Wing Commander Redux (IGN Story)

Well, they acknowledge that WC is one of the best video games ever, so they get that right. Too bad they too don't see Arenas worth. It's strange how they applaud WC for its rich universe and then fail to mention S*S, the best manual since Claw Marks.

Also, three people, three different opinions - it just shows that everyone expects something different. I certainly agree with the first opinion the most and the least with the last one.

Personally, I have the feeling that a Privateer-style game would be the best for today's market (though, of course, I'd be just as happy with a mainstream WC), but it definately has to be firmly rooted in the WC universe. Privateer did this really amazingly well.

Anyway, thanks for the link.
 
The 2nd guy's opinion for the future reminds of the story LOAF told us at the first WCPedia IRC conference.

Nice to see WC getting some press time, but those opinions make me cringe at times.
 
I like a mixture of opinions 1 and 2, but boo to number 3. Maybe include a standard multiplayer element using something like the in-game simulator (eg fly with a team of other pilots against another team of pilots and throw various mission styles like sorty, attack/defend, capship-capship, etc.) Should be pretty easy to do especially considering I think we have something close already with Prophecy multiplayer.
 
I like a mixture of opinions 1 and 2, but boo to number 3. Maybe include a standard multiplayer element using something like the in-game simulator (eg fly with a team of other pilots against another team of pilots and throw various mission styles like sorty, attack/defend, capship-capship, etc.) Should be pretty easy to do especially considering I think we have something close already with Prophecy multiplayer.

The idea of working through the campaign cooperatively is a good one considering that that's kind of the entire dynamic promised by the title "wing commander." While definite emphasis in a future game should be on the single player game, I think they would be remis not to include a comprehensive cooperative campaign. Stuff like head to head play is definitely a good idea for the simulator... have jumping into an online game be immersive... walk up to the sim and hop into an online game the same way you would walk up to the briefing room or fighter to fly the next mission. You could even streamline that where you automatically are pressented with a list of friends available to fly the mission with you cooperatively everytime you start a new mission to which you can opt in or out. On the other end it would work the same way as a game invite. They can work throught their own campaign in their own time as well, Though it might be more fun to work through the whole campaign together...

Imagine going to the briefing room in WC3 to pick a pilot but along with hobbes and maniac, your online friends show up standing in the briefing room too to pick.

Anyway, just some thoughts.
 
I like the first guys opinion the most, the fmv are old hat and would cost way too much on Wing Commanders scale. The reason CandC gets away with it is the small sets and not really that much filming is needed compared to WC. Also I don't want to see us facing the kilrathi again, the war is over. Maybe a few little skirmishes with some rogue ones but thats it for me. Also Wing Commander I think needs to push boundaries like it always has. Great Graphics, gameplay, and story. Thats part of Wing Commander. Also damn it I really want to see what happens with the Nephilem(sorry i forget how to spell it). Star Soldier made that war seem so epic and awesome.
 
The idea of working through the campaign cooperatively is a good one considering that that's kind of the entire dynamic promised by the title "wing commander." While definite emphasis in a future game should be on the single player game, I think they would be remis not to include a comprehensive cooperative campaign. Stuff like head to head play is definitely a good idea for the simulator... have jumping into an online game be immersive... walk up to the sim and hop into an online game the same way you would walk up to the briefing room or fighter to fly the next mission. You could even streamline that where you automatically are pressented with a list of friends available to fly the mission with you cooperatively everytime you start a new mission to which you can opt in or out. On the other end it would work the same way as a game invite. They can work throught their own campaign in their own time as well, Though it might be more fun to work through the whole campaign together...

Imagine going to the briefing room in WC3 to pick a pilot but along with hobbes and maniac, your online friends show up standing in the briefing room too to pick.

Anyway, just some thoughts.

That would be indeed very cool, though I think any game with MP should also offer split-screen.

But I also agree that WC should focus on SP.
 
I liked elements of all three opinions. They're not super-fans so you can't expect them to get every detail right. I think the first guy especially understands what Wing Commander is all about though. The other two offered some interesting gameplay elements we could possibly see in a future sequel.
 
Firstly, I agree with the last poster! Secondly, I think the market that would make WC most attractive from a business point of view is the MMO market. Taking Freelancer as an example, it had a relatively low number of units sold compared to today's top games HOWEVER, long after multiplayer on most games has died out, Freelancer still boasted a HUGE community of gamers online even after the global servers went down. This is in stark contrast to most games whose global servers long outlast their communities. This should be a sign to companies like EA that fans of WC style games tend to be committed to these games for the long haul. Could a WC game reach the customer base needed to sustain an MMO? I don't know for sure, but the enduring success of Jumpgate should be some encouragement no?
 
i really enjoyed the article, it would be interesting to play a Wing Commander game tidya with the style and look of the fist game, animation instead of video.
also, one of the guys talks about bringing "Blair" back and even though i always thought he was alive, i thought he didn't see the end of Prophecy
 
To look at it from a concept prespective, I would say the best bet that satisfies all parties interested would be a reimagining of WC1. The problem with doing a continuing sequel from WC:SO or WCP is that you'd have far more layers and concepts to reintroduce to the audience than at an earlier date. On the flip side, a prequel chapter would run the risk of introducing concepts and layers that don't mesh well into the exsisting storyline, and fall victim to the "Old Republic Uber Technology" pothole like in the Star Wars Prequilogy. Starting from the first footprint made ensures everyone is starting off either again or for the first time on the same page. That way history and background have a role but do not enroach on present issues, and the future is looked forward to but not wholely denied.

For the cutscene part of Wing Commander, this is probbably more tricky. A rule of thumb for any entertainment medium is the need for style consistancy between all presentation media. Using Mirror's Edge as an example, the ingame style and the cutscene style are very different and are in stark contrast to each other. On their own they are present exposition very well, but together in one product create a conflict of immersion. The original WC 1&2 cutscenes worked together because the cartoonish style of the cutscenes matched the SVGA graphics of the combat engine which was also cartoonish. WC 3-4-P's FMV worked for their games because they evolved into 3D realism, and physical realism of live action movies complimented that style. Freelancer also did this well by using a cutscene engine to emulate the stylized realism of the flight engine. My bet would be that if another Wing Commander project began development, it would follow the Freespace example of media stylization.
 
Okay on the reintroduce, but let's not play Blair or be on a ship with Blair. There are a number of other areas in Wing Commander and can be explored for any point in the timeline.
 
Is it just me or is there an increasing number ob gaming magazines that have stories about WC or feature it prominently in their "Top 10 most wanted continuation" lists. Maybe I am making it up completly but maybe there is a viral marketing campaign starting to unfold that leads up to a WC announcement from EA.
 
Okay on the reintroduce, but let's not play Blair or be on a ship with Blair. There are a number of other areas in Wing Commander and can be explored for any point in the timeline.


I agree with this wholeheartedly. Put us on a different ship during the Vega Campaign. Maybe there can be Starlancer style news reports that can include some talk about the Tiger's Claw to tie things together. The Wing Commander story can be expanded infinitely in any direction. Blair's story has been told already.
 
I agree with this wholeheartedly. Put us on a different ship during the Vega Campaign. Maybe there can be Starlancer style news reports that can include some talk about the Tiger's Claw to tie things together. The Wing Commander story can be expanded infinitely in any direction. Blair's story has been told already.

Perhaps the TCS Austin under Tolwyn's command?
 
Yes, at almost any point in the WC arc, you could reintroduce and follow someone/something else as the story evolves. Recall that WC2 shows us the Third (?) enigma campaign. Why not present the option to fight the first or second enigma campaign aboard a different ship?

On a different thought: take advantage of the internet... release the game with WC1 ships (hornets, raptors, scimitars, rapiers, exeters, ralaris, fralthis, etc) and then, as the player proceeds and improves, have the game tap into an online server to introduce some WC2 ships and weapons. There's no reason each chapter has to end with "and we'll see you again in 10 years..."

It'd be interesting to watch the introduction of new ships and technology from the frontline perspective. What if you flew a mission and encountered the first Kilrathi ship (say, an early Ralatha) with Phase Shields. You're hammering on it and hammering on it and...it's completely unharmed??!

That could be an entire branching arc within the story... following along as your air group reels from the encounter and has to fall back on your carrier and escorts, hoping that their heavier weapons can do the trick in time.

...and that's not even getting into the opportunity to do another stab at a WC:priv type game!
 
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