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What is 'Wing Commander' ?
- Thread starter Vieo
- Start date
It was a series of flight sims created for the PC in the early through late ninties. It was renowned for having a very cinematic feel to it, long before it became the popular thing to do. It even started using live action actors for the cutscenes and had a few semi famous people like Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell and Tom Wilson.
As for how many there are:
Wing Commander
Wing Commander Academy
Wing Commander 2
Wing Commander Armada
Wing Commander 3
Wing Commander 4
Wing Commander Prophecy
Wing Commander Secret Ops
Chris Roberts was the lead designer of the series, he went on to form Digital Anvil and worked on Freelancer. His brother Erin Roberts worked on the spinoff of the Wing Commander series known as Privateer of which there were 2 entries. The actual franchise was owned by Origin, Origin was bought by EA and now Wing Commander is pretty much dead for all time.
As for how many there are:
Wing Commander
Wing Commander Academy
Wing Commander 2
Wing Commander Armada
Wing Commander 3
Wing Commander 4
Wing Commander Prophecy
Wing Commander Secret Ops
Chris Roberts was the lead designer of the series, he went on to form Digital Anvil and worked on Freelancer. His brother Erin Roberts worked on the spinoff of the Wing Commander series known as Privateer of which there were 2 entries. The actual franchise was owned by Origin, Origin was bought by EA and now Wing Commander is pretty much dead for all time.
Crazymoogle
Member
Vieo said:I know it's a game and that it had one really bad movie based off of it, but why was the series so popular? How many games were there in the series? Who's the current owner/developer/publisher? Are there any more games based on the series on the horizon?
Well, it was supposedly a respectable space flight game, from a time where TIE Fighter was clearly the best game ever published on the PC and the genre was comparatively thriving. The third game garnered all sorts of press because the game used heavy amounts of FMV in between missions, multiple CDs (from a time when using the format itself wasn't always expected) and Scifi posterboy Mark Hamill in the lead role.
The title was mostly the result of Chris Roberts, who also happened to direct the film, I think? In any case, Wing Commander is an Origin title, the subsequent games trailed off in quality, and once Chris Roberts jumped ship (to make his equally ambitious Freelancer universe), the series was basically dead. I don't know the exact list of games, but I think WC3 was followed by 4 and Prophecy.
Until Lucasarts can wake the hell up and get a remake of TIE Fighter (still one of the best games ever made, in my opinion), the genre is dead in the water.
EDIT: Yeah, the post above has the correct list, it looks like. Strangely enough the only game I ever had a chance to buy from it was the compendium "Wing Commander Prophecy: Gold Edition" which included the internet campaign and black ops (or were they one in the same?) Real life kicked in, and by the time I actually tried to play the game, it was too old to run on my PC (and so troublesome to get working I gave up and replayed Freespace 2 instead).
I played Wing Commander 1 and 2, and they both ruled.
Those Kilrathi ships that were shaped like sand dollars were some of the most satisfying kills in videogames.
Was it Wing Commander 2 that had Maniac, the wingman that had no concern for safety? You had to complete the missions while coddling him at the same time--damn near impossible.
Those Kilrathi ships that were shaped like sand dollars were some of the most satisfying kills in videogames.
Was it Wing Commander 2 that had Maniac, the wingman that had no concern for safety? You had to complete the missions while coddling him at the same time--damn near impossible.
That list really brings back memories. Wing Commander 1-4 and the spinoffs were great, assuming your PC could run them- Origin was notorious for harsh system requirements. They really nailed that epic, space opera vibe. As has been mentioned, I think the only thing that exceeded them quality wise was Tie Fighter (at that time).
WC 3 is still one of my all-time favorite games. Something about the grand scope of it just worked. I don't think anything older than Prophecy would hold up very well today, for what it's worth. It's hard to picture it now, especially if you weren't into PC gaming back then, but the series really was 'huge' for its day. Still hard to believe Origin/EA let it die.
Edit: Mashing- yeah, that was the binder. It's sitting here on my shelf
Gotta agree with the Privateer 1 props, too- besides WC 3, that is easily my favorite. Privateer 2 suffered from a rather silly plot-type contrivance.
WC 3 is still one of my all-time favorite games. Something about the grand scope of it just worked. I don't think anything older than Prophecy would hold up very well today, for what it's worth. It's hard to picture it now, especially if you weren't into PC gaming back then, but the series really was 'huge' for its day. Still hard to believe Origin/EA let it die.
Edit: Mashing- yeah, that was the binder. It's sitting here on my shelf
Gotta agree with the Privateer 1 props, too- besides WC 3, that is easily my favorite. Privateer 2 suffered from a rather silly plot-type contrivance.
Crazymoogle
Member
Gorey said:
Not really; at that time Origin was pretty much running around with its head cut off, and the colossal megaflop sales of Freespace 2 (BG&E is a monstrous success by comparison) seem to have scared the shit out of every publisher since.
I should say, though, that it's not just limited to space flight; seemingly every PC game that normally relies on a joystick (and is not a super hardcore sim) has been either canned late or brought to market with a mouse-centric control scheme.
Alcibiades
Member
I have a copy of Wing Commander II I used to play on a computer I used to have...
I remember I used to restart the computer in MS-DOS mode to be able to play the game (even though the sound was non-existent for some reason, and the lips moved fast)...
Either way, it was simply one of the most awesome games ever...
How do I do MS-DOS in Windows 2000, the Shut Down Menu doesn't have the option?
I remember I used to restart the computer in MS-DOS mode to be able to play the game (even though the sound was non-existent for some reason, and the lips moved fast)...
Either way, it was simply one of the most awesome games ever...
How do I do MS-DOS in Windows 2000, the Shut Down Menu doesn't have the option?
Very true, I guess I should qualify- I'm still surprised they let the brand die. There was a great deal of name recognition, there. Granted, what other kind of game could you make out of it..... /sigh. Guess I'm just being sentimental.
How did Freelancer do? I didn't mind the mouse control so much, although I know alot of folks detested it.
How did Freelancer do? I didn't mind the mouse control so much, although I know alot of folks detested it.
Alcibiades
Member
oh, those black CMD windows are DOS?
that's easy, never knew that...
wow, PC's rule!
that's easy, never knew that...
wow, PC's rule!
Crazymoogle
Member
Mashing said:
It was definitely slick and fitting for how they engineered the game, but I still would prefer the standard flightstick setup for just about anything else in the genre. Mouse controls and auto piloting make some level of sense for freight ships, but not really for small fighters.
Although Starlancer had an awful lot of problems, one thing I thought it did well to sort of merge the two ideas a bit was to have certain weapons with limited autotracking (you point your ship as close to the target as you can, and the weapon platform tries to handle the minutiae.
Porthos said:
You could actually end up in entirely different missions altogether. Did bad enough in too many missions and you would effect the whole plotline. I remember my first time through the original I managed to get the tiger's claw destroyed in the ending cutscene
Quadrophenic
Member
I rememeber in Privateer...invicibility code on....charging head on to one of those huge Federation Capital Ships, the collision would send you flying back at insane speeds and you would end up several jump points (nav points?) away. Awesome.
MrAngryFace
Banned
Wing Commander rocked till it went all 3D shit.
BigJonsson
Member
I loved Wing Commander...Especially 3
Cause you could choose which chick to make out with haha
Cause you could choose which chick to make out with haha
Blackace
if you see me in a fight with a bear, don't help me fool, help the bear!
Number 2 was the best in the normal series... and Privateer was amazing...like people were saying it is too bad that EA buried these in the past along with a number of other games... *cough wasteland, Ultima (offline), cough*
Wing Commander was the best space combat sim series ever, until freespace. I had so much fun with all of the wing commander games, except privateer 2 which i've never tried.
Also know there is a wing commander Freespace 2 mod in development, and looks very good
http://www.3dactionplanet.com/hlp/hosted/wcsaga/
Also know there is a wing commander Freespace 2 mod in development, and looks very good
http://www.3dactionplanet.com/hlp/hosted/wcsaga/
Don't forget the most recent addition to the series, Wing Commander Prophecy Advance. http://www.wcnews.com/wcpgba.shtml
For everything Wing Commander related, check out the CIC at http://www.wcnews.com/ There was lots more to it than the games. There were a dozen novels, action figures, a tv show and more. The entire tv show is available for download at the site.
For everything Wing Commander related, check out the CIC at http://www.wcnews.com/ There was lots more to it than the games. There were a dozen novels, action figures, a tv show and more. The entire tv show is available for download at the site.
TheGreenGiant
Banned
epmode said:
goddamn EA. IAWTP
privateer was really good too.
Is that you in the picture?ChrisReid said:Don't forget the most recent addition to the series, Wing Commander Prophecy Advance. http://www.wcnews.com/wcpgba.shtml
For everything Wing Commander related, check out the CIC at http://www.wcnews.com/ There was lots more to it than the games. There were a dozen novels, action figures, a tv show and more. The entire tv show is available for download at the site.
BTW, for those who didn't recognize it, this guy has a WCIV ship in his avatar.
Anyway, I really enjoyed WC - much more than X-Wing/Tie Fighter. It had a lot more character development and the missions were a lot more diverse.
Anyway, Origin's demise is really sad.
Yup, I'm on the right in this one: http://www.wcnews.com/articles/dcon2003/p1020067.jpg
http://www.wcnews.com/articles/dcon2004/dc2004dayone36.jpg
Origin being shut down was very sad.. but in a way it doesn't change much for us right now. EA stopped Wing Commander development there years ago, and the few attempts to look into creating a new game since then have centered elsewhere. Even if EA retained their Austin studio, the next WC game would probably be made in Los Angeles at this point.
http://www.wcnews.com/articles/dcon2004/dc2004dayone36.jpg
Origin being shut down was very sad.. but in a way it doesn't change much for us right now. EA stopped Wing Commander development there years ago, and the few attempts to look into creating a new game since then have centered elsewhere. Even if EA retained their Austin studio, the next WC game would probably be made in Los Angeles at this point.
Yeah, same here. And for a year or two, i didn't have a sound card or joystick on my computer, so i was forced to play with the keyboard. i seem to remember using the mouse at some point, but it's been so long. i never beat it, but i got pretty far into it when i started turning on my wingmen. ("Sir, you really ARE a traitor!!")efralope said:
A good five or so years later, i tried installing the disks, and one of them was corrupted. i tossed them all and kept the box for a few years after that.
Alcibiades
Member
yeah, I THINK I finished the game, and actually had owned the first part for SNES that I got as a gift but never did more than a mission cause I'd bump into asteroids right away...
After doing well with part II (I think I finished it), then I went back and did the SNES version of part I (think I finished this one too)...
also, I recently bought a used copy of the Secret Missions for SNES, I may pop it in one day...
I wish someone make them easily available...
After doing well with part II (I think I finished it), then I went back and did the SNES version of part I (think I finished this one too)...
also, I recently bought a used copy of the Secret Missions for SNES, I may pop it in one day...
I wish someone make them easily available...
Man, Wing Commander remains one of my favourite series. The first one did a lot of new-ish things - Fully 3D space combat, dynamic music that actually reacted to what was happening on screen, and AI teammates that really acted uniquely (Iceman was very methodical, Maniac always hit the afterburners to get in first and get the most kills, and almost always got ripped to shreds).
I was really sad to see the team either leave or get fired after Prophecy, since it was supposed to be the "rebirth" of the franchise. It was the first game where you didn't play as Christopher Blair (Mark Hamill's character), and ended in a big cliffhanger that will, sadly, never been resolved.
Now I'm depressed.
I was really sad to see the team either leave or get fired after Prophecy, since it was supposed to be the "rebirth" of the franchise. It was the first game where you didn't play as Christopher Blair (Mark Hamill's character), and ended in a big cliffhanger that will, sadly, never been resolved.
Now I'm depressed.
What Freelancer needed was an expansion pack. Just put some more meat on its bones, you've got something pretty good there.
Wing Commander II was a helluva game. The third one was pretty disappointing in retrospect. II hit the right balance between movie and game, for my money, and it was the last one where people actually addressed you by your callsign in the cinemas, which was always my favorite bit.
Maniac was the best wingman ever. Especially in the Secret Missions add-on for the first game, where he just up and started going completely suicidal.
I actually remarked in my Ace Combat 5 review a couple weeks ago that even Wing Commander had better controls for your AI wingmates.
DFS.
Wing Commander II was a helluva game. The third one was pretty disappointing in retrospect. II hit the right balance between movie and game, for my money, and it was the last one where people actually addressed you by your callsign in the cinemas, which was always my favorite bit.
Maniac was the best wingman ever. Especially in the Secret Missions add-on for the first game, where he just up and started going completely suicidal.
I actually remarked in my Ace Combat 5 review a couple weeks ago that even Wing Commander had better controls for your AI wingmates.
DFS.
Wing Commander at it's time was the best space combat sim. Only ever beaten in it's era by Tie Fighter, and even since only really tied by Freespace.
Unfortunately for those who aren't nostalgic about it, the game is EXTREMELY ugly now. III and IV are ok but not great to look at. V/Prophecy looks good these days (about PS2 level) on a modern computer.
Like most origin games, they changed the way we played games, and were promptly shoveled to abandonware once EA bought them out.
fuck EA.
Unfortunately for those who aren't nostalgic about it, the game is EXTREMELY ugly now. III and IV are ok but not great to look at. V/Prophecy looks good these days (about PS2 level) on a modern computer.
Like most origin games, they changed the way we played games, and were promptly shoveled to abandonware once EA bought them out.
fuck EA.
Tabris said:
Yup, that was Colony Wars. Wing Commander 3 and 4 were also done for the Playstation.
Joe said:
Well, a lot of people in their early twenties, who started playing games are an early age, grew up with Wing Commander as a gold standard for space combat simulations and cinematic storytelling. Back then, that actually meant something, because simulation games were a very large and popular genre and Wing Commander's storyline was so compelling. It was one of the few series to do the live actor video well, and the series was always technologically impressive. A generation of gamers bought 386s, then sound cards, then joysticks, then 3d accelerators in order to play the latest Wing Commander games. New titles in the series came out frequently and sold very well. I believe for a little while in the mid 90s, Wing Commander 3 held the title as Electronic Art's all time best selling PC game, later to be replaced by The Sims and others.
Then Ultima Online hit. Origin's *other* big franchise struck gold with the world's first mmorpg. The Ultima series was retooled to focus on that. Several big Wing Commander games were in the works, a Privateer 3 and a sequel to Prophecy & Secret Ops. Then EA realized they wanted to jump into the mmo market full force, and they folded all their Wing Commander efforts into Privateer Online. This sealed Wing Commander's fate through a series of complex misfortunes. EA gave Origin a set amount of funding. Meanwhile, the recently acquired Westwood Studios was also working on Earth & Beyond. So they made the decision to spend EA's money on Ultima Online 2 and let Westwood make EA's space mmo game. Flash forward four years: Ultima Online 2 has been started and canceled three times (Ultima Online 2.0, Ultima Worlds Online: Origin & Ultima X Odyssey) and Earth & Beyond was shut down before its second birthday. Since they had previously fired all the Wing Commander staff, EA's logical decision was to then ship the Ultima Online people to Los Angeles and sadly shut down Origin's Austin studio. It really pains me to think about the five years and millions of dollars spent that would have gone towards new Wing Commander games had UO never existed.
EA has not forgotten about the franchise, but it's a lot harder to make a new game now than it would have been in 1999. EA is committed to making million-sellers, not niche titles, and sadly simulations have declined in popularity to a significant degree. They have looked into recruiting a team that they believe would be able to recreate the original experience, but people have moved on and no agreements have since been able to be reached. Sooner or later, the stars will align and the right circumstances will exist to make another great Wing Commander title, but it may yet be a while.