OverviewTrade Commander marks the beginning of a whole new saga in the popular Wing Commander game series.
In 1990 ORIGIN revolutionized the industry when it introduced interactive cinema with the first Wing Commander game. In 1991 Wing Commander II carried this vision to new heights of game action, and with it new depth and sophistication. Now this year (we hope) will see the release of Trade Commander (now Privateer), a game that brings interactive entertainment software to a higher pinnacle of excitement than ever before.
For the first time, ORIGIN gives the player complete and open access to the far-flung worlds of the Wing Commander series. You will assume total control over the life of your character, and through that character the universe of Wing Commander can be explored from one end to the other.
Through a completely mouse-driven dynamic game interface you will be able to dictate the flow of the story. More than any computer game seen before, Trade Commander gives you unprededented command over your character's movements and actions.
It's this level of control that's essential, for now the world of Wing Commander is more dangerous than ever. Trade Commander is filled with all the space combat action Wing Commander enthusiasts have come to expect, plus new perils and dilemmas no Confederation fighter pilot has yet to face.
The war with the Kilrathi, dreaded enemy of the human race, rages on after more than sixty years. Much of the action of the war goes on behind the lines. Ships constantly speed back and forth to keep the war effort well supplied. Most are sadly easy prey for an enemy offensive behind the lines.
Toward the Confederation interior, worlds barter for valuable resources on the open market. Vast, uncompromising multi-planetary corporations struggle for control of those worlds. Competition is ruthless. There's a lot of money to be made for an enterprising ship's captain, and a lot of ways to wind up getting shot in the back!
Private wars and conflicts explode throughout the Confederation. Most are quickly resolved, but all require mercenaries and hired starships. Never in human history has the business of independent warfare been more profitable.
Of course where there's money, the criminal element is never far behind. In every shadow and around every corner lurk unsavory characters: smugglers who trade in contraband and illegal goods, pirates who will steal a ship's cargo and kill a crew for sport, mobs and gangs whose spheres of influence cross solar systems and, with a word, can arrange a murder.
Beyond lies the edge of known space. The frontier! Here reckless pilots navigate mysterious new star systems and confront the unknown. The secrets to be learned haere could shape the destiny of all mankind.
Trade Commander expands the saga of Wing Commander into a complete universe of endless adventure.
New Ships, Weapons, Foes and Heroes
Trade Commander also features an impressive assortment of exciting new starship designs, from enormous monolithic cargo vessels to sleek, fast fighter craft. An extensive system of ship weaponry and modifications allows the player to customize any ship, making every craft in the game virtually unique.
Each ship is refittable with upgrades in lasers, missiles, electromagnetic pulse weapons and defense systems, nukes, photon torpedoes, shields, armor-plating, scanners and engines. Once players get their hands on the type of ship they want, they can modify it to suit their own personality and style of play.
Meet Grayson Burrows, Trade Commander's enigmatic hero. Is he a shrewd merchant trader, or a feared pirate of the spacelanes? Is he a battle-hardened mercenary? A heroic agent of the Confederation? A spy for the alien Kilrathi? Only you can decide, for as Grayson Burrows, you can pursue any of these occupations and more.
A player in the mood for a dogfight can put Grayson Burrows behind the stick of the deadliest fighter spacecraft anyone's ever seen. With added customization, it can be made even more powerful. The more fiscally- minded can captain a merchant ship specifically designed to generate profit. Running with it is like a license to print money. Anyone interested in pulling in a derelict - as well as the big bucks - can cruise around in a massively powerful tug. When other ships see that massive hull, as well as its industrial strength tractor beam, they'll stay well clear. Or if a new type of challenge is what's desired, the player can explore uncharted space in a reliable scout ship. Passed down through the family, it has survived many a hostile mission and was once considered the pride of the fleet.
Being nothing more than a fighter jock won't cut it out here. In Trade Commander, the player will have to develop the skills to handle every type of starship there is. When it comes to space combat there's a lot more than just the Kilrathi to worry about. Anything imaginable could be lurking on the edge of known space.
The Interplanetary Commodities Exchange is the place for anybody with a good head for business, a starship and the guts to go running loaded full of valuables without heavy protection. Low tech worlds demand high tech goods. High tech worlds demand more resources. A quick runner with a nose for trade can make himself a wealthy man. But all that opportunity doesn't come without risk - changing trends or a miscalculation of the marketplace could leave you wiped out.
Trade Commander: Be the Captain of Your Own Destiny
The human race is facing a very dangerous period in its history. The vast frontier of space calls. As humanity spreads itself throughout a multitude of worlds the very fabric of civilization has begun to fray. The fierce and aggressive Kilrathi threaten to enslave mankind or destroy it. the bravest and the best that mankind has to offer is locked in a struggle to survive against this alien enemy.
But as the war lingers on, all of human society is strained by the severe toll in economic resources and human lives. A malaise falls over the Confederation, a creeping bureaucracy and corruption that has locked its population in a power struggle. Can one lone man rise above it? Or is the Confederation doomed to sink into dust - just one more of the many interstellar civilizations to once call the stars their home?
Burrows is a reluctant hero who first takes to the spaceways in a rusted hulk, while on the run for his life. It is ultimately he who must solve the interstellar mystery that has heated the Human/Kilrathi war into a conflict that could destroy both civilizations.
Powerful forces are at work to stop him. He must become a master entrepreneur, a veteran of many wars, a fast-talking negotiator as well as an ace fighter pilot if he is to survive. Trade Commander is a heart- pounding science fiction adventure.
Technology
The technology of Trade Commander is a direct progression of the complex game engine developed for the Wing Commander II series. It is a streamlined turbocharged version of the ORIGIN F/X graphics system originally designed by Chris Roberts. This system also includes many of the advances that have only recently been created for the upcoming ORIGIN release Strike Commander.
The development that should really excite players is the new interface. Dramatic cinematic sequences are combined with the original Wing Commander point-and-click method of moving from scene to scene and initiating conversations. Additionally, the world of Trade Commander is much more richly filled with events, people, conversations and other interactions with the surrounding environment.
The feeling of "being in the movie" combined with the complete control of the character's actions is the reeason why Trade Commander sets the new standard of "interactive cinema."
Never before has any computer game had such a detailed and complete world to explore. The universe of Trade Commander is brimming with adventure. The player can follow the exciting main plot of the game at his (or her) own pace, or instead pursue new adventures anywhere thoughout the game. Even after the main game has been completed Trade Commander is still good for limitless play action.
Movers and Shakers in the World of Trade Commander
Admiral Terrell
Proven in combat, Terrell is a career officer who won his rank in the heat of battle. He is a much celebrated and highly decorated hero of the Kilrathi War. Terrell has since been put in charge of all military vessels in the Tolnidan Sector and he takes his command very seriously. He plans to clean up the entire sector.
The Church of Man
These fanatics, also called Retros, link all the tragedies of human history to technological progress. Some member believe they are on a holy mission to liberate mankind from its technological enslavement. To that end they employ terrorist tactics against those whom they perceive as advocates of technology advancement.
Commodore Reismann
Commodore Reismann has been given a special directive from Admiral Terrell - eradicate all piracy in the Tolnidan Sector. Reismann, a bloodthirsty commander, is just the man for the job. He has been assigned a force that rivals any frontline Confed Battle Group.
Doctor Lemuel Monkhouse
The good doctor is one of the foremost authorities in the newly developing field of xenoarcheology, the study of the remains of alien civilizations. Everyone seems to be interested in the doctor's work. The Confederacy, the mob, many private corporations, the Kilrathi...
Roman Lynch
Lynch and his family rule the mob that has total control over nearly all crime in the Tonidan Sector. He is very young for a man who has risen to such a position. He is brutal and uncompromising, but rewards loyalty. Ultimately, he knows that he must answer to even more powerful crime families that still reside on Earth.
Salman Kroiz
Like Grayson Burrows, Kroiz is also new to the world of Trade Commander. Unlike Burrows, he begins his career with a top-of-the-line starship and is immediately in demand for a wide assortment of jobs. When the competition is close, Kroiz is not above undercutting his rival through fair means or foul. Subtlety is not one of his strong points.
William Riordian
The impetuous Riordian is the longtime rival of Grayson Burrows. Players often find themselves competing with Riordian for jobs and missions. A bitter and resentful rivalry has developed between Riordian and Burrows, and each one is always looking to outdo the other.
System Requirements
Computer: IBM-PC or 100% compatible 386SX, 386, 486
Required: Hard Drive, 2 MB RAM
Graphics: 256 color VGA
Music: Ad Lib, Sound Blaster, Roland or 100% compatible required
Recommended: Joystick and Sound Board
