Category:Wing Commander: Academy: Difference between revisions

Wing Commander: Academy
Platform	MS-DOS
Engine	Origin FX
Release Date	August 27, 1993
Language	English
Retail Price	49.95 USD"USD" can not be assigned to a declared number type with value 49.95.

Wing Commander Academy is a 1993 space combat game developed by Origin Systems and published by Electronic Arts. Academy is primarily a mission builder based on technology and assets developed for Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi. The game allows players to populate up to four nav points with a variety of objects including enemy spacecraft, asteroids, mine fields, data pods, ejected pilots, random encounters or space stations which may be defended. Mission designers can choose the AI level for the opposing spacecraft and players may choose to fly missions using one of nine spacecraft and four wingmen. Missions may be saved as files and traded to be flown by others. The game also features a "Gauntlet" mode which pits the player against fifteen pre-constructed missions which each consist of three waves of increasingly difficult opponents.

Players are said to be students at the Terran Confederation Space Naval Academy who are using a new simulator to train for space combat missions. While the game itself does not have a specific story line, its manual includes lore which suggests that it takes place shortly after the events of Wing Commander II. Academy is the first spin-off of the Wing Commander series and was developed as a budget title which could expect to turn a reasonable profit and keep the Wing Commander IP in players' minds during the expected lengthy development of Wing Commander III. The game features a single, short cinematic as its introduction and the majority of its graphics, sounds, speech samples and gameplay mechanics are recycled from Wing Commander II. Academy adds two flyable fighters, the Wraith and Jrathek, as well as three new gun types and an additional missile.

Description

A Stand-Alone Game — No previous Wing Commander experience necessary.

As a student at the TCSN Academy, you custom-design and fly unique combat, rescue, and search and retrieval missions from the CyberSchool's holographic simulator. In the Wing Commander tradition, the game features a dynamic musical score, improved bit-mapped graphics, and a dazzling array of customizing options. But Wing Commander Academy is not another cinematic extravaganza — it's an intense dogfighting marathon.

• Custom-design a variety of missions that match your skill level as you place fighters, capital ships, mine fields, asteroid fields, data pods and ejected pilots - up to 10 in each of the four action spheres.

• Save up to 24 games to disk and trade with your friends or upload them to bulletin boards to challenge others.

• Request random missions where each action sphere yields an unknown number of enemy ships with pilots of varying skill levels.

• Climb into the cockpits of the new Confederation Wraith or Kilrathi Jrathek fighters for a new combat experience.

• Select a cybernet wingman — from a frightened cadet to a hotshot veteran.

• Fly from the cockpit or try the chase plane view for a new perspective on the intense dogfighting action.

• Sharpen your combat skills as you compete for high-point honors.

• Engage the "Gauntlet" - a dogfighting marathon with 15 progressively difficult levels of attacking ships - including three flights of fighters in each level.
  
  

System Requirements

Original Release (1993)

MS-DOS: 386SX, 386, Intel486™ or 100% compatible PC system
REQUIRED: 2 megs RAM, hard drive, MS-DOS 5.0 or higher
SUPPORTS: DOS 6.0 and DOUBLE SPACE
GRAPHICS: 256-color VGA
MUSIC/SOUND EFFECTS (optional): Ad Lib®, Sound Blaster®, Roland® LAPC-I/MT-32, or 100% compatible sound board
DIGITIZED SPEECH and SOUND EFFECTS (optional; limited speech and sound effects in game): Sound Blaster or 100% compatible sound board

Digital Release (2013)

System: Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8 / 10
Processor: 1.8 GHz
Memory: 512 MB RAM
Graphics: 3D graphics card compatible with DirectX 7 (compatible with DirectX 9 recommended)
Storage: 2GB HDD

Box Contents

• Wing Commander Academy Manual

Credits

Role	Name	Source
Production
Producer	Thomas Blom	Game, Documentation
Executive Producer	Dallas Snell	Documentation
Development
Programmer	Jeff Everett	Game, Documentation
	Brent A Thale	Game, Documentation
Artist	Whitney Ayres	Game, Documentation
	Glen Johnson	Game, Documentation
Music	John Tipton	Game, Documentation
	Kirk Winterrowd	Game, Documentation
Sound Effects	Marc Schaefgen	Game, Documentation
Quality Assurance
QA Project Leader	Perry Stokes	Game, Documentation
Playtester	Marshall Andrews	Game, Documentation
	Charles Angel	Game, Documentation
	Russel Byrd	Game, Documentation
	Jerrold Harrington	Game, Documentation
	Andrew Hofmann	Game, Documentation
	Bill LaCoste	Game, Documentation
	Starr Long	Game, Documentation
	Rik Packham	Game, Documentation
	Scott Shelton	Game, Documentation
Packaging
Documentation	Kristen Vaughan	Game, Documentation
Editing	David Ladyman	Documentation
Documentation Design	Al Carnley	Documentation
Cover Art	Chris Douglas	Documentation
	Jake Rodgers	Documentation
Box Design	Jennifer Davis	Documentation
Thanks
Special Thanks	The Wing Commander I and II Teams	Game

Advertising

Key Art

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Marketing Flyer

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Print Advertising

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Versions

Re-Releases

• US release, 3.5" HD
• InterTAN release (Canadian Radio Shack)
• CD Select release (status unknown)
• European release, 3.5" HD (English, French, German documentation variants)
• CD-ROM Classics (original)
• CD-ROM Classics (jewel case)
• Mile High Pack (compilation)
• Hit Squad - £14.99 PC Prime Contender
• GOG release (digital)
• DROSoft (Spanish)
• SKC Soft Land (South Korea)

Screenshots

Pre-Release Screenshots

These three images were provided to press in 1993 and were made available through Origin's BBS. Several differences are visible between these captures and the release build of the game. In ACTION, the Wraith displays a Morningstar's VDU, "leech" is misspelled as "leach" and the target being communicated with is identified as "Enemy 2" instead of a ship type. ENTRY has a darker cursor than the finished game and red menu text instead of blue. It also lacks the buttons to the quick start buttons located to left and right of the simulator. SELECT shows an entirely different set of wingmen (Rusty, Dingo, Gauntlet and Harridan in place of Hobbes, Angel, Maniac and Lightspeed, respectively) and seems to use the identifier "Zealous" instead of "Excellent". The VDU face shown for Dingo does not match any that appear in the final game.

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GOG Release Screenshots

These twelve images were captured by GOG from the release build for their Wing Commander Academy sale page.

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Community Screenshots

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Development

Team Shirt

The Wing Commander Academy team shirt features a school seal drawn by Origin System artist Paul Steed. The seal features planets, spacecraft, a book and an armored Kilrathi head. The text reads "established 1993" in reference to the release year of the game and gives the Latin slogan "fac ut gaudeam" which translates literally as "do it so I may be happy." The source of the slogan is the 1991 language book Latin for Even More Occasions by Henry Beard which gives "Age. Fac ut gaudeam." as a translation of Clint Eastwood's Sudden Impact catch phrase "Go ahead, make my day."

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Patches / Addons

Fan Made

• Academy Hellcat Patch
• Bloodfang Patch
• Drakhai Patch
• Gothri Patch
• Gothri Patch Patch
• Kamekh, Fralthra Patch
• Kilrathi Depot Patch
• Level 6 Pilot Patch
• Speech Pack

Miscellaneous Files

• Academy Mission Pack
• Confederation Comm Sounds
• Fan Made WC Academy Mission Pack
• Flying Kilrathi Ships Information

Press

Previews

Reviews

Index

Publication	Issue	Pages	Score
Aktueller Software Markt	December 1993	37	8/12
Computer Gaming World	November 1993	162-163	None
Electronic Entertainment	January 1994	108	6/10
PC Format	October 1993	64	76%
PC Games	October 1993	42-43	76%
PC Joker	October 1993	64	70%
PC Player	October 1993	40-42	68%
PC Review	October 1993	72-73	5/10
PC Zone	October 1993	52	60%
Power Play	October 1993	44	76%
Tilt	October 1993	114-116	71%

Aktueller Software Markt (Germany)

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Computer Gaming World (USA)

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Electronic Entertainment (USA)

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PC Format (UK)

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PC Games (Germany)

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PC Joker (Germany)

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PC Player (Germany)

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PC Review (UK)

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PC Zone (UK)

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Power Play (Germany)

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Tilt (France)

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Other

Music

Manuals and Game Documentation

• Flying Kilrathi Ships Information
• Wing Commander Academy manual

Controls

Afterburner		Tab
Fire guns		Space
Fire missile		Enter
Accelerate		+
Decelerate		-
Full stop		Backspace
Look left		F2
Look right		F3
Look forward		F1
Look behind		F4
Chase view		F5
Battle view		F6
Tactical view		F7
Missile view		F8
Tail view		F9
Cycle weapons		W
Cycle guns		G
Jump			J
Cycle targets		T
Lock target		L
Damage HUD		D
Autopilot		A
Comms select		C
Nav Map			N
Eject			Ctrl-E

Cheats

• Start the game with "wca ERTS" at the command line to enter debug mode.

  Alt-Del destroys target. Alt-Insert destroys all enemies. Alt-I increases enemy intelligence. Ctrl-I decreases enemy intelligence.

• Start the game with "wca ERTS -k".

  Same as above, plus invincibility.

• Start the game with "wca ERTS -z".

  Same as above, plus invincibility, except for collisions.

Note that "ERTS" must be in ALL CAPS for the cheat to work.

Cutscenes

Ships

Terran Confederation

• Fighters

P-64 Ferret	F-54 Epee	F-44 Rapier II	F-57 Sabre	A-17 Broadsword	A-18 Crossbow	F-95 Morningstar	F-97 Wraith

• Capital Ships

Free Trader	Clydesdale	Gilgamesh	Waterloo	Confederation

• Installations

Supply Depot	Space Station	Star Base

Empire of Kilrah

• Fighters

Sartha	Drakhri	Jalkehi	Grikath	Strakha	Bloodfang	Gothri	Jrathek

• Capital Ships

Dorkathi	Kamekh	Ralatha	Fralthra

• Installations

Supply Depot	Star Base

Missions

The Gauntlet

The Gauntlet is a series of fifteen scripted levels each with three waves of enemy ships intended as a challenge for players. The Gauntlet increases in difficulty beginning with very simple encounters and becomes extraordinarily challenging as it progresses. Players may choose to fly any of the game's nine ships and with any one (or none) of the game's four wingmen. Progress through the Gauntlet is scored based on the enemies killed and the ship flown. The player's shields are automatically recharged after each wave and ships are repaired and rearmed between levels. Top Gauntlet scores are displayed in the game's main menu and completing the challenge rewards the player with a unique screen.

Scoring

The Gauntlet scores players per kill. Each type of enemy ship has a base value which is multiplied by a modifier determined by the type of ship the player has chosen to fly. As a result, a kill scored by a Ferret (125x the target value) is worth significantly more points than one scored while flying a Wraith (65x the target value). Wingman choice and enemy AI do not factor into the score and enemy spacecraft destroyed by wingmen or collisions do not count towards the player's total. Enemy bombers (Broadsword and Crossbow) have an additional scoring mechanic in which their value increases depending on the number killed in a given wave. The first is worth seven points, the second ten and any others are worth fifteen each. If the ERTS command line cheat is used to start the game then the player ship modifier is nullified resulting in a very low total score. The maximum potential score in the Gauntlet is 213,875 points for flying a Ferret and scoring every possible kill (if the three enemy ships scripted that do not spawn were available the maximum total would be 216,875.)

Kill Values

Type	Base Score
Sartha	7 points
Ferret	7 points
Epee	7 points
Drakhri	10 points
Strakha	10 points
Jrathek	10 points
Rapier	10 points
Wraith	10 points
Jalkehi	15 points
Grikath	15 points
Dorkathi	15 points
Sabre	15 points
Morningstar	15 points
Broadsword	7 points (first), 10 points (second), 15 points (third+)
Crossbow	7 points (first), 10 points (second), 15 points (third+)

Ship Choice Modifier

Type	Modifier
Ferret	125x
Epee	110x
Rapier	100x
Sabre	75x
Broadsword	95x
Crossbow	90x
Morningstar	80x
Wraith	65x
Jrathek	70x

Gauntlet Layout

This chart displays the types and AI levels of opponents scripted to appear in each wave of the Gauntlet. Two waves request more spacecraft than the eight simultaneous opponents game is capable of displaying. As a result, one of the Drakhri in Level 12, Wave 3 and two of the Sartha in Level 14, Wave 3 do not actually spawn.

Wave	Opponents	Skill Level
Level 1
Wave 1	1 Sartha	1
Wave 2	1 Drakhri	1
Wave 3	1 Jrathek	1
Level 2
Wave 1	2 Sartha	1
Wave 2	2 Drakhri	1
Wave 3	2 Jalkehi	1
Level 3
Wave 1	2 Grikath	1
Wave 2	2 Strakha	1
Wave 3	3 Ferret	1
Level 4
Wave 1	1 Wraith	1
Wave 2	2 Epee	1
Wave 3	3 Sabre	1
Level 5
Wave 1	3 Epee	1
Wave 2	1 Sabre	1
Wave 3	3 Broadsword	1
Level 6
Wave 1	1 Dorkathi	1
Wave 2	2 Crossbow	1
Wave 3	1 Morningstar	1
Level 7
Wave 1	1 Wraith	1
Wave 2	2 Jrathek	1
Wave 3	3 Drakhri	2
Level 8
Wave 1	3 Jalkehi	2
Wave 2	2 Morningstar	2
Wave 3	2 Sabre	2
Level 9
Wave 1	4 Grikath	3
Wave 2	4 Strakha	3
Wave 3	3 Crossbow	3
Level 10
Wave 1	4 Rapier	2
Wave 2	5 Epee	2
Wave 3	7 Ferret	2
Level 11
Wave 1	5 Grikhath	3
Wave 2	4 Wraith	2
Wave 3	4 Rapier	3
Level 12
Wave 1	6 Jrathek	2
Wave 2	2 Dorkathi	2
Wave 3	9 Drakhri	3
Level 13
Wave 1	5 Crossbow	2
Wave 2	4 Morningstar	4
Wave 3	6 Epee	2
Level 14
Wave 1	6 Jrathek	4
Wave 2	7 Ferret	4
Wave 3	10 Sartha	4
Level 15
Wave 1	7 Morningstar	4
Wave 2	8 Wraith	3
Wave 3	8 Jrathek	4

Weapons

Guns

Missiles

Wingmen