New Wing Commander Game?

frostytheplebe

Seventh Part of the Seal
Any ideas on what the next game is/would be like? So far I've compiled a list of three possibilities and hopes from people here, and myself.

A prequel: Perhaps going back to the beginning of the war, or even spanning as far back as the pilgrim wars. While interesting, I sort of hope this won't be the case. Personally I don't see how much more they can do with that back story, and designing a whole new set of ships which would probably contradict the movie would just fuel a lot of angry canon people and start that headache all over again.

A Different viewpoint: Perhaps either Kilrathi, Landriech, or just from a different carrier with maybe one or two old cast crossing over. Perhaps Hawk or Stingray?

A sequel: More of the Casey story. they killed Blair, they killed Hawk... they wouldn't kill maniac... would they!? Still if this happens, something tells me we'd see the Midway in the same light as WC2 Tiger's Claw or WC3 Concordia.

Thoughts?
 
Confed would be in bad shape if the Nephilum managed to knock off the Midway. But worse yet, for all his uselessness I'd miss maniac. He was always the comic relief. They'd have to find someone new to make fun of.
 
The Midway appears to be alive and well in 2701 from what we hear about it in S*S.

I think they would stick with the previously established WC method. I don't foresee a different viewpoint being used.

I do see potential for a prequel during the T-K War, although I wouldn't rule out a post-SO game as well.
 
Simple, They should re-make WC1 and WC2 w/ all expansions in a new HD format. Get the original artists back, redo all of the original cut-scenes with the same dialog and updated graphics. Space flight can be completely redone in 3D, but with textures that are true to their original spacecraft (both terran and kilrathi). Sell it on xbox live, steam / etc. Instant hit!

Anyone know Chris Roberts email address?
 
I like the originals just fine how they are.

I'd rather see something new that uses the latest technology to tell the kind of epic space opera the originals did so amazingly well. I'd want a story that was new, there were trillions more people in the T-K war besides the limited amount we've been exposed to. I'd want their story told.
 
I believe that was the intent with prophecy;

Create a new game series that ties in with the old to please the fans;

Say Prophecy was your first game:
- There has been a war with an alien race, they were defeated, it is explained.
- There is a new enemy.
- You are a novice fighter pilot on your first assignment.

Somehow meeting Blair, having laughs with Maniac, encountering the bitter veteran Hawk can fit into the story without you ever knowing who they were, regardless of continuity. Prophecy shines stand-alone as well.

The only character that could come back in a sequel to prophecy would be Maniac, played by tom wilson(petrarca can stay at home), perhaps as a CAG, possibly Paladin(played by John Rhys Davies) might play some part. And yes, we all would like FMV in the games I presume. (and ofcourse you could cast people to fill the shoes of the academy and WC1/2 pilots who are referenced in S*S)

And as for Chris Roberts E-mail adress? He knows this site, and since WC was a labor of love for him. He'll probably read your suggestion anyway, if he's interested in it.
 
While I'd like the prophecy storyline (and secret ops) to continue, it doesn't make commercial sense for a company like EA to invest millions in a game that follows the nephilim conflict. Arena is an obvious exception considering that it's an arcade title. But even then, they went through extra hoops to find reasons for ou to fight Kilrathi again post-prophecy.

When people (who only remember WC fondly in passing) think of the series they think Kilrathi. I would wager good money if I was a betting man that the Kilrathi conflict will somehow figure prominently into any future game. I kind of would like a Kilrathi civil war game with you playing a human contingent basically backing/supporting confeds favored faction... Kind of an interlude between WC3 and WCP. But I'd bet good money we'll either be looking at some kind of reboot or a return to the start of the war.
 
I think a reboot would go over pretty well even with the old fans. It worked for Star Trek.

Personally I am hoping that they'll do something with the kilrathi civil war.
 
I think a reboot would go over pretty well even with the old fans. It worked for Star Trek.

Personally I am hoping that they'll do something with the kilrathi civil war.

I would NOT want a remake. It's been done to death, and frankly, if something ain't broken, don't fix it!

What to do though. I'd say perhaps the early adventures of the Tiger's Claw like before Blair, perhaps from Paladin or Iceman's perspective. Or stretch it back even farther to when either one of them were young men just starting out as rookies, and have them transfer to the claw during it's commissioning. Perhaps have shotglass as your wingman. Hey, you never know.

There you get your "Reboot" without angering the personal demons of the old salts who loved these games.
 
[Place obligatory reference to Super Wing Commander already being a remake here]

Seriously though, You have to ask who is going to buy the game. What is it that makes WC1 or 2 or any of the others so special? Why did SWC get the reputation it had for so long? Honestly, nearly twenty years later, I think most of the market and hype will be trying to sell the game to the crowd that remembers the game only in vague impressions. Most people who remember the game remember pancake fighters, rapiers, and Kilrathi. They have a notion of how they felt while they played the original as opposed to an indepth knowledge of any canon or anything, and a direct remake is the easiest way to betray that feeling. Thinking about that... how and why you felt like you did when you first played the game way back when should give you a good idea of the kind of direction EA should take with the next itteration.

That doesn't mean they should cater to each individuals whims, but it will help you narrow down what is actually important for a game bearing the Wing Commander name.
 
Seriously though, You have to ask who is going to buy the game. What is it that makes WC1 or 2 or any of the others so special? Why did SWC get the reputation it had for so long? Honestly, nearly twenty years later, I think most of the market and hype will be trying to sell the game to the crowd that remembers the game only in vague impressions.

Are those who have impressions of WC1 and 2 even a relevant group to market a game to? Considering that those people are today somewhere between their early 40ties and late 20ties how many of those who played WC back then realy care about it today? Even those who still regularly play games today dont make up a mass market to cater such a game to.

WC might still pop up in the top 20 most wanted games, but why? Because those writing for PC and game magazines are exactly those remnants of players from back then who were able to make a dime from their childhood/teen hobby.
 
Are those who have impressions of WC1 and 2 even a relevant group to market a game to? Considering that those people are today somewhere between their early 40ties and late 20ties how many of those who played WC back then realy care about it today? Even those who still regularly play games today dont make up a mass market to cater such a game to.

WC might still pop up in the top 20 most wanted games, but why? Because those writing for PC and game magazines are exactly those remnants of players from back then who were able to make a dime from their childhood/teen hobby.

Don't underestimate the nostalgia factor. You might be surprised at the average age of gamers and what proportion of the market they make up. One of the largest demographics isn't teens - who granted do have the most time for games -it's the 25 - 35 year olds. But it's true that a lot of young gamers might not have played the originals. And that's exactly why any new game will most likely not just be a continuation. There has to be something to bring in new players.
 
All this gets me wondering, is a new war between the Terrans and Kilrathi a viable storyline? In a nutshell, the Kilrathi surrendered because Kilrah had been destroyed - as Taggart explains in the T-bomb briefing before the raid, the psychological blow of losing their homeworld would be enough to prompt surrender alone, or as he puts it, 'all roads lead to Kilrah.'

That said, in the same briefing, Blair, points out that the cats have an entire army deployed - potentially millions of citizens still alive across thousands of other planets perhaps.

By the time we see the Cats again in WC4 and WCP, they're flying worn out ships, and rely on collaboration with Confed to fight back the new Nephilim threat, but they're still the same blood-hardened warriors, eager to prove to their enduring combat abilities to their human colleagues.

Just makes me wonder, if the Nephilim had been beaten back for long enough, would a number of Kilrathi clans gain confidence and combine to fight the humans as a united Kilrathi front? Could the T/K war start again? Melek said the Kilrathi needed to change, that they'd become too much slaves to 'bloodlust' - can a race really change their attitude towards old foes?
 
I remember in Fleet Action, there was mention of another race (besides the darkness moving from the centre of the galaxy (which I assume was the Nephilum)) who the Kilrathi had had a short war with. Apparently they were also a bigger threat than Confed, but disappeared after a few engagements.
Maybe a new game could start off post Nephilum with a renewed Confed/Kilrathi war and then have this new race attack.
 
I remember in Fleet Action, there was mention of another race (besides the darkness moving from the centre of the galaxy (which I assume was the Nephilum)) who the Kilrathi had had a short war with. Apparently they were also a bigger threat than Confed, but disappeared after a few engagements.
Maybe a new game could start off post Nephilum with a renewed Confed/Kilrathi war and then have this new race attack.

The Mantu is the race you are talking about. The ICIS manual debunks them as some super-race from the galactic core as portrayed by the Kilrathi in FA. They are paranoid explorers.
 
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