Lost Murmurs Of Prophecy DVD (August 24, 2005)

[ChrisReid]

Wing Commander 4 DVD was only originally sold as part of the Creative Labs Encore 2x/5x DVD-ROM bundles, and Prophecy DVD was also given the high quality DVD treatment and scheduled to be included in a later Creative Labs set. Unfortunately it was replaced by a non-upgraded version of Freespace on a DVD, but AD has found a few mentions of the final product when it was slated for release. The first is a hardware site in the Czech Republic that mentioned the possible inclusion of the game in the original 5x drive bundle. The FilmLook company also talked about their role in the high quality transfer of Prophecy's video sequences.

AUSTIN--Origin Systems, producers of the legendary Wing Commander series of CD-ROM games, has completed postproduction and authoring of "Wing Commander- -Prophecy" for the DVD-ROM platform, with live action sequences shot in digital betacam and processed in FILMLOOK.

This is the first time that FILMLOOK has been incorporated into the DVD-ROM format. The game includes feature film-style live action sequences, shot on digital betacam and given FILMLOOK processing and final color correction before DVD authoring and compression. The "Wing Commander--Prophecy" DVD-ROM is available at computer software retailers nationwide.

The last bit was premature. Prophecy DVD was never mass produced, but at least there's always our behind the scenes costume continuity polaroids.

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Original update published on August 24, 2005

 

[Edfilho]

I really, really, really hate the multiple cd format. Nowadays, I can't understand why people still insist on not having dvd-rom drives. I cherish every single dvd-rom only release.

Granted, back in the day, a DVD-ROM drive was unthinkable, but I still hated having to juggle half a dozen disks. I'm buying Half-Life 2 again just to have it in DVD. I would -rebuy UT2k4 for the same reason.

 

[AD]

I'm buying Half-Life 2 again just to have it in DVD.

I understand not wanting multiple discs, but why waste money when the game plays entirely off the hard drive anyway? You don't even need a sigle disk in the drive to load the game. So basically it's an install issue. As far as I know there isnt any extra content on the DVD (unless you count the fact that the collectors edition comes with a T shirt and such)

 

[cff]

lease.
Granted, back in the day, a DVD-ROM drive was unthinkable, but I still hated having to juggle half a dozen disks. I would -rebuy UT2k4 for the same reason.

I feel you pain. I had the option to either get the US version on 6 cds OR to get the German one (censored of course) on 1 DVD (including bonus stuff not on the CDs). Talking about options. Ended with spending a shitload of money to import the UK version which had the best of both in the end *grrrr*.

 

[Happy Camper]

Yeah, not using DVDs to store new games on seems pointless these days, as I haven't seen a P.C. that doesn't come with a DVD-Rom drive for a number of years now.

 

[Quarto]

I don't know about that, I'm pretty sure some people still buy DVD-less systems... but definitely most people have DVD-ROMs now, and it would be safer for a developer in 2005 to assume that someone will buy a DVD-ROM to be able to play Doom 4 or whatever, than it was for a developer in 1994 to assume that someone will buy a CD-ROM to play Wing Commander 3.

 

[Edfilho]

I understand not wanting multiple discs, but why waste money when the game plays entirely off the hard drive anyway? You don't even need a sigle disk in the drive to load the game. So basically it's an install issue. As far as I know there isnt any extra content on the DVD (unless you count the fact that the collectors edition comes with a T shirt and such)

Oh, I have another (even better) reason: I need another CD-Key to play CSS and HL2 DM on my two machines. I have only one, so I cannot play against a friend on the other machine online.

And the DVD version is just US$27,50 round here.

I think that gamers who do not have DVD-ROM drives are either living on cardboard boxes or dumb, I mean, they cost a little more than a game (starting at the equivalent to US$40,00, around here).

If the person is willing to pay 40 bucks for a new game, why wont he spend the sema amount ONCE for a drive that not only will make his life easier, but will also let him watch hi-res movies and many other nice things...

 

[Gunslinger2]

Where is it then?

From reading these two things, I get the impression that all of the production work to make the DVD version of Prophecy was completed. It just wasn't mass produced or distributed. So where is it then? Is EA holding on to it? I wonder exactly why it never released. The major expenditure was already made. Reproduction and distribution is only a very small portion of the cost.
Why would they go so far and stop when they were so close to getting a return on their investment?

Heck, I'd buy it now if EA decided to release it.

 

[ChrisReid]

From reading these two things, I get the impression that all of the production work to make the DVD version of Prophecy was completed. It just wasn't mass produced or distributed. So where is it then? Is EA holding on to it? I wonder exactly why it never released. The major expenditure was already made. Reproduction and distribution is only a very small portion of the cost. Why would they go so far and stop when they were so close to getting a return on their investment? Heck, I'd buy it now if EA decided to release it.

EA has nothing to do with it at all. It was a distribution agreement with Creative Labs. A third party developer was commissioned to upgrade the video and transfer the game to DVD. Reproduction and distribution is *not* a small portion of the cost in this case, because the entire multimillion dollar game was already made. It only took a very small team a very short time to take all the preexisting assets and modify them. It was never meant for a retail release, and like the WC4 DVD, would've probably required a specific hardware decoder. When it came time to pick a game to bundle with the new Encore set, the Freespace doofuses provided a cheap counter offer. So even with the small amount of money sunk into completing Prophecy DVD, it would've been cheaper still to reproduce and distribute the Freespace DVD (which was itself incredibly cheap to produce, since it was just an unupgraded CD version of Freespace copied onto a DVD).

 

[Gunslinger2]

From FILMLOOKS little blurb, it sounds like they had already completed the project. Which left only the mastering, duplicating, and distributing of the disc. I have friends in the mastering and duplicating industry (I've seen how it's done--It's pretty cool) and I can say from experience that that portion of the process is not nearly as expensive as you would think.

I suppose if Creative Labs was footing the bill for the entire process (including the FILMLOOK) it may have been cost prohibitive. However, it sounds as if they already paid for the most expensive part and gained nothing from it. Instead they went with an uninspiring and weaker product bundle.

I believe they would have sold more if they would have bundled Prophecy. I personally bought the 5x kit because of the WCIV bundling. Even though the newer/faster kit was available at the same time (it had just been released) for, virtually, the same cost.

In fact I still have the entire kit (minus the box). Although I don't use any of it (except WCIV--thanks to gulikoza )

 

[ChrisReid]

From FILMLOOKS little blurb, it sounds like they had already completed the project. Which left only the mastering, duplicating, and distributing of the disc. I have friends in the mastering and duplicating industry (I've seen how it's done--It's pretty cool) and I can say from experience that that portion of the process is not nearly as expensive as you would think.

I suppose if Creative Labs was footing the bill for the entire process (including the FILMLOOK) it may have been cost prohibitive. However, it sounds as if they already paid for the most expensive part and gained nothing from it. Instead they went with an uninspiring and weaker product bundle.

Right, so obviously the distribution process for the Prophecy DVD would have been more expensive than doing so for the Freespace DVD. As I've already said, there are other factors than the price of the plastic used to make the DVD. They still would have had to pay EA on a per unit basis for copies bundled. Interplay must have offerred them a more competitive rate.

I believe they would have sold more if they would have bundled Prophecy. I personally bought the 5x kit because of the WCIV bundling.

Yeah, but that kind of stuff is exceedingly rare. Of course you'll find a thousand people here who'd buy it because it included a Wing Commander product, but the vast majority of consumers don't care at all what's bundled inside. To the powers that be, the newer Freespace game is equally appealing. It got decent review scores, and nobody would know it was the unupgraded CD version until they got home.