BREAKING NEWS: Wing Commander IV on GOG

Fantastic news from GOG today: the last of the Wing Commander titles in their current allotment is now available! Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom is out now... and what's more, it's the massive DVD version! The release is just $5.99 and comes with copious extras. Check back throughout the day as we post retrospective updates related to the making of Wing Commander IV. It's going to be a great day!

Wing Commander IV Gets the Point

As with Wing Commander III, reading through the Point of Origin's surrounding Wing Commander IV's release is a great way to learn what life was like at Origin during this massive production. These issues should take you through early development in 1995 through the press reaction and end again with a graphics award for box design!

Wing Commander 4 Treatment

One of the first steps in creating Wing Commander IV was to plot out exactly how the game would work--from that, programmers would update the engine as needed, writers would create dialogue, designers would plan gameflow and so on. To that end, we have today the original Wing Commander 4 treatment document. It's VERY interesting, as it comes from an earlier design for the game which would feature even more characters and a third 'setting'--Blair would start out flying from a Confed outpost on the border! Check it out below:

Wing Commander IV Script

Even compared to Wing Commander III, Wing Commander IV's FMV script was a massive accomplishment--one that will likely stand the test of time as the biggest, most expensive and most impressive video game shoot ever put to celluloid. Origin actually posted a copy of the script for download at their official website in 1996, which you can download below. The files themselves are formatted for an earlier, more WordPerfect age... but you can still read the text!

Wing Commander IV Sketches

In the scheme of things, Wing Commander IV didn't add that many new ship designs--so it's surprising we've found as many detailed sketches as you can see below!

Wing Commander IV Storyboards

We have located a large number of Wing Commander IV storyboards. Unfortunately they were intended for web use in 1996, which makes them very low resolution... but there's a lot to see anyway! You can find them all here.

Wing Commander IV: Behind the Screens

Wing Commander IV didn't have a single awesome "making of" documentary like Heart of the Tiger... but that hasn't stopped us from collecting our own! You can find a host of on-set interviews and short featurettes about the making of the game in our Holovids section. Interviews with Tom Wilson are always a good time!

Wing Commander IV's Cut Scene(s)

Wing Commander IV lacks the wide variety of 'missing scenes'--everything filmed made it into the finished game. The shooting script does include an alternate introduction, which begins with your choice of Flint or Rachel sending Blair a Dear John hologram... but despite the scene making it into the finished script, neither actress was ever hired (it would have been terribly confusing for new players, who were really needed to justify a twenty million dollar budget.) There is one short scene which has been long passed along as "cut"--a briefing from Admiral Wilford that doesn't play in the game itself. It's actually not that exciting, though: it does appear in the game as a postage stamp green "VDU" briefing... they just also included a full color cutscene version as well. You can download it here:

Wing Commander 4 Party Pics

Here is a selection of candid photos from Origin's Wing Commander IV wrap party! It looks like a great time... for everyone but Melek.

Wing Commander IV Teaser

The first image fans saw of Wing Commander IV was the teaser below, showing Tolwyn and Blair on opposing sides with a shadowy figure between them. It's a compelling image on the surface, but it's also problematic--since there's no actual reveal in the game itself. The shadow figure is just Seether, an entirely new character who is actually Tolwyn's henchman. The biggest problem, though, was that the first run of ads had a date promising the game on December 8, 1995. That would come back to haunt Origin when the title was delayed until February, 1996...

Wing Commander IV Sell Sheet

And here is Wing Commander IV's industry sell sheet. In all honesty, ordering the sequel to the best selling PC game to date was certainly a given--but it's always interesting to see how Origin decided to promote these games!


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Wing Commander IV Magazine Covers

With a short development cycle, there wasn't much time for Wing Commander IV to go through the same dog and pony show as earlier titles. One solution to this problem was to have the art team render, early on, several beautiful magazine covers in order to ensure press coverage. Four have been discovered:

Wing Commander IV Trailers

Wing Commander IV took video game trailers to a new level. For the first time ever, trailers weren't just something you found on a coverdisc or saw on a VHS tape at Egghead... EA's massive media blitz for The Price of Freedom included cable TV advertisements and theatrical trailers printed on film! Wing Commander fans would go to see movies just to catch the cinema trailer. You can download a host of different versions online here. Oh and watch carefully--you'll find a few frames of a scene not in the game: two Hellcats flying past a windmill.

Wing Commander IV Demo

Several versions of the Wing Commander IV Demo exist. The first included a cinematic trailer and was released on magazine cover discs (here - 43 megs). That was a huge file for an era when ordinary people didn't have CD burners or fast internet connections... so Origin later released a smaller internet version with the trailer removed (here - 14 megs). Even that seemed like an impossible download at the time, though! I remember sending 30-odd hastily-blanked discs to work with my dad in the hopes he could download it for me... but one was always corrupt! A Macintosh version was later released (here - 6 megs).

One secret to the Wing Commander IV demo--you can actually "pick up" a Stormfire to play with! Right after you take off, target Dekker's shuttle and follow it for about ten seconds... it will drop a new gun you can fly into (a la Arena) and then use!

The Ships of Wing Commander IV

While Wing Commander IV reused many fighters and capital ships from Wing Commander III, it still added a great many designs to the Wing Commander canon. A big focus of the game was to make the Wing Commander universe more of a 'living' place--to that end, the art team created an assortment of communications arrays, star bases, buildings and other "normal" craft overlooked in previous games.

Fighters

F-27 Arrow V	Hellcat V	HF-66 Thunderbolt VII
F/A-76 Longbow	Bearcat	F-103 Excalibur
F-107 Lance	Razor	Dralthi IV
Banshee	Vindicator	Avenger
Manned Insertion Pod

Capital Ships

Shuttle	Clarkson	Evansville
Jammer	Caernaven	Southampton
Tallahassee	Concordia	Vesuvius
Shuttle	Shuttle	Durango

Installations

Jump Buoy	Radar Buoy	Turret Mine
Radar Array	Comm Station	Depot
Dry Dock	Factory	Super Base
Axius	Space Lab	Ground Turret
Hover Tank	Missile Tank	Underground Base
Communications Array	Starbase	Hover Tank
Ground Complex

Wing Commander IV Ship Renders

These amazing 'action' poses were used in various Wing Commander IV publications--the web site, the official guide and so on. Well, half of them were; the capital ships and some of the alternate paint schemes for the fighters were never published!

Music of Wing Commander IV

The Price of Freedom was the first Wing Commander game to feature an all-digital soundtrack, replacing earlier games' MIDI music. The score, by George Oldziey, continues to be the standard for space opera games today. Music from the game appeared on only one album, Oldziey's Music from the Wing Commander Universe. Here are a selection of tracks from a variety of sources: High quality background music

Main Title, Space Ambush and Combat by George Oldziey
The Borderworlds by George Oldziey
Telamon, The Dead Planet by George Oldziey
Blair and Tolwyn Prepare for Battle by George Oldziey
Confronting Tolwyn, War Averted, Tolwyn's Death by George Oldziey
Engage by George Oldziey
So, You Think You've Won by George Oldziey
End Music by George Oldziey
Thanks to Mad Hatter. (Details, more)

Various tracks

Credits by George Oldziey
Final Mission by George Oldziey
Victory by George Oldziey
End Music by George Oldziey
End Credits by George Oldziey
Inflight Music
More Inflight Music by George Oldziey
Thanks to Dan "Vinman" Sumner.
Inflight by George Oldziey
Inflight 1 by George Oldziey
Inflight 2 by George Oldziey
Inflight 3 by George Oldziey
Inflight 5 by George Oldziey
Inflight 6 by George Oldziey

Wing Commander IV Box Art

Wing Commander IV's simple red box art was a startling depature--so much so that a slipcover using the European "movie poster" art was ultimately added to the US release, covering the original Black Lance logo concept.


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Interesting note: the first printing of the game has a typo right on the box cover! It reads "biologigal" instead of biological. Trey Hermann explains: "I was the packaging design supervisor for Origin Systems when Wing Commander IV was released. And I was the sod who designed the box and didn't catch the typo on sign-off. Neither did anyone else in the marketing department for that matter, well at least until after the boxes had already hit the shelves. The typo was fixed for the second printing of the game."

Wing Commander IV Manual

There's no easy way to say this: the Wing Commander IV manual was a disappointment. Instead of a cool shipboard magazine you got a sample chapter from the upcoming novelization and a note telling you that the ship specifications are on the disc. And the promised file wasn't really there! Still, there are some interesting points--especially how different the preview chapter is from the finished version, in incredibly odd ways. An editor, for instance, chanced the Arrows seen in this version to Hellcats in the finished novel. Why? You can download a copy below.

Wing Commander IV Promo Card

Did you get a random Wing Commander CCG card in your copy of Wing Commander IV and wonder: what the hell is that? In an oddly unexplained promotion, a random card was inserted into roughly one in ten copies of the game. Unfortunately there was no explanation or promotion attached, so it seemed to most that their game just had a small picture of a torpedo or a nav point for some reason. Rarer still, was this special card--a unique promotional card of Admiral Tolwyn not included in the regular set. These appeared in about 1 in 100 copies of the game's first pressing. Luckily, the kind people at Mag Force 7 were happy to give out more copies upon request at the time. Very cool art, too!

Wing Commander IV Ports

Can a game as massive as Wing Commander IV be ported to a console? The answer... is yes! Several ports of the game were released over the years:

Macintosh: The Macintosh port, done by Lion Entertainment, is a very close copy of the PC release. No big surprises!

Windows 95: Origin sold boxed Windows 95 versions of WC4 and also made an upgrade patch available for the original release.

DVD: The DVD version of WC4 was an incredible achievement. It was one of the first DVD games and featured a flipper disc of high quality movies. Computers at the time weren't up to playing the video, requiring a special Creative Labs decoder card be installed. A lesser known DVD version also exists, consisting of all six CDs of the normal game on one disc.

Playstation: The PSX version of WC4 was developed in-house, with an eye towards doing the game in a less confusing way than the complicated WC3 port. Unfortunately, a four disc limit meant that a good number of missions were cut from the game!

GameTap: Wing Commander 4 was one of three Wing Commander titles available through the GameTap service.

PSN: Wing Commander 4, from the Playstation version, is currently available for sale on the Playstation Network. As a result, you can play WC4 on your PS3 console or PSP handheld!

One port was cancelled early in development--a version for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer. That's really a shame, as the 3DO version of Heart of the Tiger was amazing.

Wing Commander IV in Books

Wing Commander IV resulted in only one official guide, this time developed in-house at Origin. The book seems to be a mix of the two Wing Commander III guides, featuring the full color front section of the Authorized Combat Guide but the general surgical style of Origin's Official Guide to Wing Commander III.

The Wing Commander IV novelization was written by William Forstchen and Ben Ohlander. It was oddly delayed at the time, not showing up until almost a year after the game. It has been translated into both German and Czech, with new covers each time!

Wing Commander IV spawned two official guides in the US, both of which were of a high quality. German had three, one featuring a truly amazing cover, including one translation of a US version.

WC4 Official Guide Making Of

Once again thanks to Pix's Origin Adventures we present the 'making of' section of the Wing Commander IV official guide! This is a great resource for learning about the making of the game. The sad part is all the talk about Chris Roberts' future projects--including a game called Silverheart, which he hoped to develop at Origin after Wing Commander IV.

Wing Commander 4 Zanart

We talked about Wing Commander's first big licensee, Zanart, for Wing Commander III. Well, they produced a similar set of material for Wing Commander IV, which included a hat, two shirts and two pieces of Chromart. The artwork used was the 'poster' style Wing Commander IV art and an oddly less iconic choice--a shot of a Lance landing on Telamon against a blue backdrop. This time around, the game actually came with an advertisement!

At the risk of getting too personal on Wing Commander IV Day: I remember loving my landing scene shirt. My mother bought it for me after the game came out and explained she'd picked that one because she thought I'd like the one with the ship more. I was a Freshman in high school and I loved it. Somewhere I have a student ID picture showing young LOAF with a bandaged eye wearing a Wing Commander IV shirt--pretty much sums up my life at that point in time.

The other big result of Wing Commander IV was the Universal Studios animated series. Developed by the team that created Exosquad, Wing Commander Academy ran for 13 episodes in late 1996. The recent DVD release proves that Wing Commander IV is still spinning off merchandise today!

Wing Commander IV in Print

For Wing Commander III we showed you an array of international articles... for The Price of Freedom, here's a nice collection of English-language previews and reviews!

Wing Commander IV Post Mortem

One of my favorite Origin documents is this Wing Commander IV post mortem. You can read through the QA team's bug list, see all the complaints and complements Origin was sent about the game and more. It really gives you a more impressive picture of the whole process.

Meet the Wing Commander IV Team

You know Mark Hamill, Tom Wilson and so on--but can you identify the real stars who worked on Wing Commander IV? Pictured here are: Andy Sommers, Chris Douglas, Chris Roberts, Frank Roan, Tony Morone and the QA team!

Wall of Honor - Wing Commander IV

Wing Commander IV had the largest development team of any Wing Commander game--over 400 people between the film shoot and the game itself. It's likely this record will stand the test of time... but you never know! GAME DEVELOPMENT Executive Producer - Chris Roberts Game Producers - Mark Day, Dallas Snell Associate Producers - David Downing, Adam Foshko Game Director - Anthony Morone Lead Programmer - Frank Roan Programmer, Gameflow Coordinator - Jason Hughes Additional Programming - Peter Shelus Movie Compression & Playback - Jason Yenawine Programming Intern - Daniel Yee DESIGN Mission Design & Implementation - Ben Potter, Jeff Shelton, Scott Shelton Original Story Concept - Chris Douglas Additional Data Implementation - Chuck Karpiak, Steve Powers, Charles Hartigan AUDIO Audio Coordinator - Martin Galway Original Score - George Oldziey Interactive Sound Design - Stretch Williams Additional Interactive Sound Design - Nenad Vugrinec Interactive Music - George Oldziey Music Recording - George Oldziey, Stretch Williams Musicians - Paul Baker (Saxophone), Stretch Williams (Guitar) Dialog Casting/Recording/Editing - Jay Mahavier, Stretch Williams Additional Dialog Casting/Recording/Editing - Randy Buck, Jason Cobb ART Production Designer Chris Douglas Art Director Jeffrey �JC� Combs 3-D Animators Rodney Brunet, Jeffrey �JC� Combs, Chris Douglas, Mark Leon, Dean McCall, Sean Murphy, Chris Olivia, Beth Foster Pugh, Pauline Saab, Mark Vearrier Additional 3-D Animators Jennifer Ayers, Paul Steed RealSpace 3-D Modellers Dean McCall, Brennan Priest Additional Artists Jeff Harris, Damon Waldrip 3-D Software provided byAlias Research Graphics Hardware provided by Silicon Graphics PRODUCT SUPPORT QA Project Leader - Anthony L. Sommers Assistant Project Leaders - J. Allen Brack, Todd Wachhaus QA Team - Cinco Barnes, Nathan Batiste, John Darsnek, Christopher D. Errett, Kenny Hott, Kevin Melton, Myque Ouellette, Kent Raffray, Carlus Wesley Hardware Lab Tech - Brett J. Bonner Translations Liaison - Andy Bruncke Product Support Supervisor - Marie Williams Hardware Lab Supervisor - Brian Wachhaus Director of Studio Services - Kay Gilmore ADMINISTRATIVE Finance - Mike Grajeda, Dominique Iyer Executive Assistant - Madeleine Fox Resource Coordinator - Weston Giunta Network Administrators - Dave Reeves, Mark Rizzo Senior Technician - Rick McNeeley Unix Administrator - Christopher Alexander North-Keys Director of Development Services - Sean Kelley Director of Marketing - Jennie Evans Product Manager - Galen Svanas Assistant Product Manager - Patrick Bradshaw Media Relations - David Swofford, Teresa Potts, Richard Steinberg Unit Publicist - Michaels & Wolfe, Inc. Travel Coordination - Madeleine Fox, Barrington Smith Subtitles - Madeleine Fox, Ana Moreno, J�rg Neumman TRANSLATION Translations Manager - Kirsten Vaughan German Translation - Frank Dietz, Stefan Kolo, J�rg Neumann German Documentation - Anja Rumbarger German Testing - J�rg Neumann, Kai Lebert, Stephan Lips, Roman Traycey German Dubbing - Studio FFS GmbH, Munich French Translations - Peter Bert, Dominique Poumeyrol-Jumeau French Documentation - Isabelle Rice French Testing - Jean-Luc Chabrier, Lemuel Haham, Didier Jumeau, Daniel Taillefer French Dubbing Studio - Studio Lincoln, Paris GAME MATERIALS Writing - Tuesday Frase, Kevin Schlipper, Melissa Tyler Additional Fiction - William R. Forstchen, Ben Ohlander Packaging - Trey Hermann Poster Art - Sam Yeates Promotional Materials - Jennifer Davis Advertising - Al Carnley Documentation Layout - Catherine Cantieri, Al Carnley, Tim Norland Editing - David Ladyman The Readme.txt File - Anthony L. Sommers, J. Allen Brack, Todd Wachhaus, Christopher D. Errett FILM PRODUCTION Executive Producer / Director - Chris Roberts Producer - Mark Day Associate Producer - Adam Foshko Co-Producer - Donna Burkons Screenplay - Terry Borst, Frank De Palma Line Producer - Maryann Fabian Casting Director - Mike Fenton Assistant Casting Director - Julie Ashton-Barson CREDITS Casting Assistant - Rachel Davies 1st Assistant Director - Harry Jarvis 2nd Assistant Director - Tia Ardran 2nd 2nd Assistant Director - John Bratton Production Coordinator - James A. Capp Assistant Production Coordinator - Ray Cobo Set Production Assistants - Wendy Palmer, Andrea Netze Production Assistants - Shaun O�Banion, Gary Sims, Orion Walker Assistant to Mr. Hamill - Tracee Sabato Assistant to Mr. Roberts - Barrington Smith Mark Hamill�s Stand-In - Emidio Antonio Director of Photography - Eric Goldstein 1st Camera Assistant - Tom Ryan 2nd Camera Assistant - Tony Nagy Additional 2nd Camera Assistant - Daisy Smith Loader - Amy Abrams Gaffer / General Foreman - Joey Brown Best Boy / Chief Lighting Technician - Corey Bibb Best Boy Grip / 2nd Company Grip - Sandy Bloom Key Grip / 1st Company Grip - Billy Bosson Dolly Grip / Crab Dolly Grip Michael Flaningam Grips - Liz Bolden, Marc Polanski, Robert Reid, Kevin Ball Apprentice Grip - Erik Wolford Electrical Lighting Technicians - Uriel Uribe, Anthony Guzman, Andrew Glover, Ngoli Nyirenda, Douglas Blagg, John Massaro, Thoma Reavis, Daisuke Miyake, Don Chong, Eric Kramer Ultimatte Operator - Bob Kertesz Tap Operator - Greg Noyes Still Photographer - Joel Sussman Sound Mixer - Walt Martin Boom Operator - Bill Ratcliff Script Supervisor - Kate Lewis Storyboard Artists - Marc Baird, Alex Hill Production Designers - Cherie Baker, Chris Douglas Computer Graphics Art Director - Jeffrey �JC� Combs Art Department Coordinator - Ann Giselle-Spiegler Set Designers - Chris Gorak, James O�Donnell, Bryan Lane Model Builder - Robin Schneider Set Decorator - Carrie Perzan Leadman - Richard D. Wright Set Dresser - John Grevera, James Dean, Ara Darakjian On-Set Dresser - Tom Waisanen Costume Designer - Karen Mann Costumer - Kristen Saints Wardrobe Supervisor - Carol Quiroz Set Costumer - Joel Berlin Costumer - Dana Loats, Anita Brown, Tammy Surber Costume Intern - Joya Flores, Staci Riesenbeck, Paulette Uris Key Hair - Lana Sharpe Assistant Hair - Gloria Ponce Hair Stylist - Shastie Sharpe Key Makeup - Bill Myer Assistant Make-up - Kim Miner KILRATHI CREATURE TEAM Melek - Chris Bergschneider Suit Technician #1 - Jeff Farley Suit Technician #2 - Jo Ann Bloomfield Puppeteer - Bud McGrew Puppeteer Assistant - Mike Newman Kilrathi Prosthetics - Obscure Artifacts, Inc Property Master - Mark Anderson Assistant Property - Lori A. Noyes Special Effects Studio - Art & Technology SETS & STUNTS Stunt Coordinator - Rocky Capella Construction Coordinator - Mike Clark Assistant Construction - Coordinator Jenny Ayala General Foreman - Keith Cox Construction Foreman - Wade Robinson Welder / Construction - Michael J. Cohen Standby - Steve Degroodt Prop Maker - Morgan Flaherty Carpenters / Prop Makers - Paul T. Contreras, Martin Duncan, Gordan E. Holmes II, Tyler Dupuy, Ray Baron, Max K. Bozeman, Sean A. Duggan, David Nute, Steven Doss, Scott Miller, Robert A.Masini, David Wheeler, Timothy Walsh, Martin Duncan, Timothy Gruse, Frank Palazzo, Casey Wheeler, Karl Koeb, David Campbell, Gregory Campbell, Thomas Wages, Rex Cassano, Ronnie Montgomery Lead Scenic / Head Painter - Dave Robinson Scenic Artists - Chris Kelly, Paul Manchester, Luz Head Decorator - Chris Kelly Decorators - Steve Degroodt, Luz Painters / Decorators - Brian Lynk, Peter George, Frank Oliveri, Gary Mark, Guillermo Tello, Mick Ritchason, Martin Ortiz, Jaime Casillas Laborers - Cesar Ayala, Rick Fine, Juan Rave, Daniel R. Parker, Jason Greenwood, David Kitchen, Dennis Winters, Ruben Delgado, April Duncan 2ND UNIT 2nd Unit Directors - Mark Day, Adam Foshko Consultant - Jim Rosenthal Video Assistant - Dan Devaney Video Intern - Chuck Hatigan 1st Utility - David Weinreb 2nd Utility - Jennifer Lear 1st Assistant Director - Louis Milito 2nd Assiatant Director - Brett Boydstun Script Supervisor - Judith Saunders Set Production Assistant - Curtis Myer, Carol Gronner Gaffer - Reginald F. Lake Best Boy Electrician - Sherman Fulton Electrician - Van Johnson Key Grip - Irv Katz Best Boy Grip - Dave Boden Grips - Mark Combs, Jim Nieuwenhuis Sound - Wolf Seeberg Medics - Christina Hershey, Suzanne Kunkel, Justin Birchfiel Craft Service - Julie Iles Sound Stages provided by - Ren Mar Studios, Hollywood, California, USA BUSINESS OFFICE Production Accountant - Laurie Woken Assistant Production Accountant - Julie La Prath Business / Legal Affairs - Carol Contes, Leslie Abel POST-PRODUCTION Post-Production Director - Phil Gessert Visual Effects Supervisor - Steve Moore Visual Effects Coordinator - Jeffery �JC� Combs Post-Production Coordinator - David Downing POST-PRODUCTION � PICTURE Avid Editor - Phil Gessert Assistant Editor - Jay Mahavier Post-Production Assistant - Jim Capp Video Processing Facility - EA Media Lab Video Processing & Digitization - Jeni Day Video Technician - Michael Marsh Digital Compositing and On Line - Western Images, Inc Facility Producer - Todd Lindo Technical Director - Jerry Castro Telecine Colorists - Jim Barrett, Gary Coates D-1 Online Editors - Greg Gilmore, Mark Sorensen Compositing Artist - Orin Green Rotoscoping Artists - Danielle Ciccarelli, Ali Laventhol Visual Effects - Post Logic, Inc Post Logic Producer - Leslie Sorrentino Visual Effects Compositor - Robby Vignato Telecine Colorist - Mike Eaves Telecine Assistant - Mario Barrera T D-1 Online Editor - Bob Blue D-1 Assistants - Ko Maruyama, Shane Harris Digital Non-Linear Editing System - AVID Technology, TEXTSOUND Film to Tape Transfers by Deluxe Video POST-PRODUCTION � SOUND Origin Systems Sound Director - Martin Galway Post Production - ProducerStretch Williams Sound Editor - Stretch Williams Additional Sound Editing - Randy Buck, Jason Cobb Additional Dialogue Recording - Randy Buck, Jason Cobb Electronic Arts San Mateo Director of Film Audio Post-Production - Murray Allen Dubbing Mixers - Tony Berkeley, Ken Felton Dialogue Editing - Tony Berkeley, Ken Felton Foley Editing - Tony Berkeley, Ken Felton Music Editing - Tony Berkeley, Ken Felton Supervising Sound Effects Editor - Tony Berkeley Sound Effects Editors - Ken Felton, Marc Farly Sound Designers - Tony Berkeley, Marc Farly, Ken Felton Special Kilrathi Vocal Effects - Tom Seufert Foley & ADR Services provided by Post Sound Corp. ADR Mixer - John Reiner C.A.S. Foley Mixer - Richard Duarte Foley Artists - Margie O�Malley, Marnie Moore Foley Editor - Dave Nelson CAST Col. Christopher Blair - Mark Hamill Admiral Tolwyn - Malcolm McDowell Maj. James �Paladin� Taggart - John Rhys-Davies Capt. William Eisen - Jason Bernard Maj. Todd �Maniac� Marshall - Tom Wilson Seether - Robert Rusler 2nd Lt.Troy �Catscratch� Carter - Mark Dacascos 1st Lt. Velina Sosa - Holly Gagnier Lt. Winston �Vagabond� - Chang Francois Chau Col. Jacob �Hawk� Manley - Chris Mulkey Col. Tamara �Panther� - FarnsworthElizabeth Barones Lt. Col. Gash Dekker - Jeremy Roberts Chief Tech Robert �Pliers� Sykes - Richard Riehle Vice-Admiral Daniel Wolford - Peter Jason Captain Hugh Paulsen - John Spencer 2nd Lt. Drew Naismith - Williams Youmans Dr. Brody - Jessica Tuck Voice of Melek - Barry Dennen News Anchor - Barbara Niven Confed Redshirt #1 - Richard Garon Confed Redshirt #2 - Chris Conrad Confed Redshirt #3 - Casper Van Dien Confed Redshirt #4 - Suzanne Ircha Telamon Female Comm Officer - Kirsten Moore Telamon Citizen - Joel Polis Telamon Doctor - Michael Cavanaugh Canteen Bartender - Dylan Bruno Canteen Vet - Peter Marquardt Canteen Man - Dean Tarrolly Border Worlds Pilot #1 - Mauricio Mendoza Border Worlds Pilot #2 - Lester Barrie Border Worlds Pilot #3 - Walt Goggins Vesuvius Helmsman - Aaron Kuhr Vesuvius Comm. Officer - Wanda Acuna Transport Pilot - Jane A. Rogers Senator #1 - Dean Sommers Senator #2 - Ed Bernard Senator #3 - Roger Mercurio Senator #4 - Shirlee Reed Shuttle Pilot - Dylan Haggerty Confed Marine - Derik Hixon Border Worlds Lt. - Carl Banks Bluepoint Traffic Control - Todd Covert Helmsperson - Beverley Castaldo Circle V Comm. Specialist - Saxon Trainer B.W.S. Carrier Officer #1 - Allen Cutler B.W.S. Carrier Officer #2 - Joe Fiske Confed Pilot - Michael Wachtel Vagabond Double - Peter Lai Com Base Guard #1 - Tim Meridith Com Base Guard #2 - Dan Bell Com Base Guard #3 - Scott McElroy Tolwyn Double - Randy Hall Convoy Comm. Officer - Morgan Englund Pirate - Todd Kimsey Melek - Chris Bergschneider Generic Cap #1 - Charles Esten Generic Cap #2 - Michael Haplin Generic Cap #3 - Cookie Carosella Generic Cap #4 - Jeffrey Arbaugh Slapping Woman - Kirsten Maryott SPECIAL THANKS TO: Monitors Provided by Sony Corporation of America Keyboards Provided by Kinesis Corporation of Bothell, Washington Cantina Shoes Provided by DEJA SHOES, The Environmental Footwear Co. Eyewear Provided by KATA Eyewear of Culver City, California Arriflex 535 Cameras Provided by Otto Nemenz International, Inc. Trager Manufacturing Company AT&T The USS Lexington Museum of Corpus Christi, Texas VF-201 �Hunters� NAS Dallas, Texas The 924th Fighter Wing �Outlaws� of Bergstrom AFB, Austin, Texas

DVD Patch

If you'd like to upgrade Wing Commander IV to the spectacular DVD version, start downloading! We're sure a GOG-specific patch will be released soon, but for now here's the current one!

Popsicle Pete reused elements of Gulikoza WC4 DVD patch and created an installer that allows owners of Wing Commander 4 (Windows or DOS) to take advantage of the DVD version's movies. Simply run the installer and and it will prompt you to insert your CDs to install the game. At the end of the install, you will be asked if you want to open the appropriate folder to drag the DVD video packs in to. Download the installer HERE. See below for the movie packs themselves.

It's just amazing how far we've come from the days when people had to hunt down expensive hardware kits just to experience this.

I cooked up an small installer to allow owners of the CD edition of WC4 to install it as a DVD version. The installer includes Gulikoza's patches, so most people should be able to fire off the game straight after the installer ends and having copied the high-res movies to into the game's folder. You can download the installer here. To be honest no hacks or new patches is included in there; all it does it automate a process of copying the right files and configuring a few things. It also contains a few files from the DVD version of WC4. The result is an installation of Wing Commander 4 DVD playable disc-less.

WC4 DVD Videos Pack #1 (1.6GB, .zip)
WC4 DVD Videos Pack #2 (1.5GB, .zip)
WC4 DVD Videos Pack #3 (1.5GB, .zip)
WC4 DVD Videos Pack #4 (1.4GB, .zip)

HCl on Wing Commander 4

What kind of work has HCl done on Wing Commander IV? Good question--let's take a look!

The Wing Commander Movie Player remains his most famous accomplishment; it lets players view any movie in the game!
An FMV Audio decoder lets you "audio frames of WC4 FMV files."
An Super Hellcat patch.
And a Super Dragon patch (as if it needed that.)
He has even imported a Darket!

Wing Commander IV Mission Editor

Before Arena was a cool XBLA game, it was the name for a fan-made Wing Commander IV mission editor. In fact, it was one of the first fan-made Wing Commander mission editors! Building your own Secret Ops missions is a smooth task today... but back in the late 1990s, it was an unlikely dream. Arena changed that! You can read about the program and download a copy here. Can it be made to work with the GOG release? Never bet against WingNuts when it comes to jury-rigging old software!

WC 4.123106

In the long, strange history of Wing Commander fandom, few things are longer or stranger than Gary Hladik's Wing Commander 4.123106. A bizarre parody of Wing Commander IV posted serially to alt.games.wing-commander in 1996, WC 4.123106 is... impossible to define. You can download an eBook version below:

EPUB format (1.2M)
MOBI format (1.1M)

Play the Homeworld Mod

For Wing Commander II there was Standoff, for Wing Commander III there is Saga... but for Wing Commander IV, the great tribute mod may surprise you! czacen has built an extremely cool Wing Commander IV-themed total conversion for Homeworld 2, a space RTS! The mod isn't finished, but it's in a very playable state. You can learn more and download a copy here.

WC vs. History: Grin and Bearcat

The F-104 Bearcat, originally developed as the Cougar, was designed by Douglas Aerospace in the last years of the war as a true space superiority fighter unlike any other in the Confederation's arsenal. Perhaps no other fighter forged in that conflict's inferno better exemplified Michael Casey's ideal of a "true artist's ship." Although at first glance the Bearcat implies a streamlined version of its reliable cousin, the Hellcat, the Bear is a very different machine: a tempermental, high maintenance craft that required an extremely skilled fighter pilot in the cockpit. In an era where multi-role capacity trumped all other aspects, the Bearcat is a rarity--it remains the only "century series" spacecraft not built to double as an attack craft.

Early sketches for the Bearcat, then called the Cougar.

But the Bearcat missed the war. No squadrons had entered service by the end of hostilities in 2669. The threat of Bloodfang, Jrathek and Vatari squadrons facing Earth's thin red line had never materialized. In the years that followed Kilrah, ahigh profile space superiority fighter seemed to be of little good to a budget-conscious Confederation concerned more with long-range shipping escort duties and anti-piracy operations. The Bearcat was a man without a country and it seemed one of the finest spaceframes ever constructed was destined for the dustbin of history.

Preparing for war: Bearcat assembly line, Speradon System, 2673.

Then, came civil war. In 2673, the threat of hostilities between the Confederation and Border Worlds reached a boiling point. Fearing a prolonged guerilla war with a foe known for their ability to put experienced fighter pilots into space, the Confederation authorized mass production of Bearcats. Construction of new Bearcats began in earnest at Douglas' Speradon factory.

A Bearcat in flight.

It may come as a surprise, then, that the main operator of the type was not the Terran Confederation. As the conflict took shape, Union leadership developed a daring plan: an impossible gambit that endangered major forces to smash the Confederation plants at Speradon to slow their industrial power as war broke out. In a coordinated operation, the main body of the Outerworlds Fleet attacked Speradon. The plan was a success: the Border Worlds destroyed factories and drydocks and captured the TCS Princeton, a stock of Mace tactical nuclear missiles and a number of newly built Bearcats. What's more, one of the first Bearcat units currently stationed at Speradon opted to defect to the BWS Tango. As a result, no Bearcat would fly off of Vesuvius--but they would equip multiple squadrons on the Intrepid and other rebel ships.

Five-view image of a Bearcat in factory markings.

In the end, the Bearcat is a minor note in the history. The Border Worlds affair concluded quickly and with limited conflict. With only a taste of intercene conflict, the Bearcat squadrons were relegated to the greatest ignominy a truly capable warbird can suffer: peacetime.

The Grumman F8F Bearcat, much like its Wing Commander relative, missed the war by arriving too late to see combat. Designed to replace the F6F Hellcat onboard US Navy carriers, the Bearcat has been called the pinnacle of piston-engine aircraft design. The performance of the Bearcat, which was actually smaller than the Hellcat, was astounding. The Bearcat was more than capable of performing right alongside early jets. How the Bearcat was able to achieve this all came down to design.

Diagram for F8F-2 Bearcat

Like many fighters of the day, the Bearcat was designed around the Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine. The requirement was to design the smallest possible airframe to mount the engine. The designers wanted a low-weight aircraft that would provide superior performance. They more than got their wish with the Bearcat.

As the F6F Hellcat was making its combat debut in mid-1943 over the South Pacific, the Grumman �Iron Works� received orders to produce the prototype for the F8F. The first prototype flew on 21 August, 1944. The test pilot for the Bearcat was the famous, Corky Meyer, who had and would test many of Grumman�s famous aircraft including the F6F Hellcat, F7F Tigercat, F9F Panther, and the early jet XF10 Jaguar and F11F Tiger.

An XF8F-1 prototype, note the size of propeller.

The first Bearcat squadron, VF-19, reached operational status on 21 May, 1945. However, the Bearcat did not see combat before the war ended in September 1945. Yet the lessons of the war were not lost on the designers. The F8F had an improved armament of four 20 mm cannons which gave it greater damage inflicting power.

A Bearcat in its element, in flight and on the deck of a US Navy carrier.

During the interwar years, the Bearcat became known as one, if not the, best-handling piston-engine fighters ever produced. It was a favorite amongst naval aviators, including future first Man on the Moon Neil Armstrong, who said it was his favorite aircraft. The Navy�s elite Blue Angels flight demonstration team chose the Bearcat as their plane of choice in 1946 because of its impressive aerobatic capabilities. It was with the Bearcat that the Blue Angels developed the famous �Diamond formation� that can still be seen at air shows today.

Bearcats in the Blue Angels colors in 1946.

Much like the Rapier II and F-104 Bearcat, the F8F Bearcat was an artist�s ship, however in the case of the F8F it never got to test its mettle in combat.

Cheating on Wing Commander IV

Like Wing Commander I through III before it, Wing Commander IV included a command line cheat option... or four! Instead of 'mitchell' you now type 'chicken' for the familiar finger-of-death option. Here are all the options:

Start the game with "wc4 -chicken" at the command line to enter debug mode. You should see the message "Chicken mode: [ON] Boc Boc!" during game start-up. Ctrl-W destroys your target. Ctrl-Alt-W destroys all enemies on the radar. Alt-F displays framerate. Start the game with "wc4 -mitchell" at the command line to get the message "Mitchell don't work here no more. He work for Bazooka Joe now." during game start-up. Start the game with "wc4 -mitchell2" at the command line to get the message "I told you he don't work here no more! You call Bazooka Joe! during game start-up."
Start the game with "wc4 -test" at the command line to get the message "Test okay!!!" during game start-up. The game then crashes

Queeg's Wing Commander IV Movie

Not content to put together only a Wing Commander III 'movie cut,' Queeg went on to complete a similar project for Wing Commander IV. It's perfect if you love Wing Commander but don't enjoy playing video games. Here's the download:

Barely three months after releasing his third and final version of his WC3 movie and two months after announcing the project, Queeg has released the first complete version of his WC4 movie project. The project aims to create a full movie experience by tying together high quality FMV scenes taken from WCIV DVD, along with in-game spaceflight scenes. You can download the 2.1 gigabyte, three hour long movie from our local HTTP mirror. The spaceflight scenes also feature new nebula graphics in the background.

Just the Stats, Ma'am

Wing Commander IV's scant manual promises players that they can get up-to-the-launch accurate ship specifications by reading a file called shipstats.txt from the first disc of the game. One problem: there WAS no shipstats.txt on the CD! Luckily, a later OEM DVD version actually included the file... and now you can read it.

You Know You want It

There is a school of thought that claims you don't even need to advertise a sequel to Wing Commander III--that game was such a big deal that it created a genuine captive audience. Origin seems to have taken that approach with this three-page PC Gamer advertisement. Still, it's hard to argue--you do want it.

This is My Rifle

Want a closer look at Decker's bazooka/rifle from the game? After starring in Wing Commander IV it went on to appear on Star Trek Voyager... and now resides in the private collection of our own Chris Reid!

ProTip: Seether is Bad

Old issues of GamePro have lately become fodder for an internet meme pointing out the sheer ridiculousness of their "protips." Wing Commander IV was no exception, as you can see in this short review scan which oddly advises players to "Save your torpedoes. They're the only ordnance that can take out certain rebel ships."

How to Get a Head

Where do nightmares go to sleep? eBay! Some years ago, Wing Commander IV's creepy (fuzzy?) Melek animatronic head appeared on the auction site... for a minimum bid of $9,000! There were no buyers, so it's not clear where Melek's head is today.

Put it on Your Shelf

Want to put your GOG Wing Commander IV on a DVD (or several CDs)? THE_WUQKED has you covered! He created nice DVD case artwork for WIng Commander IV some years back. You can download the print-resolution version here.

Buy War Bonds

Want to save some money on Wing Commander IV? If it were 1997, you could use this cool rebate included with copies of Privateer 2: The Darkening in the United States! Wing Commander and Privateer, two similar tastes that go great together.

Last, and Least

Some years ago, there was something of a fad among Wing Commander fans who were creating music videos from the various games' cutscenes (more). I decided to try and prove that any music would feel appropriate with any piece of footage... by playing an Ashlee Simpson song over the Wing Commander IV trailer. The amazing thing--and I'm not making this up--is that people were surprisingly positive about it. The result is available here.

Wing Commander IV on the Wire

Here's the text of Wing Commander IV's press release--as put out by Origin's media relations department on the eve of the game's release.

ORIGIN Systems Announces Wing Commander IV Lift Off; PC CD-ROM Interactive Movie to Make History at Planet Hollywood Event Business Editors, Entertainment & Computer Writers AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 7, 1996--ORIGIN Systems, an Electronic Arts company and a developer of world famous entertainment software, today announced that it will ship Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom, the latest version of its award-winning, space-combat interactive movie series, for PC CD-ROM on Feb. 9, 1996. The new title, which breaks new barriers in the blending of Hollywood filmmaking and computer entertainment, will be unveiled on Feb. 8, 1996 at Planet Hollywood in Beverly Hills, California. At the Planet Hollywood press event, Wing Commander IV stars Mark Hamill and Malcolm McDowell will make special costume presentations to representatives of the restaurant, denoting a historic first for the computer gaming industry. It will mark the first time the restaurant has accepted memorabilia from a CD-ROM computer game. The costumes will be on permanent display at one of the many Planet Hollywood locations around the world. Other Wing Commander IV cast members will also attend the event including John Rhys-Davies and Tom Wilson. Wing Commander IV was shot on 35 mm film at Ren-Mar Studios in Hollywood and includes several moving cameras and more than 35 elaborate sets, delivering four hours of live-action video with a "feature film" feel to the cinematics. The graphics explode in super VGA color and are further enhanced with photo-realistic texturing. Player interactivity is expanded both in and out of the cockpit allowing game players to have even greater control of missions and drama. A fully-digitized interactive movie score is included along with Dolby Surround Sound. Wing Commander IV follows on the heels of the highly successful Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger, which sold more than 600,000 copies worldwide and was named "Action Game of the Year" and "Game of the Year" in 1995 by several computer game publications. All of the highly-talented Wing Commander III cast members returned to film Wing Commander IV, including Hamill (Star Wars), McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Star Trek: Generations), Wilson (Back to the Future I, II and III), Rhys-Davies (Indiana Jones movies) and Jason Bernard (While You Were Sleeping, Herman's Head.) Wing Commander III Hollywood scriptwriters Terry Borst and Frank DePalma also returned to write Wing Commander IV. Eric Goldstein served as director of photography, and Wing Commander creator Chris Roberts was the executive producer of the new title and directed the live-action portions of the game. The Wing Commander IV Storyline The Wing Commander IV storyline picks up where Wing Commander III left off -- the bloody battle between the Kilrathi and Terrans has concluded and Colonel Christopher Blair (Hamill) has been on a well-deserved sabbatical. It's not long, however, before civil war breaks out on the home front and the Terran government is forced to recall Colonel Blair to his post to face the next enemy. It won't be easy for the Colonel. Signs of decay will be impossible to ignore and the Confederation is beginning to splinter under the new enemy pressures. You, the Colonel, will have to determine how to save it -- or if it should be saved at all. Wing Commander IV is shipping worldwide in three languages: English, French and German. Spanish and Japanese versions will follow. The title is supported by a $1 million plus marketing and promotions campaign that includes print, radio, television and cinema advertising. An exclusive promotional campaign with General Cinema theaters is a first for the computer entertainment industry. Wing Commander IV promo trailers will be shown in approximately 580 General Cinema movie houses. In 10 of those theaters, Wing Commander IV games will be available for sale in the lobbies. The expected retail price for Wing Commander IV is $50-60. Also shipping with Wing Commander IV is ORIGIN's Official Guide to Wing Commander IV, a 224-page hint book, with 48 pages of full color shots from the game, ship specs and game strategy tips. The book is sold separately at a suggested retail price of $19.95. ORIGIN Systems develops and publishes state-of-the-art entertainment software. To date, the company has released more than 50 titles, including the award-winning Ultima and Commander series of games. ORIGIN is based in Austin, Texas, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Electronic Arts. Electronic Arts (EA), headquartered in San Mateo, Calif., is a leading interactive entertainment software company. EA was founded in 1982 and has an annual sales rate of over $490 million. The company develops, publishes and distributes software worldwide for advanced entertainment systems such as the PlayStation, as well as IBM-compatible PCs, Macintosh computers, and major dedicated video game systems. Electronic Arts markets its products worldwide under four brand names: EA SPORTS, Electronic Arts Studios, Bullfrog Productions, Ltd. and ORIGIN Systems, Inc. EA has subsidiaries in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Austin, Texas. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://www.ea.com. -0- Note to Editors: ORIGIN, We create worlds, Wing Commander and Ultima are registered trademarks of ORIGIN Systems, Inc. The Price of Freedom and Heart of the Tiger are trademarks of ORIGIN Systems, Inc. Electronic Arts is a registered trademark of Electronic Arts, Inc. All other products, symbols and trademarks are property of their respective owners.
CONTACT: ORIGIN Systems Media Relations David Swofford or Teresa Potts, 512/434-4263

Wing Commander IV First Light

Below you will find the first Wing Commander IV press release, published by Origin's media relations department in June, 1995. This was the first official word anyone had that another Wing Commander game was on the way--though we all suspected.

Contact: David Swofford or Eileen McKeon Butt ORIGIN Media Relations The Space Epic Continues with Wing Commander IV (AUSTIN, TX)_The best is about to get even better. The PC interactive movie that was called "the new benchmark against which all interactive entertainment will be compared," by PC Gamer magazine is preparing for its next ground-breaking act. Wing Commander IV, currently in production by ORIGIN Systems, is slated for release on PCCD in the coming winter. It follows on the heels of the awarding-winning Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger, named Action Game of the Year and Game of the Year by several gaming publications and featured in Entertainment Weekly, Playboy, USA Today, NBC's Today Show, Entertainment Tonight, CNN, VH-1 and the Sci-Fi Channel. Like its predecessor, Wing Commander IV will incorporate several hours of live-action video and will feature many talented actors from the cast of Wing Commander III: Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange, Star Trek: Generations), Mark Hamill (Star Wars) and Tom Wilson (Back to the Future I, II and III). A seven-week shooting schedule is planned for Wing Commander IV at Ren-Mar Studios in Hollywood starting the end of May. Executive Producer Chris Roberts, the creator of the Wing Commander line, will be back in the director's chair. The story, once again, comes from veteran Hollywood screenwriters Terry Borst and Frank DePalma, who wrote the script for Wing Commander III. In Wing Commander IV, you again play the role of Col. Christopher Blair (Hamill). The bloody war between the humans and the cat-like Kilrathi is over. But problems are beginning to crop up on a new front and this time it's in your own back yard. Civil wars and unrest have broken out in the Border Worlds. Blair is recalled to help the Terran government stamp out the growing fires. It won't be easy. Signs of decay are becoming impossible to ignore. The Confederation is beginning to splinter under the new pressures and you must determine how to save it_or if it should be saved at all. Wing Commander IV will sport moving camera shots and real movie sets, giving a more authentic feel to the cinematics. The graphics will explode in Super VGA color and will be much improved with photo-realistic textures on fighters. Player interactivity will be enhanced both in and out of the cockpit with even greater control of missions and drama. And Wing Commander IV will feature a fully-digitized interactive musical score. It's an ORIGIN Interactive Movie experience. Once again, the fate of the human race hangs in the balance, but remember, in this movie, you're making the calls.
### ORIGIN, We create worlds, Wing Commander and Ultima are registered trademarks of ORIGIN Systems, Inc. Origin Interactive Movie and Heart of the Tiger are trademarks of ORIGIN Systems, Inc. Electronic Arts is a registered trademark of Electronic Arts. All other products and trademarks are property of their respective owners. ORIGIN Systems develops and publishes state-of-the-art entertainment software. To date, the company has released more than 45 titles, including the award-winning Ultimar and Commander series of games. ORIGIN is based in Austin, Texas, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS).

Sketching the Sets

Here are a set of Wing Commander IV production sketches showing several set plans and the weapons used by the Border Worlds marines! Bet you didn't know they were actually meson guns.

Wing Commander IV Advertising

Here are two high resolution Wing Commander IV magazine ads, re-rendered from their original source files thanks to our own PopsiclePete!

Wing Commander IV: Source Code

As with Wing Commander I and Wing Commander III, we are pleased to announced that an extremely kind former EA/Origin employee has provided a copy of the Wing Commander IV source code for our preservation efforts! We can't offer it for download at this time, but it is now preserved for future use.

Clash of the Titans

Another Wing Commander IV screenshot? No! This is a high resolutioon render of one of the game's climactic moments. Makes a great Windows background...

Wing Commander IV HEAD ON

Here are great Origin renders of Wing Commander IV's signature ships--including several never-before-seen 'head on' images!