Trivia Reminder Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Please have your trivia Week 9 responses mailed to Chris Reid by midnight tonight -- Week 10 questions and scores go up on Monday morning.
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What's in a Name? Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Final Conflict could use some input regarding character names! If you can help, be sure and contact Rylex.
well I have a little problem... seems like a little problem - but after thinking of 2 hours... it is a big problem. I need names for the main actors of "Final Conflict". I already have the name for the main actor. I'll call him "Lightspeed"... but what names could I use for the other pilots? 3 persons play the main part of the movie... (Lightspeed is already done)

Please help me finding some good names for the pilots of "Final Conflict" !!!!!! The names should be associated with space and Wing Commander... like "Hawk", "IceMan", "Panther" ...

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Ships Get Better Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The folks over at WCZone have posted an updated shipset! Grab it here. In the opinion of this old SubSpace player, WCZone is definitely the mod to watch.
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Pardon our Progress Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Please do not be alarmed if you cannot access the CIC for short periods over the next several days -- we are attempting to make a major server switchover, and may encounter some unexpected downtime. Please bear with us through this so we can help better provide you with Wing Commander resources...
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To Be Scene Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Here's another screenshot from Final Conflict -- this one is from Scene 2, which already takes up 55 seconds! Kindly sent to us by FC leader Rylex.
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WCMC Rides On Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Marine Corps, the second oldest Wing Commander fan project, has once again decided upon an engine: they are now going with the Unreal Tournament backbone. As a result, positions for people familiar with UT's system are now needed by TAFKAW.
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Tell it to the British Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Wolf reports that, according to the latest issue of Sky TV Magazine, Wing Commander will be shown on Sky MovieMax in January. The listing in the magazine claims it will be shown on the 31st, but Wolf notes that it may be shown earlier.
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UE Gives a Speech Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Quarto sent us a note regarding Unknown Enemy's victory in the recent Fan Project of the Year contest...
Since Pedro is absent for two weeks, it falls to me to thank everyone who has voted for Unknown Enemy in the CIC's Fan Projects competition. It is quite amazing that, in spite of the fact that UE is one of the oldest fan projects, and still remains unfinished, we received so many votes. Nonetheless, this shows that in spite of all our setbacks, the WC community believes we are making good progress - which indeed is the case. Over the recent months, UE has finally managed to build up some momentum, and it really looks like we will finish within two or three months. Take this with a grain of salt, because fan projects are strange creatures which can sometimes grind to a halt for no apparent reason. Still, I'm certain that UE WILL be finished, and sooner rather than later. See to it we shall... So, once again, thank you to everybody who voted for us, and of course to the CIC for organising this contest.

Quarto

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Pliers Still Gets Around Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Jack Hogan notes that Richard Riehle, who played Pliers in Wing Commander IV, will be a regular character on a new FOX mid-seaseon replacement show, Grounded for Life. The series premieres soon -- you can catch Riehle in commercials running regularly.
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Paradise Lost Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

WC Revival posted this segment from a recent IRC interview with former EA producer Mark Day, regarding the planned fate of Blair, post Prophecy.
Eagle-1: Mark... did Blair die in WCP... or did he live? (your opinion) :)
Mark Day: He lived. That's the way Adam and I had it planned...
Eagle-1: Mark, how was he getting out of that? Kills the bug, then runs to his ship, right?
Mark Day: The bugs never wanted to kill Blair. They wanted Blair. The Bugs were never the main threat
Eagle-1: Mark... what was the main threat... if not the bugs?
Mark Day: ....the Bugs were merely one of three races under the command of an entity. The entity was never well described or thought out because it wasn't necessary for WCP. The entity had become interested in the human race and it's natural abilities for killing death and destruction. Blair was a perfect specimen in its opinion. How many men have been responsible for wiping out an entire homeworld of a race?
Eagle-1: Blair!!!
Mark Day: And imagine being Blair... Living with the guilt and memory of all that had been lost... ... and all that he had done. Actually he minded quite a bit (IMHO). Then Blair gets captured... and suddenly everything seems so clear. Suddenly someone tells him that its ok to be a Natural Born Killer. No more feeling alone... no more guilt.
Eagle-1: ok...
Mark Day: He didn't hang back at the end of Prophecy because he was being stupid. He hung back because he wanted to.
Eagle-1: well... sure he did what he had to do... but still it may have gnawed at him. Possible?
Mark Day: .......the plan was to have Blair alive with the bad guys. Whether a prisoner or a member was unclear. But I had planned that he would return to the Border World to enlist new recruits. And become the third horseman......
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Merry Christmas! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Here's to wishing you and yours a merry Christmas from the whole gang at the CIC!
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Final Conflict Shot Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Rylex of the Final Conflict 3D movie sends holiday greetings -- and this cool new screenshot from FC... it's in beta form, so it's still lacking a lot of the background detail. Progress on this one sure is coming along!
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A Puzzling Experience Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

CFF has posted a fun Christmas gift for all WC fans to enjoy -- it's a WC puzzle game called WC Mosaic, which you can play by going to CFF-Soft, selecting Wing Commander and then picking Mosaic!
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Trivia 3 Week 9 Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

It's time for Week 9 of CIC/agwc Trivia! Last weeks scores are here -- go get 'em!
Welcome to Game Three, Week Nine Trivia. We play each week. Every Monday two main questions and one bonus question are posted to alt.games.wing-commander and listed at the CIC. Please email answers to CReid1701@aol.com or ChrisReid@wcnews.com. Be sure to include a name you would like to be known under for the Scoreboard that will be up soon. Have your answers in *before* this coming Sunday (December 17, 2000) to ensure your answers are recorded. Answers submitted early may be returned and you may be able to fix incorrect answers, time permitting. Main questions answered correctly are good for 5 points, bonuses good for 3.

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Answers to Questions from Week 8 (starting December 18, 2000):

Question 15: Who was Etienne Montclair?
Most Common Answer: Maori pilot by the callsign of Doomsday. Served aboard the Austin, Tiger's Claw, Concordia, Tarawa and more. Capable leader. Friend of Bear Bondarevsky.

Question 16: Who was Robert Sykes?
Most Common Answer: Border Worlds Chief Tech known as Pliers. Served aboard the Intrepid during the Black Lance Affair. Loved to steal goodies from Confed.

Bonus 8: Who was Slade "Tex" Carver?
Most Common Answer: Famous CIS Black Watch colonel. Had a knack for surviving disasterous situations. Highly decorated with low tolerance for incompetence.

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New Questions for Week 8 (starting December 25, 2000):

Question 17: On what major holiday did the Kilrathi choose to launch their first massive assault against the Terrans?

Question 18: Where was the 2654 Sivar-Eshrad ceremony held?

Bonus 9: Where was the 2621 Sivar-Eshrad ceremony held?

Submissions are due by December 31st 2000.

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Please email answers to ChrisReid@wcnews.com and do not post directly to the Newsgroup. Thanks,

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Trivia Reminder Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The standard reminder: trivia answers for Week 8 must be mailed to Chris Reid by midnight tonight. Week 9 questions and updated scores will be posted on Christmas!
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And the Winner Is... Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The Wing Commander Fan Project of the year is... Unknown Enemy! It was neck and neck with Invasion until the very end, but the fans have decided that the oldst WC fan project is also the best! The winner gets the winner award, and the runners up (in order of popularity) recieve the runner-up image. You are not required to post them, it's just a status thing...

Winner

Runner's Up
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FreeSpace Still Out There Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

FreeSpace Watch posted this update on the WC/FS TC. If you can help, contact Darkmage.
For all you people wondering what's happening to the Wing Commander mod, well here's the latest. I'm releasing a new ship pack! it will include ALL Wing Commander 3 and 4 fighters. For all those wondering about capships, not a single capship is going to be done unless I get some major help. I can't get any of the models to load in freespace. And I still need to add turrets to them.
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Heathen, Convert! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The Lancers Reactor has started the first portion of ther CapShip Model Contest for StarLancer -- model downloads and more information can be found here. WC ships make up four of the seven options, with models of the Midway, Plunkett, Hades and Ella. In related news, HCl and Fuzzball have finally solved the problems surrounding capship relacement in SL! Expect more information from them soon...
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UE'll Be Coming Round the Mountain Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

More screenshots from Unknown Enemy, showing some of their recent exceptional progress. The fully functional ship pack is also now available here -- it includes the Avenger, Bengal, Durango, Fralthi, Gratha, Ralari, Salthi, Scimitar, Shuttle and Space Lab.
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Who's the Best? Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Computer Gaming World is holding a massive survey to determine the best games of all time. Readers are asked to choose their 20 favorite games from four different time periods. WC, WC2, WC3, WC4, Prophecy, Privateer and Privateer 2 all made the list -- now go vote for them! The results will appear in the March 2001 issue of CGW. Thanks, Vondoom.
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Academy Goes Down Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Sadly, technical problems will soon prevent Nohbody.com from hosting Wing Commander Academy. Death's service to the CIC has been above and beyond the call of duty, and we owe him a big thanks. Academy episodes will continue to be rotated on BlackLance.org.
To all who have been trying to access the WCA episode files:

In the past few weeks, the connectivity provider for nohbody.com, Telocity has been having intermittent problems with their network routers, often resulting in go-nowhere router loops.

This, unfortunately, has affected my ability to serve the Wing Commander Academy episodes. Repeated attempts to get Telocity to fix the problem have resulted in the net result of precisely zip being done.

As of 12:00am EST on January 1st, 2001, I will be no longer able to serve the WCA files. Nohbody.com will be moving to a third-party web host (none of those I have looked at have the bandwidth options to support the traffic that the episode files have generated), and I will be discontinuing my Telocity access shortly thereafter, switching to BellSouth's FastAccess ADSL service, which doesn't allow users to run servers on their dynamically assigned connections.

I apologize for the inconvenience this may cause, but I cannot in good faith continue to offer a service (the episode files) that circumstances beyond my control have made impossible to provide.

Sincerely,

Death

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WC to the Third Dimension Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Matthew J Kruer sends word that he has created the Wing Commander Model Development Forum, an archive of Wing Commander 3D models. The WCMDF has uploaded about 50% of the existing Confederation ships -- they expect to add the Kilrathi within the next few days. Work is also being done to produce 3D models of the 2D Wing Commander 1 ships -- help texturing them is requested.
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Last Call for Scripts Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Unfortunately ScriptShop.com will be shutting down on Friday, December 22nd. They are still taking orders, so if you have not yet bought a copy of the Wing Commander script, this might be a good time to do so. They do make great Christmas presents...
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What in Blazes? Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Phoenix sent us this note about Star Blazers on DVD -- not Wing Commander, but it certainly interested me...
Hey guys! Okay, this isn't really directly WC, but it might interest some folks who were children of the late 70's and into the 80's space shows, or have a particular interest in early Japanimation that had an influence on Wing Commander.

I found quite by accident that the old STAR BLAZERS series is available on DVD! Well, partially, anyway. The initial series -- The Quest for Iscandar -- is being released 5 episodes at a time. It appears that the first set (ep. 1-5) was released back in September. How I missed it I have no idea. The second set (ep. 6-10) is scheduled for release today, 12/19.

Volume 1
Volume 2

That is all!

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LOAF's Gone Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

I'm headed back to the Lesnick System for some much needed rest and relaxation... expect fewer updates each day while I'm away from my computer. It'll be great to get home and visit my family... and one particular person, whom I miss even more than I miss ExoSquad.
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Please Review Red Planet Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Another reminder: anyone who possibly can, please review Red Planet here at Amazon. If enough reviews are posted, Mr. Telep will show us the outline to his unpublished Wing Commander novel, Pilgrim Truth. If possible, other Wing Commander sites should mirror this request. Please, people, we need this one...
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An Interesting Box Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Apparently the below is the unique box art for the Wing Commander SNES in Japan... anyone have any more information on this one?

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Ladder of Years Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

A GameCenter article tiled Top 10 Game Predictions for 2001 included this look back at last year's "winner", FreeLancer.
Last year we were chomping at the bit to get our hands on this puppy--Chris Roberts of Wing Commander fame was given free rein to make the space game of his dreams, with Microsoft giving his Digital Anvil development studio tons of cash to do the job right. Well, we've seen the game at a couple of E3s, and what we're seeing isn't a whole different from what we saw when the game was first unveiled. Add in the fact that Digital Anvil's Conquest was dropped by Microsoft, it's anyone's guess as to what's going on over there.
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Final Conflict Help Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Rylex of the Wing Commander Final Conflict 3D movie sends this request...
I've got some little problems with the movie "Final Conflict". I've rendered the scenes again in MPEG1 (Radius Cinepak Codec) and some pictures of the scenes have very low detailed graphics. The problem is, that I need to use this codec for the movie (because I want to show it on TV) !!! I even tried to convert good MPEG4-movies to MPEG1 (using Adobe Premiere, cause VirutalDub creates Graphic errors). But this converted MPEG1 movie was even worse !!!

I sent you two pictures of the movie showing the detail. Both pictures show the same movie (both MPEG1), but they show different frames. As you can see the one frame is looking very bad and poor detailed :-( !!! The other frame is looking very good... it seems like a mixture of some bad and a lot of good frames. I hope this detail will be accepted by the people, because I have no better MPEG1 Codec I could use...

Is there anybody out there, who could send me Codecs as Install-packets?? I need some codecs, but I want them as file-packets, which are easy to install. If there's anybody out there, who has some experience with Codecs, then please mail me at: finalconflict@gmx.de !!!

Thanks !!!

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Trivia 3 Week 8 Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Time for Week 8 of CIC/agwc Trivia! You'll find your scores here -- good luck!
Welcome to Game Three, Week Eight Trivia. We play each week. Every Monday two main questions and one bonus question are posted to alt.games.wing-commander and listed at the CIC. Please email answers to CReid1701@aol.com or ChrisReid@wcnews.com. Be sure to include a name you would like to be known under for the Scoreboard that will be up soon. Have your answers in *before* this coming Sunday (December 17, 2000) to ensure your answers are recorded. Answers submitted early may be returned and you may be able to fix incorrect answers, time permitting. Main questions answered correctly are good for 5 points, bonuses good for 3.

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Answers to Questions from Week 7 (starting December 11, 2000):

Question 13: What was a popular fighter in 2654 that had at least two of its guns replaced by Particle Cannons in later versions?
Most Common Answer: Rapier II

Question 14: What was a popular fighter in 2669 that had at least two of its guns replaced by Ion Cannons in later versions?
Most Common Answer: Excalibur

Bonus 7: What was a popular fighter in 2681 that had at least two of its guns replaced by Ion Cannons in later versions?
Most Common Answer: Tigershark

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New Questions for Week 8 (starting December 18, 2000):

Question 15: Who was Etienne Montclair?

Question 16: Who was Robert Sykes?

Bonus 8: Who was Slade "Tex" Carver?

Submissions are due by December 25, 2000.

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Please email answers to ChrisReid@wcnews.com and do not post directly to the Newsgroup. Thanks,

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I'll Always Love UE Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The Unknown Enemy web site has been updated with three new screenshots -- and a downloadable ship pack which includes the shuttle, Bengal, Fralthi, Gratha, Ralari, Scimitar and others. The first voice-overs have been completed, and work at integrating them into the Prophecy engine is proceeding. The team is developing more missions and working on further 3D models.
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Invasion of the Screenshots Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Invasion has posted a load of new screenshots -- the first 12 are of the TigerShark in action... the last three are concept art for the mod's Confederation Titan class ship.

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Trivia Reminder Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

This one goes out to all trivia players... Week 7 answers must be submitted to Chris Reid by 12:00 tonight. New questions and scores will be posted on Monday.
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Who Are They? Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

I've gotten a lot of mail asking who the Kilrathi on our 'other' poll are... so here's a short introduction!
Apeshredder (CCG) - Pilot onboard the KIS Skabak Ra Sivar. Adds one support point.
Longshot (CCG) - Pilot onboard the KIS Skabak Ra Sivar. Adds one medal point.
Motley (CCG) - Pilot onboard the KIS Skabak Ra Sivar. Adds one defense point.
Rogue (CCG) - Pilot onboard the KIS Skabak Ra Sivar. Adds one attack and one support point.
Skitz (CCG) - Pilot onboard the KIS Skabak Ra Sivar. Adds one attack point.
Wise Hunter (CCG) - Pilot onboard the KIS Skabak Ra Sivar. Adds two bombing points.
Kahl (RF) - The commander of the Sixth Fleet of the Claw -- the Kil who sold Salthi to the Retros in Gemini. Flies a Dralthi.
Danthrax (Armada) - Pilot onboard the KIS Shiraak. Skill level 2. Flies a Jrathek. Appears in the 4th mission of both the Terran and Kilrathi gauntlets.

Kar-Pak (Armada) - Pilot onboard the KIS Shiraak. Skill level 4. Flies a Kor-larh. Appears in the 11th Kilrathi mission of the gauntlet.
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Flight Commander Survives Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The WCDC posted this update about Flight Commander -- if you're intested in helping with a different kind of Wing Commander fan-made game, give it a serious look.
Flight commander is a wing commander style game engine written by and for the fans. As you can see from the screen shots, Flight Commander can import ships from existing Wing Commander games. FC is OpenGL accelerated, and is already fully playable. The cool feature is that anybody can easily edit missions, campaigns, weapons, sounds, and ship stats. We have a ship importer tool for using ships from the Prophecy engine, and we have a working graphical mission editor. On a public release, we will also post the source code.

This winter we will be making the push to a public release of Flight Commander. I'm looking for others to join the effort:

Sound Engineer--Provide sounds for additional weapons.

Mission Designers-- Use the graphical mission editor to create missions.

Game designers-- Import statistics for wing commander ships

2d/3d Artists-- We could use a raytraced picture of the inside of a kilrathi carrier. Also, kilrathi and nephilim launch sequences could be created. Any other creative graphical work.

Beta testers

C++/OpenGL programmers are always welcome, too

Right now mission designers and game designers will be the most critical tasks. If you would like to contribute in any way to flight commander, I'll do whatever I can to get you started. To contribute, please email Eddie Benowitz, eddieb@ucla.edu for more details.

Thanks,
Eddie

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Mapping the Invasion Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The Invasion mod reports that sample maps by the team who is creating their WC themed missions are now available here. They are also looking for feedback on an ambitious plan to do a campaign based on all the main Wing Commander games -- send comments to WildCat.
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Another Contest! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Because of the fact that fan-made Wing Commander projects have become such an important part of our daily lives, we would be remiss without awarding one for its achievements. Pick your favorite project from the list below and e-mail us here to vote! The voting period is one week. Next year, the Fan Project contest and the Fan Site contest will be run simultaneously. To qualify nomination, a project must be currently active and have provided some sort of non-text media within the past six months.

Nominees

If you feel your project has been excluded from this list, please contact us immediately!
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Gracious Winners Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Phoenix from AceNet Central writes...
The staff of AceNet Central wishes to thank all those who voted for our site in the recent Fansite of the Year contest. We are deeply honored. It's quite a thrill for myself (Designer/Developer, Webmaster), Shaun "Iceman" Rashid (Webmaster), and Brandon "Avatarr" Alspaugh (Webmaster, Server Administrator) to see our work recognized by the WC community. We thank the CIC for their efforts in running the contest, but especially offer our gratitude to those who voted for the site.
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More Hamill Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Everybody loves Mark Hamill -- so here's an article about him over at Comics Continuum. Am I the only one who thinks his Wing Commander joke is getting old?
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Help Final Conflict Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The Final Conflict fan made movie is looking for several types of 3D Studio Max models: asteroids, nebulae, spave environments and Kilrathi battleships. Contact Rylex if you can help.
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And The Winner Is... Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

... with 100% of precincts reporting in... AceNet Central! The race was close! The runner's up (in order) recieve the Runner Up award... you don't actually have to display the image -- it's just fun (credit for the nifty new graphics goes to Hadrian).

Runner's Up

(Note that multiple Russian votes did end up being counted, as many Russians apparently share IPs.)
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WCMC Updates Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The mod will be released first as a multiplayer game and then later will have single player elements added -- it's the opposite of Prophecy. The game hopes to feature capture the flag, domination, assault, death match, last man standing and tag team modes. The team (TAFKAW) has also decided that the Half-Life engine is now "too dated" -- the WCMC site is now holding a poll to decide between the Quake 3 or the Unreal Tournament engines. They are also seeking help to develop the single player element -- contact TAFKAW if you're interested.
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Down to the Sea Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Fans of Wing Commander author William Forstchen's Lost Regiment series rejoice -- the latest novel, Down to the Sea, is now available! You can buy it online at the usual places.
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Behind the Mods - Invasion Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

WildCat sends this pair of screenshots from his work on the Invasion mod for Star Trek Armada. The first shows how a fighter is converted to Armada's engine -- in this case, the KF-100 Dralthi, which is now 99.9% complete. The second shows Armada's complex hierarchy.
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Behind the Mods - WCZone Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Filler, lead for the WCZone mod, kindly let me try out the new WC-themed map he's working on for the game -- it's currently 40-50% complete, and he is now working on the difficult task of configuring the settings. Here's an exciting preview...
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Trivia 3 Week 7 Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

It's that day again -- Week 7 of CIC/agwc Trivia. Jump here for your scores -- good luck, pilots!
Welcome to Game Three, Week Seven Trivia. We play each week. Every Monday two main questions and one bonus question are posted to alt.games.wing-commander and listed at the CIC. Please email answers to CReid1701@aol.com or ChrisReid@wcnews.com. Be sure to include a name you would like to be known under for the Scoreboard that will be up soon. Have your answers in *before* this coming Sunday (December 17, 2000) to ensure your answers are recorded. Answers submitted early may be returned and you may be able to fix incorrect answers, time permitting. Main questions answered correctly are good for 5 points, bonuses good for 3.

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Answers to Questions from Week 6 (starting December 4, 2000):

Question 11: Who was a Captain of the TCS Tiger's Claw?
Most Common Answers: Sansky & Geoffrey Tolwyn

Question 12: Who was a Captain of the KIS Ras Nik'hra?
Most Common Answer: Ralgha nar Hhallas

Bonus 6: Who was a Captain of the FRLS Blitzkreig?
Most Common Answer: Krueger

Submissions are due by December 10, 2000.

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New Questions for Week 7 (starting December 11, 2000):

Question 13: What was a popular fighter in 2654 that had at least two of its guns replaced by Particle Cannons in later versions?

Question 14: What was a popular fighter in 2669 that had at least two of its guns replaced by Ion Cannons in later versions?

Bonus 7: What was a popular fighter in 2681 that had at least two of its guns replaced by Ion Cannons in later versions?

Submissions are due by December 17, 2000.

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Happy Birthday, MNelson! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Intel informs me that today is MNelson's birthday! MNelson is head of the Black Lance RPG, a longtime supporter of the CIC and a welcome sight in #WingNut -- have a good one!
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SW Galaxies Team Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

This post by Raph Koster over at the Star Wars Galaxy message board -- it explains the background of the SW Galaxies team, which includes Wing Commander veterans...
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Trivia Reminder Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

A note to all you trivia players -- Week 6 answers must be sent to Chris Reid by midnight tonight. New questions will be posted on Monday.
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Ripping the Zone Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The Wing Commander Zone, which recently released its shipset, is looking for help ripping sounds from Wing Commander, as well as people with experience as moderators in SubSpace. If you can help, contact Filler.
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Much Ado About Invasion Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The Wing Commander Invasion mod is currently converting a KF-100 Dralthi to replace a Klingon ship in Armada. Expect it in the near future. A demonstration of how Armada will be converted to support carriers, a moving outpost, is now available for download here. They have also posted a version of their Tigershark patch which installs automatically -- get that one here (includes the carrier). WildCat asks that the following request be posted...
We currently have a whole load of models that are using multiple textures. Since Armada only supports the use of a single texture so we are currently limited to using the fighters in Prophecy. We really want to use capships and WC3-4 fighters too so we need to make each model only use a single texture. If anyone out there knows how to make our ships use a single texture by any method please mail me at wildcat@wcinvasion.net.
And here are three shots of the fully textured Tigershark in action, thanks to Ladiesman!
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Search And Ye Shall Find Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Ever wanted to find that one special update in our archive, but haven't wanted to wander through three years of news? Thanks to the hard work of Kris, you can search for it! Definitely a very useful tool.
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Voter Fraud is BAD Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

People, you're only allowed to vote *once*. The number of votes you can make is equal to the number of livers you have, *not* the number of fake e-mail addresses you use. We're checking IP's and timestamps and such -- it's absolutely disgusting that some people would try to ruin what is supposed to be a fun event. If you vote more than once, all your votes will be disqualified. If a certain individual in the former Soviet Union continues to vote over and over, we will disqualify the site for which he is cheating. Capiche?
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The Lady is a Tiger Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

And the tiger is a shark. The Invasion mod for Star Trek Armada has released the F-105 Tigerhskark for download! A patch will be released soon to fix the fact that the selection screen for the fighter is blank -- but word is that the fighter itself is very well done! Any of you Armada fans want to grab a few screenshots?
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But Is It Art? Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Soma posted an interesting note over at the Chat Zone. Apparently a new CD, Twisted Thought Generator, from an industrial group called Velvet Acid Christ contains unreleased MP3s -- the second of which uses voice and FX samples from Wing Commander 1 (presumably the SegaCD or SWC version?). I'll try and grab a copy for more information...
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Time to Vote! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The first round of voting is complete. The best eight of the entered sites have been selected as nominees -- and now it's up to you to pick who'll win! Pick the best site from the list of eight nominees and e-mail us. Voting ends next Thursday at midnight. The other nominated sites are listed below -- they're all great, but we could only choose eight for this next round.

Nominees

Runners Up
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There's Still Love Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

GameSpot has done an excellent interview with Chris Roberts. It confirms that Digital Anvil will not be relocated to Washington and that FreeLancer will not be ported to the X-Box. One question, in particular, should interest any Wing Commander fan...
GS: Looking back, do you wish you could revisit the Wing Commander universe, or do you feel you've taken that series as far as it can go?

CR: I still love Wing Commander. Given the right opportunity, I would definitely revisit it.

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Fleet Action News Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The Fleet Action web site has recieved an entirely new layout! They've updated the site with exciting new screenshots and information on the changes they plan on making to the future of the mod.
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It Works! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Despite Sony's previous announcement that Wing Commander 3 would not be compatible with the PlayStation 2, WildFire- reports that he has tested the game and that it runs fine. So, now there's no reason not to upgrade...
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An Unusual Departure Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

This blurb about Digital Anvil at Gamasutra is rather interesting -- it notes that DA president Martin Davies is moving to Sapient as vice president for games. What's odd is that Marin Davies supposedly left his position at Digital Anvil a year ago...
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Files Unavailable Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

For anyone trying to download from our files section, please be aware that they're currently down -- hopefully BlackLance.org, who kindly donate their server space, will be up again soon.
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WCZone - Release! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

As reported yesterday, the WCZone project has finished their ships pack for SubSpace! Download this file (appox. 1 meg) and unzip it into your SubSpace directory to change all the ships into familiar Wing Commander fighters and capships! This is a very cool addon for any WingNut who's been doubling as a SS fanatic. Credit for the rendering software which allowed this to see completion goes to L.A.W. And, of course, a big round of applause for Filler, who actually produced a fan project that lived up to the hype! Good job!
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Invasion Screenshot Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The Wing Commander: Invasion mod for Star Trek: Armada has successfully imported the F-105 Tigershark class fighter! They've posted two screenshots of this accomplishment -- expect a textured version and then a downloadable version in the near future!
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Final Conflict Screenshot Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Rylex has rendered the first scene of Final Conflict, which weighs in at 32 seconds -- although he does not plan to publish it until the entire movie is ready. He's provided a screenshot for our enjoyment...
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Pukcal! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Those readers who are members of the Cult of Sivar already know that today is the annual Ritual of Pukcal, the annual Kilrathi ceremony of atonement at the Temple of Sivar. Have a good one!

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Nominations, Please! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Today is the absolute final day to nominate a Wing Commander site for the Fan Site of the Year Award! Send all nominations here. The voting period will begin tomorrow.
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Review Red Planet Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Only three or four people have reviewed Red Planet at Amazon! Please, people, take the few minutes it takes to write a review -- this will get us a new Wing Commander story! It's just as easy as signing the WCESCRP or such and it will actually get us something (namely, the original outline to Pilgrim Truth)! Go here and review the book now!
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Chris Roberts Speaks Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

A few news sites have actually been able to contact Chris Roberts to talk about the situation at Digital Anvil. This article at IGN interviews Roberts and Microsoft VP of Games Ed Fries. This one at Gamespot deals only with Chris. The important news? Erin Roberts is still with DA, and Microsoft has indeed decided not to publish Loose Cannon.
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Zoning in on New Ships Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Filler let me know that the WCZone mod for SubSpace now has a complete SubSpace shipset ready -- and that it will be posted online soon. We'll let you know when it is!
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Your Right to Vote Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Please note that tomorrow is your last chance to submit nominations for the Fan Site of the Year Award! If you run or know of a Wing Commander site that deserves this recognition, submit the URL today! Voting will begin on Friday.
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Sweet Release Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Lancers Reactor was the first to receive this press release, regarding the situation at Digital Anvil...
MICROSOFT TO ACQUIRE DIGITAL ANVIL

Addition of Austin-Based Development Studio Continues Microsoft Games Division Growth

REDMOND, Wash. - Dec. 5, 2000 - Microsoft Corp. today announced it has reached a preliminary agreement to acquire Digital Anvil Inc., a premier games developer based in Austin, Texas. Under the terms of the pending acquisition, Microsoft would gain the rights to select Digital Anvil titles, including "FreeLancer," the highly anticipated space-combat simulation game, as well as a yet-to-be-announced title currently in development for the Xbox(tm) video game system, scheduled for release by Microsoft in fall 2001.

Microsoft and Digital Anvil have worked closely since 1997 to develop ground-breaking games for the PC platform. The addition of Digital Anvil comes on the heels of other successful game acquisitions by Microsoft, including FASA Interactive Technologies Inc., creators of the best-selling "MechWarrior(tm)" franchise; Access Software Inc., creators of "Links(tm)" golf simulation titles, the most popular PC golf franchise; and Bungie Software Products Corp., creators of the upcoming "Halo," recognized as one of the best original games coming to market. Following the planned acquisition, Digital Anvil will continue to create titles from its Austin headquarters as part of Microsoft's growing pool of in-house development talent.

"The acquisition of Digital Anvil will strengthen our commitment to producing top-quality PC and Xbox titles," said Ed Fries, vice president of games publishing at Microsoft. "'FreeLancer' is a true expression of Digital Anvil's innovative spirit. By combining our internal resources with the Digital Anvil team's development talent, we will ensure the realization of their creative visions."

In a related announcement, Chris Roberts, founder and CEO of Digital Anvil, said he would be departing the company to pursue other creative endeavors. Roberts will, however, continue to work with Digital Anvil through the completion of "FreeLancer." Serving as creative consultant, he will continue to craft the game's intricate storyline and serve as an adviser to the development team.

"This acquisition is a positive growth opportunity for Digital Anvil," Roberts said. "Under the Microsoft umbrella, 'FreeLancer' and other games will be supported by a strong infrastructure and realized in the spirit in which they were conceived."

Slated for release for the PC in late 2001, "FreeLancer" was honored with four of the coveted "Game Critics" awards at the 1999 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), including Best of Show; Best Game, PC; Best Simulation; and Outstanding Achievement in Graphics. "FreeLancer" features a detailed 3-D sci-fi universe and innovative gameplay intertwined with an intriguing storyline.

About Microsoft Games Division

The Microsoft Games Division is a leading worldwide games company with three core businesses: games development and publishing, Xbox, and Zone.com. The company's award-winning PC game titles excite the imaginations of casual gamers and appeal to the passions of hardcore players. Xbox, the video game system, is a future-generation platform that inspires developers to create better games, faster. Zone.com (http://www.zone.com) is the Internet's largest game site.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software - any time, any place and on any device.

#########

Microsoft, Xbox, MechWarrior and Links are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Quoth Rollins, "Well, the good news is it won't take too long to shower off the bullshit around here."
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Long Live... Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Sloth asks that we mention his Confed Clan, a Wing Commander themed Star Trek: Armada group -- which is presumably looking forward to the release of the Invasion mod.
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Crisis at Digital Anvil Update Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The Lancers Reactor is reporting that the following is Microsoft's official line regarding FreeLancer: "Freelancer will be released by Microsoft, and will be a breakthrough game!"

Noticed over at Blues News that the lead animator for Digital Anvil's Brute Force has started a forum at Developer's Corner, billing it as "It's the closest thing to an "Official" DA forum on the internet." Check it out here here.

Another interesting rumor from a less familiar source is that Chris Roberts has a movie script that he is trying to get backing for. Could this be what raised Microsoft's ire? Could it be the rumored second Wing Commander movie? All just speculation at this point.

Still no sign of Microsoft's promised press release -- presumably their lawyers are still head-locked with Roberts over this issue.

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Crisis at Digital Anvil Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

AVault reports that one of their sources has confirmed Chris Roberts' removal from Digital Anvil. They go on to report that Erin Roberts, Chris' brother of Privateer 2 fame, has also left the company. The most startling rumor of all, however, is that FreeLancer may be either scrapped or scaled down due to technological difficulties. This would seem to be counter to what was reported at the Lancers Reactor -- hopefully the confusion will be sorted out soon.
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Fleet Action Update Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The latest from Fleet Action, the WC mod for Homeworld: Work is proceeding on the Concordia and the Hakaga, as well as a redesign of the mod's web site. They hope to post new screenshots soon!
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Trivia 3 Week 6 Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Time for week 6 of the CIC/agwc Trivia game... As always, hit this page for your old scores. Good hunting!
Welcome to Game Three, Week Six Trivia. We play each week. Every Monday two main questions and one bonus question are posted to alt.games.wing-commander and listed at the CIC. Please email answers to CReid1701@aol.com or ChrisReid@wcnews.com. Be sure to include a name you would like to be known under for the Scoreboard that will be up soon. Have your answers in *before* this coming Sunday (December 10, 2000) to ensure your answers are recorded. Answers submitted early may be returned and you may be able to fix incorrect answers, time permitting. Main questions answered correctly are good for 5 points, bonuses good for 3.

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Answers to Questions from Week 5 (starting November 27, 2000):

Question 9: What was a planet or base that Geoffrey Tolwyn engaged in intelligence/spy/reconnaissance work on?
Most Common Answer: Gar's Emporium

Question 10: What was a planet or base that Winston Chang engaged in intelligence/spy/reconnaissance work on?
Most Common Answer: Orestes Comm Station

Bonus 5: What was a planet or base that John Dekker engaged in intelligence/spy/reconnaissance work on?
Nist Common Answer: Telamon

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New Questions for Week 6 (starting December 4, 2000):

Question 11: Who was a Captain of the TCS Tiger's Claw?

Question 12: Who was a Captain of the KIS Ras Nik'hra?

Bonus 6: Who was a Captain of the FRLS Blitzkreig?

Submissions are due by December 10, 2000.

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Please email answers to ChrisReid@wcnews.com and do not post directly to the Newsgroup. Thanks,

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Sign of the Times Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Peter Telep will be doing another book signing at Barnes and Noble in Orlando. Here's the skinny...
Orlando, Florida, December 16, 2000: Author Peter Telep will be at the Barnes & Noble located at 481 North Alafaya Trail, Orlando, Fl 32828 407.275.1765 on December 16th, 2000 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. You can also bring your own books written by Peter and have him sign them. Peter Telep, a professor at UCF, has written many books including the novelization of the movie Wing Commander, and Wing Commander: Pilgrim Stars. He has also written a novelization of the popular PC game Descent from Interplay Productions and written two sequels in the 3-book series: Stealing Thunder and Descent: Equinox, which was released October 1999. Peter has also written novelizations of the TV show Space: Above and Beyond and several other original novels called the Squire series.

The novel Red Planet is based upon the Warner Brothers film starring Val Kilmer and Carries Anne Moss. The film promises to be this Fall season’s big hit!

Laura Jones, who is the Community Relations Manager at Barnes & Noble located at 481 North Alafaya Trail, Orlando, Fl 32828 407.275.1765 will be selling the books.

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Trivia Reminder Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Week 5 trivia responses are due by midnight tonight! Send them to ChrisReid before then if you want to be awarded points for this week.
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This Path Leads to Truth Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Okay, people, we have a mission! Peter Telep, author of Wing Commander and Pilgrim Stars, has offered to give us the outline for Pilgrim Truth -- if we do him a favor. We need anyone who can to read Red Planet and then submit a review to Amazon.com. Over the past month I've talked to a lot of people who've already read the book -- now review it and help WC!
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Star Wars: Galaxies Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The official site for Verant's Star Wars Galaxies MMP game is now online! What's this have to do with Wing Commander? The SW:G team is lead by Raph Koster and Rich Vogel, who previously worked on Origin's ill-fated Privateer Online. Also, the site features two pictures of Admiral Ackbar, the coolest Admiral ever.
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Final Conflict Help Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Here's a test rendering from the Final Conflict movie, which Rylex was kind enough to send to us! He notes that it's from scene 1 of the movie, and is still lacking stars. Additionally, he is looking for models of Kilrathi ships in 3DMax format... let him know if you can help!
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Invasion Help Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

WildCat of the Invasion mod for Star Trek: Armada is looking for help exporting models to SoftImage 3D. Contact him if you've experience in such matters.
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Chris Roberts Leaves DA?! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

An article over at Daily Rader reports that Chris Roberts and Tony Zurovec may have been removed from Digital Anvil by Microsoft. Nothing is confirmed yet, so take this information with a grain of salt -- I'm not even sure if it's possible for MS to do something like this. If true, it could be good news for WC fans... and certainly bad news for Digital Anvil. Thanks to the dozen-plus people who wrote in.
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Contest Addendum Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

A few notes for those submitting sites to the Best Fan Site of 2000 contest -- please remember to include the URL, or we won't be able to count it. Also, please note that the site you submit *must* have been updated within the last year for it to qualify for the award.
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