Wing Commander 4 Replay Week 6

Dundradal

Frog Blast the Vent Core!
End Game gentlemen. Talos and Sol. Nailing the Vesuvius and taking down Seether. Remember to make the right choices when the time is right.

A week break after this as well. Then we move onto WCP.
 
I should add that I think the CGI sequences we see in this series are my favorite of the entire series. To see two of Confed's newest and baddest carriers slugging it out with heavy energy weapons is amazing. The Intrepid breaking away as they start to engage....simply amazing.
 
I've got just the screen shot for you, Dundradal! Enjoy as always.
 

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One screenshot I've always wanted but was unable to accomplish was seeing the Vesuvius from the outside when we detonate the flashpak. I recall the camera always going screwy for me or not being able to get the shot.
 
And Wing Commander IV comes to an end. Is it just me or does Maniac look a little surly in the last few mission breifings?

Talos 1:

We're making nice progress in catching up to the Vesuvius when Tolwyn does the unexpected. 15 seconds away from the Sol jump point the Vesuvious makes a 180 degree turn and begins bearing down on the Intrepid. I only have time to shout for battle stations before racing to a ready Banshee and launching.

The fight around the Intrepid is intense. Luckily, the Vesuvious didn't have any bombers ready so we're only facing Hellcats for now. The Banshee lacks the heavy guns that I'm used to and I'm forced to expand my missiles rapdily to fight off the Confed fighters. We've finally cleared the space around the Intrepid and beginning to press in on the Vesuvius when Sosa calls me back to the Intrepid stating that they've detected another ship. I break off and return, leaving my pilots to keep the Intrepid safe while I issue orders from my fighter until I can get to the CIC.

Talos 2:

Even with space superiority we can't keep the Vesuvius away from the Intrepid. It becomes obvious that Tolwyn has no intention of launching his bombers and will just demolish us with his own guns instead. I order the Intrepid to make a run for the jump point, hoping to escape just as the other ship comes through. We're getting some good licks in but the Vesuvius is pounding us pretty badly when the jump point opens to reveal another supercarrier. I barely have time to order the forward guns to engage before the new ship opens up on the Vesuvius.

Not wanting to miss an opportunity, I order the Intrepid out of there and get up to the CIC. The sight that greets me when I arrive is another suprise in an already eventful day. Captain Eisen is in command of the other supercarrier, the St Helens. Thank goodness he managed to get to the right people while Tolwyn was off dealing with the Intrepid. He sends through a gigantic batch of information to Sosa. It seems certain areas of the supercarriers' flanks are vulnerable. If we can take out the turrets there, Eisen will have a much easier battle.

It's a powerful force that launches from the Intrepid, 4 Dragons, maybe even enough to make a difference in battle between giants going on at the jump point. Tolwyn still refuses to launch bombers, but the Hellcats on patrol will make taking the turrets out difficult, so we set to work demolishing the fighters the Vesuvius has in the air and ready to launch, taking care to avoid the heavy gun blasts flowing between the two behemoths. Tolwyn must have figured our our strategy as, after we take out a squadron's worth of Hellcats he orders the Vesuvius through the jump point. Eisen orders the St Helens and Intrepid to follow closely and I return to base for the jump.

Sol 1:

Pliers pulls me aside after I land to tell me that he's rigging up a new plane for me now. He then offers to load our Flash-pak into it, it seems like just the thing for taking out something that big. There's only one catch, the skin of the Supercarrier is too thick for the flash-pak to work from the outside so I'm going to have to fly into the hangar bay to deliver it. If that's what I've got to do, then that's what I've got to do. I tell Pliers to load it up.

My next conversation is less pleasant. Admiral Tolwyn has decided to appear on my bridge to gloat. The St Helens has taken too many hits to continue the battle and Tolwyn believes that we won't be able to stop him addressing the assembly as Space Marshal. He cuts of the signal before I can tell him what I think. Unfortunately, Captain Eisen appears on the comm to confirm Admiral Tolwyn's words. The St Helens wasn't ready when she pulled out of the dock but she's put up a good fight. The only thing to do now is deliver the flash-pak and stop Tolwyn.

The battle to clear the air around the Vesuvius is intense. Tolwyn still has lots of Hellcats up his sleeve and the continuous 4 on 4 odds force my wingmen to eject one by one until only I'm left facing the last 3 ready fighters. I've been conservative with my missiles up until this point but don't see any reason to continue with that and so the last three fighters are quickly dispatched with a HS missile from point blank range each. With them out of the way I cloak and enter the Vesuvius' bay to lock on the flash-pak. once it's locked, I throw the throttles to full power and fire it off, just escaping from the bows of the ship before the Vesuvius is consumed by fires from within.

With the Vesuvius out of the way, it's safe for the Intrepid to advance. Sosa informs me that they detected a drop ship escaping before we dropped the hammer and I have a sinking feeling I know who was on board.

Sol 2:

After I land, Captain Eisen comes on the comm and confirms my fears. Admiral Tolwyn has given us the slip and is on his way to the Senate's Grand Assembly. Our only hope now is for me to follow after him as quickly as possible and explain what I've seen of his operations to the Senate first-hand. To get there, though, I'll have to punch a hole through Earth's defenses, though the cloaking device will help me with that.

The first round of these defenses is a fight that I've been looking forward to. Seether challenges me to a one on one battle, using his usual mine track to get the drop on my rear. He's good, much better than the other Black Lance pilots, but still easily goaded into an attack. I simply have to give him a shot and he'll decloak and take it, no matter how easily I can counter. I ding up his nose with my guns using this tactic until he makes a mistake and decloacks too close. He fires a missile to try to force me away but I drop a decoy and afterburn over the top if it's sensor, locking on two IR missiles. He manages to decoy the first one out of the way and is in the middle of cloaking when the second missile impacts on his rear and tears the superman apart. The fight over earth is anti-climatic with only a few Arrows with uprated sensors challenging my cloaked approach towards earth.

I manage to make it on the Assembly floor just as Tolwyn concludes his speech urging war with the Border Worlds. If I'm to change their minds I need to act now. I quickly intervene and shout out that Tolwyn is the guilty party. Tolwyn has me seized by the guards but Paladin at least grants me a chance to speak. Tolwyn lays a trap for me, asking if I really think the senate is ignorant so I decide to go on the offensive and state they've been duped by a charade perpetrated by Tolwyn. The strong lanaguage should get them out of their naps.

I follow that up with a direct confrontation with Tolwyn on his involvement with our current state of affairs. He maintains that he is only attempting to maintain law and order, so I ask him what cost the control has. He insults my integrity and I can feel the Senators slipping away so I get straight to the cut of the attack and ask Tolwyn about the Black Lance forces. I nail down some of the details about the Black Lance forces before Tolwyn slips up and gives me an opportunity.

Seizing the moment, I instantly ask Tolwyn if the Gen-Select bioweapon was part of the equipment used by the Black Lance. The Senate has never approved of bioweapons and the accusation gets their attention, particularly when I detail the particular effects of this weapon. Now that I've got some traction, it's time to keep it going by telling the senate about Seether's heritage from the G.E program. Not only does it reveal more of Tolwyn's motives but the news that Seether is dead clearly knocks the Admiral a bit.

With this momentum going I decide to reveal all I know of Tolwyn's plans to the Assembly, including the ghastly plot to eliminate the undesirable elements of society with bioweapons. The attack combined with Seether's death has left Tolwyn off-guard and he tries to defend himself but trips up and starts to fall into talk of how to improve our methods of killing. It's only when Paladin rests his hand on Tolwyn's shoulder and says they've heard enough that Tolwyn seems to realise what he's done. Paladin calls for a vote and I stand there and watch the No's tally up. I'm still completely out of it when Paladin declares that there will be no war with the Border Worlds and several senators approach to congratulate me. It's been a hell of a day.

Admiral Tolwyn's trial isn't a pretty affair. Having to relive many unpleasant sights that I've seen, particularly the Kilrathi colony ships detonating, takes it's toll on all of us testifying. Meanwhile, Tolwyn still seems in shock, not reacting much to the events. In retrospect, it's not suprising that a guilty verdict lead to his suicide, but it's terrible to see a once-great man brought down that way.

Easily the best news comes after the Tribunal when I'm assigned to the Intrepid as a flight instructor. Paladin meets with me on the deck, it's a great opportunity to rebuild the bonds between Confed and the Border Worlds. He asks me about my choice and I say that I've got everything as long as I can keep flying. Paladin's clearly envious of me choice and says that he sometimes wishes he's made the same one. Maniac takes the perfect time to walk past the conversation inflicting his particular style of flying upon some new pilots. I remind him of what he said back on Nephele about being an earthworm or an eagle, but he clearly doesn't remember. I head Panther's voice calling out that there's a fresh batch of newbies to shake down but I decide to leave them to wait for a little and log some time just enjoying the controls of a Banshee.
 
Kill-wise, I didn't do as well in WC4 as in the other games. I blame the increased lethality of missiles combined with my wingman's increased ability to use them.

Prior to leaving for Earth, I had 212 kills, including 25 aces. 1 Dragon, 4 Arrows and 5 Mines adds another 10 to that total bringing it to 222. Adding to my 1395 kills from WC1-3 gives the career of Boomer 1617 kills. Not quite up to Maverick's total, but he also got to fight in the Battle of Terra. Maybe I should add my Standoff kills once Episode 5 is finished.
 
I'm below Lorien's kill total for WC4. I probably got my total from the difficulty. I'll save myself from further embarrassment by not even bothering to add up the other totals. :eek:

P.S. - I've not forgotten about the journals, but it looks like Friday or the weekend for me to even have a hope. Work's been doing extended hours yesterday and today(and knowing my luck, tomorrow as well).
 
I did not count on the finale being chosen on Sunday. If I had known, I would have posted the below journal sooner.


Talos 1
We’re catching up to the Vesuvius after our jump out of Ella. No doubt Tolwyn and his crew have noticed us closing. I then observe a strange sight with the Vesuvius aborting its jump to the Sol system and turning around to attack us! Time to get in our fighters to mount a defense.

Panther says there are a lot of bogeys, and I have very little time to make adjustments to my shields before I head out of the hangar bay. Just as I clear the bay, the Intrepid makes a fighter kill. I don’t spot any immediate fighter threats, but I tell the other people on the defense wing to break after the fighters. The Intrepid scores another fighter kill, and both Maniac and Panther get a fighter kill. I spot a Hellcat in my sights, but Lt. Sosa says the situation is desperate and that I’m needed right away. Another vessel has been detected coming thru the Sol jump point.


Talos 2
The Vesuvius is bearing down on us and unleashing the firepower of its turrets. We’re taking multiple hits, and the Vesuvius is closing in for a close range kill. We see the jump point open from Sol, and another super carrier like the Vesuvius is attacking Tolwyn’s carrier. Our navigator decides that getting sandwiched between the super carriers is NOT an option, and we turn downwards to let the twin juggernauts slug it out. I see the welcome sight of Captain Eisen, and he obviously got to the right people. Eisen tells us this ship is a twin to the Vesuvius, and he’ll use what he knows about his carrier to give us an edge versus Tolwyn’s. We get data about the turrets of the Vesuvius as well as the weak spots on it. Time to even up this fight.

I take off in a Bearcat to mount the attack, with Yaeger, Primate, and Turbo along. Yaeger certainly takes a shine to the Bearcat, and he quickly takes out two Hellcats from the Vesuvius. Primate and Yaegar score a fighter kill each, and I hit a Hellcat with a missile. I get to see a few seconds of the attack between the Vesuvius and the Saint Helens, and I certainly don’t want to get into the crossfire between the two carriers. I then notice that my fighter has taken damage to its guns, so I’m stuck with a missile to eliminate another Hellcat. Primate takes down another Hellcat, and I quickly follow with another missile kill of my own. I use yet another missile that hits a Hellcat, and Primate follows with yet another kill as well. I switch power settings to repair the guns, but the targeting system is fried. I do some weaving to let the gun systems get fully repaired, and then use a combination of guns and a missile to splash another Hellcat. There’s only one fighter left, and Lt. Sosa comes on the communication line saying that both the Intrepid and Saint Helens are clear to go thru the jump point. Turbo takes down the last Hellcat fighter, and I land my battered Bearcat on the Intrepid.


Sol 1
The Saint Helens is pressing its pursuit of the Vesuvius near Saturn. Pliers stops me and asks if he should get the Flash-Pak ready so that we can use it on the Vesuvius. Pliers tells me that specs from Captain Eisen recommend us to use the Flash-Pak on the insides of the Vesuvius. I know that it’s now or never to stop Tolwyn from reaching Earth, and tell Pliers to load the Flash-Pak on my ship. I get up to the CIC, and Admiral Tolwyn comes on the communication line to gloat. He congratulates me on being tenacious, but says that the Saint Helens has taken too much damage to continue its pursuit. Tolwyn then says that he’s invincible, and that I can do nothing to prevent his address to the Great Assembly as a newly promoted Space Marshal.

Unknown to me, Admiral Tolwyn tells Seether to take care of me personally. Tolwyn thinks that I’ve always been a thorn in his side, and that I could have achieved greatness if I had not turned my back on Confed. Seether prepares himself for this upcoming struggle for survival.

Captain Eisen comes on the communication line and confirms what Admiral Tolwyn was saying. Stopping the Vesuvius will be up to us, and I have a big bang present waiting to be delivered with the Flash-Pak.

Blade, Excell, Tex and I head to our encounter with the Vesuvius. I accidentally order Tex back to base immediately, and he turns around. Excell wastes no time in taking down an enemy Hellcat, and Blade and I make a combined fighter kill. I fry a Hellcat at very close range with the Dragon’s guns, and then Excell and I down another Hellcat together. I decide to cloak since it seems like the Vesuvius could send an endless stream of fighters. I head straight for the hangar bay while Blade blasts a Hellcat out of space. The Flash-Pak gets locked on the Vesuvius, and Excell takes down yet another Hellcat. Blade makes his mark against another enemy fighter, and I uncloak in the middle of the Vesuvius’ hangar bay. I let loose with the Flash-Pak and it fries the Vesuvius. Lt. Sosa tells me that a ship was detected leaving from the Vesuvius before its explosion. Sosa tells me that the way is clear for me to land, but I want to help out against any stray Hellcats. Blade gets one of the remaining fighters, and Excell is taking a bit of a beating in her Dragon. She manages to kill a Hellcat, and I help in destroying the last fighter. Looks like Admiral Tolwyn will be able to keep his promise to address the Great Assembly on Earth.


Sol 2
Captain Eisen comes on the communication line in the CIC, and he can’t mount a pursuit against the Admiral due to the damaged Saint Helens. Any movement by the Intrepid would be perceived as more evidence that the Border Worlds wants war with Confed. Captain Eisen tells me that our best bet to defeat Tolwyn’s plan for war is to reveal the operations of the Black Lance. That means I have to do it in person for the story to be believed, and Eisen warns about substantial defenses between the Intrepid and Earth orbit. Eisen expresses his faith that I will find a way to reach Earth in one piece and stop the Declaration of War.

Before I can reach the Earth defenses, Seether is here prove his superiority against me. He says that I’m on the wrong side by standing with humanity’s past instead of its future. He thinks I’m only a symbol of the past, and does his mine-dropping trick before engaging me in a Dragon dogfight. I get on his rear, and he engages his cloak. Although I could still see him to target him with my guns, I decide to deliver my own personal present with the Mace missile. Once I feel I have a good shot, I let the Mace go and trigger its blast with my fission cannons. Seether’s Dragon is incinerated by the proto-nuclear explosion of the Mace and I can’t think of a better way to send him to Hell. I then engage the Dragon’s cloaking device and use its stealth to slip thru the Earth defenses without being attacked.

Paladin is in the Great Assembly hall to congratulate Admiral Tolwyn and award him his new rank of Space Marshal. The Admiral thanks the crowd for this, and he says that it’s time to not ignore our war against Confed. He gives a long list of transgressions committed, and says that this Declaration of War should get a ‘Yes’ vote since all other options have been exhausted.

I enter the Great Assembly hall and overhear the Admiral saying that our decades of struggle against the Kilrathi should not be brought low by a cancerous infection from within humanity. I decide to seize the moment by saying that the cancer that needs to be cut out is standing in front of the Great Assembly. The Admiral orders the guards to seize me, and says that I’m a traitor that is fighting for the Border Worlds. I explain that my goal is to fight on the side of peace and honor, and I ask Paladin to let me speak to the Assembly. Paladin grants my request, and I ask what the price of freedom is to the Admiral. I then say that I’m hear to present the truth of what is really happening, and the Admiral tries to stop me cold by asking if I really believe the chamber is ignorant of war affairs between Confed and the Border Worlds. I don’t go on the offense since it’s a trap laid by the Admiral, and state that there is no ignorance by the Assembly or the Admiral. My goal is to simply shed a new light on events. The Border Worlds have fallen victim to a plot that will make humanity itself a victim if it succeeds. The Admiral points out that my logic is unusual, and asks me to continue. I ask Tolwyn if he believes in law and order, and he says that he has striven to maintain them during his life. Law and order are the marks of a strong society, and the Admiral agrees that we’d be lost without it. I point out that law and order, control, and keeping the current status quo are part of the goals of the Admiral. I state my belief that harmony is not a goal here, and the Admiral says that harmony is achieved thru control. I point out that this kind of control led me to the theft of a Border Worlds laboratory and the abduction of the bioconvergence chemist on Tyr 7. The Admiral states that my interpretations of how to handle operations don’t matter, and that my duty is to follow orders without questions. I ask the Assembly if they have yet questioned the Admiral about the Black Lance forces. Paladin asks what I’m referring to, and the Admiral answers that the Black Lance is an elite group assembled to protect our galactic interests. I ask if the Black Lance is stationed in Axius, and Tolwyn replies that he can place forces where they are needed. I then point out that the Black Lance has some very sophisticated equipment at their disposal. Tolwyn just says that effective soldiers require effective tools, and I score a zinger by asking if the Gen-Select bioweapon device is such a tool. Paladin is appalled that a bioweapon has been created without knowledge or approval by Confed. Tolwyn tries to backpedal by saying that it’s still in its experimental stages and not ready yet. I try to point out that the people of Telamon have first-hand experience on how ready it is since those who survived can relay tales of a weapon so deadly that it provides pinpoint killing of human targets. Tolwyn says that the tragedy of Telamon is still being investigated, and he believes that evidence will determine that the Border Worlds caused it. I point out that hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost in the pursuit of a phantom enemy manufactured by Tolwyn’s manipulations. I ask the Admiral if he believes the strong always survive, and he says that he does every bit. I ask if that belief in strength is why the head of the Black Lances is a product of the Genetic Enhancement program. Paladin pipes in and says the GE program was shut down a long time ago, but Tolwyn does not deny my accusation and continues by saying that Seether is a greater warrior than I will be. I smash the conceits of Tolwyn by saying that Seether is dead, and now the Admiral says that Seether is a small sample of what he’s hoping to achieve. I ask what the expense of all these achievements will be in terms of more lives lost if the Declaration of War is approved. I then bring down the hammer of this argument by pointing out that the Admiral thinks our victory over the Kilrathi was a fluke. Apparently the Admiral believes that humanity needs tinkering and engineering, and that any who don’t achieve a specific set of standards weren’t worthy to survive. Being aggressive and warlike just like the Kilrathi where the only goal of life is death to other intelligent beings is apparently the ultimate goal. I ask if that is the price of freedom, and the Admiral explains that humanity was at its finest when it was united against the Kilrathi. Now without an enemy to engage, Tolwyn feels that we’re becoming complacent without goals or a focus. The Admiral makes a final effort to defend his position by saying a prophecy that we have no idea when another race like the Kilrathi will come to attack us. Progress only comes thru struggle. Fighting keeps our forces fit, and constant conflict ensures our readiness and survival. It’s our duty to stay strong and prepared by perfecting our methods of killing. Paladin comes up to the Admiral and stops him during his reply. He says that the Great Assembly has heard enough to cast their vote on the Declaration of War. The Admiral shakes his head as if he can’t believe his plans for war are unraveling right before him. I can hear the votes being submitted, but I’m also a bit stunned over the madness that Tolwyn descended to for justification of his plot. I then hear a big cheer from the members of the Great Assembly, and Paladin says that the ‘Nays’ have decided that there will be no war with the Border Worlds. A tribunal trial is set up for Admiral Tolwyn. All of the incidents that he was responsible for are exposed, and it’s an ugly affair bring back a lot of bad memories for all involved. After some extensive eyewitness testimony against the Admiral, he is convicted of crimes against humanity. Just before his execution, he commits suicide in his cell. Some time later on board the Intrepid, a flight of five Banshees launches. Paladin wonders why I chose to be an instructor on the Intrepid instead of deciding to become an Admiral, General, or Senator. I tell him that having everything for me means that I keep flying. Paladin points out that he envies me and that at times he wishes he made the same choice. Paladin asks how my farm is doing, and I finally accept that I was never meant to be one. Maniac comes by with his usual running of his mouth, and I point out that he taught me that I’m either an earthworm or an eagle. Maniac can’t remember saying it, and Panther calls down to me in the hangar bay. There’s a fresh batch of new recruits to shake down. I tell her they can wait, and decide it’s time to have a little fun now that all of the war tensions are over. I can hear Paladin telling Maniac to shut up as I’m heading for my fighter. No doubt he was trying to get some momentum to get promoted. I take off in a waiting Banshee and head off into the stars where my future awaits.

To be concluded in Wing Commander Prophecy(and Secret Ops)...

P.S. - It's a nice coincidence that the United States vote for President will be this next Tuesday. Just shortly after the Assembly's vote last Sunday. Folks, please make your votes count wherever you live. The Price of Freedom is eternal diligence. :D

P.S.S. - I almost forgot the prerequisite Photobucket link in this thread.
http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/bb15/DaveO-MM/Wing Commander/
Bad, bad, bad!!! Also, in case nobody already knew the Prophecy intro is up on YouTube. Scrolling up gets you the link.
 
I'm below Lorien's kill total for WC4. I probably got my total from the difficulty. I'll save myself from further embarrassment by not even bothering to add up the other totals. :eek:

I imagine it would be quite close, we've both flown the exact same campaigns, with only a few missions differnt. The only real difference would be how many kills our wingmen stole :)
 
Total for WC4 was 167 before leaving for Earth. Since the Circe side was not my official choice, I did not have the 'Search and Destroy' mission to add to the count.

I noticed what you were talking about for Maniac on the cinematics. I also noticed that Blair checked his watch a lot. I've gotten a bit used to my attempt to tell things from Blair's perspective and I'll have to change that with Prophecy. Both Prophecy and Secret Ops were quite happy throwing in excessive kill numbers, so there is a good chance I will exceed the kill count for WC2, WC3, and WC4 in Prophecy/Secret Ops.
 
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