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90-589: Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance is a 1999 space simulation video game, the sequel to both Star Wars: TIE Fighter and Star Wars: X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter . X-Wing Alliance presents the story of the Azzameen family, a family of space traders. The player assumes the role of Ace Azzameen, the youngest of the Azzameen children, juggling military duty as a fighter pilot for the Rebel Alliance, and allegiance to his family, flying larger heavily armed freighters for

180-404: A media franchise consisting of space combat simulation video games, an animated television series , a feature film , a collectible card game , a series of novels , and action figures . Game designer Chris Crawford said in an interview that Wing Commander "raised the bar for the whole industry", as the game was five times more expensive to create than most of its contemporaries. Because

270-456: A "dead" genre. However, open-source and enthusiast communities managed to produce some working, modern titles (e.g. Orbiter Spaceflight Simulator ); and 2011's commercially released Kerbal Space Program was notably well-received, even by the aerospace community. Some more recent games, most notably Elite: Dangerous , have brought new attention to the space trading and combat game subgenre. Realistic space simulators seek to represent

360-541: A creative team gallery; information about McNeely, the orchestra, and the efforts to put together a soundtrack for the novel; and information about the book, the game, the comic series, and the toys based on the characters. Kenner was one of the companies that made the toy line for the Shadows of the Empire project. Their line contained action figures (including new characters such as Xizor and Dash Rendar), vehicles (from

450-518: A deeper look into his personal relationships and his family's whereabouts. XWA is the first game of the series to offer a full voiceover soundtrack and full in-flight dialogue. Flight control is marginally updated from the previous games of the series, allowing the player to link different energy weapons to fire together, as well as the addition of rudder support. Graphics are also overhauled in this game; high resolution textures, more complex models, and full three dimensional cockpits were added. However,

540-488: A full Shadows of the Empire toy line. It included three sets of miniatures and a boxed Action Fleet set with two swoop bikes and riders and four miniature articulated figures. Also included in the sets are the classic Star Wars characters (Luke, Vader, the Emperor) as well as the new Shadows characters (Xizor, Dash Rendar, Guri and Leebo). The model making company Ertl released several plastic model kits of Shadows of

630-440: A mix of different methods. The ship the player controls is generally larger than that in pure space combat simulator. Notable examples of the genre include Elite , the X series , Wing Commander: Privateer , Freelancer , and No Man's Sky . In some instances, plot plays only a limited role and only a loose narrative framework tends to be provided. In certain titles of the X series , for instance, players may ignore

720-454: A multinational cast of pilots from the " Terran Confederation " flying missions against the predatory, aggressive Kilrathi , a feline warrior race (heavily inspired by the Kzinti of Larry Niven 's Known Space universe). Wing Commander (1990) was a best seller and caused the development of competing space combat games, such as LucasArts ' X-Wing . Wing Commander eventually became

810-490: A new lightsaber ; he is chased by swoop bike riders working for Jabba the Hutt and is saved by Dash. Luke leads Dash and a group of Bothan pilots to intercept Imperial plans for a second Death Star ; they bring these to Kothlis to be decoded. Luke is briefly captured by the agents of Darth Vader and learns of Prince Xizor , a Falleen who is the leader of powerful crime syndicate Black Sun. Xizor plans to kill Luke in

900-518: A plot to gain the Emperor 's favor. Seeking information on the attempts on Luke's life, Leia and Chewbacca go to Rodia to meet Xizor's human-replica droid, Guri, who takes them to Coruscant . There, Xizor tries to seduce the princess in an attempt to bait Luke. Meanwhile, Luke, Lando and Dash sneak into the crime lord's palace to save Leia. As the Rebels engage Imperial fighters above Coruscant, Xizor

990-469: A poem for the liner notes, about an ancient battle on Coruscant, which McNeely used in some compositions. In the lyrics, Burtt made references to the Droids series he was involved in writing. The disc also includes an interactive track for personal computers, containing concept art and additional information about the project. The multimedia track includes an overview of the Shadows of the Empire project;

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1080-564: A score. Producer Robert Townson selected Joel McNeely to compose it; both had produced music for The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles . The soundtrack was performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Chorus . Themes from the movies can be heard in tracks one (the main theme from Star Wars and "Carbon Freeze") and eight (" The Imperial March " and "The Force Theme"). The tenth track also contains credited appearances of "The Imperial March". Portions of

1170-474: A soundtrack, trading cards, role-playing games , posters, model kits, Micro Machines toys, statuettes, vinyl dolls, and a series of action figures and vehicles. The story introduces Rebel ally Dash Rendar, who aids the heroes in their attempt to liberate the frozen Han Solo from bounty hunter Boba Fett . Meanwhile, Darth Vader continues the search for his son, Luke Skywalker , whom crime lord Prince Xizor attempts to kill in his plot to replace Vader at

1260-502: A space craft in a manner that conforms with the laws of nature include Orbiter , Kerbal Space Program and Microsoft Space Simulator . Examples of more fantastical video games that bend the rules of physics in favor of streamlining and entertainment, include Wing Commander , Star Wars: X-Wing and Freelancer . The modern space flight game genre emerged at the point when home computers became sufficiently powerful to draw basic wireframe graphics in real-time. The game Elite

1350-467: A star map with multiple ports buying and selling 6 commodities. It was written in BASIC . Star Raiders was introduced in 1980 for the then-new Atari 8-bit computers and became the killer app for the system. Doug Neubauer created the game as a combination of Star Wars and the text-based Star Trek mainframe game. Using smoothly scaled 2D sprites and 3D particles to mimic a first person view of

1440-629: A story consultant. It focuses on Boba Fett and his fellow bounty hunters (first seen briefly in The Empire Strikes Back ) as well as Jix, a hireling of Darth Vader who infiltrates Jabba the Hutt's gang of bikers (led by Gizman) to prevent their attempt to kill Luke Skywalker. Excerpts from the comic were published in Nintendo Power magazine. Two separate mini-comics were released with Micro Machines toys (with three alternative covers) and Ertl model kits. A pop-up comic

1530-581: A vessel's behaviour under the influence of the laws of physics . As such, the player normally concentrates on following checklists or planning tasks. Piloting is generally limited to dockings, landings or orbital maneuvers. The reward for the player is on mastering real or realistic spacecraft, celestial mechanics and astronautics . Classical games with this approach include Space Shuttle: A Journey into Space (1982), Rendezvous: A Space Shuttle Simulation (1982), The Halley Project (1985), Shuttle (1992) and Microsoft Space Simulator (1994). If

1620-407: A volume of space, Star Raiders simulates clearing sectors of enemy ships while managing resources and damage to the ship's different systems. In addition to forward and rear views from the ship, the game provides both a galactic map and sector scanner to show enemy and friendly starbase locations. The game does not pause while these displays are active; they keep updating in real-time. It is one of

1710-439: Is FlightGear 's Space Shuttle project, whose simulation is backed by NASA windtunnel data and is the most detailed and accurate simulation outside of NASA's internal ones. Kerbal Space Program can be considered a space simulator, even though it portrays an imaginary universe with tweaked physics, masses and distances to enhance gameplay. Nevertheless, the physics and rocket design principles are much more realistic than in

1800-486: Is free and open-source - the project receives development from people with scientific and engineering backgrounds, and is open to contributions from any source. FlightGear can accurately handle speeds from subsonic, transonic , through to high hypersonic or re-entry regimes with a flight dynamics engine that can incorporate windtunnel data or computational fluid dynamics , and uses a 3d model of gravity used for spaceflight based on spherical harmonics which can simulate

1890-652: Is prevented from escaping by the vengeful Vader, whose Star Destroyer shoots down his repulsor craft and Skyhook base. The debris from the explosion hits the Outrider , apparently killing Dash. Back on Tatooine once more, Luke records a holographic message for Jabba the Hutt. Author Steve Perry was commissioned to write the novel—the backbone of the multimedia project—after writing the novelizations of The Mask for Bantam, and Aliens based upon graphic novels by Dark Horse Comics , which had been licensed by Lucasfilm to create Star Wars comics. In addition to studying

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1980-584: Is pursued by both bounty hunters and Rebels led by Luke Skywalker. Secrets lying in her android mind make her a valuable asset. LucasArts 's Shadows of the Empire was developed as a collaboration with Nintendo , and is one of the first games available for the Nintendo 64 , and a port was released later for Windows. The best known product in the Shadows of the Empire line, the game was first released in December 1996 as an exclusive N64 title five months after

2070-721: Is sometimes referred to as a "living universe" – a dream some have held since the genre's early beginnings. Also with massive battles , Star Citizen , a title in development by Cloud Imperium Games (headed by Chris Roberts , who was involved in Freelancer and Wing Commander ), aims to bridge the gap between the EVE -like living universe game and the fast action of other games in the genre. An additional sub-class of space trading games eliminate combat entirely, focusing instead entirely on trading and economic manipulation in order to achieve success. Most modern space flight games on

2160-468: Is still under development. Elite: Dangerous was also successfully crowdfunded on Kickstarter in November and December 2012. The game was completed and released in 2014, and expansions are being released in stages, or "seasons". Born Ready Games also closed a successful Kickstarter campaign at the end of 2012, having raised nearly $ 180,000 to assist with the completion of Strike Suit Zero . The game

2250-559: Is used professionally in aerospace engineering and research, with a flight dynamics engine (JSBSim) that is used in a 2015 NASA benchmark to judge new simulation code to the standards of the space industry . FlightGear simulates orbital and atmospheric flight, but as of 2021 does not cover flight between planets (although its flight dynamics engine supports Mars and has been used to model the NASA ARES glider ). The simulation has been continually developed into modern times, as FlightGear

2340-419: Is widely considered to be the breakthrough game of the genre, and as having successfully melded the "space trading" and flight sim genres. Elite was highly influential upon later games of its type, although it did have some precursors. Games similar to Elite are sometimes called " Elite -clones". Space flight games and simulators, at one time popular, had for much of the new millennium been considered

2430-508: The Millennium Falcon was a major new feature because the player could freely choose to be the pilot or operate one of the turrets. The AI would take over any position not controlled by the player, but could be given orders by the player. X-Wing Alliance also introduced multi-part missions that involved making hyperjumps from one region to the next; in previous games, any hyperjumps the player experienced were either to start or end

2520-753: The London Science Museum in the " Game On " exhibition organized and toured by the Barbican Art Gallery . Elite was also named #12 on IGN 's 2000 "Top 25 PC Games of All Time" list, the #3 most influential video game ever by the Times Online in 2007, and "best game ever" for the BBC Micro by Beebug Magazine in 1984. Elite ' s sequel, Frontier: Elite II , was named #77 on PC Zone 's "101 Best PC Games Ever" list in 2007. Similar praise has been bestowed elsewhere in

2610-482: The NES console and arcades in 1985, featured a cockpit view, a radar displaying enemy and base locations, the ability to warp anywhere, and a date system keeping track of the current date. Another notable Apple II game by developer FTL Games was SunDog: Frozen Legacy (1984) which allowed the player to fly through many systems, choose multiple planets to land on in several of those systems, and even walk around on

2700-486: The Outrider to swoop bikes) and two-pack pairings of new and classic characters (such as IG-88 and Boba Fett). The classic characters figures were given a new spin with Chewbacca disguised as Snoova, a Wookiee bounty hunter, and Luke Skywalker costumed in an Imperial uniform (all the better to infiltrate Imperial City). Lewis Galoob Toys , famous for their line of Micro Machines miniature toys and playsets, also developed

2790-711: The Outrider . Though developed for the Special Edition of A New Hope , the Imperial landing craft made its first appearance in Shadows of the Empire . The novel Specter of the Past (1997) mentions Xizor and the Bounty Hunter Wars trilogy (1998–1999) explores his and Fett's backstory. Several missions in the X-Wing Alliance (1999) computer game involve assisting Rendar in the capture of

Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance - Misplaced Pages Continue

2880-505: The Vega Strike engine, and the latter has reached the stage where it is offered as a working title to the public. In 2013 a hobbyist space flight simulator project was realized under usage of the open source Pioneer software. Dash Rendar Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is a 1996 multimedia project created by Lucasfilm . The idea was to create a story set between the films The Empire Strikes Back and Return of

2970-718: The novelization of Attack of the Clones (2002). Rendar is the subject of a short story printed in a 2011 issue of Star Wars Insider , and the Falleen appear in a variety of works. Following the 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company , most of the licensed Star Wars novels and comics produced since the originating 1977 film were rebranded as Legends and declared non-canon in April 2014. The Falleen and Black Sun were made canon in 2013 episodes of The Clone Wars , in which Darth Maul 's Shadow Collective absorbs

3060-644: The 2018 Forces of Destiny episode " Bounty Hunted ", Leia and Maz Kanata take Boushh's armor directly from him on Ord Mantell . The 2021 canon comic crossover event War of the Bounty Hunters is set in the same era as Shadows of the Empire ; it features Crimson Dawn (successor to the Shadow Collective) stealing the frozen Han from Boba Fett, and both Black Sun and Xizor are mentioned. In 2023, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy stated that characters like Dash Rendar were discussed "all

3150-509: The Empire , including the Virago (Xizor's spaceship), Prince Xizor, and the Emperor. Collectible and gift company Applause released two vinyl figures, of Dash Rendar and Prince Xizor as well as a cold-cast resin statuette of the villains: Xizor, the Emperor and Darth Vader. The Topps company developed the Shadows of the Empire trading card line. The 100-piece Shadows of the Empire card set from Topps represents all three platforms that tell

3240-602: The Falleen crime syndicate. A modified version of the Outrider appears in Star Wars Rebels . Additionally, Rendar is mentioned in the movie tie-in book Solo: A Star Wars Story – Tales from Vandor  (2018) and the Galaxy's Edge cookbook (2019) features a recipe for "Xizor Salad". In the Shadows of the Empire storyline, Leia obtains the armor of Black Sun-associated bounty hunter Boushh from Guri to get through Imperial customs on Coruscant. Contrarily, in

3330-538: The Imperial freighter Suprosa , which was carrying the design schematics of the second Death Star. Rendar's Outrider can be seen in the game, as well as in 2002's Bounty Hunter . A one-shot comic book written by Ryder Windham called Shadow Stalker  (2000) expands on the adventures of Jix before Shadows of the Empire . The planet Kothlis appears in later works such as the 2001 video game Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader and an ASP droid makes an appearance in

3420-505: The Jedi , and to explore all commercial possibilities of a full motion picture release without actually making a film. The venture was intended to reinvigorate interest in the franchise ahead of the theatrical Special Editions of the Star Wars trilogy released the following year. Several products were released, including a novel, a junior novelization, a comic book series, a video game,

3510-518: The Rebellion while also helping his family fight the Viraxo. During his tour with the Rebel Alliance, he proves himself to be a significant pilot as he participates in missions that uncover new Imperial projects, such as experimental TIE fighters and the second Death Star . Some events connect the game to the movies The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi , such as sequences that track

3600-531: The Rebellion's situation after the Battle of Hoth, as well as the theft of the shuttle Tydirium . The game also concludes with the climactic Battle of Endor . Several events connect to the Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire story, such as a mission to assist Dash Rendar in the capture of the Imperial freighter Suprosa , which carries the plans to the second Death Star. Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance

3690-464: The Year" award, which went to Freespace 2 . Space flight simulation game Some games in the genre aim to recreate a realistic portrayal of space flight, involving the calculation of orbits within a more complete physics simulation than pseudo space flight simulators. Others focus on gameplay rather than simulating space flight in all its facets. The realism of the latter games is limited to what

Star Wars: X-Wing Alliance - Misplaced Pages Continue

3780-401: The author refused as he feared fan backlash. Steve Perry has expressed his support of adapting the story as an animated film. A prequel novel was planned, to be written by author Charles Grant , but was cancelled due to a Lucasfilm Licensing move from Bantam to Del Rey Books . The six-issue comic book series was written by John Wagner and illustrated by Kilian Plunkett; Steve Perry was

3870-476: The behaviour of the spacecraft, but not orbital mechanics. Space combat games tend to be mission-based, as opposed to the more open-ended nature of space trading and combat games. The general formula for the space trading and combat game , which has changed little since its genesis, is for the player to begin in a relatively small, outdated ship with little money or status and for the player to gain in status and power through trading, exploration, combat or

3960-415: The cockpits are not faithful to the other games; indicators and screens are separated from the cockpit, depicted as floating windows as part of the in-flight heads-up display . The player also has three "mission skips" that allow them to proceed through the linear storyline without having to complete a particular mission. "Family missions," however, cannot be skipped. The ability to fly multi-crew craft like

4050-518: The console's launch. The PC version came nearly a year later, in September 1997. In the game, players control mercenary Dash Rendar in four missions: The PC version has full-motion cinematic cutscenes with sound effects and voices, while the N64 version utilizes artwork with subtitles at the bottom of the screen due to technical limitations. Lucasfilm commissioned Varèse Sarabande Records to publish

4140-415: The core gameplay elements of directly controlling the flight of some sort of space vessel, generally armed, and of navigating from one area to another for a variety of reasons. As technology has improved it has been possible to implement a number of extensions to gameplay, such as dynamic economies and cooperative online play . Overall, however, the core gameplay mechanics of the genre have changed little over

4230-728: The definition is expanded to include decision making and planning, then Buzz Aldrin's Race Into Space (1992) is also notable for historical accuracy and detail. In this game, the player takes the role of Administrator of NASA or Head of the Soviet Space Program with the ultimate goal of being the first side to conduct a successful human Moon landing . Orbiter and, to an extent, Space Shuttle Mission 2007 , provide more elaborate simulations. They have 3D virtual cockpits and external views. Orbiter has been continually developed into modern times including having modern graphics, while others above have not been. FlightGear

4320-514: The desired configuration, or in setting autopilots . Real time hands on piloting can happen, depending on the simulated spacecraft. For example, it is common to use a joystick analog control to land a Space Shuttle (or any other spaceplane ) or the Apollo Lunar Module (or similar landers). Dockings can be performed more precisely using the numerical keypad . Overall, the simulations have more complex control systems than game, with

4410-648: The development of Elite (the main character in Traveller is named "Jamison"; the main character in Elite is named "Jameson") and Jumpgate Evolution . The Wing Commander (1990–2007) series from Origin Systems, Inc. was a marked departure from the standard formula up to that point, bringing space combat to a level approaching the Star Wars films. Set beginning in the year 2654, and characterized by designer Chris Roberts as " World War II in space", it features

4500-493: The events in Steve Perry's novel. The series also contains six cards dedicated to vehicles, another six to the comics, and six more keyed to the video game. Each pack came with nine cards. The 1996 Return of the Jedi radio drama by Brian Daley makes several references to Shadows of the Empire . In the 1997 Special Edition of A New Hope , swoop bikes and ASP labor droids make an appearance, as does Dash Rendar's ship,

4590-561: The family business, amid a bloody family feud and in the larger context of a galactic civil war. It received favorable reviews. Apart from the usual badges and medals for winning missions – a feature shared by the other games of the X-Wing computer game series – progress is also indicated by the number of souvenirs collected in Ace's room. There is also a "mail" delivery between missions that helps to evolve Ace's background story while also providing

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4680-452: The first truly open-ended game. It is to this day one of the most ambitious games ever made, residing in only 22 kilobytes of memory and on a single floppy disk. The latest incarnation of the franchise, titled Elite: Dangerous , was released on 16 December 2014, following a successful Kickstarter campaign. Though not as well known as Elite , Trade Wars is noteworthy as the first multiplayer space trader. A BBS door , Trade Wars

4770-502: The game designer deems to be appropriate for the gameplay, instead of focusing on the realism of moving the spacecraft in space. Some "flight models" use a physics system based on Newtonian physics , but these are usually limited to maneuvering the craft in its direct environment, and do not take into consideration the orbital calculations that would make such a game a simulator. Many of the pseudo simulators feature faster than light travel . Examples of true simulators which aim at piloting

4860-492: The game that impacted him most on the Commodore 64. Developers of Jumpgate Evolution , Battlecruiser 3000AD , Infinity: The Quest for Earth , Hard Truck: Apocalyptic Wars and Flatspace likewise all claim Elite as a source of inspiration. Elite was named one of the sixteen most influential games in history at Telespiele, a German technology and games trade show, and is being exhibited at such places as

4950-417: The game was highly successful, other publishers had to match its production value in order to compete. This forced a large portion of the video game industry to become more conservative, as big-budget games need to be an assured hit for it to be profitable in any way. Crawford opined that Wing Commander in particular affected the marketing and economics of computer games and reestablished the "action game" as

5040-399: The game's graphics and called the game "the best-looking Star Wars title from Totally Games", but criticized its software mode when 3D hardware mode is set off. Blevins felt that the game's improved details added cinematic elements that make players feel as if they are Rebels fighting in a never-to-be-released movie. The game's sales reached 143,371 copies in the U.S. during 1999. The game

5130-616: The games that inspired Elite and the Wing Commander series. It also resulted in direct clones, including Space Spartans for Intellivision and Starmaster for the Atari 2600, both from 1982. Elite has made a lasting impression on developers, worldwide, extending even into different genres. In interviews, senior producers of CCP Games cited Elite as one of the inspirations for their acclaimed MMORPG EVE Online . Þórólfur Beck , CCP's co-founder, credits Elite as

5220-561: The genre is very popular, but some people have complained that, in some titles, the leeway given to the player too often is only superficial, and that, in reality, the roles offered to players are very similar, and open-ended play too frequently restricted by scripted sequences. As an example, Freelancer has been in one reviewer's opinion critiqued as being rigid in its narrative structure, being in one case compared negatively with Grand Theft Auto , another series praised for its open-ended play. All space trading and combat games feature

5310-445: The hypothetical Alcubierre drive , but this is implemented in a realistic method to complement the more realistic elements of the game. Most games in the space combat genre feature futuristic scenarios involving space flight and extraplanetary combat. Such games generally place the player into the controls of a small starfighter or smaller starship in a military force of similar and larger spaceships and do not take into account

5400-416: The keyboard and mouse combination (or gamepad if such is the case). The lack of uptake among the majority of modern gamers has also made joysticks a sort of anachronism, though some new controller designs and simplification of controls offer the promise that space sims may be playable in their full capacity on gaming consoles at some time in the future. In fact, X3: Reunion , sometimes considered one of

5490-431: The latter film and Return of the Jedi (an era explored by no other Star Wars novel). Princess Leia , Chewbacca , and Lando Calrissian hire Battle of Hoth veteran Dash Rendar, who has located Boba Fett 's ship , which has the frozen Han Solo aboard. The heroes lead an attempt to liberate Han from the bounty hunter, but are outgunned by Imperial TIE fighters . Back on Tatooine , Luke Skywalker constructs

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5580-406: The limit being the physical reproduction of the actual simulated spacecraft (see Simulation cockpit ). Early attempts at 3D space simulation date back as far as 1974's Spasim , an online multi-player space simulator in which players attempt to destroy each other's ships. The earliest known space trader dates to 1974's Star Trader , a game where the entire interface was text-only and included

5670-534: The lunar surface in a craft resembling the Apollo Lunar Module , while Perilune (2019) is an example of a lunar landing simulation with realistic physics designed for Android mobile devices. The game/program SpaceEngine includes a realistic space flight simulator within its full scale representation of the universe (including both real and procedurally generated astronomical objects), utilizing realistic orbital mechanics and an atmospheric model for certain flyable shuttles. It also includes interstellar travel using

5760-490: The media and marketing elements of a film release without actually producing a movie. This was largely meant to reinvigorate the franchise ahead of the prequel trilogy , along with George Lucas 's 1997 Special Editions of the original trilogy . Lucasfilm producers originally wanted the project to focus on the main characters between the original Star Wars film and The Empire Strikes Back , but Dark Forces game designer Jon Knoles suggested that it take place between

5850-407: The media from time to time. Elite is one of the most popularly requested games to be remade, and some argue that it is still the best example of the genre to date, with more recent titles—including its sequels—not rising up to its level. It has been credited as opening the door for future online persistent worlds , such as Second Life and World of Warcraft , and as being

5940-485: The mission. Additionally, players could now enter a starship's hangar bay to rearm and/or receive repairs before rejoining the fight. They could even witness the battle continuing to unfold outside the hangar. Finally, X-Wing Alliance added a much-desired custom mission builder feature. This allowed players to quickly set up a variety of battle scenarios involving almost every vessel in the game, including dozens of fighters and combat transports that had been fought against in

6030-455: The more cumbersome and difficult series to master within the trading and combat genre, was initially planned for the Xbox but later cancelled. Realistic simulators feature spacecraft systems and instrument simulation, using a combination of extensive keyboard shortcuts and mouse clicks on virtual instrument panels . Most of the maneuvers and operations consist of setting certain systems into

6120-483: The most lucrative type of computer game. The seeming decline of the space flight simulators and games in the late 1990s also coincided with the rise of the RTS , FPS and RPG game genres, with such examples as Warcraft , Doom and Diablo . The very things that made these games classics, such as their open-endedness, complex control systems and attention to detail, have been cited as reasons for their decline. It

6210-485: The original Star Wars trilogy, Perry read the first spin-off novel in the franchise, Splinter of the Mind's Eye , to get an idea of how to write for Vader. The publishers wanted a 'substitute' for the incapacitated Han Solo, and Perry came up with the character of Dash, noted by fans as being mainly a vehicle for Solo-esque dialogue. The publishers also instructed Perry to make Xizor's attempt to seduce Leia successful, but

6300-590: The patriarch of the family, Tomaas Azzameen , smuggles bacta for the Alliance in the aftermath of the Battle of Hoth . This causes them to pay dearly as the Galactic Empire raids their home station for running bacta to an Alliance outpost. Tomaas and Ace's older brother are killed and the family subsequently seeks asylum with a Rebel task force. As a Rebel pilot, Ace participates in a variety of missions for

6390-491: The personal computer allow a player to utilise a combination of the WASD keys of the keyboard and mouse as a means of controlling the game (games such as Microsoft's Freelancer use this control system exclusively ). By far the most popular control system among genre enthusiasts, however, is the joystick . Most fans prefer to use this input method whenever possible, but expense and practicality mean that many are forced to use

6480-507: The physics of space flight, often citing some technological advancement to explain the lack thereof. The prominent Wing Commander , X-Wing and Freespace series all use this approach. Exceptions include Independence War , Independence War 2 and the Star Trek: Bridge Commander series, which model craft at a larger scale and/or in a more strategic fashion. I-War also features Newtonian style physics for

6570-456: The player ship to rotate, and Ginga Hyoryu Vifam , which allowed first-person open space exploration with a radar displaying the destination and player/enemy positions as well as an early physics engine where approaching a planet 's gravitational field pulls the player towards it. Following Elite were games such as The Halley Project (1985), Echelon (1987) and Microsoft Space Simulator (1994). Star Luster , released for

6660-419: The plot for as long as they wish and are even given the option to disable the plot completely and instead play in sandbox mode . Many games of this genre place a strong emphasis on factional conflict, leading to many small mission-driven subplots that unravel the tensions of the galaxy. Games of this type often allow the player to choose among multiple roles to play and multiple paths to victory. This aspect of

6750-408: The side of Emperor Palpatine . In 1994, Lucasfilm publishing director Lucy Autrey Wilson met with Bantam editor Lou Aronica to discuss future publications, and Aronica suggested a Star Wars crossover multimedia event. Later in the year, Lucasfilm met with franchise licensees, including LucasArts representatives and author Steve Perry to discuss the multimedia project, intended to feature

6840-503: The single-player game and were now flyable in this mode. The game's prologue (and tutorial) concerns Ace's "family missions" in which his elder family members and Emkay instruct him in the flying of Corellian transports so that he can begin working for the family. These missions reveal that the Azzameen family are in heated competition with the Viraxo and are generally sympathetic to the Rebel Alliance . Due to their sympathies,

6930-454: The soundtrack are featured in the video game. The liner notes give plot summaries for each track's corresponding section of the novel. McNeely wrote, "Unlike with film music, I have been allowed to let my imagination run free with the images, characters and events from this story. I have also had the luxury to loiter as long as I like with a character or scene. Every passage represents some person, place or event in this story." Ben Burtt wrote

7020-441: The space combat or trading subgenres. Mods for the game such as Real Solar System, Realism Overhaul and Kerbalism can be installed to add more realism to the game by replacing the standard in-game solar system with a 1:1 replica of the real Solar System as well as adding more realistic rocket engines, radiation, life support and other elements to make the game more realistic. The game Lunar Flight (2012) simulates flying around

7110-423: The story—the book, comic series, and game. The cards are the work of Greg and Tim Hildebrandt , the twin artists who painted one of the more popular original Star Wars release posters. The 100 card set featured double UV-coating and an extra-thick 20 pt. card stock, all with full-bleed painted images on a 21/2" x 31/2" card. The Shadows of the Empire card series is highlighted by 72 cards that virtually storyboard

7200-535: The surface within the cities. Many other space sim games have allowed the player to exit their ship on planets, but the "walking" is just clicking on a location such as "Bar," "Ship Dealer," etc. The game also featured a unique story line involving cryogenics . SunDog: Frozen Legacy was also released on the Atari ST in 1985. Some tabletop and board games, such as Traveller or Merchant of Venus , also feature themes of space combat and trade. Traveller influenced

7290-555: The twisting force caused by gravity varying over a craft. It has an accurate celestial simulation that also feeds star tracker instruments for navigation. FlightGear has the ability to accelerate time supported by the fact that the physics simulation runs on a separate clock than the visuals - this is very important to simulate long space missions. Being modern, FlightGear has realistic graphics and an orbital renderer that can handle calculations of light scattering and auroral emission with huge distances involved. Of particular note

7380-480: The years. Besides the array of space-themed trade and combat games, there also exist a small number of games with similar mechanics, but with a less traditional historical setting. These include the Sid Meier's Pirates! and Mount and Blade franchises. Some more recent games, such as 2003's EVE Online , have expanded the scope of the experience by including thousands of simultaneous online players in what

7470-518: Was a finalist for the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences ' " Computer Simulation Game of the Year " award, which ultimately went to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2000 . It was also nominated for CNET Gamecenter ' s "Best Sci-Fi Simulation" award and for PC PowerPlay ' s "Best Fantasy Sim" award, but lost both to MechWarrior 3 . Likewise, the game was nominated for Computer Gaming World ' s 1999 "Science Fiction Simulator of

7560-500: Was also made, entitled Battle of the Bounty Hunters . A one-shot comic titled The Jabba Tape also features Gizman around the time of Return of the Jedi and was illustrated by Plunkett. A sequel comic was written, centered around Guri and titled Shadows of the Empire: Evolution . The five-issue series was later collected in a trade paperback . It was written by Steve Perry, and was his first foray into comics. The art

7650-439: Was believed that no major new space sim series would be produced as long as the genre relied on complex control systems such as the keyboard and joystick. There were outliers, however, such as the X series (1999–2018) and Eve Online . Crowdfunding has been a good source for space sims in recent years, however. In November 2012 Star Citizen set a new record, managing to raise more than $ 114 million as of May 2016, and

7740-520: Was completed and released in January 2013. Lastly, the non-linear roguelike-like space shooter Everspace garnered almost $ 250,000 on Kickstarter, was released in May 2017. The open source community has also been active, with projects such as FS2 Open and Vega Strike serving as platforms for non-professional efforts. Unofficial remakes of Elite and Privateer are being developed using

7830-411: Was created by Ron Randall (pencils), P. Craig Russell (ink), and Dave Nestelle (color). Soon after the events of Return of the Jedi , Guri is left wondering what her future will hold now that she no longer has a master. During the ongoing struggle for supremacy in the underworld, she endeavors to discover her human side—if it exists. But in her quest to alter her programming and gain humanity, Guri

7920-596: Was named the #10 best PC game by PC World Magazine . Other notable early examples include Space Shuttle: A Journey into Space (1982), Rendezvous: A Space Shuttle Simulation (1982), and Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator (1982), which featured five different controls to learn, six different enemies, and 40 different simulation levels of play, making it one of the most elaborate vector games ever released. Other early examples include Nasir Gebelli 's 1982 Apple II computer games Horizon V which featured an early radar mechanic and Zenith which allowed

8010-470: Was released in 1984 as an entirely different branch of the space trader tree, having been inspired by Hunt the Wumpus , the board game Risk , and the original space trader, Star Trader . As a pure space trader, Trade Wars lacked any space flight simulator elements, instead featuring abstract open world trading and combat set in an outer space populated by both human and NPC opponents. In 2009, it

8100-408: Was released in 1999, and it was released on Steam and GOG.com in 2015 along with other games in the series. The game received favorable reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings . Tal Blevins of IGN praised the ability to hyperjump from area to area and the space battles for being much larger than the game's predecessors, with up to 96 ships in space. He also praised

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