Long before X-Wing or TIE Fighter made epic battles in space possible, Origin Systems’ Wing Commander laid the cinematic groundwork for the space combat sim genre.
Here she is, the Vampire! I should take a moment to acknowledge that the MUP has reached its first milestone: conversion of all Confed fighter craft! So again I'd like to thank everyone whose helped this project out getting here! The next two milestones are also relatively within reach: convert all Nephilim fighters and Confed bombers/support craft.
Topics covered include:- Improving graphics
- Improving music and sound effects with Munt MT-32 emulator
- CPU cycle speed
- Joystick calibration
- Transferring pilots
Now THIS is obscure, Marauder Shields, the meme turned webcomic (episodes 1-5) turned SERIOUS webcomic (episodes 6+) has named one of their characters after Christopher Blair.This issue is absolutely packed with Wing Commander references (read the codex below).
And you know what? If you've played Mass Effect 3 and were dissapointed with the ending, this actually... kind of helps. The audio episodes are pretty decent, as well.
Ok, finally I finished with updating Klavs81's models, adding textures and splitting them onto pieces such as turrets, missiles, bridges etc. For now I have 4 ships ready: the Venture, Southampton, Jalkehi and Ralari.I'm trying to keep the same classes for both sides. Unfortunately, Klavs81's pack doesn't contain any Kilrathi corvettes. So I decided to "upgrade" the heavy fighter Jalkehi into a corvette class. Anyway she has similar tasks and equipped with jump drive. What do you think, guys? Also the project has a new name: Spaceships Universe. :) Since it is not a strategic game, but online capital ship simulator, I thought the word "tactics" didn't fit here.
Truly wonderful gift from Sandi Gardiner: very early Wing Commander storyboards! Check out those Rapiers!
Here's the F-110, now with the SRB attached. What's oddly fascinating about the Wasp to me is that in SO it's one of the best fighters in the game. Highly maneuverable, with one of the best gun and missile load outs to be found on Cerberus' flight deck. The Mosquito pods alone make it formidable, but couple that with some dust cannons and descent shielding, and it gives the Vampire a run for its money. But I agree its kind of an odd-ship-out as far as aesthetics goes.
Those asking about the ink: I did it! Pretty painless, very happy to have made the plunge. It's Paladin's Kilrathi prison tattoo from the Wing Commander movie! The scene that shows/explains it was cut from the finished movie; I recently tracked down the set photographer for a clear look! It felt like a good way to honor this most interesting current chapter of my life!You can find more diehard Wingnuts with WC-inspired ink here and here.
LOAF on the screenshot above: This passage from Freedom Flight, especially Ralgha's wistful line about a life unlived, has always been a favorite.
Quick status report: For the last month I've been dealing with a bug that caused WCP:SO in all its forms to die on my PC. The silly part was that it was only me nobody else on the planet seemed to have the same issue (as it related to 17 year old software). So I had to pull an old desktop out of mothballs and use it for model conversion and testing. It really screwed up my workflow. Happily, with windows latest patch, whatever it was is gone and the game runs fine again. So, I'm in the process of extracting a fresh copy and re-applying all my updates to get me back in shape. Pretty quick I'll have new shots of Dark Sentinel's awesome Moray and Wasp in the game.
We're creeping up on a major milestone for the project as well, getting all the Confed fighters modeled and updated. So stay tuned...
This is the starting ship (Grandpa's Tarsus) from the classic computer space action sim Wing Commander Privateer. If you have a 3d printer, you can make one for yourself. The example shown was printed on a Flashforge Creator Pro.Check out more downloadable and printable WC ships here.It's been broken up to print mostly without supports. However there are a couple meshes that will need some support, these are isolated in their own STL file. Requires a significant amount of assembly, I've uploaded exploded and assembled example STL files for reference. I also included a base to mount the finished ship to.
On days like these, when our earthly problems seem to hold almost zero gravity within the vastness of space, one is more prone to pondering the really important questions. Like: Do astronauts pass the time by playing space-themed games? How do aliens depict humans in their videogames? Did Sandra Bullock say something to anger all that space-debris that was chasing her around? Humanity's frequent space-walks have not managed to answer any of them yet but don't let that stop you from getting one of these (inter)stellar classics, and celebrating Cosmonautics Day in the most appropriate way known to man.Thanks to centaurianmudpig for the tip!The Wing Commander series has grown into a gaming phenomenon so huge, that it can be visible from orbit. Through a fine-tuned blend of FMV cinematics, intense space combat, and dramatic storytelling, they reshaped the simulation genre and introduced countless players to the allure of spacefaring adventuring.
I guess this is a surprise to all, trust me I didnt think I would touch this model again. This forum is the only place I ever got comments. I am not doing these things for recognition, but let's face it: it feels good if people at least say something about it. I know I can't match other people's skill who can properly texture and render and all those things I dont even know the term for.Since no one is crazy enough to texture a model with this high poly count, I started doing what I can basically using Google Sketchup's color functions (limited as they are). I dont even know how to render a picture of my model in a certain res size. If anyone knows Google Sketchup more than me and knows if there is a function I would be grateful. Best I can do is use the export function and have a resolution that the application sees on my screen (not that good).
This is a final version (for now :) ). I can't call it textured. Let's say colored; hope you like it . If anyone is interested, this is my deviant art page. Again thank you all for the support you gave me.
The Secret Missions 2: Crusade, another exciting chapter in the saga of the Tiger's Claw! In this campaign, a huge Kilrathi fleet maneuvers toward a planet of peaceful, primitive natives. After a Kilrathi renegade defects with the crew of a small destroyer, you'll fly one of their fighterships in undercover missions.In these new secret missions, you must discover the truth behind the Kilrathi "holy war" before the Warriors of Kilrah can destroy you and the Tiger's Claw!
You all know this ship. The most basic bug fighter, absolutely multirole and perfectly useless, being just insufficiently equipped for any task. Though you'll meet it everywhere, it's you first and last opponent in every fight. Patrol the sector, wipe the Confed patrols, support and cover bombers, protect capships, harass space station - they're just everywhere. Meet the Moray!288 -> 2614 polies, and well, I'm happy with the shape, even if it follows the texture and arts, rather than the original model. Textured in almost glorious 2048x2048. The ship changed a lot and, unlike Manta, one can easily tell where's the old Moray and where's the new, but oh well. C&C welcome as always.
A few of my friends from Wing Commander IIIThanks to Andy Aldrich for the heads up!
wanted to do one a bit more illustration style 5-6 hours.. I think it turned out pretty good. a quicky.. I felt like making new stuff :D space.. pew pew.. grr argh!
Update on the MUP. Finished off the fighter part of the F-110. It's ready for conversion into the game. Still putting the finishing touches on the booster pack, so I'll post in-game shots when I'm done. In the meantime: Here are the renders for the Wasp.
In one week, we embark upon the great Crusade. #therewillbebirds
The Secret Missions 2: Crusade, another exciting chapter in the saga of the Tiger's Claw! In this campaign, a huge Kilrathi fleet maneuvers toward a planet of peaceful, primitive natives. After a Kilrathi renegade defects with the crew of a small destroyer, you'll fly one of their fighterships in undercover missions.In these new secret missions, you must discover the truth behind the Kilrathi "holy war" before the Warriors of Kilrah can destroy you and the Tiger's Claw!
I just entered the FIRST note of the first orchestration for volume 2 of the Wing Commander project! WC3 winning endgame! Stay tuned!If you missed out on the first campaign to create a live recording of Wing Commander music, there are still copies available here. Continued support of the original album has helped to offset some higher than anticipated international shipping costs. It's also now helping set the stage for a second album! No further details are available yet, but George also shared this kind message from the conductor, Allan Wilson, that directed the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra in their amazing Wing Commander tribute back in the fall of 2014:
Many thanks for the CD you sent recently and what a wonderful CD it is too! Absolutely superb. Although it popped through my letterbox a week or so ago, the first chance I had to listen to it was in my car yesterday as I drove out into the British countryside, south of London, on a beautiful sunny (but cold) day on some nice quiet county roads. I recently bought a 5 series BMW with a really good sound system; so your music accompanied my journey magnificently. I’m sure the car was going faster than usual too!So do we!I thought the CD was very well presented, great graphics and brilliant photos. This is really quite an achievement George and something you must, and rightly so, feel very proud of indeed.
I am looking forward to having the house to myself for a couple of hours so I can play it on my lounge sound system at warp 9.2 to get the full impact. Can’t wait.
Well my friend, it brought back so many wonderful memories of our time together in Bratislava, both in the studio and in the bar! I sincerely hope we can do it again in the not-too-distant future.
It's been nearly 20 years since Akkbar departed for the Border Worlds, but the threat remains! So today we're proposing to build a giant space wall to keep him away. And we're going to make him pay for it! Here's an idea of what it might look like.
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