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Let's Play: Wing Commander 1 (NSF scrollwheels)
RiemannLives
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Registered User regular
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6du4NlNA2cQI got me a snazzy new Extreme 3D Pro joystick for chrizzy so the best way to break it in should be to play a game from 1990. After mapping up all the buttons for Wing Commander I still had a couple sitting there unused so I hooked up button 7 to "take screenshot". And so begins this Let's Play. Posted the first few of these in D&D chat as I wasn't sure if I would get into the game but at this point I think I'm going to see it through.
Back when this game was cutting edge, and oh boy it was, the dad of a good friend had it and a 386 with 1st gen Sound Blaster card. Totally mindblowing. I have tried to play it a couple times over the years but usually give up during those terrible missions in the Scimitar. This time I powered through those and am in to the good stuff.
As a side note, the music at the top of each post is much better than what I heard back in the day, or indeed what I am hearing now, as it was recorded using a Roland mt32 MIDI synth.
And so now it's time to see what this joystick can do in the simulator. Taking on some Dralthi as Kilrathi medium fighters suuuuuck. It's just too bad the Terran ones are even worse.
now to see who these people in the lounge are
there's the old man Paladin
and Angel. The first 2 WC games (before it went live action and got kinda creepy in this respect) had female fighter pilots in 1990 like it ain't no thing.
it appears the guy behind the bar took an arrow to the knee
my jacket is lacking swag, better do something about that
time for a mission
damn right
oh hey a new character
ok lets do this
Two wings of Dralthi? No problem. Spirit gets the first kill.
And I catch up
after a wing of enemy light fighters it's time to head home
damn right I did
Attacked by tweeeeeeees!
RiemannLives on
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first we meet a new character in the canteen. he is a font of wisdom.
but for the mission Spirit is the wingman again. Which is good cause she is probably one of the best one in terms of "listens to what you say" vs "can shoot worth a damn"
oh you son of a bitch
gotta make sure this scow survives
but despite three Dralthi and two Salthi class scouts
but what is this?
:winky:
but no this is not a bioware game
fucking hell those things are deathtraps
but on the plus side, finally got some jacket swag
first off we meet a couple more pilots in the canteen.
First up is *sigh* Iceman
luckily he is actually a pretty fine fellow
with him is Knight who is in my new squadron also flying the crappiest ship evaaar
Iceman dispenses wisdom
also time for a new wingman.
this had better not be another escort mission
YES
NO
well shit
between the handling on these scimitars and those mines...
in the debriefing :winky:
goddamnit the captain is such a tease
Still all hot and bothered from mission 3 but it seems the bartender has something to say
hmm, duly noted
At the table is George Takei aka Bossman
and the aforementioned Maniac. This is before he got all chunky and was played by Biff
but enough chatter, on to the mission
well shit. and here I am still flying the worst fighter craft evar
but as it happens, the destroyer is escorted by a pair of Krant class fighters. Like my Scimitar, these are slow and turn like a pig but very much unlike my Scimitar that is because they pack a ton of guns and armor. The first attempt did not go well.
*sniff* so true
but it turns out it was ALL A DREAM and now for the *real* mission
and back to the Tiger's Claw we go
damn right old man
phew. I will admit this one took a couple tries.
things start out with portents of impending doom
Paladin is getting too old for this ship
and the foreshadowing continues
with a heavy heart I proceed to the briefing room
GOOD NEWS EVERYONE
and the good news keeps on coming
Two wings of Krant fighters were waiting at the jump point to ambush the freighter. They were dispatched with some ease.
but on the way back
Light fighters are the worst to take on in a Scimitar. Luckily Bhurak dove straight for the freighter and I madly fired off all my missiles. He dodged em all but that kept him pinned long enough to take him out.
After the debriefing
awww yeah
please reassign me please reassign me please reassign me please reassign me please reassign me
wooooooo
Raptors kick space butt
and that's not all
NEW JACKET SWAG
and now on to the next... wait... what's this?
no more scimitars! time to get my space groove on in a heavy hunk of fiery space metal.
woooooooo!
woooo!
woo?
woo.
oh hey Iceman and Angel are gettin' their drank on maybe they'll be more cheerful than that damn bartender
fine I'll just go to the briefing then
new wingman!
This mission starts with Angel and I launching while the Tiger's Claw is under attack by light fighters. She's actually pretty damn good in her Raptor. And I'm just gidddy at all the guns and missiles and even a mine.
on to the Exeter
ouch
Jalthi are the Kilrathi counterpart to the Raptor. While lasers are the least powerful single gun they are also the longest ranged and 6 of them will mess you up. These guys were nasty.
in the end we made it back to the Claw but the Exeter was beat to shit (still alive though!)
no kidding
someone could have mentioned this sooner
but on the plus side, MORE JACKET SWAG
Everyone is abuzz with the rumor that the Tiger's Claw is receiving a pair of the prototype Rapier class fighter. Maniac and Hunter are chatting about exactly that.
once again Hunter dispenses bogan wisdom
duty calls
can't wait to get back in that Raptor heavy fighter from last mission. It is loaded for bear. Bears armed with machine guns nunchucks.
oh yes?
sweeeeeet
And so Angel and I blast off on a patrol route. And of course a fighter this nimble should have no trouble going through an asteroid belt at full speed.
but it was all a dream etc... etc...
Now on the *real* mission the asteroids are navigated at a more sensible speed (still above the top speed of those damn Scimitars) and we run into some cannon fodder Dralthi on the far side
The gun setup on this Rapier is just about perfect. It's powerplant can keep up with spamming the lasers at long range and close in a full gun barrage will seriously mess things up.
At the last nav point we encounter a new enemy ship: the Gratha heavy fighter. It's pretty much just a tank. Doesn't have the insane firepower of those Jalthi but just loads of armor and shielding.
They are also slow enough that they could never even draw a bead on Angel or I and home we went
on to the debriefing
damn right, float like a hornet sting like raptor
*cough* eventually *cough*
hmm, maybe.
seems like arrow-to-the-knee has some gossip to pass on
do tell
"ace" and "dralthi" should never be in the same sentence. those things are neutron fodder.
I take it that count includes Emus and other flightless birds then?
good ole' choke n stroke
well that explains it
Iceman and Knight are chillin' nearby
Iceman has no time for that bartender
damn right
In the briefing it seems the Kilrathi are moving lots of ships around the system
right, don't eject and float around waiting to be shot. gotcha.
psssh
back in the Raptor for this one and I'm rather glad of the fact. This mission is all about just chewing through a ton of medium fighters. Finesse is not on the menu.
In the second wave one of the enemy fighters proves a bit harder to hit
for a while
Raptor does not give any fucks
and neither do I cause it's time for some new JACKET SWAG
There are actually multiple versions of these cutscenes depending on how much butt you've been kicking so far
wooooo bitch session in the canteen with Maniac and Hunter
haven't flown with Knight yet
wait, Angel was kickin' some ass as a wingman
the bogan speaks truth
bitch bitch bitch
hey what's mr drinky up to?
and I'm gonna frack the shit out of it
or not
I smell escort mission
I fucking knew it
hey that's the dude Hunter and Maniac were slagging off
DOUBLE escort mission even
this gonna be rough
sure enough the first transport flies right into two wings of Salthi light fighters
I actually had to play this mission several times as keeping the transport alive requires some suicidal aggressive flying
At the jump point are 3 Krant fighters. Usually these are easy pickings in a Raptor but they pack several missiles and were going right for the Drayman every time.
so far Knight has done pretty darn well for an NPC. dunno what Maniac was on about
and finally the transport carrying the vaccine gets jumped by 3 Jalthi. This part was harsh. They pack the most up front firepower of anything in the game and transports ain't dodging.
eventually got through it though
with a few gaping holes in the hull but yes
and I think that deserves some new JACKET SWAG
drunky speaks the truth
uh oh he's gettin' talky-drunk
look, just gonna get my drink and ...
give me my booze old man
YES NOW GIVE ME MY DRINK
phew oh hey there's Spirit
what is it with everyone slagging on Knight?
yo
no kidding dude
yeah and many asses were kicked and names taken
right on buddy. let's go kill some stuff
awwww hell no
and by "locate" you mean
and so off into the great unknown we go. In the asteroid field at nav 1 we stumble accross a pair of Grathi heavies. The trick to this part is apparently to not use those afterburners. No matter what.
with those dispatched we find some Krant heading toward the jump point
which lead us right into a Ralari class Destroyer
the "one" he took down there was in fact the destroyer. while I was clearing out the escorts Knight blasted the big one apart alone.
figured out how to make the Hat on my joystick work (needed to change the joystick type in the dosbox .conf file from auto to fcs)
so here's how it went down capn'
oh drinky I take it all back I wuvs you
bombarding civilians from orbit wooooooo
jeeze another one?
is that how you got your mustache?
an ace in a Jalthi? ok now that could be trouble
gonna need another drink before
hells yes! make the Kilrathi pull escort duty for once
that would be a big "wooo", sir
of course
liking the plan so far
also good
when you say "defended"....
RRRAAAAR GONNA SHOOT SOME TRANSPORTS
hells yes to finally be the one flying past the fighter escort while they look on helplessly rather than the other way round
on to the troop transports
hello who's this?
well that was suprisingly easy
slaughter complete and home we go
blue-hair speaks truth
what ho, time for a new ship?
nifty, big guns and big shields here I come
Blow those space cats sky high!
Has anyone ever crunched the numbers on whether the wingmen perform at different levels, have better or worse aim, etc? I know some are more or less likely to obey your orders or to bug out of a fight if they take some hits, but are there other variables beyond that?
What blew my young mind with this game wasn't the gameplay (I think I played TIE Fighter before this) but how the game, the missions and your career (both rank and medals earned) responded to what you did, and how things like failing objectives and getting your fighter blown up (as long as you ejected first) didn't end the game like it would normally do, and might even mean different missions. It was the first time I saw that kind of reactivity in a video game.
Like, if I remember it right, if you failed either(or was it both) of the first two missions with Spirit, instead of getting paired with Paladin, it was Maniac (who lives up to his name in the worst way) who becomes your wingman.
Yes, that was very cool. I understand why they didn't continue to do that, though. It was a lot of extra effort when most people would just keep replaying missions until they got the best result.
It's pretty amazing when you consider that each of those 13 systems represents 2-4 missions' worth of unique content (briefings, bar conversations, etc, not to mention the actual mission) and the most you can ever possibly see in one playthrough is 7 of those 13 systems. In a game from 1990.
Of course, the tradeoff was that you could only even play it if you had like the newest of everything. Like, it's hard to even think of an appropriate comparison to modern games in terms of how far and above this was over everything else that was out at that time. It would be like if someone today put out a game that was the size of GTAV plus Skyrim with the plot of Mass Effect and the graphics of Crysis, and you could only play it on a supercomputer.
Wing Commander 2 had this.
Games 3 and later were really different in not-good ways. The fightin' was still pretty good but the plot became really dumb.
So, if I'm reading that chart correctly, you can lose your way all the way to the end of the game (Hell's Kitchen)?
Haven't really played Wing Commander, was always more of a TIE Fighter fan, which didn't have any kind of branching story line like that.
Hell's Kitchen is the bad ending. You get a cutscene and credits and everything, but a bunch of people die and the last missions are about covering your ship's retreat from the sector.
8 systems, by my count. 6 down the line and two chances to move laterally.
Well, it was a simpler time. I think the newest of everything at the time was a 486DX2-66 and 32 MB of RAM, so it's a little like needing the newest Playstation or Xbox to play a game. You didn't even need a sound card, and video cards affecting game performance wasn't a thing yet. What was kind of funny was that in the very next generation (Pentiums), it became apparent that the game wasn't bound to any independent timer because the game would run at like ten times the intended speed and plow you into an asteroid 0.3 seconds after coming out of autopilot.
Needless Nerdpick: The 486DX2 came out years after the game released (and you would be paying past the 1K range for an original recipe 80486 at the time WC1 released), and you had to have owned God's computer itself to get anywhere near 32MB of RAM on that sucker.
for those of you used to Apple prices, that is actually quite expensive for a computer
Oh, that's right; WC2 came out when I went to high school, not WC1. Well, the build choices back then were even more limited, then.
Garçon, your finest malt liqueur! in a pint mug if you please
huzahs are in order!
Oh hey there's Angel. Wait, no damnit Maniac is with her don't make eye contact don't make eye contact...
*damnit* hi Maniac
yes there is no way pilots would be interested in fighter craft
someone get Maniac his Ritalin he is wigging out
don't I know it gonna be sweet
*sign* if only this was a bioware game. course then the ending would suck...
Can I get an Amen?
shootin' up the Kilrathi IT department
you rang?
oh. well I'll be over here then
hey new Wingman. We'll be kickin' butt with George Takei
come on lets gogogogogogo
damnit George come on
gotta get me out of here before someone asks another question
And away we go in our swanky new Rapiers
It turns out the first navpoint is indeed pretty heavily defended. There is a swarm of medium fighters
and they're quite mouthy
but soon enough whatever they were gaurding goes pop
at nav 2 there is a transport gaurded by just a few Krants. One of them just would not frikken die (note target display)
On the way back we find some Jalthi waiting for their transport to warp in.
I think there really must be a difference between the pilots because Bossman has been crazy aggressive compared to the others. That dent in my front armor is from him.
but I don't mind cause the effect has been him actually being useful
TLDR: butts kicked, names taken. Next.
I love missions like this
note to the Kilrathi: Dralthi are not an effective deterrent no matter how many you send
I usually cut this part but the numbers were interesting this time. Previously the best any wingman had done was 2 kills.
If you don't rein in your wingmen they're crazy fast at shooting down capital ships, especially Dorkirs, because they'll burn all their missiles on them at the drop of a hat. Like geeze, guys, calm down -- the guns work just fine and they're infinite.
Love the first two Wing Commander games and the mission packs. It's a shame I could never get the versions I bought from GoG to work right with my Sidewinder. Calibration was just goddamned impossible. I should try with a 360 controller sometime.
DOSBox works great with any controller that plays nice with windows
Not really. I played it on an 8086 with 640k of RAM, a 10mb HD, and a VGA card, and it played perfectly. The technology jump happened with WCII, but even then, it wasn't that aggressive.
PSN: SirGrinchX
Oculus Rift: Sir_Grinch
Yep. Here's the official system requirements...
http://gaming.wikia.com/wiki/Wing_Commander_(video_game)
Like I said, didn't need a beefy computer at all to play it. It was the next generation where you really needed to start mucking about in autoexec.bat and the config.sys to run. Strike Commander was a bitch to get going on my next system.
Are you okay, buddy?
You fought a good fight. Rest now.
That page says it requires a 12+ MHz CPU, which should rule out the 8086 (5 or 10 MHz).
Strike Commander was awesome!
...
That is all.
It MAY have been an 8088 (it's been almost 25 years), but beyond that, I'm pretty sure it would still run on a 10mhz. It's not like the game would look at the system and go, "2mhz under recommended??? I ain't running this.".
Either way, my point (which stands) is that you didn't need a cutting edge rig to run WC1 or really even 2.
In general, though, agreed. WC3 was the point where my computer wouldn't even start the game, although that was on a 486 and not an IBM PC or PC XT. I'm pretty amazed that you kept it going that long. Just waiting for the memory check to count up drove me batty. I'd never even heard of anyone installing a VGA card in one.
Those first two weeks we had the game the first time were hell. To placate the young minds of me and my brother, we would study the manual, pore over the fighter blueprints, memorize the details of each fighter, and then construct (in loving detail, mind you) the Hornet with our LEGO sets.
Case by case really. What it didn't require (at least for me) was moving programs around in memory to get things working right like say Ultima VII or Strike Commander.