Community Replay Starts Secret Missions

Venice 2: Shotglass is just as happy to hear that I killed Khaja as I am that I'm going to get another shot at Bhurak. Try to run away from my Rapier now! I wonder what type of carrier the Kyoto is....

Those Kyoto pilots are good. Toasted the Fralthi with ease while Hunter and I annihilated her escorts. The Fralthi never even stood a chance, probably why they had comms open to the starbase, screaming for reinforcements.

Venice 3: Things are on the up and up, the Kilrathi are pulling out and the Tiger's Claw is part of the boot to kick them out of Vega. I'm not enthused by Hunter's thinking, it makes sense, but I hate dogfighting in minefields.

In retrospect, I really should have expected those Jalthi in the minefield. About the worst type of ship to take into a minefield dogfight, though, especially compared to the Rapier. I think the Tiger's Claw is down to 8 lives now after the pounding she was taking on our return.

Venice 4: It's really good to hear Paladin's pride at being part of this operation. According to Angel, Bhurack's still waiting out there for me to take another shot at him.

Damn, that mission was a rush. Hunter & I decided that leaving a Fralthi at our backs while we pressed against the Star Post was a dumb idea. One Fralthi and it's escorts later, we pushed on. I obeyed the Colonel's instructions and used nothing but guns against the seemingly endless hordes. Hunter got into trouble while we fought some Salthi. I ordered him home, but wasn't able to make sure he got out safe. Dogfighting 4 Jalthi by myself was hair-raising. I'd be confidently tailing one, pouring fire into those vulnerable engines when I'd hear his three wingman open up on me from behind. I eventually whittled them down. Taking out the Star Post seemed almost anti-climatic. I think the best bit was getting to the debriefing to see Hunter standing next to me, bright as a feather.

So, what's next, Boss?

• Community Replay - General Discussion
• WC1 Week 1 - Enyo, McAuliffe, Gimle, Gateway, Cheng-du
• WC1 Week 2 - Brimstone, Dakota, Kurasawa, Rostov, Port Hedland, Hubble's Star
• WC1 Week 3 - Venice, Hell's Kitchen, Alternate Paths
• Secret Missions Week 1 - Goddard, Border Zone, Midgard

Point of Origin: Vol. VI, No. 5

The ball has dropped - Chris Roberts and Warren Spector are gone. Richard Garriot and Mike Grajeda address the company about future plans in this June 28, 1996 issue of The Point of Origin. It also talks about one of Origin's saddest 'lost game' stories -- Technosaur, a game developed entirely by a team which worked its way up from QA.

A very special thanks to Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum for making this resource available and to Electronic Arts for sending them to him in the first place!

• Spotlight: What's Up? is a candid interview with Mike Grajeda and Richard Garriott about the post-Chris Roberts and Warren Spector status of the company: "For example, toward the end of Wing Commander IV's completion, my artists and artists from all over the building helped out. Now, in return, Ultima IX is at a point where we need some flic help and we've got folks from Wing Commander and Crusader helping us to fix that problem."
• In Ink reports on Wing Commander IV and beyond:

Meantime, the reviews for Wing Commander IV keep coming in. David Busch at Home PC gave WCIV a score of 3 1/2 out of 4. "This cutting-edge CD-ROM's sharp live-action sequences combine with arcade thrills that pin you to the edge of your seat, blurring the line between game and movie entertainment.

"Origin raises the stakes--again," exclaimed Mike Ryan at PC Magazine. Ryan gave WCIV a 4 out of 5 score. "A six-CD-ROM space epic that combines spectacular action with a movie-quality, interactive storyline to provide a memorable and thrilling gaming experience."

And from Next Generation, 4 out of 5 stars for WCIV. "The special effects are spectacular, the acting superb and the story gripping."

Computer Shopper's John Marrin wrote in his review of Wing Commander IV, "If you have a hit, stick with it. That's just what Origin Systems has done."

...Some of the early reflections on the E3 show are beginning to appear from writers who attended. Steve Kent already has given Privateer: The Darkening his accolades. In the E3 wrap-up inside the Seattle Times, Kent called Privateer "The Best Battle Simulation" at the show. "The best flight mechanics and gameplay graphics Origin Systems has ever made." Based on writers' comments at the show, expect more of the same in coming months.

...Last, but certainly not least, we have honors for three ORIGIN products. Check out the July issue of CD-ROM Today. (It's that pub's last issue. Imagine Publishing is closing it and launching Boot in August.) Inside you'll find an article on the 100 Best Discs Ever. Making the cut were Crusader: No Remorse ("Guiding your red-armored assassin from room to room and blowing just about everyone and everything away provides hours of enjoyment."), CyberMage ("Impressive game play, hot graphics and enough weapons to satisfy an arms dealer, CyberMage is one great game.") and the Wing Commander line ("This series combines the best elements of movies and games."). Congrats to everyone involved in making those games.

• New Hires brings onboard some Wing Commander veterans: "Chris Everett believes that 'If it's too good to be true, then it probably is' (although having worked on WCIV, we couldn't necessarily agree)... Grant McDaniel worked on Wing III Playstation, Bioforge Mission Disk, ATF and Longbow... Kirk Watson worked on Bioforge MD, Longbow, ATF, and Wing III PlayStation in QA before training as a tech rep on the phones, and shares this advice, "You get what you pay for." Indeed."

Point of Origin
Vol. VI, No. 5 - June 28, 1996 Contents Spotlight: What's Up?
Point Man
Vision Benefits
What' the hell is up with... Translations?!
In Ink
New Hires
Project Brainstorm
EOM
Raft Race Update
The Future
Ticker