Proving Grounds Turns 16

Happy sixteenth birthday to Wing Commander Armada Proving Grounds! The game was originally released on the Origin BBS on December 20, 1994. It added six-player arena-style combat and new networking options to the base Armada game. Proving Grounds was the first WC game to work over the modern internet via DOSBox and patches made by HCl. DOS emulation has been significantly upgraded over the years, which makes it even smoother and easier to play today. PG is free (565 k zip) to owners of Armada, and instructions to play online are available here. Pilots to your fighters!

Proving Grounds is one of the rare pieces of Wing Commander software that was never released in a retail box. It was originally available at the Origin BBS as a free addon to Wing Commander Armada. The game added ipx network support and extended gameplay options for up to six people simultaneously.

Proving Grounds has the best asteroids in any Wing Commander games. On their highest setting, asteroids show up on sensors and players can duck behind their radar shadows to evade opponents. In flight upgrades are obtainable during some gameplay modes, including an exotic gun that penetrates and negates cloaking devices.