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Intelligence Briefing
Everything you need to know about Wing Commander Saga: The Darkest Dawn.
In this briefing
Features & Gameplay
In an interview with TCN News, Colonel Christopher “Maverick” Blair said, “I have never felt comfortable with people calling me ‘The Savior of the Confederation.’ Sure, I was the wing leader in the raid on Kilrah. But I don’t want people to forget that I only got that far because of the sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of others.”
This is their story
The conflict between Earth and Kilrah is drawing to a close, and the Terran Confederation is not winning. Humanity’s only hope lies in a desperate plan that will require even idealistic young fighter pilots to stretch themselves beyond all imagination. It’s the end of the world, and you have a front row seat.
Raw emotion, realistic characters, a hard look at the devastation of war, and intense large-scale space combat action await you as you assume the role of 2nd Lt. David “Sandman” Markham. Twists of fate will throw you out of your dull backwater assignment and right into the hottest spots of the most devastating war in history.
Wing Commander is back. You know Blair’s story, now experience the rest of the Saga.
Wing Commander Saga: The Darkest Dawn
The flagship campaign begins right before Wing Commander 3 and concludes with the ending of the Terran-Kilrathi War (whether or not the Terrans win depends on you).
It has been six months since the Battle of Earth, and in spite of new fighters, carriers, and technology joining the Fleet, the war effort is not going well. Every day, more news of fresh defeats and losses make their way around the Confederation Forward Fleet, who have to face the possibility that they will not be the ultimate victors.
You are based on the TCS Hermes, one of the handful of large carriers left on the front line. You play the role of Second Lieutenant David Markham, a pilot recently transferred to the Hermes.
Markham is no different from the other young idealistic rookies who are determined to make a name for themselves. Already having your mettle tested and your outlook hardened by your time on the Wellington, you still dream of flying heroic strike missions deep into the heart of the Kilrathi Empire, finally bringing this decades-long conflict to an end.
But all hopes and dreams are squashed by the burden of reality. In every system, the Confederation forces are badly outnumbered and outgunned. For every Kilrathi fighter and warship destroyed, 10 others take their place. Comms from HQ order the abandonment of civilian colonies which the Confederation no longer has any strength to defend. The retreat is a downward spiral leading to the final stand at Earth.
Key Features
- Epic storyline that complements the events of Wing Commander 3
- Presence of other Confederation carrier battle groups — the Hermes does not fight the war alone
- Over nine hours of voice dialogue
- Approximately 70 cutscenes for a total of about 90 minutes of pre-rendered footage
- Over 60 voice actors, some of whom are actual professionals
- 221 voice acting roles
- 55 missions
- Achievements — mission performance is evaluated and rewarded
- 90 models created for Saga
- Enhanced Freespace 2 engine with autopilot, carrier landings, enhanced graphics
- Entirely stand-alone — Freespace 2 not required
- Multiple environments including nebulas and mine fields
- Command briefings, ship and weapons configuration
- Complex and compelling storyline with complete voice acting
We believe that familiarity with either one of the games (Wing Commander 1–4) or one of the novels (preferably End Run, Fleet Action, The Heart of the Tiger) will intensify enjoyment of the Wing Commander Saga.
The Crew
Meet the people behind the world of Wing Commander Saga.
Anton “Tolwyn” Romanyuk — Producer
In 2001, Wing Commander Saga was first proposed as a mod for Conquest: Frontier Wars. After learning that C:FW was practically unmoddable, WC Saga slipped into limbo, although several attempts were made to revive it as a Homeworld or Starshatter mod. In 2002, Wing Commander Saga found new life as a total conversion mod for Freespace 2. As one of its co-founders, Tolwyn has been with Wing Commander Saga since its inception, and has been its constant advocate to make sure it makes its way out of his dreams and into reality.
Andreas “KeldorKatarn” Schmitt — Lead Programmer
KeldorKatarn is an officer of the German Air Force reserve and now pursuing a degree in Computer Science in his place of birth, Saarbrücken. In his spare time he tries to perfect his C++ programming skills by working on several private projects or works on missions for WC Saga.
Douglas “Scooby Doo” Klettke — Lead Modeler
Scooby Doo joined the project back in 2005. He is the guy who creates ships and converts finished models into the game engine. He has been a big fan of Wing Commander for many years and is eager to use his skills to help the community.
Nick “psych” Huynh — Lead Writer
psych is tech advisor and one of the story writers.
Lars “gevatter” Laufer — Modeler
Roman “limdaepl” Reiner — Modeler
Ryan “Sphynx” Anderson — Writer
Jeff Ball — Composer
Tim Janssens — Composer
Jan “trekkie” Boysen — Audio Designer
Jared “Mahak” Lambert — Modeler
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Wing Commander? The computer game which supplies the background world in which Wing Commander Saga is set is the all-time bestseller. We believe that familiarity with either one of the games or one of the novels will intensify enjoyment of the game.
Who is the enemy in Wing Commander Saga? In Saga, like most other WC games you will fight the Kilrathi, an alien race feline in appearance and deadly in combat.
In which timeframe will WC Saga be set? WCS takes place at the same time as WC3 and concludes with the end of the decades-long Terran-Kilrathi War.
What can we expect from Wing Commander Saga? The game features a whole heap of new things and a dynamic, believable story and much more. More specific information can be found in the Features section above.
What ships will I see in Saga? Mostly ships from WC3, though a few older ships from the earlier games are still in service.
Will Saga have developed wingman characters? Yes.
Some of your ship names and designations aren’t canon. What’s up with that? We respect the talent and creative work of the original authors tremendously, and we certainly want to respect the canon in every way possible. We ran into a few problems in our storytelling due to undefined areas in the canon, and for the purpose of our story we have made a few artistic conjectures that we fully admit are not canon. We are more than willing to change them should canon definitions ever surface.
How is WC different from Freespace sans the setting? The differences are numerous, with the most important being in flight dynamics (ships are faster, less maneuverable and have only finite afterburner fuel), weapons (generally do much more damage than in FS and are faster) and capital ship combat (capital ships are smaller, faster, more agile and don’t use beams).
Will Wing Commander Saga be a standalone or do we need Freespace installed? Both the prologue and the main release are 100% standalone. There is no CD or previously installed Freespace version required.
Is this legal? Yes, it is completely legal. The Freespace 2 engine’s source code has been released to the public sector, and Wing Commander Saga uses a modified and enhanced version of it. We have made every effort to ensure that all aspects of this project are completely legal.
Testimonials
We love our fans and they love Wing Commander Saga!
Wing Commander is a classic gaming series from the 90s that has been updated by a bunch of programming enthusiasts for a new generation. The result is a breathtaking 3D space shooter. Not only is it visually far better than the original games, it is better than most professionally sold products on the market.
— Macworld UK, March 2007
The developers have succeeded in their attempt to preserve the atmosphere of the Wing Commander series. Become part of the epic struggle between the Terrans and the feline Kilrathi. In the Wing Commander Saga Prologue, older gamers will become reminiscent of good old days and younger fans of space simulators will definitely enjoy this sequel of one of the greatest game series of all time.
— Igormania, March 2007
Some pilots get cool callsigns like “Maverick,” “Ace,” or “Duke,” but “Sandman?” While it may not be the greatest callsign, it really doesn’t matter, because some people would gladly call themselves “Buttercup” just to be able to pilot a starfighter and fight the Kilrathi! […] To that we say, “Enter Sandman!”
— Gamestar, August 2006
A true testament to the WC Series! Played Prologue from start to finish 2 years ago and I found I had come back home to the WC universe! Waiting with wide eyes and short breaths for the completion of this epic so that I may dive back in again with an Excalibur and kick some Kilrathi furry-ness all over the sector!
— Richard Smith
The best use of the FS2 Open Source engine I’ve experienced. Amazed at the fact that somehow you guys have managed to capture the look, feel and flavour of the flying from WC3/4 whilst still vastly improving over the originals in every conceivable way.
— Joshua Vorderman
Wing Commander Saga’s combat is fast paced, explosive, and deadly, and pulls you in so good that you will only stop playing when your computer melts down.
— Mike Barton
No errors, no random CTDs, just pure fun and proof of why getting hit with missiles is a bad thing.
— Brent Ezell
I played avidly the original WC games. Many long happy hours lost in the stories, taking myself deeply into the roles and the varied characters. So saddened was I when too soon did the WC games halt, way too early for me. Then I perused the internet a few years ago, reminiscing my days feeling I was that WC pilot vs the Kilrathi. And I came upon a website called “WC Saga.” And I was hooked from the first openings of “WC Prologue.” It was as if the child that played WC original had graduated to a modern stunning game.
— Captain PhoenixFyre
I love the feel of how the fighters move so much more real than Origin’s games.
— Jared Colon
I absolutely love this project. I downloaded the demo and was blown away with the work you’ve done! Even with the different game engine it still looks and feels like Wing Commander! Great job and please keep up the good work!
— JonRyan McGregor
I have been waiting for years for another Wing Commander game, because there was nothing like it. I am really glad to see people trying to bring Wing Commander back to life. I just wanted to thank you guys for making my childhood game come back to life.
— Westley Louie
Press Coverage
Gamestar Review (German)
Vor vier Jahren haben sich ein paar Wing Commander-Fans vorgenommen, die Geschichte um den Krieg zwischen den Menschen und den katzenartigen Kilrathi weiterzuerzählen. Sie entschlossen sich, das ganze als Mod für Freespace 2 zu programmieren. Das Ergebnis verdient jedoch die Bezeichnung “Mod” nicht mehr: Zum einen läuft Wing Commander Saga mittlerweile ohne Freespace 2, zum anderen ist das, was die Jungs da abgeliefert haben, nicht nur eine simple Mod — das ist ein richtiges Spiel!
Igromania Review (English)
The name “Wing Commander” is known to any gamer who is familiar with the games of the 1990s. For those who do not know, let us refresh your memories. Wing Commander is a grand space opera about an all-out war between Terran Confederation (us humans) and an alien civilization of felines (giant killer cats) called the Kilrathi Empire.
symBadish Review (German)
Die Spiele der Wing Commander-Serie gehörten schon immer zu meinen absoluten Lieblingsgames! Angefangen mit dem ersten Teil von 1990, der mit actionreichen Weltraumkämpfen, einer in zahlreichen Zwischensequenzen spannend erzählten Story um den Krieg der Menschen gegen die katzenartigen Kilrathi, sowie Belohnungen für spielerische Erfolge in Form von Beförderungen zu begeistern wusste.
3dfusion Review (German)
Spieler etwas älteren Semesters werden sich sicher mit einem wehmütigen Anflug von Nostalgie an die legendäre “Wing Commander” Serie der damals ebenso legendären Spieleschmiede “Origin Systems” erinnern. Von 1990 bis 1998 brachten insgesamt 5 Teile und einige Ableger hochexplosive Weltraum-Action, eingepackt in eine fesselnde Story, auf die Bildschirme der zahllosen Fans.
GameFacts Review (German)
Mit Wing Commander hat Chris Roberts Anfang der 90er Jahre eines der erfolgreichsten Weltraum-Actionspiele auf den Markt gebracht. Das Spiel zeichnete sich weniger durch spielerische Abwechslung, sondern viel mehr durch eine spannende Geschichte und tolle Atmosphäre aus.
Gamestar Preview (English)
Some pilots get cool callsigns like “Maverick,” “Ace,” or “Duke,” but “Sandman?” “Sandman?!” While it may not be the greatest callsign, it really doesn’t matter, because some people would gladly call themselves “Buttercup” just to be able to pilot a starfighter and fight the Kilrathi! Very soon they will get their wish, because Wing Commander will be back as a mod for Freespace 2.
Gamestar Newsflash (German)
Unsere heutige Mod-News ist eigentlich gar keine Mod-News. Denn Wing Commander Saga war zwar ursprünglich eine Total Conversion für Freespace 2, läuft aber in der aktuellen Version als Stand-Alone, also ohne das Hauptspiel.
PC Games Newsflash (German)
Wie Viele in der Redaktion trauert auch der Autor dieser Zeilen den guten, alten Wing-Commander-Zeiten hinterher. Und auch für viele Spieler sind Darkstar One und Co. nur ein schwacher Trost. Zum Glück gibt es in der Community immer noch große Ambitionen, die alte Glorie wiederaufleben zu lassen.
System Requirements
Wing Commander Saga utilizes an enhanced version of the Freespace 2 engine. The game is stand-alone and does not require Freespace 2 to work.
Minimum Specifications
- Windows XP
- 1 GHz processor
- 2 GB RAM
- 128 MB 100% DirectX 9.0 compatible card
- Windows XP-compatible sound card
- Windows compatible mouse and keyboard
- OpenAL
- 6 GB free HD space
Recommended Specifications
- Windows Vista/7
- 2 GHz processor
- 4 GB RAM
- 512 MB NVIDIA GeForce or ATI Radeon Shader 3.0 compatible card
- Thrustmaster Afterburner or a similar input device