The Wing Commander Great Depression rages on. . .
A remarkably close
adaptation of its 1997 PC big brother brought to the Gameboy Advance. Stay tuned to the CIC here for the details.
Stay tuned to the CIC here when any details emerge on this
syndicated live-action TV series headed by Chris Roberts himself.
The third and conluding book in a trilogy begun with the Wing Commander movie novelization, then continued with Pilgrim Stars, which brings to a fruitition the renewed Pilgrim Wars in 2654. From Peter Telep's site, it is reported as of May, 2000 here: "Still in limbo: Wing Commander: Pilgrim Truth. Peter finished the third novel in the series, but when HarperCollins merged with Avon, Peter's editor (along with many other folks), moved on to other opportunities; thus, the enthusiasm for WC fizzled. The book might be published somewhere else." A web-only publication of this novel is a possibility, but is safe to assume would only be a last resort if even then. In 2001 now, however, Telep seems to have given up all hope of publishing this novel, even by alternate means, but you can soon look for his detailed synopsis on the novel that could have been on the CIC here in the days ahead.
Formerly the only Wing Commander game in development following the news of Privateer 3's whispered cancellation/on-hold-indefinitely-status, according to Origin and Richard Garriot, now even this project has been scrapped with the continuing movement that has now definitively turned Origin into an "Ultima-Online-Only" company. As it was said originally, this was to be the next WC game following Secret Ops, which was said to be admittedly an Ultima Online-type "massive multiplayer experience" kind of game, WC Online will "have something for everybody." This likely meant (though we may never know) you will have your choice from the start whether you want to be a Space Force pilot against the continuing Nephilim threat, a pirate, a merchant, a mercenary, maybe a Kilrathi, or... a privateer. It was reported by Ben "LOAF" Lesnick at one point, who had seen the game in its early stages, that a space combat engine was only decided on being added in at the last minute. Nearly coinciding with Richard Garriot's quitting of Origin, this project has been scrapped entirely to make way for Origin's "Ultima Online-Only" standing within its parent company Electronic Arts.
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The would-be follow-up to Wing Commander: Prophecy and Wing Commander: Secret Ops (both of which now compiled as Wing Commander: Prophecy Gold). Little is known, aside from there being almost definitely a multiplayer angle. Plotwise, well, the Nephilim War would have doubtless continued. The team working on this game disbanded and the project was scrapped by Origin to allow for the Wing Commaner/Privateer Online project, which was similarly ultimately scrapped.
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Officially on hold, Privateer 3 will likely do as its predecessor, Privateer 2: The Darkening, and, though set in the Wing Commander universe, take place apart from past installments. Focus is moved more closer to the WCU, featuring Kilrathi pirates as characters you encounter. Multiplayer is a feature being that was extensively worked on, and may actually become the focus of the game. See the WC CIC section w/early pics here. Most of its elements will likely be integrated into Privateer Online.
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A project currently on the backboard, it may be cancelled indefinitely. All that is known is what was stated in a PC Gamer magazine article from an issue that came out around WC4's release, that it will revolve around a character who is infatuated by Todd "Maniac" Marshall’s style, who flies and learns under his command. Maniac’s involvement on the TCS Midway in Wing Commander: Prophecy is likely supposed to set up The Maniac Missions. We can do little but wait and see what happens.
It has been stated that Wing Commander : Prophecy is only the first game in a new trilogy of games based around the invasion of the Nephilim. All we know of the next (non-massive-multiplayer-experience) game in the series is that it will more than likely continue the adventures of Lance Casey after his time aboard the TCS Cerberus in Secret Ops, will almost definitely have multiplayer to some degree, and will go deeper into the Nephilim invaders of Prophecy (we may actually find out their real name). Unfortunately, as it stands with the corporate Powers That Be in Origin (blame should be placed on the money-mongering, "Who cares about the fans?" EA parent company), there may not ever be that "next" game.
Did anyone miss the Wing Commander/Ultima crossover? As unlikely and far-fetched as it may seem, there was actually such a crossover a couple years back. In Ultima VII: The Black Gate, go to Mack’s farm to the east of Britannia. Check out one of the fields and find the odd-yet-somehow-familiar-looking hovering alien ship located in a corner. Talk to Mack. He’ll tell you how he found the alien ship in his field, how he encountered a cat-like alien that exited it that spoke "Kill Wrathy" ("Kilrathi," obviously), then killed it with his pitchfork. Hence, the alien ship in the field is a Kilrathi vessel, and a Kilrathi landed in Britannia. It seems the world of Britannia, the planet whom the Avatar (who, when living on Earth between games, is in modern-day 90’s America) can access from time to time through "moongates" and dimensional travel, resides either in the Spinward or Coreward Unknown Territories (see my maps in the WC database) adjacent to Kilrathi space. While the Avatar travels from the twentieth century into Britannia whenever he ventures there, it seems Britannia actually is existing in the late twenty-seventh century. This may be related to the fact that in Britannia, every Earthly year is considered 100 Britannian years, or that simply the moongate the Avatar has used behind his house on Earth not only transports him to Britannia, but transports him 700 years into the future. It is interesting to note that in the Wing Commander Universe Map that comes with Wing Commander: Prophecy, there is a Britannia System in the Challenger Quadrant of the Avalon Sector.
Have any other interesting Wing Commander miscellani? Send it in.
