I just spoke to the (so-called) nice and wonderful folks at EA Direct about Kilrathi Saga and this is what I was able to get out of them.....
Right as of now, they at EA Direct are currently talking with EA themselves about a possible re-release of Kilrathi Saga. According to the woman I spoke to, they are getting more and more demands for Kilrathi Saga and that its only getting more and more reasonable to bring it out once again. No dates as of right now but that could change at any given time.
Wanna have you voice heard - call EA Direct at 1-800-245-4525 and press 2 on the menu, then 3 on the second one. Then ask about ordering a copy of Kilrathi Saga. You will be told that its out of print, simply ask if a re-release on the Classics lineup is possible anytime soon and that it would be nice to see one. Please everyone, seeing Kilrathi Saga back on store shelves will help the series a bundle. Lets have our voices heard. Together we can get Kilrathi Saga back. Together we shall unite.
WC Movie is around in GermanySomething I thought I better report for all the German WC fans that might check wcnews.com regularily:
The Wing Commander Movie finally made it to Germany. After it was shown in its Original version during the Germany tour of the Fantasy Film festival in August (where I missed it BTW) I now saw the Movie in German this Tuesday in Berlin. All in all there were 4 cinemas in town showing the movie as preview. Those cinemas were all UCI theaters. The offical start will still be on 23 December.
So every WC fan in Germany check your nearest cinema quickly, probably best try would be an UCI theatre, for the WC Movie preview, sponsored by Benson & Hedges (the ones in Berlin have been). You might be lucky to catch it.
Seeing it on Tuesday really made my day. After having read all the critics about it I decided to take it slowly. And indeed the biggest lack, though the only real one, was the directing itself. It seemed to me that Chris was directing for the games where the vid scenes where more to accompany the gameplay, enriching it, while they are the only means he has in the movie. So after a lot of scenes I awaited to be able to grap my joystick to get really into it finally. Therefore - only naturally - the movie misses quite some its dramatic moments.
The FX are literally smashing and a big must-see. Especially the cockpits scenes I liked best. They ultimately made me grab my cup of coke much harder, about to start jerking it around.
Given that this movie actually establishs a new WC universe it is still or even now interesting to see how things were done or converted. Most interesting to me was how the different characters were depicted and played into their role. Maniac played his role best and most in line with his character in the games. One just has to like him and if you didnt do in the games you will like him in the movie. Whereas Paladin was converted - if not perverted - almost totally.
To sum it up: a decisive must-see for every truly Wing Commander fan. Regardless.
... ohh, and this is not a suggestion ... "That's a definite order!" ;-)
By next Monday 1st November The Incursion Web Site will have a new promo trailer which contains a little background to the movie also a nice fire fight between some arrows and Dralthi, it sets a atmosphere more than anything. Download for the movie comes in two ways one has sound taken from WC2 or no sound (size being the difference) there will be 3 files to download for both versions around 15 meg for the first two files and between 2 and 6 meg for the last (version difference)Also the first part of the script will be available for anyone out there to take part in.
Also a progression page will be put up which has the scenes and models that we are doing and gives a idea of how things are going.
All of these things that are going to the web site are done it is just uploading that will take the time, so the site may be up sooner than Monday
Thanx -=Korax=-
VEGA SECTOR EARTH YEAR 2654:
40 Kilrathi Capital Star Cruisers attack and destroy a peacefull small planet. The Confederation realizes that their scurity has been breached and the Kilrathi have gained access to top secret information - information that will allow the Kilrathi, within the next 40 hours, to hyper-jump to near Earth and destroy it. A small merchant space craft, captained by PALADIN, shuttling two young Confederation pilots (BLAIR and MANIAC) is the only ship in communications range. They are sent a new mission - take the encoded war plans to the Confed Star Carrier Tiger Claw. The mission - stop the Kilrathi - Earth's very existence is at stake.Arriving at the Tiger Claw with his 15" holographic friend MERLIN, Blair delivers the secret message, but then confronts his superior officer Wing Commander Jeanette DEVERAUX, and a secret from his past. His father married a Pilgrim, a descendent from the earliest space explorers. Pilgrims are seen as "different" and so is Blair. Meanwhile, Maniac shows off his flying skills in a Rapier space plane in order to impress Rosie FORBES, one of the Tiger Claw's best, and cutest, pilots.
Successfully using a space-time shortcut, the Tiger Claw hyperjumps near the Kilrathi fleet. On a reconnaissance mission in their Rapiers, Devereaux and Blair are discovered by six Kilrathi fighters. They manage to destroy two of them but give away their presence, and the presence of the Tiger Claw. To protect the Tiger Claw and slow down the Kilrathi, Deveraux and Paladin lead a force of Rapiers and Broadsword bombers against the Kilrathi communications ship. The task force is joined by Maniac and Forbes who have become more than close friends.
While they are away, the Tiger Claw comes under attack. Paladin discloses his true identity - Commodore in the Confederation's Naval Intelligence Unit. He orders all planes back to the Tiger Claw. A huge battle against Kilrathi Dralthi and Kraut fighters takes place. Paladin obliterates two Kilrathi destroyers and is saved by Blair (using his tractor beam) from crashing into a small moon. Maniac again shows off for Forbes, but this time tragically gets her killed.
The Tiger Claw is saved, but sustains major damage. Needing repair parts, Paladin leads the Confed marines on a mission to capture and cannabalize a Kilrathi ship. Blair arrives at the Kilrathi ship and, with Merlin as his guide, seeks out the Kilrathi commanders. Blair uses the Pilgrim Cross' secret blade to kill a Kilrathi and learn that there is a spy aboard the Tiger Claw.
The Marines discover the secret coordinates the Kilrathi fleet will use to prepare for their hyper-jump to Earth. Unable to communicate these coodrinates to the Confed Fleet, Blair and Devereaux (who are clearly attracted to each other) sneak past the Kilrathis in order to make the hyper-jump first.
As they depart, a skipper cloaking and decloaking missile heads straight for the Tiger Claw. Devereaux leaves Blair and chases the skipper missile. She succeeds in blowing it up, but her Rapier is badly damaged as she uses her ejection pod.
Before Deveraux can be recovered, more Kilrathi attack the Tiger Claw. A huge Kilrathi Cruiser battles the Tiger Claw as Blair makes the jump to near Earth. Unfortunately, he is closely followed by the Kilrathi ship, the Snakier. The Confed fleet, hiding in ambush behind Pluto, is nearly ready for the invaders. To gain time, Blair tricks the Snakier into following him. Blair veers away from a giant gravitational whirlpool that sucks in the Snakier. The rest of the Kilrathi fleet comes through the jump point one at a time and are gunned down by the Confed fleet.
Paladin reports that he has foudn Deveraux and is bringing her in for medical care. On the Tiger Claw deck Blair, Paladin, Deveraux and Maniac are reunited as Earth is saved, for now.
About the AuthorWilliam R. Forstchen, who makes his home in Oakland, Maine, was born in 1950. Educated by Benedictine monks, he considered the calling of the priesthood but decided instead to pursue a career in history. Completing his B.A. in education at Rider College, he went on to do graduate work in the field of counseling psychology.
In 1978, William moved to Maine where he is currently an instructor of Ancient and Medieval History at Maine Central Institute, Pittsfield. He also coordinates activities as director of the Medieval Club, Live Dungeons, and Catapult Team Competitions at the school. His student teams recently set a new national distance record with a sixteen foot crossbow. William is owner of Northern Fantasy Game Company which specializes in play-by-mail games. The company will soon offer a play-by-mail game based on the Ice Prophet Trilogy. William lives with his wife, Marilyn, their dog, Ilya Murometz, and Anastasia the cat.
William's interests include iceboating, Hobie Cat racing, sailing, skiing, pinball machines, Zen philosophy, and participation in Civil War battle reenactments as a private in the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry.
But imagine Ultima Online with a dynamic score that constantly changed, one that was downloaded on the fly. You can do that with MIDI, but with the various cards offering slightly different instrument sounds, it would be nearly impossible to guarantee the music would sound identical on all systems. They could download samples to the cards, but again you're looking at a larger download.Another possibility is coming up with streaming MP3 audio, effectively turning Origin into an online radio station. Certain events, such as combat, might trigger these custom tunes, and they could be swapped out every few weeks.
Ultimately, online gaming is all about minimizing bandwidth, which tends to collide with all of the THX standards. How all of this may work in the future is the job of Matt Mitchell, who supervises the creation and recording of all audio for Origin. He'll get started on this task once Ascension is out the door.
I have a university comp-sci degree and spent the next 4 years playing video games, uh I mean writing data base tools. A former co-worker of mine, told me about these medical doctors that were trying to make video games in their basement. I met them, and showed them the Wing Commander models that I had made (ah, sad but true). They figured that anyone with this little of a life would be a perfect employee, so they offered to pay me for a few months. We put together a demo for what was eventually going to be Baldur's Gate, got a contract from Interplay and that is how I got into the game industry.
Behold, for Pleasure Borgs are free.
A-wandering round the galaxy.
Who set them loose I cannot say.
It happened on Hades one day.
These sexy droids are now for sale.
And moral people loud do weal.
Surprisingly, however, the PC-based space simulation has more or less shied away from this character model. Perhaps it didn't help that the best-selling space sim series of all time, Wing Commander, focused not on the rugged individual, but on characters who were members of a larger military organization. Since the appearance of the first title in that franchise, only Privateer has really offered players the chance to take the part of a lone intergalactic entrepreneur. That being the case, the field is wide open for a game that portrays the ins and outs of the mercenary profession in space. It's not that much of a shock that an answer to that obvious call is set to appear soon. What might be slightly interesting is the fact that the source from which it will spring is none other than Novalogic. Not that Novalogic isn't capable of producing quality titles; quite the contrary, they've got a track record that includes well-regarded offerings like Delta Force and the Comanche series. But Tachyon: TheFringe is also their first entry into the space sim category. It would have been easy for Novalogic to play it safe by copying successful brethren like the Wing Commander titles. Instead, they've adapted the fighter-based combat formula to an overall model that is different from the pattern adhered to by so many other clones.You can read the full article here.
Wing Commander passes the screen test with its impressive visuals, says George Soropos.A long time ago, in a bedroom far, far away, PC programmer Chris Roberts began the first part of what was to become a major game series. Over the years, the four-part epic introduced gamers to characters like Maniac, Blair and Admiral Tolwyn, along with some hairy villains called the Kilrathi.
Roberts pioneered the use of video "cut scenes" throughout games to create a cinema-like experience and involve players more deeply in the storyline, so it was almost inevitable he would eventually take the adventure to the big screen.
I received my cover from Simware (www.simw.com) on Thursday, October 8. Simware left it in the original Cockpit Collection envelope (which looks pretty good, as far as envelopes go). It arrived in excellent shape, and it fits perfectly on my European keyboard. In fact, it fits perfectly on any 'normally' shaped keyboard. The cost was $20 US for the cover itself, and $4 for shipment. So Europeans can obtain the cover via Simware for less than $25 US. All they have to do is order via e-mail or fax them the order form from their site.
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