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Howard Day

took a break from his

day job

to show off an interesting new illustrating technique. The result is a remarkable pixel art reproduction of the Hornet cockpit. We've seen later WC designs imported to the earlier engines as well as plenty of upgrades that take the original designs to the next level, but this is something in between. It would be interesting to imagine a retro pixel space sim that looks more like the original Wing Commanders at a higher resolution. It could be something like this!

Well, I bet DanFessler never thought I'd try his Index Painting technique in #3DSMax... to my complete delight it works wonderfully! Here it is working well on an upgraded 2x scale WC Hornet cockpit. Near perfect pixel art, no tweaking!

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Attention! We’ve doubled our efforts to give Captains the necessary experience to deal with threats to the Galaxy. From Thursday, June 13th at 8AM PT, to Monday, June 17th at 10AM PT, players will be able to enjoy twice the experience! During the event, content that provides skill points and expertise will reward a 100% (2x) Bonus above normal amounts – this bonus will be available for all content that rewards skill points and expertise. .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 {

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

It's E3 week, so that means the news has been full of gaming announcements. There's lots of new AAA games and cutting edge hardware that grab the most headlines, but a minor note in the Microsoft lineup caught our attention. The

latest batch

of Xbox/Xbox 360

backwards compatibility

updates for Xbox One will be the last. This means that Wing Commander

Arena

won't be making the jump to the current generation of consoles. It was always a long shot, but with more than 600 games ported over in the past several years, there were some really awesome

obscure

titles included that gave us some hope. There would have been some nice advantages such as enhanced team/party chat, built-in screenshot/video capture and just an overall commitment to sustained longevity on the platform. As it is, it's already quite impressive that the game is still fully supported on Xbox Live after nearly

twelve years

. In fact, it

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Re.Enthused

has posted a video of getting Wing Commander going on the FM Towns

Marty

. The Marty was a console variant of the Japanese PC variant

FM Towns

. The two shared limited cross-compatibility, so it's really interesting to see that it runs! It requires the optional keyboard just to get past the initial screen where players input their name and callsign, but everything seems to load. Speed and smoothness definitely take a big hit and most sound seems broken, but it's still pretty neat. If you're not as familiar with this version, it's also fascinating to see the minor differences. Overall graphics are pretty similar, but the load screen displays "Start Secret Missions 2" alongside the normal prompts for Vega Campaign, Continue and Secret Mission 1. On PC, SM2 has its own separate executable. Overall, I'd say this is a successful experiment!

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General: Reduced the price of all items in the Weekend Event Store to 1 Voucher. Resolved an issue that was preventing some old event reputation projects from being automatically completed. UI: Resolved an issue that was causing the Gamma Symbol in The Swarm TFO to be larger than intended. Resolved an issue that caused the Molecular Deconstruction Beam to appear twice in the Temporal ship UI. Updated some places in the UI that previously said “Queue Group” to now say “Task Force Operation”. Added an icon that will now flash green when collections are ready for Reputation Projects. Content: Added a waypoint for the "Turbolift to Communications Console", during the mission “Reunion”, while the player is on the mission step to repair 4 pieces of damaged equipment, so that players can use this to navigate to the turbolift and to the floor where the damaged communication

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

A request for construction materials made by Sagittarius Eye has ended.

The appeal has been enthusiastically received by the galactic community, resulting in an influx of deliveries to McMullen Ring, the organisation's base of operations. As a result, a new asteroid base named The Print Works has been established in the Millese system.

As the campaign drew to a close, the organisation's spokesperson issued the following statement:

"Thanks to all you delightful pilots, we now have a lovely new print works in Millese to produce the galaxy's finest magazine. We're absolutely thrilled, and everyone who helped is welcome to visit us in our new home."

Contributors to the campaign can now collect their rewards from McMullen Ring in the Millese system.

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Evangeline's Elite Expeditionary Force has revealed plans to build a megaship in the Shana Bei system.

Archangel Evangeline, commander of the faction, made the following announcement:

"The successful construction of the megaship EFS Archangel will serve not only the Federation, but the entire galactic community. EFS Archangel will provide a hub for our military operations, allowing us to bring the fight to our enemies and defend imperilled systems. Together, we will make EFS Archangel a safe place to trade and share knowledge. Long live humanity!"

To ensure completion of the project, the organisation has requested superconductors, computer components and insulating membranes from the galactic community. Pilots who contribute these resources to the Force at Chu City in Shana Bei will be rewarded at the conclusion of the project.

The campaign will take place between the 13th and 19th of June

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

President Gibson Kincaid has been removed from office after a majority vote in the Alliance Assembly, following charges of treason, murder and corruption. The date of his trial is expected to be confirmed soon.

Alliance Interpol confirmed that Kincaid was detained while attempting to flee his personal estate on Zaonce. A firefight broke out between Interpol agents and emissaries from the Office of the Alliance President, acting as Kincaid's personal bodyguards. Several fatalities were later confirmed.

A number of influential corporate and political figures who supported Kincaid's conspiracy to gain executive control of the Alliance have also been arrested, including a senior director at the Bank of Zaonce.

Prosecutions are expected to rely heavily on the recent testimony of Admiral Frederick Yamamoto and a detailed report provided by the Wallglass Investigations Agency.

Tashmira Silva, who

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The latest episode of ALL WINGS CONSIDERED is live now! All Wings Considered is the CIC's first ever streaming variety show which features news, conversation and gameplay relating to our favorite series. This week's Nav Points include:

• Privateer and conversation! Chat live while we earn an Orion.
• Did Colonel Blair really take a vacation to the same beach he found the Concordia at?
• Zathras, yes. Zathras.
• Your first look at the 3D printed Pewter Planet!
• Privateer 2 ship of the week: the Icarus

Missed the stream? The replay will be available below once it has been processed by YouTube. You can subscribe to the AWC channel for future notifications here.

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

It’s been…very cold…in space…but you, Captains, have showered us in images of your best winter getups for keeping it warm. We couldn’t believe the amount of entries that came in for the Snow Gear Fashion Contest, and choosing the winners was incredibly difficult. But after a long debate, we’ve chosen our three favorites. Without further ado, here are the winners! Grand Prize – Fruit the Nazbuu! Runner Up – Darin Wolf! Runner Up – Susanne Peters! We had quite a few favorites that didn’t make the cut, but we wanted to show off anyway for creativity or hilarity. Check out the gallery below - click on the right or left side of the images to navigate! Nxt Prv

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Temporal Anomalies have opened a hole to an alternate universe, one with a fantastic sale, Captains. But this Flash Sale will only be available for a limited time – from 12pm today, 6/14 -12pm PST tomorrow, 6/15 only, on PC. Hurry and grab yourself some items at a one of our largest discounts ever, before the portal shuts and it’s all lost. Today’s Flash Sale is: Save 20% on Keys! Don’t wait! The Flash Sale Anomaly can be gone before you know it! .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 {

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

Temporal Anomalies have opened a hole to an alternate universe, one with a fantastic sale, Captains. But this Flash Sale will only be available for a limited time – from 12pm PT 6/15 – 12pm PT 6/16 on PC. Hurry and grab yourself some items at a one of our largest discounts ever, before the portal shuts and it’s all lost. Today’s Flash Sale is: Save 30% on Starter Packs, Expansion Packs, and Ship Bundles! Don’t wait! The Flash Sale Anomaly can be gone before you know it! .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%;

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

A company that purchased 4,000 Imperial slaves has revealed itself as a slavery emancipation group.

Using the name Tilbery Construction, the group claimed that the slave workforce would be used to build a water treatment facility for Port Isabelle, the capital of Eotienses A 3. Instead, the slaves were transported outside the city and set free.

The individual acting as the company's CEO, Garrett Kline, made the following statement:

"The true purpose of Tilbery Construction was to provide liberty. As members of the group Autonomy, we renounce institutionalised abuse and fight for human dignity. I am proud to say that we have returned four thousand enslaved people to freedom, so they may live their life however they wish."

Autonomy is a network of radical activists opposed to the Empire's tradition of indentured servitude. It has forcibly liberated slaves on several prior occasions, but never on

Quote from Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

Here are this week's main stories.

President Gibson Kincaid has been removed from office and arrested following a majority impeachment vote. A number of corporate and political figures supporting Kincaid's plan to assume executive control of the Alliance have also been arrested. Tashmira Silva, who privately funded the investigation uncovering Kincaid's conspiracy, shared her satisfaction with the news.

A company who recently purchased 4,000 Imperial slaves for a construction project in the Eotienses system has revealed itself as a slavery emancipation group. The leader of the group, Garrett Kline, declared their affiliation with the radical anti-slavery activists known as Autonomy. The slaves have been freed outside of Port Isabelle, the capital of Eotienses A 3.

In other news, Evangeline's Elite Expeditionary Force has announced plans to build a megaship in the Shana Bei system. Archangel

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

We have a new poll today that asks which of the famous major faction logos is your favorite. We threw in the

Church of Man

's eyeball sigil for good measure too. There are a few more obscure ones out there, but we think one of these five will be the winner.

DefianceIndustries

also made these pretty graphics for us a while back, so it's a great opportunity to get some more use out of them!

The old poll asked about your favorite feature in our streaming web show

All Wings Considered

. The portions where LOAF streams gameplay came out on top, which is good, because there's been lots of exciting cockpit action in the mix lately! The Cargo Bay where we show off newly acquired collectibles of the week has a lot of fans, and people also like the Afterburner Slideshow where the team shows off a variety of neat pictures to address Q&A topics or share other significant subjects of interest. You can check out

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

Howard Day

's

cockpit test

last week quickly turned into something much more. He's maintained the retro visual style plus added extra Hornets and Dralthi to contend with. The result looks like a really awesome Wing Commander shooter! The fun ship designs may look familiar as they are inspired by

Arne from Android Arts

. Click into each of the thumbnails below for an animated gif of the engine in action!

Hey, folks. Playing with some ideas in Unity. if I can get it working well, I'll release it to the community to make your own campaigns and games.

I'd much rather make a system that's simple to read and create with, lightweight, and easily used to make new stuff. You should be able to 1-1 remake the original, but some things... I would recommend against? Faster projectiles, multiplayer options, etc. Anyhow, I dunno. I'm definitely just screwing around at this point, we're a long way away from even my

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

The moment you've all been waiting for is here, Captains. The Discovery Era Constitution From June 20th at 8am PT to July 11th at 10am PT, 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 two new additions to this Promotional Ship Pack: The Miracle Worker Flight Deck Cruiser [T6] and D7 Miracle Worker Flight Deck Cruiser [T6]! Recovery from Yard 39 continues on. Most recently recovered was the superstructure of a Constitution-class superstructure that had been just laid down when disaster struck Yard 39, halting the construction process. Engineers working

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Pix

has expanded his Wing Commander archive with a scan of the relatively rare

Wing Commander III: The Ultimate Strategy Guide

. It's decidedly the fourth best guide book for WC3 after

Origin's Official Guide

,

The Authorized Combat Guide to WC3

and the

Japanese Guide to WC3 on Playstation

. But while the other two English books are included freebies with the game on

GOG

, the Ultimate Strategy Guide is lesser known and harder to find. It's certainly a very interesting artifact in its own way. Hopefully more fans can

check it out now

!

I recently realised I'd missed it out so if the other 3 guides weren't enough for you, there is now a scan of the Wing Commander 3 Ultimate Strategy Guide in the disorganised list that I call a downloads page.

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Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

We’re pleased to announce the return of the Research and Development Weekend! This event will run from Thursday, June 20th at 8AM PT to Monday, June 24th at 10AM PST, and features several bonuses throughout STO that will give Captains of all levels a leg up advancing their rank in the Research and Development school(s) of their choice. For those Captains looking specifically for extra help with their projects, all R&D packs throughout the game will give out an extra 25% of the items they currently disperse for the duration of this event. Queue R&D Material Reward Packages (Normal, Advanced and Elite) will reward 25% more R&D Materials and have a chance to reward a Catalyst. Alternatively, Captains wanting to advance through Research and Development schools as fast as possible should seek out Harvest Nodes, located in mission maps throughout STO, which will not only disperse 2 extra R&D Materials

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PeliKenraali

has put together a neat little video that chronicles the graphical progression from the Wing Commander 1 to 3. Most Wingnuts today would be quite familiar with these cuts, so there's nothing really new to see here, but there's a certain charm to seeing them presented side by side so you can appreciate how much the gaming world changed in just four years. The clip looks at characters, dogfighting, cutscenes and even the title sequence. Check it out below:

In this video, I will show how Origin's Wing Commander PC series (Kilrathi trilogy) graphics improved from Wing Commander 1 to Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger