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2008.060 (February 29, 2008)

[# 3067 | 2/29/2008]

Kilrathi Return In Spanish Advertisement
In his most recent magazine archive search, Maxi de Sokar found a cool Spanish advertisement for Wing Commander 2. It comes from Issue 52, September 1992, of Micromania. It's interesting to seeing familiar promotional text such as this officially translated into other languages. You might recall that Issue 53 had a full blown review of the game. The background scene is based on the WC2 box art, and new CD-ROM editions of Wing Commander and The Secret Missions also get a plug.

The Empire of Kilrah is back!

Humanity still needs a hero, now more than ever, and you are still the best pilot in the galaxy. You have one opportunity to demonstrate what it takes, one more chance to avoid the fall of Earth under the huge might of the Kilrathi Empire.

Happy Leap Day From EA
The Canadian arms of Electronic Arts gave all of its employees the day off today to celebrate the Leap Day. The morale boosting event was meant to give personnel a creative break. Wing Commander Arena, developed by Gaia in New York, was lead from EA Canada near Vancouver.

Today will be a paid holiday for all Canadian employees of Electronic Arts Inc. That includes about 2,000 video game makers in Burnaby, B.C., Vancouver and Montreal. A senior executive said the company wants to inspire employees to take more time for themselves.

"Have fun, hang out with family, hang out with friends, because we don't do it enough and it seemed like a great day to do it," said Rory Armes, vice-president of Electronic Arts Canada.

Armes said company employees were delighted to get a paid day away from the pressures of making leading-edge video games. The next leap year isn't until 2012, but the company is trying to come with a reason to give its employees another day off in 2009.

2008.059 (February 28, 2008)

[# 3066 | 2/28/2008]

Das Erwachen Stille Released
Deacan reports that book two in his German Privateer 2-themed fan series is back from the printers. The book price is approximately 16 Euros, which is the break-even point for printing costs. Stille is listed on German Amazon but for now you have to order directly from Deacan. You can find the first Erwachen book online (in German) at Crius.net here. A preview of the second novel has also been posted here.

If you like to get a printed copy of the 2nd novel from the "Erwachen" series of books, here is the way to do so:

Send an email to stb@sidiblume.de

Please include the following info:
- your (real) name
- a fully functional mailing address (!)
- ..including your town/land, state/province and country

Point of Origin: Vol. VIII, No. 2-2
After dozens of updates on the subject we finally reach the last issue of The Point of Origin - October 30, 1998. It features a particularly apt spotlight story: "Ultima Online Takes Over the World." Indeed Origin would last for another five years -- but without Wing Commander or (apparently) a newsletter.

We hope you've enjoyed these features. I started doing them largely to force myself to study all this material... and so I could better understand what a special place Origin was. I think exactly that has come across over the last few months worth of Point updates, and I hope we've preserved some of their world for the future to appreciate.

A very special thanks to Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum for making this resource available and to Electronic Arts for sending them to him in the first place!

• In Ink has some last words for Secret Ops and Prophecy:

2008.058 (February 27, 2008)

[# 3065 | 2/27/2008]

Bengal Gets Its Tiger Stripes
Howard Day's Bengal carrier has gotten yet another facelift. The textures have been refined throughout the model to sharpen the look in key detail areas. Additional caution tape and aggressive striping on the bottom has been added. These particular renders were also shot with new soft lighting sources which reveal certain parts of the frame and cast a cool shadow on others. Extra high res versions of each picture are linked below the thumbnail image.

High Res	High Res	High Res
High Res	High Res	High Res

As always, enjoy.

Point of Origin: Vol. VIII, No. 2
The penultimate issue of The Point of Origin, June 13, 1998, includes only a single mention of Wing Commander. Can this really be the end? Tune in next time to find out.

A very special thanks to Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum for making this resource available and to Electronic Arts for sending them to him in the first place!

• Spotlight: Views From the Floor at E3 includes mention of the two doomed projects: "Oblivion is a massively multiplayer space combat game being built by Microsoft R&D. This game is certainly going to be competition for Privateer Online. They claimed that they would ship this Christmas. The graphics engine was pretty good, but their HUD could use some work. We can certainly do a better game than this, but they are going to be on the market first... Half-life is a novel Quake-style game. One of its interesting twists is a very high level of interaction between the player and other characters. In some scenes, there was an AI controlled 'wingman' for the player, much like we were hoping to do quite some time ago for a space marine game based in the Wing Commander universe."

2008.057 (February 26, 2008)

[# 3064 | 2/26/2008]

Collateral Damage Project Delivers
JasonRocZ has come up with a new type of cargo ship for his Wing Commander: Collateral Damage project -- The Charon. The first two images are renders, the other shots were taken in the Vision engine. I'll let Jason explain the name and the design philosophy.

So in thinking that Charon was an dead being. I used elements of the Orion Fuselage, like the wheel and bars a little bit behind the cockpit (the bars are a lighter color), "he is commonly depicted as a living skeleton in a cowl, much like the Grim Reaper" [wikipedia] (which isn't that far off at least that's how I thought of this character) It would almost make it seem like the cockpit could be lowered when you land to touch the ground. So in thinking of this theory I tried to make the Transport, look as if it had bones, of sorts, it may sound corny but eyyy. You guys named the Buccaneer!!! Also Charon is a system in the Epsilon Sector which would seem like a main link between (2) Arena time frame important systems (Midgard, and Corsair systems) I made this transport pretty heavily armored but not heavy with weapons, also I had trouble putting a turret on it too. I was thinking that instead of meson guns for this to just have 2 plasma guns on it and call it a day. Also within the game I have taken the refire delay action of the Plasma a little less only reason being was to make it a little more close to Privateer type Plasma guns, and a little less damaging because of that fact. But in any even enjoy the screenshots, and any comments questions or concerns by all means I'd love to hear them, the more information and accurate information I can get in doing this mod the better.

Point of Origin: Vol. VIII, No. 1
We've now gone an entire year without an issue of The Point of Origin - and this February 20th, 1998 issue is the first of three available for this year. What's more, 1998 is the end of the line... but at least we get to see some reaction to Prophecy!

A very special thanks to Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum for making this resource available and to Electronic Arts for sending them to him in the first place!

• Spotlight: The Point Presses Those Two New Suits mentions Prophecy in an extremely positive sidenote: "Having Wing Commander Prophecy ship the highest number of units in EA-Germany's history was exciting, as was rehiring Rod Nakamoto."
• In Ink has good press for Prophecy:

Meanwhile, Wing Commander: Prophecy is racking up its own share of honors. Computer Gaming World awarded WCP Space Sim of the Year. "The in-flight action looks better than the cut-scenes in most other games. With 3Dfx support, you'll hardly believe your eyes," CGW said. Gamespot added two awards -- Best Action/Simulation and Best Graphics for 1997. "From the varicolored lighting effects in the numerous locales to the amazing green ripple effect of an explosion, Prophecy sets a new standard for computer game graphics," Gamespot wrote.

... What can you expect from the press in the days to come? Strategy Plus magazine is planning a cover feature on Privateer 3 for its May issue. Expect that article to hit the magazine rack during the first week of April.

• Privateer 2 Team in "Full Tilt" reports on a game missed by all:

Welcome Back... to the Wing Commander universe! Privateer 3 is "in full tilt development" according to Executive Producer Rod Nakamoto. Scheduled for ship in the fall of 1998, Privateer 3 takes gamers back to the Wing Commander universe and lets them take on the rebel persona they loved in Privateer 1 and 2.

The team was given a clean slate in a familiar universe. They could incorporate the ebst elements of the first two Privateer titles and build in their own ideas to make it the best yet.

"We're happy to have the opportunity to bring Privateer back to ORIGIN," Nakamoto said. "ORIGIN's people like to have control over their own destiny and we'll do our best not to disappoint!"

A recent brainstorm session with development and marketing generated a long list of reasons it's fun to work on the P3 team. The group cites great chemistry within the team as well as great working relationships among development, QA and marketing.

"What I like about this team is that they're very self-motivated," Nakamoto said. "They have a great understanding of this rpoduct and they know what kinds of products the ORIGIN consumer likes to play."

The team faces several challenges in development; the most ominous is probably the multiplayer aspect. The press and customers are eagerly anticipating a multiplayer action game within the Wing Commander Universe and it is a challenge to deliver it well.

"We're addressing the challenges with multiplayer by doing the hardest parts first. If we can get multiplayer up and running for E3 we'll have plenty of time for play balancing before we ship," Nakamoto said.

Nakamoto has faith in the team and credits their ability to fit in to a new environment and work as a team.

"This is one of the tightest teams I've ever worked with. The people who came over from Sega have integrated very well with the existing team to become one tight, very focused development team," Nakamoto said.

By brainstorming with designers, artists, producers and marketing team members, PR has identified a number of "key messages" or selling points that will put Privateer 3 in a class by itself. Among them are the extensive exploration, the unpredictability of the gameplay and the 2000 locales the player can visit. Also, everyone is asking about multiplayer. When the multiplayer aspects are playable, the media will be impressed.

Marketing and PR are planning a comprehensive promotional effort including preview coverage in all of the major gaming magazines, an extensive online program and even a couple of consumer promotions like contests and events. Privateer 3 is also slated for a major presence at E3 in Atlanta in May.

• And finally, Ten Signs that you are addicted to Wing Commander Prophecy:

2008.056 (February 25, 2008)

[# 3063 | 2/25/2008]

Watch Out For Unfriendly Fire
Operation Thor's Hammer smashes into its second week in the Wing Commander series replay being conducted via Crius.net. The Goddard Colony has been distroyed and the Tiger's Claw is proceeding into Kilrathi space. Players should try to finish up through Jotunheim and Bifrost this week to stay current. Dundradal has just reached the famous Gwenhyvar.

Jotunheim 2: The Kats are setting up an ambush and Halcyon wants to spring it, but on our terms. Sounds promising. Even though we are racking up victories, people are still tense about surviving this campaign. Maniac's mental state has gotten to the point where the discussion is raised in the middle of a briefing by Paladin. Maniac's defense is typical Maniac and Halcyon dismisses everyone with no decision.

Jotunheim 3: The Johann is adrift after being attacked by the Kilrathi and is in need of assistance. This mission has a ridiculous amount of fighters.

4 Gratha en route to Nav 1 then 4 Jalthi at Nav 1 itself. What an opening. I did not make it through these encounters undamaged. Nav 2 is not the Johann. Oh no, it's the Gwenhyvar! 5 Rapiers and the Gwenhyvar to take out. This is quite an encounter. It's our first time flying against our own ships - and Rapiers no less. They did a nice job of placing this encounter far enough after the initial reference so that it's been just long enough to where it's probably slipped your mind.

The last encounter is 8 more fighters (4 Krants and 4 Gratha). I was pretty banged up by this point so I had to be careful not to be blown out of the sky.

Upon returning even Halcyon is surprised by the story. I'm amazed I survived the damn mission! That Raptor is going to be in the repair bay for quite a while. For my actions I receive a Bronze Star. It feels well deserved.

I'll finish up the other missions later in the week! I can't wait to keep taking out the Kats!

• Community Replay - General Discussion
• WC1 Week 1 - Enyo, McAuliffe, Gimle, Gateway, Cheng-du
• WC1 Week 2 - Brimstone, Dakota, Kurasawa, Rostov, Port Hedland, Hubble's Star
• WC1 Week 3 - Venice, Hell's Kitchen, Alternate Paths
• Secret Missions Week 1 - Goddard, Border Zone, Midgard
• Secret Missions Week 2 - Jotunheim, Bifrost

Point of Origin: Vol. VII, No. 1
The lens begins to cloud - the February 14 issue of The Point of Origin is the only one archived for 1997... and indications are that no others exist. Luckily for Wing Commander fans, it includes an article specifically on the status of Maverick Productions.

A very special thanks to Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum for making this resource available and to Electronic Arts for sending them to him in the first place!

• Spotlight: Point Exclusive: What the hell is up with Maverick? answers that very question:

• In Ink has good news for Privateer 2:

• Product Support Spotlight has another tale of helping fix a Wing Commander game:

• The EOM is Trey Hermann!: "Congratulations to February's EOM, Trey Hermann. Trey joined ORIGIN 3 1/2 years ago as a graphic designer in Creative Services. One of his favorite projects that he worked on was the 'Behind the Scenes' electronic press kit for Wing Commander III. That ambitious undertakign went on to win a prestigious 'ICON' award."

2008.055 (February 24, 2008)

[# 3062 | 2/24/2008]

New Poll Predicts EA's Next Project
The recent announcement that EA is returning to one of its "most acclaimed classic franchises" has got Wing Commander fans wondering what it could be. In combination with recent rumors and comments made by EA's CEO, some Wingnuts think that Project RedLime could be the code name for a new Wing Commander title. There are a lot of possibilities, but some are better bets than others. Vote now to let others know what you think.

Our last poll asked Confederation defenders which Transport was their favorite to escort. The classic Drayman came in first with the alternate Dilligent configuration boosting it even further. Wing Commander 3's Clarkson class was also popular, as was the powerful Monolith from Privateer 2. P2's Ogan was a bust with just 3 votes out of nearly 900.

What's your favorite Transport to escort?
Diligent	5.68%
Drayman (WC1)	27.93%
Free Trader (WC2)	8.81%
Clydesdale (WC2)	10.54%
Belleau Wood (Armada)	1.62%
Clarkson (WC3/4)	20.51%
Pelican (WCP/SO/Arena)	8.34%
Gea Transit (P2)	0.93%
Ogan (P2)	0.35%
Ilia (P2)	1.04%
Monolith (P2)	14.25%
Ended on February 24, 2008  |  863 votes

Point of Origin: Vol. VI, No. 9
We are approaching the end of The Point of Origin - this (December 19, 1996) is the last regular issue (in Origin's archive, anyway.) After the end of 1996 there are only one or two each year... and they disappear completely by 1999.

A very special thanks to Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum for making this resource available and to Electronic Arts for sending them to him in the first place!

• In Ink has a holiday round-up:

ORIGIN has a couple of titles in CGW's space sim category. Privateer 2 came in at number two and Wing Commander IV was number five. "The Darkening looks like a fantastic game," editors wrote. "What great action -- the combat will surely satisfy any space sim fan," they exclaimed about Wing Commander IV.

... Meanwhile PC Gamer is out with its Top 40 Games article. (Essentially it's a holiday gift guide). Wing Commander Iv, Crusader: No Regret, AH-64D Longbow and Cybermage made the final cut. These were all games that scored 88% or higher in PC Gamer this year. Take notice of this because it means that every PC game that this studio released this year mad it in the Gamer's Top 40. Congrats to all the development, QA and marketing teams behind these products.

Additionally, PC Gamer listed a couple of ORIGIN titles in its holiday season previews. Kilrathi Saga was one of those. "Here's your chance to enjoy some of the most popular and enduring space shoot-'em-ups around the way they were meant to be played." Another title in the preview category was Privateer 2. "If you enjoy the Wing Commander universe, it's a sure bet this will be right up your alley."

Speaking of Wing Commander, the just-released Consumer Guide's Computer Buying Guide listed Wing Commander IV as a "Best Buy" and gave the game a final score of 10. "Playing Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom is like stepping inside a movie. A perfect mixture of movie sequences and combat missions."

Privateer 2 is getting its coming out party in Taiwan. Check out the accompanying picture with this article from Soft World Magazine. The Chinese publication sent one of its writers to Austin a couple of months ago for at two-part cover story on ORIGIN. You may recall the cover of Lord British in the last Point of Origin. This month it's Privateer 2 featured on Soft World's cover.

... Next time we should have some reviews on Flash Point Korea and some of what the early reviews are saying about Privateer 2.

• One of the New Hires wants the same thing for Christmas that I did that year: "Tim Bell would like his very own copy of Privateer 2: The Darkening Hint Book."
• Who Is This Guy? introduces the new man in charge of Wing Commander:

2008.054 (February 23, 2008)

[# 3061 | 2/23/2008]

MegaReview Arrives From Spain
Maxi de Sokar has another cool Spanish Wing Commander review today. This one dates back to Issue 34 of the MegaOcio magazine. In this case the game got a lengthy four-page spread that's full of fun pictures. How many other seventeen year old games still have screenshots that look so good? Wing Commander received a solid 9 points out of 10.

High Res	High Res	High Res	High Res

Pocas veces un programa nos ha sorprendido tan gratamente como lo ha hecho la ultima produccion de Mindscape, Wing Commander, un simulador de combate espacial que nos hara vivir las mas emocionantes aventuras y combates galacticos, claro esta, sentados enfrente de nuestro ordenador.

Seldom has a program so pleasantly surprised us as the latest production of Mindscape, Wing Commander, a space combat simulator that will make us live the most exciting galactic fight possible sitting in front of our computer.

Point of Origin: Vol. VI, No. 8
It's a spooky Halloween issue of The Point of Origin - October, 1996. Well, no, it isn't - but it does have some details on one of the great legends of Wing Commander development... J. Allen Brack's yelling at Chris Roberts!

A very special thanks to Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum for making this resource available and to Electronic Arts for sending them to him in the first place!

• Spotlight: What the Hell?!... is up with Product Development has brief writeups on each Origin development team: "Maverick: Under the new leadership of Executive Producer Rodney Nakamoto, Maverick Productions is cranking away furiously on a variety of exciting new projects. Dave Downing is leading the charge on the highly anticipated Wing Commander V. The game will feature a new, Windows 95-based spaceflight engine with numerous enhancements over previous versions. A 'reasonably priced' Interactive Movie Shoot featuring some famiilar and some new faces is schedueld for Spring of 1997 in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, John McLean and Jeff Everett, fresh from shipping The Kilrathi Saga, are preparing for a super-secret project for a late 1997 release. The Point sent spies to learn the exact nature of the product, but the best we could come up with is that their new project is an action game, similar in style to Dark Forces, set in the Wing Commander Universe. 'I'm excited to be here,' said Rodney Nakamoto. 'But I was expecting hot, sunny weather. What's up with all this fog and rain?' On a sadder note, Jason Bernard, the actor who portrayed Capt. William Eisen in Wing Commanders III and IV passed away recently at age 58."
• In Ink is largely Crusader focused, with the occasional Wing Commander mention:

Another ORIGIN title getting PC Mag's Top 100 attention was Wing Commander IV. "Wing Commander IV virtually explodes, with six CD-ROMs of pulse-quickening action."

Wing Commander IV Macintosh got a thumbs up from The Mac, a Macintosh publication out of the UK. Editors gave WC IV Mac 4 out of 5 stars. "Exactly what makes this game so engrossing is the seamless way it has melded an action movie and a shoot-'em-up. A stunning experience and it stands as powerful monument to the potential of multimedia. This game is simply on a different planet."

... Check out this month's Computer Gaming World and you'll see that Ultima games are all over the mag's 150 Best Games of All Time article... Other ORIGIN titles listed in the big list were Wing Commander (No. 7), Crusader: No Remorse (No. 38), Wing Commander III (No. 54), System Shock (No. 98), AH-64D Longbow (No. 100) and Ogre (No. 130).

... Meanwhile, Privateer 2 continues to grab its share of headlines as a November ship date looms on the horizon. The October issue of Computer Player has a three page preview on P2. Jeff Tschiltsch wrote, "Never before has a PC game looked so much like a Hollywood special-effects extravaganza. P2's attention to detail and state-of-the-arts space-combat simulator will no doubt impress."

And believe it or not, P2 alerady has been reviewed by a magazine in the UK. PC Zone has scored Privateer 2 at 94. Chris Anderson gushed, "The Darkening is by far and away the best space combat sim ever to grace the PC. Not only outrageously good-looking, but also incredibly addictive to boot." Hey, that works for me. Let's hope American editors are ready to agree. Stay tuned.

• Finally, the EOM for November is J. Allen Brack himself:

2008.053 (February 22, 2008)

[# 3060 | 2/22/2008]

Expert Eugenian Exposes Excellent Exeter
Howard Day is moving on to new capships. Here's his awesome Exeter class destroyer. It'll make a fine escort to his massive Bengal, and the ship certainly looks impressive on its own. Fans can clearly see that significant progress has been made and the model is already nearly done. Certain elements are reused from Howard's strike carrier, but the overall design is its own and matches the original well. Check out the neat Hornet and small landing strip in the rear.

I've gotten a fair way along on the Exeter class destroyer. Key points: the triple-laser battery, the small landing bay behind the bridge for the 18-strong fighter complement, and those two weird cylindrical things forward of the bridge. So, this will be done shortly - I just have some random tightening up to do.

Point of Origin: Vol. VI, No. 7
This issue of The Point of Origin (September 20) represents a high water mark for Wing Commander fandom -- with a whole host of amazing spinoffs getting ready to appear. Who can forget the anticipation as we read these very articles about Privateer 2, Wing Commander Academy and Kilrathi Saga?

A very special thanks to Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum for making this resource available and to Electronic Arts for sending them to him in the first place!

• In Ink has some material on Privateer 2:

Two months ago, PC Gamer editors made their way to Austin to see what was cooking. The result was 12 pages of pictures and articles in the latest issue featuring all of our upcoming products from Privateer 2 to Ultima IX to the Wing Commander Academy animated series... As for products, Garry Whitta and Michael Wolf were obviously impressed with what they saw... Whitta, Gamer's Editor-in-Chief, was given a full demo of Privateer 2 during the visit and he too came away with plenty of positive impressions. "Fans of Privateer are in for a treat," Whitta wrote. "The British design team based in Manchester, England, and led by Erin Roberts has pulled out all the stops to make The Darkening ORIGIN's most impressive space opera yet."

There's even some itneresting support articles regarding Wing Commander: The Kilrathi Saga, Wing Commander Academy (the animated series which kicks off tomorrow on the USA cable network) and former ORIGINite Chris Roberts, who had some eyebrow-raising quotes about his departure from EA/ORIGIN.

After you've read PC Gamer, you can check out the October issue of Computer Games Strategy Plus, which features Privateer 2 on its cover. Editor Steve Bauman also flew into Austin two months ago to do research on his cover story (check out the other picture with this article). "It (Privateer 2) looks like it has the depth, beauty and gameplay to win over a new generation of gamers, one which has grown accustomed to being blown away with each ORIGIN release. Once you enter battle you get a superb 3D engine, faster than Wing Commander's, with high-resolution graphics and a series of little details setting it apart from the pack."

... Look for more feature stories on Privateer 2 in October's PC Games, Computer Gaming World and Computer Player.

• News In Briefs includes two Wing Commander stories: "Wing Commander Academy: The Animated Series - Inspired by the wildly successful line of award-winning, top-selling 'Wing Commander' interactive CD-ROM computer games, the new action adventure animated series WING COMMANDER ACADEMY soars into a cartoon stratosphere starting tomorrow (Saturday, Sept. 21) at 10:30 a.m. on the USA Network (the show repeats at 9 a.m. Sundays)." and "Congratulations! - The Origin Creative Services Department has once again been honored by Graphic Design:USA. This year, we received American Graphic Design Awards for the following items: Wing Commander IV Poster: Artwork by Sam Yeates and the Wing IV Team. Art Direction by Jennifer Davis."
• The London Report has news of the recent ECTS conference: "With a 2 tiered, 3000 square foot, hardwood floor booth, EA featured key titles such as Privateer 2, Longbow, Soviet Strike, Dungeon Keeper, Die Hard and Andretti Racing."
• This issue features another Product Support Spotlight Letter:

I would like to recognize one of your tele-support technicians, Anthony Salter, for the outstanding support provided with a problem encoutnered with the installation of Wing Commander IV. As a former employee of a large computer manufacturer selling and supporting systems over the telephone, I am familiar with the heavy requirements placed on these members of any organization supporting hardware or software in today's market.

The support provided was oustanding through the entire process, including the front-end phone system. I smoothly worked through the menus and was quickly greeted by Anthony moments after being placed in the queue. It was apparent to me from my experience that the system provided to Anthony was well designed to support me as well as capture the relevant data to support me on future calls. Anthony guided me precisely to a solution and waited to assure that the solution worked. It is not always the case that the consumer receives such prompt and accurate support, but it was a pleasure to receive this for the purposes of loading a game and not a business application for once.

I take the time to write this letter as I hear my son blasting away at oncoming intruders from another planet, or something like that. I commend Anthony and your organization for exceeding my expectations from a software vendor. You can count on our continued business.

Robert, Matt, and Brian W.
Georgetown, Texas

2008.052 (February 21, 2008)

[# 3059 | 2/21/2008]

BREAKING NEWS: EA Announces... Something?
This could be the big one: Electronic Arts today announced that the company is developing a game which "reinvent(s) one of EA's most acclaimed classic franchises." The mystery title (codename "RedLime") is being developed for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and PC - who could ask for anything more? Like Wing Commander Arena, RedLime is being developed by an outside studio (Starbreeze Studios) with leadership from an EA production team. There are several possibilities as to exactly what this title could be: Syndicate, Cybermage, System Shock... but given recent industry rumors, the nature of development and the inclusion of PC with the planned platforms the one which seems mostly likely is ours: Wing Commander. Let's hope we hear more soon! Here's the official release:

EA Partners to Publish Upcoming Title for PLAYSTATION 3, Xbox 360 and PC

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 21, 2008--EA Partners today announced that it has teamed up with Starbreeze Studios, the award-winning developers of The Darkness and The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay to reinvent one of EA's most acclaimed classic franchises. The title, with the internal code name Project RedLime, is being developed for the PLAYSTATION(R)3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360(TM) system from Microsoft and PC.

"EA Partners is thrilled to hand over the keys to one of EA's most acclaimed franchises to Starbreeze Studios," said David DeMartini, vice president and general manager of EA Partners. "Starbreeze's pedigree is undisputed and we could not be happier to welcome them to the EA Partners family. The team is creating an incredibly innovative take on a classic property and EA Partners is poised to deliver a blockbuster launch on the global stage."

"EA Partners gives independent developers like Starbreeze access to EA's unrivaled global publishing infrastructure, letting us focus our energy on what we do best - making incredible games," said Johan Kristiansson, CEO of Starbreeze Studios. "We're already deep in development on Project RedLime and the team at EA is giving us the time we need to perfect our vision. We're excited to bring a new perspective and gameplay innovation to this beloved fiction."

Additional information about the Starbreeze project will follow in the coming months. For more information about other EA games, please visit http://info.ea.com.

Developers interested in working at Starbreeze can search available jobs at http://www.starbreeze.com

About Starbreeze Studios

Starbreeze is a videogame developer based in Uppsala, Sweden. The studio was founded in 1998 and currently employs a staff of about 75. The team has developed action/adventure games including 2004's "The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay" (Xbox and PC) which averaged a 90% Metacritic rating, and 2007's "The Darkness" (Xbox 360 and PS3) which averaged an 82% Metacritic rating.

Point of Origin: Vol. VI, No. 6
One thing that should be clear in this August 9, 1996 edition of The Point of Origin is that the heart and soul of Origin certainly isn't dead - check out their company-wide assassination game and their award winning raft race rafts... not the only impressive Squid they'll be designing this year!

A very special thanks to Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum for making this resource available and to Electronic Arts for sending them to him in the first place!

• What the hell is up with... Product Support?! has both funny and touching stories about Wing Commander support:

• In Ink has all the news that's fit to reprint:

2008.051 (February 20, 2008)

[# 2912 | 2/20/2008]

Community Replay Starts Secret Missions
The combined WC series replay kicks off The Secret Missions this week. Fans should hit Goddard, the Border Zone and Midgard Wingnuts cleaned up the remainder of WC1. Lorien has already started in on Operation Thor's Hammer, but here's some of his recollections from Venice.

Venice 2: Shotglass is just as happy to hear that I killed Khaja as I am that I'm going to get another shot at Bhurak. Try to run away from my Rapier now! I wonder what type of carrier the Kyoto is....

Those Kyoto pilots are good. Toasted the Fralthi with ease while Hunter and I annihilated her escorts. The Fralthi never even stood a chance, probably why they had comms open to the starbase, screaming for reinforcements.

Venice 3: Things are on the up and up, the Kilrathi are pulling out and the Tiger's Claw is part of the boot to kick them out of Vega. I'm not enthused by Hunter's thinking, it makes sense, but I hate dogfighting in minefields.

In retrospect, I really should have expected those Jalthi in the minefield. About the worst type of ship to take into a minefield dogfight, though, especially compared to the Rapier. I think the Tiger's Claw is down to 8 lives now after the pounding she was taking on our return.

Venice 4: It's really good to hear Paladin's pride at being part of this operation. According to Angel, Bhurack's still waiting out there for me to take another shot at him.

Damn, that mission was a rush. Hunter & I decided that leaving a Fralthi at our backs while we pressed against the Star Post was a dumb idea. One Fralthi and it's escorts later, we pushed on. I obeyed the Colonel's instructions and used nothing but guns against the seemingly endless hordes. Hunter got into trouble while we fought some Salthi. I ordered him home, but wasn't able to make sure he got out safe. Dogfighting 4 Jalthi by myself was hair-raising. I'd be confidently tailing one, pouring fire into those vulnerable engines when I'd hear his three wingman open up on me from behind. I eventually whittled them down. Taking out the Star Post seemed almost anti-climatic. I think the best bit was getting to the debriefing to see Hunter standing next to me, bright as a feather.

So, what's next, Boss?

• Community Replay - General Discussion
• WC1 Week 1 - Enyo, McAuliffe, Gimle, Gateway, Cheng-du
• WC1 Week 2 - Brimstone, Dakota, Kurasawa, Rostov, Port Hedland, Hubble's Star
• WC1 Week 3 - Venice, Hell's Kitchen, Alternate Paths
• Secret Missions Week 1 - Goddard, Border Zone, Midgard

Point of Origin: Vol. VI, No. 5
The ball has dropped - Chris Roberts and Warren Spector are gone. Richard Garriot and Mike Grajeda address the company about future plans in this June 28, 1996 issue of The Point of Origin. It also talks about one of Origin's saddest 'lost game' stories -- Technosaur, a game developed entirely by a team which worked its way up from QA.

A very special thanks to Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum for making this resource available and to Electronic Arts for sending them to him in the first place!

• Spotlight: What's Up? is a candid interview with Mike Grajeda and Richard Garriott about the post-Chris Roberts and Warren Spector status of the company: "For example, toward the end of Wing Commander IV's completion, my artists and artists from all over the building helped out. Now, in return, Ultima IX is at a point where we need some flic help and we've got folks from Wing Commander and Crusader helping us to fix that problem."
• In Ink reports on Wing Commander IV and beyond:

• New Hires brings onboard some Wing Commander veterans: "Chris Everett believes that 'If it's too good to be true, then it probably is' (although having worked on WCIV, we couldn't necessarily agree)... Grant McDaniel worked on Wing III Playstation, Bioforge Mission Disk, ATF and Longbow... Kirk Watson worked on Bioforge MD, Longbow, ATF, and Wing III PlayStation in QA before training as a tech rep on the phones, and shares this advice, "You get what you pay for." Indeed."

2008.050 (February 19, 2008)

[# 3058 | 2/19/2008]

Who Ordered The Extra Wings?
JasonRocZ has added another pair of Arena ships to his Wing Commander: Collateral Damage mod project -- the Dralthi Striker and Shank varieties.

Well while working on the Charon, I also figured that I was working on far too many confed, and the like. So I figured I should probably start working on some of the Kilrathi ships. which by the way is much harder for some reason of another. But here are 2 ships that I've been working on. Both haven't gotten to the vision engine yet but will in due time. These are renders of the ships. Which I've tried to stay true to the Arena type shapes of the fighters.

The first is the Shank type fighter. I'm still working on the cockpit area and also on what seems to be the intake/engine areas too. Then I'll start working on the textures more and more. The second is the Dralthi Striker, which is basically the same as the shank minus the extra wings. As always leave comments, and I will take them into account while making any changes.

Point of Origin: Vol. VI, No. 4
The May 17, 1996 issue of The Point of Origin has all sorts of news from one of the first big E3 trade shows... and lots of information about the changing (?) corporate culture at Origin. Check out that article on 'the flow'...

A very special thanks to Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum for making this resource available and to Electronic Arts for sending them to him in the first place!

• Spotlight: Newsflash! Straight off the E3 Show Floor! lists the games being displayed at E3: "ORIGIN's titles for the convention, which began yesterday and winds up on Saturday, are AH-64D Longbow, Abuse, Crusader: No Regret, Privateer: The Darkening, Ultima Online, and Wing Commander IV for Macintosh."
• What the Hell is Up with Wing Commander 4 Mac ?! says:

Wing Commander IV for Macintosh is off and running!

And hopefully, this port of the popular PC title should prove to be one of ORIGIN's best Mac titles yet.

Ana Moreno, the game's Associate Producer, is very pleased by all the support ORIGIN and EA are giving to the title. "We're seeing more marketing and sales support - in fact, this is the most support I've ever seen for a Mac title," she said. "There has been increased internal support from people like Rich Hilleman, Alex Carloss, Patrick Bradshaw, and Teresa Potts. We have a good working relationship with the out of the house programming source, Lion Entertainment, which is here in Austin. The staff at Lion, who also did the Wing 3 port, have been very reliable in that they've actually met their software deadlines."

Ana said that because of differences in the way Mac products are marketing (most are through catalog sales) there will be some challenges ahead, but she is encouraged. "It'll be really interesting to see what happens," she said. "Advertising in catalogs can get expensive, but we have a lot of factors in our favor, such as strategic placement in specific accounts like Mac Warehouse. The software ship date is closer to the WCIV PC release and we released demos in a timely manner - a 50MB version for compilation CDs and a 7MB version for online. WCIV Mac will be featured in one of ORIGIN's meeting rooms at E3. Best of all, as far as competition goes, there is nothing comparable to Wing Commander IV on the Macintosh market except for Wing Commander III."

QA Supervisor Evan Brandt assigned seven testers to the WCIV Mac project: Chris Primozich, Project Leader; Tom Godsey, Assistant Project Leader; Bryan Hill, Hardware Tech and Tester; Todd Bailey, Lead Tester; Lee Gibson, Paul Sage, and Richard Zinser, Testers.

According to Chris, the team was given a really solid Alpha version to work with, which helped speed things right along. "The main difficulty with the Mac version was memory," he said. "WCIV for PC was slated for 8 megs of RAM. The Mac operating system takes up 2 or 3 megs, which meant the code had to be crammed to fit. Players with memory problems will be prompted to use virtual memory, which is any easy check-box item."

On the other end of the coin, Chris sand the Mac version had a couple of advantages over the PC version. "The frame rate is much better on the Mac, if you're using a comparable PC machine. The Mac version will allow players to custom define any buttons on their joysticks. Also, players will be able to load any saved games or change their options from any place on the carrier, while in DOS, players have to be at the terminal."

At the last Product Review, Richard Garriott gave WCIV Mac two thumbs up. This summer, we will find out if the public agrees.

• In Ink has praise for several Wing titles:

Wing Commander IV is drawing most of the headlines from reviewers these days, so let's jump right into what they're writing. Let's start with PC Gamer, which gave WCIV a 90% rating and an Editor's Choice award. "ORIGIN's latest science fiction spectacular is even more impressive than its predecessor," wrote Dan Bennett. "WCIV looks and sounds incredible."

PC Entertainment gave WCIV five out of five for gameplay, graphics and value. Shane Mooney wrote, "Not only is it likely to be the biggest game of the year, but Wing IV will undoubtedly become a benchmark for future games of this sort."

Computer Game Review graded WCIV at 95. "One of the best space combat/flight sim games I've ever played," gushed Scott Gehrs. In the same mag, Ted Chapman wrote, "The ORIGIN production team has done a superb job developing the game around a storyline that would be fraught with disaster in the hands of lesser developers, and the balance of sweat vs. fun is nearly unmatched in the gaming world to date."

In the Washington Post, John Payne said about WCIV, "Plot, acting, scenery and effects rival, and even exceed films made for the big screen. Incredible space combat coupled with a complex interactive plot makes this one of the best games since, well, Wing Commander III."

And from the land down under, another great review of an ORIGIN product from Hyper Magazine. Julian Bures and Jason Serda scored WCIV at 95. It was on the cover of the magazine and received the editor's "Big Stamp of Approval." "The most stunning action, combat, mystery and interactive movie magic ever put together," wrote Bures and Serda. "This is the jewel in the crown of the Wing Commander series. If you don't play it then you don't really own a computer."

There was a nice article on the WCIV music and sound team in Mix magazine last month. A 4-page article featured interviews with George Oldziey and Stretch Williams. Writer Chris Michie said, "The latest (Wing Commander) is a series that has set new standards in production values for the PCCD format."

And finally congrats to several members of the Wing Commander team, which carried home some hardware from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences awards. Chris Roberts won for Best Director and Best Producer. Editor Phil Gesser won for Best Editor and Terry Borst and Frank DePalma won in the Best Writer category.

Speaking of Wing Commander, the Macintosh version of WCIII continues to get some notice. Paul Boone in Mac Home Journal wrote, "Everything is so well rendered it will fool you into thinking you're in a Star Wars-style sci-fi film." Boone gave WCIII a score of 4 out of 4. Bob Levitus, in MacUser, gave WCIII a 4 out of 5 rating. "A grand and epic drama on four CDs, it combines live-action video with one of the most enjoyable simulators I've every flown."

2008.049 (February 18, 2008)

[# 3057 | 2/18/2008]

Up Close With Pioneer's Bengal
The latest updates to Howard Day's Bengal class carrier zoom way in to give you close-up detail shots. Individual elements of windows, turrets and hangar bays are visible in high clarity. The perspective and scale are quite impressive from these tight vantage points, and I really like those red interior bays.

I've added a simulated detail mapping pass into the texture. This is something we'll do to the model when you get really, really, really close. Keep in mind that these shots are far closer than you'll most likely get in-game and at a far higher resolution. Also, these were just a test, so they don't interact with things like windows and greebles properly.

Point of Origin: Vol. VI, No. 3
April 5th, 1996: Wing Commander IV is out and Wing Commander Prophecy is 18 months away... what do we have to look forward to? The Darkening, Kilrathi Saga, Wing Commander Academy, a variety of ports... 1996-97 was actually a golden age for Wing Commander!

This is actually a very important issue of The Point of Origin. Be sure to read the 'Maverick' article, which sets the stage for Chris Roberts' exit from Origin, as well as the 'real spacecraft' joke which is why we continue to celebrate April Fools Day here each year.

A very special thanks to Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum for making this resource available and to Electronic Arts for sending them to him in the first place!

• What the Hell is up with... Maverick?! sets up the end of Chris Roberts at Origin... and reveals some amazing lost projects:

Have you seen a strangely familiar long-haired man with shades wandering around the 4th floor lately? It could have been Billy Cain during his infamous Rich Hilleman impersonation.

More likely, however, it's actually been Rich Hilleman in the flesh, because he's been here in Austin.

Formerly general manager of what was known as EA's Entertainment divison, which included ORIGIN, Rich has been in town just about every other week for the last couple of months. His mission: To find someone to run Maverick Productions on an ongoing basis. After recent talks between Chris Roberts and EA, the question of the team's leadership has been in a state of limbo.

"Maverick needs a morale boost and ORIGIN needs staff to carry out the day-to-day management of the team." says Rich. "Since Chris' capacity with ORIGIN has changed, I've been called in on a temporary basis. I don't know how long it will take, but it's been hard to fill Chris' shoes. What I want to do is replace myself as soon as possible."

Company sources reveal--and you know who you are--that contract negotiations with Chris Roberts continue, things are expected to be settled very soon, and his future role will be new properties.

Rich said he'd like there to be some middle management in the Maverick team and/or a director of development. "I also feel like Maverick's members should feel like they have the ability to work on other ORIGIN projects if they want to. Most of all, I want ORIGIN and Maverick to be happy with whatever decisions are made."

No stranger to the Wing Commander universe, Rich is a zealous interactive movie supporter, and was instrumental in getting funding for Wing Commanders III and IV. He is looking forward to leaving Austin with confidence that Maverick and ORIGIN will be happy and Wing Commander V will reach new technological heights.

"Right now, there are seven story ideas being considered for Wing 5," he said. "Once we have that settled, we'll seek a writer who we think can work it all together. Rather than design Wing 5 based on the storyline, we're basing it on the gameplay technology, which is being completely rebuilt. The Ace Engineering Group, which consists of Maverick's tools group, has recently been renamed to build a new central technology and tool base."

Other future titles for the team include Maniac Missions, Wing Commander V for PlayStation, which will have custom designed gameplay but will share linear content with its PC counterpart, and Wing Commander Universe. "Wing Commander I and II are unplayable on current systems," says Rich. "We want to fix them--not recode them-- so they can launch out of Windows 95 and will release them as part of the Wing Commander Universe package. When we really get back to redoing Wing Commanders I and II, we may redo them with live action footage."

In other Wing Commander-related news, Rich said The Darkening is in the process of being reworked to be Privateer: The Darkening and the title which has tentatively been called Darklight may become another Wing Commander Academy title in conjunction with the release of the Wing Commander Academy cartoon on the USA Network this fall. The cartoon, being produced by Universal/MCA, will star the voices of Malcolm McDowell, Mark Hamill, and Tom Wilson, who already have begun doing some of the work. Although it will appear on Saturday mornings, the cartoon won't be the typical low-tech Saturday morning animation, but instead will have high end production values similar to the FOX Network's "Batman" series. Stay tuned to future POINTs for the latest information on this and other juicy topics.

• In Ink has better reviews of Wing Commander IV:

If the early reviews are any indication, Wing Commander IV is well on its way to megahit status. Here is what the scribes are writing about the latest success story in the WC line.

Scott May with Computer Gaming World gave WCIV a score of 4.5 out of 5 in the April issue. "A ground-breaking cinematic experience," he wrote. "Curious about so-called interactive movies? This is one of the few that works, and it works well."

Some of the major national consumer magazines are also getting on the WCIV bandwagon. In Newsweek magazine, N'Gai Croal wrote, "The game skillfully integrates live-action video with computer-generated graphics and sophisticated gameplay. Has saving the universe ever been this much fun?" And from Entertainment Weekly, Bob Strauss wrote about WCIV, "A movie game that takes CD-ROM warfare into the next generation. EW's report card for WCIV was an A-.

And the good press doesn't stop there. The major newspaper dailies are starting to sing WCIV's praises. Kim McDaniel writes for The Salt Lake City Tribune. She gave it 4 out of 4 stars in her review. "A cast that would make any TV-movie director jealous--and more than a few feature-film directors as well. While many games tout themselves as interactive movies, Wing Commander IV is truly deserving of the title--a pure joy to watch and to play."

Vox Day writes for The Pioneer Press in St. Paul Minnesota. His final score for WCIV was 4.5 out of 5. Day said, "With the Dolby surround sound on, it really is like watching a movie. It's nice to know that in a fast-changing world, you can still count on good games from ORIGIN."

Also weighing in was Mike Floyd, who writes for The Detroit Free Press. "At times, it was like watching an episode of a science fiction show."

And it goes on and on. Here are even more comments from writers who are impressed with what they've seen of WCIV:
"The best outer-space shooting game I've ever seen."--3.5 out of 4, Mike Langberg, San Jose Mercury News.
"Graphics and sound have always been ORIGIN's forte, but Wing Commander IV goes above and beyond the company's standard.--Peter Bartholow, Dallas Morning News.
"ORIGIN's simulator remains the best on the shelves."--Andy Grieser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"Wing Commander IV delivers an arcade-style experience--razzle-dazzle space-flight graphics on a color monitor and gratifyingly percussive explosions on stereo speakers."--Joseph Gelmis, New York Newsday.

The game's also getting tons of coverage from the electronic press. A press tour in New York City last month saw Mark Hamill interviewed on CNBC, FX Breakfast Time and more than 10 morning drive programs at many of the top radio markets in the country.

Meanwhile, WCIV isn't the only ORIGIN game getting hyped in the press these days...

• ORIGIN To Use Real Spacecraft in Wing Commander V went over a lot of people's heads:

(Editor's note: With the spirit of April Fool's day in the air, Computer Gaming World recently ran the following article describing ORIGIN's plans for Wing Commander V. Reaction has been mixed, ranging from light chuckles to frantic fans wondering how long it'll be before they can blast Mark Hamill into orbit....)

With Wing Commander IV barely a month old, ORIGIN has already announced incredible plans for the next game in the highly successful series. In another first for a computer game company, ORIGIN says it will design small working models of highly maneuverable drones which can be launched into space, piloted remotely and filmed. The craft will enable Wing V to have "unprecedented space flight realism and true star appeal" says a company spokesperson.

Although the next game in the SF series sounds more like fiction than science, ORIGIN's Chris Roberts says it's the next logical step for his six-year-old creation. "If you think about it," he says, "Wing Commander was the game where we learned the mechanics of space fighting. We made lots of changes and improvements to the overall design in Wing II. With Wing III, we raised the bar considerably with better graphics, more realistic action, full motion video and big name stars in video segments. In Wing IV, we upped the ante again with real sets, more video, and, in my opinion, a much better story. We've reached the point of using real stars and real sets--now it's time to take our act on location: real space."

Analysts say it's nearly impossible to estimate the cost of such an undertaking. Some put figures between $100 million and $10 billion, just to deploy a small number of remotely pilotable vehicles beyond Earth's atmosphere. Despite this, ORIGIN's Lord British (Richard Garriott) claims that he has much of the necessary financial support from investors. Says Garriott, "When we told (investors) what we wanted to do for Wing Commander V, they were amazed. We're talking about one of man's deepest desires--to break free of the bonds of Earth.... We know it seems costly in comparison with other games, but this is unlike anything that's ever been done. I don't see any problem getting the financial backing for this project, and we expect to recoup the investment in the first week. You're going to see a worldwide release on eight platforms in 36 countries--it's going to be a huge event. It'll dwarf even Windows '95."

For those who still remain planted on terra firma, Garriot counters that ORIGIN doesn't have to create everything from scratch. "There are now six separate countries which can launch satellites into space, and we're talking with all of them. We're also engaged in ongoing discussion with NASA, whose aeronautical engineers have been sharing a great deal of technical information with us in exchange for our latest releases."

Both Roberts and Garriott declined further questions, but they did say that most gamers don't have the necessary hardware for such a game. Leaving the press conference, Garriott flashed a quick aside. "If you haven't already," he said with a smile, "now's the time to start thinking about that upgrade to a super-cooled mainframe."

Reprinted by permission from "The Fool," (April, 1996).

2008.048 (February 17, 2008)

[# 3056 | 2/17/2008]

Wing Commander Arcade Now Playable With Wii Remote
Mark Smids has added a neat new feature to his Wing Commander Arcade scroller shooter project. In addition to keyboard control, the game now supports input from the Nintendo Wii Remote. Anyone with a Bluetooth uplink and a Wii controller can try out this impressive addition right now. The game itself is still in demo form, but it's already pretty fun. Additional stages, ships and background terrain will be added as development continues. Download WC Arcade here (1.8 meg exe) and check out a controller demonstration here (3.8 meg avi or YouTube, thanks to AD).

It is now possible to connect a Wii-mote to the PC (using a Bluetooth connection) and use the motion sensor inside the Wii-mote to fly the ship (roll/pitch) and of course use standard button actions (shoot, full guns etc.). In our project we use the Wiiuse API to obtain data from the Wii-mote. We think this is a fun addition to the WCA project. Let us know what you think of this Wii-mote feature!

-----------------------------

How to connect the Wii-mote to your PC:

Before running 'Wing Commander Arcade' perform the following actions:
1 - Make sure your PC is able to send and receive Bluetooth signals (USB dongle or integrated Bluetooth).
2 - Install the latest Bluesoleil Bluetooth driver / connection tool.
3 - Open "Bluetooth places" by clicking on the Bluetooth icon in the system tray.
4 - Press (and hold!) buttons 1 and 2 of your Wii-mote and click on Search Devices in the "Bluetooth Places" window.
5 - After a few seconds the device should be recognised as a 'Nintendo RVL-CNT-01', the status should be Idle.
6 - Now again press and hold buttons 1 and 2, right click on the Nintendo RVL-CNT-01 and press Connect. The status should change from Idle to Connected.
7 - Release the buttons 1 and 2 and start Wing Commander Arcade by running wca.exe

NOTE: Steps 1, 2, 4 and 5 only need to be performed once. When you want to run 'Wing Commander Arcade' in Wii-mote controlled mode again, only perform steps 3, 6 and 7.

Enjoy!

-----------------------------

What's still to be done?

A lot. In the end Wing Commander Arcade should at least contain 10 playable stages and 5 playable ships (as the game progresses). Furthermore we would like to have some ground missions to get the typical Tyrian look and feel. Also we will implement a shared highscore database in which all player scores will be collected. As the game progresses we will release more test builds and hope to have a larger test group which may give us some feedback. We will also develop a user friendly terrain/map editor, so you will be able to create your own stages/backgrounds/etc.

Point of Origin: Vol. VI, No. 2
Wing Commander IV is launched -- as is the Origin website which many of you may remember from way back when. There's even a picture... it certainly brings back memories of my misspent youth. Speaking of pictures, be sure to look at the actual PDF - it's chock full of Wing Commander IV and Darkening development team snapshots.

A very special thanks to Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum for making this resource available and to Electronic Arts for sending them to him in the first place!

• Spotlight: Stop the Press tells of the WCIV launch:

BEVERLY HILLS, CA--It was a first for Wing Commander, a first for ORIGIN and a first for Hollywood. Wing Commander IV was launched successfully Thursday at the new Planet Hollywood in Beverly Hills amidst flashing lights, scribbling writers and rolling video cameras.

CNN was there, so was NBC's Today show, HBO and Delta Airlines' in-flight TV show. Axcess, Insider Magazine, Knutson Syndicate, Associated Press, the LA Daily News and other Los Angeles media were also there. They came to witness Wing Commander IV and see Malcolm McDowell and Mark Hamill donate their costumes from the game to Planet Hollywood. The costumes represent the first memorabilia from a CD-ROM game to be donated to the internationally famous restaurant. Within a few weeks, restaurant management will determine which of the 30 PH locations will become the permanent home of the Wing IV costumes.

After the presentation, the press got a first hand look at the new game. Many actually sat down to play it themselves while others just watched in amazement during the expert product demos from ORIGIN's own Frank Roan, Tony Morone and Patrick Bradshaw. Those who wanted to see WCIV in all its grandeur watched one of the game demos in a mini-theater complete with large screen projection system, plush theater chairs and outfitted in surround sound. George Oldziey's musical score never sounded better.

And they thought it was just another computer game. Let's just say that after last week's WCIV launch, there's a new found respect in Tinsel Town for the kind of movies you play on your computer.

• In Ink has the first WCIV review... and it isn't great: