Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom is the fourth main game in the Wing Commander science fiction space combat simulator video game series, produced by Origin Systems and released by Electronic Arts for the PC in 1996 and the Sony PlayStation in 1997 (the game was also released on the North American PlayStation Network Store in 2009).
126-474: The first game set after the end of the Terran-Kilrathi War, Wing Commander IV depicts a galaxy in the midst of a chaotic transition, with human civilians, Kilrathi survivors and former soldiers on both sides attempting to restabilize their lives. A novelization, by William R. Forstchen and Ben Ohlander, was published on October 1, 1996. Wing Commander IV is a simulator game in which players take on
252-560: A Windows 95 DirectX port, free of charge. Peace has finally come to the Confederation, or so it seems. Still remaining vigilant, they commission the new megacarrier TCS Midway , which is soon needed when Kilrathi worlds are attacked by an enemy whose coming was foretold in ancient Kilrathi prophecies. The insectoid enemy, codenamed the Nephilim, soon begin attacking Confed space and the Midway
378-404: A Windows 95 DirectX port, free of charge. Peace has finally come to the Confederation, or so it seems. Still remaining vigilant, they commission the new megacarrier TCS Midway , which is soon needed when Kilrathi worlds are attacked by an enemy whose coming was foretold in ancient Kilrathi prophecies. The insectoid enemy, codenamed the Nephilim, soon begin attacking Confed space and the Midway
504-528: A Border Worlds attack, led by Maniac, who gives Blair another chance to come over. If Blair defects with Vagabond, he arrives with Eisen, Maniac, Vagabond and Catscratch at the BWS Intrepid , an old Durango -class carrier that has recently suffered damage from a Confed attack. Much of the senior staff has been killed, including Eisen's contact (and old friend) Captain Dominguez. The two officers currently sharing
630-501: A TV monitor. Next Generation , however, contended that the 3DO and PlayStation versions of Wing Commander III had much better tuned controls. Kilrathi Wing Commander is a media franchise consisting of space combat simulation video games from Origin Systems, Inc. , an animated television series , a feature film , a collectible card game , a series of novels , and action figures. The franchise originated in 1990 with
756-620: A biological weapon. Blair traces the attacking Dragons to the Axius System, which he infiltrates. There he discovers a secret starbase, guarded by the TCS Vesuvius , and manned by thousands of black-clad soldiers, including Seether, collectively known as the Black Lance. Blair learns that their leader is Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn, who is instigating a war between the Border Worlds and Confed, with
882-479: A blow to enemy morale, and it is up to the pilots of Tiger's Claw to ensure the success of the mission. The Secret Missions 2: Crusade was ported to the FM Towns. In 1994, a revamped version of the original Wing Commander , entitled Super Wing Commander (SWC), was released for the 3DO. It featured new graphics, full speech and included a Secret Missions 1.5 campaign (between the original campaigns 1 and 2) with
1008-428: A blow to enemy morale, and it is up to the pilots of Tiger's Claw to ensure the success of the mission. The Secret Missions 2: Crusade was ported to the FM Towns. In 1994, a revamped version of the original Wing Commander , entitled Super Wing Commander (SWC), was released for the 3DO. It featured new graphics, full speech and included a Secret Missions 1.5 campaign (between the original campaigns 1 and 2) with
1134-514: A communications station in the Orestes System, where Sosa and Vagabond collect valuable data on the conspiracy. Vagabond is killed in the gunfight. Blair picks up a distress signal from the Kilrathi Melek and rescues the convoy. Melek brings flight recorder data of the sleek black ships using their incineration weapon against a Kilrathi transport. One of the ships pulls a move that Blair saw in
1260-469: A conspiracy of war-mongers with members in the highest Confed circles are responsible for the attacks. Defecting to the Border Worlds, Blair must expose the conspiracy to help restore the peace in a galaxy still torn over the events of the Kilrathi-Terran War. The Price of Freedom retained the storytelling-style of its predecessor, using live-action cutscenes with an ensemble cast of actors. Many of
1386-407: A conspiracy of war-mongers with members in the highest Confed circles are responsible for the attacks. Defecting to the Border Worlds, Blair must expose the conspiracy to help restore the peace in a galaxy still torn over the events of the Kilrathi-Terran War. The Price of Freedom retained the storytelling-style of its predecessor, using live-action cutscenes with an ensemble cast of actors. Many of
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#17330848773011512-811: A follow-up to Thor's Hammer in which the Claw destroys the Kilrathi shipyards that constructed the Sivar . Super Wing Commander was ported to the Macintosh in 1995. Shortly after the Firekka campaign, the Tiger's Claw attempts to attack the Kilrathi headquarters in the Enigma sector, but is ambushed by new Kilrathi "Strakha" stealth fighters and is lost. No one but Blair sees these fighters, so they are dismissed as an excuse to cover his cowardice. He
1638-469: A follow-up to Thor's Hammer in which the Claw destroys the Kilrathi shipyards that constructed the Sivar . Super Wing Commander was ported to the Macintosh in 1995. Shortly after the Firekka campaign, the Tiger's Claw attempts to attack the Kilrathi headquarters in the Enigma sector, but is ambushed by new Kilrathi "Strakha" stealth fighters and is lost. No one but Blair sees these fighters, so they are dismissed as an excuse to cover his cowardice. He
1764-455: A limited energy pool from which to fire its guns; while this, too, regenerates, the gap in firing patterns may be long enough for the defending fighter to re-establish its shields. In emergencies, pilots may use ejection seats to escape their craft. Blair may select his wingman from amongst a number of non-player characters . Wingman have different flying styles and performances in combat, from their skill at maneuvering to their marksmanship to
1890-417: A native-client for Windows 95 . The Windows client added a deinterlace-option to improve the appearance of the cutscenes, but was identical to the original MS-DOS game in all other respects. In 1997, a special DVD-ROM edition of the game was released. In this edition, the cutscene video was upgraded to full DVD quality (made possible due to the fact that the scenes were originally shot on film). As most PCs of
2016-639: A run toward Earth, intending to stop Tolwyn from addressing Congress. Though helped by the intervention of the TCS Mount St. Helens , sister ship to the Vesuvius , and its new captain, Eisen, the Intrepid is unsuccessful in stopping Tolwyn. Blair duels Seether one-on-one above Earth and then lands at the Congressional Building. Tolwyn delivers his report on the Border Worlds and Blair slips in. If Blair makes
2142-509: A silent entrance, Tolwyn alerts the chamber guards to arrest Blair and he is not given a chance to speak, instead being executed. If Blair instead chooses to make a dramatic entrance, Paladin gives him the chance to speak before the Assembly. Blair baits Tolwyn into revealing his true agenda and admitting his crimes. If the player scores enough points against Tolwyn, the Senate votes against war. Tolwyn
2268-518: A spiritual successor to Wing Commander called Star Citizen in 2012. Several novels based on the games have been released by Baen Books . They include novelisations of WCIII and WCIV as well as offering further depth into known Wing Commander events such as the defection of Ralgha nar Hhallas. Wing Commander Academy is a 13-episode animated series that originally aired on the USA Network between September 21 and December 21, 1996. The series
2394-465: A spiritual successor to Wing Commander called Star Citizen in 2012. Several novels based on the games have been released by Baen Books . They include novelisations of WCIII and WCIV as well as offering further depth into known Wing Commander events such as the defection of Ralgha nar Hhallas. Wing Commander Academy is a 13-episode animated series that originally aired on the USA Network between September 21 and December 21, 1996. The series
2520-482: A strategy game mode and several multiplayer options. The game was ported to the NEC PC9821 and FM Towns . This add-on for Armada added numerous new features such as a new "arcade"-mode with powerups, radar-obscuring asteroids, and several new multiplayer options, including IPX . Kilrathi Saga was a limited-edition reissue of the first three Wing Commander games ( Wing Commander , Wing Commander II: Vengeance of
2646-430: A strategy game mode and several multiplayer options. The game was ported to the NEC PC9821 and FM Towns . This add-on for Armada added numerous new features such as a new "arcade"-mode with powerups, radar-obscuring asteroids, and several new multiplayer options, including IPX . Kilrathi Saga was a limited-edition reissue of the first three Wing Commander games ( Wing Commander , Wing Commander II: Vengeance of
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#17330848773012772-635: A traitor on the Concordia's flight decks, who was the mastermind behind the ambush and destruction of the Tiger's Claw . Wing Commander II was ported to the FM Towns . In 1992, it won the Origins Award for Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Computer Game of 1991 . Blair is transferred to the undercover Special Operations division, supporting Kilrathi colonies that are defecting from the Empire. But first he must solve
2898-428: A traitor on the Concordia's flight decks, who was the mastermind behind the ambush and destruction of the Tiger's Claw . Wing Commander II was ported to the FM Towns . In 1992, it won the Origins Award for Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Computer Game of 1991 . Blair is transferred to the undercover Special Operations division, supporting Kilrathi colonies that are defecting from the Empire. But first he must solve
3024-425: Is an example of packaging done so well, that you can't help but enjoy the game underneath." In contrast, Next Generation and GamePro said that while the cutscenes are excellent of themselves, they ultimately detract from the game due to their excessive length, forcing the player to spend a large share of their time watching video instead of playing the game. Next Generation summarized the game as "a last gasp of
3150-493: Is attempting to stabilize its economy and social structure. The Kilrathi survivors, now led by Melek nar Kiranka , retainer to the late Prince Thrakhath, are having greater problems than they had during the war, since their racial and societal makeup revolves around hunting and killing. Tension between the Confederation and the Union of Border Worlds has deepened, most recently with an attack on an unarmed medical transport. This transport
3276-498: Is called in to stop their advance. As young hotshot pilot Lance Casey , the player must fight their organic ships to help destroy the wormhole they used to enter Kilrathi space, thereby halting the invasion, at least for a while. As did Wing Commander IV , Prophecy incorporated live-action cutscenes with actors. Prophecy was ported to the Game Boy Advance . The Nephilim return, this time much closer to Earth. Transferred to
3402-440: Is called in to stop their advance. As young hotshot pilot Lance Casey , the player must fight their organic ships to help destroy the wormhole they used to enter Kilrathi space, thereby halting the invasion, at least for a while. As did Wing Commander IV , Prophecy incorporated live-action cutscenes with actors. Prophecy was ported to the Game Boy Advance . The Nephilim return, this time much closer to Earth. Transferred to
3528-418: Is destroyed by a wing of mysterious fighters equipped with a new anti-ship weapon that incinerates the target's contents, leaving only a burning shell behind. James 'Paladin' Taggart , a senior governor of the Assembly, declares that the Assembly must cast a vote on whether or not to declare war on the Border Worlds, with Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn assigned to a fact-finding mission which will essentially decide
3654-479: Is featured in every game, with later games revealing more complex characters than just a faceless enemy. Later games would move on from the Kilrathi war setting, with Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom being about a conspiracy within the ranks and Wing Commander: Prophecy and Secret Ops telling the battles against a new enemy known as the Nephilim. The player represents the Terran Confederation,
3780-416: Is featured in every game, with later games revealing more complex characters than just a faceless enemy. Later games would move on from the Kilrathi war setting, with Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom being about a conspiracy within the ranks and Wing Commander: Prophecy and Secret Ops telling the battles against a new enemy known as the Nephilim. The player represents the Terran Confederation,
3906-464: Is scapegoated for the loss of the Claw , is demoted to captain and transferred to a backwater space station. Ten years later, he is called back into action when he is able to save the Confederation's flagship, the TCS Concordia . Meeting many old friends there, he continues the fight against the Kilrathi, finally culminating in the destruction of their sector HQ, thus clearing his name and uncovering
Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom - Misplaced Pages Continue
4032-408: Is scapegoated for the loss of the Claw , is demoted to captain and transferred to a backwater space station. Ten years later, he is called back into action when he is able to save the Confederation's flagship, the TCS Concordia . Meeting many old friends there, he continues the fight against the Kilrathi, finally culminating in the destruction of their sector HQ, thus clearing his name and uncovering
4158-529: Is set before and during the events of the first game and features many familiar ships and characters. The cast featured Mark Hamill , Tom Wilson , and Malcolm McDowell reprising their Wing Commander game roles. In 1999, Wing Commander hit the big screen with the film of the same name. It was directed by Chris Roberts , the creator of the game series, and stars Freddie Prinze, Jr. , Saffron Burrows , Matthew Lillard , Tchéky Karyo , Jürgen Prochnow , and David Warner . The film diverged significantly from
4284-529: Is set before and during the events of the first game and features many familiar ships and characters. The cast featured Mark Hamill , Tom Wilson , and Malcolm McDowell reprising their Wing Commander game roles. In 1999, Wing Commander hit the big screen with the film of the same name. It was directed by Chris Roberts , the creator of the game series, and stars Freddie Prinze, Jr. , Saffron Burrows , Matthew Lillard , Tchéky Karyo , Jürgen Prochnow , and David Warner . The film diverged significantly from
4410-457: Is then indicted and convicted for his actions; lacking an appeal, he hangs himself in his jail cell, rather than be executed. Blair will either regain his rank as Colonel and be seen helping Panther train new pilots at the Academy or using Black Lance assets to crush rebellions with Hawk at his side as the new Admiral, depending on the general tone of his choices throughout the game. If the player makes
4536-483: The Privateer franchise between 1995 and 2003, by either developing a sequel ( Privateer 3 ) or an online game ( Privateer or Wing Commander Online ). Only one of these was formally announced. The March 1998 issue of Computer Games Strategy Plus featured a cover story on Privateer 3 . Origin confirmed that development of the game had been canceled shortly after the magazine was published. Wing Commander: Strike Team
4662-432: The Privateer franchise between 1995 and 2003, by either developing a sequel ( Privateer 3 ) or an online game ( Privateer or Wing Commander Online ). Only one of these was formally announced. The March 1998 issue of Computer Games Strategy Plus featured a cover story on Privateer 3 . Origin confirmed that development of the game had been canceled shortly after the magazine was published. Wing Commander: Strike Team
4788-516: The Behemoth is destroyed by Kilrathi forces. The enemy fighters seemed to know exactly about the weakpoints of the weapon. Later on Blair finds out that his old friend Hobbes, a Kilrathi defector, is a sleeper agent and the traitor responsible for the Confed's losses. The last hope of winning the war for the Confederation is a secret weapon, the "Temblor Bomb", using the tectonic instability of Kilrah to destroy
4914-416: The Behemoth is destroyed by Kilrathi forces. The enemy fighters seemed to know exactly about the weakpoints of the weapon. Later on Blair finds out that his old friend Hobbes, a Kilrathi defector, is a sleeper agent and the traitor responsible for the Confed's losses. The last hope of winning the war for the Confederation is a secret weapon, the "Temblor Bomb", using the tectonic instability of Kilrah to destroy
5040-548: The Concordia is destroyed. Colonel Christopher Blair (the player from the first games, now with a set name), is transferred to the TCS Victory , an old ship from the first days of the war. In a last-ditch attempt to win the war, Confed has designed the TCS Behemoth , a doomsday weapon able to destroy an entire planet. It is Blair's mission to help end this war for good, by destroying the Kilrathi homeworld of Kilrah. Unfortunately
5166-439: The Concordia is destroyed. Colonel Christopher Blair (the player from the first games, now with a set name), is transferred to the TCS Victory , an old ship from the first days of the war. In a last-ditch attempt to win the war, Confed has designed the TCS Behemoth , a doomsday weapon able to destroy an entire planet. It is Blair's mission to help end this war for good, by destroying the Kilrathi homeworld of Kilrah. Unfortunately
Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom - Misplaced Pages Continue
5292-602: The Kilrathi , and Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger ). Origin repaired some of the game's known bugs and adjusted the speed to run on the early Pentium processors of the time. At the time of its release only 20,000 copies were published. Kilrathi Saga also featured complete digital re-orchestrations of the original two soundtracks by George Oldziey, but the Saga did not include the Secret Missions and Special Operations packs of
5418-450: The Kilrathi , and Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger ). Origin repaired some of the game's known bugs and adjusted the speed to run on the early Pentium processors of the time. At the time of its release only 20,000 copies were published. Kilrathi Saga also featured complete digital re-orchestrations of the original two soundtracks by George Oldziey, but the Saga did not include the Secret Missions and Special Operations packs of
5544-582: The Kilrathi Empire and one as the Terran Confederation (rules modifications may be made to allow teams of players instead). In the pre-game phase, players set out five "Nav Point" cards in an X pattern, with a Terran and Kilrathi carrier at either end (to form a hexagon). During gameplay, players may deploy fighters, and then deploy pilots and equipment upon those fighters. Every card has its own "Power Point" cost; players start with 30 Power Points and gain two each turn. The designers recommend pencil and paper for
5670-524: The Kilrathi Empire and one as the Terran Confederation (rules modifications may be made to allow teams of players instead). In the pre-game phase, players set out five "Nav Point" cards in an X pattern, with a Terran and Kilrathi carrier at either end (to form a hexagon). During gameplay, players may deploy fighters, and then deploy pilots and equipment upon those fighters. Every card has its own "Power Point" cost; players start with 30 Power Points and gain two each turn. The designers recommend pencil and paper for
5796-462: The Kilrathi deep into their own territory and destroy their new super weapon, the dreadnaught Sivar . The Secret Missions was ported to the FM Towns , SNES , Sony PSP (as part of the EA Replay bundle), and was included with Wing Commander on the 3DO and Macintosh as part of Super Wing Commander . When the Confederation is just celebrating a new alliance with the bird-like native species of
5922-411: The Kilrathi deep into their own territory and destroy their new super weapon, the dreadnaught Sivar . The Secret Missions was ported to the FM Towns , SNES , Sony PSP (as part of the EA Replay bundle), and was included with Wing Commander on the 3DO and Macintosh as part of Super Wing Commander . When the Confederation is just celebrating a new alliance with the bird-like native species of
6048-583: The Sega CD port which added voice acting, the player character was given the callsign of "HotShot" to allow him to be addressed by voice. In 1991, Wing Commander won the Origins Award for Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Computer Game of 1990. A new Kilrathi secret weapon destroys the Terran colony of Goddard. In retribution, the Confederation plans a daring raid, Operation Thor's Hammer . Tiger's Claw must follow
6174-429: The Sega CD port which added voice acting, the player character was given the callsign of "HotShot" to allow him to be addressed by voice. In 1991, Wing Commander won the Origins Award for Best Fantasy or Science Fiction Computer Game of 1990. A new Kilrathi secret weapon destroys the Terran colony of Goddard. In retribution, the Confederation plans a daring raid, Operation Thor's Hammer . Tiger's Claw must follow
6300-548: The TCS Lexington with the task of unraveling these tensions and getting to the bottom of the story. Blair is reunited with Lexington 's new Captain William Eisen , Major Todd 'Maniac' Marshall, and Lieutenant Winston 'Vagabond' Chang. Blair also meets Lieutenant Troy 'Catscratch' Carter, a Kilrath-o-phobe who joined the military a couple of years too late. Blair can find no concrete evidence, and no one can positively identify
6426-498: The Terran Confederation history), a cargo ship Canera is attacked during landing and crashes into Mendra City on planet Crius in the year 2790 of the Tri-System calendar (the calendar appears to be longer than a Terran year with months that are about 40 days each). One survivor, As Lev Arris, a man with no memory of who he is and no record of his existence prior to two weeks before the crash, awakens from his cryo-sleep and must take on
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#17330848773016552-445: The Terran Confederation history), a cargo ship Canera is attacked during landing and crashes into Mendra City on planet Crius in the year 2790 of the Tri-System calendar (the calendar appears to be longer than a Terran year with months that are about 40 days each). One survivor, As Lev Arris, a man with no memory of who he is and no record of his existence prior to two weeks before the crash, awakens from his cryo-sleep and must take on
6678-572: The United States, PC Data reported that the game earned $ 7.9 million and sold roughly 170,000 copies by October 1999. According to CNET Gamecenter 's Mark Asher, the game "made back its $ 10 million development, but barely." Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom for the PC was well received by critics. Computer Gaming World had it as a runner-up for the "Space Simulation Game of the Year" award, adding that it
6804-495: The actors from Wing Commander III returned to reprise their roles. The story's final sequence was innovative in that dialogue choices made by the player affected the outcome of the hearing. However, only three endings were possible, and two of the outcomes depended on the earlier choices made by the player. Wing Commander IV was ported to the PlayStation and Mac OS. To owners of the original MS-DOS version, Origin made available
6930-441: The actors from Wing Commander III returned to reprise their roles. The story's final sequence was innovative in that dialogue choices made by the player affected the outcome of the hearing. However, only three endings were possible, and two of the outcomes depended on the earlier choices made by the player. Wing Commander IV was ported to the PlayStation and Mac OS. To owners of the original MS-DOS version, Origin made available
7056-444: The aftermath, discovers a squadron of sleek black fighters and a single example of their incendiary weapon, called "Dragons" and "Flash-Paks" respectively. The Telamon system is under biological attack. The vast majority of the colony, particularly Planet FT957, has died. Few survive the attacks, hale and untouched, evidently due to an innate immunity. The survivors at the colony recount that visiting Dragons dropped canisters containing
7182-414: The attack on the space port, using the ship's afterburners to supercharge and detonate an explosive mine which pushes the ship away at a faster rate. Hawk tells them that when he signed on with Confed, there was a rookie pilot on his ship, call sign 'Seether', who could pull off the maneuver. He also informs them that there was some talk of a 'G.E.' program, but that he never found out what it was, and Seether
7308-490: The command, Colonels Jacob 'Hawk' Manley and Tamara 'Panther' Farnsworth, assign Blair as Wing Commander for the flight group, and Eisen becomes her captain. Other Intrepid natives include Chief Technician Robert "Pliers" Sykes , Colonel John 'Gash' Dekker , head of the ship's contingent of Marines; and communications technician Lieutenant Velina Sosa, whom Catscratch quickly takes a shine to. Eisen confides that he's been in touch with connections back on Earth, and it seems that
7434-445: The cruiser TCS Cerberus , Casey and his wingmates must repel the invasion once again. Secret Ops was an experiment in game distribution. It was at first only available as a free download. In regular intervals, new episodes were released, each featuring several new missions with the storyline told through in-game cutscenes. The game was later available in a collection together with Prophecy , and sold as Prophecy Gold . A game where
7560-445: The cruiser TCS Cerberus , Casey and his wingmates must repel the invasion once again. Secret Ops was an experiment in game distribution. It was at first only available as a free download. In regular intervals, new episodes were released, each featuring several new missions with the storyline told through in-game cutscenes. The game was later available in a collection together with Prophecy , and sold as Prophecy Gold . A game where
7686-418: The cycle again. Starfighter combat revolves around close-in dogfights with ships' guns as their primary weapon. Missiles may be used, and ECM used to defend against them; each fighter has a limited supply of both. Every fighter has shields , which regenerate over time, as well as vehicle armor , which does not. An attacker must penetrate both layers of defenses to destroy the fighter. Each fighter also has
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#17330848773017812-434: The enemy carrier (with the successful use of Torpedo cards) or to reduce the opponent's Power Point pool to zero. Robert %22Pliers%22 Sykes Wing Commander is a media franchise consisting of space combat simulation video games from Origin Systems, Inc. , an animated television series , a feature film , a collectible card game , a series of novels , and action figures. The franchise originated in 1990 with
7938-526: The established Wing Commander universe, and was a critical and commercial failure. The Wing Commander: Collectible card game was an effort to combine the franchise's rising fortunes with the rising interest in card games, as Magic: The Gathering was revolutionizing gaming centers the world over. The collectible card game (CCG) was based exclusively on the WC3 intellectual license and contains no characters found elsewhere. The game supports two players, one as
8064-481: The established Wing Commander universe, and was a critical and commercial failure. The Wing Commander: Collectible card game was an effort to combine the franchise's rising fortunes with the rising interest in card games, as Magic: The Gathering was revolutionizing gaming centers the world over. The collectible card game (CCG) was based exclusively on the WC3 intellectual license and contains no characters found elsewhere. The game supports two players, one as
8190-498: The failed FMV subgenre." Crispin Boyer of EGM devoted his entire PlayStation version review to the quality of the conversion, commenting that whereas Wing Commander III was a straight port, Wing Commander IV had been effectively redesigned to accommodate the hardware, in particular simplifying the control scheme and redrawing the HUDs so that they can be read on the lower resolution of
8316-671: The first two games. The packs were instead made available for download on the Origin website. Due to the add-on packs not being on the CDs there is a bug that causes some music to not be played during animated sequences in the add-ons. Privateer 2 was launched in late 1996 by Erin Roberts. The game features live-action video scenes, directed by Steve Hilliker. The cast included Clive Owen , Mathilda May , Jürgen Prochnow , John Hurt , Christopher Walken , Brian Blessed and Amanda Pays . Dani Behr voiced
8442-526: The first two games. The packs were instead made available for download on the Origin website. Due to the add-on packs not being on the CDs there is a bug that causes some music to not be played during animated sequences in the add-ons. Privateer 2 was launched in late 1996 by Erin Roberts. The game features live-action video scenes, directed by Steve Hilliker. The cast included Clive Owen , Mathilda May , Jürgen Prochnow , John Hurt , Christopher Walken , Brian Blessed and Amanda Pays . Dani Behr voiced
8568-553: The flight deck, he witnesses Seether arriving in a shuttle and meeting Paulsen. Soon after, Paulsen calls Blair and Chang in for a surprise mission briefing: Eisen has defected to the Border Worlds and is fleeing in a shuttle, with Maniac piloting. Once in space, Vagabond announces that he is going to follow Eisen over. If Blair does not defect, he returns to the Lexington to meet a new cadre of pilots brought in by Paulsen. Blair flies with them for several missions before being confronted with
8694-458: The gaming community developed fan-made patches to allow this version to play on more modern hardware where no hardware-based MPEG2 decoding was available (or necessary). There was also a separate DVD release which lacked the enhanced video, and was hence playable on all PCs capable of playing the original CD-ROM release. Unlike Wing Commander III , the PlayStation version of Wing Commander IV
8820-433: The goal being constant war-driven evolution of tactics and technology, to prepare the Confederation to meet the next hostile alien race. The Gen-Select Bioweapon, recently tested at Telamon, is the next obvious step in the plan: a virus that kills off all but the most genetically superior. Blair is spied by Seether and forced to fight his way out. The Intrepid , pursued by the Vesuvius and Tolwyn's Black Lance pilots, makes
8946-519: The harassing ships. Tolwyn transfers a new officer to the Lex , Captain Hugh Paulsen, who replaces Eisen in command. After flying sorties under Paulsen's command, Blair either heads to the officer's lounge with Maniac or ventures down to the flight deck without proper authorization. If Blair heads to the lounge, Maniac abruptly leaves him at the lounge bar remembering "something he has to do." If Blair sneaks onto
9072-428: The interactive portions are essentially unchanged from Wing Commander III : "... with $ 10 million [the game's budget], you'd think the programmers could have optimized the code. They could have added tons of features: replays, multiplayer support, more ships, or even more interactivity. ... the actual gameplay, which runs on exactly the same engine as WCIII (with only a few improvements), runs almost half as fast at even
9198-443: The issue. Colonel Christopher 'Maverick' Blair , retired, is trying to make out a living on a desert world as a farmer, when he is recalled to active military service by Tolwyn. Within five minutes of Blair taking the cockpit, the station he's heading to is attacked by an Avenger-class fighter claiming Border Worlds allegiance. Border World claims that similar strikes that have occurred on their ships are ignored. Tolwyn assigns Blair to
9324-431: The keeping-track of Power Points. Finally, certain cards feature "Medals", which also feature as a resource, as some elite cards require the "tapping" of Medal-bearing cards to deploy. Fighters, with pilots and secondary armaments potentially attached, move among the nav points, fighting with each other and attacking the enemy carrier. During combat, either player may play "Maneuver" cards to fortify their fighters (assuming
9450-431: The keeping-track of Power Points. Finally, certain cards feature "Medals", which also feature as a resource, as some elite cards require the "tapping" of Medal-bearing cards to deploy. Fighters, with pilots and secondary armaments potentially attached, move among the nav points, fighting with each other and attacking the enemy carrier. During combat, either player may play "Maneuver" cards to fortify their fighters (assuming
9576-469: The life of a privateer in the Tri-System, re-discovering his past along the way. Publisher Electronic Arts and developer Gaia Industries revived the Wing Commander franchise with a downloadable release on Xbox Live Arcade called Wing Commander Arena . Dogfights take place in one of nine environments, and pilots are able to choose from 18 ships. There can be up to 16 players in a single match. The title
9702-413: The life of a privateer in the Tri-System, re-discovering his past along the way. Publisher Electronic Arts and developer Gaia Industries revived the Wing Commander franchise with a downloadable release on Xbox Live Arcade called Wing Commander Arena . Dogfights take place in one of nine environments, and pilots are able to choose from 18 ships. There can be up to 16 players in a single match. The title
9828-509: The likelihood with which they will accept Blair's orders. The game includes a large number of branching conversations in which the players must choose which response Blair will give. The choice may affect the other person's attitude toward Blair, the morale of the entire crew, the player's next assignment and the game's ending. The war between the alien Kilrathi Empire and the Terran Confederation has been over for several years. Confed
9954-691: The lowest resolution – with all the details turned off." However, he assessed this as more of a lost opportunity than an actual problem, since " WCIII was a great game, and it's nice to get more of the same." Bob Strauss wrote in Entertainment Weekly that "I've come to the conclusion that the Wing Commander series has two reasons for existence: to prolong the career of Mark Hamill (who has leveraged his big-screen space-jockey credentials into this most prestigious of CD-ROM franchises) and to force technological laggards to trade in their old PC clunkers for
10080-533: The month of February 1996. It was the 11th-best-selling game of 1996's first six months, but was absent from the year-end top 20, according to Computer Games Magazine . The game sold above 200,000 units across Europe by February 1997, and ultimately received a "Gold" award from the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD) in August 1998, for sales of at least 100,000 units across Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In
10206-452: The nascent Confed-Border Worlds war is being instigated by elements within Confed. He defected so that he could hunt for proof of this. Blair and Maniac succeed in downing the Lexington, though Paulsen escapes in a shuttle with Seether. Seether kills Paulsen for his failure. Pliers comes up with a jerry-rigged cloaking device and a "Manned Insertion Pod" - a coffin-sized torpedo that can be used to land ground troops. Blair takes them in against
10332-629: The onboard computer, also named Dani. The game also featured David Warner , and Jürgen Prochnow , who later played Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn and Commander Paul Gerald, respectively, in the Wing Commander feature film. The filming was done at Pinewood Studios in England. Set in a remote region of the Wing Commander universe in the Tri-System Confederation (a three system government that has almost three thousand-year history of its own parallel to
10458-455: The onboard computer, also named Dani. The game also featured David Warner , and Jürgen Prochnow , who later played Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn and Commander Paul Gerald, respectively, in the Wing Commander feature film. The filming was done at Pinewood Studios in England. Set in a remote region of the Wing Commander universe in the Tri-System Confederation (a three system government that has almost three thousand-year history of its own parallel to
10584-485: The otherwise-unnamed protagonist was "Bluehair", due to his unusual shade of hair. Perhaps in a nod to this in-joke, when the character was given an actual name in later installments, Origin chose "Blair", a shortened version of the old nickname. Wing Commander was ported to the Amiga , FM Towns , SNES , Mega-CD , Amiga CD32 , 3DO , Mac OS , and PlayStation Portable systems, the most ports of any Wing Commander game. In
10710-438: The otherwise-unnamed protagonist was "Bluehair", due to his unusual shade of hair. Perhaps in a nod to this in-joke, when the character was given an actual name in later installments, Origin chose "Blair", a shortened version of the old nickname. Wing Commander was ported to the Amiga , FM Towns , SNES , Mega-CD , Amiga CD32 , 3DO , Mac OS , and PlayStation Portable systems, the most ports of any Wing Commander game. In
10836-437: The planet Firekka, they learn that entire fleets of Kilrathi ships are leaving from other sectors and heading towards the Firekka system. Concerned, but massively outnumbered, the Confederation ships must retreat, but they soon learn from a Kilrathi defector that Firekka has been chosen as the place for a holy Kilrathi ceremony. The Confederation soon develops a plan to disrupt that ceremony in an act of terrorism meant to deliver
10962-437: The planet Firekka, they learn that entire fleets of Kilrathi ships are leaving from other sectors and heading towards the Firekka system. Concerned, but massively outnumbered, the Confederation ships must retreat, but they soon learn from a Kilrathi defector that Firekka has been chosen as the place for a holy Kilrathi ceremony. The Confederation soon develops a plan to disrupt that ceremony in an act of terrorism meant to deliver
11088-735: The planet. Blair is finally able to attack Kilrah, firing the bomb and destroying the Kilrathi homeworld. With the royal family of Kilrah killed and their homeworld lost, Melek, once attaché to the Kilrathi prince, surrenders before Blair. Wing Commander III was the first game in the series to use full motion video as opposed to animated cutscenes, and texture-mapped 3D instead of sprite-based graphics. The game features well-known actors such as Mark Hamill as Christopher Blair, John Rhys-Davies as James "Paladin" Taggart, Thomas F. Wilson as Todd "Maniac" Marshall, Malcolm McDowell as Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn, Josh Lucas as "Flash", and Ginger Lynn as Chief Technician Rachel Coriolis. Wing Commander III
11214-735: The planet. Blair is finally able to attack Kilrah, firing the bomb and destroying the Kilrathi homeworld. With the royal family of Kilrah killed and their homeworld lost, Melek, once attaché to the Kilrathi prince, surrenders before Blair. Wing Commander III was the first game in the series to use full motion video as opposed to animated cutscenes, and texture-mapped 3D instead of sprite-based graphics. The game features well-known actors such as Mark Hamill as Christopher Blair, John Rhys-Davies as James "Paladin" Taggart, Thomas F. Wilson as Todd "Maniac" Marshall, Malcolm McDowell as Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn, Josh Lucas as "Flash", and Ginger Lynn as Chief Technician Rachel Coriolis. Wing Commander III
11340-407: The player could build their own missions using ships from Wing Commander II . Set in the border regions of Confederation space, the player takes control of a privateer (in Wing Commander , a "privateer" is a mercenary spacer) who may profit by trading, performing various missions, or pirating. Meanwhile, an ancient alien spaceship has been awakened and is on the loose, attacking ships at random, and
11466-407: The player could build their own missions using ships from Wing Commander II . Set in the border regions of Confederation space, the player takes control of a privateer (in Wing Commander , a "privateer" is a mercenary spacer) who may profit by trading, performing various missions, or pirating. Meanwhile, an ancient alien spaceship has been awakened and is on the loose, attacking ships at random, and
11592-435: The player took on the way to the end would be determined by the player's performance on preceding missions. In-game cinematics in "newsreel" format reflected the success or failure of the player and the Claw . Originally announced as Squadron , the name was changed to Wingleader shortly into development; however, trademark issues forced a name change to Wing Commander at the last moment. The development team's nickname for
11718-435: The player took on the way to the end would be determined by the player's performance on preceding missions. In-game cinematics in "newsreel" format reflected the success or failure of the player and the Claw . Originally announced as Squadron , the name was changed to Wingleader shortly into development; however, trademark issues forced a name change to Wing Commander at the last moment. The development team's nickname for
11844-411: The player's discretion, Blair may undertake a mission briefing, delivered by the ship's captain, and then select his wingman and fighter craft. Each fighter comes with qualities such as durability, maneuverability, top speed, mounted energy weapons, and number of available missile hardpoints , whose loadouts may be specified by the player. Upon completing the mission, Blair lands at the carrier to repeat
11970-448: The player's heroic efforts, the Confederation is able to destroy the Kilrathi's sector headquarters and drive them from the Vega sector. Through the course of the Vega campaign, the player can gain numerous promotions and medals and fly in various squadrons, each featuring a different fighter. The game was notable for its innovative and seldom-repeated "campaign tree" structure, whereby the "path"
12096-401: The player's heroic efforts, the Confederation is able to destroy the Kilrathi's sector headquarters and drive them from the Vega sector. Through the course of the Vega campaign, the player can gain numerous promotions and medals and fly in various squadrons, each featuring a different fighter. The game was notable for its innovative and seldom-repeated "campaign tree" structure, whereby the "path"
12222-505: The player-controlled privateer may be the Confederation's only hope in defeating it. This game featured completely open-ended gameplay, with the player able to completely ignore the main storyline if they so desired. When the player's priceless Steltek Gun is stolen, he embarks on a quest that will bring him into conflict with the Luddite-like Church of Man and their shady leader, Mordecai Jones. Armada featured both an action and
12348-443: The player-controlled privateer may be the Confederation's only hope in defeating it. This game featured completely open-ended gameplay, with the player able to completely ignore the main storyline if they so desired. When the player's priceless Steltek Gun is stolen, he embarks on a quest that will bring him into conflict with the Luddite-like Church of Man and their shady leader, Mordecai Jones. Armada featured both an action and
12474-870: The primary human government in the Wing Commander series. The Terran Confederation is an alliance of systems and regional governments which provide unified protection and economic growth. Launching from carrier ships, the player fulfills various missions in space fighter aircraft. The games were all notable for their storytelling through extensive cutscenes . Starting with Wing Commander III , every game (excluding Secret Ops ) contained cutscenes that incorporated live action filming, starring several major Hollywood actors, including John Rhys-Davies , Mark Hamill , Thomas F. Wilson and Malcolm McDowell , as well as Christopher Walken , John Hurt , and Clive Owen in Privateer 2: The Darkening . The Wing Commander game series began in 1990 with Wing Commander . The newest addition to
12600-820: The primary human government in the Wing Commander series. The Terran Confederation is an alliance of systems and regional governments which provide unified protection and economic growth. Launching from carrier ships, the player fulfills various missions in space fighter aircraft. The games were all notable for their storytelling through extensive cutscenes . Starting with Wing Commander III , every game (excluding Secret Ops ) contained cutscenes that incorporated live action filming, starring several major Hollywood actors, including John Rhys-Davies , Mark Hamill , Thomas F. Wilson and Malcolm McDowell , as well as Christopher Walken , John Hurt , and Clive Owen in Privateer 2: The Darkening . The Wing Commander game series began in 1990 with Wing Commander . The newest addition to
12726-526: The problem of a mutiny on a Confed cruiser. Jazz, the traitor from Wing Commander II , has fled imprisonment and the Mandarin (the society of traitors) are also able to steal some of the Confederation's newest top-secret fighters. Blair must hunt them down and face Jazz in one final showdown. The war is going very badly for the Confederation, far worse than what the public (or the player) generally knows. Battles are lost on all fronts, casualties are mounting, and
12852-475: The problem of a mutiny on a Confed cruiser. Jazz, the traitor from Wing Commander II , has fled imprisonment and the Mandarin (the society of traitors) are also able to steal some of the Confederation's newest top-secret fighters. Blair must hunt them down and face Jazz in one final showdown. The war is going very badly for the Confederation, far worse than what the public (or the player) generally knows. Battles are lost on all fronts, casualties are mounting, and
12978-432: The release of the video game Wing Commander . Set in the 27th century, the games tell the story of humanity's war against the Kilrathi, an alien species of large feline bipeds . The Kilrathi are native to the planet Kilrah with their society depicted as an empire. Physically they are bipeds who strongly resemble big cats: they have leonine manes, but also have markings which distinguish their clan of origin. The species
13104-432: The release of the video game Wing Commander . Set in the 27th century, the games tell the story of humanity's war against the Kilrathi, an alien species of large feline bipeds . The Kilrathi are native to the planet Kilrah with their society depicted as an empire. Physically they are bipeds who strongly resemble big cats: they have leonine manes, but also have markings which distinguish their clan of origin. The species
13230-493: The role of Col. Christoper "Maverick" Blair , a veteran pilot of enormous repute, as he flies starfighters. Players are presented with a series of missions, and must complete (or at least survive) them to progress the plot. In between missions, the player controls Blair aboard a carrier, initially the TCS Lexington, during which he may engage in conversations with other characters. These conversations are portrayed in FMV cut scenes. At
13356-521: The series, Wing Commander Arena , was released for the Xbox Live Arcade service on July 25, 2007. The player begins his tour of duty as a young space fighter pilot on the carrier the TCS Tiger's Claw . The player can set this character's name and callsign in the first games in the franchise. As of Wing Commander 3 , the protagonist is given the canonical name Christopher "Maverick" Blair . Through
13482-411: The series, Wing Commander Arena , was released for the Xbox Live Arcade service on July 25, 2007. The player begins his tour of duty as a young space fighter pilot on the carrier the TCS Tiger's Claw . The player can set this character's name and callsign in the first games in the franchise. As of Wing Commander 3 , the protagonist is given the canonical name Christopher "Maverick" Blair . Through
13608-527: The ship's heading. Trent Ward noted in GameSpot that though the control is dramatically improved when using the PlayStation Analog Joystick , this controller was not due to be released in the U.S. for another two months. Both Ward and the review team for Electronic Gaming Monthly argued that the gameplay issues are irrelevant due to the quality of the cutscenes; Shawn Smith of EGM remarked, "WC4
13734-410: The targeted craft has a high enough Maneuver statistic) or "Battle Damage" cards to cripple their enemies; both have Power Point costs. Attacks are then resolved by comparison of the aggressor's Attack value with the defender's Defense value (with Support values from allied ships augmenting as appropriate). Each card lost results in the loss of one Power Point as well. There are two ways to win: to destroy
13860-410: The targeted craft has a high enough Maneuver statistic) or "Battle Damage" cards to cripple their enemies; both have Power Point costs. Attacks are then resolved by comparison of the aggressor's Attack value with the defender's Defense value (with Support values from allied ships augmenting as appropriate). Each card lost results in the loss of one Power Point as well. There are two ways to win: to destroy
13986-468: The time were insufficiently powerful to play the MPEG2 DVD video, the game client relied on Windows 95's multimedia player to stream the video from DVD to a hardware decoder. This dependency on external hardware rendered the game unplayable outside Windows PCs equipped with the correct decoder board. Hence, the game was strategically bundled with DVD-ROM kits that included the necessary decoder hardware. Later,
14112-555: The whiz-bang models of the moment. There's nothing in Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom to dissuade me from this opinion." Wing Commander IV was nominated as Computer Games Strategy Plus ' s 1996 "Science-Fiction Simulation" of the year, although it lost to Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri . It won the 1996 Spotlight Award for "Best Use of Video" from the Game Developers Conference , and
14238-405: The wrong choices facing Tolwyn, Blair is convicted of treason and executed as the war begins. This also happens if at any time Blair is captured by Confederation forces after his defection. If Blair fails enough missions before his defection, he is simply sent back to his farm. Initially targeted for a December 1995 release (thus giving the game an aggressive 12-month development schedule), the game
14364-458: Was a nominee in the "Best Script, Story or Interactive Writing" category. Inside Mac Games named it 1996's best space simulation. Reaction to the PlayStation version was more mixed. Critics generally approved of the cutscenes, praising the story, acting, and full motion video quality, but assessed the gameplay as average at best. The chief complaint was that the sensitivity of the controls makes it excessively difficult to track enemies or fine-tune
14490-452: Was a planned sequel to Wing Commander: Secret Ops which focused on multiplayer gameplay. The title was officially announced in an EAUK promotional publication but was canceled early in development. After Origin Systems was bought over by Electronic Arts, Roberts lost the rights to the Wing Commander franchise. Although there was an attempt to revive it, Roberts said the publisher "doesn't care about that world." This encouraged him to create
14616-452: Was a planned sequel to Wing Commander: Secret Ops which focused on multiplayer gameplay. The title was officially announced in an EAUK promotional publication but was canceled early in development. After Origin Systems was bought over by Electronic Arts, Roberts lost the rights to the Wing Commander franchise. Although there was an attempt to revive it, Roberts said the publisher "doesn't care about that world." This encouraged him to create
14742-548: Was announced to be in development but it was never released. Likewise, a port for the Panasonic M2 was in the works by Origin Systems and slated to be one of the console's launch titles but never happened due to its eventual cancellation. On April 3, 2012, the DVD quality version of the game was made available as a digital download at Good Old Games . Also in April 2012, the source code
14868-452: Was handed to the game community by a former developer for the purpose of long-time preservation . The codename was Milking The Tiger . In 2021, a fan project known as Wing Commander IV: Remastered , began development of a version using upscaled video assets from the original series with the goal of producing a modern remake of the game. PC Data , which tracked computer game sales in the United States, ranked Wing Commander IV at #1 for
14994-465: Was not a direct port; much of the graphics were redone, the collision detection was modified, and the controls were simplified by making certain actions automated, though a control scheme similar to that of the PC version is also an option. In addition, in order to fit the game on four CDs (as compared to the six CDs of the PC version), some of the transitional FMVs were cut. A 3DO Interactive Multiplayer version
15120-443: Was ported to the PlayStation , Macintosh and the 3DO. The war with the Kilrathi is over, but not all is well within the Confederation. Skirmishes in the Border Worlds destroy ships regularly. Both Confed and the Union of Border Worlds assign blame to each other and the skirmishes threaten to lead to all-out war. Blair is soon recalled to active duty and sent to the Border Worlds to confirm Confed's determination. But he finds out that
15246-443: Was ported to the PlayStation , Macintosh and the 3DO. The war with the Kilrathi is over, but not all is well within the Confederation. Skirmishes in the Border Worlds destroy ships regularly. Both Confed and the Union of Border Worlds assign blame to each other and the skirmishes threaten to lead to all-out war. Blair is soon recalled to active duty and sent to the Border Worlds to confirm Confed's determination. But he finds out that
15372-481: Was released on July 25, 2007. It is set chronologically after Wing Commander Prophecy Gold, and background information is included in the digital Star*Soldier manual. Around 1993, Warren Spector developed a pitch for a science fiction game called Alien Commander , which would be set in the Wing Commander universe. A concept document was produced, however the project was scrapped in favour of proceeding with System Shock . Origin aborted several attempts to continue
15498-481: Was released on July 25, 2007. It is set chronologically after Wing Commander Prophecy Gold, and background information is included in the digital Star*Soldier manual. Around 1993, Warren Spector developed a pitch for a science fiction game called Alien Commander , which would be set in the Wing Commander universe. A concept document was produced, however the project was scrapped in favour of proceeding with System Shock . Origin aborted several attempts to continue
15624-432: Was the best yet attempt at creating an 'interactive movie'. In GameSpot 's 1996 annual awards, the game placed second in the category "Best Story". Daniel Jevons of Maximum opined that " Wing Commander IV makes huge leaps and bounds in the interactive movie stakes, seamlessly blending impressive interactive cinematic sequences with slick and exciting SVGA battle sequences." A reviewer for Next Generation criticized that
15750-462: Was transferred from the flight roster to Confed Intelligence Operations. Eisen leaves the Intrepid , intent on returning to Earth and delivering the information to friends in high places; he leaves Blair as acting captain reporting to Border Worlds Rear Admiral Eugene Wilford. Finally, the Intrepid catches wind of a secret Confed freighter sneaking through the area. Blair subdues it so that Dekker and his boys can capture it. Pliers, clambering aboard in
15876-427: Was ultimately released on February 8, 1996 for MS-DOS PCs. WCIV was produced on the then-unheard-of-for-a-video-game budget of US$ 12 million. The majority of this budget went into the production of the game's full motion video scenes, which were shot on actual sets instead of a greenscreen and using 35mm film instead of digital capture. The original MS-DOS edition shipped on six CD-ROMs . Origin later released
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