Modern Textbook Studies the Wing Commander Movie Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Lights, Camera, GAME OVER!: How Video Game Movies Get Made is a 2017 book by film reporter Luke Owen. The book is a fascinating look at how movies like Mortal Kombat, Mario Brothers and Wing Commander were made with a particular focus on the behind the screens wheeling and dealing that both allowed them to exist and that often altered them so drastically from the source material. The book includes a thorough chapter on Wing Commander which interviews both director Chris Roberts and producer Todd Moyer for a fascinating warts-and-all look at what went on behind the scenes. We've scanned the Wing Commander chapter for the archive (PDF here) and you can purchase your own copy of the book here. The book also has an animated trailer which explains what it's about and includes some Wing Commander material:

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New Model Upgrade Pack Released! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The long awaited next release of the WCP & SO Model Upgrade Pack is here! Note that while the project started out as a Secret Ops enhancement, it has recently grown to include compatibility with Prophecy. Today's update adds the Ella Superbase, Leviathan carrier and revamped Tigershark fighter. The engine has also been overhauled to add normal & emit mapping and an awesome iridescence effect on the Nephilim ships. Grab it here (105 meg exe) and blast some high quality bugs!
Happy belated Christmas and early new year's Wing Nuts - MUP alpha .41 is packaged and ready! GO HERE to get it! The readme is attached as well for all the ins and outs. As always, this wouldn't be possible without the tireless efforts of the whole MUP team: Dark Sentinel, Pedro, PopsiclePete, Whistler, and gr1mre4per.
Note that if Windows Defender displays a virus warning, it's a false positive. Download the latest definitions here and you should be good to go.

Solar Empire Mod Gets Compatibility Update Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The Wing Commander Mod for Sins of a Solar Empire has gotten a nice update. The base game received a handful of tweaks this year, and the upgraded fan project takes these into account in order to provide a fully functioning experience again. Nomada_Firefox certifies this one to work with version 1.93 of the game. If you have SOASE and missed out on this game earlier, give it a try! Here's some screenshots to show off all of the nifty fleet action packed in there.

New Tigershark Ready to Chomp on the Nephilim Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The Secret Ops Model Upgrade Pack is itself getting an upgrade! One of its earliest ships, the Tigershark, has been revamped and looks better than ever. DefianceIndustries has cooked up several variants including a generic Confed skin, Diamondbacks Squadron version for WCP and a throwback green livery for Secret Ops. The renders below look fabulous, of course, but the in-game shots are just as pretty! Stay tuned for another significant playable release due out soon.
Admission time: I dislike the MUP Tigershark. I did it along time ago without the benefit of the actual mesh only loose guesses based on the renders. So while it's passable, it's not my favorite. So... what to do? Make a gen 2 Tigershark model!

On another note, I've begun packaging up the files for the next MUP release. I'll update everyone when we have the next package ready to go as well as the full changelog and feature updates.

Look for this and other fun enhancements coming soon!

Holiday Fun Continues with WC1: Christmas Edition Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Rehsin, the WC1 modder who added Hobbes as your wingman, is back with a special treat! He's created a mini Christmas campaign in the Vega Sector. Simply unzip the package into WC1's gamedat folder to decorate the sets and enjoy a revamped Enyo series. There's a tree in Shotglass' bar, a sack of presents in the barracks and Christmas lights in your Hornet cockpit. Almost as good as coal (a "classy, mythical substance" in the Tri-System) in your stocking!
The package includes new graphics and four new missions for Enyo System. Missions are optional for install.

Merry Christmas! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The green Dralthi is back! Rather than merely a flying pancake this time around, Music_Guru has arranged some holiday mistletoe for your enjoyment. Whether you celebrate Christmas or another holiday, the CIC Staff wishes you a happy and safe season!

Make It A Wing Commander Christmas Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

If you're a very last minute shopper, there's still time to gift your friends and family a digital set of Wing Commander gifts! The GOG Winter Sale is in full swing, and this time the WC series clocks in at 75% off. You technically have until January 3 on these, so they make good belated gifts in in a pinch as well. That's $1.49 per game or less than $12 for the series. If the games don't fit your need, there's also plenty of ebooks and audio albums available too!

Miniatures Games Adds More Player Characters Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Add_Maverick has put together another big batch of pilot cards for his new tabletop WC game. A handful of samples are below. They're fairly rudimentary, but it's neat that Maverick pulled from a variety of sources such as Claw Marks, WC1/2 and even the Academy cartoon. The simplicity here is also kind of the point. As we've previously reported, the miniature star fighters featured in his game don't require a 3D printer or special artistic skills. Normal printer paper, scrap cardboard and a little time are all you need!

Homeworld Mod is on Another Planet Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The Homeworld Remastered Mod continues to make great strides as we approach the end of the year. The latest enhancement is a big boost to the space backgrounds. L.I.F. is testing out the planetkcapes from WC Saga with some promising success. There are also some very cool atmospheric settings possible. This is a nice graphical boost!
I'm finalizing a couple of details, but... yeah. I think these screenshots are self-explanatory. Welcome to the Loki system. :) The atmospheric maps have also been integrated, and will potentially be modified to better fit Kilrathi planets in upcoming campaigns and scenario missions.

3D Print a Delightful Set of WC Medals Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Wingnut V0g3l has an incredible holiday treat for fellow Wing Commander fans! Many have talked about this before, but to the best of our knowledge, he's the first to make a complete set of Wing Commander 1 medals and ribbons thanks to a combination of 3D printing and artistic skill. Available here are the Bronze, Silver and Gold Stars, Golden Sun and Pewter Planet - plus pilot flight wings and a lovingly crafted and authentic set of campaign ribbons. And it's all neatly packed together in a Wing Commander-themed box. He's posted all of the 3D files that your printer needs at the Thingiverse along with detailed instructions. Super cool!
Don't know what to do during the holidays? Print a Wing Commander medal set!

I have tried to be as accurate as possible. To create your own Wing Commander medal box just follow the steps below and take your time.

Have fun.

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Medals

The best way to print out the individual orders is in Metal Filament. This makes them look very real just because of their weight. Afterwards they can be sanded and polished. To make the metals look real you can use either electroplating or gold leaf/silver leaf.

Medals grosgrain ribbons

  • Gold Star/Medal of Honor is 30mm green
  • Bronze/Silver Star is 25mm blue
  • Golden Sun is 30mm
Ribons

I used and impregnated 30mm and wide grosgrain ribbon. Then I was able to colour the individual ribbons with green, blue, red and money. This takes a very long time and you must not soak the ribbon too much with paint, otherwise it underflows.

Then the ribbon pieces are glued onto the ribbon.stl pieces. To fix the ribbon temporarily the part ribbon_rail.stl is included as a help.

When everything is ready you can put the single pieces on the ribbonmount.stl.

If you make your own set, be sure to send us pics!

Wing Commander Test Footage Reveals Kilrathi Point of View Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

All the way through pre to post-production, the crew working on the Wing Commander feature film explored the idea of giving the Kilrathi a unique point of view. Before shooting, the crew at Digital Anvil experimented with some basic effects using footage shot around their offices to get a feel for the styles they might like to use.


This clip features some of that early footage plus some of the post-production tests done to hone in on just the right kind of look. Possibly taking inspiration from things such as Predator's heat vision, the Terminator's information readouts, or the POV shots from the Alien's perspective in Alien 3, they ran many different passes with differing levels of distortion and color correction to make various highlights stand out. Keen observers will also notice the statue of Sivar that sits at the heart of the Snakeir bridge.


The crew also explored the idea of giving the Confederation Marines a helmet HUD and infrared enhanced vision. The opening clip is that test (which you'll notice actually is the same shot as the following green Kilrathi view, just treated differently).

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Nephilim Carrier Coming to Secret Ops MUP Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The Nephilim invasion of Confed space continues. This isn't the biggest bug ship out there, but the Leviathan is still plenty massive, and it's coming soon to a Secret Ops Model Upgrade Pack near you. If you manage to ever get up close, check out that effervescent hull texture!
Look! Up in the stars! It's a Zucchini! It's a battlestar! It's an Osprey... wait... it's a Leviathan! Coming soon to a MUP release near you! We're adding another of Dark Sentinel's buggy masterpieces! Fear the enormity of the Nephilim carrier - packed to the gills with 14 maser and 14 IMREC turrets as well as enough bug fighters to keep you busy for about a year.

These Wasps Pack a Sting... And They're Fast Too! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Here are some new shots of the Wasp featured in the Homeworld Remastered Mod. Last week we saw the ship's glorious Swarmer Missiles in action, and now here's the actual ship. It's pretty amazing how L.I.F. has managed to pack so much of the interceptor's original functionality into the ship, including its disposable booster rocket. It's a fighter I wish we'd have seen more of in the series, so it's great to see here!
The Wasp version that was tested in-game copies pretty well the workings of the Prophecy engine. It has a limited amount of Swarmer salvoes that will use different clusters from each shot - using the high-definition Swarmer missile made for the MUP - until it spends all of them and goes back to normal missiles or reloads at the carrier. In addition, it can use its one-time booster to get its top speed multiplied by 5 for a few seconds, giving it the famous capability to intercept bombers or missiles at standoff ranges. Once used, the booster will disappear, to be refurbished for a small resource expense.

Overall, it should fit really well its role, with a focus on the high-value targets and a very fast speed when needed. It will probably be nerfed by a sub-par agility and speed outside boost mode as well as a low fuel reserve to limit its deployment range to the immediate proximity of a carrier.

Oh, and a big thanks to DefianceIndustries and Dark Sentinel for their work on the MUP and for letting me use one of their assets to check the viability of the code.

Germans Love Their Wing Commander Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Here's a couple of German gems provided by Deathsnake. First up is the review of Wing Commander 1 from the December 1990 issue of Power Play. It apparently gets a double "Super" and 88% rating. We previously posted the magazine's reviews of WC2 and Power Play, and they all make great use of the games' screenshots. There's also a crazy GameStar video that uses Sinner's Inn briefly as a backdrop. I wish I knew what was going on there!
...with Heinrich Lenhardt (Founder Powerplay, Founder PC Player, Co Founder Gamestar) with Privateer 2 Background - the Bar ;D

Kilrathi Invade German Convention Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

There's more Wing Commander cosplayers out there than we thought! st3lt3k found a pair of Kilrathi warriors who were on the scene at the Stuttgart Comicon just last year. A casual observer might be excused for thinking these are space cats from another series, but upon closer inspection, there are Kilrathi symbols on their shoulder patches and Kilrathi text on the front of their costumes. That's dedication! Pictures from lavi_bookman_j, Andreas Kinder and Facing My Life.
I think the cosplayers (cosplayerinnen?) are 2 sisters. Totally on point! It looks like there are even paw pads on the paws! They're downright menacing!

WCSO Model Upgrade Pack Gets Enhanced Lighting & Bigger Better Models Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

We've got several new updates to share on the Secret Ops Model Upgrade Pack today. DefianceIndustries is working hard to prep the next big update to the playable test package. In addition to a variety of incremental improvements and graphical refinements, it will also feature a cool lighting upgrade made in conjunction with Dark Sentinel and Pedro. The Confed Superbase is also almost ready to go - check it out with both a Midway docked below! Stay tuned for more announcements as we approach the next MUP release.
So this thread has been quiet for a bit, but that doesn't mean we haven't been busy. We're hard at work getting a new package ready as a holiday gift for loyal MUPpets. This new package addresses a number of defects identified in alpha 4.0 as well as adding some improvements to improve stability and a bunch of new graphical options that we intend to implement over the next few releases. One of the improvements we're most keen about is Iridescence. Now bug fighters will reflect different colors depending on their position from you and the angle of the light, giving the Nephilim hulls a more alien appearance as well as finally capturing that chitinous effect we see in the promotional renders! Here is a Work-in-progress shot that Dark Sentinel is working on with the Ray Node. You can expect most of the Bug fighters to get a facelift in the next patch.

Of course we haven't neglected new assets either - Now that we have emit mapping, we're able to really punch up the dated models (starbases especially) As Frosty himself says, "I’ve always wanted to see the Ella starbase, big enough to house the Midway between her landing bays. Supposed to be quite a sight." I'll leave it to you to decide if this qualifies... There will also be a few more assets to announce prior to launch. Stay tuned!

Discover The Darkening Under Development Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Here's a neat Privateer 2 preview that Pix recently found. It's from the September 1995 edition of PC Home. This was just before the game officially became a Privateer title, but the article draws the connection that The Darkening's existence owes itself to Wing Commander 3 & 4's live video success. There's also an interesting Q&A with Clive Owen - plus some cool set pictures. Check out Owen & Jürgen Prochnow leaning against a tongue!

Space Gets More Crowded in Homeworld Mod Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The latest addition to the Homeworld Remastered Mod is both beautiful and deadly. L.I.F. has added the ability for the Wasp to shoot its devastating swarmer missile pod. In combination with the interceptor's speed, Confed really has the ability to reach out and touch someone now!
After some discussion with DefianceIndustries, Dark Sentinel and a few others, we decided it was time to make a game more faithful to the original Wing Commander manga rather than trying to fit the bad gaijin adaptation. Don't you remember fondly when Blair-kun was asking advice to Paladin-sensei on how to deal with baka-Tolwyn?

This is why I'm working on the proper implementation of a true Wingo Commanderu no Blair-san experience for the next update, with the proper Macross Missile Massacre.

More seriously, that's the Wasp's Swarmer missile burst being scripted for future integration of the MUP ships:

Polish Program Promotes Prophecy Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

AD found an interesting VHS recording of a '90s Polish video game show, TV Enter. In this episode they review several games, including Dreams to Reality, Critical Depth, Rampage World Tour and Wing Commander: Prophecy. Whether or not you speak the language, this is a very interesting time capsule into the digital landscape of 20 years ago. Each of the profiled games is a unique peek at the graphical differences of the day, and even the garish P2-style computer backdrops between cuts bring back wavy neon memories. If the embed below doesn't work, jump to 7:25 in the video for the Wing Commander part.

WC Portfolio and Artwork Now Shipping Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Artist Mike Winterbauer's has an update on his Wing Commander Art Portfolio project. Most of the rewards have started shipping. If you haven't received your items yet, you might want to check your Kickstarter message inbox for an update. The CIC Staff has received some of our items, and they're just gorgeous! We'll have more on the contents in the future. Here's a few more shots of the items preparing to ship:
Happy Holidays Cool Wing Commander Fans! Let us know how you like your rewards!

Thank you for bringing this awesome project to life! I am enjoying packing and shipping the beautiful rewards. Most rewards are shipped. I have some international books and metal prints left to ship and I plan on finishing shipping before Christmas.

Thank you again for your wonderful support.

It's Not Faith, It's Cosplay Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Wing Commander fans have dressed up as their favorite pilots and paraded around at a number of conventions over the years, but most have been associated with a CIC-sponsored activity. That makes st3lt3k's recent find a fun surprise. He spotted this image taken by foxpaws at the 2011 San Diego Comic Con. Even more unusual is the actual outfit depicted here: a flight suit from the Wing Commander Movie. You don't see too many fans wearing these in the wild - especially a dozen years after the film came out! I don't think I've worn mine in public since 2002. It looks to be an actual prop from the production due to all the small details that seem spot on. High five, dude!
This was a fairly obscure costume. My initial guess was Kaneda from "Akira" until the person clarified.

Testing WC1 on Classic Hardware with SetMul Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

PhilsComputerLab has a new video on a program that slows down older machines. As early as 66 MHz started to come on the market, fans had to use programs like moslo to get the original Wing Commander smoothly playable. This presented an issue whereby a system powerful enough to run WC3/4 was too powerful to run WC1. In comes the 'setmul' app that specifically works with higher speed original Pentiums for some very granular adjustment. Wing Commander fans are able to do some amazing things today thanks to utilities like DOSBox that emulate DOS environments, but sometimes it's nice to get things going on the original '90s hardware. This could be useful for classic hardware collectors that don't have space for multiple machines tailored to each game. You can find also Phil's videos on tweaking GOG WC1-3 and Privateer here and here.
PhilsComputerLab had an interesting video today on how you can take a Pentium 233 MMX machine and run a utility to make it behave like a 386, 486, and of course native Pentium... he was able to get it slow enough to play Wing Commander and the speed seems perfectly fine (the last half of the video is just him playing WC on the 233 MMX machine. He's using a utility called setmul to achieve this... there is a catch though, to achieve the widest diversity of machine speeds, you need to have an MMX machine as setmul has some special MMX related commands that slow the machine down even more and a finer level of control.
Thanks to MusicGuru for the tip!

Coriolis' Console's Coca-Cola Connection Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Eagle-eyed Wingnut StarvingPilot spotted a Wing Commander prop reappear in a television commercial. A simple, but unique, console appeared near the Midway's hangar in Prophecy. The same unit popped up again in a Coca-Cola ad the following year. Both are visible just briefly, so this is a crazy catch!
Here’s a background WC prop which can be found in another production. This futuristic console (although if you look closely, it looks like a solar panel attached to a battery box and lights) can be found on the hangar deck of the TCS Midway in WCP, as well as a later Coca Cola commercial from 1998. The commercial can be found at:

American Way Helps WC4 Take Off Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

In the run up to Wing Commander 4's release, Electronic Arts kicked off a massive marketing blitz that included theatrical trailers before movies and a full court press in printed material. Highlights included its record setting budget, gorgeous live sets in the background of FMV and advanced integration with the gameplay. WC4 was popping up everywhere - even in the air! LOAF recently found this in the December 1995 of American Way, American Airlines' in flight magazine. "It's a movie. It's a space combat game. It's the most excitement you'll ever have on your PC." And they were right!
A few weeks ago I read an old article about marketing Wing Commander IV that mentioned they ran an ad in American Way, the in-flight magazine of American Airlines. It didn’t say what issue, so it took a bit of trial to find... December 1995! ... and if anyone wants a fat stack of old airline magazines from the eBay lots it took to find this they are free to a good home. Does anybody preserve these?

Cardboard Minis Engage in Tabletop Warfare Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Adm_Maverick is back with a big update on his papercraft Wing Commander fighters. He recently shared some of his templates and techniques on how to make these awesome little fighters with a home printer and scrap cardboard. Now the ships have been put to good use as part of a new tabletop game that Maverick is putting together. He's spent quite a bit of time playtesting with a friend, and the shots below show off some of their space combat in action. Looks like fun! You can find an elaborate breakdown of the rules and help discuss future refinements at the CIC Forums here.
So been a little while since I posted on this project, but wow what an update I have for it.

First off, a friend and I got in basically a whole day of playtesting using some of the rules. And pretty much decided the rules needed to change. I'm just using little cardboard models I've assembled for game tokens at this point. Nothing fancy. Just an ink jet printer, some cereal boxes, some glue, a couple q-tips and a butt load of patience.

Dralthi Gets in the Festive Spirit Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

IHOP is running a Christmas special where they now offer a stack of Grinch-green pancakes. Although this is kind of weird, Wing Commander fans are acutely aware that sometimes you just gotta turn things green. To help kick off the holiday season, Music_Guru has recolored the famous flying pancake to be green to match. I kind of like it!
So... we have a green Salthi in the SNES version of wing commander... now we need a green Dralthi to match the pancakes! 8P
Lord help me but I love green palette swaps.

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