SM3 Guide

Ah, this part was missing in the wing commander franchise: a link between WC1 and the tiger's claw's destruction, great!

I don't think that's really been missing - the Wing Commander I & II Ultimate Strategy Guide has a narrative that runs through both events. From a dramatic standpoint Secret Missions 2 was (clearly) written as a prologue for Wing Commander 2 - it exists to introduce you to all the story concepts created for WC2. Almost everything in the game is some conscious setup, from introducing new characters (Jazz, Doomsday, Thrakhath, Spirit's fiance) to introducing important concepts (Angel becoming emotional over Bossman's death, Paladin 'retiring', Angel becoming a Wing Commander, etc.) We also recently learned that a novel about the destruction of the Tiger's Claw was planned but not developed - presumably it would have followed Hunter after the end of Freedom Flight (which is itself another clear setup for WC2).
 
Yes, but I meant as a game.

I feel SM3 to be a great opportunity. Perhaps someone might be interested in putting them in that WC1 remake...
 
Imagine my surprise when I find this getting attention after so long!

In some ways I'm proud of this work, in other ways I'm embarrassed. There were bugs galore, and I couldn't edit the dialog at all, making the plot exist almost exclusively in my head. (I remember thinking that the Claw was escorting construction ships so they could build a series of bases. Not sure if the missions actually worked out that way.) I don't know that there's a dialog editor, even now. I sure did try to figure that out! Of course, being 13 at the time, I didn't have the benefit of my CS degree. Might be fun to try again some time. :) Really, the reason I made this was that at the time, HCl's WC1 mission editor (written in qBasic!) had just been released, and I was just so excited to play with it! It seems like I went totally overboard with some of the missions. I think I just wanted to see four Ralari at one nav point. :)

I knew the Epee was terrible, mainly because I couldn't do anything like particle cannons. In retrospect, having four or six lasers would have been a better approximation than neutron guns...
 
Very glad you're still around. :)

There weren't actually "bugs galore"... Just the self-destruct bug in a few missions. The invisible starbase bug was probably the most annoying bug, because most players are likely to notice it. I agree that it would have been neat to be able to edit the dialogue, but since HCl might finish his old WC1 tools, it might not be too late.

I thought making the Epee have Neutron Guns turned out to be pretty good - the Epee is supposed to be an awful ship, and because of the engine differences, it's not as easily destroyed as it was in WC2... So we wouldn't want it to be too powerful, would we? ;)

Mission 14 is indeed a capship-fest, but it's a lot of fun. It felt like a huge gauntlet that you had to do entirely.
 
Back
Top