News Collection: On This Day in WC News

2020.019 (January 19, 2020)

Hornet Sharpens Its Stinger

A familiar favorite is still out on patrol. Klavs is plugging away at his Hornet when he has time, and it looks better than ever. This relatively recent iteration moves away from his previous unibody design in favor of a space frame that's a bit more skewed towards the original model. Since we last saw it, this version has more realistically textured hull plating and great little accents like warning labels and the Confed logo.

2019.019 (January 19, 2019)

Denis Loubet Remembers Aaron Allston

Former Origin artist Denis Loubet has completed another portrait. This one is a tribute to his friend and fellow Wing Commander veteran Aaron Allston. Sadly, Mr. Allston passed away about five years ago.

2018.019 (January 19, 2018)

New Unboxing Series Kicks Off With Wing Commander Amiga

Unboxing Hands has a massive collection of classic PC and other video games, and they're starting to go through and unbox them all. Wing Commander Amiga was lucky enough to be one of the first titles up. Most Wingnuts are pretty familiar with Claw Marks, the blueprints and so forth, but there are minor and major differences between editions that are really cool for collectors and diehard fans to see. The look of the diskettes will be one of the most obvious things that jumps out here, plus there is Amiga-specific text in the other documentation.

2017.019 (January 19, 2017)

Pix Plays WC4 DVD The Old Fashioned Way

Pix has posted an awesome story about getting the DVD edition of Wing Commander 4 to run. WC4 DVD was only released as part of a specific Creative Labs Encore DVD-ROM bundle, and as such it was designed specifically to work with the DXR2 (and DXR3) decoder board. Pix highlights a fun alternate method utilizing the REALmagic Hollywood Plus decoder card, which happened to also be compatible. Until gulikoza's DXMCI patch was developed, rigging up a hardware solution like this was the only option to experience the game's high quality video.

2016.019 (January 19, 2016)

Shot Like a Movie -- On Film, Not Video

The Documents Archive is where we try to keep track of the various development and promotional materials that we cover in our daily news updates. We've already rounded up a good selection of classic advertisement materials, but from time to time something new shows up. Late last year, gaming hub VGBounceHouse shared these two printed advertisements for Wing 3 and 4. The WC3 ad is for the PlayStation port of the game and is pretty concise, having just the box art and a selection of in-game screenshots and movie stills.

2015.019 (January 19, 2015)

Sid Meier's Starships Announced

Another big name is getting back into space combat: Sid Meier's Starships was revealed today. Rather than a first person simulation, the game will feature the famous developer's signature blend of turn based strategy with fleets of warships squaring off across different star systems. Players will research technologies to customize their ships against different factions. There will also be interconnectivity with people who own the recent Civilization Beyond Earth game.

2014.019 (January 19, 2014)

Vega Vanguard of the Kilrathi Fleet

Here's some amazing looking Kilrathi fighters to start your week! The latest kat duo from Klavs features the underutilized Krant and six-gun Jalthi. Not only are these absolutely gorgeous models, but their textures are rich with Kilrathi characters, "blood stains" and other accent marks. They're also high res enough to work as your desktop wallpaper, especially if you're in the mood to hunt down some Terrans!

Voting Continues for Annual Awards

If you didn't cast your vote for Wing Commander Fan Project & Web Site of the Year when the nominees were announced, voting still continues for a bit longer yet. There are a lot of great choices this time around, and it seems like a tight race!

2013.019 (January 19, 2013)

Last Chance to Vote

The annual Web Site and Fan Project of the Year awards are winding down, so here's your last chance to vote if you have not done so yet. As you can see by visiting the CIC each day, there are lots of Wingnuts out there constantly doing great things! Please help us to recognize some of the best. Undecided voters can read up on each of the nominees here.

2012.019 (January 19, 2012)

Academy Comes to America

There's good news and bad news tonight. The good news is that the Wing Commander Academy DVD set is now set for an American (rather than just Canadian) release. It should be available for preorder via Amazon and other retailers soon. The bad news is that this means another delay: the set is now scheduled for release May 29.

2011.019 (January 19, 2011)

Ship Designs with a Twist

ScoobyDoo has posted a huge batch of wild and crazy Wing Commander ships! They should all look familiar at first glance, but upon closer inspection, many of the ships have creative offshots and stylings. Some of the more classic designs have a greater metallic tone, and some of the younger ships have intakes and elements borrowed from older craft. It's quite a beautiful mash-up!

2010.019 (January 19, 2010)

Preview WC Saga Introduction

WC Saga is kicking off the new year with an update about the game's intro cinematics. The screenshots that have been released show a flurry of popular WC3 fighters on the move and some familiar-looking ship interiors. Although some of the models and textures are still placeholders, there's already quite a bit of sharp detail to see.Welcome to the latest Saga news update!

Star Trek Online Warps In Next Month

The Star Trek Online is due for release in just two weeks, and the open beta is in full swing. AD took some time off from patrolling the Eta Eridani Sector to show off his super cool USS Tiger's Claw. The ship sports a ferocious green and white custom paint job and a pair of underslung engine nacelles. Spaceflight is pictured below, but the game also includes a third person character mode.

2009.019 (January 19, 2009)

Watch Out For Talosians

Pilots of the TCS Cerberus take on the Talos System in this week's Community Replay assignment. Here's a sample of Lorien's adventures in Ella.Ella 3: Ella has reported that it's under attack. They're holding on but any more alien forces will tip the scales in this battle.

Looking For Potential MUSHers

goat is once again trying to restart a viable Wing Commander MUSH online. There have been a few snags and delays along the way, but feedback and a general interest check would be helpful at this point. If you might be a player in an upcoming role playing environment like this, head over to Crius.net and let everyone know!

2008.019 (January 19, 2008)

Undertow Free On XBox Live Arcade Next Week

Microsoft has announced that the aquatic shooter Undertow will be available for free download on XBox Live Arcade next week. This limited offer is being made as compensation for XBox Live's network troubles over the last month. The free window for Silver and Gold subscribers opens up at 2 AM PST Wednesday and remains open until midnight PST Sunday night, so don't forget to log on and grab it during that time. Undertow's claim to fame is that it's the only other sixteen-player title besides Wing Commander Arena on XBLA.

Point of Origin: Vol. IV, No. 55

May 6, 1994: This isn't Point of Origin... it's The Point of Origin, now edited by David Swofford. What do these changes mean? A lot more Wing Commander, apparently!

2007.019 (January 19, 2007)

TacOps Hex Game Manual Released

Ironduke has released a preliminary rule book for the Wing Commander board game he's working on. It's complete enough for fans to proofread, and Duke would like a few people to begin playtesting using a Flash-based test mission as the setting. User friendly tools for printing out and playing at home will be developed if there is enough interest. A quick reference guide to the ships in the game is also available online.

That's Not A Kilrathi...

But this giant lion hugging its caretaker looks pretty neat.Ana Julia Torres, who runs the Villa Lorena animal shelter in Cali, fed and nursed Jupiter the African lion back to health years ago after it was found abused and emaciated in a traveling circus. "It is amazing to see an animal like that be so sweet and affectionate," said Torres. "This hug is the most sincere one that I have received in my life.

2006.019 (January 19, 2006)

Wing Commander Is Real After All

Major Striker is continuing to play around with various Wing Commander comic possibilities. The sample below is a neat example of where he might go with the concept in the future. Click the image to expand the full strip. Striker's kilrah'hra have some fairly muted fur textures, so there's a picture of a more brightly colored Kilrathi to balance.

Black Lance Hosts Special Session Saturday

The Black Lance Headquarters would like to invite everyone to a special role playing session taking place this Saturday. Set shortly after the initial Nephilim invasion, the story involves a covert group within the Confederation dedicated to seeking out and destroying threats to mankind. Old and new players are welcome. The game is conducted in #Black-Lance on irc2.

2005.019 (January 19, 2005)

Cyberion's Latest Wallpaper Released

The latest landscape for your desktops features a Cruiser going down while Hellcats ravage some escaping Razors. This one is a random scene, not part of the recent series of wallpapers for Holding the Line. It comes in at 1024x768 and 750 k.

Minor Cleaning, FAQs Requested

We've cleaned up a couple sections today. Now would be a good time to help us update our general FAQ. Some of the more common questions have been answered there. If you think you share some lingering questions with others, follow the Contact link and let us know.

2004.019 (January 19, 2004)

Rhys-Davies Making An Appearance in London

I haven't heard from anyone who made it to John Rhys-Davies' Seattle appearance last week, but we know Starman will make it to his next appearance.Just to let you know that the Wing Commander and Lord of the Rings star John Rhys-Davies will be appearing at the London Film and Comic Con over Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th of March 2004. Also many other stars from other sci-fi series will also be appearing. These include Levar Burton, Brent Spiner, and Claudia Christian.

Galactic Conflict Opens New Campaign

Sangy from Wing Commander Galactic Conflict let us know that their RPG project is now opening a new campaign.Wing Commander Galactic Conflict is opening a New Campaign in the Vega Sector surronding the primary conflict on the boards. This RPG takes place in 2710, and is just starting. This is a good time for new players to get registered and situated.

WingCenter Returns From Long Break

The German Wing Commander hub WingCenter has more or less come back online. They've been down for a few months due to various issues. Apparently they've gotten ahold of an October backup and are restoring some of that. Right now their main page jumps to their forums, which is better than nothing.

2003.019 (January 19, 2003)

Holding The Line: Chapter 150

Here's Raptor with the introduction to chapter 150:Hey all, Raptor here.HTL continues with a story called "End Of The Spiral", a TCS Valley Forge story that follows on from the events of "The Downward Spiral" and "Further Down The Spiral." As you saw at the end of FTDS, the Valley Forge had been sacrificed in order to destroy a Nephilim dreadnaught. The survivors of the crew and the flight wing, as well as those on the other ships in the battlegroup, must now regroup and recover from that disaster.

Origin Looking for World Builders

Planet Unreal recently posted (1/14) that Origin is looking for level designers proficient in the Unreal engine. Some my be surprised to find that Origin does still make new products and is usually actively soliciting new hires. UO Age of Shadows is due out in a few weeks. But this one is a little bit unusual.

WCPolaroids: Extras (1/16)

On to the pictures of random people. Here we have (from left to right) a man with a big camera, Hawk, "Lisa", some guy who is either fixing a chair or has a foot fetish, and two pilots whose names we are never told.

2002.019 (January 19, 2002)

Another Saga Update

Here's another updated from Tolwyn on the Wing Commander Saga mod for Conquest...Well we have some minor updates. Two Modelers have joined our team. We are coming underway :-) I've finished another two ships.

Dev-ing is in the Details

PopsiclePete posted a nice update for people wondering just where the heck Unknown Enemy is... and here it is:Alot of progress. Well, these past three weeks have been slow, because of the hollidays and all, but it's now restarting. What's fascinating of UE, when you see everything that's being made on a day-to-day basis, is the incredible amount of research and reverse-engeneering it has generated.

2000.019 (January 19, 2000)

Guess Who's Back!

A little more than a year after its initial creation, the wonderful CIC Mail Bag has returned for its third try at the public relations game. You can check out what we've cooked up this time here. We apologize to the thirty-eight people harmed in the creation of this week's Bag. If you have a ponderous question or would like to write a public letter to us, please send it in here.

Wing Commander Vet on Starlancer Sound

Digital Anvil has updated a bit of their Starlancer info pages with a biography of Martin Galway. He has worked on several Wing Commander games in the past including Wing Commanders 2 through 4. You can find his new bio here. Thanks to ATFW.

Lost Universe Story Overview Released

BlackWolf sent in the following story summary for the upcoming Wing Commander Lost Universe fan made project. They plan to release more information soon.The Orinomes created the Nephilim. After the Nephilim were defeated in WC:Secret Ops, they went to war with the Orinomes.

Cereal Killers!

Jae Viril puts the 'one' in honesty. Scenes of death and destruction abounded yesterday outside the Brakkyfun cereal factory on Hermes. Trouble started when a batch of plastic toys to be included in packets of Adrenoflakes, the top children's cereal, were mixed up with a consignment of Military-issue microbombs. Family tragedies aplenty have resulted from the error, and armed 'n' angry relatives have laid siege to the factory, baying for blood.

1999.019 (January 19, 1999)

One More Review

Apocalypse reports that Computer Games Online has put up an okay review of Prophecy Gold. The fact that they knew the name of the product impressed me! Check it out here.

Score!

George Oldziey has written an article about his experience composing music for the Wing Commander Games which appears in the January issue of Film Score Monthly. This issue has been sent to subscribers, and may or may not be on the newstands yet. More information as soon as I can grab a copy...

Whence Comes the Official Site?

Dan from Dan's Wing Commander Movie site posted a note about the upcoming Official Movie site at his message board. He also notes that "if worse comes to worse" the site will go up with out the trailer -- either way, I'm excited about seeing the site.I've been in contact with Chris Roberts nagging him about whether or not they've heard anything about the release date. When they get that the site will be up.

It's Cheaper than Actually GOING to the Movies

Well, it's official... I've received my copy of the Wing Commander Movie Script -- and verified that it's the real thing. Expect plenty of information garnered from it over the next few days...