Category:Wing Commander: Academy: Difference between revisions
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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. | |||
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Revision as of 16:53, 13 October 2019
| Wing Commander: Academy | |
|---|---|
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| 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
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
Marketing Flyer
Print Advertising
Versions
Re-Releases
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.
GOG Release Screenshots
These twelve images were captured by GOG from the release build for their Wing Commander Academy sale page.
Community Screenshots
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."
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
Other
Music
Manuals and Game Documentation
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
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- Capital Ships
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- Installations
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Empire of Kilrah
- Fighters
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- Capital Ships
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- Installations
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Missions
The Gauntlet
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.
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
Subcategories
This category has the following 3 subcategories, out of 3 total.
Pages in category "Wing Commander: Academy"
The following 2 pages are in this category, out of 2 total.
