🚀 go-pugleaf

"Kevin Scholl" <kscholl@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:SLSdnePvztzqgWyiRVn-hQ@comcast.com...
>
>
> Shot wrote:
>
> >>>and I look at Academy as an add on.
> >>
> >>What the fuck?  How is a game that's sold separately, has no impact on
the
> >
> > story
> >
> >>at all, and has a different underlying concept an addon?  It uses the
same
> >>engine as WC2.  It is definitely connected to Wing Commander 2 in its
> >
> > history
> >
> >>and development.  It's also quite a nice compliment to WC2.  It isn't an
> >
> > addon
> >
> >>in any definition of the term that isn't completely idiotic.
> >>
> >>TC
>
> First, let's clear one thing up. The word that both of you are looking
> for is "complement", or "that which completes or perfects". Important
> distinction from "compliment".
>
> > Well there ya go buddy, you said it for me. "It is definitely connected
to
> > Wing Commander 2 in its history
> > and development. It's also quite a nice compliment to WC2". There ya go,
a
> > "compliment" to WC2. It goes with it. A stand alone game could not be
>
> But it doesn't "go with it", except for using the WCII flight engine and
> programmatic technologies.
>
> > compared to WC2 would it? Would it? A lot of people here sure have low
> > regards for the word "STAND ALONE". If that game stood alone, you would
have
>
> Almost as low a standard as "add-on", given the discussions elsewhere in
> this thread.
>
> > never said it was a nice compliment to WC2. I agree with you 100%, it
sure
> > is a nice compliment to WC2. An add on to it, a complimentary to it.
That
>
> In this regard, "complement" is a poor choice of words for what Academy
> is to WCII, as it neither completes nor perfects WCII. It was really
> more of a counterpart to it, using the same technologies and developed
> similarly, but having nothing really in common with it in terms of story
> or impact on the series. In fact, Academy really adds nothing at all to
> the WC series as a whole.
>
> > game was made for the sole purpose of keeping people excited until Wing
> > Commander 3 came out. yeah, it was an add on.
>
> Actually, Armada was the game that was made to tie fans over until WCIII.
>
> That aside, neither Armada nor Academy are add-ons to WCII. They both
> have their own distinct line/purpose. Academy is a mission builder, pure
> and simple, with no story whatsoever. It happens to use WCII technology
> and flight engine, but that's simply because of when it was developed
> and released. Armada is a self-contained plot within the overall WC
> storyline, involving much more strategy than actual combat to advance in
> the game. It has nothing at all to do with the events of WCII.
>
> Neither builds on the WCII experience in any way that suggests it's an
> add-on to that game. Either could be played by someone completely
> ignorant of the other games of the series, and appreciated individually
> for what they are.

I disagree that someone ignorant to the Wing Commander series would enjoy
Academy. Academy is like playing the flight sim in Wing Commander 1 over and
over again with more options and a Wing Commander 2 game engine. I think it'
s a much harder case to say Academy is an add on then it was to say WCSO was
an add on though. This one I could be persuaded on, I do see what your
saying on this game however there are a couple reasons as to why I think its
an add on. One is a reason I stated before, it was made to keep the die
hards happy. Die-hards is an important word here. I think Armada could be
enjoyed by people who have never played a Wing Commander game, but I don't
see anyone playing Academy who is not completely in love with Wing
Commander. You can say it has an arcade aspect to it, but I would venture to
guess someone who doesn't know the Wing Commander line would never "waist"
their money on Academy. It's a game that has no plot. Its hard to advertise
a game that has no plot. The only thing that would make that game any money
is the staple of "Wing Commander" to it. I think it was made for real
die-hards who crave anything Wing Commander. A more recent example of this
happening (which is why It popped into my head at the time that I considered
Academy and Add-on) is in the Might and Magic series. In Might and Magic 7
there was a quest that involved playing this litle card game called
ArcoMage. I thought it was a very cool little game inside the game. A card
game much in the style of Magic the Gathering I guess. Anyway, Might and
Magic 7 sold pretty well and got good reviews and New World Computing
released a game called Acromage. They ripped it out of the game, added some
options and released it. Do you think anyone who wasn't in complete love of
the Might and Magic series would buy that? I love the Might and Magic series
and I wouldn't even think about waiting my money on that. If I wouldn't and
I like the series there is no chance anyone bought that who had never played
Might and Magic before. Now that I think about it perhaps "add-on" is an
improper word, more like "ripped-from". Perhaps "Spin-off" is a better word
for this game. Or perhaps it could be thought of as an add-on because Wing
Commander2 had no flight sim. Its definitely not in my mind a true stand
alone game, one that's unique in some way. Its unique in the fact that it
was the first Wing Commander game to offer a mission builder, but there were
lots of games that had mission builders back then, plus the original Wing
Commander had a much smaller version of Academy via the Flight Sim. I look
at Academy as expanding that flight sim from Wing Commander one to what it
should have been. Being able to make your own missions and have a bunch of
different ships, instead of just flying enemy wave after wave in a Hornet.
So that's why my instincts said it was an add on, because in my mind its an
add on to the flight sim of Wing Commander 1. However because of the absence
of a story line, I am willing to stand down and say that Academy was a stand
alone game. But your still not getting me on WCSO;) haha