Is WC Kilrathi Saga still desirable?

[Bandit LOAF]

Indeed! It has been interesting to see how the rarity has changed; now that there's no demand for 'modern Windows' versions of the game, it's a reasonable purchase again (I took the opportunity to pick up the second run 'silver CD' version recently... now on the lookout for the Asia Pacific edition with the spiral bound manual!)

End Run was the same way; before the advent of Amazon and other companies mapping out every stash of used books in the world it was an expensive find... now they're readily available.

 

[Whistler]

I have to say, that I love the classic feels of DOS WC1 & 2, but I feel as though the KS version of WC3 is the definitive edition.

Full stick support (so I can use whatever I want). That means remappings, twist axis and throttle support, whatever you got kernal compatible. Helps tonnes at higher difficulties. A full digital music package in spaceflight and aboard ship. One little detail I adore; if you go in the pilot lounge you hear the same music that is playing in the FMVs. Let's just say I love the saxaphone. Used to rock an Alto one with a jazz band.

Still wish they had some sense to put the Hobbes scene back in.

All-in-all it's my favorite version. Still, the midi support by the original is nice with a proper soundfont. The theme in the pilot lounge really wears thin by the time I get to Torgo however.

 

[Bandit LOAF]

The Kilrathi Saga version of Wing Commander III was released as a standalone product... in Japan! So if you can only buy one copy of each game for some reason, you can still theoretically have both DOS WC1 and 2 and Windows WC3.

 

[Stinger]

If you're trying out KS WC1, I recommend using my wcdx patch. KS was written when Windows 95 was still new, and newer operating systems don't usually handle it very well. I also did some work patching KS WC2, but that turned out to be a much larger project; I hope to get back to it some day, but I'll need to set aside a solid chunk of time to make that happen.

 

[iCe]

Although i have the original games, I've bought WC3 and 4 via Origin since they were cheap and it's less of a hassle to have them working under Windows 10.
They were €5 or so (perhaps more, but not expensive). Payed for the easy way out haha.
If a full pack comes out for a reasonable price, i might buy it too. Same with older Star Wars games via Steam: bought them as well (cheap) so they run easily under Windows 10.

 

[-danr-]

Although i have the original games, I've bought WC3 and 4 via Origin since they were cheap and it's less of a hassle to have them working under Windows 10.

WC3 was actually given away free via the Origin 'on the house' offer a year or two ago. An absolute steal for the amount you can get out of that game.

If you're trying out KS WC1, I recommend using my wcdx patch. KS was written when Windows 95 was still new, and newer operating systems don't usually handle it very well. I also did some work patching KS WC2, but that turned out to be a much larger project; I hope to get back to it some day, but I'll need to set aside a solid chunk of time to make that happen.

You undersell yourself, doesn't your patch also fix the music loop bug and missing red planet issue? It's a really useful tool for anybody with KS.

For me, Saga + WCDX make for the 'definitive' Wing Commander 1 and 2 experience.

 

[-danr-]

Indeed! It has been interesting to see how the rarity has changed; now that there's no demand for 'modern Windows' versions of the game, it's a reasonable purchase again (I took the opportunity to pick up the second run 'silver CD' version recently... now on the lookout for the Asia Pacific edition with the spiral bound manual!)

End Run was the same way; before the advent of Amazon and other companies mapping out every stash of used books in the world it was an expensive find... now they're readily available.

Yes, best price I can see on eBay UK is an auction with a starting bid of £30 (36 USD) - no bids and only 24 hours to go.

There're still a few jokers on there trying to get £200/$240 for Saga.

On a personal level, I find the way people overprice second hand merchandise on eBay to be one of the human species' ugliest traits. Just me though.

 

[Whistler]

You undersell yourself, doesn't your patch also fix the music loop bug and missing red planet issue? It's a really useful tool for anybody with KS.

For me, Saga + WCDX make for the 'definitive' Wing Commander 1 and 2 experience.

WCDX is exactly what I'm waiting for before my next KS playthrough. To see the KS redux as it was meant to look.

 

[Quarto]

Indeed! It has been interesting to see how the rarity has changed; now that there's no demand for 'modern Windows' versions of the game, it's a reasonable purchase again (I took the opportunity to pick up the second run 'silver CD' version recently... now on the lookout for the Asia Pacific edition with the spiral bound manual!)

I actually have a spare copy of the Asia Pacific edition, which I bought purely on a whim more than a decade ago - saw it in a used games store, paid AU$25 for it, just for the pleasure of telling the sales guy that he could have gotten $500 for it on eBay.

I've never really had any intention to do anything with this second copy. It just kinda sits there. I'd be happy to send it to you. There's only one catch - ironically, while I'm currently back in Australia where I bought it originally, the game is back in Poland with the rest of my stuff. Needless to say, by the time I'm back in Poland next year, I won't even remember this thread existed. If you use some sort of digital calendar, can you add a reminder to yourself for around April 20 next year? If at that point you still need the game, contact me, and hopefully I'll be able to dig it up for you.

 

[Stinger]

WCDX is exactly what I'm waiting for before my next KS playthrough.

Ah, crap; guess I should get on that, then...

 

[Pedro]

The Kilrathi Saga version of Wing Commander III was released as a standalone product... in Japan! So if you can only buy one copy of each game for some reason, you can still theoretically have both DOS WC1 and 2 and Windows WC3.

I had no idea. I have this DOS version but haven't seen a windows version. Does the box have different artwork?

Edit: NM, found it

 

[Bandit LOAF]

Quarto - that would be fantastic! I'll remind you in April. Thank you!

Pedro - that's the one! Used to show up regularly on Yahoo Japan Auctions but I haven't seen it recently. (If you have any tips for tracking down the Japanese versions of old games I'd love to hear them. Looking for at least one more copy of Armada here...)

 

[Pedro]

Quarto - that would be fantastic! I'll remind you in April. Thank you!

Pedro - that's the one! Used to show up regularly on Yahoo Japan Auctions but I haven't seen it recently. (If you have any tips for tracking down the Japanese versions of old games I'd love to hear them. Looking for at least one more copy of Armada here...)

Classic games aren't really my thing expect for Wing Commander - the only other options with online search available I know of are
www.superpotato.com
and
http://www.bookoffonline.co.jp/

Still with the huge Kyoto indie presence there's more than a few people into retro gaming, I'll ask around.
There are also lots of stores dedicated to classic games which surprisingly don't have an online presence (some do but only list buy back prices rather than current stock). I'd be happy to make a trip to Tokyo to explore sometime.

I just had beep:
http://metropolisjapan.com/beep-akihabara

pointed out to me, might be an interesting starting point for classic PC titles.

 

[-danr-]

I had no idea. I have this DOS version but haven't seen a windows version. Does the box have different artwork?

Edit: NM, found it

Those Excaliburs are beautiful. Any idea what the silver text right underneath where it says 'Heart Of The Tiger' translates to?

EDIT: Actually, since there's numerals (III) to the right of the silver text, I can probably guess

 

[Pedro]

Those Excaliburs are beautiful. Any idea what the silver text right underneath where it says 'Heart Of The Tiger' translates to?

EDIT: Actually, since there's numerals (III) to the right of the silver text, I can probably guess

On the money, Wing Commander III. The rest of the Japanese test is pretty dull. Starring Mark Hamill. 3D shooting for Win 95. Windows 95 only, Japanese version. For details please look at the back side (of the box).

That said I've not seen a Japanese release of Wing Commander IV, and there were no Japanese voice overs on the Prophecy release - so Japanese Wing 3 is a little bit special.

 

[-danr-]

On the money, Wing Commander III. The rest of the Japanese test is pretty dull. Starring Mark Hamill. 3D shooting for Win 95. Windows 95 only, Japanese version. For details please look at the back side (of the box).

That said I've not seen a Japanese release of Wing Commander IV, and there were no Japanese voice overs on the Prophecy release - so Japanese Wing 3 is a little bit special.

Oh wow, I didn't realise there was a Japanese dubbed release of III - I had to go and check this out immediately!

The voice acting fits really well. Of course I don't speak a word of the language, but even in Japanese the Kilrathi sound rather menacing. Actually there's something special about the opening scene below. It's much better than listening to a French or German voiceover - because hearing the Cats speak a language that is totally unintelligable gives an illusion that the Emperor and Thrakhath are conversing in Kilrathi; this is kind of how the Terran prisoners would have heard the conversation - in a completely alien dialect. I'm not for a moment saying Japanese is alien, but my absolute lack of understanding makes it as good as hearing Kilrathi language, unlike a voiceover in a more familiar European tongue.

Weirdly, they even dubbed new screams from the prisoners as they're incinerated.

Off topic: I've always wanted to return to the Orient as I did as a 19 year old on a year out, I feel in Japan I'd be right out of my comfort zone. I went to Hong Kong and Singapore where a majority of people spoke English fluently. In Japan where there is no British colonial past unlike the aforementioned countries - I'd be totally unfamiliar with the language and customs and hence totally lost, and this appeals to me.

 

[-danr-]

As an aside to the above, if @capi3101 were to translate the opening conversation from WC3, it'd make an interesting project to dub over it in actual Kilrathi I'd be happy to do the voice part, just not the translating

 

[Bandit LOAF]

On the money, Wing Commander III. The rest of the Japanese test is pretty dull. Starring Mark Hamill. 3D shooting for Win 95. Windows 95 only, Japanese version. For details please look at the back side (of the box).

That said I've not seen a Japanese release of Wing Commander IV, and there were no Japanese voice overs on the Prophecy release - so Japanese Wing 3 is a little bit special.

Wing Commander III was Origin's second and final big push to try and sell the franchise in Japan... and it didn't really take. The Windows 95 version itself was a last attempt to recoup some of the investment in a very expensive localization (that was previously used for the DOS/V and Playstation ports.)

(The first push involved the original, with a localized version released for DOS/V, FM Towns and the Super Famicom. Now that I think about it, I've never seen a localized WC2 for DOS/V... just the FM Towns version which came out in 1995.)

 

[capi3101]

As an aside to the above, if @capi3101 were to translate the opening conversation from WC3, it'd make an interesting project to dub over it in actual Kilrathi I'd be happy to do the voice part, just not the translating

Challenge accepted...now to find my copy of the shooting script...

EDIT: Found it. Do you want just the dialogue, or do you also want the stage directions translated also?

 

[-danr-]

Challenge accepted...now to find my copy of the shooting script...

EDIT: Found it. Do you want just the dialogue, or do you also want the stage directions translated also?

The dialogue please I'll no doubt PM you with questions regarding pronunciation. I've done voice acting a few times now, most recently on a mod for X-Wing Alliance, but what will take the time here is making a Kilrathi 'snarling' voice effect, and of course remixing the audio from the entire scene.

It'll be fun though. Thanks.