Pacific Strike's rollout was a dramatic, expensive mess... much more so than we remember.
Origin's development model was built around giving their superstars time and money to do incredible things… while other product groups put out ports and smaller, reliably scheduled projects using the resources created by the expensive ones. Basically, games like Wing Commander Academy, Martian Dreams, Metal Morph and the like kept the lights on and allowed Origin to invest in Wing Commander and Ultima.
As you noted, the idea was that Pacific Strike and Wings of Glory would be the 'Worlds of Ultima' to Strike Commander. Strike Commander had eaten a lot of resources (for the time) and everyone was eager to turn the technology it had created into reliable revenue streams. Origin initially planned to use the technology for Privateer and a 'budget' sequel to Strike called Phoenix Force (think a TV movie made on the cheap with reused sets compared to Chris Roberts' blockbuster theatrical release)… but once Strike actually shipped a major piece of feedback was that although the 3D engine was truly incredible (for 1993) it felt like it was wasted since the jet-based air combat usually involved long range missile duels where you didn't even really see the incredibly detailed models you were exploding.
So they settled instead on doing the 'Worlds of Strike Commander' games as earlier air combat games that could show off the engine with slower paced gun fights. The games would be developed partially in parallel by smaller, in-house teams. Pacific Strike would start first with Wings of Glory starting a few months later as another product group became available. Each one would follow the same product plan: diskette release, mission disk and then enhanced CD-ROM version. Pacific Strike was targeted for Christmas 1993 and Wings of Glory would follow six months later in mid-1994. The important thing to remember from all that is that the margins are much lower for games like this; Pacific Strike and Wings of Glory existed in the first place to deliver reliable revenue that would keep the company in the black… so there was no room for the overages you'd see on a Wing Commander or an Ultima.
The first sign of danger was the fact that Pacific Strike was NOT ready for a Q4 1993 release. That was a big hit to the company which truly needed the year end numbers it would bring in... but they made the decision to push it to March 1994 rather than killing the project. And development didn't go well. By March it was clear it needed another six weeks of fixes… causing a slightly embarrassing issue because the speech pack (which didn't require any new technology be developed) had actually already shipped and was showing up on store shelves. Origin reluctantly pushed Pacific Strike to Q2 1994 but two major delays to what was supposed to be keeping the lights on was bad.
Pacific Strike shipped May 10, 1994 and at that time the expectation was that Wings of Glory would ship the next month. But Pacific Strike was immediately savaged for being buggy and generally rough all around in the press and in the growing online community (flight sim fans were early adopters of the Usenet and Origin's BBS was at full swing at the time.) There was a viciousness to it that the team didn't expect and that really previewed the kind of reaction we see to game problems today. The reaction was SO negative that Origin ended up putting out a pretty interesting statement. Basically, it's a letter of apology from the producer that promises the team is working out a plan to fix the bugs and that they will refund anyone who bought the Speech Pack before the game:
An Open Letter to Pacific Strike Owners from ORIGIN
Each time ORIGIN releases a major, new product, we try to raise the standard in terms of technology, graphics, sound and music-every aspect of the gaming experience. In turn, you have come to expect more and more from ORIGIN with each subsequent release. During the past few weeks, it's become apparent that we've fallen short of some of your expectations with Pacific Strike. When we shipped the game worldwide, we felt it was a strong addition to our product line. In retrospect, we may have jumped the gun. Since ORIGIN has always valued its one-on-one relationship with its customers, we want to make sure that we address the problems up front and offer some solutions.
Pacific Strike was originally scheduled for Christmas of 1993. As that date drew closer and we discovered the game would not be ready in time, we made a conscious decision not to rush it out and to put more polish into it to make it a quality title. Many retail outlets "drop-ship" our games, meaning they have them shipped overnight from our manufacturing center just as soon as they are ready. When a new release date seemed achievable in March, we sent the Speech Accessory Pack ahead to retail stores so it would already be there when the game arrived. What followed was another unforeseen delay that left the Speech Pack stranded alone on the shelves. We have learned from that mistake and won't let it happen again. Still, some of you bought the Speech Pack early and held on, past the point where the retail store would take it back. We don't want you to feel stuck; if you're not happy with the Speech Pack, you can return it to ORIGIN Customer Service. Send the full product, along with proof of purchase dated before May 1, 1994, to:
ORIGIN Customer Service
attn: Pacific Strike Credit Department
12940 Research Blvd.
Austin, TX 78750
Some players have expressed problems with Pacific Strike's frame rate. ORIGIN has always developed games to exploit the full capabilities of high-end computers, but we also understand that anything less than a perfectly fluid frame rate can lead to frustration. Others have registered complaints about sound pauses and joystick jerkiness. To that end, we are working on patches that will be available for downloading through online services where ORIGIN provides product support: CompuServe (GO GAMEAPUB), America Online (KEYWORD: ORIGIN) and GEnie (Scorpia's Roundtable). Patches may also be downloaded from ORIGIN's BBS at (512)331-4446. Customers without modems or access to online services may receive patch disks free of charge by calling ORIGIN Customer Service at (512) 335-0440.
Sometimes, even the best of intentions can backfire. Such was the case with the Japanese plane you can fly in the game. That was added just before the game released; that's why it's never mentioned on the box back, in the advertising or even in the documentation. The development team thought it would be a bonus; however, there was not enough disk space left for the accompanying artwork, so an American wing appears when you pan your view outside the cockpit. Nice idea, but not the kind of compromise players have come to expect from ORIGIN.
We would like to offer our apologies to all of you who are disappointed with Pacific Strike. ORIGIN was built on the loyalty and satisfaction of its customers and we intend to keep it that way. Your patience and understanding is all we ask.
Thanks,
Eric Hyman
Producer, Pacific Strike
If you can believe it, that was published online, on the Usenet, on the BBS and Origin paid to have it printed in gaming magazines. That's how concerned they were with all this. Internally, Wings of Glory was now off the schedule and being heavily reviewed. It would end up getting a true superstar producer to shepard it out for January 1995 as a dedicated CD-ROM release (so, losing more revenue from the loss of the three disk-based SKUs.) The Pacific Strike team dove into developing the promised patch, hoping that recipients of the letter would give them the "patience and understanding" they had asked for. Work on the mission disk and the CD-ROM version (including voice recording) continued.
Five weeks later, however, things weren't better. The team had hoped to put out a patch in a month… but on review, they realized they needed at least six months to make Pacific Strike an Origin quality game. That was too much, it would be throwing a LOT of good money after bad with little payoff. They issued a second letter to players that is… something else, looking back. Basically they outright say the patch can't happen and that they will give full refunds to anyone who returns their copy of Pacific Strike. The mission disk and the CD-ROM were killed, the team reassigned and everyone was eager to completely forget Pacific Strike had ever happened.
July 15, 1994
Dear Pacific Strike Customer:
We appreciate the patience with which you waited to hear about additional patches for your game.
After much debate and research, we found that it would take a minimum of 6 months to make any significant patches for the game. These patches would then need to be tested to see if in fact they would be acceptable to our customers.
Knowing this, we felt it would be better to offer any customers who were not satisfied with the product, a refund or exchange for another game. If you would like a refund for your game, send it to;
ORIGIN Systems, Inc.
Attn: Marie Williams
12940 Research Blvd.
Austin, TX 78750
Include a letter explaining why you want to return it. Include a copy of your receipt. We will not be able to refund tax, as that was charged to you by the store and is regulated that way.
If you do not have your receipt, we will be happy to exchange your game for any other ORIGIN game of your choice. Just send it to the above address with a letter explaining why you want to return it, and list the game you want to exchange it for.
The speech pack is included in this offer. However, if you want to exchange the speech pack you can exchange if for another speech pack or an ad-in module of another game.
If you have any questions, you may contact us through CompuServe, Genie, America Online, the ORIGIN BBS (512)331-4446, our Customer Service Fax number 512-331-8559, write to us at the above address, or call 512-335-0440.
Thank-you,
ORIGIN Product Support
The happy(ish) ending is that Wings of Glory then got the time it needed to shine. I understand why EA, Origin and GOG would want to forget Pacific Strike ever happened (though you can see the potential in the bones!) I'm sad that WOG gets lumped in with it… WOG is a polished, rewarding product from one of the true greats (Warren Spector.) Origin would find itself in exactly the same situation in 1998 with a half-baked Jane's A-10 game that was intended to be a quick rework of Longbow 2 that would ship 40,000 units on schedule. The engine required a lot more work than EA understood and the project got to a review where it was clear it would take months of extra work and budget. In that case, the folks at the top felt like they'd learned their lesson: A-10 was quietly killed.