Category:Wing Commander: Standoff Strategy Guide: Difference between revisions

Everything on this page except the Introduction is open to rewrites by contributors. This is just what the guide had in the rough draft.

Introduction

Wing Commander Standoff is a fan-created mod of Secret Ops. This mod was a labor of love by a group of devoted wingnuts. This guide was originally going to by a gift from me to the community, however other things required my attention. The guide sat on my hard drive for years without being touched. It is now, after the CIC's 13th birthday that this guide becomes a fan project, just like the mod itself. There's a start here, but still a lot to work out by the community. Let the games begin.

Sincerely,

Dundradal

Standoff Tester

This guide’s mission is to give you all the information you’d want about Wing Commander Standoff from mission trees and walkthroughs to ship and character notes. We hope to provide a supplement to the Standoff website for the hardcore wingnut (as if there were any other kind).

Standoff Features:

• Sixty-four missions of various types in a branching campaign, plus ten simulator missions;
• All new wingmen with new in-flight comms;
• In-game cutscenes, full-motion video, and fiction to develop the story between missions;
• Thirty-one classes of Confed, Civilian, or Landreich fighters, transports, and capital ships;
• Twenty-three classes of Kilrathi fighters and capital ships;
• New fighters, transports and capital ship classes designed from descriptions in WC novels, never before seen in any WC game;
• The ability to compare your scores in the simulator to those of other players via our online Scoreboards, provided by the CIC!

The Story So Far

The Standoff Campaign is split into 5 episodes each consisting of several missions. Each episode offers branching mission possibilities that are often based on your performance in previous missions. Your performance in Episode 2 will also decide what we like to call “paths” you will take into Episode 3. If you successfully complete the objectives in Episode 2 you will then start the branch of missions known as the Episode 3 Winning Path. If you fail to achieve those objectives you will be sent to the Episode 3 Losing Path. Once on a path for an episode there is no way to switch to the opposite path until the end of the episode. So you could play Ep 3 Winning then Ep 4 Losing onto Ep 5 Winning if that’s how the cards fell. Each episode path provides a unique set of missions and a unique part of the story. Of course you already know that, that’s why you’re reading this guide. To find out as much as you can about Standoff’s missions.

Prologue

The year is 2668, and the place is Gemini Sector - the new land of opportunity and organized crime in the known universe. A few weeks after the Confederation has accepted the truce proposed by the Kilrathi, you find yourself in the shoes of Captain William Bradshaw, wing commander of the TCS Lionheart. You've won the Admiral's favour after Operation Nightshade in 2666, and now he's rewarded you with one of the few fighter wings under his command which are expected to remain operative now that the war is over. Each day there are more and more Confed capital ships sent to orbital shipyards for mothballing, and pirates have identified these undefended ships as an opportunity to capitalize on. It's up to you to teach these individuals a lesson about property, while looking out for the pilots and fighters under your command - this might be your chance of reminding Admiral Terrell that you and your crew belong in active duty, since the government is calling for another budget cut in military expenses.

Main Campaign

A few months have passed, and there was nothing you could have done to keep your unit from being deactivated: the Lionheart was mothballed, and you and your wingmen were reassigned to Home Defense squadrons throughout Potter quadrant. That's free money when compared to all other Confederation jobs in Gemini - janitor at Perry Naval included. From 2668.342 on, though, you'll have to earn your paycheck again. A suicidal bombing by a Kilrathi ambassador on Earth killed most of the Confederation's upper-rank officers, and a massive fleet of Kilrathi ships preparing to attack Earth was discovered. Admiral Terrell has reassigned you as wing commander of the sole operational carrier under his command - the TCS Firekka. It's your first time in command of a complete flight wing, in which you'll have to look out for almost ten times as many fighters and pilots than you were responsible for onboard the Lionheart. As if that wasn't enough, the situation now is much more dangerous, and much more desperate... the TCS Firekka's job is to join up with the Confederation's third fleet at the Warsaw system, and act as support ship for the TCS Concordia. The Confed fleet will include dozens of support ships and a few full-blown fleet carriers - ships over twice as big as the Lionheart or the Firekka - all of them dedicated to the task of stopping the Kilrathi fleet at any cost, before it reaches Earth. It may be impossible for a single fighter pilot to make a difference in a campaign with such large-scale battles, but nevertheless, here's your chance to prove that a converted freighter with a few dozen second-rate fighters and a handful of rookie pilots from a backwater sector can do it.

Navigating Standoff

TCS Lionheart

Navigating around the TCS Lionheart is very simple.

The ship contains one room containing nine options. Save, Load, Flight History, Communications Terminal, Technical Database, Killboard, Exit Game and the Briefing Room are available by moving the cursor over a specific object in the room.

Save, Load and Flight History all pertain to your current game. The Save and Load screens allow you to save and load games. The Flight History screen allows you to jump to specific missions that you have flown. The Communications Terminal will display messages you have from command and fellow crewmembers. Most importantly, on the Firekka, the comm terminal will display updates from the flight deck concerning your current flight wing levels. The Technical Database allows you to examine the ships of Standoff from a 3D display. The Killboard displays active and deceased pilots’ kills. Exit Game quits the game. The Briefing Room option will either display a cutscene or start the next mission depending on gameflow.

TCS Firekka

Navigating the Firekka is very similar to the Lionheart.

The Firekka has only one additional option that is permanent and that is for the Simulator. It allows you to play one of ten sim missions, all of which are scored, with the option of the scores being sent to the CIC for posting on their online scoreboard. The Firekka will also feature conversation hotspots. The image to the right shows the Firekka’s Rec Room filled with several of them. These provide additional interactions during gameplay.

The Nav Map

There is perhaps no more important an ally in Standoff than your Nav Map (CTRL-N). It provides important information that can be crucial during a mission. It allows you to see the battlefield in 3 dimensions as well as targeting information. This is important when it comes to capship defense missions because you can see which bombers are currently targeting your defensive responsibility. Always make good use of your nav map. Without it, it is extremely difficult to do well in many of the missions in Standoff. You have been warned.

Missions

These missions are organized according to their branch order for Episode 1. There is not a traditional Standoff winning and losing path in Episode 1, but there is a variant path that can be triggered from the first mission. The “A” variants of the prologue will be covered first followed by the “B” variants.

In the episodes where there is a Winning and Losing path, the winning will be covered first followed by the losing then the variants.

Episode 1 - Crime and Punishment

The game begins in 2668, soon after the, soon to be realize to be false, armistice is signed between the Confederation and Empire of Kilrah. The Confederation military is downsizing fast and everyone, especially pilots, are feeling the pinch. Ships are being decommissioned as fast as they can reach spacedock. The TCS Guadalcanal, an escort carrier, is one such ship. It is in the process of being decommissioned at Victoria in the Junction System when pirates, piloting an undetermined number of Talons and a Taurus, raid the carrier. They managed to steal twelve Sabres and take eleven hostages, all but one a Sabre pilot. The Lionheart’s job is to get to the Nexus system and engage in a pursuit of the stolen Sabres.

1. Episode 1 - Mission 1 – Nexus Sweep
2. Episode 1 - Mission 2A – Jump Point Run
3. Episode 1 - Mission 2B – Scrambling to Jump
4. Episode 1 - Mission 3A – Finding the Rock
5. Episode 1 - Mission 3B – Jump Point Defense
6. Episode 1 - Mission 4A – Striking Distance
7. Episode 1 - Mission 4B – Search for a Strike
8. Episode 1 - Mission 5A – Storming the Rock
9. Episode 1 - Mission 5B – Final Strike
10. Episode 1 - Mission 6A/B – Sabre Pursuit
11. Episode 1 - Mission 7 – Sabre Pursuit

Main Campaign

The Main Campaign of Standoff is centered around the actions leading up to the Battle of Terra on New Year’s Eve 2668. The TCS Firekka is attempting to join up with the main Confederation fleet and must fight its way to the rendezvous. Your actions in Episode 2 will decide if you arrive on time or behind the main fleet. The course you take will be played out through Episodes 3-5. The ability to go from the winning to the losing path is entirely possible as is vice versa. Your actions determine the future of Earth. Will you make it to escort the Marines to the Hakagas or will you arrive barely in time to destroy Jukaga’s cruisers? The choice is yours…

Episode 2 - Back to Business

The war is back on. It is two days before Christmas and everything is stirring. The Hakaga fleet was revealed a week prior and Capt. Bradshaw is immediately transferred to the TCS Firekka, a Wake-Class Escort Carrier, to become its new Wing Commander.

During Episode 2 you are on the move, there is a war on after all. You’ve got to round up ships and get moving to rendezvous with the Third Fleet at Warsaw. Your actions during this Episode will affect whether you take the winning or losing path of Episode 3.

1. Episode 2 - Mission 1 - Family Reunion
2. Episode 2 - Mission 2 - Mastif Patrol
3. Episode 2 - Mission 3 - First Engagement
4. Episode 2 - Mission 4 - Ralatha Strike
5. Episode 2 - Mission 4B - Ralatha Strike
6. Episode 2 - Mission 5 - Carrier Charge
7. Episode 2 - Mission 5B - Carrier Charge

Episode 3 Winning - Gathering at Warsaw

Warsaw

Confed’s Third Fleet under Admiral Tolwyn has forward deployed at Warsaw to attempt to slow the Kilrathi advance. You are put of that force. Strike hard and strike fast. You actions in this Episode decide whether you take the winning or losing path towards Sol.

Path Variants

Standoff features winning and losing paths for the rest of the campaign. For clarity, the guide will address the winning, then winning variants, then losing and so on for the rest of the mission texts.

1. Episode 3 - Winning Mission 1 – Battle of Verdun
2. Episode 3 - Winning Mission 2 - Lashing Out
3. Episode 3 - Winning Mission 3A - Rearguard Action
4. Episode 3 - Winning Mission 3B - Holding the Line
5. Episode 3 - Winning Mission 4 - Destroyer Rescue

Episode 3 Losing - Back Route to Sirius

You took too long to rendezvous with the Fleet and have been forced to take a detour to get to Sirius. If you fight hard enough you can make the date at Sirius, however if you take too long you could wind up missing the battle.

1. Episode 3 - Losing Mission 1 - Scouting Ahead
2. Episode 3 - Losing Mission 2A - Hiding the Firekka
3. Episode 3 - Losing Mission 2B - Scramble
4. Episode 3 - Losing Mission 3A - Capship Strike
5. Episode 3 - Losing Mission 3B - Making Way
6. Episode 3 - Losing Mission 4 - Marching to Sirius

Episode 4 Winning - The Battle of Sirius

The Third Fleet is making a stand at Sirius. You are part of that stand. The main focus of this Episode is whittling down the Kilrathi fleet even further before it reaches Earth. Again, your actions decide your fate and that of the Confederation.

1. Episode 4 - Winning Mission 5 - Clearing the Path
2. Episode 4 - Winning Mission 6A - Torpedo Delivery (A)
3. Episode 4 - Winning Mission 6B - Torpedo Deliveries
4. Episode 4 - Winning Mission 7 - Moskva's Endgame
5. Episode 4 - Winning Mission 8 - Skinning Cats
6. Episode 4 - Winning Mission 9 - Looking for Leyte
7. Episode 4 - Winning Mission 10A - Tactical Withdrawal
8. Episode 4 - Winning Mission 10B - Out the Back Door

Episode 4 Losing - Backlash in Sirius

The player has missed the Battle of Sirius and must now attempt to reach Sol in time. The Firekka is behind the main Kilrathi fleet and this Episode spends some time causing havoc amongst those rear-echelon vessels.