But Is It Ours? (February 27, 2007)

Bandit LOAF

Long Live the Confederation!
The professional opinion seems to be that Wing Commander Arena is a fun game... but many hardcore Wing Commander fans are worried that it won't make proper use of the classic series' extensive continuity. Producer Sean Penney was kind enough to answer a few questions, giving us a glimpse at the kind of work and research Electronic Arts has put into making this a true 'Wing Commander' game. Watch for references to everything from Secret Missions 2 to Chris Roberts' Wing movie!
Q. Have you had previous experience with Wing Commander, either as a developer or as a gamer?
A. My previous experiences with Wing Commander were as a player and fan. Being part of the Star Wars generation (aren't we all, really?) I couldn't get enough sci-fi and the WC franchise was a long time companion. I played them and went through more than a few joysticks.

Q. How will Arena appeal to existing Wing Commander fans?
A. This was a question we asked ourselves a lot during development as we wanted to ensure we did the IP justice. We balanced that with a desire to introduce the WC universe to new players. We were careful in our selection of ships and queried the WC community on our choices. The ships we used are favorites from across the series, and they are true to the IP in more than just form - function and balance were important considerations. Our goal was to offer a fast-paced fun arcade space combat game to WC fans that would also have broad appeal. And being able to fly Kilrathi ships has me excited as a fan too. It's an Arcade title - so think of Wing Commander Arena as a slice of the Wing Commander experience.

Q. Will the game include any familiar Wing Commander elements -- ships, history or the like?
A. Oh yes of course - we've advanced the history in a minor way, and the ships are drawn from across the WC universe, and will be familiar to WC fans. We've updated some to fit in with the frontier-like atmosphere of Arena. For Example:

The A-17 Broadsword Executioner: The Broadsword was first constructed for planetary bombing raids during the Pilgrim War, and was soon adapted to carry torpedoes. Lightly armored but sporting heavy weapons and good missiles as well as a deployable turret and a tractor beam, this bomber is perfect for taking on small, quick fighters.

And

The Dralthi IX Rhino: By far the heaviest Dralthi ever constructed, the Rhino is the equal of the Vaktoth or the Hhriss. Heavily armored and armed, with moderate speed and maneuverability, the Rhino hits hard and keeps on hitting.


Q. When and where in the Wing Commander universe is the game set?
A. The Epsilon Sector, 2701. The Terran Confederation and the Kilrathi Assembly of Clans have beaten back the Nephilim hordes, but at a terrible cost. As the shattered governments focus on rebuilding the core worlds, the frontier has descended into lawlessness. Regional governors hold power through force of arms, as humans and Kilrathi alike fight amongst themselves using the weapons of the last war. Privateers, outlaws and worse take advantage of the situation, eager to make a quick credit in the galaxy's most volatile arena...

Q. Can we expect to see any promotional tie-ins with Arena... web presence, Gamer Pics, XBox themes, etc.?
A. All good ideas

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Original update published on February 27, 2007
 
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All those details truly made me salivate for a full blown title. The described scenario would make for a fantastic sequel, the nephilim have only been described as having been pushed back, and there is some great setup for interesting tales. Rather than Wing Commanders more classic good versus evil (no bad thing, obviously but explored already) it fills me with hope that a new energy could be injected into a a new title, rather than a simple ressurrection.
 
I was actually going to buy the Star Trek: Legacy X-Box theme, but hesitated in hope that a Wing Commander one is put out with Arena.
 
it's been mentioned a few times that you haven't been able to fly Kilrathi ships in the past - which is ALMOST true. A simple cheat typed in the WCP simulator and you could fly a couple... even in multiplayer.
 
Yeah, Sean was in #WingNut last night -- he said he felt bad about not remembering Armada when he did the interview with Gamespot.
 
ohh yes Armada too, forgot about that myself. First time you could fly cloaked ships if I remember correctly.
 
That's right (well, we used to hack Wing Commander 2 and fly the Strakha before that, but that doesn't really count...).

The problem with cloaking is that, as they found in WC3 and 4, is that it just isn't much *fun* against an AI. In a game where you want to go around blowing stuff up, a flag to make the action pause just falls flat... those games ended up having to come up with reasons to trick you into doing it at all.

Armada, and now Arena, are different... because decloaking right in front of a real person is a heck of a lot more satisfying.
 
Well, from the looks of it WC Arena seems to have little story (aside from the background one) and to me... it seems so much...

Idunno, reminds me too much of Armada perhaps.
 
I liked the story they made. It's lite, leaves space for a WCP/SO continuation, and it's IN THE FUTURE!
 
Yeah, Sean was in #WingNut last night -- he said he felt bad about not remembering Armada when he did the interview with Gamespot.

Aww damn. I was going to come onto Wingnut last night but the combo of Work, School, and sick fiancé kept me busy.


(I apologize I know this is way off topic..but sense I've been away for some time I just got engaged a few months ago. :) )
 
The storybackround sounds familiar. Wasn't their something similar in one of the concepts for Privateer3/online?
If they picked that up it could be interesting to see if they will follow that guide for another game...just a thought.
 
Q. When and where in the Wing Commander universe is the game set?
A. The Epsilon Sector, 2701. The Terran Confederation and the Kilrathi Assembly of Clans have beaten back the Nephilim hordes, but at a terrible cost. As the shattered governments focus on rebuilding the core worlds, the frontier has descended into lawlessness. Regional governors hold power through force of arms, as humans and Kilrathi alike fight amongst themselves using the weapons of the last war. Privateers, outlaws and worse take advantage of the situation, eager to make a quick credit in the galaxy's most volatile arena...
That's pretty fantastic. This is exactly what I've been talking about in my other posts, about attention to detail, and care for Wing Commander as a whole. Some people seem to feel cheated that they're getting a brand new game that they can play with all their friends, but I'm pretty awed by all of it.

What would be even cooler is if we got another game after Arena that was set during the Nephilim War again, and filled in that massive blank left by "...beaten back the Nephilim hordes, but at a terrible cost."
 
What would be even cooler is if we got another game after Arena that was set during the Nephilim War again, and filled in that massive blank left by "...beaten back the Nephilim hordes, but at a terrible cost."

Maybe I'm reading too much into it - but that "terrible cost" part has really got my imagination going. It could be taken any number of ways...
 
The A-17 Broadsword Executioner: The Broadsword was first constructed for planetary bombing raids during the Pilgrim War

A reference to the WC movie. And, it's likely to end up in an actual WC game.

Thus should end the longstanding debate over whether or not the WC movie is "canon."
 
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