ALL YOUR SPACE ARE BELONG TO KILRATHI
Also for: Amiga, Townes FM, SEGA CD, SNES
When I was a kid, I used to think Wing Commander was the first genuine
Star Wars game in spirit. True, there were Star Wars titles before
this, but they were arcade games, emulating the thrill of action but lacking
the dramatic qualities of the movies. Wing Commander doesn't hold a Star Wars
license, but makes you part of another, similar space opera of war, love and
death.
You get to experience the fellowship of a resistance coming together to beat impossible odds, with your gameplay performance even affecting the outcome of the war. Should you fail a mission, you don't get to replay it. Instead your entire campaign might shift momentum, going from glorious advancement to retreat, with the missions getting progressively harder. Should anyone of your friends die, there's a heartwrenching funeral service in their honor, and they're gone for the rest of the game.
This adds some gravitas to the missions. You might be in the middle of an assignment, escorting a transport of human settlers. As the enemy swarm around you, and you're busy firing laser blasts and dodging incoming missiles, your wingman might start calling out for help. If you fail to assist, he might bite the dust. On the other hand, breaking off to help might leave your transport defenseless and vulnerable to attacks. Who do you prioritize, your wingman or your transport?
Wing Commander does a great job of putting you straight into the cramped cockpit, in the style of a regular flight simulator, but without the tediousness and unforgiving control scheme. Instead it cuts straight to the action and the split-second decision making, where you have to factor in a number of short- and long-term consequences. It mixes the effects of emergent gameplay with written story perfectly, making it a title to revisit numerous times over a lifetime.
Back in 1990 this was a revelation. It cast new light on the narrative possibilites of video games. The studio behind Wing Commander, Origin Systems (1983-2004), was famous for going the extra mile to elevate player immersion. Their stories resonated with players on a deeper level, their manuals came loaded with lore details, and their worlds were almost needlessly expansive.
Most of their games got one or more sequels with consistent world-building. Also, long before it became common practice, Origin released numerous expansions and add-ons. Fittingly, their company slogan was "We create worlds". Many industry talents rose to prominence there, including co-founder Richard Garriott (father of the Ultima-series), Warren Spector and John Romero. The man behind Wing Commander was Chris Roberts, and it ended up getting eleven sequels and spin-offs, many of them excellent.
Mayhaps reflecting the state of humanity's initial war performance, The Tiger's Claw seems close to falling apart. In the crew quarters, water from a leaking pipe in the ceiling drips into a bucket. Wall panels are hanging loose, revealing the sparking wires behind. Personal belongings lie scattered about. The place is a mess. The crew, on the other hand, is a melting pot of Earth's finest. It has a roster of people from different cultures across the globe, all stereotypically represented but charming in their own way.
For instance, we've got the politely reserved Japanese girl, Spirit, and the friendly old Scotsman, Paladin, and the cool Clint Eastwood-inspired American, Iceman. They all fill you in on general information, including tactical tips, personal background, gossip, rumors, and war stories. There's even tension between some of them, and they're never late to voice their opinions of each other to you.
Of course, the missions get tougher the further you advance. Some of them require you to try new strategies you wouldn't think of, unless you read the manual or speak to your co-pilots at the bar. I won't reveal the specifics, but they require using basic ship functions in unexpected ways. These might be the only way to win certain scenarios, where there's not enough time to stave off wave after wave of Kilrathi assaults, while some enemy ace pilot jabs at your shields and taunts you over the intercom...
Unfortunately, Wing Commander is much better in theory than practice. It's plagued with performance issues, and Origin's engine (they used the same one for Wing Commander II) never got the controls right. Your mouse is too sensitive, and the keyboard too imprecise. To get serviceable maneuvering you need to dust off an old flight stick - if you've got one (few do, I suppose). A controller might work, but don't quote me on that.
No matter what, though, Wing Commander never gets it quite right. Even when trying to adjust your steering incrementally, the movement never quite match your intentions, and the aim is always somewhat off. It constantly feels a little awkward, like that first time when you tried eating with chopsticks.
This might be related to the performance. On contemporary systems, Wing Commander runs so fast it's practically unplayable. Booting it up through a DOS emulator, you have the option to slow the CPU cycle down to manageable speed. Doing this will, however, reduce the game down to a crawl when a lot of objects appear on screen. I never managed to find a good middle ground. Fighting in asteroid fields was such a nuiscance I took detours to avoid them whenever possible.
It's a nice compromise. You get to pretend mastering advanced flight controls, while you're served an elaborate storyline. Before this, flight sims were usually the other way around, completely lacking story and forcing you to learn advanced controls for hours. The groundbreaking cinematic score heightens the drama even further, with the ever-present dynamic soundtrack reflecting your current situation. And like a well-made movie, the story uses the economy of running time and cuts to pull it through to a satisfying end at a satisfying pace.
I like the Wing Commander experience - the navy grunt's rhythm of suspenseful action broken off by some much needed R&R between missions. Every victory, every medal ceremony, every funeral, promotion or scolding makes your story deeply personal.
Occasionally, a cutscene relieves you of your pressing reality to report on the war progress planetside. But these are, in turn, influenced by your mission performances. If you succeed in protecting a certain troop transport, the ground forces might get the reinforcements needed to halt the advancing Kilrathi threat. If you don't, humanity loses its grip of the system and must retreat.
In that sense, Wing Commander never really leaves you alone, not even when it shifts its focus away from you for a minute. Simply put, every little decision you make might end up having an effect on the total war effort. Can you measure up to the responsibility? The fate of the world is in your hands. Just make sure it's in the shape of a flight stick and nothing else, or humanity will surely perish. If you don't own one, leave it to the professionals that do.
You get to experience the fellowship of a resistance coming together to beat impossible odds, with your gameplay performance even affecting the outcome of the war. Should you fail a mission, you don't get to replay it. Instead your entire campaign might shift momentum, going from glorious advancement to retreat, with the missions getting progressively harder. Should anyone of your friends die, there's a heartwrenching funeral service in their honor, and they're gone for the rest of the game.
This adds some gravitas to the missions. You might be in the middle of an assignment, escorting a transport of human settlers. As the enemy swarm around you, and you're busy firing laser blasts and dodging incoming missiles, your wingman might start calling out for help. If you fail to assist, he might bite the dust. On the other hand, breaking off to help might leave your transport defenseless and vulnerable to attacks. Who do you prioritize, your wingman or your transport?
Wing Commander does a great job of putting you straight into the cramped cockpit, in the style of a regular flight simulator, but without the tediousness and unforgiving control scheme. Instead it cuts straight to the action and the split-second decision making, where you have to factor in a number of short- and long-term consequences. It mixes the effects of emergent gameplay with written story perfectly, making it a title to revisit numerous times over a lifetime.
Back in 1990 this was a revelation. It cast new light on the narrative possibilites of video games. The studio behind Wing Commander, Origin Systems (1983-2004), was famous for going the extra mile to elevate player immersion. Their stories resonated with players on a deeper level, their manuals came loaded with lore details, and their worlds were almost needlessly expansive.
Most of their games got one or more sequels with consistent world-building. Also, long before it became common practice, Origin released numerous expansions and add-ons. Fittingly, their company slogan was "We create worlds". Many industry talents rose to prominence there, including co-founder Richard Garriott (father of the Ultima-series), Warren Spector and John Romero. The man behind Wing Commander was Chris Roberts, and it ended up getting eleven sequels and spin-offs, many of them excellent.
STORY
You're the rookie of a diverse spaceship crew of Terran dogfighting aces, out on a campaign in the Vega sector to defend Earth from an invading alien race of arrogant felines, called the Kilrathi. As the game begins, you enter your name and callsign in the dogfighting simulator aboard the TCS Tiger's Claw, before hitting the bar to get acquainted with your shipmates. Between missions, you get the chance to chat with the cantina bartender, Shotglass, and two of your co-pilots seated at a table.Mayhaps reflecting the state of humanity's initial war performance, The Tiger's Claw seems close to falling apart. In the crew quarters, water from a leaking pipe in the ceiling drips into a bucket. Wall panels are hanging loose, revealing the sparking wires behind. Personal belongings lie scattered about. The place is a mess. The crew, on the other hand, is a melting pot of Earth's finest. It has a roster of people from different cultures across the globe, all stereotypically represented but charming in their own way.
For instance, we've got the politely reserved Japanese girl, Spirit, and the friendly old Scotsman, Paladin, and the cool Clint Eastwood-inspired American, Iceman. They all fill you in on general information, including tactical tips, personal background, gossip, rumors, and war stories. There's even tension between some of them, and they're never late to voice their opinions of each other to you.
SOME GRIPES ABOUT DOGFIGHTS
After that, you go to the briefing room to get your mission and wingman assignment for the day. The basic mission structures are threefold; scout patrols, attack runs or escorts - the latter being the hardest, because of the added responsibility. Your ship has a small assortment of weapons, like guns, missiles and mines, as well as afterburners and comm systems to order your wingmen around. As you advance through the ranks, you get better ships with better armament and more experienced wingmen.
Of course, the missions get tougher the further you advance. Some of them require you to try new strategies you wouldn't think of, unless you read the manual or speak to your co-pilots at the bar. I won't reveal the specifics, but they require using basic ship functions in unexpected ways. These might be the only way to win certain scenarios, where there's not enough time to stave off wave after wave of Kilrathi assaults, while some enemy ace pilot jabs at your shields and taunts you over the intercom...
Unfortunately, Wing Commander is much better in theory than practice. It's plagued with performance issues, and Origin's engine (they used the same one for Wing Commander II) never got the controls right. Your mouse is too sensitive, and the keyboard too imprecise. To get serviceable maneuvering you need to dust off an old flight stick - if you've got one (few do, I suppose). A controller might work, but don't quote me on that.
No matter what, though, Wing Commander never gets it quite right. Even when trying to adjust your steering incrementally, the movement never quite match your intentions, and the aim is always somewhat off. It constantly feels a little awkward, like that first time when you tried eating with chopsticks.
This might be related to the performance. On contemporary systems, Wing Commander runs so fast it's practically unplayable. Booting it up through a DOS emulator, you have the option to slow the CPU cycle down to manageable speed. Doing this will, however, reduce the game down to a crawl when a lot of objects appear on screen. I never managed to find a good middle ground. Fighting in asteroid fields was such a nuiscance I took detours to avoid them whenever possible.
SUMMARY
Thankfully, Wing Commander is very lightweight on a simulation level, so the gameplay problems do not break the game. The controls are very forgiving. They're balanced to make you feel skilled enough in the things that matter (dogfighting), leaving the boring precision parts (take-off and landing) to the autopilot. Rather than feeling like a genuine space fighter pilot, you feel like the star of your own science fiction movie.It's a nice compromise. You get to pretend mastering advanced flight controls, while you're served an elaborate storyline. Before this, flight sims were usually the other way around, completely lacking story and forcing you to learn advanced controls for hours. The groundbreaking cinematic score heightens the drama even further, with the ever-present dynamic soundtrack reflecting your current situation. And like a well-made movie, the story uses the economy of running time and cuts to pull it through to a satisfying end at a satisfying pace.
I like the Wing Commander experience - the navy grunt's rhythm of suspenseful action broken off by some much needed R&R between missions. Every victory, every medal ceremony, every funeral, promotion or scolding makes your story deeply personal.
Occasionally, a cutscene relieves you of your pressing reality to report on the war progress planetside. But these are, in turn, influenced by your mission performances. If you succeed in protecting a certain troop transport, the ground forces might get the reinforcements needed to halt the advancing Kilrathi threat. If you don't, humanity loses its grip of the system and must retreat.
In that sense, Wing Commander never really leaves you alone, not even when it shifts its focus away from you for a minute. Simply put, every little decision you make might end up having an effect on the total war effort. Can you measure up to the responsibility? The fate of the world is in your hands. Just make sure it's in the shape of a flight stick and nothing else, or humanity will surely perish. If you don't own one, leave it to the professionals that do.
Comments
Post a Comment