Black Cats Stalk in the Dark Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

DefianceIndustries has switched over from his recent streak of big flashy stations and capships to put together something from the other end of the spectrum. This is his take on the stealth Hellcats that we see pop up in the Wing Commander 4 novel. He's managed to pull off a neat hull effect that blends the standard gray durasteel with some kind of low profile coating. The result is pretty neat and helps make the case for the Hellcat remaining in service with the Black Lance into the 2670s.
After the war, the boys over in R&D and Special Projects started slapping a cloaking device on anything with wings. They were obsessed with trying to close the gap between us and the fur balls; even after their disarmament at Torgo they still had a big lead on us in cloaking technology. So when we heard Douglas was shipping us a new model of Hellcat to test out we were a bit...skeptical is probably the best word for it. But when they brought us the first Black Cat we saw this was really the first step forward.

The cloak itself hadn't changed much, it was still a huge energy hog and it's heat dissipation curve still lagged way behind the Kilrathi's mid-line models, but the hull plating was something totally new. It was a brand new neoferro-carbon composite that absorbed incoming radar/lidar signals or simply reflected them off in a different direction. It could fly in a limited stealth mode even without a cloak engaged - and with the cloak active we were able to sneak up to the sensor nets along the Kat's border, tail a patrol or convoy, and zip away unseen. It was the first time we ever had anything like parity.

Unfortunately we couldn't do anything about the Hellcat's giant intakes and the big ol' engines, which really cut down on the Black Cat's stealth profile, the hull can only do so much. It was obvious to us then that we needed something new, even an Excalibur couldn't make full use of the new hull plating - and she was designed for a cloak out of the gate. So that's when Admiral Tolwyn stopped by my office and asked me to start drafting a new heavy fighter, something that was fast, mean, and could use the new hull and cloak to it's full potential...

WC Uprez Adds Explosive Gunplay Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Howard Day has made incredible progress this past week on his Unity WC Remake project. He's implemented AI piloting and made great strides on the interaction of weapons, damage and explosions. The animations below show off the impressive progression of the engine. Definitely don't take the static thumbnail at face value - you have to see everything in motion to appreciate to appreciate it all! To that end, there's also a nifty web demo which is super cool as well.
I've got a WebGL build up and running that plays itself via the new AI. It's quite fun to just watch. I've implemented laser collision, damage tracking and death/respawns! Watch 'em blow up! Most of the fighting basics are in there - Now I need to add the UI - Radar, shield and fuel displays, targeting, etc. I'm pretty happy with this. :D

Protip: Never afterburn your already damaged Hornet light fighter into the oncoming fire of 3 Dralthis. Did I mention these are Novice-Level AIs? :P

I've been working on collisions, formations, and obstacle avoidance - basically keeping your wingmen from flying through you to get to the target - and having enemy ships patrolling in interesting, and realistic formations. Having the AI randomly ram enemy ships is also fun to watch. I've also fixed some lingering issues with the cockpit movement - there was a ton of sub-pixel shimmering and sliding going on -both on the cockpit art, and the text on top of it. All that's fixed. :D Right now I'm thinking I need three things before I update the build again - the first is a workable patrolling AI logic, the second is some better background artwork (I mean, like *some*), and handling the player/cockpit AI dying. Right now, it just... doesn't.

Anyhow, that's where I'm at. Looking good for two weeks in of free time while I'm also sprinting to release another game!

Free Space Sim First Look: The Original Rebel Galaxy Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

As a precursor to the impending launch of Rebel Galaxy Outlaw, the original Rebel Galaxy is now available for free from the Epic Games Store. This is one we overlooked when it first came out in 2015, but there's a lot to like here. The focus is on capship combat with a good mix of Privateer-style elements throughout. One of its two main developers, Travis Baldree, has been a longtime Wingnut, so there's some positive influence there that results in a very solid space sim. The upcoming Outlaw prequel improves on a number of aspects, including traditional action-packed 3D fighter combat, but this is a great opportunity to get a taste of what to expect! The IGN review below gives a nice recap:
Rebel Galaxy is a game of action-packed combat, exploration, discovery, trade, and “negotiation” with the outlandish denizens at the edge of the known universe.

You’ll battle pirates, explore anomalies, befriend aliens, scavenge battle wreckage, mine asteroids, and discover artifacts. Choose your path as a roguish do-gooder, crafty space-trader or power-hungry privateer in this swashbuckling space adventure.

It Was The Gravitic Isolines This Whole Time... Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Howard Day was recently showing off all the amazing new space debris, explosions, cockpit and so on in his new WC remake project, and he caught the attention of WC1/2 designer/director Siobhan Beeman. On the subject of junk in space, she had an amazing revelation: that the developers considered an in-universe explanation for the density of everything that we encounter! In a nutshell, the same phenomenon that leads to jump points also attracts everything else, so you'll naturally see more stuff in the strategic areas that we fight over.
Heh... there's a canon explanation for that, actually. Fights take place at and around jump points, and jump points lie at the intersections of isolines of graviton flux. Debris collects to and flows along these like plastic in the ocean.

So every battle takes place in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, essentially. :) It's the same reason our asteroid fields are so absurdly over-dense. (A WC asteroid field is roughly as dense as Saturn's rings.)

All Wings Considered - Episode 18 - LIVE! Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

The latest episode of ALL WINGS CONSIDERED is live now! All Wings Considered is the CIC's first ever streaming variety show which features news, conversation and gameplay relating to our favorite series. This week's Nav Points include:

  • Privateer and conversation! The plot continues as we run drugs for Tayla.
  • Where is the Gemini Sector, anyway?
  • Fleet Action Book Club, Chapters 10 & 11
  • Privateer 2 ship of the week: the Duress

Missed the stream? The replay will be available below once it has been processed by YouTube. You can subscribe to the AWC channel for future notifications here.

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Learn All About Privateer's Cash Code Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Trelane, the hard-working producer of All Wings Considered, has put together a neat video explaining how the credits system works in Wing Commander Privateer. He recently developed a good working understanding of the code behind Privateer's currency system while putting together the on-stream counter that displays while the team plays Privateer. I thought I knew a thing or two about binary numbers, but I learned a bunch while watching this! Have you ever wondered if you can get fewer than zero credits? What's the maximum number that you can accrue in your account? Watch the video to find out!
Just how many credits can you get in Privateer? Just how few credits can you have in Privateer? Yes! Both!

Watch Wing Commander Evolve Before Your Eyes Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

PeliKenraali has put together a neat little video that chronicles the graphical progression from the Wing Commander 1 to 3. Most Wingnuts today would be quite familiar with these cuts, so there's nothing really new to see here, but there's a certain charm to seeing them presented side by side so you can appreciate how much the gaming world changed in just four years. The clip looks at characters, dogfighting, cutscenes and even the title sequence. Check it out below:
In this video, I will show how Origin's Wing Commander PC series (Kilrathi trilogy) graphics improved from Wing Commander 1 to Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger

WC3's Unauthorized Guide Archived by Pix Update ID Share on Facebook Share on Twitter

Pix has expanded his Wing Commander archive with a scan of the relatively rare Wing Commander III: The Ultimate Strategy Guide. It's decidedly the fourth best guide book for WC3 after Origin's Official Guide, The Authorized Combat Guide to WC3 and the Japanese Guide to WC3 on Playstation. But while the other two English books are included freebies with the game on GOG, the Ultimate Strategy Guide is lesser known and harder to find. It's certainly a very interesting artifact in its own way. Hopefully more fans can check it out now!

I recently realised I'd missed it out so if the other 3 guides weren't enough for you, there is now a scan of the Wing Commander 3 Ultimate Strategy Guide in the disorganised list that I call a downloads page.

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