BREAKING NEWS: Arena Manual Sighted! (June 25, 2007)
- Thread starter Bandit LOAF
- Start date
ChrisReid
Super Soaker Collector / Administrator
It really is. So many of the references are really complex too. The Kraven laser bit seems simple enough at first - Kraven Mk IV's appear in Privateer 2. But they're also introduced by Bill Maddox in Privateer 2, and notice it's John Maddox advertising them in Star Soldier!
Definitely. And there's still more than fifty pages we haven't even seen yet!
Quicksilver6
Rear Admiral
I just love the fact that even the MANUAL is brimming with the touch of people that give a damn about the WC universe. And other people are still wondering why we're so excited about a new WC game...
Can't wait to try the actual game!
Can't wait to try the actual game!
SpaceDrake
Rear Admiral
I can't believe that nobody's mentioned that Catscratch has apparently become a Major General. And, depending on the tone, may or may not be that impressed with a certain book. 
Nomad Terror
Rear Admiral
This is absolutely awesome.
Mekt-Hakkikt
Mpanty's bane
Sweet. So sweet. Fantastic, incredibley fantastic. From what I've seen, that may be the best manual since Claw Marks and the Academy manual.
Really, I don't know what to write. Awesome, just awesome. So many new things to discuss, so many things cleared.
Personally, I laughed most at the Casey reference as well. But the nod to Rosie's death was very nice as well.
So much is great! The Kilrathi ads form Qarg and Sikhkag, Dioscurians - and Murragh still seems to live! I'd devote my life to reconstruct Kilrah.
The Mantu destroying a Confederation ship?
But one thing bugged me: I thought Burrows didn't get his Steltek gun back, did he, in RF?
Is it possible to show the writer of this manual the amount of appreciation I feel?
Really, I don't know what to write. Awesome, just awesome. So many new things to discuss, so many things cleared.
Personally, I laughed most at the Casey reference as well. But the nod to Rosie's death was very nice as well.
So much is great! The Kilrathi ads form Qarg and Sikhkag, Dioscurians - and Murragh still seems to live! I'd devote my life to reconstruct Kilrah.
The Mantu destroying a Confederation ship?
But one thing bugged me: I thought Burrows didn't get his Steltek gun back, did he, in RF?
Is it possible to show the writer of this manual the amount of appreciation I feel?
Mekt-Hakkikt
Mpanty's bane
Great.
I don't know a single reason why I should deserve a printed manual since I have done next to nothing for the community - but I really would like one.
If it's downloadable, I'll print it out in the finest quality I can get, that's for sure. It's just so exciting. The manual alone is worth the 800 MSP!
Too bad it'll probably won't be next week either. But it's such a good anticipation. It's really like christmas when you're young and about to unwrap your present.
Can't see anything like that but neithr my display nor my eyes are very good. Oh man, it's almost too much references. (No!)
Bandit LOAF
Long Live the Confederation!
Pretty darned impressive - I wish I'd stayed up last night for this stuff.
I would thank Sean Penney - he's the guy in charge who's made absolutely sure material for fans of the classic games is added to Arena, as statistically insignificant as we are.
Here's some of the references I've caught so far (at 6 AM here). It looks like there's a lot more, though - point out what you find!
* The 'Kilrathi money' symbol is from the Wing Commander movie's Kilrathi font.
* The 'credits to Kilrathi' exchange rate is constant between the Maniac advertisement and the magazine cover (160 catunits per credit).
* The title of Maniac's book comes from Origin's Official Guide to Wing Commander Prophecy (Maniac's bio says he was working on it).
* Troy Carter is "Catscratch" from Wing Commander IV.
* Armstrong and LaFong are 'alternate' names for Blair, from Super Wing Commander and the Ultimate Wing Commander I & II Strategy Guide respectively.
* Doctor Torg is the college professor who harassed Bear and company in Fleet Action.
* The University of Central Florida is where WC novelist Peter Telep teaches. He referenced it in Pilgrim Stars.
* 'From his humble beginnings as' in the Maniac bio is from the documentary about Biff in the alternate 1985 in Back to the Future 2 (my non-WingNut brother caught this one immediately, but none of the others).
* James Taggart (on the cover) is Paladin, who apparently went from Senator to President at some point after WCP.
* The cover of the book is the 'To My #1 Fan' picture that Casey had in Wing Commander Prophecy.
* "Hard Copy and E-File" as options is the same as the original Claw Marks.
* Enterprise Press is the company that published Colonel Hart's memoirs in the Wing Commander III Authorized Combat Guide.
* Maniac's career: Tiger's Claw and the Vega Campaign are from WC1, the raid on Kilrah(thi) is from WC3, Rosie is from the movie and the Wild Eagles are from Special Operations 2.
* The 'V' in "Arrow V" is from the Kilrathi Saga manual.
* Mario Brito is our own HCl, in a well deserved tribute.
* Douglas Aerospace is from WC3 (which comes from Chris Douglas, the original designer of the Arrow).
* The Arrow cockpit and rear view are from Wing Commander Armada.
* Grayson Burrows' name becomes canon! His alias, Aaron Burton, was from an early Privateer design plan.
* 2670 model Centurion is his ship from Privateer. The green cannon is (presumably) the Steltek Gun.
* The Confederation flag is from the Wing Commander movie.
* The picture of Burrows himself is an earlier version of the character where he was designed as older - very appropriate for thirty years later.
* There are a lot of fans mentioned in the classified e-mails - Filho, Ninja, CReid, jbiermann, rburns, mmahadeen, lemmings. Also, Michael Gallagher in the Maniac ad.
* The e-mail addresses are in the style of those from Victory Streak.
And then every single classified ad is something different from the classic games... I'll have to come up with a second list.
I would thank Sean Penney - he's the guy in charge who's made absolutely sure material for fans of the classic games is added to Arena, as statistically insignificant as we are.
Here's some of the references I've caught so far (at 6 AM here). It looks like there's a lot more, though - point out what you find!
* The 'Kilrathi money' symbol is from the Wing Commander movie's Kilrathi font.
* The 'credits to Kilrathi' exchange rate is constant between the Maniac advertisement and the magazine cover (160 catunits per credit).
* The title of Maniac's book comes from Origin's Official Guide to Wing Commander Prophecy (Maniac's bio says he was working on it).
* Troy Carter is "Catscratch" from Wing Commander IV.
* Armstrong and LaFong are 'alternate' names for Blair, from Super Wing Commander and the Ultimate Wing Commander I & II Strategy Guide respectively.
* Doctor Torg is the college professor who harassed Bear and company in Fleet Action.
* The University of Central Florida is where WC novelist Peter Telep teaches. He referenced it in Pilgrim Stars.
* 'From his humble beginnings as' in the Maniac bio is from the documentary about Biff in the alternate 1985 in Back to the Future 2 (my non-WingNut brother caught this one immediately, but none of the others).
* James Taggart (on the cover) is Paladin, who apparently went from Senator to President at some point after WCP.
* The cover of the book is the 'To My #1 Fan' picture that Casey had in Wing Commander Prophecy.
* "Hard Copy and E-File" as options is the same as the original Claw Marks.
* Enterprise Press is the company that published Colonel Hart's memoirs in the Wing Commander III Authorized Combat Guide.
* Maniac's career: Tiger's Claw and the Vega Campaign are from WC1, the raid on Kilrah(thi) is from WC3, Rosie is from the movie and the Wild Eagles are from Special Operations 2.
* The 'V' in "Arrow V" is from the Kilrathi Saga manual.
* Mario Brito is our own HCl, in a well deserved tribute.
* Douglas Aerospace is from WC3 (which comes from Chris Douglas, the original designer of the Arrow).
* The Arrow cockpit and rear view are from Wing Commander Armada.
* Grayson Burrows' name becomes canon! His alias, Aaron Burton, was from an early Privateer design plan.
* 2670 model Centurion is his ship from Privateer. The green cannon is (presumably) the Steltek Gun.
* The Confederation flag is from the Wing Commander movie.
* The picture of Burrows himself is an earlier version of the character where he was designed as older - very appropriate for thirty years later.
* There are a lot of fans mentioned in the classified e-mails - Filho, Ninja, CReid, jbiermann, rburns, mmahadeen, lemmings. Also, Michael Gallagher in the Maniac ad.
* The e-mail addresses are in the style of those from Victory Streak.
And then every single classified ad is something different from the classic games... I'll have to come up with a second list.
Mekt-Hakkikt
Mpanty's bane
OK - what is the best way to do that, so that he doesn't feel harrassed, any experience? Thanks.
Bandit LOAF
Long Live the Confederation!
He may be reading this... right now! He stops by #WingNut occasionally... other than that, I'm not sure - maybe post to the EA board.
Mekt-Hakkikt
Mpanty's bane
OK then:
Mr. Penney, if you're reading this, I just want to express how much I appreciate the love for details that apparently went into the production of WC Arena and especially the manual. Thank you very very much.
I'll post at the EA Forum later on.
Things I notice, that LOAF hasn't already mentioned:
The cover speaks of the Antares quadrant, where Firekka is and thus where SM2 is set. In Sm2 it wsa a sector but as of the WCU-Map, it became a quadrant in the Epsilon sector.
The Arrow is evalued in a magazine from 2654 thus confirming that it was already around at that time. Even though we almost certainly knew that from Academy TV.
Military Governor Masterson might be a reference to Masterson from Oxford in Priv.
Pleasure borgs are mentioned in Priv 2
Hopper drives came before the jump drive and apparently are still in use.
Yan-tails: The Yan were fought by the Terrans in the 2300s (quite unsure about the date), their first interstellar war, I think. They're mentioned in a novel. rather unsure about this point.
"L.Monkhouse" is the Steltek expert in Priv.
"Murragh.cakh Nokhtak" is the Kilrathi prince from FC.
Firekka left the Confederation because it agreed to the false armistice in 2668.
T'kirsa is a system next to Firekka, belonging to Firekkan Planetary alliance.
I believe the Sihkag and Qarg are reported to have a long tradition of feuds in End Run.
Camelot industries - I know read about them, but I don't know where.
David Terell looks for bomber pilots to get the TCS Gargantuan out of the way: Terell is also the name of the Admiral in Germini during Priv.
The TCS Tsiolkovysk appears in WC or in one of its add-ons. According to the encyclopedia in SM2, it's a science ship. And "vengean@aussie.hrai" reminds me of Kirha, who was sworn to Hunter "hrai aussie" but killed himself later.
The Mantu are an alien species the Kilrathi fought against, mentioned in novels and the WCP manual.
Sadly, I don't have any WC material with at the moment, I am at university, so that is all from memory.
Dundradal
Frog Blast the Vent Core!
Wow just spotted these new ones! They are great.
Besides HCl I also noticed a nod to Chris in there as well. Trying to get rid of some pups it looked like....
Truly a labor of love and I'm so damn glad they did it. If people didn't think Arena was a true WC game before this should change their minds.
Isn't this going to be the longest manual in WC history as well?
Besides HCl I also noticed a nod to Chris in there as well. Trying to get rid of some pups it looked like....
Truly a labor of love and I'm so damn glad they did it. If people didn't think Arena was a true WC game before this should change their minds.
Isn't this going to be the longest manual in WC history as well?
Dyret
Super Carrot!
Stealthy, egg-chomping space weirdos! I love Arena!
Dawnwalker
Spaceman
I was just looking at the Maniac book picture, and noticed that it says "... to his death defying final raid on Kilrathi itself...". Shouldn't that be Kilrah instead?
PopsiclePete
Mission programmer
Awesome, really ! And I am absolutely happy that HCl has been mentioned, it is well-deserved !
It's really nice to see the attention to the WC lore that has been put in all the little details of this doco.
It's really nice to see the attention to the WC lore that has been put in all the little details of this doco.
Bandit LOAF
Long Live the Confederation!
Here's some comments on the classifieds, in order:
* Ed is stirring up trouble on Circe, just like the Confederation in Wing Commander IV!
* The TCS Port Broughton was one of the eight additional Midway-class ships named by Captain Johnny in the Prophecy developer materials. This may or may not be a reference to that - it's also a real place, and could just be a coincidence. Avalon is a sector created for the WCU Map.
* This one is incredibly referential as well as very funny. 'Orange' refers to Freedom Flight's claim that coat is a signifier of breeding/social status among Kilrathi. Kil is the term for a single Kilrathi from False Colors, equivalent to 'man'. WingCat is the term for a Kilrathi wingman from Armada. Liar Mate is the term for a Kilrathi romantic partner from Wing Commander III. Bare-claw hunting is mentioned in the original Wing Commander. The Maxims of Xag are an ancient Kilrathi book of philosophy. The concept of a blood fued comes from Fleet Action. Sivar is the Kilrathi war god. No hairlesses is a joke about (and quantification of) the Wing Commander movie. Som'mers is a clan invented by the Kilrathi Saga manual, which was itself a reference to Wing Commander veteran Anthony Sommers. It wouldn't be a Wing Commander manual without mentioning him somewhere!
* Sivar is the Kilrathi War God introduced in The Secret Missions 2. The priestesses are the women in charge of the Kilrathi cult.
* The idea that leftover Nephilim ships are spreading disease is part of the story to Secret Ops. Masterson *could* be the librarian from Privateer, but that would seem strange.
* A Privateer 2 reference! Isaac System is one of the Tri-Systems and Titan Alloys and Pleasure Borgs are two of the games commodities. Hopper Drives are a precursor to jump drives which don't function around jump points - this all helps to explain exactly how the Tri-System relates to the rest of the Wing Commander universe geographically...
* Murphy is a common Wing Commander name: Lynn Murphy from Privateer, Murphy-class Destroyers from Secret Ops, Murphy Labs from Wing Commander IV... even fan-loved artist Sean Murphy who continues to visit us to this day. The Bistangio System's ruins are a reference to one of Wing Commander 3's newsbriefs.
* Ovizards are from an episode of Wing Commander Academy, and this one is apparently a nod to one of our own updates (as linked above).
* The collecting of Kilrathi ears refers to a scene in End Run where Marines offer to sell Bear cat ears. Apparently they've been collecting husks in the latest war. The Yan are a species briefly mentioned in Action Stations which the Confederation fought some time ago - this actually confirms for the first time that they're aliens rather than some splinter faction...
* Telamon, Black Lance, etc. all refers to Wing Commander IV.
* The Church of Man is the formal name of the 'Retro' religion from Privateer. The idea that anti-technologists have an e-mail network is amusing.
* This one is obscure (aside from its obvious point of giving the Border Worlds a leader) - Gov. Hodge was a character created for the Privateer TV series which was never made.
* This one is fantastic because it gives us designations for a bunch of fighters! Many of them seem to be nods to Standoff (yay) or the original series bible.
* McDanielists are the formal name for Pilgrims - this refers to the events of the unpublished novel Pilgrim Truth in which Ivar Chu McDaniel comes back to remove all remaining Pilgrims from the galaxy.
* Dr. Monkhouse is the scientist who discovered the Steltek map in the original Privateer.
* This one is a joke about Steven Petraca, the actor who played Casey (and then refused to come back for Secret Ops). Ascendant is Chris Roberts' production company and Digital Holovid is the company that made the movie about Blair's treason.
* Reference to the Landreich (from various novels), confirming that they're still alive and kicking in the 28th century.
* Murragh is the Kilrathi prince from False Colors, reconstructing Kilrah was one of the goals of (one of) the cancelled Privateer 3 storyline.
* Firekka left the Confederation in Fleet Action and is marked as a separate nation on the WCU Mapp... T'kirsa is the only Firekkan colony shown on that same map.
* The Kraven Mk. IV is a brand new laser weapon in Privateer 2 (roughly 90 years after this), which is sold by Bill Maddox. This is an earlier model apparently being advertised by an anscestor.
* Perry System from Privateer, bugs from Prophecy - generally a reference to a classic Privateer mission scenario.
* The conflict between the Sihkag and the Qarg is introduced in Fleet Action. This also plays into the idea that the Kilrathi are going through a major civil war in the period after Prophecy (per the WCIV novel).
* Confirms the fan-favored F-107 designation for the Lance (Dragon) fighter! 2673 was when WCIV took place, and "2673-model" probably refers to a WCIVPSX ad that used that same wording. 212 squadron was the designation given to Seether's men in the WCIV novel.
* The references in this one are pretty obvious - Vindicator, Border Worlds, etc. WCIV stuff.
* Ha-hah, the Sihkag will pay more than the Qarg will.
* Hari Sector references Fleet Action - it's the 'far side' of the former Kilrathi Empire. Vukar Tag is the planet the Confederation invades in End Run.
* Camelot Industries is the company that was testing the Excalibur in the WC3 novel. The idea that there's a 'Nephilim Infected Zone' of known space is really interesting.
* Another Behemoth?! The WCP Official Guide suggested this at one point, and now it's confirmed (or... it *did* exist, now it's blown up). A tantalizing hint at what the Nephilim War may have inolved. David Terrell is the Admiral from the end of Privateer.
* The Mantu, fan-favorite mysterious aliens from Fleet Action and the ICIS Manual. The TCS Tsiolkovsky was a ship first mentioned in Secret Missions 2 which is then reported as missing in WC2. Vengeance may refer to a Kilrathi pilot from the cartoon (who died therein) and the Aussie clan is the one created by Kirha to serve Hunter...
* A conspiracy theory explaining why Thrakhath *really* couldn't build Strakhas between WC1 and WC2. Hope was a new sector created for one of the Privateer Online concepts.
* I don't think this one is a reference to anything... although we can have our own dangerous space races in Arena itself.
* Ed is stirring up trouble on Circe, just like the Confederation in Wing Commander IV!
* The TCS Port Broughton was one of the eight additional Midway-class ships named by Captain Johnny in the Prophecy developer materials. This may or may not be a reference to that - it's also a real place, and could just be a coincidence. Avalon is a sector created for the WCU Map.
* This one is incredibly referential as well as very funny. 'Orange' refers to Freedom Flight's claim that coat is a signifier of breeding/social status among Kilrathi. Kil is the term for a single Kilrathi from False Colors, equivalent to 'man'. WingCat is the term for a Kilrathi wingman from Armada. Liar Mate is the term for a Kilrathi romantic partner from Wing Commander III. Bare-claw hunting is mentioned in the original Wing Commander. The Maxims of Xag are an ancient Kilrathi book of philosophy. The concept of a blood fued comes from Fleet Action. Sivar is the Kilrathi war god. No hairlesses is a joke about (and quantification of) the Wing Commander movie. Som'mers is a clan invented by the Kilrathi Saga manual, which was itself a reference to Wing Commander veteran Anthony Sommers. It wouldn't be a Wing Commander manual without mentioning him somewhere!
* Sivar is the Kilrathi War God introduced in The Secret Missions 2. The priestesses are the women in charge of the Kilrathi cult.
* The idea that leftover Nephilim ships are spreading disease is part of the story to Secret Ops. Masterson *could* be the librarian from Privateer, but that would seem strange.
* A Privateer 2 reference! Isaac System is one of the Tri-Systems and Titan Alloys and Pleasure Borgs are two of the games commodities. Hopper Drives are a precursor to jump drives which don't function around jump points - this all helps to explain exactly how the Tri-System relates to the rest of the Wing Commander universe geographically...
* Murphy is a common Wing Commander name: Lynn Murphy from Privateer, Murphy-class Destroyers from Secret Ops, Murphy Labs from Wing Commander IV... even fan-loved artist Sean Murphy who continues to visit us to this day. The Bistangio System's ruins are a reference to one of Wing Commander 3's newsbriefs.
* Ovizards are from an episode of Wing Commander Academy, and this one is apparently a nod to one of our own updates (as linked above).
* The collecting of Kilrathi ears refers to a scene in End Run where Marines offer to sell Bear cat ears. Apparently they've been collecting husks in the latest war. The Yan are a species briefly mentioned in Action Stations which the Confederation fought some time ago - this actually confirms for the first time that they're aliens rather than some splinter faction...
* Telamon, Black Lance, etc. all refers to Wing Commander IV.
* The Church of Man is the formal name of the 'Retro' religion from Privateer. The idea that anti-technologists have an e-mail network is amusing.
* This one is obscure (aside from its obvious point of giving the Border Worlds a leader) - Gov. Hodge was a character created for the Privateer TV series which was never made.
* This one is fantastic because it gives us designations for a bunch of fighters! Many of them seem to be nods to Standoff (yay) or the original series bible.
* McDanielists are the formal name for Pilgrims - this refers to the events of the unpublished novel Pilgrim Truth in which Ivar Chu McDaniel comes back to remove all remaining Pilgrims from the galaxy.
* Dr. Monkhouse is the scientist who discovered the Steltek map in the original Privateer.
* This one is a joke about Steven Petraca, the actor who played Casey (and then refused to come back for Secret Ops). Ascendant is Chris Roberts' production company and Digital Holovid is the company that made the movie about Blair's treason.
* Reference to the Landreich (from various novels), confirming that they're still alive and kicking in the 28th century.
* Murragh is the Kilrathi prince from False Colors, reconstructing Kilrah was one of the goals of (one of) the cancelled Privateer 3 storyline.
* Firekka left the Confederation in Fleet Action and is marked as a separate nation on the WCU Mapp... T'kirsa is the only Firekkan colony shown on that same map.
* The Kraven Mk. IV is a brand new laser weapon in Privateer 2 (roughly 90 years after this), which is sold by Bill Maddox. This is an earlier model apparently being advertised by an anscestor.
* Perry System from Privateer, bugs from Prophecy - generally a reference to a classic Privateer mission scenario.
* The conflict between the Sihkag and the Qarg is introduced in Fleet Action. This also plays into the idea that the Kilrathi are going through a major civil war in the period after Prophecy (per the WCIV novel).
* Confirms the fan-favored F-107 designation for the Lance (Dragon) fighter! 2673 was when WCIV took place, and "2673-model" probably refers to a WCIVPSX ad that used that same wording. 212 squadron was the designation given to Seether's men in the WCIV novel.
* The references in this one are pretty obvious - Vindicator, Border Worlds, etc. WCIV stuff.
* Ha-hah, the Sihkag will pay more than the Qarg will.
* Hari Sector references Fleet Action - it's the 'far side' of the former Kilrathi Empire. Vukar Tag is the planet the Confederation invades in End Run.
* Camelot Industries is the company that was testing the Excalibur in the WC3 novel. The idea that there's a 'Nephilim Infected Zone' of known space is really interesting.
* Another Behemoth?! The WCP Official Guide suggested this at one point, and now it's confirmed (or... it *did* exist, now it's blown up). A tantalizing hint at what the Nephilim War may have inolved. David Terrell is the Admiral from the end of Privateer.
* The Mantu, fan-favorite mysterious aliens from Fleet Action and the ICIS Manual. The TCS Tsiolkovsky was a ship first mentioned in Secret Missions 2 which is then reported as missing in WC2. Vengeance may refer to a Kilrathi pilot from the cartoon (who died therein) and the Aussie clan is the one created by Kirha to serve Hunter...
* A conspiracy theory explaining why Thrakhath *really* couldn't build Strakhas between WC1 and WC2.
Hope was a new sector created for one of the Privateer Online concepts.* I don't think this one is a reference to anything... although we can have our own dangerous space races in Arena itself.
Dundradal
Frog Blast the Vent Core!
Just wow. The detail in these pages are amazing! It's also nice because it's cleaning up a lot of things we have spent years talking about and now have firm information about most things (although at this rate it seems like this manual may nail almost everything down! Hoorah!).
Thanks for the breakdown too LOAF. I'm really impressed with this manual, the hard copies of this is going to be quite a collectors item for wingnuts and in full color!
Thanks for the breakdown too LOAF. I'm really impressed with this manual, the hard copies of this is going to be quite a collectors item for wingnuts and in full color!
GreyViper
Rear Admiral
Really great stuff made me grin like maniac for while when reading the adds. Im guessing that Arena will be made more valuable by the manual that comes along with it. Im especially glad WC fans have this, while poor Fallout fans are arguing over what is supposed to be cannon and if Beth is even worthy making FO3. :/
Im guessing that Arena will be made more valuable by the manual that comes along with it. Im especially glad WC fans have this, while poor Fallout fans are arguing over what is supposed to be cannon and if Beth is even worthy making FO3. :/I echo the sentiments that everyone else has expressed before me. This is great. I think stuff like this just further reinforces the fact that EA hasn't forgotten about us or Wing Commander. I have a lot of faith that future after Arena will be bright.
I'm unsure what medium this manual will come in. Is it electronic, or will there be some sort of hard copy?
When I eventually get a 360, I'm going to be all over Arena.
I'm unsure what medium this manual will come in. Is it electronic, or will there be some sort of hard copy?
When I eventually get a 360, I'm going to be all over Arena.