Wing Leader Upgrades Cockpit Damage & Adds Gorgeous Background Art Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

In his latest round of updates, Howard Day has a whole lot of new polish to show off. His Wing Leader LCD/VDU filter has been tweaked to look even better, and the background objects have gotten a dazzling overhaul. While the videos and animations for the project already look amazing, Howard notes that he's building the engine for 60 FPS and most everything so far is only showing off the game in 30 FPS max. Prepare to be amazed when you see the real thing!
Wednesday Wing Leader progress! I'm really close to pushing out an update to the Rolling demo. I just want to polish it a litttle bit more. The background art was *too* colorful, so I made it more natural, and subtle. No more purple stars and bright neon purple galaxies! Just thought I'd post some fun videos. Enjoy!
BONUS: Here's an awesome peek at Wing Leader running at 60 FPS!

Technical Talk Leads to Funny Finding Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

While discussing the latest and greatest Wing Leader build, developer Howard Day and former Origin director Siobhan Beeman got into a conversation about how the WC1 VDUs were coded. It turns out there was a typographical error in the way "component" was spelled, but it became so widely entrenched that it propagated into Wing Commander 2! LOAF dug up a screenshot of some of this code and there it is! So next time you see a flash on your dashboard, it means a componeant is being triggered!
Siobhan: Speaking of the VDUs, fun story: The base class in the WC1 codebase for all those UI elements like missile icons and shield health bars is named Componeant. Yes, just like that. Drove me NUTS having to misspell it all the time, but changing it for WC2 was too much work. (facepalm)

Howard: We're pretty spoilt nowadays - Visual Studio just lets you rename entire classes and everything...just works. And if you've got the right Git plugin, the source control updates painlessly. Wonderful story. :D

Siobahn: So spoiled! And yet we had the best tools available—Borland C++ was a great product for its time!

Mix It up in the Club with a Stylish Lamprey Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Here’s a neat oddity! It’s a German EP of remixes of the Wing Commander Prophecy theme. Part of the CD is clear so it looks like an alien spaceship! The silver part is hidden under the ship. It has four tracks, 17 minutes and 11 seconds of music.
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LOAF

Extravagant Cruise Liner Sets Sail Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

We've got pics of DefianceIndustries' Secret Ops civilian cruise liner, and it's a beauty! This is such a unique design that it's easy to forget the in-game model was kind of plain. There was an FMV quality high res model made by Origin, but it wasn't used. Defiance has taken some great cues from that design to make the new model significantly more fancy. It'll be a treat to sight one of these in the Model Upgrade Pack!
Next on our list of Beta 1 assets is the Twilite Purchase, the in game mesh really didn't capture the fiction's stated opulence so here's hoping this one is a bit more faithful. If it weren't sailing through bug-infested space, I think a few days aboard this ship might be quite relaxing. It's really kind of an odd duck for WCP, the art-deco design has more in common with the bugs than humans. But the gold trim, scalloped edges, and various shades of blue make for a strangely appealing shape. And the captain is grateful for being saved, unlike that jackass Pelican captain in chapter 2. :)

Countdown to Party Time - Three Weeks To Go! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Time ticks ever forward, and we're quickly speeding towards the CIC's 21st Birthday! We're now three weeks away from the big party. It's easy to join the fun in #Wingnut on the CIC's Discord Server. This year we're also planning an extended livestream to accompany the chat in real time. Mark your calendars for 7:00 pm EDT (4:00 pm PDT and 11:00 pm GMT) on Saturday, August 17. We can't wait to see you there - it's going to be a blast!

Wing Leader VDUs Broken & Space Upgraded Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Howard Day has developed another really cool effect for the Wing Leader project. The big video below shows off some fancy LCD distortion for use when your VDU takes a hit. Howard says he's working on further improvements to make it look even better in the future. There are also some enhanced backgrounds that now dot the spacescape, and the game's nifty chase cam helps show them off here as well!
Wednesday Wing Leader progress! Wrote a LCD distortion shader for the cockpit last night! Looks pretty gruesome. Also added some background artwork to the scene and more star types-really helps to make the game more colorful.

All Wings Considered - Episode 20 - LIVE! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The latest episode of ALL WINGS CONSIDERED is live now! All Wings Considered is the CIC's first ever streaming variety show which features news, conversation and gameplay relating to our favorite series. This week's Nav Points include:

  • Privateer! We explore the Ferris Quadrant and save up for a Centurion.
  • There are HOW MANY Cobalt 60 albums?
  • The EPIC CONCLUSION of Fleet Action Book Club
  • Privateer 2 ship of the week: the Faldari

Missed the stream? The replay will be available below once it has been processed by YouTube. You can subscribe to the AWC channel for future notifications here.

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LOAF

Upgraded Hydra Cruises Into MUP Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Hot on the heels of the impressive Kraken update, DefianceIndustries has launched his Hydra cruiser. While the Kraken, Tiamat and Leviathan designs are larger and more deadly for a variety of reasons, I've always though that the Hydra was the most elegant. It's almost majestic rather than purely monstrous, so it makes for a beautiful addition to the Prophecy and Secret Ops Model Upgrade Pack!
Hail Hydra!!!

'Lordy! It's a fully rendered craft...' Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Here's a preview of Wing Commander 3 that I don't think we've seen before. In the days before most people had internet access, articles like these were the main way that people got an early look at upcoming games. From the fiery color mix to chain link border, it screams mid '90s aesthetic and brings back many exciting memories. If mag scans like this make you nostalgic for a different time, check out the Gamemaster Said Twitter feed!
Issue 25, January 1995: Wing Commander 3 preview (PC): “The interactive movie is here! Or at least that’s what Electronic Arts would have us believe.”

MUP Introduces Shipkiller Update Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The Nephilim have a terrifying and beautiful new dreadnought in the Prophecy and Secret Ops Model Upgrade Pack. The effervescent high res Kraken is now ready to go for the next test release. DefianceIndustries has a couple more large scale models planned as well, but they're not quite ready. A teaser is included below to give you an idea of what to expect!
Theirs is the claw that rips flesh from bone. Theirs is the poisoned fang....

Got Dark Sentinel 's awesome Kraken (Narwhal) converted, updated, and ready to go. So update on Beta 1.0 package. I have 2 assets still to do for the next package - Dula 7 and the WCP starbase. I have a stretch goal of trying to get revised Cerberus and Vesuvius models done to take advantage of the new SO features like dead hulls and actual emit mapping.

So to tease those a bit...

Wing Leader Salthi Swoops In Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

It's only been a few days since our last update, but Howard Day already has a pile of exciting things to share in his WC1-inspired engine. For starters, he's dubbed the project Wing Leader after one of the initial concept names for the WC series. There's also a few new animations, and they show off the beautiful debris field that emerges from a destroyed ship. Finally, here's your first peek at the cute little Salthi! He's given it a single engine to better suit the Kilrathi light fighter's small nimble stature.
First look at the Wing Leader Salthi. Different from her canon version: she's only got one engine and has two photon cannons rather than lasers. I'm trying to make the various Kilrathi ships feel different, rather than the Salthi, Dralthi, Krant all feeling like fighting the same ship. I'm also looking at ways to only make them turn left. :D

New art for the photon cannon coming soon. Expecting them to be like more rapid-fire lasers with much less individual hitting power, and slightly less power drain. That means the Salthi will likely be firing in short bursts. Speaking of - I can't remember... do the Kilrathi have any allies that would have space fighters? I'd like to balance out the Human - Firekkan alliance a bit.

Happy Apollo Anniversary Day! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

As most of you are well aware, today marks 50 years since the Apollo 11 landing on the moon. And although Earth's moon might not immediately jump to mind when you think about Wing Commander, it actually shows up quite a bit! LOAF recently went through the (often tragic) history of our natural satellite in Episode 19 of All Wings Considered. Check out the embedded clip below to go straight to the retrospective:
If you haven't seen it yet, here's a nice video of the really cool show projected on the Washington Monument this week. Dundradal was lucky enough to see it in person!
What's next for the moon? India appeared set to launch an ambitious mission to become the fourth country to send a rocket up earlier this week, but the attempt was scrubbed with an hour to go. Meanwhile, NASA is still heading down a path that could lead to a return to the moon in five years.

Rebel Galaxy Outlaw Set For August 13 Release Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Double Damage games has announced that Rebel Galaxy Outlaw will be released on August 13! It will debut exclusively on the Epic Games store for $29.99. Check out our previous coverage for some exciting videos and screenshots of what to expect. The developers are huge Wing Commander fans, and the game's shaping up to be one of the most promising tributes to Privateer in many years!
August 13th, 2019 - That's what you wanted to know, right? You want to know MORE?

All Wings Considered - Episode 19 - LIVE! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The latest episode of ALL WINGS CONSIDERED is live now! We're back after several weeks off due to illness and ready to take on the Gemini Sector! All Wings Considered is the CIC's first ever streaming variety show which features news, conversation and gameplay relating to our favorite series. This week's Nav Points include:

  • Privateer and conversation! Time to start earning ourselves a Galaxy.
  • What's the deal with the moon?
  • We blow up a planet, NBD.
  • Privateer 2 ship of the week: the famous Heretic

Missed the stream? The replay will be available below once it has been processed by YouTube. You can subscribe to the AWC channel for future notifications here.

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LOAF

Hornet Bashed Up Real Good Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Howard Day has done some serious damage to his Hornet cockpit, and the results are amazing! The shattered displays and windscreen are so severe that they almost make you gasp. He's also working on how to introduce minimum functionality so that tiny bits of the broken elements still work through all of the broken glass, which is really cool. There's also already prework happening now on what the game's other cockpits will look like with a similar overlay.
Muwhahahah, I was right. I just did a pass on doing damaged versions too - these get dynamically masked in based on your ship taking core damage. I plan on having the typical LCD distorted display flickering going on + some white noise. The parts that are visible through the damage should still occasionally show information.

When last I left off, I was working on the two remaining screens - the MFDs. I have to code in the display that tracks weapons, and damage, and then the one that displays the status of the target, communications, and navigation. I think I have a good method to do all that stuff in a super modular way - I already wrote a shader that will let me re-use the same art assets for differently palettized color ramps (IE the Dralthi target image can have damaged areas appear red without me needing to give specific art for each damaged area), and also allowing different races ships to have different colored MFD art without having completely separate sets of information. I also sketched out how I'm going to handle the Scimitar cockpit (very excited about that!) and have done the base-level work on the Valtar and Dralthi cockpits. I'm going to turn the Dralthi cockpit into a step-by-step tutorial, I think.

Classic Ad Highlights Rare Premiere Edition Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Game Magazine Print Ads & RetroMags spotted a really cool page from the January 1995 edition of Next Generation magazine, which would have been on store shelves right when Wing Commander 3 debuted in December 1994. The core art is similar to the general WC3 sell sheet with some slightly tweaked screenshots. The big focus though is that this is an ad for the Premiere Edition. A similar big boxed edition entered the retail stream via Sam's Club, but the most prime version was just available through EA. You had to know about it to place an order, and a limited number of ads like this was the communications plan to let fans know it existed!

Experimental Cockpit Views Tested in WC4 Remaster Project Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Here's another peek at the immersive Hellcat cockpit Pedro is working to incorporate into his WC4 Fan Remake project. As the team works through the details, it turns out that the question is more complex than just adding in Defiance's cockpit art. There are several ways to do it, and each option has various advantages and disadvantages. You can help weigh in with your thoughts at the CIC Forums!
This is the camera Defiance originally intended (I'm now loading the cameras from the model files he provides so you don't get stuck with programmer settings). This would be the default view closely mirroring the original. The joystick and throttle were primarily meant for VR, so for any players opting for a more traditional view the hands/ legs wouldn't even be visible. We'll add them but will prioritize other things.

Anyway the reason I'm setting this up is my next focus will be the cockpit camera and it raises questions. Quarto suggests looking to WCP's cockpit - that rolled the cockpit without impacting the ship or the HUD. Again it's the most recent example of a WC title but it's still 2 decades old. Would anyone object to moving the camera instead of the cockpit and having the reticle adjust accordingly? This seems to be what RGO, Star Citizen and other titles do.

Just for my own knowledge (no promises on what options we'll add) but what cockpit settings would people use if available?

  • HUD only (classic style)
  • The above minimalist cockpit
  • WC3 style cockpit with joystick/ legs visible (note that in 16:9 this will mean even more lost screen space)

Howard's Hornet Cockpit Comes to Life Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

It's time for another exciting update to Howard Day's WC1-inspired engine. These new animations really show off how much features and systems have been integrated into this functional test. Most of the cockpit elements such as the radar, shield and armor display, speed indicators, gun capacitor and more are fully active. Even the legs move during intense maneuvers! The crackling shield display is especially cool, and we even get a glimpse of the ace Dralthi in the Hornet's sights. Howard's working on banging everything up for the damaged version next.
Auto pilot and Tape are both off in those - they both have little red lights like the lock warning going off next to them, but yeah! Basically everything except for the weapons display, damage display, target display, comms menu and navigation display are all done and working! Still work to go before this is at pairity with the basic Hornet cockpit. Then I gotta hit cockpit damage... which should be fun!

Countdown to Party Time - Five Weeks To Go! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The countdown continues towards the CIC's Birthday Party! There's now just five weeks until we celebrate 21 years at wcnews.com. We hope you join us in #Wingnut on the CIC's Discord Server. We are also planning a livestream to accompany the chat room event, which should make this one of our most fun events yet! The party takes place on Saturday, August 17, at 7:00 pm EDT (4:00 pm PDT and 11:00 pm GMT). While this is always our biggest single event of the year, there's a party going on in #Wingnut every day. Stop by anytime and get acquainted before the cake arrives!

Starflight's Not Like Wing Commander Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Drunken and Gaming has posted a video about Starflight for the Sega Genesis as a part of their One Minute(ish) Review series. It all goes by so fast, but one thing's clear - the reviewer thinks Starflight is amazing and deserves as much credit as Wing Commander. I'm not sure how the Wing Commander Movie plays in, but that's also referenced somehow. There isn't any gameplay shown from either, so I found another video by Friday Night Arcade that shows off what it's like. It looks cool, but they don't seem particularly comparable.
Tony Viejo tells us about Starflight on the Genesis and how it’s like Star Trek, but NOT Wing Commander.

...on the Number of Spaceships in Privateer 2 Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The good news is that LOAF is out of the hospital and happily recovering at home! However, he and Dundradal are not quite ready to get back to hosting new episodes of All Wings Considered. The plan is for the show to return at full force next week. In the mean time, check out Stephen_k's ode to the AWC segment on Privateer 2 ship identification! You can catch up on any episodes you might have missed here.
It has a lot of them

Homeworld Mod Adds Enhanced Spacescapes Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

L.I.F. has added some very pretty new backgrounds to Flag Commander, the Homeworld Remastered mod. He's purchased some sophisticated visualization software, and it allows him generate some very nice space scenery. He's even offered to help other projects generate their own fancy skyboxes if there's a fellow Wingnut in need. Let him know if you have a project that would benefit from this!
So, I... kinda, sorta... bought myself a wonderful planetarium software that allows the simulation of most of the known universe. It also allows the creation of skyboxes of very, very high resolution. Oh, and guess what, it came with a professional license that allows me to distribute the skyboxes for anything, even commercial projects. It goes without saying that Wingnuts and their fan-projects will be welcome if they need such tools to make their projects look even greater!

I've still got to finish working on the process to get the maps perfected, but this will be really useful to set up battles in more iconic places, possibly to recreate Kilrah and other battlefields. Or some more peaceful places to patrol. So, people, if you have a project that needs skyboxes, gimme a call and I'll see what I can do.

Mike Winterbauer Launches New Art Website Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Wing Commander SNES cover artist Mike Winterbauer has launched a new website that covers his extensive history with fantasy and video game art. There's a page dedicated to his Classic Game Covers art book and a new link where you can buy a copy for $30 from his eBay storefront. The digital ebook version is also still available for free. We've inquired about any leftover items from his WC art portfolio project, because everything from that was flipping cool!
Please check out my new website and give me a like! Much appreciated, I hope you like it!

Prodigious Pewter Planet Prototype Printed Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The first test print of Denis Loubet's Pewter Planet has arrived, and it's pretty cool! It nails the shape of the original Medal of Honor, especially when paired with the correct green and black ribbon. Since this is the prototype, there are a few things that Mr. Loubet is looking at tweaking in a future update. He'll have to rework the attach point so that the ribbon has something to anchor to, and there are probably some opportunities to smooth the curvature to avoid the terracing effect. It's a really fun first effort though!
I was afraid the post wouldn't print. Shoot! Plus the layering is really obvious! I'll have to limit the materials to the fully polished metals to try to hide that artifacting. (Although it kinda looks cool anyway?) ;)

Fighter AI Developing Innovative Combat Tactics Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Here's another round updates to Howard Day's WC1-inspired engine. There's some very interesting work happening with the fighter pilot AI. The current builds have been using the simplest version of his four-tier AI setup, and there's already been some fascinating scenarios that have dynamically emerged. Future updates will include randomized personality factors that will continue to make dogfights feel unique. Additionally, graphics for the startup sequences have also been put together that help set the tone very nicely! He's got a launcher screen that resembles the original game's menus, and there's even a parody of the Origin logo ready to go.
Huh...I can't likely show the Origin logo when this thing starts up...I guess it's time for a dad joke with some mid-nineties logo and icon design!
State of the AI - right now friendly and enemies are using only one single level: Novice. I've been building out 3 additional levels - Skilled, Ace, and Master. Novice level currently doesn't aim that well, has a tendency to ram targets *accidentally* on the first attack run, and will panic as soon as their rear shields are down and they're taking fire from behind. And by panic, I mean, pick a direction and hold the afterburners down!

I figure the next level, Skilled, will lead the target, mostly, avoid firing at their own buddies, mostly (accidents happen!) Move out of the way if *YOU'RE* shooting through them, evade fire sooner (say 30% shields) in a more interesting pattern (virtually jerking the stick around) That sort of thing. Ace will be dead-eye shots, and all kinds of cagey. Masters... they'll mostly be unstoppable for a single player one-on-one..... :D

Novice AI already plays much better when it comes to friendly fire - both receiving and inflicting. They already try and stay out of your way, and if you shoot them enough, they'll bail and reposition for another pass. I'm also modeling two sub-systems "Impatience" and "Bloodthirst." Impatience is high on a novice - if they cant shoot at you and you're behind them, they will randomly turn away and bail to try and get a shot elsewhere. This happens enough, they'll hunt someone else. The same thing applies for their gun capacitors - if they're drained and the AI pilot can't get a full shot off, they get more and more frustrated until they pull out and re-charge.

Every pilot has different random range values for their tolerances and preferences when they spawn. This really helps the dogfights feel unique - every time I load it up it's different. One mission me and my wingmen got TROUNCED by 4 Dralthi. Couldn't figure out how. Turns out that 2 of them never left their wingleader, and the other 1 served as distraction. Focus fire from 3 Dralthi is NASTY. None of the AIs were picking up on it because they were too close and in combat lock with the 4th guy. You can bet I took a note of that and put it into the wingman code as a variant! A couple of the recent GIFs are that very scenario being visualized with the Terran side - I've got a Valtar and Hornet as wingmen, just overwhelming them in seconds.

Starr Long Interview Talks Career, MMOs & Licensing Classic Origin Properties Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Arcade Attack has posted a wide-ranging interview with Origin veteran Starr Long. It discusses Mr. Long's extensive career at Origin and with the larger MMO scene, including his current work on Shroud of the Avatar. At about the 30 minute mark, there's also some fun discussion on Wing Commander. He talks about how Privateer and Armada were ahead of their time regarding their open world and multiplayer capabilities respectively. In addition to working quality assurance and playtesting on these two titles, he was also involved in QA with the Academy mission builder. There's also this quote, which is both somewhat depressing while giving fans reason to be optimistic about the future:
AA: Do you think there’s room for a new game in the [Wing Commander] series?

SL: Oh, absolutely. Every few years we ping Electronic Arts about some of the intellectual property they own like Ultima and Wing Commander. They always claim they are going to do something with them. 'Cause we ping them and say, "Hey, if you’re not doing something with them, we’ll gladly do something with them..." but they always claim there’s something in the work, so we can’t do anything with them. ... We’re happy to pay to license.

Slight Variation Adds to Intriguing Diversity of Sell Sheets Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The retro game site Commodore4ever has found another iteration of the Wing Commander 1 sell sheet advertisement. This one features a black banner with the words, "The award winning Space Combat Simulation. Available soon for the Amiga!" This poster-style image is a famous advert that actually predates WC - the earliest versions promote the game as Wingleader with the famous words, "What you SEE is what you PLAY!" Other iterations exist, including variants in different languages. Although this minor wording tweak may not seem super exciting, from a collector's point of view, it's fascinating to see just how many versions exist!

Happy Fourth! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

We'd like to wish our visitors from the US a happy and safe Fourth of July this year. If you're partaking in fireworks, keep water or a fire extinguisher handy and protect your eyes and hands. I, for one, will be indoors celebrating our army's ability to take over the airports 243 years ago.
After last week's cancellation due to technical limitations, LOAF and Dundradal had a full slate of material queued up to share in this week's episode of All Wings Considered. Unfortunately, LOAF has taken rather ill and will be under the under the weather for a few days yet. Hopefully he'll be back on his feet next week. I know he's very anxious to get back to the world of Wing Commander! Please send positive thoughts and wish him a speedy recovery!
Hello everybody! I’m sorry for the radio silence, I’m in the hospital fighting an infection. I’m okay and it’s nowhere near as bad as last time, just a pain to get through. All Wings Considered will resume as soon as I’m flight ready again.

Arrows Swiftly Arrive in WC4 Era Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

To tie into yesterday's WC4 Remake news, DefianceIndustries continues to pump out some very impressive post-war ship designs. He's got two new flavors of the Arrow up today, including the rich Confed green and red/blue Pirate variant. They'll fit nicely with his Black Hellcat, Southampton destroyer and Caernaven frigate. Be sure to zoom in on these to see all the great detail. They might look like typical Arrows in the thumbnails, but they're pretty slick up close!
It's a quiver full of arrows! Well ok maybe 2 isn't really that many. We have two flavors of F-27 on the menu today, the WC4 Confed green version (now with extra arugula) and the under gunned but over-painted Piratical version: which really doesn't get nearly enough love in my opinion, either WC4 where I think it only cameos in a single mission; or in fan productions in favor of more distinct ships like the Razor or Demon.

Watch WC4 Remake In Action Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

We've seen some tantalizing teaser images over the past six months, but Pedro has just dropped the first test videos for his WC4 Fan Remake fan project. Of particular note is the authentic Hellcat cockpit taken from the original game's FMV sequences. Pedro's paired that with the familiar green HUD to add back in realistic cockpits. On the outside, the chase cam point of view also shows off some very high quality models. There are lots of technical accomplishments that can be hard to see on one quick watch, so check out Pedro's more technical description of the progress made below!
Inspired by Howie Days amazing WC1 project Defiance Industries has helped me put together the first bit of a gameplay test of the WCIV remake.

It's super early days; to be honest I hadn't done any gameplay work at all until now, but I was rather envious of having something playable to develop in, and whilst I've not put much time into this it should be said that Defiance is an unstoppable modelling machine and I felt somewhat guilty for not representing that.

    So the past the couple of weeks has seen:
  • Homing missiles
  • Engine flames
  • Very basic enemy motion
  • Shields
  • Lasers
  • Explosions
  • Sound effects
  • Spinning debris
  • External camera
  • The HUD system (so far only being used to update the Radar; it's pretty impossible to find an enemy without one! :D)
  • The moving throttle and joystick are also quite recent editions
So as not to do Defiance a disservice I should point out that all effects so far are programmer art, free textures (plus one purchase) and pre-first pass particle effects. Things will definitely improve once I expose the particle editor to him.

It's been an on and off project, despite not having done any gameplay work there have been changes that I imagine no one here cares about (nor should they) such as switching over to the Vulkan rendering API and improved loading and effect management. The remake is secondary to the primary task of updating my own engine, so progress is likely to be pretty slow. Some progress has also been made with Grims help in figuring out the files formats.

The remake will require WCIV and use the original file formats (and in time WC3 and WCP). Since it's quicker for me I haven't revived the graphical editor (there is one, but I won't unless anyone is interested). It won't be that mod friendly without it; but as the aim is to support the existing file formats I'm hopeful that I will be able to bring existing WCP mods over to it in time.

Jazzed Up WC Engine Adds Firekkans, Neutron Guns & Chase Cam Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Howard Day has several exciting new updates to his fancy WC1-inspired engine. The most obvious addition is a cool new Firekkan fighter. Howard's also added the neutron gun, made the radar functional and added other UI improvements. Last, but definitely not least, is the chase camera. It makes for a pretty exciting perspective on the action! You can check out the latest effects live in a browser window here.
Update! Radars working, along with damage flashing on the radar display. Made myself a Firekkan Valtar Fighter - Featuring twin Neutron cannons and the very first practical ITTS system - something which some folks at Confed Intel are *very* interested in. And some first glimpses of the chase camera and the Valtar in action! Finally got the second weapon in! It's a Neutron Cannon. I'm definitely adding the Mass Driver as well.... Thinking the Photon and Particle cannons as well.

I've added some animation to the player's legs - it always bugged me that they we static with everything else going on. Now they're controlling yaw - I miiight change that to spin? Maybe. I've fixed the eject light and core damage warning lights - Eject will light up with 30% core damage - but only if your shields are < 50%. I've updated the explosions to inherit the ship's velocity when they die, also updated the projectile impacts to spawn debris when you start chewing through armor. The plan is to have specific Kilrathi/Terran armor and hull chips - but for now it's just spawning a bunch of rings like Sonic getting shot in the ass. Fuel's been coded and hooked up - a Hornet has the same fuel capacity as a F-14: 2400gals. Seemed a good starting point. In the background, but not quite live- I've been working on camera switching for right/left/back/ chase cam views - they look awesome - but I need to mess with the art-shifing logic a bit to make the m move around right when you turn.

Enjoy!

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