15 Years of Wing Commander - What Was Your First Time Like?

UCFKevin said:
I was so hoping that another WC game would come out and Blair would be the main guy, but it seems like it's pretty much beyond that from occurring. But I would be sure to take a day off of work if it ever did happen.
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Well, in the meantime - if you haven't already - You really must play wc1 ,2 and their addons. If you can get over Blair not being Mark Hamil and realize that the oldschool graphics in no way diminish the gameplay (in fact I think its part of the charm) I think you'll find them as equally compelling.

I count wc2 as my personal favorite.
 
Honestly, I find older games very charming, I recently replayed Day of the Tentacle and Indy and the Fate of Atlantis and just being so damn happy to play those games.
 
My first time was about '94-'95 when My dad showed me a game with Luke Skywalker in it but it wasn't a Star Wars game. I played 3, 4 then prophecy without really paying attension to 1 and 2 (cause I was too young to relise that they were the great games that had Brilliant (then good) sequals. Back then I never really understood the game as I was too young but I wasn't too young to understand that the ships with the red box were the bad guys and Tolwyn was an arsehole (but I didn't know why then!!!). I did have a WC break and it was only recently did I get back into WC and bought all the msain story games for myself via e-bay as well as privateer 2 (I'll wait till I get a decent computer so I can play one of the privateer remakes instead of paying money for an older version when there is the free newer one!)
 
My 1st timw with WC

The first time I saw Wing Commander was a somewhat sad first time – it was the game I most wanted ever, but I have an 8MHz XT (8086) PC with a CGA graphics card.

It was about 1991, I was visiting my uncles with my parents, and my cousin, who is 2 years older then me, took me to his room to see the brand new VGA graphics card he had just installed on his PC.
My cousin and I always had a secret competition – who would manage to convince his folks to get his the better machine (I was 13 at the time).
He showed me an amazing game he was playing – a beautifully made space simulator named "Wing Commander". He showed me several missions and then loaded his latest game – he was stuck in a mission and couldn't pass the menacing sixshooters in the second nav point. The mission was Dakota 3, and my cousin, being the lousy pilot that he was (and still is, some 15 years later) just couldn't handle Bakhtosh Red-Claw and his Jalthi.
I sat with him for an hour, hypnotize by the game, only to find out, for my disappointment, that the game simply won't work on my current machine.

It took me almost a year to finally get my folks to get a new machine – PC AT 80286 20MHz, with VGA!
On the same day I called my cousin and DEMANDED the "Wing Commander". He said he through the lame game, but he had the second one, and I can have it, 'cuase it's just as lame as the first. (OH! Blasphemy!)
By the end of the week I had it, and so began my never ending romance with the Wing Commander Universe.
When I started the game for the first time there was this awesome opening, with actual voices! Then I got to the barracks room, with two doors. One sent me flying, and the second showed me the opening again, so I started to fly, never understanding why after each mission, the game would send me to see the opening again – It took me one and a half times through the game to realize that each mission was followed by a different story line animation.
Also, when I started playing for the first time, during the first few missions I noticed that I always got the same X-wing like, over-speeding Scimitar with no missiles, but then started to arrive the other ships – the Broadsword, the Rapier, Epee, and my dear Sabre.
Uhhh, these were the days…

The next year I bought Privateer, which was the first WC game I bought by my self, only to find out that my machine was way too slow to run it, and had to wait another year for my folks to upgrade our home-hardware.
But during that year I eventually got WC1, got to the Dakota system, sent Bakhtosh to eat vacuum, along with his friends that were stationed on the Kilrathi sector command post in Venice.

The next WC game I got was WC3. By then I had a strong enough machine, and could play it just fine. The game itself was nice, but the there where two major issues that bothered me – the plot was too dark for my taste (I wasn't familiar with the WC material outside the games, specifically not with the "Fleet action" novel) and the confed ship design. To this day, I prefer the WC1/2 and Privateer look, over that of any other WC game – and for that I with to thank the standoff team from the bottom of my heart, for making the style alive again.

Then came WC4, and then WCP, which were both better the WC3, but never manage to deliver that magical feeling that I got, flying an F-44 Rapier, escorting a destroyer on her attack, or seeing the Dorkir in the sights of my Raptor blow up, after shooting four full-gun salvos into his tail-pipe, bleeding my capacitor dry.

Of course, when the Kilrathi saga finally got to Israel, I HAD to buy it…

On 2002, when I finally had a more or less regular access to the internet, I stumbled across the CIC, and finally learned about the complete WC universe, with the books, the maps, the games, the articles, but most of all, the people, with which I could finally share my love of the game (I feel like I'm the only WC fan in Israel).

Just for a final note:
IMDb states that Chris Robert's dream was to write and create within the Star Wars universe, and created the WCU only after LucasArt had turned him down.
I don't know if it's true, but all I can say is:
Good for us!
Mr. Roberts, your Wing Commander takes on Star wars and wins EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK!
That in my book anyway.


(If he could only make the WCM Tiger Claw more like the WC1 Tigers Claw, all the rest I can stomach)
;)
 
My First time was in 1994 when I got Wing Commander for my Amiga 600 for Chirstmas, man I played that game forever :D
 
Hmm, my introduction to Wing Commander was back in 1992/93. I was 11 or 12. I had an Amiga A1200, at the time the most powerful and game friendly Amiga there was. I'd only had it about a year or two, and knowing my interest in space games, my dad bought me the 'Space Legends' complilation.

Little did he know what he started. The complilation contained 3 games. Megatraveller. Elite. And Wing Commander. The compilation box came with a thick manual, containing detailed instructions on the Megatraveller RPG universe, how to play Elite, and of course Claw Marks. WC was the first thing that caught my eye, so off it went into the floppy drive.. and from the moment the animated orchestra piped up, I was hooked.

Over the next few years I must've gone through about 4 or 5 joysticks. Not all because of WC of course, but it definitely made them wear out quicker. I played WC more than any other game on my Amiga, and I had a few favourites. Sensible Soccer, B17 Flying Fortress, Beneath a Steel Sky.. but WC I played the most. It got to the point where the only 2 missions which seriously bothered me, was the escort the 2 Draymans mission in Dakota, and the save the Ralari in Kurasawa. Still, more often than not, I managed to breeze through the first one.

Of course, during this time I became aware of WC2 being out, and PC only, and then WC3. I was annoyed a little bit but I was content with my copy of WC1.

Fast forward to 1997. I've just gotten my first PC. A good ol Pentium 166 MMX with 32Mb RAM. I popped down to my local Virgin Megastore to see what games are available for my new computer, and low and behold, what do I see on the bottom shelf: Wing Commander - Kilrathi Saga. I was hooked all over again. Went onto the still fairly unknown web, found the Origin site.. and discovered there were extra missions for KS! Armed with my new MS Sidewinder Standard, I went back into familiar territory and battled the Kilrathi once more. I was tempted to play WC3 first, but I wanted to do them in order. I'm glad I did.

I spent a good few months playing through KS.. damn those Secret Missions were hard, especially SM1 I think it was. Taking on Jalthi and capships in just a Hornet. In my Amiga days it would've been easy, but on my new PC I was rusty, and it was hard, but I got through it.

Completed WC1, loved WC2 just as much, and WC3.. look, it's Luke Skywalker! ;) But he quickly became Blair in my eyes, and until WC4 came out, KS was one of the most popular games on my machine.

WC4, though I liked the story, I never liked the game engine. I could only play it on Rookie, though I did replay it half a dozen times.

With WCP and SO though, the fun came back, and I enjoyed those almost as much as KS. It was around 2000 or so that I discovered the CIC, and lurked here ever since.

So there's my story. Along the way, I also got into Privateer, P2, Academy, the novels, online RPGs as well as other space sims too. But I haven't touched a Star Wars game since early last year, Freespace before Christmas and I last played Standoff yesterday. At the end of the day, I think that says it all :)
 
HammerHead said:
On 2002, when I finally had a more or less regular access to the internet, I stumbled across the CIC, and finally learned about the complete WC universe, with the books, the maps, the games, the articles, but most of all, the people, with which I could finally share my love of the game (I feel like I'm the only WC fan in Israel).
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Back in the 90s it seemed like there were quite few Israeli Wing Commander fans. Not too sure where they all are now, but lots of them did and do exist everywhere.
 
Scouser said:
Hmm, my introduction to Wing Commander was back in 1992/93. I was 11 or 12. I had an Amiga A1200, at the time the most powerful and game friendly Amiga there was. I'd only had it about a year or two, and knowing my interest in space games, my dad bought me the 'Space Legends' complilation.

Little did he know what he started. The complilation contained 3 games. Megatraveller. Elite. And Wing Commander. The compilation box came with a thick manual, containing detailed instructions on the Megatraveller RPG universe, how to play Elite, and of course Claw Marks. WC was the first thing that caught my eye, so off it went into the floppy drive.. and from the moment the animated orchestra piped up, I was hooked.
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That's what I got Wing Commander in aswell, great package

Continuing my WC Story.

In 97/98 I got both WC III and IV for the Playstation (I still play them on my PS2), then in 99 when I got my first PC I got Prophecy (great game). I also got WC I and II for the PC, I just need to sort out DOSBox so I can play them :D

And ofcourse I have the Movie on DVD
 
ChrisReid said:
Back in the 90s it seemed like there were quite few Israeli Wing Commander fans. Not too sure where they all are now, but lots of them did and do exist everywhere.
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If only I could find them...

Today, however, I'm feeling pretty alone, as a WC fan I mean.
In the forum, I have yet to see another Israeli, and I too have my times in which I'm preocupied with other staff and don't hang around for a time.

(but I must admitt that since Standoff ep.1 came out, it's getting harder to stay away for a long time ;) :D )
 
I forget exactly when, but I was young, My Dad picked up WC1 in a Bargin bin one day while I was at School. 2 or 3 3.5" Floppies as I recal. I installed it and played it. I remember the sounds outa the single PC speaker. Then when I got a Soundblaster card and it was like a whole new game. It was funny to, cause I didnt know anything about the Com System so I ended up Ejecting next to the Claw after each mission....:-P After that I was hooked. I just wish they;d make a new WC game, WC broke new ground in Space Combat Sims, its sad to see it die because EA didnt want Origin as compitition......Yes I have a distinct Dislike for EAs busness practices.
 
PattyMan2001 said:
I just wish they;d make a new WC game, WC broke new ground in Space Combat Sims, its sad to see it die because EA didnt want Origin as compitition......Yes I have a distinct Dislike for EAs busness practices.
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Although most fans echo the sentiment of wanting a new WC game, your lashing out is misplaced and displays a lack of knowledge of the truth. EA paid for every WC game from wc2 on. They weren't competition. Origin was working FOR EA.
 
After that I was hooked. I just wish they;d make a new WC game, WC broke new ground in Space Combat Sims, its sad to see it die because EA didnt want Origin as compitition......Yes I have a distinct Dislike for EAs busness practices.
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The internet lied to you -- EA didn't buy Origin and shut it down. They bought Origin and ran it for ten years. OSI was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1992 when EA bought it... EA is the reason every Wing Commander game from WC2 Deluxe on was made. The FMV titles, especially, would have been unimaginable without access to EA's vast coffers...
 
It was mid-1995, just gotten my first computer the Christmas before (a 486SX 25Mhz) to play titles like X-wing, Tie Fighter, Frontier Elite II...
One day, a friend called telling me that he just got a new space trade game like Frontier... it was Privateer.
Gameplay, graphics, music, story... everything was amazing!
Naturally I spent the next months in the Gemini Sector, fighting Retros and Kilrathi... And speaking of Kilrathi, the Wing Commander universe had a lot more furballs to shoot down, so I also bought Wing Commander I and Wing Commander II (Deluxe Editions).
I fell in deep love for the series...
But at that time I wasn't able to play my obsession: Wing Commander III. I remember the first time I saw a preview, I was shocked! The SVGA Realspace Engine, The FMV... and (sigh) the 486DX 50Mhz minimum requirements.
Finally at Christmas '96 I managed to destroy Kilrah with the help of my new Pentium 120 Mhz!
Just a few weeks, and it was the turn of Wing Commander IV.
Prophecy and its 3D accelerated graphics came next year, and looked beautiful thanks to my 3Dfx card!
Then nothing... Until last year. I casually stumbled across the CIC, and "re-discovered" Wing Commander!
Not only I played again the games, but I also learned about the novels, Secret Ops (I missed that!), Super Wing Commander and the fan made Unknown Enemy and Standoff... Along with lot and lot of info about the Wing Commander Universe!
THANKS!!!
 
My first time...going to the college computer system and spending thirty minutes swapping out disks to load the Wing Commander 1 and get in ONE game before needing to run because the computer guard had to kick me off after an hour.

Technically we weren't supposed to play games on them, but he was so entranced by it that he just watched until the one hour limit came and he had to kick me off. He wasn't very happy about kicking me off though...:-)

After that...WC 1 and Secret Missions on SNES...missed WC 2 totally, but played WC3 on computer and playstation. WC 4 on playstation, and Prophecy on computer.

Have never been able to get the extra missions on Prophecy Gold, even though I purchased Gold over ebay. The bloody seller shipped Gold without the extra disk.

:mad:
 
It was a long time ago... I can't remember exactly when, but one of my friends asked me to come over. He said he had a game to give to me. I went over and he handed me a SNES cartridge. He said "It's too hard, I don't like it." I looked at the game it said 'Wing Commander'. I had never heard of it so I said ok and I took it home. After spending an hour figuring out how to play (there was no manual only the game cartridge), I lost one year of my life mixed with exploding Dralthis and trying to shoot down some guy named Bakhtosh Redclaw I think it was.

Then came the most important discovery of my life: BABABYLARA
Change the option Invincible to YES and I was finally able to beat the game and not lose the war!

Finally my mom got so pissed that I was playing SNES instead of doing homework she took it and gave it away. I was crushed. I didn't even know there were other Wing Commander Games, or even that there was WC on the computer (We didn't have a computer) until I saw WC IV at a yard sale. Fondly remembering long afternoons playing WC, I bought it (And stole the Official Origin Stategy Guide for it as well. I didn't have the extra five bucks to buy it. I brought it home and installed it on my computer. Low and behold it didn't work. My computer was too new to play it apparently. I sulked for a while then forgot about it, figuring I would never be able to play WC ever again. Then I discovered this website a month ago now all my hopes are alive again.

Thanks for making the best website in the Universe.
 
Man its been over 15 years since the release of the first Wing Commander, where did the time go?

I got the first Wing Commander for my Amiga 500 (around 1990), spent quite a few hours playing that one until I had every mission beat. Ended up getting WC2 not long afterwards. Then getting WC3 (PC version) around 1994, even though I still only had my Amiga. But once I built my PC, I had WC3 and 4 ready to load on to it.

And I also remember setting up downloads for the Special Ops for WC:Prophecy when that was being released on a weekly basis. And eventually getting Prophecy Gold which had all those missions.

But I eventually played all the games from the WC universe with only one exception, I never did get or find the first Privateer game.

And I even still have one old computer around thats 300Mhz 128meg RAM with a 3dFX card just for playing WC3, WC4 (DVD Version) and WC: Prophecy.

Dang now I got an urge to play those games now.
 
I grew up in a Mac-centric household. I did not have a PC in my house unitl after the release of WC3. However, the Gateway 2000 my father bought came with one of the best game packs ever. I got Priv and Strike Commander on one cd and Armada. I got WC3 a short time later.

I actually was attracted to WC by WC3's box art showing the person I knew only has luke skywalker with a giant tiger and a cool looking ship flying between them. It's interesting when you think back to the actually image that sold us on our love for WC.
 
My first Wing Commander was Wing Commander III. I used to buy Ultima games over the years, and I saw Wing Commander in the little advertisements that came with Ultima games, but I said to myself -- nah. I was happy with X-wing and TIE Fighter games. Then in 1994, I was watching one of those entertainment shows (Extra or Entertainment tonight, or something like that) and I saw Mark Hamill in Wing Commander III! I thought it was cool to see him as a fighter pilot again.

So I stuck in a few more megs of RAM in my machine, and bought Wing Commander III. I enjoyed it immensely. So much so that I later picked up Wing Commander IV and Wing Commander Prophecy. Wing Commander to this day remains one of my absolute favorite game series.
 
Wouldn't say best in the universe, best in this world though, and quite a lot of other worlds too!:D It easily beats any other game I know about.
 
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