News from Bot

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

L.I.F. was recently inspired to take a crack at importing Wing Commander ships into Freelancer. Back in the day there were a handful of pretty cool WC ship conversions for the game in the works, but it's been a very long time since anyone has attempted to take a modern high end crack at this. He's managed to get ahold of some cool modding tools that have helped the process along significantly, and there are some very impressive results already. He's sketched out some rough plans to integrate up to a couple dozen ships, which would make for a pretty rockin' mod!

So, after a Discord discussion that involved talking about Privateer, I kinda got the modding itch once again for Freelancer, but this time, I managed to get in touch with FL modders, who were nice enough to share with me their wonderful, wonderful tools (the kind of which I'm jealous as a HW modder). Long story short, I got told that the

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

It's an EA Weekend over at GOG.com. Dozens of games from Electronic Arts are discounted 75% through Monday morning. You might have the Wing Commander games, but there's also discounts on the Crusader series, Strike Commander, Ultima and more. GOG.com makes it very easy to launch your WC favorites, so if there's a gap in your digital collection, this is another good chance to fill it! Check out the full sale listing here.

Give these other Origin games a try if they're new to you!

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

The Amiga Love Twitter account recently shared this shot of the Amiga Wing Commander Installer icon. While some might look at this as incredibly trivial, we see it as an important piece of history imbued with memories of excitement and promise. Installers are something of a lost art and personal curiosity of mine. The first couple WC games were fairly simple, but by WC3 you had memorable moments such as the spinning Victory or Privateer 2's Tri-System backstory. The Command & Conquer series also did some fantastic installers around the same time.

It was wonderful when developers took the time to lovingly craft something that otherwise could be so mundane. In theory, gamers would only ever see these things once briefly before jumping into the actual play space, so it showed a high level of craftsmanship when they took the time to put some effort into the installer. And because players did only

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

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:

• Wing Commander 3 - Tamayo System
• Privateer - The Postgame
• MAGNUM LAUNCH!
• The secrets of Old New Constantinople

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 Elite Dangerous Galnet News-Bot

The Interstellar Association for Agriculture has announced that below-average crop yields are expected in several key locations.
Dr Genevieve Kane, writing on behalf of the organisation, published this statement:
"Recent audits conducted on two primary agricultural worlds, located in Diso and Orerve, indicate that staple food harvests have been markedly lower in recent months."
"Broader data analysis suggests that crop returns in several other systems may also fail to meet projected quotas. An investigation is underway to identify the reasons for this drop in produce."
"To prevent a shortage of produce from impacting consumers, the IAA is reviewing options to enhance the fertility of cropland used for domestic consumption. These include newly proposed synthetic treatments that we hope will increase the sustainability of essential harvests."
The situation was first highlighted during the

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

The original Wing Commander has an embedded phonetic lip-sync track to match up the mouths of the Tiger's Claw crew to the game's dialogue script. While that is an absolutely amazing level of detail, it was only implemented on the first game. The Secret Missions and Wing Commander 2 just use repetitive filler text like "Buy more games like Wing Commander 2." At least, this is what we thought until today!

YPersonified has been using UnnamedCharacter's WC Toolbox to dig into how this works. He's made the exciting discovery that the first mission of SM1 in the Goddard System actually has a full phonetic script! Even more amazing is that it differs from the game's final dialogue! He's put together a few examples below as well as a full video to show off what the lip sync version of events is. Since it's his best interpretation so far, there's probably a few inaccuracies to smooth out yet, but

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

Sometimes exploration of new ideas and new technologies leads to dark places. In Star Trek, we’ve seen many a cautionary tale about omniscient supercomputers, time travel, genetic manipulation, and telepathic oppression. The pursuit of knowledge isn’t always safe or pretty. Hearts and Minds is a mini-mission that explores the consequences of some unconventional research gone awry. This mission is a “story in one act,” so you can easily finish it in a quick play session, and it’s easy to complete it with any additional characters that you may have on your account – which is handy, because the mission offers a special reward. Since Hearts and Minds is a horror story, it will only be around for Friday the 13th, whenever that may fall on the calendar – and perhaps another sufficiently horrifying day that we might choose! Fortunately for the squeamish, Hearts and Minds is creepy, but not

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

Sometimes exploration of new ideas and new technologies leads to dark places. In Star Trek, we’ve seen many a cautionary tale about omniscient supercomputers, time travel, genetic manipulation, and telepathic oppression. The pursuit of knowledge isn’t always safe or pretty. Hearts and Minds is a mini-mission that explores the consequences of some unconventional research gone awry. This mission is a “story in one act,” so you can easily finish it in a quick play session, and it’s easy to complete it with any additional characters that you may have on your account – which is handy, because the mission offers a special reward. Since Hearts and Minds is a horror story, it will only be around for Friday the 13th, whenever that may fall on the calendar – and perhaps another sufficiently horrifying day that we might choose! Fortunately for the squeamish, Hearts and Minds is creepy, but not

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

General: Updated text in various areas of the episode, “Beneath the Skin”, to match the voice audio. Updated and added Voice Audio to several Delta Patrol Missions. Content: Resolved an issue that was sometimes causing the Elachi Captains to never lose their Immunity Shields in the Mycelial Realm Task Force Operation. Ships: Resolved an issue where the Kelvin Timeline Intel Dreadnought Cruiser was scaled up by 60%. UI: Adjusted the Event UI window to be expandable and scrollable. Resolved an issue that was causing the Zen Store to display incorrect information on ships you have already purchased. Systems: Resolved an issue that was preventing Klingon and Klingon aligned Captains from being able to open the, “Outfit Box - Survival Suit”. Resolved an issue that was preventing the Augmented Boarding Party from granting Dreadnought Admiralty Cards. Resolved an issue

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

General: Updated text in various areas of the episode, “Beneath the Skin”, to match the voice audio. Updated and added Voice Audio to several Delta Patrol Missions. Content: Resolved an issue that was sometimes causing the Elachi Captains to never lose their Immunity Shields in the Mycelial Realm Task Force Operation. Ships: Resolved an issue where the Kelvin Timeline Intel Dreadnought Cruiser was scaled up by 60%. UI: Adjusted the Event UI window to be expandable and scrollable. Resolved an issue that was causing the Zen Store to display incorrect information on ships you have already purchased. Systems: Resolved an issue that was preventing Klingon and Klingon aligned Captains from being able to open the, “Outfit Box - Survival Suit”. Resolved an issue that was preventing the Augmented Boarding Party from granting Dreadnought Admiralty Cards. Resolved an issue

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

LOAF found a great mention from a game design document for the original Wing Commander a while back. It includes a previously unspecified last name for Shotglass. He is listed as Major Sam Walker (retired). Previous speculation had guessed his last name could be Siegler after mention of his cousin in The Secret Missions. As interesting as this is, it's not necessarily the final official word since Colonel Halcyon's name is listed as Walter rather than Peter. And although not new information at this point, the references to Dart and Joker (who later became Hunter and Maniac) are fun inclusions as well. Anyhow, for anyone out there writing Shotglass fan fiction or for folks involved in the creation of a future WC product, keep "Walker" in mind!

Another fascinating discovery for WC fans: Shotglass' last name!

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

One of the most exciting moments of STLV this year, for us, was getting to watch Lead Ship and UI Artist Thomas Marrone join the Eaglemoss panel to announce that Hero Collector would be doing a full line of Star Trek Online ship models. Earlier this year, Eaglemoss released the first of this line, the Enterprise F, and it looks fantastic. The image at the top of this article is an image of the model, in fact. We want to show you how fantastic in a little more detail, so tonight at 4pm PT, we’ll be doing a special unboxing video on Ten Forward Weekly to show off these ships, and give you a chance to win them! You can watch the show on our Twitch Channel, or on the Star Trek Online Facebook page. In addition, we’re teaming with Hero Collector to offer you 15% off every starship they’ve produced so far, including the Enterprise F. If you’ve been on the fence about starting a collection, or

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

One of the most exciting moments of STLV this year, for us, was getting to watch Lead Ship and UI Artist Thomas Marrone join the Eaglemoss panel to announce that Hero Collector would be doing a full line of Star Trek Online ship models. Earlier this year, Eaglemoss released the first of this line, the Enterprise F, and it looks fantastic. The image at the top of this article is an image of the model, in fact. We want to show you how fantastic in a little more detail, so tonight at 4pm PT, we’ll be doing a special unboxing video on Ten Forward Weekly to show off these ships, and give you a chance to win them! You can watch the show on our Twitch Channel, or on the Star Trek Online Facebook page. In addition, we’re teaming with Hero Collector to offer you 15% off every starship they’ve produced so far, including the Enterprise F. If you’ve been on the fence about starting a collection, or

Quote from Wing Commander News-Bot

You're just saying what we're all thinking, red HOOK UP stamp.

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

Captains, welcome to Awakening. This update is particularly special for me – since my tenure on Star Trek Online began, we’ve been working on bringing you the Age of Discovery expansion, to make sure we had a complete and polished experience for Captains in the 2256 Discovery-era of Star Trek. Now, we’re returning to 2410, bringing your Captains back to the story STO has been telling for almost ten years. It’s exciting to advance and blend the narrative established in Age of Discovery into our timeline. And what a playground it’s going to be. Awakening brings with it a brand new story, starring Anthony Rapp as Commander Paul Stamets, brought to life as a hologram and thrust into the future of 2410. With Stamets at your side, you’ll journey into the Mycelial Network, stopping the threat posed by J’ula and her House Mo’kai raiders. But that’s not all – this update also brings

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

Captains, welcome to Awakening. This update is particularly special for me – since my tenure on Star Trek Online began, we’ve been working on bringing you the Age of Discovery expansion, to make sure we had a complete and polished experience for Captains in the 2256 Discovery-era of Star Trek. Now, we’re returning to 2410, bringing your Captains back to the story STO has been telling for almost ten years. It’s exciting to advance and blend the narrative established in Age of Discovery into our timeline. And what a playground it’s going to be. Awakening brings with it a brand new story, starring Anthony Rapp as Commander Paul Stamets, brought to life as a hologram and thrust into the future of 2410. With Stamets at your side, you’ll journey into the Mycelial Network, stopping the threat posed by J’ula and her House Mo’kai raiders. But that’s not all – this update also brings

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

Rule of Acquisition # 74: Knowledge equals profit. Any wise Captain knows that when a sale this good comes your way, it’s best to take advantage of it. We’re pleased to announce that Ferengi Merchants are putting a 15% sale on Keys from September 10th at 8am PT to September 17th at 10am PT. Now is the best time for Captains to load up on your Keys and grab those ships you’ve been eyeing. Remember Captains, Rule of Acquisition # 22: A wise man can hear profit in the wind. Now is the time to act. For a limited time only starting today, players will be able to purchase the Key Ring Bundle! This special pack includes 20x Master Keys (used to open any Lock Box) for the price of 2250 Zen. As an additional special promotional offer when purchasing this bundle, every pack also includes a single Ultimate Tech Upgrade. Applying this item to any upgradeable piece of equipment will instantly set both

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

Rule of Acquisition # 74: Knowledge equals profit. Any wise Captain knows that when a sale this good comes your way, it’s best to take advantage of it. We’re pleased to announce that Ferengi Merchants are putting a 15% sale on Keys from September 10th at 8am PT to September 17th at 10am PT. Now is the best time for Captains to load up on your Keys and grab those ships you’ve been eyeing. Remember Captains, Rule of Acquisition # 22: A wise man can hear profit in the wind. Now is the time to act. For a limited time only starting today, players will be able to purchase the Key Ring Bundle! This special pack includes 20x Master Keys (used to open any Lock Box) for the price of 2250 Zen. As an additional special promotional offer when purchasing this bundle, every pack also includes a single Ultimate Tech Upgrade. Applying this item to any upgradeable piece of equipment will instantly set both

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

PC PATCH NOTES New Episode added to J’Ula’s Discovery Arc - “Beneath the Skin”: Venture into the Mycelial Network and discover the power source of Ju’la’, the fierce and uncompromising Klingon warrior, and put a stop to her. For more information, please visit the “Awakening: Beneath the Skin” blog at: Awakening: Beneath the Skin | Star Trek Online New Task Force Operation – “Mycelial Realm”: Mycelial Realm is an all new Task Force Operation, where five captains will step through a rift and into the Mycelial Network, and shut down the Klingon probes that are gathering spores for J’Ula’s weapon. Mycelial Realm will be available to all Captains of level 10 and above that have completed the tutorial. For more information, please visit the “The Mycelial Realm Opens to You” blog at: The Mycelial Realm Opens to You | Star Trek Online New Event System: Accessing

Quote from Star Trek Online News-Bot

PC PATCH NOTES New Episode added to J’Ula’s Discovery Arc - “Beneath the Skin”: Venture into the Mycelial Network and discover the power source of Ju’la’, the fierce and uncompromising Klingon warrior, and put a stop to her. For more information, please visit the “Awakening: Beneath the Skin” blog at: Awakening: Beneath the Skin | Star Trek Online New Task Force Operation – “Mycelial Realm”: Mycelial Realm is an all new Task Force Operation, where five captains will step through a rift and into the Mycelial Network, and shut down the Klingon probes that are gathering spores for J’Ula’s weapon. Mycelial Realm will be available to all Captains of level 10 and above that have completed the tutorial. For more information, please visit the “The Mycelial Realm Opens to You” blog at: The Mycelial Realm Opens to You | Star Trek Online New Event System: Accessing