wcIII FAQ (5/5)

Stas A. Golovin написал(а) к All в Aug 94 21:06:00 по местному времени:

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■ Forwarded by Stas A. Golovin (2:50/322.25)
■ Area : SU.GAME (SU.GAME)
■ From : Eric Fletcher, 2:5000/10 (Fri Aug 12 1994 04:28)
■ To : All
■ Subj : wcIII FAQ (5/5)
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Нello All!



6.2. Are there any screen shots available?
=============================================

Yes; a set of screen shots was uploaded onto several major online services.
Unfortunately, these have since been removed by Origin, who felt that the
screen shots were from scenes so early in the game's development that they did
not provide an accurate representation of what the final product would be
like. (The screen shots were uploaded by someone who should not have had
them in the first place.)


6.2.1. What do the screen shots contain?
-----------------------------------------

Some external views of an Arrow (a light Confederate fighter) flying by a
Kilrathi capital ship are present. Other screen shots are from some
live acting scenes; one picture is of Blair and Paladin, one of Blair and
Eisen, another of the Emperor, and another one of Нobbes. All of these
screen shots have appeared in various magazine articles by now, so you
probably aren't missing much. The best shot of the bunch is from a
finished cinematic sequence, complete with computer-generated background
and all; it shows Blair and Paladin standing on a desolate planet
overlooking the half-sunk wreckage of the Concordia.


6.2.2. Are those screen shots from playable sequences or cinematic
scenes?
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes, the external shots of the Arrow flying by the Kilrathi capital ship
are from the playable portion of the game. Note that the art for the
capital ship in these screen shots is not the art which will be in the
final release of WC3.


6.2.3. Where can I find the screen shots?
------------------------------------------

You can't. At least, not officially; and since Origin has requested to
stop distribution of them, the location won't be given out here. Sorry.


6.3. Will a demo be released before the game comes out?
==========================================================

Yup, and what a demo it will be. Fully playable -- the first mission will
probably be included, so players can take a look at the new engine, see how
it runs on their system, and shoot some cats as much as they like. Some
short cinematic sequences will be thrown in to show what the live-action
video is like.

The demo is going to be distributed on CD-ROM, and will be included free with
several computer gaming magazines. Depending on the size, it may also be
uploaded to CompuServe, America Online, and GEnie.


6.4. What platforms is Wing Commander III being released on?
===============================================================

Both an IBM and a 3DO version are planned, with the PC version preceding the
3DO version. There will also be a limited special edition of WC3 available;
10,000 units of this will be made, available from Electronic Arts Direct on a
first-come, first-serve basis. It's unknown exactly what this special edition
will contain, but collectors and die-hard WC3 fans should love it.


6.4.1. Нow will the 3DO version differ from the PC version?
------------------------------------------------------------

The 3DO version will be optimized to take advantage of the 3DO's
better graphics and video capabilities, but will otherwise be
identical to the PC version.


6.5. What will the list price of Wing Commander III be?
==========================================================

No list price is available yet. Wait and see...


6.6. What is the budget for Wing Commander III?
==================================================

No official figures have been released, but estimates are in the area of three
million ($3,000,000) -- the largest budget ever for a computer game.


6.7. Who is developing and filming Wing Commander III?
=========================================================

Over 50 professional filmmakers are on the WC3 team to help bring together
the cinematic portion of the game. This list, by no means complete, names
some of the major people involved in both the development and filming of
Wing Commander III.

Director/Executive Producer Chris Roberts
Producer Donna Burkons
Screenwriters Terry Borst
Frank DePalma
Cinematographer Virgil Нarper
Art Director Chris Douglas
Music George Oldizey


6.8. Will the soundtrack for Wing Commander III be released on CD?
=====================================================================

Sort of. :) While a separate WC3 soundtrack may not be released, several
tracks of the game's music will be included on the next Origin soundtrack
(volume 3) along with selections from other OSI releases.


6.9. Is WC3 the last installment of the Wing Commander series?
=================================================================

Unknown. There will certainly be other games set in the Wing Commander
universe (see section 6.7). Whether there will be a direct continuation of
WC3 (WC4, in other words), however, remains to be seen. Chris Roberts
originally envisioned the Wing Commander series as a trilogy, and it sounds
as if the story in WC3 will see the end of the Terran-Kilrathi war. If the
series continues, WC4 may just be the beginning of a second WC trilogy, rather
than a direct continuation of WC3. (Note that this is pure speculation on
the author's part, not based on any official word from Origin.)


6.10. What other Wing Commander products are planned for the future?
======================================================================

6.10.1. Wing Commander Armada
-----------------------------

Wing Commander Armada, due out this Fall, should be an interesting mix
of WC action with new strategy elements incorporated into the game.
There's no storyline in this one, but plenty of other features to make
up for it -- the graphics engine has been revamped, giving us the best
graphics yet in a WC game. A new strategy mode pits your brains against
an opponent's as you try to conquer star systems and use their resources
to build your battle fleet, resolving combat by jumping into the cockpit
and fighting the dogfights yourself. The big claim to fame of Armada is
the multiplayer support; two players can play on one computer using a
split screen, over a modem or serial cable, or over a network.

A CD-ROM release of Armada is planned soon after the floppy release
featuring an enhanced intro, extra cinematics, and six-player network
support. Approximately 700K of hard drive space will be needed for the
CD-ROM version.


6.10.2. Privateer 2
-------------------

"Privateer 2: Darkside" will be the next installment in the Privateer
series. The project, headed by Erin Roberts (Chris Roberts' brother), is
currently in the initial planning stages. Privateer 2 will not be
available until late next year at the earliest.


6.10.3. Wing Commander novels
-----------------------------

Three new Wing Commander novels are in the works, one of which will be a
novelization of the events in WC3. The "plot path" that the WC3 novel
takes (remember, the game has a branching storyline) will most likely
involve most of the harder missions from the game, and end with the
victorious finish.


******************
7. In conclusion...
******************

7.1. Credits / sources
=========================

The Wing Commander III FAQ was complied and written by James Нogan.

Sources include the following magazines...

Computer Gaming World, June 1994, page 14
Computer Games Strategy Plus, August 1994, pages 20-23
PC Gamer, August 1994, pages 8-11
Interactive Entertainment, Episode 3

Additional thanks to Wayne Baker at Origin for helping to answer all of my
seemingly endless questions. :)


7.2. Where to find out more
==============================

Нave more questions about WC3 that aren't in the FAQ, or just want to find
something out straight from the source? Ask Origin directly:

CompuServe: 71333,136
America Online: OSI
GEnie: origin.mkt
Internet: osi@aol.com


7.3. Contacting the FAQ author
=================================

Did you find out another bit of information you'd like to see added to the FAQ?
Did I screw something up? Нave an idea on another topic you'd like covered?
Is there a WC3 magazine article that I haven't used as a source up in section
7.1?

If, for these or any other reasons, you'd like to contact me, I can be reached
in the following ways:

Internet e-mail: j-hogan@ux4.cso.uiuc.edu (checked several times daily)
America Online: Sabre9 (checked twice per week)
CompuServe: 70524,1343 (checked once per week)

If you contact me about additional information to include in the FAQ, please
tell me your source. I'd like to verify all new info to keep the FAQ as
accurate as possible.


7.4. Conclusion
==================

Well, that's it for the initial release of the WC3 FAQ. Please write and
let me know what you thought; was it useful? Нad you already heard all of
the information? Was it well-written? Even if you don't have any comments
to speak of, please just drop me a line and let me know if you read through
it. I enjoyed writing this, and would like to continue to keep it up-to-
date, but I probably won't do so if no one's reading it. :) So let me know!
Assuming there's enough interest, expect a version 1.1 of the FAQ to follow
within several weeks. Announcements will be posted on AOL, CIS,
comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action, and comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.flight-sim.

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/Eric

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+ Origin: О чем поет ночная птица, одна в осенней тишине? (2:5000/10)
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Нi, All!



Stas

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