[Det. Bullock]

I don't know what to expect from SQ42 or its story, but I hope that at least the characters will be memorable. Wing Commander was always best remembered for its colorful cast. Roberts can write a good, deep story (WC2, WC4, Freelancer could have been one if it wasn't cut so short), but he's not consistent with that. As long as the game is playable and sufficiently Wing Commander-y, I'll go for it.

As for Egosoft, well, I say that they'd have a better chance of pulling something like SC off, not that they'd certainly do so. Yeah, if they haven't learned anything from Rebirth fiasco, X is unlikely to have another X3-like success anytime soon.

For what I know at least 2 had very few contrbutions from him, in fact in 3 he decided to dump in some of the most interesting parts of that story.

IV too had less contributions from him I hear.

!!!Spoilers ahead, you have been warned!!!



Wing Commander 1 is an assortment of caricatures of people. If you look back at the dialogue, half the characters are a bunch of national stereotypes blended into a person. If tumblr could see them, the controversy would surely be enough to revive the old game for a while.
2 is better, they've gotten writers on board who managed to make some compelling personal stories. Can't recall who exactly, but His Loafiness once said this is a woman's touch at work. 2 is where Wing Commander got a trend towards humanizing friend and foe alike, away from Black vs. White. This is where we are introduced* to some blurred fronts (i.e. alien defectors, human traitors), a deicison Chris Roberts did not agree with.
The main reason the betrayal scene exists in 3 is because Chris Roberts wanted it to be there. He did not want you to buddy-buddy with an alien, so he shoehorned in the sleeper agent angle.
The novel writers largely support the black-and-white angle. Forstchen leans conservative, to a degree that he sincerely thinks Tolwyn is a sympathetic character, even when he want off the rocker in the WCIV story, the one that can be summed up as "Luke Skywalker vs. the Space Nazi Cabal".

*A few Kilrathi defectors existed in Wing Commander 1 brought to you by the hardest Kurosawa mission in the game, but their role is marginal compared to the Wing Commander 2 story, where one expansion pack revolves entirely around the human traitors. In the black-and-white view, the only good alien is either dead or thorouhgly subjugated, the way it is in IV and the Prophecy story.

I didn't know about the novel writers.

I remember about the Kilrathi defectors, in fact the twist in 3 was really jarring.

In general the black and white-ness of the thing is even more offputting after Wing Commander Saga, there at least some people have doubts about blowing up an entire planet killing billions of innocents, in the original WC3 no Kilrathi is even contemplated to be innocent or even a mere civilian.

[Phantom Hoover]

This is what happens when a man with a magpie's appreciation of other people's work and the literary wit of a turkey gets to play at being a film director. I actually really hope SQ42 gets released so we can boggle at the trainwreck that is its story.

[Grizzly]

In general the black and white-ness of the thing is even more offputting after Wing Commander Saga, there at least some people have doubts about blowing up an entire planet killing billions of innocents, in the original WC3 no Kilrathi is even contemplated to be innocent or even a mere civilian.

Since the PC version never included the "sleeper agent" scene, this is my headcanon for Hobbes' turning in WC3. It makes sense and is somewhat in character.

[666maslo666]

I'd love to see an airplane flying like that: https://youtu.be/pmmfFSIGcnc?t=580

Like what, rolling into almost every turn? That is how an aeroplane flies indeed. no bueno

I find myself going back to Diaspora every now and then for want of anything that's anywhere near as fun.

Seconded. Diaspora flight model is an example of how to do it right, its the most fun I had in a space shooter. Yet Id say it resembles SC more than ED, with yaw being a viable strategy and no need to keep inside certain speed range to turn fast.

[Kszyhu]

I'd love to see an airplane flying like that: https://youtu.be/pmmfFSIGcnc?t=580

Like what, rolling into almost every turn? That is how an aeroplane flies indeed. no bueno

"Banking into a turn" isn't a defining characteristic of air flight, try again.

[Cobra]

I'd love to see an airplane flying like that: https://youtu.be/pmmfFSIGcnc?t=580

Like what, rolling into almost every turn? That is how an aeroplane flies indeed. no bueno

That is, uh, literally not how aeroplanes fly. You don't roll into turns. You roll TO turn.

[Phantom Hoover]

maslo exists in a world where the sole defining property of aeroplanes is that they're ****ty at yawing

i'm not even sure he has any interest in space sims, it seems like he just wants a yaw sim

[Det. Bullock]

In general the black and white-ness of the thing is even more offputting after Wing Commander Saga, there at least some people have doubts about blowing up an entire planet killing billions of innocents, in the original WC3 no Kilrathi is even contemplated to be innocent or even a mere civilian.

Since the PC version never included the "sleeper agent" scene, this is my headcanon for Hobbes' turning in WC3. It makes sense and is somewhat in character.

Unfortunately even without that it's made clear he was a sleeper agent of sort.

But most of all in the first two games there were federation worlds inhabited by Kilrathi, suddenly they disappear by the time the game goes FMV.

[BlueFlames]

maslo exists in a world where the sole defining property of aeroplanes is that they're ****ty at yawing

i'm not even sure he has any interest in space sims, it seems like he just wants a yaw sim

The picture is starting to come together now.  Maslo wants to make use of an expensive set of rudder pedals that have been gathering dust since 1996.

He's probably hoping that WADS will be foregone (and who would put it past CIG at this point?) in favor of being able to independently map left and right leg movement to the pedals.  Then, Maslo will rocket into the top competitive tier of QWOP Star Citizen players.

[Aesaar]

I'd love to see an airplane flying like that: https://youtu.be/pmmfFSIGcnc?t=580

Like what, rolling into almost every turn? That is how an aeroplane flies indeed. no bueno

You've never played a real flight sim, have you?  Or know even the basics of WW2 air combat maneuvers.  The maneuvers in that vid would be impossible to achieve even with a modern fighter.

Seconded. Diaspora flight model is an example of how to do it right, its the most fun I had in a space shooter. Yet Id say it resembles SC more than ED, with yaw being a viable strategy and no need to keep inside certain speed range to turn fast.

You do SC no favors by bringing up Diaspora.  SC's fighter combat gameplay is ****tier in every way despite literally having a million times the budget.  At least both Diaspora and ED are fun.  SC isn't.


I'm going to say it again because it amuses me: IL-2 Battle of Stalingrad started development in 2011, entered beta in 2013, released in 2014 and had a much smaller budget than SC, yet had to construct vastly more complicated combat environments and flight models.  They did it in less time than it took CIG to make Arena Commander.

Clearly defined direction and intentions beat $140M and 'dreams' every time.

[FrikgFeek]

And despite being buggy as hell, Il-2 Battle of Stalingrad is still less buggy than the current state of SC.

[Jeff Vader]

Seconded. Diaspora flight model is an example of how to do it right, its the most fun I had in a space shooter. Yet Id say it resembles SC more than ED, with yaw being a viable strategy and no need to keep inside certain speed range to turn fast.

You do SC no favors by bringing up Diaspora.  SC's fighter combat gameplay is ****tier in every way despite literally having a million times the budget. 

Wait. Disapora had a ~$140 budget? Nice!

[Cobra]

Wait. Disapora had a ~$140 budget? Nice!

So much profit.

[karajorma]

I wish we had a $140 dollar budget. I could have taken the team out to McDonalds or something.

[Luis Dias]

So it's February 28 and Star Citizen is going precisely in the direction that we have predicted three years ago.

Let's start predicting when exactly the **** will hit the fan and the house of cards suddenly crashes, because all else seems just like going through the motions: it's just too easy.

I say the cracks will start spreading like wildfire throughout this year and, before the year's end, major chaos will ensue, games sites will make major hit pieces on it calling it a "failed project", Chris Robert will sperg like crazy and maintain that the "dream" goes on. 2018 will be the year when a big fallout within the consumer community brings the project to a halt, with many backers dropping out in a big way.

That's my call, to which I have 10% confidence on the timings. What say you?

[Kszyhu]

My prediction - Gamescom 2017 will show improved version of last year's video (perhaps a large-ish ship under fire, some fancy particle effects, explosive decompression), which will give CIG another boost in funding, though perhaps not as major as in 2016.
There will be some footage from SQ42, perhaps a gameplay demo of one mission. SQ42 release will be announced, and with said demo it should be a bit more believable than past promises.
3.0 will be released at the end of this year, though with a vastly reduced scope, but despite that backer confidence will be restored. MVP with 15% of all announced features due in 2020.

TL;DR - (Backers') hope springs eternal.

[666maslo666]

"Banking into a turn" isn't a defining characteristic of air flight, try again.

Not sure if trolling.. 

read this, you may yet learn something today. Dont worry, it doesnt hurt.

https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/turns.html

Elite has a flight model with important elements that are intentionally modeled after atmospheric aeroplane simulators. It may still be fun, and plane simulator gamer demographics is a lot larger than newtonian spacesim demographic, so there is some logic behind this decision. Its just not my cup of tea.

That is, uh, literally not how aeroplanes fly. You don't roll into turns. You roll TO turn.

Thats just semantics tho. In space you dont roll into turns, dont roll to turn, dont roll at turns, dont roll for turnz, and last but not least, dont roll in turns. In space, six degrees of freedom are at last truly free

[BlueFlames]

This feels an appropriate place as any:

The Movie Boys have taken a swing at another Chris Roberts boondoggle.

[Phantom Hoover]

"Banking into a turn" isn't a defining characteristic of air flight, try again.

Not sure if trolling.. 

read this, you may yet learn something today. Dont worry, it doesnt hurt.

https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/k-12/airplane/turns.html

Elite has a flight model with important elements that are intentionally modeled after atmospheric aeroplane simulators. It may still be fun, and plane simulator gamer demographics is a lot larger than newtonian spacesim demographic, so there is some logic behind this decision. Its just not my cup of tea.

That is, uh, literally not how aeroplanes fly. You don't roll into turns. You roll TO turn.

Thats just semantics tho. In space you dont roll into turns, dont roll to turn, dont roll at turns, dont roll for turnz, and last but not least, dont roll in turns. In space, six degrees of freedom are at last truly free

i like how you've ignored two thirds of the posts calling out your bull**** to nitpick at the couple that you can actually reply to

[Cobra]

That is, uh, literally not how aeroplanes fly. You don't roll into turns. You roll TO turn.

Thats just semantics tho. In space you dont roll into turns, dont roll to turn, dont roll at turns, dont roll for turnz, and last but not least, dont roll in turns. In space, six degrees of freedom are at last truly free

Uh... No, it's not. "Rolling into turns" suggests a moron of a pilot stomping on the rudder before rolling to turn. Hello, airframe damage. You use yaw to maintain altitude in a turn and make fine adjustments. But no, that's just semantics because someone pointed out you're wrong and you need to deflect that accusation. Not because you made a reference incorrectly or anything.

And to be perfectly frank, atmospheric controls are a great way to balance out gameplay, especially in a game designed with actual flight physics. Imagine a yaw speed the same as pitch. That would be hilariously overpowered, wouldn't you think? To be able to bring your weapons to bear in a handful of seconds in any situation? Oh, wait, FreeSpace physics and controls work the best in every game, I forgot...