News Collection: On This Day in WC News

2024.255 (September 11, 2024)

Lost Mech Discovered in Wing Commander III!

AD recently found something interesting while exploring Wing Commander III: a pair of unused, untextured models of mechs! They're labeled STMECH1 and STMECH2 and it's not at all clear what they were intended for. Could they have been additional targets for the ground battles? Or weapons loaders that could've appeared on human or Kilrathi capital ship interiors?

2023.254 (September 11, 2023)

Digging in to Early Timeline Data

Up for a little late night Wing Commander lore? Claw Marks includes the earliest published timeline. The late, great Aaron Allston imagined the major battles of the first two decades of the Kilrathi war. Including the 2639 “Enyo Engagement”:Claw Marks also establishes that Knight is a veteran of the Enyo Engagement and that it was where he earned his callsign.

2022.254 (September 11, 2022)

Start Your Week Off Symphonically

I'm just loving how Symphonic Remakes is starting to make their way through Privateer, which is chock full of moody and edgy music that really takes me back to the Gemini Sector. Their latest reorchestration tackles the game's initial spaceflight and combat music. Listening to this really conveys the sense of launching in your Tarsus or Centurion, heading out into the unknown and encountering some dangerous foes. If that's got you wanting more, here are a couple of their earlier Privateer tracks!

2021.254 (September 11, 2021)

CIC 9/11 Update

We don't usually write a news post about 9/11. Many others are doing actual September 11 memorials. But if we have a tiny relevant Wing Commander anecdote to share in the context of history, we're happy to do that. Just like with Oscar Mayer tweeting about the Wienermobile this weekend, there's a small amount of calm reassurance that comes along with everyone just doing what they're here to do.

2020.255 (September 11, 2020)

Another Take on Another Hornet

Klavs has been making fantastic Wing Commander art for more than 15 years, so it's no surprise he found himself trading spaceship renders with a nascent Roberts Space Industries nearly a decade ago. Through these discussions he experimented with what would eventually become Star Citizen's Hornet fighter. Although his creation is a fairly preliminary take, you can see elements from both his familiar WC works as well as what ended up in Chris Roberts' game. The initial concept images below are his, and the final two are the official models.

2019.254 (September 11, 2019)

Phonetic Script Dialogue Discovered in The Secret Missions!

The original Wing Commander has an embedded phonetic lip-sync track to match up the mouths of the Tiger's Claw crew to the game's dialogue script. While that is an absolutely amazing level of detail, it was only implemented on the first game. The Secret Missions and Wing Commander 2 just use repetitive filler text like "Buy more games like Wing Commander 2." At least, this is what we thought until today!

2018.254 (September 11, 2018)

Customize Your Difficulty with Wing Hard

Sheppard has expanded on his patches that neutralize asteroid damage with a brand new tool. Wing Hard is a nifty app that modifies WC1&2 ship damage values in order to allow players to customize the difficulty just to their liking. Rather than making yourself invulnerable or killing enemy ships with the push of a button, you can carefully tweak everyone's armor values to balance the right amount of challenge and fun. As an extra bonus, his asteroid knowledge has also been included so you can adjust the radius of impact and increase or decrease how deadly the rocks are.

2017.254 (September 11, 2017)

RIP Jerry Pournelle

Jerry Pournelle, one of the giants of science fiction literature, passed away on Friday. He was best known for his frequent, genre-defining writing collaborations alongside fellow luminary Larry Niven, including The Mote in God's Eye, Lucifer's Hammer and Footfall. He was an unparalleled creator of worlds in his own right, responsible for series like Janissaries and the CoDominium setting, which has become an expansive shared universe that continues to expand today. Mr.

2016.255 (September 11, 2016)

This Junkyard Dog Has A Serious Bite

VERTi60 is an ace starship commander in the new Galactic Junk League. The point of the game is to cobble together a cool ship from space debris and then battle it out with other players. Naturally, Wing Commander fans quickly started to make familiar designs from their favorite series! Even better: the ship kicks some serious butt!

2015.254 (September 11, 2015)

Wing Blender 1.5 Released

It's been a good season for fan patches! Kevin Caccamo has released version 1.5 of his Wing Blender app, previously known as Blender Commander. It allows aspiring modders to make ships in Blender and then more easily export them to Prophecy or Secret Ops.

2014.254 (September 11, 2014)

Transverse Saga Continues To Unfold; Game Evolved From WC Online Pitch

The launch of Piranha's Transverse space sim has been interesting, to say the least! There had been rumors for some months that the developer's next game would be a licensed Wing Commander title, so their countdown was being closely watched by some Wingnuts. When the game was revealed as a brand new property, it appeared that the speculation had been unfounded. However, PGI's creative director Bryan Ekman had this to say:We do indeed currently hold the license of Wing Commander.

2013.254 (September 11, 2013)

Underappreciated Venture Returns Twice as Tough

ScoobyDoo has a new Wing Commander concept ship to share. This design is a souped up Venture class corvette that's split into two variants. One is meant for dogfighting against lighter ships while the other is a command cand control platform with a large reconnaissance disc on top. Differences between the two can clearly be seen in the high resolution wallpaper shot below.

2012.255 (September 11, 2012)

More RSI updates

The RSI website has posted a new message from Chris Roberts! You can view the message directly here.As I write this the count of fellow space gamers stands at 6,897!One of the reasons why I took this route as opposed to the more traditional one is that I have been constantly amazed by the enthusiasm and talent shown by all of you for my previous work.

2011.254 (September 11, 2011)

Servicing The Darkening

Ever wonder what it was like for the team at Origin to support a game after its release? Thanks to this Privateer 2 Customer Service Manual, provided by Origin veteran Rhea Shelley, you need wonder no longer! This almost 300-page manual explains how to help with common problems with the game and also how to play through it in general (with flowcharts!) There's also lots of fascinating lore--like a list of the computer specs for each member of the QA team!

2010.254 (September 11, 2010)

TacOps 'Combat Alpha Demo' Phase Reached

Avacar has posted another technical demonstration to show off the latest features that have been coded into the online version of Wing Commander TacOps. A sample simulation is available to test out numerous game mechanics. Check it out (preferrably in Firefox or Chrome) here or help provide feedback over at Crius.netIt certainly took me long enough, but the combat alpha demo is now ready.

Participate in the Planning Party Next Week

This is a reminder that Dundradal's WCPedia planning party is being held next weekend. Although the big event isn't until Saturday, contributors working hard on the project have been discussing historical elements and strategies all day long in #Wingnut. Come join the fun and help out a good cause!On September 18th, 7 pm EST (currently GMT-5) in #Wingnut we'll be doing it again.

2009.254 (September 11, 2009)

WCCD Status Update

JasonRocZ of the Wing Commander Collateral Damage project posted the following status report to the Forums:I'd like everyone to know that after a 6 month Hiatus from any updates, Some personal issues popped up mainly my own incarceration, (DWI). I was released from jail on 9-9-9. Now for those of you out there that have ever been jailed, It's a strange experience for sure. And no, most of the rumors about jail are untrue (insert "drop the soap" line here).

Download Wing Commander Academy

One of the larger items we host is the complete Wing Commander Academy television series. All thirteen episodes come in at just under three gigabytes. No matter how often we mention it, there's always tons of fans who are just learning about it for the first time. The episodes were originally aired out of chronological order, but we have a guide to help you decide which way to best view the series here.

2008.255 (September 11, 2008)

Jumpgate Keeps Shining

IGN PC has an interesting preview trailer for Jumpgate Evolution, which it describes as "Take the gameplay of a Wing Commander: Privateer or an Elite and set it in a massive, persistent universe". That's great - and I'm very impressed with the amount of mainstream coverage this game is getting... if Jumpgate and Star Trek Online live up to expectations, Electronic Arts would be foolish not to revisit the Wing Commander/Privateer Online concept.

Star*Soldier Gloss: Page 29

This is the Star*Soldier gloss for the achievements page: CONCEPT: We're getting into the gameplay-related 'meat' of the document, so the comments will be light for a few days. This is a somewhat flimsy excuse to directly integrate the game's Xbox 360 achievements into the greater continuity. I love the idea that you're actually collecting/being awarded/etc. the various icons...

2007.254 (September 11, 2007)

Goodbye, John Watson

There has been a death in the family: we've learned that John Watson died earlier this month. Mr. Watson was a veteran of Origin Systems who got his start testing games like Omega and Knights of Legend and eventually became a major writer, programmer and designer for the Ultima series. Along the way he also impacted several classic Wing Commander titles, doing artwork and QA on both Wing Commander I and II.

2006.254 (September 11, 2006)

High Def Wing Commander Airing Again

The high definition version of the Wing Commander movie is back after a four month hiatus. HBO HD will be broadcasting it several times next week. This is in addition to the host of regular showings on a variety of standard cable channels. Although the normal Wing Commander schedule is typically planned out for months in advance, these high definition air dates seem to pop in shortly before the movie premieres.

Online Game Delivery Discussed In Austin

Two popular items around here - GameTap & Warren Spector - have come together in one new article at GameSpot. A GameTap VP and the former Wing Commander veteran recently discussed digital game distribution at the Austin Game Conference. They disagree on certain issues and raise a few interesting points. Although there's still no date for Wing Commander Privateer to appear on the GameTap service, the company has just announced that it will be resurrecting the classic adventure series Sam & Max on October 17.

2005.254 (September 11, 2005)

Pictures From The Last Day In Atlanta

The final day's picture gallery from DragonCon 2005 is now available. There was lots of packing and cleaning as we all prepared to travel home. The elevators ground to a halt with thousands of people simultaneously leaving, so we had to take the stairs down to the lobby. After we registered our convention passes for next year, our last group headed to the airport.

We're All Going To Die

In the Wing Commander universe, a number of events took place that set back the war effort considerably or brought the Confederation to the brink of destruction. Other events caused devastation on a much more local scale. Our new poll asks which disaster you think is the worst.McAuliffe Ambush (Action Stations)Goddard Colony Sivar Attack (Secret Missions 1)Inner World Strontium Bursts (Fleet Action)Locanda Bio Missile Events (Heart of the Tiger)Loss of TCS Behemoth (Heart of the Tiger)GenSelect on FT957 (Price of Freedom)Comedy love life optionAccording to our previous poll, many of our visitors have been around for five years or more.

2004.255 (September 11, 2004)

Ships of the Animated Series: Longbow

The third and final Wing Commander III fighter, the F/A-76 Longbow-class Torpedo Bomber, is a true case of 'blink and you miss it'. It appears in two very brief shots as a Search and Rescue ship in Episode 4, "Word of Honor". We don't know when the Longbow enters service (this episode is its earliest appearance in the timeline), but we do know that it is retired by 2681, according to a Secret Ops lecture transcript.

Japanese Timeline Translated!

I've always maintained that WingNuts are the smartest, most selfless group in all of fandom - and Noboru Akimoto has proved that belief by translating the Super Famicom timeline mere hours after it was originally posted! He sent in this list of changes to the original Claw Marks timeline... and there's some interesting new stuff in here!The differences between it and the normal Claw Marks timeline is negligible.

2003.254 (September 11, 2003)

Comparing Regional Vega Sector Maps

Most of us know and love the black & white Vega Sector map included with Wing Commander 1's Claw Marks, but below some of you will get your first glimpse of the color Japanese version. The Super Famicon version of WC1 comes complete with a 50 page manual that comes in full color. The booklet is a remarkably faithful translation with a few minor changes and additions. They very faithfully recreated the star positions and territorial lines of the Vega Sector and improved on the graphics and presentation.

X² Rolling Demo Now Available

I'd like to bring a couple new game demos to people's attention again today. Neither are really tied to Wing Commander much, but both games have a lot of potential and new space sims always give me goose bumps. A quick look around the X2 Egosoft website reveals that they have a 43 meg rolling demo available. They also have a web forum here.

Homeworld 2 Demo Now Available

Although this isn't exactly a traditional space combat simulator, the Homeworld series has always done a decent job of presenting space ships and space combat in a fun way. The official Sierra site has plenty of pictures and information on the game if you're into a more real time strategy oriented experience. The original Homeworld was also the basis for the neat Fleet Action mod. You can download the Homeworld 2 demo here and access community forums for the game here.

2002.254 (September 11, 2002)

CIC 9/11 Update

Well, it's the rock and the hard place: everyone in the universe is tired of bland, meaningless memorials... but to not update would be disrespectful. Last year the Wing Commander online community responded to the attacks with a remarkable amount of tact and maturity -- let's let that be the memorial, and let us hope that the rest of the world will follow this lead.

New WCP GBA Dates

The online retailer release dates for Wing Commander Prophecy GBA have been updated with more realistic expectations! KB Toys now lists the date as November 21st, and DVDBoxOffice now lists November 29th. No other stores seem to have added Prophecy to their catalogues yet.

2001.254 (September 11, 2001)

requiscat in pace

We apologize for the lack of news updates, but feel they would be out of place given the recent tragedy. All Wing Commander fans are welcome to join us in following the news in #WingNut. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those affected by this terrible event.

2000.255 (September 11, 2000)

Movie Video Available in Brazil

Guilherme de Mesquita was at a Brazilian Blockbuster recently and it appears the Brazilian translation of the WC Movie ("A Batalha Final") is now available. You can both rent it and purchase pre-viewed copies. This probably means it's also available in similar forms in many of the other countries that got late theater screenings of the movie.

Blast from the Past: Multiplayer Clans

Claw Marks came across an old relic from the days when a simple modern multiplayer Wing Commander game seemed mere months away. The online directory ClanList has an old forum for Wing Commander. It looks all ready to start building clans. I wish we could tell when it was made..

Now You Can Eat Pepper For Breakfast!

1999.254 (September 11, 1999)

The Biggest Confirmation Yet

In exchange for finding this, we've agreed to give Steve "Rocker" Unsen Byydo's first-born son. In the latest issue of the German PC Games magazine there's an interview with Alan Pavlish, whom we reported joined Origin from Tantrum a few weeks ago. The juiciest bits of the interview are below.PCPL: "What are your duties here at origin?

Cockpit Collection Prophecy Skin Released

Right on schedule, the Cockpit Collection Prophecy Skin has been released, sort of. The Keyboard Cover now appears in their Products section and they've released a nice picture of it.Kris also sent us the following about buying the Keyboard Cover in Europe through simw.com.

Erin Roberts Chatting Today

There's been a change of plans for today's ATFW's Multi Developer Chat today. Here's the quote from their main page.I've just found out that Eric Peterson will be unable to make the chat tomorrow due to a birthday celebration. I'd like to wish Eric a happy birthday and hopefully we can chat with him in the future.

Gamespot Redeems Themselves

Gamespot just came out with their Best Heroes feature and none other than Christopher Blair is prominent among them. The article talks about how Blair isn't physically strong and necessarily very charismatic, but nevertheless has special hero qualities. You can find the feature here and the Blair section here. Thanks to Ainamacar.

A Neat CIC Mention

Kris kindly sent the Acknowledgements section from Pilgrim Stars for those who haven't gotten the novel yet.AcknowledgementsWarm thanks as always to the folks at HarperCollins: John Douglas, Caitlin Blasdell, Rich Miller, and John Silverberg for their continued commitment to my writing.Chris McCubbin and David Ladyman at Incan Monkey God Studios gave their much-needed advice and criticism during the early stages of this work. Moreover, the Wing Commander Confederation Handbook, produced by Chris and other talented people at IMGS, allowed me to create a strong sense of continuity with this new Wing Commander film-based universe.

Really Fast Shipping

Even Karl Frank in Austria has received his Pilgrim Cross from Tuscany Trading. Since they were all mailed out no earlier than Tuesday, that's only a four-day transit time. Not bad. I received mine yesterday too.

1998.254 (September 11, 1998)

Thanks For All The Support

I had a conversation with Jumpstart this afternoon and he has graciously offerred to donate space on the Killer Bees server to aid the CIC in regards to WCA. Thanks for all the kind words and patience while we sort this out. It does take a little while to upload something several times larger than the full Secret Ops package. We'll do what we can, stay tuned.

The Homeless...

Since the server with the Wing Commander Acadamy rm's on appears to be down, we are currently finding them a new home. We shall let you know of the new location when the files are in place. If anyone out there would like to mirror 400megs of rm's, please email the CIC with details of your server, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.