Star*Soldier Gloss: Page 8 (August 20, 2008)

Bandit LOAF

Bandit LOAF

Long Live the Confederation!
This is the Star*Soldier gloss for the fourth Joan's page:
CONCEPT: See the [post=359614]previous post[/post]!

REFERENCES-
  • I love how some of the Broadswords cover up the text. The ships are all to scale and we had a heck of a time fitting them in correctly.
  • "pre-war role as a heavy missile platform" - I forgot myself here. This refers to its pre-KILRATHI-war role as a heavy missile platform, an attempt to explain why Broadswords were around in 2632 well before anyone had any torpedoes.
  • "military grade tractor beam" - An attempt to suggest that the weapons used by the military and the ones used by civilians are different, which is why the latter are so cheap in Privateer.
  • "Camelot Industries" - Flash was a test pilot for Camelot Industries in the Wing Commander III novelization.
  • "relegated to the surplus yards" - False Colors claims that the Confederation has retired the Broadsword design, so I needed a brief tie-it-to-the-Nephilim War explanation to
  • Moreover, this is another 'what should have been' battle description. I want to attack a construction reef! It's also wish fulfillment - I know 'organic' can mean anything, but I really wanted to see Syd Mead's original concept of Nephlim warships that grow their own fighters.
  • "militia Warpig squadron" - We see that the Confederation has an organized militia system starting in Privateer. My thought here is that they have been called up much like the modern National Guard.
  • Note that the Broadsword Behemoth is five meters longer than the other two (and the classic design). This was, again, the Producer's suggestion.
  • "Platolum" - The new type of armor discovered on Ghorah Khar in Victory Streak.
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Original update published on August 20, 2008
 
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I really enjoy reading these updates. The attention to detail is so impressive to me. It adds an additional dimension to the already fantastic Star*Soldier that continues to reveal the respect and love for the series shared by the development team. Please keep them coming!
 
I like the author's running commentary about certain community debates (UBW and the like). It's interesting how they decided to "solve" some of them.
 
Yay to militia forces. About the national guard thing -- did the militia actually get involved in fighting the Kilrathi?
 
they always did in privateer when you had one of those 'the kilrathi are raiding nav point x' missions, so my guess is very probably, but only on a local level. Makes me feel bad for those poor talon pilots trying to hold their own against a gothri.
 
It really is very informative and a fan's dream come true in many ways.

But I really have to ask: didn't the author have the support of the CIC in making this? I mean he really addresses almost all questions ever raised here and in his commentary shows that he asked himself the same questions that the users here have asked for a long time. That's a lot to think of even if you are a very dedicated fan.

That of course does not change the fact that S*S is most awesome.
 
Well, there's the thing -- obviously we... exist? I wouldn't want to take credit for any of this, but obviously our site and this community has had a huge impact in shaping what any fan brought in to write about Wing Commander would be thinking of.
 
Of course. I just wondered whether the author just read through the forums and collected the information by himself of if he contacted you and asked "Hey, what are the 10 most frequently asked questions in the WC universe that need to be cleared up?" or "What cool reference would you like to see?".

In the end though, the important thing is, we got this wonderful manual.
 
Reading these updates also reveals just how rich the universe is that surrounds WC. When I think of 'great' computer games (and I know WC became a movie...), the ones with the most detailed backgrounds typically come from already established universes or environments drawn from history. Games like X-Wing, IL-2, Age of Empires, etc.

I guess that, put another way, it's incredible that the Wing Commander universe grew so exponentially both in fiction and reality from a single computer game. Is that the result of the great story? The unique (at the time) and immersive gameplay? The music and sound? The drive of its creator? I like to think it's the combination of all of these pieces as well as the luck of being launched at the right time in the industry.

Now look - we can tell stories, describe events, and follow characters in levels of detail that rival any of the truly epic franchises. Here's to the next chapter!
 
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