Before we let you know who the lucky joker is, I'd like to take this moment to tell everyone who submitted a proposal that ALL of them were fantastic. We had a hell of a time deciding whose idea was actually the best. It finally came down to 3 proposals (2 of which we received TODAY!). They had everything we were looking for. At one point, we almost came to blows with wiffle ball bats. Luckily, cooler heads prevailed.We will be keeping all of the submissions on file. We're hoping to allow everyone who's willing to have a shot at writing for the comic eventually.
So, without further ado, the writer for our first story arc is... Maj. Striker!
In the days to come, we'll be working together and you'll start seeing some SERIOUS artwork.
On a side note, Bandit LOAF had an Awsome idea that we would like to see made into a mini-series. We'd like to do it eventually but it may be a while. If there are any other artists who'd like to take it on, contact him and maybe we can even assist with inks, colors, lettering, ect.
I was a little bored this evening, and then I remembered someone requested a battle-wallpaper. Well, it is not really a battle, but shortly before oneYou can post your thoughts here.Note that all you see in this picture is from ingame-screenshots, only the fleet and the fighters were two different ones and I merged them later. They perspective may be not perfect, but for half a hours of work I thought it is worth posting. (I hope the title is correct grammar). The lights on the ship look way better ingame, but some of them get lost when making the screenshot.
Cyberion has scanned the cover of an older Russian SBG magazine. This one's from April 1996. It doesn't seem like the magazine is still around anymore, but Wing Commander 4 was their cover story at one time. The article contained a review of the game and some historical data on the Wing Commander series. Cyberion is working on getting the actual article next.
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I modeled it especially for the video sequences, so it's originally high detailed and should look just great in video. I always dreamed to model this ship and here it is. The model is of a high quality, although the textures aren't. I'm not a drawer so excuse me for this part.Animators will find the ship pretty flexible. I've made every part of it on the different layers, so if anyone wants to blow ship into the pieces, he may do it. In time I want to make a test video of blowing the ship apart. First goes engine, then wings, than Coller system, cockpit and so on..... it falls apart in other words. The multiple layers of this model allows you to do it. ;-)
Still, the company is a generous warden: free laundry service, free meals, free ice cream and snacks. The first month, the E.A. employee recalled, he and his colleagues were delighted by the amenities. But he said they soon came to feel that seeing the sun occasionally would have had more of a tonic effect.The article also notes that this isn't limited to Electronic Arts or the software industry. EA, as the biggest game publisher, is the most noticeable, but other software companies have similar practices. The relatively high wages compared to non tech jobs are probably most appealing, and others seem to genuinely care about the games they are developing. This will probably be a developing story as the software industry continues to mature. You can find the complete article here.This employee, who has not had a single day off in two months, is experienced in the game software business. But he said he had never before had to endure a death-march pace that begins many months before the beta testing phase that precedes the release of a project.
I'm producing a Wing Commander comic book for the CIC web site. Our art team is in place and we hope to have the first issue out as soon as January! However, there is one problem... we don't have a writer. Anyone who is interested should send a proposal to simmons07@cox.netYou can help out at Crius.net here.There are a few ground rules though:
Do not send us all the Fan Fiction you have written. We are looking for proposals, short descriptions of the main characters, and where you'd take the story during the first 4 to 6 issues. It must take place during the Kilrathi War (between WC1 and WC3). Keep it PG-13, guys...We'll choose the winner on Monday, November 29th.
What is your best near-death experience?Fortunately, I’ve not had very many real near-death experiences. But being a thrill seeker I love doing things like throwing myself out of airplanes, taking MIG’s to the edge of space and other things that appear to be unsafe, while being statistically safe. I really enjoy being part of an expedition to the edge, even when things go poorly, when I can exercise my crisis management skills to help get through the event. So, I might pick either getting stuck in the Amazon when the river we were on dried up, and we had little chance to get out when fortunately rains came, or getting stuck in Antarctica due to inclement weather as our food supplies dwindled!
With the end of the year less than six weeks away now, it's time to start thinking about our Web Site of the Year and Fan Project of the Year contests for 2004. The only way to ensure that your favorite effort to excite the WC community gets through to the final voting is to nominate your choice of fan site and/or project.
The nominated site and/or project (you may choose one in each category) must have been active within the past three months. Past winners may be viewed in our archives: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003.
The final winners and runners up in each category will receive the appropriate fancy graphic once we've persuaded Kris to make them. So nominate now!
Cyberion also let us know that his website is now located at cyberionsystems.com.
Description Visitors, regulars and staff of the Wing Commander Combat Information Center (CIC) that run the SETI@home program. Web site click here Members 131 Results received 141,824 Total CPU time 168.686 years Founder ChrisReid
We've finally got a prototype hat for everyone to check out. Sorry this has taken so long. Working with our various suppliers always ends up in a game of phone/email tag that lasts for weeks. The same thing has happened with various polo shirt, glass and CCG commitments I've been trying to keep. But the good news is that the hats are gorgeous! We'll have additional information in a couple weeks when the main order arrives, but I thought some of you might like to check out a preview shot.
Transcript of 1990/1991 chat session With Origin staff
End Run novel
End Run cover graphic minus logo
End Run cover painting
WCIV ShipStats.txt
Possibly the second most successful private industries fighter behind the Talon, the Razor ranks as the top light fighter. No other craft can match its price performance value out on the market, both private and military craft. The shields and armor are really, really thin, but the speed and maneuverability more than make up for it.
None of us are strangers to sustaining critical damage while out in space. Each and every time we bang up our ships, our trusty mechanics are ready to patch things up good as new again. Today we've selected a few of our favorite technicians and would like you to pick your favorite among the bunch.
Last time we asked which bars and hang outs were your favorite. These are the places you bond with your fellow pilots between missions. and each place is quite memorable. The original Tiger's Claw lounge won out with the TCS Victory's bar coming in a good second.
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Seeing others posting their stories, I've decided to share what I've been working on. If anyone wants to read the wing commander fan fiction I've been working on, feel free to e-mail me at ckukla79@hotmail.com and I will send you what I have written so far. This story is not finished, but it is the one I've made the most progress on. The file is too large to post here though, the story is currently 29 pages in microsoft word. I am going to try to find a way to upload it and then I will post a link here.A plain text version can be downloaded here. ck9791 will send you the original Word document if you e-mail him. Comments can be posted at the Forums.If you are interested, the story takes place in the Gemini Sector prior to the original Wing Commander. It focuses on a young 2nd Lieutenant from the Space Forces flying a Scimitar medium fighter off a carrier that is trying to prevent the Kilrathi from making progress into Gemini.
Thanks
Hey all, Raptor here.HTL continues with a great story called "Once More Unto The Breach", as the battle for Nifelheim continues to heat up. As you saw in the last story, the Combined Fleet is starting to take a heavy toll on the attacking forces, but the humans are taking substantial losses of their own. This story focuses on Taskforce Abbey, a small strike force of Border Worlds corvettes centred around an escort carrier, and is written by Dan "Death" Poore. Please send any and all comments to Dan at nohbody@mail.com, not to me.
The story is at: http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/...
Best, Raptor
Pretty easy model. Didn't take me too long to model, although it has some nice advantages. Originaly it was made to use high resolution textures. So every edge of the base, every corner, is smooth and round. If you take a closer look at the model you will see it. This helps to creat realism when the model has high detailed textures. I hope that one day someone will make them. ;-)You can grab the files for yourself here.
GameSpot contacted attorney Robert C. Schubert, a partner at the San Francisco law firm Schubert & Reed. He said that he has initiated legal proceedings to start a class-action lawsuit on behalf of a group of EA employees. "We are seeking unpaid overtime for a good number of [EA] employees who weren't [properly] paid," Schubert told GameSpot this afternoon. "EA contends they were exempt," Schubert said. "We contend otherwise."You can find the full article here.
To play, simply click on the multiplayer button in the launcher, and click on the game appearing in the list with the word "Rampant" in the name (depending on whoever is hosting... it might not always be me). Double-click on that line, or select it and click on the "Connect Now" button. We'll be switching the game types around as needed.Even players with the Demo version of the game can play! To grab Void War, check out their web site here.
Some time ago, I got a hang of the idea showing off the evolution the Wing Commander universe has gone through, not at least because of this mod here. This should give you all a better insight in what you can expect when WC-Saga will finally be done. (The view-angle of WC3 and WC4 will sometimes be a little different than the other, that is because they are ripped away from original game-screenshots).You can post your own comments in this thread.
1 - Now the term giclée is used for any high-resolution, large-format inkjet digital printer with fade-resistant inks or dyes. Though originally intended for proofing, many artists and photographers use giclée printers as an alternative to lithography for limited editions or reproductions. -- Wikipedia.org
- This new version has 70 new systems which conform to the original game, 540 people populating 99 new bases, with 51 new wrecks, and 76 new rumors. New models include the TCS Vesuvius, Perry Naval Station, New Constantinople, and the original Privateer's Mining base.
- All of the ships have been reworked to repair weapon hardpoints, with some ships receiving new textures. The wrecks have a new look, complete with sparks, smoke, and fire. And they are now destroyable.
- Factions have been renamed, new music has been added, the Kilrathi have Kilrathi names, and capitol ships now have TCS names. A new faction, the Privateers, has been added, and they will even give out missions.
- The commodities have been reworked to more closely conform to Privateer.
Hey all, Raptor hereAs you've seen in the past few chapters, the battle for Nifelheim is already heating up, and enemy forces are closing in from both sides. The crew of the TCS Endeavour has already played a vital role in the battle by helping two other Confed battlegroups destroy a Nephilim dreadnaught, but their struggles are far from over. This story is written by Shaun "Iceman" Rashid. Please send any and all comments to him at velacia@rogers.com, not to me.
The story is at: http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~theraj/archives/ch193.htm
In other news, I was able to make the downpayment for the HTL website recently, and we're on track to go live at the end of the year. We've got a heck of a lot planned for the site (including those tasty ships Cyberion has been kind enough to create for us) and we plan to unveil it step by step throughout 2005. The site will include message boards dealing with the site itself as well as with HTL, so there will be plenty of opportunities for you guys to help shape the site as it develops.
Best, Raptor
Our focus is more on replay value than on sheer length. Look at the progress page where missions are split into series for a better idea of length... I'll tell you that the possible paths go like this:Prologue->Series A->Series B1 or B2->Series C1 or C2->Series D1 or D2
And that's really it, that simple. For example, if you screw up on Series A and get sent to B2, just do well in B2 and you can get to C1. There's no trapping players in a dead end path... and likewise, there's no amount of previous victories that will let you screw up the final missions and still win (Come on, we all know the final missions involve space kittens trying to bomb Earth ).
I think the shortest path takes 23 missions from the beginning of the Prologue to the end of Series D. Some will take longer because there are "transition missions" in some of the, well, transitions. For example, going from B1 to C1 skips a mission that you'd get to fly if your poor performance meant you were to go from B1 to C2 instead - these are not extra missions to reward successful players or anything like that, they're extra missions to make sure that all possible combinations of Series Bs, Cs, and Ds fit together into a coherent storyline. Going down the B1-C2-D1 path has to feel as seamless as going down the B1-C1-D2 path, etc.
The only way to get less than 23 missions (IIRC) before the credits is to let the Lionheart or Firekka get destroyed.
Here is the WC 3 style retextured Sabre that will be used in WCS main campaign. Model is done by Eder, textures by (Lynx). It'll make only a brief appearance as InSys and Reserve squadron fighter in some misssions and will not be flown by the player as far as I know.
Launched in 1997, Ultima Online was a pioneer in the world of online gaming and defined the category of massively multiplayer Internet-based entertainment. It is still recognized as the one of the most immersive of any online world. Ultima Online is offered in six languages and is played in more than 100 countries located in every time zone. The game stands as the longest-running online subscription-based game in history.The pictures are pretty dated now, but it's amazing the game is still going strong after all these years. It is still one of the most popular massively multiplayer games around.
Those screenshots don't really represent the graphical standards since I just took them in one of my test missions - they weren't intended to be shown off here. I just posted them since people wanted to see something new and I thought the action in these pictures was good.
The campaign missions have everything better, more, better background nebulas/planets etc., installations and other places and such, and the grapical effects are better too there when you turn 32 bit graphics on. The engine trails, some weapon effects, textures backgrounds and everything looks worlds better.About the performance, it's quite playable on lower end system too as far as I know (I think about 700-1000Mhz are minimum for stable gameplay, and a fast graphics card).
It's November now, so some of us got a chance to spread some Wing Commander Halloween cheer again. Hopefully next year we'll have suits readily available for more of you to do the same.
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