ChrisReid
Super Soaker Collector / Administrator
We're running a bit later than usual, but we're finally kicking off our annual vote to determine Fan Project of the Year! We have a strong list of contenders this year, and there were even more that were on the cusp but excluded to keep the list tight and manageable. Additionally, we've conducting a special Hall of Fame vote where you'll be able to cast a vote for your favorite from the last ~30 years. Without further delay, here's the nominees!
- Confederation - This past year brought numerous widescreen art updates for this enhancement mod to WC1 by AllTinker. We also got previews of new features, including some highly anticipated slowdown improvements.
- Mac's Lore/Art - Mac delivered both a treasure of slick wallpapers and multiple lore videos jam packed with Wing Commander knowledge in 2024.
- Originator - Originator is a phenomenal hacking and extraction tool that significantly streamlines the process of analyzing Wing Commander assets. AllTinker released more than half of a dozen updates to the program this past year that added support/features for everything from the mainline WC games to P2 to Arena.
- Sketches by CountVonSchnaps - The Count produced a ton of wonderful new artwork in 2024, including pictures of the Arrow, Rapier, Excalibur, Kamrani, Hellcat, Thunderbolt and Longbow.
- WC3 Enhancement Patch - Mash released an amazing patch last year that upgrades the gameplay resolution of WC3 to high definition and also supports incorporation of ODVS' high res videos.
- WC4 Remastered - The WC Respace team continues its steady march towards a modern WC4 remaster with multiple articles highlighting the game's new music, ground missions, beautiful ships and more.
- Wing Leader - Howard started off the year by releasing the Wing Leader assets publicly on the project's Github page. He then proceeded to add new content for the Scimitar, Strakha, Talon, Salt, Krant, Grikath, Dorkir, Lumbari and more. The game also got new features like enhanced damage effects, explosions, cloaking and Kilrathi translations.
- Wing Loader - Not to be confused with Wing Leader, Wing Loader added updates this year to support seamless side-by-side support with Mash's enhancement patch. Other updates support new customization menus, tweaks for the WC1 voice mod and many bug fixes.
And on to the tremendous all-timer options!
- Eagle-1 IRC Operator - Eagle fostered the earliest popular real time chat room based on Wing Commander in the mid '90s. The community that began there kickstarted many friendships that endure 30 years later.
- HCl's Mods - HCl was the original legendary Wing Commander modder. Many of his incredible discoveries are tools formed the backbone of the projects of the early 2000s, and you can still see their successors in play to this day.
- Klavs' Art - Klavs personified the artistic talent of the Wing Commander community. He wasn't just one of the most prolific modelers and artists of the last 20 years, he also worked tirelessly to package up and release his assets broadly so that so many other undertakings could benefit from his creations.
- Terran Confederate Underground - Long before the Wing Commander CIC, the TCU website was a comprehensive resource for downloadable files, game walkthroughs, ship stats and more. It included story summaries for the games, bios for the characters and other elements. Unfortunately, no archive of the site exists to this day!
- WC Aces Club Community - The Aces Club was ostensibly based around a series of ongoing play-by-mail fan fiction stories, but it was a lot more than that. At its peak, the club had many hundreds of active users and spread across dozens of websites. Each major campaign was a force unto itself unified by common fan lore, message boards and community.
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Original update published on February 16, 2025
