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War Room Download (13 MB)
Date: July 28, 1997 |
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Component Manager Meeting Agenda Download (3.7 MB)
Date: May 30, 1997 |
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Component Manager Meeting Agenda Download (3.6 MB)
Date: May 9, 1997 |
On May 21, 2008, IDW Publishing and Charlie Foxtrot Entertainment (www.charliefoxtrotfilms.com) will release their second co-published venture, the original graphic war novel Finding Peace. The book, which includes an introductory essay by New York Times best-selling author and military historian William R. Forstchen, has already received tremendous advance praise, such as the comments from BrokenFrontier.com reviewer Dave Baxter, who says of the new ogn, “If you’ve ever admired Maus or Persepolis or Pride of Baghdad, Finding Peace is the next step, a superior work that admirably finds its place next to these, and arguably surpasses them page for page.”Check out the full press release here. A comic that claims to be the next step up from Maus and Persepolis sounds pretty sketchy... but it is from the company that brought back Star Trek!
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Component Manager Meeting Agenda Download (2.1 MB)
Date: May 2, 1997 |
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Script, Final Draft Download (14.5 MB)
Date: April 30, 1997 |
On Akko station outside the Deneb sector, I’m climbing into a Rapier for a patrol. On takeoff, the station relays a communications message that I’m to escort the prison ship Bastille to rendezvous with the Alcatraz prison ship. The Alcatraz will be taking ‘Jazz’ back to Earth for his execution. I express my pleasure in being able to assist ‘Jazz’ in getting his just rewards for his traitorous acts. Akko station asks me to return to the Concordia after the escort is complete.On my way to the prison ship, I receive a communications message that two Confed freighters are under attack AND the Bastille has been taken over by the Mandarin. The Mandarins are trying to activate the jump drive to escape. I head after the Kilrathi welcoming committee, which consists of four Jalkehis. I drive off and damage one enough for flak from one of the freighters to finish him off. I go after a second Jalkehi, and pummel him to particles with gun blasts. I set my sights on a third Jalkehi, and shoot off a Friend-or-Foe missile to keep him or his buddy busy. I stick on that fighter, and he tries to run after taking too much damage. I let him have it while dodging shots from his rear turrets. I head for a fourth Jalkehi, and he’s certainly doing his best to keep his rear turrets shooting at me after a frontal pass. I shoot another FF missile, and it nicely does its job of blowing the Kilrathi to bits. I make sure that the freighters look ok, but I also notice that the Bastille is long gone. I head back for the Concordia, and make a landing.
I’m notified that the Admiral wants to see me immediately. Tolwyn wants to know how ‘Jazz’ could have escaped. I tell him that I could not leave the freighters undefended, and I could not have anticipated what happened on the Bastille. The Admiral assures me that nobody is blaming me for what happened, but he is concerned due to a broadcast made by ‘Jazz’ before his escape. Tolwyn insists that I need to hear the transmission now, and I see ‘Jazz’ saying that he is ‘touched’ by my escort. ‘Jazz’ brags that I was lucky on our fighter duel, and that the next time he’ll shoot me to shards.
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U.S. Marketing Kickoff Download (3.5 MB)
Date: April 22, 1997 |
Wing Commander. Yeah, this one bombed too. It was a good idea in theory because everyone likes intergalactic wars. But casting Freddie Prinze Jr and Matthew Lillard to star was perhaps not the brightest of moves. I vaguely remember seeing it and it looked like a cheap knock-off of an assortment of sci-fi movies. That was pretty much the problem for any video game adaptation; trying to create that alternative to the mainstream that the video games, with their imagery, had created already. But doing so on a budget was difficult and video game movies didn't make any money. Largely because everyone knew they sucked.This is actually interesting, since it runs counter to something most fans believe - which is that the Wing Commander movie failed because it made a conscious effort not to look like the games.
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Component Manager Meeting Agenda Download (2.2 MB)
Date: April 18, 1997 |
The skies are just full of Dralthi, aren't they, Admiral? That appears to be true... on LEGO Mars, anyway. The current 'Lego Space' theme pits humans against green glowing aliens on the red planet... and the toy kits include several Dralthi look-alikes! Swooping pancake wings are the Martian's design pattern. Check them out:
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Component Manager Meeting Agenda Download (2.9 MB)
Date: March 14, 1997 |
Two months ago we reported on plans to organize and archive a massive cache of Origin documentation and material being stored at EA Mythic. Thanks to the community we learned how to read several types of backup drive systems -- and were even loaned a SyQuest drive! Now we're happy to announce that a date has finally been set: we will hit the beach the week of July 21st. We need to be ready to do the job in just under a month... it's a daunting and exciting task.
Several fans will be staying in the area to join the project, including Chris, Frosty, Joe Garrity and myself. If you're interested in helping out and can be in the Washington DC metropolitan area that week, please contact us. I'll close with just two words, taken from the label of a CD I saw on my first visit to the collection: Privateer 3.
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Component Manager Meeting Agenda Download (1.7 MB)
Date: March 7, 1997 |
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Component Manager Meeting Agenda Download (2.3 MB)
Date: February 28, 1997 |
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Component Manager Meeting Agenda Download (3.5 MB)
Date: December 6, 1996 |
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Component Manager Meeting Agenda Download (3.7 MB)
Date: November 22, 1996 |
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Component Manager Meeting Agenda Download (2.8 MB)
Date: November 8, 1996 |
Paladin meets Hobbes & I on the flight deck. He's decked out in a flight suit just as we are. It makes a nice change from that horribly loud shirt he normally wears. That's the only thing nice about it, though. He's heading out alone into the Sharn system to track the Kilrathi fleet. Without enough ships to cover the Bonnie H and Olympus he'll have to rely on the Kilrathi not bothering to destroy him. Hobbes warns him against betting his life on it, but we have no choice.Just as we launch to intercept the first wave of bogeys, I get a communication from Paladin with a change to my orders. I'm to defeat the first wave and the meet up with the Bonnie Heather in the Sharn System. He's been damaged but there seem to be two different sets of Cats fighting over him. The battle over Olympus is as confusing as the circumstances. While Hobbes and I engage the Grikath's on their torpedo runs, another pilot destroys a capship. I didn't get a chance to find out what type. The journey to the Sharn system is a quiet one and it lets me gather my thoughts. On the other side of the jump point I find several Jalkehi and an ejected Kilrathi pilot. Fortunately, I have enough wits about me to ask Paladin what to do. He orders me to pick up the pilot, which I do as Hobbes and I sweep towards the Jalkehi in the area. The Jalkehi are quickly taken care of thanks to the Crossbow's heavy guns and I open a channel to the Bonnie Heather.
She's taken too much damage to jump back to Olympus, so it'll be a slow journey back with the Bonnie H under escort from Hobbes and I. I dock and Paladin unloads the pilot and takes him to the brig. After checking on the bridge to make sure that there are no bogeys on the screen, Hobbes briefs me a bit further on the situation. The pilot I had rescued was Prince Thrakhath, heir to the throne of Kilrah. It seems that I rescued him minutes away from death. This is very serious news. Not only have we captured the Prince, but other Kilrathi were attempting to kill him. The Kilrathi Imperial family is in worse trouble than we thought.
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Component Manager Meeting Agenda Download (4.1 MB)
Date: November 1, 1996 |
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Team Comments Download (4.5 MB)
Date: October 28, 1996 |
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Beat Outline Download (10 MB)
Date: October 28, 1996 |
I would like to thank the votes in this poll and announce the results. The model already on a test bench at the moment is the Plunkett. There was a tie between the Arrow and the Venture. I solved then use as a criterion for desempate the fact that there is a kit of Arrow available then the second model winner and Venture. So here a few days when the construction of the post Plunkett!Check Paper Commander in the coming weeks for more details!
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Outline Download (20 MB)
Date: October 28, 1996 |
Now, some of these newbees rattle on about "what if this happens", "what if that happens". This is the brain case, I tell them: make good use of it.
Roughly two weeks ago, Microsoft mentioned in an interview that 'underperforming' Xbox Live Arcade titles might be "delisted" (story). They went on to explain that this could apply to games that fit all of three categories:
Many fans wrote to us worried that this would include Wing Commander Arena, which fits the first two categories. The third category, unfortunately, is not available to the public in any form (and can be skewed in any direction by Microsoft, should the desire exist).
This announcement was met with surprising vehemence by the ordinarily cynical gaming public - Microsoft has since backtracked and promised several things: the games which are 'delisted' will remain playable and re-downloadable by their current owners (story)... and, in fact, will remain available for purchase through the online store (just not in their original categories).
So, what does this mean? Absolutely nothing - you already own Arena, you can still play Arena... and if the game is "delisted" (and there is a strong suggestion that it will not be) then you'll still be able to get it if you don't already have a copy. In short, much ado about nothing.
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Outline Download (40 MB)
Date: October 28, 1996 |
Saturday, Jun. 14 - 8:00 PM ESTUnfortunately, the version airing on UniversalHD does not include the extra information found by Wedge009 (news). Are there two HD transfers floating around?
Sunday, Jun. 15 - 4:00 PM EST
Monday, Jun. 16 - 2:00 PM EST
Tuesday, Jun. 17 - 8:00 AM EST
Thursday, Jun. 26 - 8:00 PM EST
Friday, Jun. 27 - 2:30 AM EST
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Outline Download (115 MB)
Date: October 28, 1996 |
You can download it here.
- Fixed bug with critical wounds not decreasing health.
- Fixed bug with the sound of static on your target display "sticking".
- Fixed bug with displaying hidden/unhidden contraband.
- Fixed bug with long movie filenames.
- Fixed bug that wouldn't create your contact when trying to collect payment for an on-ground assassination mission.
- Fixed bug that made typing the letter 'q' impossible.
- Fixed seven other bugs that potentially caused crashes.
- Increased the time it takes to land on a base or planet.
- Killing Retros and Kilrathi will now also increase your standing with Hunters.
- Added more detailed messages when scooping cargo.
- If scooping cargo, but you haven't enough space for all of it, the remaining cargo won't be destroyed anymore.
- Added targeting of cargo containers and ejected pilots (SHIFT+T).
- Cargo containers and ejected pilots will now also show up on the radar.
- For missions where you have to collect the payment, your Quine will now tell you whether or not you've collected it.
- You will no longer get fined for assaults and murders on pirate bases (you'll still be banned, though).
- You won't always be scanned for contraband anymore (there's a 50% chance).
- You can now move the viewable area when targeting.
- Lowered the price of hidden compartments to 2000 credits.
- Added a window icon.
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Component Manager Meeting Agenda Download (4.4 MB)
Date: October 25, 1996 |
Within the officer barracks, I meet up with Paladin again. I express my surprise since I was not expecting him until the next day, but my Special Ops assignment has been moved up. Paladin wants me ready in half an hour, but I tell him that all I need is ten minutes. Paladin is going to pick up Hobbes and Major Edmond for this assignment as well. Paladin wants the Major since she is the best communications specialist in the sector. Hobbes will be my gunner for the escort mission, so that could mean either the Broadsword, Crossbow, or Sabre as the ship I will fly. I head for the hangar and see Angel. She tells me that she’ll miss my presence, and it looks like this relationship is getting even deeper. I give her a goodbye kiss, and climb into the Crossbow. After takeoff, Paladin tells me over the communications channel that our course is set. Just before autopilot, I make sure everything is ok with the turrets and Hobbes says everything is ready. At the first nav point are Dralthi Drakhris. I do some damage, and they all retreat but Paladin’s ship is all shot up.On the next enemy encounter, there are some stealth fighters trying to protect a Dorkathi transport. One of the fighters stays uncloaked long enough for me to track and shoot at it. That fighter is destroyed by my guns, so I guess he figured his piloting would help him do better than cloaking. Another fighter attempts a direct pass, but even with Drakhri enhancements that fighter is destroyed too by the mass drivers of the Crossbow. Seeing no other stealth fighters as targets, I head for and shoot at the Dorkathi. It takes a few hits from full gun barrages, but is destroyed. A stealth fighter decides to take advantage of my attack on the Dorkathi and shoot at my rear while the flak took off significant forward shields. He manages to damage my rear armor a bit, and I swing around to try to get him to attack the slightly more charged forward shields. The Kilrathi takes the bait and I hit him twice with full guns, and switch to the mass drivers. A few more shots from a direct forward pass take him down. I let my shields recharge and head for the next nav point. On the next enemy encounter, there are two Sarthas here to make things interesting. I only manage to inflict damage, and they retreat but not before my rear armor has been badly damaged. I autopilot to the next point and approach Olympus station. I recommend that they send out more patrols due to those stray cats.
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Outline Download (52.8 MB)
Date: October 23, 1996 |
I am asking for someone to take over as project lead. I find that I do not have the time, motivation or patience to manage this project any longer. You would be taking over managing of team members (this includes a requirement). This role would also mean taking up much of the stuff I was doing, though some of these could be delegated to team members. This would involve building some of the missions and writing much of the story (both of which I have some outlines for as far as general plot - note that I won't strongly require you to hold to it). The other part of your role would involve compiling the mod (which is no small task, but parts of this I have already done). That is most of it.You can apply for the job here. It is rare that a mod survives a transition away from its original visionary -- but it has happened! So, good luck, Ranger's Glory.
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Component Manager Meeting Agenda Download (3.9 MB)
Date: October 18, 1996 |
The Component Manager Meeting agenda for October is a lot happier than the last one! It's full of amusing notes: "Saw Academy cartoon. Why aren't our chaff pods cool like the ones on the cartoon? Why aren't our engine fires cool like the ones on the cartoon?" And Sean Murphy is giving a 3D class! Cool! And just what is the Shrike's joke?
Another interesting note is this: "The QA guys are coming up with a list of 'What is needed to make this an Origin game?' for Alex Carloss, who now is the only person that can approve the Origin name WORLDWIDE. This is a good thing. Now to give someone responsibility for the Wing Commander name." How did this ultimately play out? It's since been claimed that the actual Privateer 2 team never received these change requirements...
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Game Design Document Download (3.4 MB)
Date: October 11, 1996 |
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Game Design Document Download (2.8 MB)
Date: October 4, 1996 |
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Game Design Document Download (63.9 MB)
Date: September 27, 1996 |
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Game Design Document Download (3.2 MB)
Date: September 13, 1996 |
If you like to get a printed copy of the 2nd novel from the "Erwachen" series of books, here is the way to do so:
Send an email to stb@sidiblume.de
Please include the following info:
- your (real) name
- a fully functional mailing address (!)
- ..including your town/land, state/province and country
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Product Review Download (8.5 MB)
Date: September 11, 1996 |
I tell Angel about my secret assigment on the Observation Deck while noone else is around. She says she won't bother to tell me to be careful but to come back alive. I don't think she has anything to worry about, I've been through plenty of tough scrapes that Paladin is going to have a hard time beating. I have a meeting pre-briefing with Admiral Tolwyn. With the delicate situation in Rigel my transfer to Special Operations has been delayed until the situation can be dealt with. Hobbes' mission to Ghorah Khar will also be delayed, which angers him greatly. I'm in favour of icing the pirates, but the Admiral wants to get a grip on the situation before committing.Angel briefs me in her office on today's mission. I'm to patrol two Nav Points and broadcast a message for the Gettysburg pirates. I'd rather the message came from my ship's guns, but Angel repeats Tolwyn's need to get a grip on the situation. I'm then to investigate a distress signal from a Kamekh, almost certainly a trap but I can handle it. I'll be flying an Epee today with two rookie pilots, Sky & Shelton on my wing. The pirates at Nav 1 aren't in the mood for talking, and a 3 vs 3 against Ferrets will settle an old dispute. As I've always said, the Ferret's quick charging shields aren't much help against big guns like the particle cannon and the Ferrets are quickly defeated. I transmit my message at Nav 2 and proceed toward the Kamekh, arriving in time for it to explode. The Gettysburg pirates attacking it then attack my flight. It's an intense battle and my wingmen demonstrate their green-ness by repeatedly firing while I'm in the line of fire. Having to dodge both friendly and enemy fire distracts me enough that I'm not sure if all the Epees were taken out. Another 2 Epees attack us in the asteroids between the Kamekh and the Concordia but are quickly dispatched. I make a note to have Angel have a chat with my wingmen in private.
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Objectives List Download (1.4 MB)
Date: September 11, 1996 |
"I remember inviting a friend over to play the latest Wing Commander game on my new 3dfx card," sighs jgwilliams. "When he fired off a missile he almost fell off the chair laughing, he just couldn't believe the realism."bobbdobbs was equally dreamy-eyed: "I can remember watching a friend play the first Wing Commander with bitmapped graphics and thinking 'bleeding ell'. Unless true photorealism suddenly appears there will be no OMFG factor to graphics anymore."
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Story Concept Document Download (3.7 MB)
Date: September 6, 1996 |
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Story Concept Document Download (2.5 MB)
Date: August 30, 1996 |
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