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Weird and Retro posted this neat throwback to the June 1995 edition of GamePro Magazine. The feature is titled "Revenge of the PC Games" and highlights all of the the hot titles of the mid '90s and how they compare to the latest crop of gaming consoles such as the Saturn, PlayStation, 3DO and "Ultra 64." Wing Commander 3 is front and center as one of the star examples. While there's no question about where the best graphics and high end experiences were available, the article acknowledges the proportionately high price that PC gamers (or their parents) had to pay. They mention the typical machine was around $2,000, which is equivalent to $3,400 today. In comparison, the PlayStation launched that year at $299 ($500 in 2019 dollars). It's kind of amazing that so many of us were able to play through these games when they were new!

It Ain't Easy Being PC

What do you need to play PC CD games? If you

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Wing Commander Academy displays a little spinning ship on the selection screen. But take a look at the Crossbow bomber! Well, it's... er... it’s green.

The actual bomber sprites in Special Operations 1 are blue and white which is also how it looks if you fly it in Academy. The game uses different sprites for the spinning ship in the menu! But where did the change come from?

Turns out the mesh was originally built for Wing Commander II to be a human corvette also called the Crossbow. It was cut to save space and the Special Operations team retextured it to look smaller. Here are the specs from a work-in-progress Wing Commander II doc:

Turns out the SO1 artists didn’t back up the new textures though... so when the Academy team went to render the turnaround a year later they had the corvette instead! Here’s what the source model looks like, you can see it’s intended to be much larger than a bomber:

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

Earlier this year, Starfleet Engineers, in conjunction with the finest minds in singularity technology of the Romulan Republic, finally made a breakthrough in investigating the incursions from the Galaxy of Great Sales, which occasionally merges with our own to set off the anomaly known as the “Flash Sale.” This allowed Star Trek Online to put together three great sales during the Earth event known as Black Friday, but during the Intra-galactic Winter Holiday Celebrations, we’re putting together five sales! It’s only a few weeks now until we celebrate our tenth anniversary, and to thank you for a lifetime of memories, we’re putting on a lifetime of a sale. Save 30% on a Lifetime Subscription from December 25th at 10am PT to December 28th at 10am PT. Get your hands on a galaxy of exclusives, including exclusive ships, playable races, and more! .share-footer a { margin: 20px 10px 10px

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From January 9th to January 13th, we're putting all ship bundles in the Zen Store on a 20% Discount! Want to take command of the flagships of every faction? Or perhaps you're looking for a little extra science to add into your life. Whatever your ship dream may be, this is the best time to take advantage and get a good price on multiple ships! Head to the Zen Store and save! .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: opacity .3s; } .share-footer .TI { background-position: 0 20%; } .share-footer .YT { background-position: 0 40%; } .share-footer .YT { background-position: 0 40%; } .share-footer .TW { background-position: 0 60%;

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Christian Genzel reached out to discuss a recent interview he did with Kevin Droney, the original screenwriter for Wing Commander. We indirectly linked to this conversation back in March, but we wanted to highlight it again. So much fascinating stuff happened during the development of the Wing Commander Movie, so it's always interesting to hear another angle. Mr. Droney talks at length about how a swap in the producer led to numerous changes in his script that disrupted the flow, especially in the beginning. Had he been given the opportunity, he'd have gladly gone to Luxembourg to help smooth over scenes. The general tone is disappointment rather than bitterness, and Kevin mentions that the original payment basically put one of his kids through college and he long got generous residual payments as a testament to the success of the film on DVD, Blu-ray and digital. You can find the interview here

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Privateer 2 programmer Paul Hughes recently shared a pic of some vintage Origin trinkets. Over the years, Mr. Hughes has been a wonderful source of amusing anecdotes and behind-the-scenes info, and these are neat too. The 3fx pin is pretty standard and features their main logo. I imagine there would have been a bunch of these going around in 1996-1997 during the development of Wing Commander Prophecy. The other emblem has an Origin label surrounded by the phrase "It beats working for a living." Cute!

Heavens knows what these were doing in a disk box. Some old pin badges from 3DFX and Origin Systems.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

DefianceIndustries has another great model to share. This one is the UBW assault shuttle flown by Colonel Dekker. The ship is a huge contrast to the boxy Confed shuttle.It doesn't get an enormous amount of screen time in WC4, but it's a very neat design. Despite being a transport craft, I feel like there's an aggressive killer bee aspect to it, and the pair of turrets helps drive that sense home. Even without textures, the powerful little craft already looks super solid! We're looking forward to seeing it eventually make an appearance in the WC4 Fan Remake.

Minor update from the art department - The UBW Hermes is now meshed and art department approved. There will be two versions, one that is rigged with landing gear and doors for FMV work, and an in-game model without the extra rigging and triangles. Additionally, the turrets will be rigged so they won't be as toothless as before.

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Origin composer George Oldziey has provided an update on his work to create more Wing Commander music. Over the last several years, he's worked diligently to crowdfund and create wonderful orchestral and jazz albums based on our favorite WC tracks. There has been good progress on a second album intended to be recorded by a live orchestra, but the coronavirus has sidetracked all those plans for this year. Nevertheless, George is committed to push forward on this front. Stay tuned for word on a future crowdfunding campaign to help make this a reality next year! You can still purchase (physical or digital) copies of his previous work online here.

Greetings all. I am so terribly sorry that I have not seen or replied to any of the recent comments about Phase 2 of this project. I have no excuses other than to say life distracted me from fulfilling this goal. Late last year I got involved in working

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The fear of further starport bombings has placed internal and external pressure on the Empire to address the threat posed by the NMLA.
Despite sharing intelligence via ACT, the Alliance and Federation have demanded that the Empire must do more to eradicate the NMLA, since it is 'Imperial in origin and ambition'.
The latest developments were covered by mainstream media channels.
The Imperial Herald: "In the Senate, Chancellor Anders Blaine reported that the Emperor has instructed him to present a range of options. Senator Lorcan Scordato has volunteered to visit the Marlinist Colonies on a fact-finding mission, to better understand the political character of the Neo-Marlinist fringe."
Eye on Achenar: "The entire system is still shellshocked by the slaughter at Dawes Hub, a vicious stab at the heart of our glorious Empire. In our opinion poll, 93% of right-thinking citizens would send a fleet

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The front-runner candidates in the Alliance election have stepped up their campaigns, amid widespread political and civil unrest.
Prime Minister Edmund Mahon and Councillor Nakato Kaine are touring across the Alliance, gathering public support to sway the Assembly when it votes on the 27th of May.
Attending a business sector conference on the planet Industry in the Zaonce system, Prime Minister Mahon stated:
"We've heard a lot of reactionary rhetoric from Councillor Kaine, but it's much easier to be critical than constructive. She has done little to secure the prosperity of our people and companies, which was my primary focus over the last six years."
At a protest march on New Caledonia in the Alkaid system, Councillor Kaine addressed the crowd:
"Again, the Thargoids lash out at our presence. Again, we prop up the other superpowers. Again, we pump money into Aegis and Lakon but not our own

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

A new product being manufactured by the Kumo Crew could be a version of onionhead, the controversial recreational drug.
Dr Himari Grey, an independent healthcare analyst, published this review on Vox Galactica:
"Little is yet known about 'helix', but the persistent rumour that it is derived from onionhead has sparked keen interest from physicians, politicians and narcotics users alike."
"Onionhead's active ingredient is extracted from plant seeds found only on Panem in the Kappa Fornacis system. Its psychotropic and hallucinogenic qualities are well documented, but there is conflicting evidence regarding addictive strength and toxicology."
"This didn't stop it being banned in the Federation in 3300 by former President Jasmina Halsey, who was concerned about its popularity among youth culture. Political fireworks followed when Fleet Admiral Vincent bombed onionhead crops against her orders,

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The location of an INRA base in the DG Canum Venaticorum system was revealed by a survivor of the notorious Project Seraph.
Professor Alba Tesreau, former head of research at Aegis, initially received the tip-off from an anonymous source but has now provided clarification:
"Further communication with my source has revealed that she was once a 'candidate' of Project Seraph, a now-abandoned operation run by Azimuth Biochemicals several years ago. At the Oaken Point facility in the HIP 26176 system, scientists attempted to directly interface with Thargoid scout vessels by grafting neural and physiological implants into living subjects."
"Most of these horrific experiments ended in failure or death, but the subject classified as D-2 escaped from Oaken Point by stowing away on a trader's ship. Since then she has used her inside knowledge to investigate Azimuth, confirming Aegis's belief that the

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Demon27248 has posted a nice capture of several rounds of Wing Commander Arena. Modern streaming content for WC Arena is sorely lacking, so clips like this are unfortunately few and far between. The foursome playing the game hits several different types events: they take down a Battlecruiser in capship combat, hunt down satellites and conduct a team deathmatch in the Boneyard. Arena is a unique WC experience and it's really a shame that it doesn't run on modern Xboxes. But it's good to see people still having fun with it in 2022!

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The clock is ticking and we're now just two weeks until the CIC's annual Birthday Party! You can join in and celebrate our 24th anniversary on Saturday, August 13. We'll be hosting a huge bash in Discord #Wingnut. We'll have some fun things to share and it should be a great time for all. The main event gets going at 7:00 pm EDT (4:00 pm PDT and 11:00 pm GMT). Hope to see you there!

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Dennis Mull tipped us off about a Wing Commander-themed stream happening this weekend. The Sol Citizens show on Sunday will be about Chris Roberts' earlier games from Wing Commander to Freelancer. It'll be broadcasting starting at 5 pm US Eastern Time. Sounds like a good time!

What was the name of the "Bengal-Class" carrier introduced in Chris Roberts' game "Wing Commander"? Watch the SOL Citizens Sunday, July 31st at 8:00pm ET to see if you're right? Twitch or http://youtube.com/solcitizens

To his credit, I don't think Dennis will have a problem tackling these trivia questions!

Still unpacking boxes from my move but I already unpacked these.

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

It has been confirmed that Salvation, figurehead of Azimuth Biotech and creator of the Proteus Wave, was killed on board the Bright Sentinel.
A segment of a transmission by an independent rescue team within HIP 22460 was shared with Vox Galactica by an anonymous source. The team was reporting back to the Musashi megaship, which has now returned to the T Tauri system.
"Captain Qadir, this is Drummond. You're not paying us well enough to be in this hellhole. There are Thargoids everywhere we turn. But we've found out what you wanted to know. It's not good news."
"We finally managed to get close to the wreck of the Bright Sentinel, near where the bridge used to be. Bodies were drifting among the twisted metal, but fewer than we expected. We identified some of the command crew, including Commodore Halloran. But even before we got a positive ID scan, I recognised Dr Wycherley immediately. Nobody

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Mac is back with a belated but very much appreciated birthday gift! In honor of our 24th anniversary, he's put together another super slick wallpaper. This one is inspired by End Run and the adventures of the corvette TCS Johnny Greene. It's being harassed by a wing of Dralthi with a Rigakh in hot pursuit. Another fabulous scene - and ready to fill your 4K displays!

Happy Belated Birthday to the Wing Commander CIC! Without them, my job as a YouTube Lore Guy would be much harder.

I would have liked to say something the day of, but at the time I was somewhere over the Pacific. So here's part of a thing I've begun working on.

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Pilots' Federation ALERT
The continued project to provide enhanced AX weaponry for all ships has announced its latest progress update.
Independent pilots have been tasked with establishing a manufacturing base at select locations in the core systems. Thanks to these focused efforts, the following weapons are now available for purchase:
Enhanced AX Multi-cannon (Turreted)
Enhanced AX Missile Rack (Turreted)
Enhanced AX Multi-cannon (Fixed)
These modules are offered at all rescue megaships, which can be found using the Galaxy Map filter. Ships looking to engage Thargoid forces are advised to equip these weapons, particularly in Maelstrom systems where Guardian-based technology has proven ineffective.
Work continues on the other enhanced weapons, based on designs by the engineers Liz Ryder and Zacariah Nemo which improve the original Aegis models. A further update will be provided next Thursday,

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Admiral Aden Tanner has formally resigned his commission with the Federal Navy, mere weeks after a presidential pardon overturned his court martial.
He had returned to naval service following an executive order from President Zachary Hudson. But this unexpected resignation means he is no longer a member of the military, although he retains the honorific of 'admiral'.
Admiral Tanner released a personal statement, which was published by The Federal Times:
"I must begin by expressing my gratitude to President Hudson, and thank all those who supported my actions in the T Tauri system. History has proven that Salvation was willing to sacrifice millions of lives in his personal vendetta against the Thargoids, and we are suffering the after-effects of that obsession today."
"The Federal Navy was once my home, but my disillusionment has grown over recent years. Politics and commercial influences hold

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Recently I extracted all of Privateer's gameflow screens (the planets and bases) and matched them to their correct palettes. 229 animations with over 5,000 frames! It's everything from flashing lights on the landing pad to the little cars that fly by on New Detroit. But behold my most exciting discovery: a never-before-seen ship! Thanks to the palette I knew it had to go, specifically, in the Perry Naval Base landing screen... but as far as I can tell it doesn't actually spawn there in the game. You can even see it says PNB (for "Perry Naval Base") on the side! This is about what it would've looked like, though it might've crossed the screen lower. Not such a bad day when you discover a new Wing Commander ship thirty years after it was made!