🚀 go-pugleaf

Demian Rose wrote:
> 
> I've been eying the sale copy of WCP at my local store and a good 
> review here has got me almost ready to buy it...anyone got any 
> opinions about this game, especially how it compares to XvT and Tie 
> Fighter (both of which I own)...not looking for a "which is better" 
> thread, just wondering how WCP's interface, play "feel", etc. are 
> different.  I have played WC3, but never finished it (got frustrated 
> by the limited info you were given for missions...also, don't like 
> combat sims where there's a "trick" to winning scenarios...if I wanted 
> that, I'd play an adventure game instead).

   I think you'll like WCP.  It's a great game.  WC3 had a few dead end
missions, WCP does not.  It should play a bit better than WC3 and looks
the best as well.

Chris Reid
CRei...@aol.com

On Mon, 27 Apr 1998 15:39:40 -0500, Demian Rose
<dd-...@students.uiuc.edu> wrote:

>
>hey folks,
>
>I've been eying the sale copy of WCP at my local store and a good review
>here has got me almost ready to buy it...anyone got any opinions about
>this game, especially how it compares to XvT and Tie Fighter (both of
>which I own)...not looking for a "which is better" thread, just wondering
>how WCP's interface, play "feel", etc. are different.  I have played WC3,
>but never finished it (got frustrated by the limited info you were given
>for missions...also, don't like combat sims where there's a "trick" to
>winning scenarios...if I wanted that, I'd play an adventure game instead).

I think TIE is the best game of its genre ever made.

Having said that, I think you'll like Prophecy -- more than you might
like the previous two WC games -- because it does focus more on the
space combat.  If you have a fast 3D accelerator, particularly a 3Dfx
card, the graphics are unparalleled.

WCP's missions are less complex (and less numerous) than the final
version of TIE, and with few exceptions can be won by just blowing up
every enemy you see (which is not always easy).  But the visual and
sonic sense of being in the midst of a huge space battle of which
you're only a small part is successfully achieved in WCP better than
any other game.

WCP is a linear, story-driven game, however.  There are story events
that take place during missions; there are things you cannot change or
affect, no matter how good you are.  The story itself is standard
sci-fi fare, but reasonably well-told.  

IMO, WCP doesn't have the replayability of TIE, despite their both
using scripted missions, because TIE's missions are generally larger,
more complex, and approachable in more than one way.  Also IMO, TIE's
space-combat engine -- particularly the flight dynamics of the
fighters -- feels more natural and less arcadish.  This is obviously a
matter of opinion, since neither game makes even a small attempt at
real-life physics.  To me, TIE feels a tiny bit more like flying
airplanes, while WCP feels a tiny bit more abstracted than that.

As for "tricks" -- well, there are missions in TIE that are based on
keys or tricks, too.  You can figure them out if you try hard enough
and understand the game mechanics, but they're still scripted missions
in which the designer is trying to challenge the player.   WCP is no
worse in this, I think.

Don't expect the same look or feel as TIE;  each game has its own,
very different heritage.  If you come to it on its own terms, you'll
have a real good time, I think. 

RichC
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On Mon, 27 Apr 1998 15:39:40 -0500, Demian Rose
<dd-...@students.uiuc.edu> wrote:

>I've been eying the sale copy of WCP at my local store and a good review
>here has got me almost ready to buy it...anyone got any opinions about
>this game, especially how it compares to XvT and Tie Fighter (both of
>which I own)...not looking for a "which is better" thread, just wondering
>how WCP's interface, play "feel", etc. are different.  I have played WC3,
>but never finished it (got frustrated by the limited info you were given
>for missions...also, don't like combat sims where there's a "trick" to
>winning scenarios...if I wanted that, I'd play an adventure game instead).

If you like XvT, you'll *love* WCP.  Since there is no real
single-player experience in XvT, WCP is infinitely better in that
regard.  The FMV actually isn't too bad and adds a lot to the game
(suprise, surprise).

As for the interface, I picked it up pretty quickly, which is an
important thing in a game, at least for me.

Is it better than TIE Fighter?  Mmmm...I wouldn't go that far.  TIE
has more missions and is just a lot more fun, IMHO.

However, if WCP is on sale, definitely go for it.  You won't regret
it.


Jeff Godemann
cir...@worldnet.att.net

David T. Hall wrote:
> 
> I downloaded the wc prophecy demo and enjoyed it very much. It's a 
> hell of a lot of fun to play.
> 
> One problem I had was with my Thrustmaster rudders (RCS). I can't seem 
> to get them calibrated for WCP. The only other problem I have had was 
> with Longbow 2.
> 
> My friend brought over his CL Voodoo2 card and once the game had bveen
> patched it looked, played and feeled absolutely incredible. Even 
> without the V2 card it's silky smooth on my P2-300.
> 
> I will be buying hte game based from my impressions of the demo.

   Oh, that's something I forgot to mention earlier.  There's a Full
Demo and a 3dfx Test Demo available to try the game out.  You should be
able to find both at http://www.wingcommanderprophecy.com

Chris Reid
CRei...@aol.com

On Mon, 27 Apr 1998 15:39:40 -0500, Demian Rose
<dd-...@students.uiuc.edu> wrote:

>I've been eying the sale copy of WCP at my local store and a good review
>here has got me almost ready to buy it...anyone got any opinions about
>this game, especially how it compares to XvT and Tie Fighter (both of
>which I own)...not looking for a "which is better" thread, just wondering
>how WCP's interface, play "feel", etc. are different.  

Graphics-wise, it's pretty obvious that, with a 3D accelerator card,
WCP is pretty much in a class of its own. As for gameplay, WCP has the
most varied and interesting gameplay of all the recent WC games, IMHO,
so it certainly isn't merely eye candy. The interface is very
intuitive, and since you've played WC3, you should be right at home.
The atmosphere, especially during space flight itself, is nothing
short of fantastic: the graphics and realistic sound effects and
communications all add up to make one of the most immersive of recent
WC games.

In short, I have no hesitation in recommending that you run out and
buy WCP ASAP. I guarantee that you'll be hooked in no time. :) BTW if
you ever need help with any mission or just want to discuss WC stuff,
do pop by at alt.games.wing-commander as well. :)

>I have played WC3, but never finished it (got frustrated by the limited info you 
>were given for missions...also, don't like combat sims where there's a "trick" to
>winning scenarios...if I wanted that, I'd play an adventure game instead).

I wouldn't rate the complexity of WC3 as being near that of an
adventure game. There are a couple or so more challenging missions in
WCP as well, but if you do need help, the alt.games.wing-commander
regulars will be more than happy to help you out. :)


/*======================================================================*/
  #include <stdio.h>
  int main(void) {
    char *s = "\xA\x2C\0#my$~od$iclcikzJgcfdc|foa\"*gcF*dc|foA*gexL", *i;
    for(i=s+*(s+1);i-s-1;) printf("%c", *i--^*s); return 0;  }
/*======================================================================*/

> In short, I have no hesitation in recommending that you run out and
> buy WCP ASAP. I guarantee that you'll be hooked in no time. 

	Seems to be the general consensus...

> >I have played WC3, but never finished it (got frustrated by the limited info you 
> >were given for missions...also, don't like combat sims where there's a "trick" to
> >winning scenarios...if I wanted that, I'd play an adventure game instead).
> 
> I wouldn't rate the complexity of WC3 as being near that of an
> adventure game. There are a couple or so more challenging missions in
> WCP as well, but if you do need help, the alt.games.wing-commander
> regulars will be more than happy to help you out. :)

	Actually, I probably overstated the "trick" case...you're right,
Zork it wasn't.  Mostly I just got frustrated by one major thing:

	The damn time I found the "big gun ship" and the game just made me
fly around and around it aimlessly, without being able to tell it to come
back to base with me.  Grrr....and after one of the hardest dogfights I'd
ever won.  I was angry that no one, not your mission briefer, not any of
the escorting pilots, not your wing man, NO ONE, told you how to get it to
come back to base with you (it's not a comm option either).  Plus, what
was with the "moving target", which you feel compelled to chase around and
throuigh the ship, never to actually catch up to it?

demian

In the Tome of Sivar, below "Killjoy was here," Demian Rose
<dd-...@students.uiuc.edu> scrawled:

> 	The damn time I found the "big gun ship" and the game just made me
> fly around and around it aimlessly, without being able to tell it to come
> back to base with me.  Grrr....and after one of the hardest dogfights I'd
> ever won.  I was angry that no one, not your mission briefer, not any of
> the escorting pilots, not your wing man, NO ONE, told you how to get it to
> come back to base with you (it's not a comm option either).  Plus, what
> was with the "moving target", which you feel compelled to chase around and
> throuigh the ship, never to actually catch up to it?

You don't need to do anything to make the Behemoth follow you, as you
were just sent out to defend it, IIRC.  Once the mission is over, your
concern for the Behemoth for that mission has ended.

> demian

Death

ICQ UIN: 3908950 <http://wwp.mirabilis.com/3908950>

Write to your congressman and ask them if they support Representative
Chris Smith's "Netizen's Protection Act of 1997" (H.R. 1748).  If 
not, ask why they feel your mailbox should be used like public 
property.

> > 	The damn time I found the "big gun ship" and the game just made me
> > fly around and around it aimlessly, without being able to tell it to come
> > back to base with me.  Grrr....and after one of the hardest dogfights I'd
> > ever won.  I was angry that no one, not your mission briefer, not any of
> > the escorting pilots, not your wing man, NO ONE, told you how to get it to
> > come back to base with you (it's not a comm option either).  Plus, what
> > was with the "moving target", which you feel compelled to chase around and
> > throuigh the ship, never to actually catch up to it?
> 
> You don't need to do anything to make the Behemoth follow you, as you
> were just sent out to defend it, IIRC.  Once the mission is over, your
> concern for the Behemoth for that mission has ended.
							
	Yeah, but I can't FINISH the mission...I go back to base and
there's no option for docking as per usual...I just fly through the bay
and out again if I try to dock manually.  What am I missing?  All the
enemy are dead.  Basically, I just flew around until I ran out of fuel.

demian

Demian Rose wrote:
> 
> > You don't need to do anything to make the Behemoth follow you, as 
> > you were just sent out to defend it, IIRC.  Once the mission is 
> > over, your concern for the Behemoth for that mission has ended.
> 
>         Yeah, but I can't FINISH the mission...I go back to base and
> there's no option for docking as per usual...I just fly through the 
> bay and out again if I try to dock manually.  What am I missing?  All 
> the enemy are dead.  Basically, I just flew around until I ran out of 
> fuel.

   That's strange.  It sounds like you just came up against a rare
peculiarity instead of a trick in the game.  You *should* have been able
to land when you got back.

Chris Reid
CRei...@aol.com

I downloaded the wc prophecy demo and enjoyed it very much. It's a hell of a
lot of fun to play.

One problem I had was with my Thrustmaster rudders (RCS). I can't seem to
get them calibrated for WCP. The only other problem I have had was with
Longbow 2.

My friend brought over his CL Voodoo2 card and once the game had bveen
patched it looked, played and feeled absolutely incredible. Even without the
V2 card it's silky smooth on my P2-300.

I will be buying hte game based from my impressions of the demo.

Cheers,

David...

David Hall (Australia)

Demian Rose wrote in message ...
>
>hey folks,
>
>I've been eying the sale copy of WCP at my local store and a good review
>here has got me almost ready to buy it...anyone got any opinions about
>this game, especially how it compares to XvT and Tie Fighter (both of
>which I own)...not looking for a "which is better" thread, just wondering
>how WCP's interface, play "feel", etc. are different.  I have played WC3,
>but never finished it (got frustrated by the limited info you were given
>for missions...also, don't like combat sims where there's a "trick" to
>winning scenarios...if I wanted that, I'd play an adventure game instead).
>
>thanx!
>demian
>
>p.s. Mark Hammill is my hero.

rdclark...@erols.com (Rich Clark) wrote:

>IMO, WCP doesn't have the replayability of TIE, despite their both
>using scripted missions, because TIE's missions are generally larger,
>more complex, and approachable in more than one way.  Also IMO, TIE's
>space-combat engine -- particularly the flight dynamics of the
>fighters -- feels more natural and less arcadish.  This is obviously a
>matter of opinion, since neither game makes even a small attempt at
>real-life physics.  To me, TIE feels a tiny bit more like flying
>airplanes, while WCP feels a tiny bit more abstracted than that.

	WCP game engine actually features inertia, unlike TIE, so it's
a bit more realistic - WCP have a good inertia model. Also, when you
turn T/F, you have to "roll" the ship, as atmospheric fighters, so
that is why some people feel it's more realistic. But as there's no
gravity nor atmosphere in space, it's rather pointless (to the
"realism" point of view).

>As for "tricks" -- well, there are missions in TIE that are based on
>keys or tricks, too.  You can figure them out if you try hard enough
>and understand the game mechanics, but they're still scripted missions
>in which the designer is trying to challenge the player.   WCP is no
>worse in this, I think.

	Actually WCP is more based on skill than finding out the trick
to solve the scripted mission puzzle (if that's better or worse, it's
a matter of opinion). It's a different design approach. Origin keep
the "scripted" elements of missions to a somewhat modest level, while
Lucasarts makes massive use of it.


     >> Delance <<

Demian Rose <dd-...@students.uiuc.edu> wrote:

>
>hey folks,
>
>I've been eying the sale copy of WCP at my local store and a good review
>here has got me almost ready to buy it...anyone got any opinions about
>this game, especially how it compares to XvT and Tie Fighter (both of
>which I own)...not looking for a "which is better" thread, just wondering
>how WCP's interface, play "feel", etc. are different.  I have played WC3,
>but never finished it (got frustrated by the limited info you were given
>for missions...also, don't like combat sims where there's a "trick" to
>winning scenarios...if I wanted that, I'd play an adventure game instead).

	WCP missions are more based on skill then puzzle solving when
compared to Lucasarts SW simulators. It have a better space engine
than XvT, that make full use of 3DFX acceleration. Take a look at the
demo and evaluate for yourself.

     >> Delance <<