Could WC1 be made better?

Back on topic, here are a few things I'm thinking could be done in a new engine without losing the original game in the process:

  • Use a 3D sound system to assist players in locating enemies
  • Change the "locked" blip from a flashing dot to the cross used in later games
  • MIDIs can be replaced with higher quality recordings
  • Original ship images could be touched up (i.e. remove some of the low color graininess)

If one was looking to change the game a bit, other things that could be done are:

  • Replace the original ship images with high quality renderings (obvious)
  • Stretch the cockpit images by a few pixels to add the "shake" effect when hit
  • Replace the original sound effects with more realistic samples
  • Add cool special effects (e.g. Ring explosions, shield flares, more armor chunks, etc.)
  • Add voice acting for the spoken lines.
  • Render new comm videos
  • Render 3D FMV sequences for the intro, ending, and inter-system animations.
 
I'd like to see a great classic transferred to a good fan project, sorta like Privateer Remake. Nostalgia with the ability to fly like in a modern WC, that would be awesome!
 
I used to think that way. Then I got Privateer running on DOSBOx and I think I'm PERFECTLY happy with the original...

The problem with fan stuff is striking a balance between smoothing a few rough edges and changing so much that it becomes some fanboy wetdream.

If a remake is to be done, fine, I think they can fix a very few things. the problem is that people sometimes lose control and create a monster. I'm not refering to Priv-Remake, I didn't play it (yet). But it is something you can know by reading one or two fan fics. And by being an old member of the SRA, too.
 
I agree that the remake of WC1 would be awesome.
Imagine what Robert's would've done with full 3d models and today's video cards using the original Wing Commander. The characters would have been even more developed than in the game, the challenge would be as high as any other. Another great thing about WC1 is that it doesn't get carried away with super ships like some of the others do. I remember in WC4 the almost reverse learning curve. It's like when you start off you have the least capable ships with few missiles and weak guns and then by the end you're flying the dragon with tachyons and the fission gun not to mention cloaking at will... as cool as it was it really lessens the difficulty and mystique that the game has.
WC1 had that mystique throughout the game, every ship had just as many advantages as disadvantages, and the Kilrathi were always seemingly better equipped and left you outmanned and outgunned. You kind of felt like your back was against the wall in every mission and no hocus pocus ships or weapons could change it. It would take expert gunning and flying skills every time or your casket would get the 21-gun salute
 
Edfilho said:
Erm, Rapier?
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The Rapier was not a super-ship. It was the *best* ship in Confed's inventory, and had a distinct edge thanks to its bleeding edge technology. However, the Rapier was an attempt to strike a balance between the speed of a light fighter and the offensive punch of a heavy fighter. What this meant is that (unlike the Raptor) you could dish it out, but you couldn't take it. You had to keep nimble on your feet or the Kilrathi would send you home in a box.


Imagine what Robert's would've done with full 3d models and today's video cards using the original Wing Commander. The characters would have been even more developed than in the game, the challenge would be as high as any other.
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While it's fun to think of what Roberts "might have done" had modern technology been available, one needs to be careful about trampling over what people love about the original. i.e. Doing a remake that's actually a complete redesign is likely to upset a few people. For those who want to do such a game, a new game set in the same time period would probably be most appropriate, while any actual remake should stay very close to the original.
 
Skanks said:
The only way I'd like to see a remake done would be to run the original at a higher resolution and colours. This would allow much higher quality sprites. If it was a modification of the original rather than a complete remake it would work, as the engine would function the same.
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I also think that this is the best way to go.
You can compare it to the Digitally remastered DVD version of Star Wars ep 4, 5 & 6.
IMHO it is better compared to the original release in every way (better sound, and special effects but still exactly the same story with the same actors)
I can't think of any reason why anyone would still watch the original release if they have the DVD version.
So if Skanks' proposal is doable, I would very much like to see it become a reality!
 
i miss those darn cats

Thinking about it now, it's not necessarily that I need to relive WC1 with a modern engine as much as I miss shooting down those furballs. I honestly can't think of anything but 7 foot cats in spaceships in coming for a head on run. How many of us had nightmares about these creatures (which grew exponentially after the videos from WC3 furthered how terrible these things were). I'm with Hawk who in WCP has trouble buying that the war is truly over. Whatever happened to WC: False Colors. Is it so hard to believe that the warrior Kilrathi race would fight to the finish even after their emperor and homeworld were no more.

Thos kittens grew on me and scared the $hit out of me in a way the bugs could never do. They were the best foes of any video game because they're so freakin tenacious and that they can rip us to shreds in any hand to hand encounter.

Back to the surrendering kilrathi...didn't it look odd to anyone that Melek, who is two times the size of Shaq bowed down to Blair? These guys are killers and not cowards. If earth was destroyed I'm sure that Confed and the Border Worlds would have kept at it. Every planet would have held firm against the Kilrathi until they were completely wiped out by their furry foes. Why is it that the rational terrans are willing to fight and not the warrior bred cat species that have spent every day in existence fighting, whether it be each other, or us???

BRING BACK THE KILRATHI - no templor bomb this time, just Blair and his ship
 
Why is it that the rational terrans are willing to fight and not the warrior bred cat species that have spent every day in existence fighting, whether it be each other, or us???
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Honor and stuff, blair had defeated the best of the best in combat, and the strongest should rule, according to their psyche, me thinks...

what would you have expected, WC4-11 blair hunting down cat survivors until he was 4000 years old?

(not a bad thought though)
 
As a fairly new fan of Wing Commander, (I had to buy Prophecy from ebay and that's the only game I ever got to play) a remake would be great. Being able to play through those storylines in an updated version would draw a large audience. I'm not saying change anything except the graphics engine. Flight Characteristics, ships, story, etc., should all stay the same, it would just be prettier and made for modern hardware. If they remade the entire series with an updated graphics engine but kept everything else the same. Granted it would probably require EA to do this with fans to help consult them on what everything should do. Maybe then, if the "Collector/Special Edition" sold well they'd bring Wing Commander back and finish Prophecy/Secret Ops and even go further with it.

While I personally would love to be able to play the originals like that as I never got to play them in their original state, an alternative/side story to the originals would be great just as Standoff is.

It would be an interesting project for EA to take on but I'm sure they could profit greatly from it if they did it right.
 
Why would EA bother with a remake if they could do something new which would bring more money?
 
cff said:
Why would EA bother with a remake if they could do something new which would bring more money?
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The "WC should be remade" crowd needs to understand that WC1 was already remade! https://www.wcnews.com/news/update/6375 And it was done 12 years ago when Origin was still bustling and there were plenty of WC experts on hand to provide guidance. It would require way too much extra effort to try to make a remake accurate today. The whole idea isn't well thought through. The poster above just said it needs a new graphics engine. So what then of the story? All the characters would need to be recreated as well. And as much as I love talking heads, they're way out of style. Even by WC2 we can see how much cinematic storytelling in games evolved. And people don't get by with text anymore. They'd have to rererecord all the voices again. There's no "just upgrade the graphics engine" quick and easy path to a remake. Why would EA bother? To cater to a small group of fans in a niche market? EA does not do this today. The only games they make are designed for mass market appeal. We have a hard enough time trying to get EA to make something Wing Commander related at all. Certainly it would not make sense to burden them with inherent restrictions necessary of a remake, when they would definitely design the next Wing Commander game to conform to the very different video game market of today.

I just completely replayed through WC1 and SMs a few weeks ago. They hold up great, and they're tons of fun. If people missed out, plenty of copies are available on ebay and they run great in DOSBox.
 
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You all seem to think a remake would be near impossible to do accurately for them. EA has enough resources to do so. And while I neglected to mention that they'd have to redo cutscenes I figured it was implied that they'd need to do so and they'd probably use CG instead of hiring actors. Lucasarts did it with the first 2 games in the X-Wing Series and made plenty of money doing so. I don't see why EA couldn't do the same thing and still make a killing. With the story, ship and mission designs already laid out infront of them, a lot of their work is already done for them. You all make it sound like such a daunting task when it could easily be done if EA wanted to.

And yes I know of Super Wing Commander but from what people have said around here, it seems to be fairly rare. And when I say a remake, I'm saying they remake the whole/most of the series, not only so people can relive the story in an updated version but to bring in new fans. With the lack of good Space Sims lately it wouldn't be too hard.

And not all games EA has made have been for the mass market. They made Earth and Beyond, a spaceship based mmorpg which was a niche market at the time, that did fairly well but was cancelled in Sep of 2004.

And I'm not saying it should or should not be remade. While I'd like to see it I can see why some people wouldn't. It would however be a very interesting and worthwhile project for EA to partake in. And even if they didn't remake the series but instead made a side story to Wing Commander I'd be all over it.
 
Wake said:
You all seem to think a remake would be near impossible to do accurately for them. EA has enough resources to do so. And while I neglected to mention that they'd have to redo cutscenes I figured it was implied that they'd need to do so and they'd probably use CG instead of hiring actors. Lucasarts did it with the first 2 games in the X-Wing Series and made plenty of money doing so.
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The reason why LucasArts went back and remade (if you can even call it that) them was because the games weren't that outdated, and people wanted to be able to run them under Windows 95. It's worth noting that EA did the exact same thing with WC1, 2 and 3, at the exact same time, and for the exact same reason.

You all make it sound like such a daunting task when it could easily be done if EA wanted to.
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No, we make it sound like a task EA wouldn't want to do. Can you explain why exactly this would be such a great money-maker? Because that's the part EA has trouble grasping - as do I.
 
Quarto said:
Can you explain why exactly this would be such a great money-maker? Because that's the part EA has trouble grasping - as do I.
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Especially evident when they put WC1 in a magazine that can be purchased for all of $7
 
Quote:
You all make it sound like such a daunting task when it could easily be done if EA wanted to.


No, we make it sound like a task EA wouldn't want to do. Can you explain why exactly this would be such a great money-maker? Because that's the part EA has trouble grasping - as do I.
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I'm not trying to argue with you guys, just trying to say that it would be neat/interesting/awesome/cool if they did. And you're all so against it for some reason. If EA WANTED to do it, it could breathe new life into the series. And I never said EA would want to do it. I said it would be interesting if EA wanted to do it.

The reason why they could make money off of it is because the market for space combat sims is negligble at this time. If they were to remake an already proven space sim they could, emphasis on could not WILL as I've used COULD in every post, make a ton of money.

I never said they should endeavor on this project and you all argue that I'm trying to convince them of doing so. Just that it would be an interesting project. You all are so against this and welcoming in new fans that the WC community seems inhospitable at this time and may be why EA decides to ignore you all.

I understand that you all disagree with me and are trying to point out why but the way you go about doing so is harsh. It comes across as "No you're wrong and I'm right and there will be no discussion." The OP and myself merely wished to discuss the simple idea of a remake but you're all so against it that it's nigh impossible to do so with the WC Community.
 
I think you're mistaking this for the "everyone must agree with Wake" forum.

Setting that aside, and ignoring your "nobody loves me, you all suck" hissy-fit, you're working off of assumptions that history doesn't support.

KS, a remake of WC1-3, didn't sell that much when it was released, and there was still plenty of interest from gamers for space combat sims. With little interest in space combat sims nowadays, the small percentage of people who liked the remake are even less of an issue now than they were a decade ago.

There may be some at EA who consider "COULD sell" sufficient justification. However, they're not in charge of anything. EA has, for a long time now, put out almost nothing that wasn't a guaranteed hit. (I think The Sims was the last one, and even then it had Will Wright's name on it, so it's not like that was a total "shot in the dark", given the profits from WW's previous games.) Or have you not noticed the umpteen zillion releases that are just continuations of existing franchises (ESPN sports, Need For Speed, etc) for which there is guaranteed desire on the part of the buying public?
 
One more thing to note - the last time EA tried to market another game which was not a Sims game or a sports game, they kinda got soaked. See "The Sims Online" for an example of this. :D I doubt they're willing to risk another experiment on WC quite yet, at least outside of a console release, such as Prophecy.
 
Death said:
I think you're mistaking this for the "everyone must agree with Wake" forum.

Setting that aside, and ignoring your "nobody loves me, you all suck" hissy-fit, you're working off of assumptions that history doesn't support.
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Now see I never said you all suck or that everyone had to agree with me. I'll admit I was a little disappointed that the idea was shot down so quickly but that doesn't mean I think anyone sucks, just that it's hard to communicate with some of you because of the way you presented your side.

Now I'll admit I don't know everything about WC, which I've admitted several times, I just thought, from the devotion that people have to this game, that a remake would be profitable and it is doable. Whether or not they ever do it is up to the company.

And I'm not completely positive but doesn't EA make the newer Bond games? They aren't that big of a hit. But if they don't make them then this point is moot.
 
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