Privateer Cloaking Device??

I can tell the author is looking at notes on cut material from our archive! It is true that the game was to include a Strakha and a cloaking device upgrade. These were pretty far along in development, they had finished the 3D models and even comissioned manual art of the Strakha and related EMP missile (which you would've use to counter cloaking devices).

It wasn't a technical cut, though, I think that's just an incorrect supposition on the part of the article (or something someone else speculated and was repeated). The big change to Privateer was that the dropped the original 'story' which was about Confed vs. Kilrathi and ended with you siding with one or the other. The cloaking loop was all developed for that and was using precious disk space when they switched to the Steltek precursor story as the campaign.

(The 'Speeder' mentioned wasn't in the same class at all; it was just a ship idea developed in the concept stage... never went beyond sketches. Not cut content, just an idea not developed.)
 
Bandit LOAF said:
I can tell the author is looking at notes on cut material from our archive! It is true that the game was to include a Strakha and a cloaking device upgrade. These were pretty far along in development, they had finished the 3D models and even comissioned manual art of the Strakha and related EMP missile (which you would've use to counter cloaking devices).

It wasn't a technical cut, though, I think that's just an incorrect supposition on the part of the article (or something someone else speculated and was repeated). The big change to Privateer was that the dropped the original 'story' which was about Confed vs. Kilrathi and ended with you siding with one or the other. The cloaking loop was all developed for that and was using precious disk space when they switched to the Steltek precursor story as the campaign.

(The 'Speeder' mentioned wasn't in the same class at all; it was just a ship idea developed in the concept stage... never went beyond sketches. Not cut content, just an idea not developed.)
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Was there any other information available about the cloaking device? I'd assume it would have some sort of serious power drain, not permit shields, or some other serious trade-off?
 
Bandit LOAF said:
It wasn't a technical cut, though, I think that's just an incorrect supposition on the part of the article (or something someone else speculated and was repeated). The big change to Privateer was that the dropped the original 'story' which was about Confed vs. Kilrathi and ended with you siding with one or the other. The cloaking loop was all developed for that and was using precious disk space when they switched to the Steltek precursor story as the campaign.
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So when was it decided that the story should be changed and why? And was it really possible to work for the Kirathi?
 
Was there any other information available about the cloaking device? I'd assume it would have some sort of serious power drain, not permit shields, or some other serious trade-off?
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Not that I know of! It's a good bet it would've worked like the cloaking device from Wing Commander II which was already implemented in the engine--fires like a gun, draws a steady amount from your gun capacitor and prevents you from firing while it's active.

So when was it decided that the story should be changed and why? And was it really possible to work for the Kirathi?
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End of '92, so about nine months before release (the Strakha may have stayed in longer, disk space limitations probably killed it in the end). The reputation system still lets you befriend the Kilrathi and it probably wouldn't have been too much more complex beyond that siding with them in the final battle would've gotten you a Kilrathi-specific reward (the cloaking device) instead of the Confed one. But no cut Kilrathi landouts or fixers or anything.
 
Bandit LOAF said:
Not that I know of! It's a good bet it would've worked like the cloaking device from Wing Commander II which was already implemented in the engine--fires like a gun, draws a steady amount from your gun capacitor and prevents you from firing while it's active.
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That makes sense. I wonder if it could be "latched" on as well?
 
Would the player have to keep crystals or some sort of regulator to keep the cloaking device working? That would help explain all these mining bases
 
Bandit LOAF said:
in the final battle
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Do we have any idea how this battle would be like? Against a group of Kamekhs or Paradigms?

Bandit LOAF said:
(the Strakha may have stayed in longer, disk space limitations probably killed it in the end
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Was the only ship cut from the game? Was there the Salthi, or was it introduced in Righteous Fire?

As for the cloaking device, were there any ideas about it? Would it have a limited life span? Was it intended to carry over to the next installments?

A more general question: How easy is it to insert new elements in the game eg guns or shield generators? I suspect not very much, but I suppose Privateer was made with subsequent expansions in mind, so it is probably not impossible.
 
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Would the player have to keep crystals or some sort of regulator to keep the cloaking device working? That would help explain all these mining bases
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I don't think so, the idea that cloaking devices have expendable crystals doesn't show up until Wing Commander IV. The manual does explain the mining bases, though! The entire sector was built up to support the war effort... so the mining bases are where Confed is getting the durasteel to build all those ships!

Do we have any idea how this battle would be like? Against a group of Kamekhs or Paradigms?
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I don't think they got to specific mission designs. The whole shape of the story was a little different, with 'bigger' players in the Gemini government than you encounter in the final game (which is why there's a unique civilian government base that ends up just being where you find Roman Lynch).

As for the cloaking device, were there any ideas about it? Would it have a limited life span? Was it intended to carry over to the next installments?
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It most likely would've worked like the ones in Wing Commander II: functionally a gun that you 'fire' to cloak. You decloak when you release the trigger or when you run out of charge in your gun capacitor.

A more general question: How easy is it to insert new elements in the game eg guns or shield generators? I suspect not very much, but I suppose Privateer was made with subsequent expansions in mind, so it is probably not impossible.
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Anything is possible, but it takes a pretty significant skill set to actually add functionality to a game like Privateer. But it's much easier to replace things that just have different data values... so you can pretty easily trade one gun for another one with different stats. And sometimes you can find neat kludges using the existing mechanics that surprise people!
 
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