Gauging interest in a remaster

Pedro

Admiral
Hi everyone!

I've been working with Pete on some modding work which we've finally had some time to come back to. After that however I intend to resign from modding; I'd rather make new technology than reverse engineer old, and I have a game engine to open source - but no game to attach to it (not one I can release anyway) so I'm looking for a project.
Ideally I'd like to remaster one of the original games but that would take art resources. I or II would require new gameflow assets, III or IV only new spaceflight. If there are any interested artists I would consider revamping either I or IV. The plan would be to use the original assets wherever possible - particularly mission scripts (I don't fancy recreating every mission at all).

If there's no interest I was just planning on making a little 2D space shooter with WC assets
 
Well I've already got something of a trove of WC 4 assets that you're welcome to if you were to go in that direction.

As my favourite title it's a very appealing option to me, are the assets game suitable. What kind of texture maps are they using?

Are your WC4 assets already available somewhere online?
 
As my favourite title it's a very appealing option to me, are the assets game suitable. What kind of texture maps are they using?

Are your WC4 assets already available somewhere online?

They're all mapped similar to the Hellcat I gave you a while back. Right now they can either be B&W or blue normal maps. Converting them isn't too hard. If you want to look at the hellcat again I'll PM you the link. Pete should also have it.
 
They're all mapped similar to the Hellcat I gave you a while back. Right now they can either be B&W or blue normal maps. Converting them isn't too hard. If you want to look at the hellcat again I'll PM you the link. Pete should also have it.

If you wouldn't mind - the one drive link from before isn't working for me.
 
I'm definitely in for a remaster of any Wing Commander game. :)

I assume you intend to go down a similar route like "X-Wing Virtual Machine/XWVM" does, improving graphics and gameplay while requiring the players to own the original games to reuse their assets?
 
I'd certainly take a remastering of WCIV's space flight. It already is the perfect story gameflow-wise, making the fighting more fun and vivid is certainly appealing.
 
Feel free to use my models as well. The ones here are pretty much game ready:

https://sketchfab.com/hangar.b.productions

The rest are here:

https://www.wcnews.com/news/update/12832

Thanks - you have gone and made the decision of which project to pursue very difficult :)
I am currently inclined to go with WCIV as it is just a more manageable endeavor. Due to the FMV nature there is no question about the direction - without original photos and film the FMV and gameflow can't be replaced.
 
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Would the new engine be capable of handling multiplayer as in co-op?, or play deathmatch/gauntlets through a simulator (With something like boosting the enemy's numbers or increasing the difficulty for game balance)?
This ofcourse would cause some difficulties with the cutscenes and the options presented to the player.
 
Looks like we've got quite a bit of interest!

I'm ready to assume my old role as playtester whenever you guys need me!
 
Let's not overreach, one objective at a time.

IV, being the often agreed upon masterpiece that it is, makes a perfect test subject for the engine. Integrating old videos and backgrounds is one thing but there are also gameflow moments in space as well as aboard ship that require engineering. It also functions as a standalone title separate of the Kilrathi War much like Privateer. Privateer itself may be a better test of redoing Origin FX games being equally standalone outside the war.

Once the engine can be proven maybe we can speculate on which game to try it on next. If IV and Privateer can be done (if nothing else as proof of concept) then the Kilrathi War might just be doable.

Sadly, my expertise is in OS and hardware and there may little I can do personally to aid this endeavor but I'd be happy to test where needed.

Fight the good fight, Heart of the Tiger.
 
My own personal interest would be in remaking WC1 and WC2 though. WC3&4 and still quite playable by modern standards, while the "stepped" sprites of WC1 and WC2 would greatly benefit from a remake. The cartoonish art style would also be much suitable to be high-res redrawn.
 
My own personal interest would be in remaking WC1 and WC2 though. WC3&4 and still quite playable by modern standards, while the "stepped" sprites of WC1 and WC2 would greatly benefit from a remake. The cartoonish art style would also be much suitable to be high-res redrawn.
You mean, like it was done for the Special Editions of the classic LucasArts adventures or how it was planned for "Privateer Gemini Gold"?

 
My own personal interest would be in remaking WC1 and WC2 though. WC3&4 and still quite playable by modern standards, while the "stepped" sprites of WC1 and WC2 would greatly benefit from a remake. The cartoonish art style would also be much suitable to be high-res redrawn.

Being a 3D game re-creating the title with hand-drawn 2D sprites is unappealing to me personally, nostalgia aside. If I were to tackle 1 or 2 I'd opt for cel-shaded 3D ships. I'd want to match the visual style absolutely, but not the technology. I do love the Day of the Tentacle remake, but as a point and click adventure the hand-drawn style was always endearing without being distracting, where as in WC1 it just felt like a limitation of the times to me (especially when trying to line up with the hangar).
That;s one of the reasons Wing Commander IV is more appealing to me personally - the direction to take it is more obvious (and it's fundamentally less work). I also don't agree WC3+4 are more playable, if anything I find 1+2's spaceflight has aged better. Whilst Prophecy's spaceflight has aged amazingly well 3+4 as some of the earliest 3D games feel quite twitchy and imprecise.

I think Whislter is right - IV just makes the most sense as a proof of concept. I'll be open sourcing everything I do, if someone else wants to tackle a different title once the basics are in place they'd have my blessing.
Defiance industries has also been kind enough to agree to provide his models in a format that works for me, a lot of the assets are already available. WC1 would mean roping in an artist to do an awful lot of work. WC4 for a first test could get away with just replacement ships and HUD graphics. That said I did pose the question as I'm willing to be convinced. If there was a consensus that WC1 was just far more appealing, and an artist was willing to recreate all the ships, cockpits, environments etc, I'd be open to it.

Yes the engine can do online, it was originally created for a multiplayer title. That said the PC platform specific networking code would need filling out, and as Whilster says I don't want to incorporate any extras into what is already an ambitous plan at this stage.
 
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