Wing Commander Arena Released! (July 25, 2007)

[ChrisReid]

Tactics depend on what fighter you're using. The game has nothing to do with how fast you can get your shots off, you have to know how to get the most out of the ship you're flying. I guarantee you if you go into a fight with that mentality against someone who really knows what they're doing you will lose and lose hard.

Maps and locations matter too. If you're in the center of the Space Station with half a dozen people during a free for all game, you might want to squeeze all you've got. In a more open area, such as outside the maze in a Boneyard free for all, then you have a lot more opportunities to pick your shots and outfly your opponents.

Wouldn't it have been cool if the x-box live vision camera could've been implemented somehow? I suppose it would take one "out of the experience" if suddenly your wingman was revealed to be wearing a t-shirt and jeans, but still...

Well, some of us would dress up in flight suits and helmets then. This is something that I asked about, but the bandwidth issues would be a problem. Most of the camera-enabled games right now are turn-based things like Uno, Carcassonne, Poker, board games, etc. Arena is surprisingly slick. I've never had a bump or spot of lag whatsoever, even in my 16 player games, but the camera does seem to be a bandwidth hog.

What is really going to make this game fun is having the right people to play with. Socialising and playing as a team is what is going to make this game a real fun experience. Not just blasting away in silence.

Definitely. Hopefully we can start setting stuff up soon, but in the mean time, people are welcome to come to #Wingnut and see who is around for a game.

I see people are having a bit of a harder time getting used to the controls. I personally found the controls very wel done and I pretty much instantly got the hang of it. Thumbs up for Arena for that. I don't have that often with games.

Yeah, most WC games struggle with things like weapon selection. Toggling between guns, missiles and such require more work in most WC games for consoles. Having every weapon mapped to its own trigger is nice.

Well the bars are useful because they tell you how much afterburner you have and how much power you have in your guns. All stuff that you need to keep in mind.

He was referring to the bars on the "flight deck" ship info screens. Your gun capacitor, shield strength and afterburner gauge certainly are very important.

 

[Tooner623]

Y'know, I failed to think of all the stuff I've seen on those UNO cameras, and of course, bandwidth is an issue too, good points.

I suppose its more a pipe dream than a request.

 

[Dundradal]

Well, some of us would dress up in flight suits and helmets then. This is something that I asked about, but the bandwidth issues would be a problem. Most of the camera-enabled games right now are turn-based things like Uno, Carcassonne, Poker, board games, etc. Arena is surprisingly slick. I've never had a bump or spot of lag whatsoever, even in my 16 player games, but the camera does seem to be a bandwidth hog.

I've noticed this in C&C3 which supports cameras, if several people have them you start to notice small amounts of lag during gameplay. It's not as bad in C&C3 considering the gameplay, but I could see it being a hinder in Arena. Not to mention how you would handle the camera frame in Arena. It would be cool if it only came up when you wanted to talk just like in WC, but I wouldn't want it constantly there like it is in other games.