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Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Here's something new and different in Howard Day's Wing Leader project. We've seen a lot of the pilots and their helmets lately, and Howard took this one step further to merge these characters with the exciting cockpit scenes shown off a while back. Check out Angel in the green VDU! To flip the camera around, the fighter seats have also been bulked up and fit a bit better with their flight suits. There's also a neat test of a pilot in the briefing room. You can see they're all the same person, but a lot of work goes into getting the scaling and light tones right. It's cool to see these difference pieces come together!

Bulked up the seats, fixed the padding stitching and wrinkles to blend/look better, added more helmet art, rank insignia on the respirators, and seatbelts!

Quote from Mass Effect News-Bot

Many characters in the Mass Effect franchise went through dramatic changes in their adventures with Commander Shepard. Based on player choices, some die, some go on to become leaders in their own right, and much more. The Quarian character Tali has been around for the entirety of the saga, working her way up from a pilgrimage to becoming a significant pillar among her people. Just as fans have fallen in love with the character, the trilogy also allows players to romance the character as well, with the relationship eventually culminating in a picture of the character’s unobscured face.

When Mass Effect 3 first released in 2012, the reveal wasn’t received well by many fans due to the image merely being a stock photo that was only slightly altered to fit the narrative. It seems as though the issue may have been resolved, at least a little, thanks to the recent release of the Mass Effect Legendary Edition

Quote from Mass Effect News-Bot

After numerous months of teasing and various showcases from developer BioWare, the awaited Mass Effect Legendary Edition is finally released, giving fans a fully remastered iteration of the beloved sci-fi RPG trilogy. Following the interstellar exploits of player character Commander Shepard, the three-game saga sees players tasked with exploring worlds, assembling allies, and protecting the galaxy from an ancient threat, with the re-release seeing numerous upgrades introduced such as updated visuals, performance, and gameplay across all three games.

As the collection also compiles nearly all DLC and add-on content featured throughout the trilogy, fans and newcomers alike are sure to see this as the ultimate version of the cosmic adventure. However, how has the game actually fared upon its release? Well, according to emerging reviews, Mass Effect Legendary Edition is indeed being very well received for its

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

I found a 1996 PlayStation magazine article about Wing Commander III with a truly amazing title:

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

ODVS is back with another exciting video enhancement. While the lion's share of his work has been focused on WC3, WC4 and Prophecy over the last year, today's sample focuses on Privateer 2! About a year ago, P2 director Steve Hilliker posted a wonderful compilation of enhanced footage pulled from some of the best source material still in existence. While it was a nice bump from what was included in the game, modern enhancement techniques can do some amazing things. AD and Owen worked together to add some excellent detail, and this teaser shows both side-by-side. You can grab the full 68 minute video here (2.7 gig mkv)!

*PLEASE ENSURE YOU'RE WATCHING THE 4K QUALITY STREAM TO SEE ALL IMPROVEMENTS*

AD got in touch to let me know he was cleaning up Steve Hilliker's "The Darkening" 25th Anniversary Remaster and asked if I'd like to get my "AI upscale thing to do its magic" and... er... remaster the

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The Proactive Detection Bureau, which monitors all civil communications in the Federation, has received a boost from the galactic community.
President Hudson's campaign for additional data proved so successful that the PDB has dramatically increased the range of its surveillance.
Deputy Director Bethany Blake of the Federal Intelligence Agency announced:
"We are now able to discreetly scan almost every private and public communications network used within Federal systems. As a result, arrest rates have soared and several organised crime rings have been dismantled."
Shadow President Winters's efforts to distribute methods of blocking the PDB received considerable support, but failed to eclipse Hudson's initiative. This was interpreted by the Federal government as a mandate from the citizens to continue its surveillance programme.
Rhiannon Grady, director of the civil rights organisation

Quote from Mass Effect News-Bot

The space-exploring adventures of Commander Shepard are now available for modern platforms with the release of Mass Effect Legendary Edition, the collection remastering everything from visuals, performance, and gameplay to offer an ultimate vision of the trilogy. While the launch hopes to be everything fans could want, a notable exclusion nonetheless exists in the current lack of online multiplayer, which was previously established as an integral and fan-favorite part of the original Mass Effect 3.

Though ME3 multiplayer unfortunately sits out of Mass Effect Legendary Edition, it appears it’s possible this decision could be reversed sometime in the future. Game director Mac Walters suggested as much in a recent interview with CNET, revealing that he would “never say no” to bringing back multiplayer. “We want to see what kind of reception the Legendary Edition gets and what the demand for the

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Look at this amazing slush art ship that AD found in a Russian Wing Commander article. In Russia, tiger claws you!

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots Federation ALERT*
The conflict in the Paresa system has ended with Nova Imperium defeating the Federal-backed League of Mandu faction.
Imperator Hadrian Augustus Duval had been targeted following accusations that he controlled the NMLA paramilitary group. He delivered a public address:
"Our hard-earned victory brings great honour to all who fought against the Federation's invasion. Their arrogance justifies our long-held belief that the Empire must stand apart from other superpowers, but Nova Imperium will continue to serve in the fight against terrorism. Memento Mordanticus!"
Ambassador Catherine Carlisle of the Federal Diplomatic Corps made this statement:
"Although we are grateful for their zeal in combatting the NMLA, our intermediaries at the League of Mandu have acted hastily and will soon depart from Imperial space."
Pilots who fought for Nova Imperium can now collect their

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots Federation ALERT*
Thargoid forces have invaded the Delphi system and several systems in the California, Coalsack and Pleiades Nebulas.
Huge numbers of Thargoid scouts and interceptors have appeared within multiple systems. Aegis has mobilised available defences, but also requested assistance from anti-xeno squadrons and independent pilots in combating the Thargoids.
Shipments of Guardian artefacts were recently delivered to the Delphi system as part of an Aegis research programme. Professor Alba Tesreau has speculated that the Thargoids' well-documented aversion to Guardian technology may be the reason why Delphi was targeted.
Two starports recently constructed by the Kumo Crew syndicate – California Freeport in the HIP 18390 system and Fort Xeno in the HIP 62154 system – are among those seriously damaged by the assault. Archon Delaine, the syndicate's warlord, announced:
"I'm not

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Here's one from deep in the archives. AD found an interview with the Fat Man and Team Fat in an early 1995 article of the New York Times, before they even started posting stories online in 1996. This one's been turned into a digital story for completeness so future generations can learn a little about the state of early game audio. It goes a little bit deeper than your typical magazine blurb. The conversation begins very similarly to many other interviews George Sanger has given over the years, but it also delves into some of the side-projects and other attempts that he was trying to use to expand his business. These are portrayed as controversial, but it sounds more like they were trying to throw everything at the wall to see what stuck - which a lot of folks were doing in this new media space at the time! You can read up on the whole article here.

Starting with "Loom," one of the first computer

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

MW Art has put together an awesome time lapse of what it takes to build a Kilrathi warrior. He's meticulously sculpted everything in Zbrush. Even though the clock is sped up, I'm amazed to see how fast the head comes together. It's also interesting to see how items like the claws get so much attention. The texture/coloring seems like it should take a long time as well (and I'm sure it did!), but Martijn makes it look like a breeze!

Space is a very scary place, so why not make it even more scary by adding some Tigers in there! Big fan of Wing Commander games and the Kilrathi Antagonists, I still think they should appear in Star Citizen, I tried to make a concept of what they would look like in a modern game, Hope you like it!

Check out my artstation for some Hi-Res Renders.

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Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

There are widespread fears that current hostilities in the Paresa system may force the Empire and Federation to declare full-scale war.
The situation has been covered by mainstream media.
The Imperial Herald: "Hadrian might be the black sheep of the Duval family, but should he die by Federation hands, honour would demand retribution. Already the Imperial Navy is mobilising in anticipation of the Emperor's reaction."
The Federal Times: "The evidence that Nova Imperium orchestrated the starport bombings is credible, but the possibility of subterfuge remains. Could the NMLA really fake so many orders from Hadrian Duval to such a believable standard?"
Eye on Achenar: "An attack against a Duval is an attack against us all, even if he does turn out to be a terrorist. How dare those Fednecks try to judge our criminals for us!"
Sol Today: "Hundreds of thousands dead, half a million wounded… our

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Here's a great sampling of Asian Wing Commander games that AD dug up while searching various online marketplaces. The majority are Taiwanese, although the Armada there is Japanese. We've posted most of these in various forms over the years, but it's fun to see them all in one place. One that's new to me is the Academy ad with faux cockpit struts added. WC3, Armada and the Privateers remain pretty elusive, even in bootleg form (as the loose bagged copies below are). The legit versions are those earlier ones published by Soft World. AD has also summarized a list of Chinese language search terms you can use if you're trying to bulk up your own International Wing Commander collection. Find those below!

《银河飞将》（Wing Commander）
《银河飞将：秘密任务》（WC: The Secret Missions）
《银河飞将：秘密任务2》（WC: The Secret Missions 2）

《银河飞将II：帝国逆袭》（Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi）
《银河飞将II：特别任务1》（WCII: Special Operations 1）

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The election of the Alliance prime minister will take place on the 27th of May, having been postponed due to the Galactic Summit.
Vanya Driscoll, political correspondent for The Alliance Tribune, reported:
"Prime Minister Edmund Mahon's decision to postpone the election for three months caused enormous disruption and mass protests. This may have mortally wounded his campaign to be re-elected as head of government for a second six-year term."
"With hindsight it's clear that Mahon was prioritising the Sirius Treaty, a detailed proposal to unite the superpowers against the Thargoids. Unfortunately, the Galactic Summit was prematurely halted by the 'Nine Martyrs' bombings before the treaty could be agreed."
"Although there are several candidates, Mahon's only serious challenger is Councillor Nakato Kaine. She has been a vocal critic of his expansionist policies, and gained much public support for

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

There's been more great progress this week on Howard Day's Wing Leader pilots. The big news is that he's added Maniac to the mix, but the characters have also gotten helmets, which is also nice to see. There's even some cockpit chair visible now as well. In what seems like a fairly short span of time, this squadron seems to be really forming up!

Some more Wing Leader nonsense, working way too late. Supposed to look like a young Tom Wilson.. Basically just Biff Tannen. Flattened some perspective, got some better contrast on materials, added the iconic WC2 Terran pilot chair. Enjoy!

Quote from Mass Effect News-Bot

As the release of Mass Effect Legendary Edition draws near, players are set to relive the epic saga of Commander Shepard with a significant layer of visual and performance polish added to the acclaimed BioWare trilogy. With such focus brought to elevating the original experience in significant ways, one might wonder how the game may ultimately perform once finally released on consoles and PC. To that end, publisher Electronic Arts recently laid out the expected performance of each platform at launch.

As detailed on the official EA website, the game’s intended output resolution and framerate targets for PC, and PlayStation, and Xbox consoles are given a complete rundown. According to the stats, PC has the obvious advantage with support for up to 240 FPS and 240 Hz refresh rates along with a myriad of available graphics options. Consoles are admittedly more limited offering two toggleable gameplay modes

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Today we've got a historical profile from the July 2000 issue of PC Zone. It works two ways: the article is a recap on the highlights of the PC space sim genre from 1984 to 2000, but at the same time, it's ancient history itself. While there was quite a lull in the space sims during the 2000s, the past decade has certainly seen something of a revival, and I look forward to reading that recap someday. I vaguely remember this article when it was new, and it's kind of amazing that more time has passed since it was published now than the mere 16 years of timeline that they were covering back then. They hit on the big three: Elite, Wing Commander and Star Wars - before finishing off with a bit about some of the late '90s entrants like X and Starlancer. There are also some fun quotes from the editor of A Talent for War, which was a space sim community hub that started up around the same time as the

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

The LoveRetroBTW streamer is hosting a morning show this weekend with Wing Commander sound designer Marc Schaefgen. He worked on most all the WC games from WC1 through Privateer, plus some Ultimas, Strike Commander and more. It'll be part of their Cafe, BTW podcast at 8 AM Pacific time on May 8 on Twitch. Getting up early on a Saturday morning to talk Wing Commander sounds like fun to us! Check it out here.

Tomorrow on 👉CafeBTW "A Morning Coffee Gaming Podcast"☕️

Guest Host: Marc Schaefgen sound designer from Wing Commander I & II🔊

Main Topic: Sound Design in #VideoGames

Channel: https://t.co/2rjua4naml#podcast #gaming #sound pic.twitter.com/XdZaZsIROm

— Andy formerly @ProducerBTW (@LoveRetroBTW) May 7, 2021

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Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

*Pilots Federation ALERT*
The enigmatic 'Salvation' has sent a message to the Commanders he recently recruited to discover the Hesperus megaship.
The vessel was found in the Perseus Dark Region KC-V C2-2 system, after 'Salvation' provided an access key to read its automated SOS. Pilots were then encouraged to deliver any surviving logs to Taurus Mining Ventures at the Hind Mine asteroid base in the T Tauri system.
Patience Middleton, a representative of the corporation, announced:
"'Salvation' has authorised us to offer two million credits or ten units of void opals for delivering the Hesperus's logs. This contract ends on the 21st of May 3307, after which payments will not be available."
"We have been asked to relay the message below."
"'This is Salvation. I call myself this as I cannot yet reveal my identity, but my scientific breakthroughs will literally save all of humanity. The Adamastor