Before reading this thread, take a look at the thread called "Wing Commander Collectors Edition Box Set petition?"
I have written to EA before about re-releasing the series as a collection, but they did not reply. The following is similar to the first letter I wrote them, with the petition added to it.
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To the Development division of Origin,
This letter regards an Origin game series that established Origin as a leader in the interactive game industry: the Wing Commander series. The series has sold several hundred thousand copies and is one of the most critically acclaimed series of all time. The Wing Commander series has one of the largest and longest-lasting fan bases, with dozens of fan websites.
Unfortunately, the games are currently plagued with hardware incompatibility issues and software glitches, making the series nearly impossible to run on modern computers. The series is in need of repairs to hardware incompatibility issues, software updates, and support for current operating systems. The series’ programming code would be simple, easy, and affordable to fix compared to the complexity of Origin's most recent games.
Re-releasing the games together in a single "Collector's Edition" would be affordable and easy due to the increased capacity of the DVD format. The fan base is a large and viable market that will jump at the chance to buy such a re-release.
The following petition demonstrates the size of the potential consumer market, as well as how interested they are in a re-release.
The fan community and I are highly interested in the response Origin has to this idea, so let me know what Origin thinks of it.
Thank you for your attention,
[link to the petition host site will go here]
[name and e-mail address of the webmaster of the petition will go here]
Writer:
Joel Benedict
joeybuddy96@hotmail.com
-----------------
The Wing Commander Series Re-release Petition
To the development division of Origin [inc? ltd? co?]:
We, the undersigned, hereby petition Origin [inc, etc.] to meet the following requests:
**Re-release in the form of a single collection the following titles:
--[let me know the names for every title and expansion ever made relating to Wing Commander.]
**Re-release the above titles with an updated installation and setup interface intended for ease of use for the average computer user
**Include in said re-release DirectX support that will automatically detect sound and video cards, and offer support for peripherals, such as modern joysticks, gamepads, mice, and keyboards
**Adapt titles included in the re-release to be able to run under modern operating systems, such as Windows XP
**Repair any known or reported technical problems or glitches prior to re-release
**Re-release the above titles in the format of DVD-ROM or CD-ROM or both
**After re-release, offer technical support by telephone or e-mail
------------------
[Section 3]
The above requests have been formulated and agreed upon by the following signers:
[names of the signers would go here]
-------------
[An alternate way of sending this petition would be to have each individual signer e-mail EA the above petition. The following would replace what is within Section 3.]
The following electronic signature is one of many electronic signatures. The following signature represents that the signer below agrees with, and wholly supports the above petition and the requests contained therein.
[Name and e-mail address of the signer would go here. ]
--------------------------
The previous thread shows there are at least a few people willing to sign on. Petitions have worked many times before. Sledge Hammer!, a TV show from the 80's, was released onto DVD after 20 years of being off the air because of a petition. Samurai Jack is another example of when petitions have been successful.
In order to get a petition started, a clear plan of action needs to be in place with regard to the method it will be sent and put together, and who will be the webmaster in charge of organizing a possible website and the signatures received. One way to set up the petition would be to have a website where petition signers would enter their name and e-mail. After a set amount of time, or after a set amount of signatures have been reached, the petition would be sent off to the company. Or, the website would just hold a counter to show how many people have signed it.
A method that may bring more attention would be to have signers copy and paste the petition into an e-mail document and send it to EA. This would mean EA's mailbox would fill up with dozens of e-mails with "Wing Commander petition" as the subject line.
I would like to get some views of others before anything gets started though. Let me know if you would like to change anything in the petition, including grammatical errors.
I have written to EA before about re-releasing the series as a collection, but they did not reply. The following is similar to the first letter I wrote them, with the petition added to it.
-----------------------
To the Development division of Origin,
This letter regards an Origin game series that established Origin as a leader in the interactive game industry: the Wing Commander series. The series has sold several hundred thousand copies and is one of the most critically acclaimed series of all time. The Wing Commander series has one of the largest and longest-lasting fan bases, with dozens of fan websites.
Unfortunately, the games are currently plagued with hardware incompatibility issues and software glitches, making the series nearly impossible to run on modern computers. The series is in need of repairs to hardware incompatibility issues, software updates, and support for current operating systems. The series’ programming code would be simple, easy, and affordable to fix compared to the complexity of Origin's most recent games.
Re-releasing the games together in a single "Collector's Edition" would be affordable and easy due to the increased capacity of the DVD format. The fan base is a large and viable market that will jump at the chance to buy such a re-release.
The following petition demonstrates the size of the potential consumer market, as well as how interested they are in a re-release.
The fan community and I are highly interested in the response Origin has to this idea, so let me know what Origin thinks of it.
Thank you for your attention,
[link to the petition host site will go here]
[name and e-mail address of the webmaster of the petition will go here]
Writer:
Joel Benedict
joeybuddy96@hotmail.com
-----------------
The Wing Commander Series Re-release Petition
To the development division of Origin [inc? ltd? co?]:
We, the undersigned, hereby petition Origin [inc, etc.] to meet the following requests:
**Re-release in the form of a single collection the following titles:
--[let me know the names for every title and expansion ever made relating to Wing Commander.]
**Re-release the above titles with an updated installation and setup interface intended for ease of use for the average computer user
**Include in said re-release DirectX support that will automatically detect sound and video cards, and offer support for peripherals, such as modern joysticks, gamepads, mice, and keyboards
**Adapt titles included in the re-release to be able to run under modern operating systems, such as Windows XP
**Repair any known or reported technical problems or glitches prior to re-release
**Re-release the above titles in the format of DVD-ROM or CD-ROM or both
**After re-release, offer technical support by telephone or e-mail
------------------
[Section 3]
The above requests have been formulated and agreed upon by the following signers:
[names of the signers would go here]
-------------
[An alternate way of sending this petition would be to have each individual signer e-mail EA the above petition. The following would replace what is within Section 3.]
The following electronic signature is one of many electronic signatures. The following signature represents that the signer below agrees with, and wholly supports the above petition and the requests contained therein.
[Name and e-mail address of the signer would go here. ]
--------------------------
The previous thread shows there are at least a few people willing to sign on. Petitions have worked many times before. Sledge Hammer!, a TV show from the 80's, was released onto DVD after 20 years of being off the air because of a petition. Samurai Jack is another example of when petitions have been successful.
In order to get a petition started, a clear plan of action needs to be in place with regard to the method it will be sent and put together, and who will be the webmaster in charge of organizing a possible website and the signatures received. One way to set up the petition would be to have a website where petition signers would enter their name and e-mail. After a set amount of time, or after a set amount of signatures have been reached, the petition would be sent off to the company. Or, the website would just hold a counter to show how many people have signed it.
A method that may bring more attention would be to have signers copy and paste the petition into an e-mail document and send it to EA. This would mean EA's mailbox would fill up with dozens of e-mails with "Wing Commander petition" as the subject line.
I would like to get some views of others before anything gets started though. Let me know if you would like to change anything in the petition, including grammatical errors.