary survey laboratories established by our founder, the esteemed scientist Lord Roland Holloway. Our records of these settlements are patchy, so we are grateful that

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Privateer 2 developer Paul Hughes managed to do a little digging and come up with three cool concept posters for the game. These are pretty early works and predate The Darkening becoming a Privateer title, which sometimes means material from this era can be harder to come by. Check out those taglines: "The City of Lights" is kind of odd, but "In the Darkness Lies the Truth" is a really good one. We also get an excellent look at that prototype Heretic that pops up from time to time!

Digging around on some backup drives, I found some old unused concept art for Privateer 2 from Paul Chapman...

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

ObscureArtifacts on Instagram has posted a phenomenal photograph of the animatronic Melek costume from Wing Commander 4. It was taken by one of the prop masters behind the creation of the suit and other artifacts used in the game. WC4 Melek doesn't get a whole lot of love, but in recent years I've come to appreciate the look much more. In retrospect, I find the design less bug-eyed than my teenage memories recall. It's starting to feel like a more natural evolution of the look in Wing Commander 3. He's also highly variable. Under harsh lighting, some of the more artificial elements become pronounced, but the warmly lit Melek depicted below looks pretty smooth!

Wing Commander 4: The Price of Freedom (1995)- My studio was hired to create the external design for the games solo Kilrathi character, Melek (Chris Bergschneider) by the animatronics superivsor Bud McGrew. It was a great responsibility and

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The nomadic Scriveners Clan continues to resist Orion University's attempts to take possession of their dredger.
Freelance reporter Casey Kilpatrick published an update from the Oochost PC-C c29-0 system:
"Orion University's claim that the vessel is their property has been countered by Advocacy's reminder of laws preventing cultural contamination. So the question now is: who actually owns the dredger? Is it the families that have lived there for generations, or the organisation which originally built it?"
"Various solutions have been proposed to resolve this stand-off. These include an offer from Canonn Interstellar Research Group to purchase the dredger from Orion University, gift it to the Scriveners Clan then publicly share the contents of their mysterious Knowledge Core."
"However, two centuries of isolation have instilled this academia-focused society with a pathological need to protect

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Today we have another look at DefianceIndustries' gorgeous digital interpretation of the tabletop fan game TacOps. It's got a more purpose-built table now, and a variety of amenities are being implemented to make the game function and flow better. There's also two exciting additions: the Sartha and Ferret. The picture of them below looks almost real. With more quality of life improvements in place, Defiance is planning to start some playtesting soon. Sounds like fun!

To quote Gold Leader: "Almost there...." I revamped the game using the Chimera table which made more ergonomic sense. Currently it's set up for 2 players (with an option for 4, though the table seats 6 so you could go nuts)

I added a bowl of pegs so you can track the status on the ship cards easier, added a copy of the rules for each side, as well as all the missile tiles (DF, HS, IMREC, FoF, Torp). It's about 90% there for some

Quote from Mass Effect News-Bot

For fourteen years now, the Mass Effects series has endeared itself with many video game fans and that energy has been renewed over the past year with the announcement of a brand new Mass Effect game and the Mass Effect Legendary Edition trilogy remasters. This celebratory fandom has been particularly seen in the realm of mods and fan creations as modders help improve the Legendary Edition by adding first-person perspectives, fixing glitches, and even bringing crossovers to life in the game. Now, one talented fan has made the games more groovy with a new Mass Effect Austin Powers fan video.

YouTube user eli_handle_b.wav recently released their new Mass Effect Austin Powers fan video on their YouTube channel. The video begins with Ambassador Udina and Captain Anderson conversing about who can protect the galaxy. However, instead of Commander Shepard, it is revealed to be the cryogenically-preserved Austin

Quote from Mass Effect News-Bot

Despite having released almost a decade ago, the ending of Mass Effect 3 always becomes a hotly debated topic whenever BioWare announces something new to the franchise, pulling the fan base into an unceasing debate about what could have ‘fixed’ the ending. Oddly enough the ending had the potential to be even weirder than the one we got, as apparently the original plan was to have Shepard come face to face with the Reaper Queen.

Speaking in a recent People Make Games video titled ‘The Inside Story of Mass Effect 3’s Endings, Finally Told,’ ex-BioWare animation director Dave Wilkinson revealed that the distinct color choices seen at the end of the game were originally used to represent the Paragon (blue) and Renegade (red) options, with the green path being referred to as “the other one.” Wilkinson goes on to reveal that the original plan was to have Shepard confront the Reaper Queen instead of The Catalyst

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Though the Toy Stoy series reached its finale in 2019’s Toy Story 4, the Disney Pixar saga is now preparing to launch “to infinity and beyond” with a unique spin-off film by the name of Lightyear. Reimagining the toy character of Buzz Lightyear as if he were an actual intergalactic space ranger, the project has been shrouded in mystery since it was first announced. However, the first look at Pixar’s Lightyear was recently revealed in a particularly familiar new trailer.

As seen above, in contrast to the toy’s amusing “falling with style” demeanor, the flesh and blood Buzz Lightyear appears to be much more capable as he pilots a faster-than-light spacecraft, ventures into interstellar worlds, and forms bonds with his fellow members of Star Command. Of course, these particular set of skills are more than enough to draw comparisons to the Mass Effect games, which follows the very similar exploits of

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The creators of the NMLA's caustic enzyme bombs have been arrested, although the terrorist figurehead Theta Seven remains at large.
Theta Group is directly responsible for 17 starport bombings conducted by the NMLA across the core systems. These attacks resulted in a combined death toll of almost 800,000 people, with twice as many suffering serious injury.
Senior Agent Tanya Ramirez, one of the Affiliated Counter-Terrorism unit's co-leaders, told the media:
"We have finally tracked down the NMLA's bomb-making engineers, and a joint task force made the arrest with minimal casualties. Large quantities of Thargoid corrosives and explosive components were also seized."
"This achievement was only possible due to intercepting Theta Group's communications with Neo-Marlinist sympathisers. We are unsure why the NMLA's dark-comms network was not used in that instance."
"As our intel predicted, the

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

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.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

It's now been a month since the launch of ZOmegaZ's Kickstarter campaign to make a set of Wing Commander challenge coins. The project is now up to about $16,000 compared to a $5,000 goal, so it appears to have easily met the viability threshold. As stretch goals have been achieved, additional designs for Cobra Kai and Battlestar Galactica have been added. The most popular items appear to be based around Star Trek and Firefly, but Wing Commander fans pledged for a few dozen Vega Sector coins on just the first day. If you'd like to get in before the campaign ends, each WC coin is $11 plus shipping. You have until December 4. Find more details here.

This is a very straightforward project. The artwork for all seven coins is done, quotes have been obtained for manufacture. All we need is enough backers to cover the costs of production and shipping, and we can place the orders. Once I receive the

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Ever wonder why Righteous Fire had such an elaborate rendered intro focused on a mech you never see again? It was leftover content that was originally cut from the base Privateer game!

The scene was created as a losing endgame which would play if you landed with a negative credit balance. To save space, the design was tweaked to make that case impossible. RF’s writer wrote a new script for the existing footage explaining your Steltek gun was stolen!

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Admiral Aden Tanner has called for Aegis to reject the public inquiry's shutdown and take direct action against Salvation.
The Musashi, an Aegis Defense megaship under his command, has entered the T Tauri system to challenge Taurus Mining Ventures. The corporation has performed activities on Salvation's behalf, including preparation for the anti-xeno weapon used to eliminate all Thargoids from the Cornsar system.
Admiral Tanner transmitted this message to media outlets:
"Salvation's unlicensed weapons technology is deliberately designed to provoke the Thargoids, risking millions of lives. My sources tell me that Hind Mine asteroid base contains evidence of this. I therefore demand that Taurus Mining Ventures allows us access so we can determine the truth."
Patience Middleton of Taurus Mining Ventures responded:
"We are a legitimate business under contract to a private citizen, whose activities

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots Federation ALERT*
Brewer Corporation requests deliveries in the Alcor and Colonia systems for the next phase of the Colonia Bridge project.
A successful initiative in October resulted in the placement of 30 dockable megaships at intervals of several hundred light years, providing services such as refuelling and repairs. The second phase seeks to establish this support for the full route between the core systems and the Colonia region.
A press release from Brewer Corporation stated:
"We are now ready to continue work on the Colonia Bridge, by constructing additional megaships to fill the middle of the planned route. As before, we require shipments of ceramic composites, computer components and thermal cooling units at Macdonald Settlement in the Alcor system or Jaques Station in the Colonia system."
"Should deliveries reach sufficient levels, the top 75% of contributors will be awarded

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

When it rains, it pours! We've got a second exciting tabletop style fan project to share today. Throughout 2019, we reported on various aspects of Adm_Maverick's tabletop WC game. It was coming along quite well until the coronavirus interrupted his plans. He's now in the process of tweaking the ruleset to work better in a virtual online environment. There's some neat preview images - and a video! - below to give you a taste. Stay tuned for more news when he's ready for some test runs. In the mean time, you can learn more about the project here.

When the pandemic started, I was just moving into serious playtesting of the Star Fighter tabletop game. And that curb-stomped my playtesting efforts. So with all of that, I put work on the game on the shelf for the time being. So with a little looking, I'm gonna use Tabletop Simulator to facilitate playtesting and development. Once I do some review and

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Many factions have seceded from the Federation in recent months, but recent polls suggest the likelihood of further withdrawals is waning.
The Federal Times published an update on the situation by political correspondent Sofia Trevino:
"Some negative reaction to the Proactive Detection Bureau was anticipated. But it's unlikely that Congress foresaw nearly forty systems abandoning the Federal Accord, as their governing factions declared independence."
"Fears that this would spiral into mass rebellion now seem misplaced, however. This is partly thanks to the PDB's recent role in preventing Jupiter's Wrath from committing terrorist acts. Although that group is hardly in the NMLA's league, evidence that communications surveillance can save lives seems to have convinced some Federal citizens to reconsider their opposition."
"President Hudson's efforts against the breakaway factions were hailed by

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

The Washington Post (or more specifically, their Launcher video game section) has run an article about video game franchises they'd want raised from the dead. Wing Commander gets top billing as their first series on the list, which is always great to see! Since this is Halloween-themed, each game also gets a small piece of zombie artwork. In WC's case, there's a disembodied hand on a joystick with a familiar reticle superimposed on top. You can check out the full article here.

Wing Commander

We all know Mark Hamill once saved the universe while waving a lightsaber in a galaxy far, far away. But did you know he also saved Earth by dropping a tectonic bomb on the war-hungry planet of Kilrah? Then he followed up those heroics by staving off a civil war through exposing the plans of a warmongering admiral played by Malcolm McDowell, whose character’s motivations preceded those of Call of Duty’s

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

There's been a lot of discussion on the various Wing Commander forums and Discord chat rooms about tabletop games recently, so today we'd like to share the first glimpse at some of the exciting progress that's been made in this area over the last month. DefianceIndustries is working on a digital recreation of the popular Tactical Operations fan game. It was a big hit about ten years ago, so a new iteration would be very welcome. The early work on this looks like a ton of fun, and we're eager to see how things come together! Check out some gorgeous sample shots below:

I figured I'd catch folks up on all the WC stuff I've been doing. Aside from working on the WC4 remake which is still plugging along, I recently started doing a version of the fan hex-game Wing Commander TacOps using table top simulator.

I'm making custom figurines and tiles, as well as fighter punch cards to help keep your stats

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The Empire has officially proclaimed Hadrian Augustus Duval and his wife Lady Astrid Minerva-Duval to be wards of the Senate.
The offer of senatorial protection was made following an NMLA attempt to assassinate them and their unborn child by bombing Dyson City starport.
Prior to being transported from the Paresa system to a secure location, Hadrian Duval sent this message:
"Lady Astrid and I accepted this offer with enormous reluctance. Neither of us wish to abandon our home or loyal followers. Yet we feel it is a matter of duty to protect our family and ensure future generations of the Duval bloodline."
"Nova Imperium will henceforth be known as Nova Paresa. It will continue to serve as a staunch ally of the Empire, as per the Treaty of Paresa. To all those who fought for our cause over the years, I assure you that history will never forget us. Memento Mordanticus!"
There has been public

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The Scriveners Clan's legal ownership of their dredger has been supported by the civil rights organisation Advocacy.
The ancient Dredger-class bulk cruiser, currently located in the Oochost PC-C c29-0 system, is inhabited by a nomadic tribe descended from the vessel's original crew. Orion University claims that the cruiser is its commercial property, but has failed to make contact with its occupants.
Rhiannon Grady, director of Advocacy, explained:
"For centuries, there has been widespread legislation to protect remote communities from cultural contamination. These laws apply to micro-societies, such as those found aboard generation ships, that evolved in isolation."
"Therefore, Orion University should not presume to deprive over ten thousand people of the only home they have ever known. Unlike cases such as the Golconda, which requested emergency assistance, in this case we are legally and