Cinema Secrets Revealed? Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Cpl Hades is a man with a mission: to find out whatever he can about the merchandise related to the upcoming Wing Commander Movie. To begin this quest he headed over to Cinema Secrets web site to ask the people what part they'd be playing in draining our collective wallets. Apparently they're currently working on sculpting several Wing Commander masks, which should be available within a few months. We should look for more information around the first week in January! I know what I'll be wearing next Halloween... and every day before that...
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Want a Date? Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

According to Dark Horizon's list of movies for 1999, Wing Commander is due out February 26. Note that we've heard nothing official -- although February 26 would be a good bet, being a Friday and all. Oh, what I wouldn't give for a solid date...
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Fine Art Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The web site of Lightspeed Fine Art now lists Wing Commander art as one of its upcoming products. Lightspeed is the company formerly known as Hasson, and the fact that they would be producing WC art was announced several months ago. If the WC art is anything like the other art displayed at their site it'll be very impressive...
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Let Me Show You How We Do It In Germany, Dr. Jones Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

I swear this is the last update with a book cover... this one's a bit different, however. Having found the Confederation Handbook at Amazon UK, I proceeded to search Amazon Germany. I found something that surprised and scared me... look at the German version of the Heart of the Tiger novel below. It's rather odd...
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Guide to the Universe Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Ever wonder why Amazon doesn't sell the upcoming Wing Commander Confederation Handbook? So do I... I was checking out the UK version of Amazon when I found that they do! And they have one sweet high res picture of the cover... click below to enlarge. Looks like it says Spacecraft, Weaponry, Badges, Uniforms, Patches down the left side and Ship Stats, Flight Tactics, Pilot Profiles, TCN Time Line, Kilrath Language, Shield Specs down the right. Wow...
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Tech Up Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Trivia Today Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The Trivia area has been updated with links to the Scoreboard and other related things. Remember to play as soon as possible, get your answers in before Sunday to ensure your response is counted before Week Two questions are released.

See Clearly Now Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

I was over at Amazon.com ordering a copy of False Colors (for $16.90 you can have it overnight!). Anyway, while I was there I happened upon the two images located below -- full sized pictures of the Wing Commander Movie Novel and Junior Novel. Click to enlarge...
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She's Hit! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Magno has done it again -- the guy who did that incredible Talos Station artwork some weeks back has brought us an even cooler picture. Check out this ultra cool fan artwork of the TCS Midway under attack by a Nephilim Devil Ray...
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UK Gold Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Besides the topic being a British cable TV channel, it also means that there have been reported sightings of Prophecy Gold in UK. I've yet to see it, but tomorrow I'm going WCP Gold digging so hopefully I can confirm this.

Happy Thanksgiving! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The staff of the Combat Information Center would like to wish all Wing Commander fans a Happy Thanksgiving. Without fans, we wouldn't have a site like this today. Thanks.
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CIC

ATFW Poll Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Awesome space-sim news site A Talent For War is doing their annual 'Best Space Sim of the Year' poll. Head over and vote for Secret Ops, the only WC game among this year's lineup.

Card of the Day Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Some of you may have noticed the new Card of the Day section at the bottom of CIC's menu. Simply click today's cute little Mr. Kat (rules!) thumbnail for a review of the card. We will do our very best to keep this updated at 1:30PM EST which is 6:30PM GMT and the week's cards archived each Sunday.

Still The Best Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Fellow CIC staff member Hadrian sent me this excerpt from the December issue of Maximum PC which ranks Prophecy as one of the top ten games of 1998...
Sean Downey
Wing Commander: Prophecy

Prophecy is a different breed of Wing Commander, filled less with cinematic plot lines and more with white-knuckle gameplay. With its gorgeously refurbished graphics engine, Origin made new fans out of the space jockeys left cold by LucasArts' limp-wristed X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter. Although I finished the game earlier this year, the release of Secret Ops episodes brought me back. The fact that Origin made this game-length mission pack freely avaliable on the Internet is the coolest event of the year. $20, www.origin.ea.com

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PC Gamer Gives It Away Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The current UK edition of PC Gamer (holiday issue) contains all seven episodes of Secret Ops. Odd how the European magazines seem to be able to distribute the episodes... maybe Origin doesn't plan on releasing Gold in the UK?
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A Dream Given Form... Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The CIC staff would like to congratulate the cast and crew of Babylon 5 on having completed their five year mission with tonight's showing of Sleeping in Light -- and for bringing us half a decade of enjoyment and mental stimulation through the best show on TV.
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Mail Bag Open For Business Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Have you wanted your voice heard? If you have strong feelings about a topic concerning Wing Commander, the CIC wants them. Check out our long-awaited Mail Bag area for more information.

Tech Update Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

3Dfx managed to sneak out a new MiniGL. This new MiniGL has support for all existing Quake and Quake2 engine based games (including Heretic 2, Half-Life and SiN). Thanks to VoodooExtreme.

Five More For the Road... Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Boomer was kind enough to mail me a few pictures he took during my visit to Origin... I'll have an article on the trip done someday soon! Anyway, in from left to right it's Andy Hollis and I, Chris Graf and I, Adam Foshko and I, Andy Hollis again and then Captain Johnny and I. Yes, I do know I needed to shave...
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Use The Force, Spade Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Apparently Mark Hamill (where did MarkHamill.com go? Why, oh why?) was on popular NBC sitcom Just Shoot Me this evening... sorry for not reporting that BEFORE the fact, but I just didn't know. Which brings me to my real question -- I've been pondering whether or not to post updates about various veteran WC actors and their curent projects. Would people be interested in that sort of news, or should we just stick to specifically WC topics? Drop me a note to let me know how you feel... As for Just Shoot Me, apparently it was pretty funny -- I sorta accidently missed it, so I'm still beating myself up... if you taped a copy and want to loan it to me, I'll have your children.
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Chris Immitates Life Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Here's a little tidbit for all the Chris Reid fans out there (both of you) -- ChrisReid.com has finally opened! Apparently a pole-producing company takes its name from everybody's favorite agwc poster... a freakish set of coincidences surpassing even those found at the Delance.com watch site and BruceCampbell.com's used car store...
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Tech Update Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Hadrian will now be periodically updating about drivers and utilities that may be useful to Wing Commander fans.

VoodooExtreme reports there is a new DirectControl, version 2.0.8, DirectControl is a utility for DirectX that allows you to tinker with all the settings to get that extra little push from Microsoft's API.

Trivia Returns Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The CIC has restarted its long-awaited Trivia game. In conjuctions with alt.games.wing-commander, Trivia will be renewed each week and a scoreboard will be maintained. Check out our Trivia page here for details and this week's questions.

Goddard Disaster Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Today in 2654 the Goddard Colony was destroyed by the Kilrathi Sivar Dreadnought. A quarter of a million lives were instantly lost. The TCS Tiger's Claw was sent to render aid and subsequently engaged in Operation Thor's Hammer to hunt down and destroy the Sivar. For the eventual loss of the Dreadnought, the Emperor's son (Prince Thrakhath's father) was executed.

Less is More Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The CIC has implemented a new menu bar style today. Yes, it might look a bit more plain than our old menu, but the positives significantly outweight the negatives.

One, the new menu and its graphics load much faster than the previous sixty-six graphics that made up the bar (yes, there were sixty-six!). There are also fifteen kilobytes less javascript coordinating the menu. On a related note, the menu doesn't change from page to page, so caches should handle it better, further decreasing load times. This will allow people to feel more comfortable checking news more often and catching things that come up on short notice (such as yesterday's Chris Roberts Chat).

Two, the more advanced SSI incorporated into the CIC's design adds increased flexibility and utility to the layout. We are now able to modify the menu much more quickly and with much greater ease. It might not look quite as flashy (actually, I think Hadrian's work looks sharp), but the CIC is based on content, not on looks. We hope you like it. Some of the new links on the menu do not work yet, we'll be filling those in on Sunday. If you encounter any linking errors or problems associated with the new design, please contact the CIC.

Confed Wins Vega Campaign! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Today in 2654 the Confederation successfully concluded the Vega Campaign with the destruction of the Kilrathi Sector Headquarters in the Venice System. This once highly-contested sector for the Confederation was vital in winning the war and a great many historical events took place within its borders.

This One's History Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The AllGames/Pseudo Chat with Chris Roberts has been concluded now. Their website should have a realmedia copy of the session in their archives. Mr. Roberts answered a number of questions about Origin, Wing Commander, Digital Anvil and the movie then proceeded to answer questions posed by the visitors. Several of the questions asked by the CIC staff were answered. The realmedia chat log is definitely worth checking out.

Scramble! Chris Roberts Chat Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Quick! Not... enough... time to write update, check out this mail I just got for an explanation...
FYI...Chris Roberts from Digital Anvil will be our guest on GameTime today. GameTime is aired live (via real player) on the All Games Network at 6:00pm EST, located at http://www.allgames.com. Join us in chat, either by using the ichat plugin located on our website, or by pointing your handy dandy irc client to chat1.pseudo.com channel #allgames. If you miss the liveshow, the show will always be available in our archives.

Check it out! :)

Stephanie Bergman
Associate Producer
AllGames Network

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Cover Me! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Interesting update to the news post several days ago which displayed small pictures of the Wing Commander Movie novel the other day -- according to author Peter Telep the current covers (with Blair holding a rifle) are promotional in nature. That is, they're intended only to sell copies of the books in advance. HarperCollins is waiting on the completion of the movie's artwork to create the final versions of the covers, so everything is still up in the air. Here's to hoping they get what they want in time. (Erm, and a big thanks to Peter Telep for letting us know what's up...).
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Are You Negative? Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Some of our visitors who tried to use the Wing Commander Windows 95/98 Themes that we unveiled on the 16 found that they were unable to install them because they had Windows 95 without "Microsoft Plus!" For those people, we now have a program that will allow you to use Themes. It's nice and small (120 k), download it here. Thanks to C777.

Bootprint? Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Following up on a News Update we posted several weeks ago, Rod Nakamoto's new company is moving forward with some new announcements. The group of sixteen expects to double their numbers within the next few months. They are currently focusing on two upcoming projects. Other companies started by former Wing Commander producers include Digital Anvil founded by Wing Commander creator Chris Roberts (WC1-WC4) and Daylight Productions founded by Mark Day (WC3-WCP). All three organizations include multiple people who've been involved in making Wing Commander games in the past.

Wing Commander Windows Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Everyone needs a Wing Commander theme for Windows.. so thats exactly what Stephane Guibord and his team have been working on. But what you'll find is not one theme, but four, plus an active desktop for IE4/Win98 users! So improve your Windows desktop with these themes.

The Importance of Being Movie Adapted Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Well, my friends, I offer you up the update of updates! HarperCollins's catalog for the next quarter has been added to their website, along with lengthy descriptions (and a picture!) of two of their three upcoming Wing Commander products... to read their articles is to learn of release dates, merchandise, and exciting details relating to the Wing Commander Movie and its companion books... check out the Fact Book cover too, it's a lot like the novel cover...
Wing Commander
by Peter Telep

Galaxy-spanning space action and intrigue, as human space pilots fight a hostile alien force bent on destroying Earth. Based on the blockbuster movie Wing Commander.

Fresh from training, two young officers join the ranks of a combat squadron--just as hostilities break out with a terrifying alien species. Experiencing real combat for the first time would be tough enough, but the officers face problems that could destroy the squad from within. The crew is increasingly divided on cultural lines, and the evidence mounts that someone in the unit is a traitor. As a climactic battle approaches, the officers must find the traitor and unify their crew--or see Earth be destroyed! Based on the new hit film Wing Commander, and on the five-million-selling CD-ROM Wing Commander games.

The Wing Commander game has gone through five versions, with ever-increasing sales. Wing Commander V has sold more than 2,000,000 copies to date.

The film, starring Freddie Prinze, Jr., and Matthew Lillard, will have a major toy merchandise program, as well as extensive media support from the Sci-Fi Channel and Starlog magazine.

HarperPrism will also publish the Wing Commander Junior in a young reader digest-size paperback and the Wing Commander Confederation Handbook in trade paperback simultaneously with the Wing Commander Novelization in March 1999.

Includes a four-color photo insert.

Peter Telep has published several SF and Fantasy novels, including two Space: Above and Beyond novels, and is working on a series of novels based on the space action game Descent.

Other Wing Commander books:

Wing Commander Confederation Handbook 0-06-107553-1 (pb)

Wing Commander Junior 0-06-106556-0

HarperEntertainment. ISBN 0061059854
$5.99/$7.99(Can.)

And now the fact book (now titled 'Confederation Handbook')...
Wing Commander Confederation Handbook
by Chris McCubbin et al.

A detailed blueprint of the Wing Commander universe--from uniforms to starships--straight from the blockbuster movie!

A must for fans of the wildly popular CD-ROM game and the smash movie Wing Commander, the Wing Commander Confederation Handbook is a complete guide to all aspects of the universe of Wing Commander. Heavily illustrated, the book examines the spacecraft, uniforms, weapons, badges, and all other equipment used by members of the Wing Commander military units, with special nuts-and-bolts details readers will find nowhere else!

The Wing Commander game has gone through five versions

HarperEntertainment will publish the Wing Commander Novelization in mass market paperback and the Wing Commander Junior Novelization in digest-size paperback simultaneously with the Wing Commander Confederation Handbook in March 1999.

Chris McCubbin works for IMGS, Inc., and has worked on several previous Wing Commander game books.

HarperEntertainment. ISBN 0061075531
$17.00/$25.00(Can.)

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Bordersing on the Inane Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Just last night my brother and I were arguing about which online bookstore is the best... Borders, he insisted, was best because they had low shipping rates and no annoying ad campaigns. I couldn't agree -- there's just something I can't stand about real Borders stores. So, this morning I decided to check out the Borders online store... imagine my surprise when I found a... thumbnail of the Wing Commander movie novelization's cover! Check it out... (unfortunately it doesn't really get much bigger).
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No False Start Here Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Barnes and Noble's entry on False Colors has been updated! The uberstore reports that this next Wing Commander novel should ship out December 1, which seems to go with Baen's usual system of releasing everything around a month early. It's beggining to feel a lot like Christmas...
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Roberts Speaks Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Ignore what I said in that last update... Digital Anvil is DEFINATLY starting to promote the movie... check out the below article, about a press conference with Chris Roberts grabbed from Cinescape.
Roberts Talks 'Wing Commander'
During a press conference earlier this week, director and game developer Chris Roberts showed off the trailer and selected FX sequences from his forthcoming Wing Commander movie. "We're quite proud of [the movie]," Roberts told the Austin-American Statesman. "I think people will be quite impressed with the film even though it doesn't have the biggest budget for a science-fiction film."

The director likened the tone of the Wing Commander plot to Das Boot and other World War II movies. The film draws heavily from the successful game series which pits humans against an empire of alien creatures known as Kilrathi. The movie promises to focus heavily on space battle sequences using FX footage created by Roberts' in-house studio Digital Anvil.

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The Prince of Wing Commanders Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Looks like Digital Anvil is finally ready to start promoting the movie of next-year! Ali Mattu was kind enough to send me this extract from EON Magazine. It's an interview with Freddie Prinze discussing the movie...
THE PRINCE OF WING COMMANDERS

Freddie Prinze, jr. who plays Chris "Maverick" Blair in the big screen movie WING COMMANDER told EON NEWS, "WING COMMANDER combined two of my dreams in one. My dreams for making films were as follows: a western, which I haven't done yet, a war movie, and a sci-fi movie. WING COMMANDER handled two of those. It's huge! It's World War Two, seven hundred years in the future. That's what it is."

The film co-stars Matthew Lillard as Todd "Maniac" Marshall (the role BACK TO THE FUTURE's Tom Wilson played in the video games), Saffron Burrows as Jeanette "Angel" Devereaux, Jurgen Prochnow as Commander Gerald, Tcheky Kayro as Commander James "Paladin" Taggart, with David Warner as Admiral Tolwyn and David Suchet as Captain Sansky.

Prinze admitted to EON NEWS, "When I got the script, I thought, wait a minute, is this a computer game? But it was a feature script, and it's amazing. It talks about how this war starts affecting all these characters on a personal level. And some of them are able to step up to the challenge, and others are dying. They die. Characters that you love, you've had time to love them, and then they're gone. It's so real. Remember THE BIG RED ONE, that Samuel Fuller movie? The new guys would come in and they wouldn't even talk to them, because they were like, 'you're going to be dead in a week, man!' And that's how it was! In WING COMMANDER, we [Prinze and Lillard] get called 'Nuggets', because we're like the rookies on the ship."

Directed by Chris Roberts from a script by Kevin Droney and Mike Finch based on the popular computer game, the film has been rated PG-13 (for sexual references and sci-fi action/violence).

Prinze explains, "The basic plot is that Earth is now joined together, we're called the Confederation. There's this other race, called the Kilrathi, who have been trying to take over our galaxy now for a while. The only reason we've been able to resist them is because we have something they don't: a Navcom navigational computer. It helps you chart your way through black holes and quasars. It saves space travel like forty years, like you can go that far in two minutes, because you're warping through a star. So the Kilrathi get one of these Navcoms, and they have the coordinates to get into Earth's space. They'll be here in forty hours. The Confederation ships can't get back to Earth for forty-two hours. There's one ship between the Korathi and this jump point, the Diligent, and me and Matt are flying in that ship. So it's this last big stand for the Earth, against the Kilrathi, and it's the ingenuity of these pilots that has them defeat this warrior race. So it's really sick. It's cool."

Look for WING COMMANDER and the Kilrathi to attack a theater near you early next year.

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PC Gamer Figures It Out Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The ultra-cool SpaceDust 4 was kind enough to copy this article from the latest PC Gamer for everyone. It's from a larger article talking about the 40 best games of 1998 -- naturally Prophecy was in there...
Ever since the original Wing Commander hit store shelves in 1991, Origin has captivated gamers with its cinematic space combat series- but in recent years, many fans have felt the series has become less like a game and more like a movie.

For Wing Commander: Prophecy, Origin chose a back to basics approach that restores the fast, engaging dogfights fans have been asking for, while cutting back on the FMV fluff. The result is one of the long established series' finest hours.

With the Kilrathi eliminated and the revolution put to rest, Wing Commander: Prophecy's story casts you as a new recruit assigned to the newly designed Mega Carrier TCS Midway for some non combat space trials. But your quickly called into action as a sinister new race of aliens begins its hostile pish into Confederation space. From here you're in a frantic fight against the alien horde, using your wits and your reflexes to keep the aliens from devestating everything in their path. Brought to life with a gorgeous new graphics engine, Wing COmmander Prophecy delivers fast, brutal action as you pitch anf wheel above large Capital Ships and battle sleek alien craft throughout dozens of missions.

Once again, you'll need a high end machine to get the best out of the experience but Prephecy's vell balanced mix of intense space battles and captivating cinematics makes this a far more engaging ecperience then the inevitably banal holiday T.V line-up

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CCG Intro Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

After hours work and listening to me screaming "Is it ready yet?", Hadrian has finished the WCCCG Intro movie! You can download the intro here, and expect an update on the WCCCG page later today.

Worth A Look Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Following up our report on Chris Roberts' company Digital Anvil from yesterday, Microsoft, the publisher of some DA products, has set up a rather interesting site for three of the games. It's worth a look, you can find it here.

Request From Origin Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Boomer, who needs no introduction, sent the CIC this message:
Origin is looking for your feedback. We have created a short, 5 question survey to help us understand what you want in a great massively multiplayer online game. Please go to http://www.owo.com/wcsurvey.html and tell us what you think. Thanks!
So what are you waiting for? Go give feedback!

Remember The Vets Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

As Wing Commander fans we can participate in the fictional wars any time we want, but today is the day many countries around the world remember the vets who fought for real. (graphic by Hadrian)
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CIC

Confed Marines Retake Firekka Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Today in 2655 Confed Marines retook the embattled planet Firekka after the failed Kilrathi Sivar-Eshrad Ceremony held there. The Firekkans were a vital member and ally of the Confederation during the War against the Kilrathi in the mid 27 Century. Several dozens Firekkans were also killed in the first so-called "Nephilim War" in 2681.

A Quarter Year Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Today is the third-month birthday of the CIC. The original splash page at wcnews.com went down and the full CIC went up at midnight the morning of August 11, 1998.
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CIC

Expert Advice Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Well, a copy of 'PC Gaming Expert' appeared in my mail box today... not exactly sure why it came, but it's apparently some sort of strategy guide by the CGW people. Anyway, the following blurb about Prophecy tactics appeared...
Even if you've finished the original, these tactics still make good sense for the add-on missions, which are available online.
Enemy Mantas are heavy fighters, meaning they can dogfight and carry capital-ship-killing torpedoes. Always go for Mantas first in any mission, especially the red ones, as they carry torpedoes.
When playing a mission that requires defending something, pull up the Navigation map with Ctrl-N and target the ship you're protecting. The red lines indicate who is attacking the targeted craft, hence showing you the specific enemy fighters on which to focus.
When making runs against the alien capital ships and their turrets, make sure to take advantage of auto-sliding. That way, you can maintain your direction and speed, and still keep your sights set on your target. Make sure while auto-sliding to go around your target, rather than attacking it head-on.
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Translated Movie Article Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Within only a few hours of the scans being posted Philip Hadviger was able to send me an English version... thanks! You rule! Without further ado, here's the entire article (be warned, it contains a LOT of plot information).
The successful computer game makes its way into the theaters

Wing Commander
The Movie

Who doesn't know the gigantic Space Odyssey "Wing Commander" which made it onto Store shelves year after year just in time for Christmas? The space simulation, which by now has achieved Cult Status, topped itself game after game. The first part was small enough to fit on a few floppies, whereas the last two parts of this impressive Epic required up to 4 CDs for its Hollywood quality Movie scenes. These scenes, which were shown in between the single Missions, featured such known Actors as Mark Hamil (Luke Skywalker from "Star Wars") or Malcolm McDowell ("Star Trek - Generations").
Creator and Producer Chris Roberts could now finally make his dream come true - "Wing Commander" made it to the Big Screen.

The Movie:
Pegasus is a converted Asteroid of the Confederation, on which Space travelers can relax from their everyday routine at one of the many artificial beaches. But the peace and quite doesn't last very long, as the evil Kilrathi, aliens that look like a combination of Humans and Cats, arrive at this location. On Board of one of the Kilrathi-Battleships is a "Pilgrim", a Human who doesn't belong to the Confederation. This "Pilgrim" betrays the people of "Pegasus" and with the help of one Kilrathi Warrior, he steals the navigation computer of the enclave, which contains valuable Positional data. Afterwards the Colony is destroyed by the Kilrathi.
The Navigation computer allows the Kilrathi to sneak behind the Confederation's borders and attack Earth directly. The Confederation's mission is to find this Computer and to stop the Kilrathi before they can attack Earth.
Admiral Tolwyn (David Warner) sends an encrypted Message to Lt. Chris Blair (Freddie Prinze, Jr.), a young fighter pilot who is fresh out of the Space academy. Blair is a "Half-Pilgrim", who attempts to use his genetically inherited ability, which gives him full orientation in Space. This ability comes in handy, as the ships in the "Wing Commander" universe have to travel great distances through so called "Jump Points" (Jump points through Hyper space).
Blair and is friend Todd "Maniac" Marshall (Mathew Lillard) are onroute to their first mission on the Battleship "Tiger Claw". On the Trade freighter "Diligent" they come upon the mysterious Captain Paladin (Tcheky Karyo), who allows Blair to fly through the secret "Jump Point" Scylla, which is located at the edges of a Black Hole - a dangerous undertaking. But Blair manages to complete the trip, which usually takes 6 months, in just 3 minutes even though he nearly destroys his ship in the process. When they finally arrive at the "Tiger Claw", Blair discovers the beautiful "Angel" Deveraux (Saffron Burrows), who, as it turns out later on, is the person in direct command of him as a "Wing Commander". He also meets the Captain of the Ship, Sansky (David Suchet) and his first officer, Gerald (Jurgen Prochnow), who doesn't hide his antipathy against Blair's "Pilgrim" Background.
Just a little later, Paladin navigates the "Tiger Claw" through a "Jump Point" to a small brown Dwarf Asteroid, where Blair flies his first Mission. During the patrol trough a nearby Asteroid belt, Blair and Deveroux find and destroy two Kilrathi-fighters, which where hiding out in the area. Deveroux gets an order from Sansky to continue the sweep of the area to find any other Kilrathi ships. After not detecting any other vessels, Paladin, suspecting a trap, orders the fighters to return to the "Tiger Claw". This first encounter is only the beginning of the Battle, in which the fate of the Earth will be decided. In addition the lines between good and bad are blurred because a traitor is aboard the "Tiger Claw"....

The Production:
Filming occurred from February until April 1998 in Luxemburg, a pretty exotic film location for Americans. Producer Todd Moyer was full of enthusiasm about the Studios: "In the USA we could have never made a movie like 'Wing Commander' for only 25 million dollars - here it is no problem at all!" Moyer, who also worked on movies like "The Mask". "Timecop" and "Barb Wire", believes that Luxemburg offers great possibilities and discounts for this type of movie: "The Audience for this movie has very high expectations, and we are trying our best to make the movie look more expensive. In the USA 50 Million Dollars would have been a requirement." Todd guides the visitors through the studio and explains the very realistic sets of the "Tiger Claw's" Flightdecks. The buildings used to be part of an Ammunitions Factory and were just recently used as a Gothic Cathedral from the movie "American Werewolf in Paris".
In the background Technicians are working on the "Rapiers" - the fighters of the "Tiger Claw", which are lined up in the Hangar. These Fighters weren't just made out of wood, no, they are the old bodies of British airplanes, which were modified with Metal, Wood and Plastic in order to act as Trailer size space fighters. When one hits the fighter's body, one can feel the steel. These very massive fighters should be sold once the filming is complete because it would be a shame to recycle them.
Other interesting Space vehicles include a "Space Bulldozer" and a Tanker, both recycled from the movie "Judge Dredd".
The tour continues and Moyer points out a Storage room which is full of containers and piles of boxes and the walls are covered with Monitors, Cables and other lines - all very realistic looking. All of it came from the mind of the Oscar nominated ("Titanic") production designer Peter Lamont and his colleagues. "The small and confined areas on board of the "Tiger Claw" remind me of 'The Boat in Space'" says Peter Lamont.
A few minutes away from the Studio building is the Hotel Intercontinental Luxemburg, a gigantic Hotel, which is right at the end of the main street. The Hotel is completely packed with more than 200 Crew members of the Film. On the 4 floor they have an editing room and a Computer animation studio. From the they send daily updates with the latest data to Digital Anvil, the Animation Firm in Austin, Texas. It looks like the Post Production of the movie is happening simultaneously with the filming, but all this work is necessary to combine the endless special effects with the movie.

The Actors:
Freddie Prinze Jr. (Blair)
His latest role was in the movie "I know what you did last Summer", alongside Jennifer Love Hewitt and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Prince also starred in the movies "House of Yes" and in "To Gillian on her 37 Birthday" with Michelle Pfeiffer. Freddie was born and grew up in Albuquerque. His acting career didn't start until after school and his move to Los Angeles. He had small parts in the TV shows like "Family Matters", "The Watcher" and "Detention". He loves Computer games and Science-Fiction. "When I was a kid I watched Science-Fiction 24 hours a day 7 days a week. My bought my first 'Wing Commander' game when I was 15 years old and I was completely blown away, so obviously I bought all of the sequels that followed."

Saffron Burrows (Deveraux)
The British Actress started her career in theater at the age of 17. She is known though movies like "Hotel de Love", "One Night Stand" and "In the name of the Father" with Daniel Day Lewis. She just finished filming "The Loss of Sexual Innocence", in which she played twins who were separated at birth and grow up and Italy and England respectively. She really liked her role in "Wing Commander": "It is a really different role from all the other movies I have done, where I usually play women who have some kind of problem! My character in 'Wing Commander' is completely different, she is very hard, cold and direct, but deep down very passionate.

Mathew Lillard (Maniac)
His first big role in the Big Screen was a Stuart in the movie "Scream". His next two projects were "S.L.C. Punk" and "Senseless" (in which he play a Hockey Player). He also portrayed the serial killer in "Hackers" and appeared in the TV movie "If these walls could talk". Then role in "Wing Commander" was a real challenge for the Californian actor.

Jurgen Prochnow (Gerald)
Compared to all the other actors, Jurgen Prochnow has been in this business for a while. In many roles include appearances in "Legendender Leidenshaft" with Brad Pitt, Sir Anthony Hopkins and Aidan Quinnas well as "Body of Evidence" with Madonna, "The Boat", "Dune", "Das7. Zeichen" and even a role in the "Wing Commander" related game "Privateer 2: The Darkening".

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Obscure References Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Wing Commander is mentioned in the latest (December january) issue of YM magazine, in an article about Matthew Lillard... uhm, but I wouldn't really know anything about that, personally, I got that from Matt's official site. Really, I did...
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Media Blitz Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Well, it's no secret that I've been away for a few days... and it's no secret that I got a chance to visit the place that makes all these fine games... the bit you don't know (although probably assume by know) is that it's taking me forever to write an article on the dashed trip! Expect it in a few days... I'll leave you with some pictures I took, the nature of which will be explained in the coming article! Oh, and before I forget (well, I can't forget), I'd like to thank the people at Origin for letting me drop in, it was a really, really incredible experience...
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Please Help Us, Germans! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Well, it's that time again... once again, someone was kind enough to scan for us an entire Wing Commander Movie article! (This kind someone was Johannes Schüring). Now, my German is particularly poor, but I can read enough to know that this looks like a very interesting article... the question is, would anyone out there who reads German better than I do be kind enough to translate it for us? Naturally, you'll get credit and all that... as well as the admiration of thousands of Wing Commander fans! Here's the scanned article, as well as a pair of shots of the movie logo... if you're willing to help us, please mail me here. Thanks!
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Its In The Cards.. Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

For those of you wondering what is happening to the Wing Commander Customizable Card Game project, there is now a page up here describing our plans and other information such as a card list and instructions. Expect this page to grow as things develop. We'll keep you updated.

There is no Wing Commander in this Update Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

It's the lack of Wing Commander in this Update that makes it noteworthy. IGN has kicked off their holiday festivities and not one Wing Commander game is on their PC Software Christmas list. That's what happens when the last major game gets released some three weeks before the end of the previous year, the main game to come out this year is free online and the only retail game is a limited edition compilation of older games.

Second Call Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Attention: Jared Herring, Jonathan Lantzy and Ronald J. Rosina. The CIC hasn't received shipping addresses from these three in regards to the CIC Secret Ops Ultimate Trivia Contest. They have all won Confed Patches and need to contact the CIC to claim their prizes. All other winners are accounted for. If your name was listed above, please email us.

Good Luck and Godspeed! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Today LOAF leaves for Austin to "check out colleges." Fortunately his schedule should permit him to see the local scenery. LOAF will be in contact with the CIC during his trip and we'll be reporting on his progress in the Lonestar State. November 1 is also a bit of a memorable day for all of us, it's been three months now since the original countdown splash screen went up. We're also celebrating our 200,000 hit to the main page.

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