|
Are there Nephilim in Privateer?
Chris Knudsen is always on the bug hunt in his impressive Ascii Sector game. The project tries to emulate the Privateer experience with (very) old-school graphics. He's constantly adding new features and refining various gameplay elements. Version 0.3.8.1 has been released, so head over and download the latest version to try out the latest changes.
- Fixed bug with the alphabetical sorting of movie files.
- Fixed bug with improving your Rifle Shooting skill from the shooting range on Manurhin in the Vichy system.
- Fixed bug that froze the game when landing on Novy Norilsk with an assassination mission there.
- Added new Quine for purchase in the equipment shop.
- You can now access your Quine while viewing a computer terminal.
- Did a whole bunch of stuff related to the upcoming quest scripting.
Next up is v0.4, which will allow for user written quest scripts, making it possible for players to create stories in the Ascii Sector universe for other players to play.
[AD] [# 8886] [Show comments]  
Star*Soldier Gloss: Page 7
This is the Star*Soldier gloss for the third Joan's page:
CONCEPT: See the previous post!
REFERENCES-
- "CF-117" - This is the confusingly named Rapier fighter from the Wing Commander movie. Apparently the Confederation put a 'Rapier II' into service mere months after we saw aging Rapier (I)s in combat. Go figure. Someday we'll be able to retcon the Pilgrim Stars retcon, too...
- "top twenty aces" - A theoretical list made famous in the Wing Commander Prophecy supporting materials by its claim that Blair and Maniac were only #11 and #14, respectively. The others were all pilots who flew earlier in the war when Kilrathi ships were less shielded. I took this as an opportunity to fill out that list a little.
- "Dragon" - A heroic Rapier II pilot who flew in the Vega Campaign, according to the Wing Commander Academy manual.
- "Bandit" - One thing I saw early on was people wondering where the reference to LOAF of the Wing Commander CIC was. Well, this is it. It's alternatively kind and obscure... because, let's face it, we've all seen "Lesnick" appear a bit too often in our Wing Commander errata. He's no Sommers!
- "Maverick" - Blair's wartime callsign. I referenced the reference with an ICIS manual reference. That's one for the Star*Soldier Gloss gloss.
- "Maniac" - Todd Marshall, who is referenced or appears in every 'main' Wing Commander game.
- "Prankster" - This isn't the last time you'll see this: as awful as it is, I find the idea that Carl "Prankster" LaFong (the character from the Wing Commander I & II Ultimate Strategy Guide) and Chris Blair are two different people hilarous.
- "Origin Aerospace" - One of the original in-jokes (no pun intended). 'Origin Aerospace,' complete with logo, was listed as the designed on the Wing Commander I blueprints... thus, seventeen years later, we recognize it as the company which designed the Hornet, Scimitar, Rapier II and Raptor.
- "updated by fire through its service against the Nephilim" - Let's just admit it: it feels strange that the Rapier is still around fighting the Nephilim a half-century on (and that they're still being built). I wanted, in these descriptions, to ease that awkward feeling somewhat.
- "Rapier II Vanguard" - See the previous entry. There is a lot going on in this short paragraph. Here goes...
- "Named for their exceptional service against the Nephilim" - Not the least of intentions is another attempt to ease the Rapier into the Nephilim War with an interesting battle story.
- "First strike through the gate" - Second, it is an attempt to describe a 'Strike Team'-like scenario, in honor of that cancelled game.
- "All sixteen Rapiers were shot down..." - Third, a slight reference to the Sorthak and Strakha flavor text from Victory Streak/Warbirds.
- "G#38KMSX-RED" - Fourth, it tries to make the Nephilim War feel 'big' and as though it was real to the setting now being presented. We should feel immediately that the reader of this magazine would know what that crazy system means in relation to however Nephilim space is formatted (for the record, I have no clue.)
- "129 to 1 kill ratio" - Fifth, an acknowledgement that the high kill scores and crazy odds faced routinely in Prophecy are the norm for fighting space insects.
- "often used as minelayers" - Finally, an attempt to give the fighter a normal role outside that which it has in Arena itself. Yes, this is a fun fighter to play with... and in the larger fiction the military uses them for creating minefields. It addes a little bit of life to the background world, I hope.
- "Rapier Cavalier" - After all that, I think I sort of wussed out on this description. This is simply the final point in building up the Cavalier as the single ship the player should most what to fly (ie, I was making it the reward ship - similar to how the original Rapier II and the Excalibur were presented in their respective fictions.)
- "true artist's ship" - References how Iceman described the Rapier II in the original Wing Commander.
[LOAF] [# 8887] [Show comments]
|
