Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger is the third main game in Chris Roberts Wing Commander series, developed and released by Origin Systems on December 8 1994.
It was remarkable for its extensive use of live action full-motion video to add an interactive movie-style presentation to the space combat gameplay, emphasized by its advertising slogan, "Don't watch the game, play the movie!". The aim was to get the subtlety of a performance or emotion out in service of the experience and the immersion and the game, which wasn't otherwise possible at the time with the rudimentary animation.[1][2]
The game's more than two hours of video featured a number of prominent movie stars including among others Mark Hamill as Colonel Christopher "Maverick" Blair, John Rhys-Davies as James "Paladin" Taggart and Thrakhath nar Kiranka.
The budget for Wing Commander III was around $4 million, which at the time of its release made it the most expensive game ever made. Its predecessor for that title had been Doom, with a much more humble $200k.[3]
Choices during combat as well as conversation choices can improve or lower a character’s morale. For wingmen, the lower their morale, the worse they will perform during missions, flying more recklessly, missing more shots, or making them less likely to follow orders. This, in turn, makes the crew behave differently towards the player. The player can choose which wingman to fly with, as well as their fighter and loadout.[3]
Trivia
- It was the first time Chris Roberts directed live action.[4]
- It was Electronic Arts first million-seller on DOS.[5]
- Rob Irving worked on it.[6]
- One of only two Wing Commander 3 Flight Jackets belonging to Chris Roberts was won during a Star Citizen competition.[7]
Outside Links
References
- ↑ Star Citizen Chris Roberts at BAFTA LA Januari 2015, YouTube, 21 Jan 2015
- ↑ The forgotten interview with Chris Roberts by Paul Dean, March 11, 2016
- ↑ Jump up to: 3.0 3.1 Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger, hardcoregaming101.net, September 25, 2024
- ↑ Wing Commander Combat Information Center Chris Roberts Interview by Hadrian, 1999
- ↑ The Stars His Destination: Chris Roberts from Origin to Star Citizen, 2014-09-13, archived
- ↑ Wingman's Hangar ep010 . March 1, 2013, Star Citizen, YouTube, 1 Mar 2013
- ↑
Foundry 42 Opening Contest. Transmission - Comm-Link. Retrieved 2013-12-20
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