| Wing Commander: Prophecy | |
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| Developer(s) | Origin Systems |
| Publisher(s) | Electronic Arts |
| Engine | VISION engine |
| Released | 1997 (PC), 2003 (GBA) |
| Genre | Space combat simulation |
| Mode(s) | Singleplayer, Multiplayer on GBA only |
| Ratings | ESRB: T |
| Platform(s) | PC Windows, GBA |
| Media | CD (3) |
Wing Commander: Prophecy is the fourth direct sequel in Chris Roberts' Wing Commander science fiction space combat simulator franchise of computer games. The game was released in 1997, produced by Origin Systems and distributed by Electronic Arts. Prophecy was clearly meant by its producers to segue into a new era of Wing Commander history, especially after the departure from Origin of the series creator Chris Roberts. However, such a future never materialized, especially when Electronic Arts closed Origin down in 2004. The game features several innovations, like an all-new game engine (the VISION Engine), new spacecraft, characters and story elements. The events depicted in Prophecy are set over a decade after Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom and, rather than the Kilrathi, the player must deal with a new alien threat, an insectoid race codenamed Nephilim that has invaded the human galaxy through a wormhole. Also, Prophecy was the first main-line Wing Commander game in which the player did not take on the role of Christopher Blair, instead being introduced to a new player character, Lance Casey. Some of the characters and actors from previous games return in Prophecy, where they rub elbows with an entirely new cast of Confederation pilots and personnel. A stand-alone expansion pack, Secret Operations, was released by Origin in 1998; most notably, it was released solely over the Internet and for no charge, though the large initial file challenged the dial-up connections of that day. Secret Operations was later released for sale in combination with Prophecy in the "Wing Commander: Prophecy - Gold" package. A Game Boy Advance port of Prophecy featuring also multiplayer was released in 2003. Also, recently a number of fan-made mods based on the game's engine has been developed and distributed.
Contents |
Synopsis
Prophecy
It has been some twelve years since the destruction of Kilrah, the Kilrathi homeworld. The Terran Confederation, slowly demobilizing and reorganizing its military assets, has settled on a new strategy: building several Midway-class supercarriers, brainchild of Navy Commodore Christopher Blair. These new carriers, over a kilometer long, carry all the hardware and weaponry of a Kilrathi-War-era carrier battle group. The first one, the Midway herself, is undergoing her shakedown cruise, with Blair along for the ride. Before this, though, the player is treated to a CGI video of a bizarre rupture in space in the Kilrah system: the first of the Nephilim invaders. The game's titular prophecy involves the coming of these alien invaders, who shall arrive only after "one who has the heart of a Kilrathi, but who is not Kilrathi-born," conquers the felinoid warrior race. The player takes the role of 1st Lieutenant Lance Casey, son of the venerable Major Michael "Iceman" Casey from Wing Commander I. He and his best friend Max "Maestro" Garrett have been assigned to the Midway on her maiden voyage as members of the ship's junior Diamondback Squadron. Aside from Blair, the Heart of the Tiger himself, Majors Jacob "Hawk" Manley and Todd "Maniac" Marshall compete for control of the Black Widow Squadron, while Lt. Jean "Stiletto" Talvert keeps the Diamondbacks in firm control. In charge of the Midway's two squadrons is CAG (Commander, Air Group) Patricia Drake, while Captain Eugene Wilford serves as her skipper. Commander Aurora Finley heads up the "Sciences Division", while Colonel John "Gash" Dekker leads the ship's contingent of Marines. Finally, Blair's old love interest Rachel Coriolis has returned as the ship's Chief Technician. Casey has just barely gotten his bearings on the giant ship when things start happening: the Midway receives a distress call from a Kilrathi cruiser in the H'rekkah system, and Marshall, Manley, Casey, Talvert and Garrett are sent to investigate. Unusually, Casey is placed in command of his flight: Stiletto intends to test the rookie pilot's reputation and see if he is up to the challenge when under pressure. And the pressure is indeed on: the Kilrathi Fralthra II has been destroyed, and in moments new attackers come boiling out of the nearby asteroids. When one of Maniac's patrols is ambushed by a horde of such ships, Casey has to sortie out to save them as well. No one knows who or what these new aggressors are, but there is definitely a lot of them, and the Midway soon finds herself on the defensive. In order to alert Confed HQ of this new alien menace, who have been codenamed Nephilim, Casey, Blair and Dekker fly out to an abandoned Confed relay station. It is only lightly defended, and Blair and the Marines land to send out the distress call. Unfortunately, the insect-like aliens have been lying in wait, and Blair is kidnapped. Casey must then defend the station from a significant wave of attackers before reinforcements arrive, and has to deal with his guilt over Blair's kidnapping (especially if the player has not performed well in the cockpit, as failure opens up a series of new missions in which the Confederation is pushed to the brink of defeat). The Midway's next mission is in the T'lan Meth system, where they are tasked with defending Kilrathi colonists there from the Nephilim invasion. Casey finds himself on Hawk's wing several times, and learns more about his father from him. Once, when still a rookie aboard the TCS Tiger's Claw, Manley lost a wingman, and was a complete wreck for some time. Only one pilot volunteered to fly on his wing, and had to fight off nearly an entire squadron of Kilrathi until Hawk could get his act together. That pilot, Major Michael "Iceman" Casey, was eventually lost in action: he ejected from his damaged fighter and was scooped up by the Kilrathi for a bit of fun. The family was not told how many limbs this "fun" cost him; it was a bit harder to hide the fact that he now was dead. Finally, while Casey and Manley are assisting a wing of Kilrathi fighters, Hawk advises that they turn on the furballs in revenge for old grievances. If Casey agrees, Hawk is killed in the resulting battle; if he declines, Hawk refuses to speak to him again and is later killed while on patrol. The Kilrathi also withhold assistance at a later juncture if Casey attacks them. Finally, the Marines manage to retake a captured Kilrathi starbase, on which the Nephilim held a number of human prisoners, though only one remains: Commodore Blair. The Midway has recovered her breath and is ready to go on the offensive. Reports have filtered in of a Nephilim superweapon: a plasma cannon that can destroy an entire fleet with one blast. Casey leads a raid aimed to steal such a weapon, which is subsequently grafted onto the Midway. Because of incompatibilities between Nephilim and Terran technology, the plasma gun doesn't work as intended, and Casey has to assist in its firing by delivering a primer charge to an enemy ship, though this does result in the complete annihilation of the hostile fleet; furthermore, if Midway attempts to charge the weapon again, she runs a two-thirds risk of a fatal backfire, making the plasma gun, in the words of Captain Wilford, a "fire-and-forget" weapon: "We fired it once, and now we can forget about using it again." (Indeed, one of the game's many Game-Over movies depicts the Midway attempting to fire the weapon, only to destroy itself in the process.) Finally, the Midway moves onto the Kilrah system, where the Nephilim's original Wormhole Gate is still pumping out ships. Casey helps destroy a Nephilim dreadnought and then leads an attack on the Gate itself, which is controlled by seven shielded towers. In a marathon mission, Casey and Talvert escort Dekker's Marines in and then combat infinite waves of Nephilim fighters, while the Marines land and deactivate the shields on the towers so that Casey can destroy them one by one. The Marines and Casey together manage to destroy all but the last tower; Blair, flying in on his own shuttle, lands at the seventh and deactivates its shields. Unfortunately, the Nephilim Warlord who kidnapped Blair within the tower; Blair, distracted by this higher priority, doesn't escape before the inevitable explosion. Casey returns to the Midway and the Confederation as a hero. The credits roll.
Secret Operations
Released solely over the Internet, Secret Ops consisted of two parts: gameplay, using the VISION Engine, and text-based plot and character development, consisting of Casey's journal entries, e-mails between himself and other pilots, e-mails from the captain, and bulletins from Terran Confederation News. A few blocks of pre-recorded dialogue also advance the plot from within the cockpit. While the game's flight engine remained unchanged, many Confed and Nephilim fighters received upgrades to their performance, weapons and (occasionally) graphics. The missions themselves are also quite difficult; the player is limited to his five wingmen on every mission of the game, and frequently faces large numbers of Nephilim craft, including the dreaded Devil Ray space superiority fighters, which are now flown in normal combat, with as many as four or five in one mission; in comparison, WC:Ps final mission required the player to shoot down a grand total of two Devil Rays. The Midway has barely returned to Sol System when some of her best pilots are transferred. Lance Casey, Max "Maestro" Garrett, Jean "Stiletto" Talvert, T. "Zero" O'Hearn, Karl "Spyder" Bowen and Amber "Amazon" Elbereth are reassigned to the TCS Cerberus, a quick-strike cruiser meant to operate behind enemy lines. The Cerberus, commanded by Captain Enoch Murkins, is on its shakedown cruise in the Courage system when, unexpectedly, Nephilim ships appear. Cerberus retreats to Ella, where the player is treated to one of the game's first unexpected bonuses: a flight of vintage F-106 Excalibur heavy fighters that helps out with in-system defense. (Thunderbolt VIIs show up later.) The next surprise, in the Talos System, is not as friendly: Casey and his five wingmen must save one specific transport, the Shy Meadows (and preferably its companions, the Kyoto Rose and Cheryl's Song), from a grand total of twenty enemy bombers. In the Cygnus System, the Cerberus comes across a couple of civilian cruise liners, one of which (the Anna Maria Albergetti) has been destroyed by Nephilim attack, the other of which (the Twilight Purchase) is under attack. The Albergetti has two survivors, both of which have been contaminated by Nephilim viruses, which are later suspected of sentience, as the subcutaneous rashes are able to move to avoid treatment. The Cerberus continues to police systems for Nephilim presence as it moves on, eventually reaching the Proxima System, where the aliens are building a new wormhole gate. It is connected directly to Proxima's binary star, so destroying it is not an option; instead, Casey defeats the fleet around it and allows Confed to take control of it. After a perfunctory ending movie, the credits roll.
Characters
Confed Pilots
- Lieutenant Lance Casey: the Confederation's latest hero. Although he and best friend Max Garrett got into plenty of trouble at the Academy, Casey finds his stride aboard the Midway. Played by Steven Petrarca.
- Lieutenant Maxwell "Maestro" Garrett: seldom found far from alcohol, he is the frenetic, free-wheeling younger brother to Casey's more stolid demeanour. Played by Neill Barry.
- Lieutenant Jean "Stiletto" Talvert: a straight-forward, no-nonsense pilot. After the Academy, she moved straight to the Empyrean Zephyrs, Confed's aerobatics team. On a five-man patrol from the Midway, her group was ambushed by a group of Kilrathi raiders and two of her wing, including the wingleader, killed outright. She rallied the survivors, co-ordinated the running fight back to the Midway, and ensured the destruction of the raiders. For her gallant action she was promoted to immediate command of the Diamondback Squadron. Played by Heather Stephens.
- Lieutenant T. "Zero" O'Hearn: refuses to use his first name (Terrence) socially. His father is a leading anthropologist and one of Terra's foremost experts on Kilrathi culture; Zero appears to have taken Kilrathi pessimism to heart. His call sign was a derogatory remark from an instructor: "When the Big One lands, you'll be right at Ground Zero." Played by Adam Lazarre-White.
- Major Karl "Spyder" Bowen: not much is known of this man aside from his prowess in the cockpit, though rumours circulate that he was in the squadron slated to make the Temblor Bomb run before a Kilrathi ambush slaughtered the unit. Played by Brad Greenquist.
- Lieutenant Amber "Amazon" Elbereth: named for hiking the entire length of the Amazon River. She does not play a large role in the plot of Prophecy.
- Lieutenant Jack "Dallas" Slayton: a competent but underconfident pilot whom Casey can choose to take under his wing. Alarmed at the prospect of live combat, and is killed in action in the G'wriss System. Played by Joel Stoffer.
- Major Todd "Maniac" Marshall: played by Tom Wilson of Back to the Future fame. An inspired but undependable flyer, Maniac eventually receives a much-coveted promotion to squadron leader, but abdicates when he realises how much responsibility is involved.
- Colonel Jacob "Hawk" Manley: a battle-hardened warrior, Hawk serves primarily as the voice of decisive, aggressive action. A TCS Tiger's Claw veteran, he served with Blair during the Black Lance affair. Played by Chris Mulkey.
Confed Personnel
- Commodore Christopher "Maverick" Blair: his official callsign has finally been established, and he takes to the cockpit on several occasions, even though he has officially transferred over to the Navy. Presumably killed in action while boarding the enemy jumpgate. Played by Mark Hamill
- Captain Eugene Wilford: a lifelong denizen of the Border Worlds, he transferred over to the Confed military solely to command the Midway. Played by Peter Jason.
- Colonel John "Gash" Dekker: known primarily as Gash, a nickname he got as a trainee when he gave himself such a fierce paper cut on a foil packet of rations that he had to be medevaced out. Played by Jeremy Roberts.
- Chief Technician Rachel Coriolis: the woman who keeps Midway's fighters in fighting condition, she is the most decorated fleet technician who is not a line officer. Played by Ginger Lynn Allen.
- Commander Aurora Finley: half scientist, half administrator, Finley runs and co-ordinates the varied science specialists aboard the Midway and provides a great deal of intelligence information during the course of the game. Played by Mindy Hester.
- Commander Patricia Drake, Commander, Air Group: the lady in charge of dispatching the Midway's fighters, and a stern-but-caring brood mother to three squadrons. Played by Lauren Sinclair.
Weapon Systems
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To provide a grounds for comparison between fighters, armaments are listed first.
Terran Beam Weapons
- Laser Cannon: the longest-range weapon in space, and the one that takes the least juice to fire, but also the weakest in terms of damage. Many capital ships boast this weapon on a turret mount.
- Mass Driver: a medium-range, medium-damage, medium rate of fire, medium power-requirement weapon. Secret Ops background fiction finally reveals that the "mass" the guns fire comes from storage tanks.
- Charging Mass Driver: this weapon allows the pilot to add mass to the average projectile, "charging" a volley that can destroy some fighters in one hit. This is a completely different weapons system than a standard Mass Driver, not a modification or alternate firing mode.
- Stormfire Gun: not truly a mass driver variant, but is the only other weapon that fires solid-state projectiles. This rapid-fire gatling gun comes with 400 to 600 rounds, depending on the spacecraft flown.
- Dust Cannon: found only in Secret Ops, this weapon is an unlimited ammunition variant of the Stormfire. The "mass" for the gun is reportedly culled from the fighter's "exhaust filter." Capable of extremely rapid fire and incredible damage, this gun essentially obsoleted any other beam weapon when available. It's rapid fire, however, quickly exhausts its ammunition battery, allowing only 1-2 second bursts.
- Particle Cannon: fires "nuclear particles," described elsewhere as the "opposite of ions," for destructive force. It does moderate damage over long range.
- Pulse Particle Cannon: as the Dust Cannon is to the Mass Driver, so the Pulse Particle is to the standard Particle. It only appears in Secret Ops, and no information was released on why it is different than the Particle Cannon, aside from what any pilot can tell by squeezing the trigger: it fires a lot faster.
- Ion Cannon: requires more gun energy than the Particle Cannon, does less damage, has less range, fires slower.
- Chain Ion Cannon: fires a long chain of slow-moving projectiles. Found only in Secret Ops.
- "Cloudburst" Electrical Discharge Weapon: found only in Secret Ops, this weapon fires oblong-shaped blasts with long range, high projectile speed and very good damage, especially against unshielded hull. Details on the exact nature of the weapon were not revealed.
- Heavy Plasma Gun: firing superheated hydrogen, it does tons of damage but requires a whole lot of juice. It also doesn't fire very quickly, something on the order of once every second. The special heavy version found on the Devastator is strong enough to damage capital-ship components, and does a nasty number on fighters... Assuming you can hit them with it.
- Tachyon Gun: slows down faster-than-light particles for massive damage and range. Fires quickly, and its projectiles are the fastest-moving gun bolts in the known galaxy.
Nephilim Beam Weapons
- Maser Cannon: the primary weapon of most Nephilim ships, this weapon fires focused microwaves. It comes in Light and Heavy varieties.
- Quantum Disruptor: this unusual weapon sets up vibrations in the target's molecular structure, and can cause ships to essentially shake to death. Fortunately, they are not particularly effective at penetrating shields.
- "Shield Killer" Cannon: the obvious counterpart to the Quantum Disruptor, this weapon, as described by Confed scientists, can strip the defensive energy fields from enemy ships in short succession. Lucky for Confed pilots, they don't seem to actually work in combat.
- Light Plasma Cannon: no one's really sure if it is a plasma cannon, but, as pilots report, "it fires green."
- Heavy Plasma Gun: similar to the Confed version, but faster-firing and doing less damage. However, because of the way the Nephilim carry the Heavy Plasma Gun into battle, it is a lot easier to use against enemy fighters.
- "Heavy Gorgon" Cannon: evidently the Nephilim equivalent of the Tachyon Gun, it is actually less effective than the Confed version.
- "Ship Killer" Plasma Gun: the Nephilim big stick, mounted only on the Nephilim Kraken-class destroyer. ...And, after some hasty modification, the TCS Midway.
Missiles
- Dart Dumbfire (DF): The DF is essentially an unguided rocket, and requires a sharp eye to use. However, its lack of tracking systems allowed munitions engineers to pack in a lot more bang, and a good hit will severely damage any fighter. The advent of phase shielding has rendered it useless against many larger ships, excepting their laser turrets, and it has seen decreasing service in recent years.
- Dragonfly Rocket Pod (RP): basically a mini-dumbfire, with higher velocity, less range and less bang. A sharp-eyed pilot, however, will be able to find ways to use the RP against just about any target, from fighters to small capships to turrets or shield generators on large capships. The large number of rockets available makes them useful for "spray and pray" launches or to continue attacking once gun capacitors are depleted.
- Javelin Heat-Seeker (HS): this infra-red munition can only lock onto enemy ships from behind, and can be easily countered at long range by simply turning 90 degrees, causing the missile to lose its targeting lock. At close range, however, it's perfect to finish off an aggravating furball when your guns are out of power.
- Pilum Friend or Foe (FF): relying on identification friend or foe beacons for targeting information, this munition is truly fire and forget... But may attack you, if your IFF beacon is damaged. The Pilum has the weakest punch of any missile (excepting the rocket pods).
- Tracker MIRV: carried only by the Vampire space superiority fighter, this unguided rocket splits up into four FF rounds after several seconds of flight. Unfortunately, the rocket itself does nothing if it hits something. The missile is also somewhat limited by the fact that the four FFs it produces tend to all go after the same target. The Tracker is useful at the outset of an engagement, however, in distracting and disrupting the behavior of enemy fighters.
- Mosquito Enhanced Rocket Pod (ERP): found only in Secret Ops, this is a Rocket Pod with miniaturized Friend-or-Foe tracking technology squeezed into it. Unfortunately, this compromises its damage, and its high speed, low range and low maneuverability make it not much more useful than the Dragonfly.
- Spiculum Image-Recognition (IR): though it takes the longest to lock, this missile memorizes the target's electromagnetic, visual and thermal signature. If not thrown off by an electronic countermeasures decoy, it will continue to chase its target until it either 1) runs out of fuel and self-destructs, or 2) ...hits.
- Artemis Enhanced Long-Range Image Recognition (ELRIR): devised by Chief Tech Rachel Coriolis over the course of the campaign from captured Nephilim technology and eventually pressed into service, this missile has an enormous range (18,000 kilometers) and increased damage. It's still vulnerable to ECM, though, making it mostly ineffective when fired from maximum range: the target simply has that much more time in which to drop some decoys. It's range is useful, however, in distracting and getting the attention of enemy pilots.
- Swarmer Pod: mounted only on the Wasp dedicated interceptor, Swarmer Pods release a salvo of eight "anti-bomber" missiles at once. These missiles are guided by a laser designator in the Wasp's nose, meaning that the pilot (player) must keep the enemy craft within his forward visual cone (on the computer screen) for the missiles to hit. It's worth the effort, as these missiles are immune to decoys, and the full impact of eight will easily destroy any fighter or bomber.
- Lance Torpedo: Phase Shielding has once again asserted its dominance over singleship weapons, and capital ships are susceptible to fighters only if that fighter carries a torpedo (excepting the Devastator's large plasma cannon). Torpedoes have sophisticated sensors and circuitry, which allow them to actually bypass phase shielding and detonate directly against the ship's hull, with spectacular results. The problem is that torpedoes need about 20 seconds of locking time to do so. Those 20 seconds are generally the longest of a bomber jock's life. A Light version takes only 12 seconds to lock but suffers an appropriate decrease in damage. Finally, advances in capship structural design have rendered torpedoes to be essentially useless unless aimed at specific weak points, generally the ship's engines and bridge. Torpedoes can also be intercepted by enemy fire, making it usually wisest (though dangerous) to launch them at close range at the end of a bombing run.
- Porcupine Mine: like all naval mines, this free-floating munition was simply an explosive booby-trap, designed to detonate in the presence of spacecraft. Thankfully, advances in technology allowed the Porcupine to contain its excitement until enemy spacecraft were nearby.
Terran Fighters
- F-106 Piranha Light Scout Fighter: armed with one Laser, two Ion Cannon, a Stormfire, four HS and two IR, this quick, maneuverable fighter is an exercise in concentration: it can't deal or absorb very much damage. The Piranha pilot must strike decisively when he can—and get the hell out of Dodge when he needs to.
- In Secret Ops, this craft carries three Ion Cannon instead. Casey does not fly this version.
- F/A-105 Tigershark Multi-Role Fighter: that most limited of specialists, the well-rounded fighter. Despite tasked with filling shoes that many craft cannot (real-world aircraft that have failed at the "all-purpose" role include the F-4 Phantom II and the F-111 Aardvark), the Tigershark is an excellent craft, with enough weapons, agility and defenses to hold its own against fighters, bombers and even cap ships (though the lethal torpedo blow requires a dedicated bomber). Armed with two Mass Drivers, two Lasers, two Charging Mass, four HS, two IR, two FF and 36 RP.
- In Secret Ops, this craft carries four Ion Cannons instead. Casey does not fly this version.
- F-110 Wasp Interceptor: the first dedicated interceptor commissioned for the Confederation fleet, this craft is designed to sortie against incoming bombers and defeat them before they have a chance to bomb anything. To that end, it is equipped with a solid rocket booster that can push the Wasp up to 3,000 kilometers per second (the Piranha, on afterburners, reaches 1400) and is discarded after an 18-second burn. The fighter itself, contains weapons, conventional engines and missiles, most notably four Swarmer pods, as well as 2 HS, 6 IR, two Mass Driver, two Charging Mass and two Tachyon guns. It is not very maneuverable for its size, relying on speed and firepower to quickly decide a battle.
- In Secret Ops, the Cerberus carries the Black Wasp, which features increased speed, maneuverability and shielding. It carries four IR and eight Swarmer pods. The guns are also altered to two Dust Cannon and two Cloudburst (which generally proved unnecessary).
- F-108 Panther Medium Fighter: this fighter's unique appearance was due to a horizontally-articulating engine pod: the engines, mounted above the fighter's fuselage, could swivel from side to side, greatly increasing yaw. It carried two Tachyon Guns and two Ion Cannon, which provided a powerful but uncoordinated barrage (one had good striking power, one had good refire rate, neither had both), and six IR and six FF.
- In Secret Ops, the Cerberus carries the Black Panther, which features increased speed, maneuverability and shielding. Unfortunately, its unmodified missile inventory was generally insufficient during the heavy engagements of the Proxima campaign. Its guns are two Chain Ion and two Cloudburst (which again caused problems, as Cloudburst emissions travel about twice as quickly as do Chain Ion blasts).
- F-109 Vampire Space-Superiority Fighter: carrying four Tachyon Cannon, two Particle Cannon, eight IR, eight FF and four Tracker MIRV, this fighter was unequaled in terms of sheer firepower. Two vertically-articulating engine pods at the end of its wings allowed it to roll and pitch more quickly than other craft. The Confederation's premier dogfighter and space-superiority craft, used to clear enemy fighters.
- Secret Ops's Black Vampire replaced the Particle Cannon with Pulse Particle cannon, and upgraded the craft's engines, maneuverability and shielding.
- TB-81 Shrike Light Torpedo Bomber: an uneasy compromise between a heavy fighter and a bomber, it excelled at neither. It was not maneuverable enough to employ its Stormfire, two Mass Drivers and three Particle Cannon effectively, and its six Light and two Heavy Torpedoes were not always sufficient for strikes against heavy capital ships (especially after the inevitable attrition in wingmen). It did have top, bottom and rear Laser turrets for defense. Four IR, four DF, eighteen RP and eighteen Mines rounded out its complement.
- Secret Ops's Black Shrike featured Pulse Particle and Dust Cannon instead (the latter being a significant improvement) and replaced the mines with Enhanced Rocket Pods.
- TB-80 Devastator Heavy Torpedo Bomber: the only ship in the Confed hangar to feature the Heavy Plasma Cannon, which could be used to supplement or even supplant torpedoes—an irony, considering that the Devastator carried more torpedoes (eight light and four heavy) than any craft before and since. For defense against fighters, it also mounted a Stormfire weapon. Turrets on all sides, six FF, six IR, and thirty-six Mines were available as well. The Devastator's default shield recharge power setting often proved inadequate to the pounding that the slow-moving bomber faced, making an adjustment for greater protection a wise decision.
- Secret Ops's Black Devastator replaced the (arguably useless) Stormfire with a (just as useless) Tachyon Cannon, and the mines with 90(!) ERP.
- Excalibur Space-Superiority Fighter: seen only in Secret Ops, the fighter used for the Temblor Run at Kilrah is now fifteen years old and sadly out of date. Its four Tachyon Cannon and two Ion Cannon rivaled anything in space, and it could do good damage with four IR and four FF rounds, but its speed, shielding and maneuverability were second-rate. Casey does not fly this fighter.
- Thunderbolt VII Heavy Fighter: seen only in Secret Ops, this heavy fighter doubles as a bomber, with 1 or 3 Light Torpedoes available (depending on its loadout). It carried four Ion Cannon and two Tachyon Cannon, but its already-low speed and maneuverability worked against it, and combined with its substandard shielding to create a less-than-effective fighter. It also carried 24 RP, 3 FF and either 3 IR or the two extra torpedoes, but never fired from its rear turret. Casey does not fly this fighter.
Terran Capital Ships
- Condor-class Shuttle: primarily responsible for search and rescue operations. It can be downed by fighters (IE it does not require a torpedo to destroy).
- Hercules-class Marine Landing Craft: a shuttlecraft designed and optimised for Marine insertion, it is smaller and faster than the Condor. It is too small to rate a torpedo.
- Seahawk-class SEW/SWACS: shaped like a triangle, and with a smaller triangular radome above it, these craft provide long-range, high-intensity sensors and telemetry. They can be downed by fighter craft.
- Pelican-class Transport: the jugular vein of any war effort, these crafts' laser turrets are essentially afterthoughts, and they require constant shepherding. Thankfully, their Phase Shielding protects them from everything except bombers and their torpedoes.
- TCS Midway-class Supercarrier: a cross between a big stick and a little basket to put a lot of eggs in, the Midway carries three squadrons of fighters and pilots, a Marine contingent and a small science section. An entire Carrier Battle Group rolled into one very large ship, it is designed to work alone. It is protected by its 252 fighters, torpedo tubes and a large number of laser and FF missile turrets.
- Comm Relay Station: a cylindrical habitat section with radar dishes in all directions, this is the interstellar equivalent of a switch board.
- Starbase: these enormous immobile constructions project the long arm of Confed military forces, but frequently have civilians aboard them as well.
- Hades-class Quick-Strike Cruiser: seen only in Secret Ops, this small battlecruiser carries 30 planes, six pilots and is defended by tachyon turrets a single ventral-mount Heavy Plasma Turret. Though inspired on paper, the Cerberus was almost overwhelmed by the demands of the Proxima Campaign, as it was designed to be a supporting asset in a larger fleet, not a flagship. The Plasma Turret was also frequently just as dangerous to allied pilots as enemy ones. Interestingly, the Cerberus was the first operational example in the class, with the Hades itself functioning mostly as prototype and technologies test-bed.
- Murphy-class Destroyer: armed with 10 turreted lasers some IR missiles, a Heavy Plasma Cannon and a half-squadron of fighters, this destroyer could hold its own against most threats.
- Plunkett-class Cruiser: seen only in Secret Ops, this craft was armed with a small launch bay for a squadron of fighters (usually Tigersharks), 22 laser turrets, 3 Heavy Plasma Cannon and 3 of the largest Particle Cannon in the known universe. Both it and the Murphy Destroyer seem to have been named after Origin Systems employees.
- Vesuvius-class Heavy Carrier: returning in a cameo appearance from Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom, this craft appears only on the losing path (Sirius system) of Secret Ops. She is armed with a dizzying array of beam weapons, torpedo tubes and fighters.
Nephilim Fighters
- Moray Light Fighter: the Nephilim jack-of-all-trades fighter, this craft is far inferior to the Confed Tigershark, and just about any Confed fighter could defeat it with ease. Armed with two Heavy Masers, 3 FF and 1 IR.
- Manta Heavy Fighter: a much more durable and dangerous craft, generally found in the dogfighting role, for which its heavy shielding, dual Gorgon Cannon, light Plasma Cannon, 3 FF, 1 IR and 2 MIRV are ideally suited for. Some Mantas replace the MIRV rounds with a single Torpedo, serving as light fighter-bombers; these Mantas, colored an emblematic red, spell trouble for any capship in the area.
- Devil Ray Space Superiority Fighter: built on the chassis of a Manta but with two vertical engine fins instead of one horizontal one, and colored an eye-catching yellow, these fighters are assigned only to Warlords (in Prophecy at least), Nephilim ace pilots who know how to get the best of the ship's 3 Gorgon, 2 Light Plasma, 8 IR and 2 MIRV. Computer projections on the Devil Ray's shielding, maneuverability and speed suggest that, on paper at least, this may be the most dangerous fighter in space today.
- Skate/Skate Cluster: Skates usually come into battle in groups of three, arrayed around a single large pylon whose contents vary with model: Skate Ms drop mines, Skate Bs drop a bevy of FF missiles, and Skate Ts launch a single torpedo. All models have a rear Maser turret. Once the central pylon has been exhausted, the Skates themselves separate, bringing speed, small size, maneuverability and two Light Masers into the battle. The clusters can also be dissolved by concentrated weapons fire, but the Skates themselves are never damaged when this happens. Though individual Skates are not particularly dangerous, serving as relatively common light fighters, a single cluster spawns three of them. Skate clusters do not reform when broken, and eliminating any one of the three that would form a cluster will prevent them from clustering at all. The Skate cluster is notably less maneuverable than the individual Skates.
- Stingray/Stingray Cluster: individual Stingrays are fairly maneuverable light fighters armed with only two light Plasma Cannon. When three of them combine, however, their weapons combine into a single Heavy Plasma Cannon, which can be employed against capship components to devastating effect. It can also finish off any enemy fighter silly enough to get in its way. Thankfully, Stingray clusters can be broken up easily with weapons fire, and individual Stingrays are not particularly dangerous. The cluster is likewise notably less maneuverable than the individual Stingrays.
- Ray Node/Remora Drone: a single Ray is a large (almost corvette-sized), diamond-shaped craft armed with two Heavy Masers, five Mines and three MIRV warheads; its primary combat asset is its heavy shielding. It is also armed with seven or eight free-floating Remora drones, each equipped with a Light Maser. These Remorae act as free-floating turrets until the Ray is destroyed, at which point they flit off and start attacking everything in sight. Though they are minimally shielded (one laser blast will do 'em in), they are tiny (probably less than three meters long), maneuverable and sometimes hard to hit. A swarm of Remoras can be an unwelcome and even dangerous nuisance if turned loose in a larger dogfight, requiring consideration as to the timing of when to eliminate a Ray.
- Lamprey Interceptor: A globular craft mounting the vaunted Shield Killer Cannon, it is also capable of extreme maneuvers and changes in direction, almost as if it does not respond to inertia. However, the Shield Killer Cannon isn't especially dangerous to an unshielded hull (or shields for that matter), they carry no other weapons, and for some reason they sometimes do not take any sort of evasive action when under fire. The end result is a rather fancy clay pigeon.
- Squid Interceptor: if this fighter, with its Quantum Disruptors, had been paired with the Lamprey's Shield Killer, the Nephilim might have won the war. But, for some reason, these two craft were never fielded together. The Squid itself carries its four guns on long arms, which retract when the Squid engages its afterburner/solid rocket booster. This booster is mostly used to leave the engagement zone, regenerate its shields, and return for head-to-head engagements. During the Proxima campaign, this craft was retrofitted with Heavy Masers, with no appreciable difference in its combat ability. Although not maneuverable enough to engage in serious dogfighting, the Squid makes frequent use of its booster to evade fire, requiring time and patience to destroy.
Nephilim Capital Ships
Most Nephilim ships come equipped with Shield Generators, small components that must be downed with beam weapons before their main components (bridge, engines and hangar bays) become vulnerable to torpedo strikes. With Shield Generators intact, Nephilim capital ships are invulnerable against just about anything. Also, main components on larger ships require more damage (sometimes more than one torpedo) to destroy.
- Barracuda-class Corvette: armed with four Heavy Masers on turrets so small they could not be individually targeted, this craft functioned as more of a very large fighter. Its fierce shields could regenerate quickly, and concentrated fire was required to take it out. At least it didn't have Shield Generators.
- Triton-class Transport: like the Confed Pelican, this craft was a joke without its fighter support: of its three Maser turrets, only the one on the rear was particularly dangerous, and that only because nuances in the Triton's Phase Shielding made it invulnerable from most angles of attack. They did not have Shield Generators, but they still required the waste of two torpedoes to take them out.
- Orca-class Destroyer: fourteen Maser turrets and some IR rounds made this craft dangerous to fighters and capital ships alike.
- Hydra-class Cruiser: Oddly enough, this ship carried less Maser turrets (10) than the Orca.
- Kraken-class Battlecruiser: armed with a number of turreted Masers, its main weapon was its Ship-Killer Plasma Cannon.
- Leviathan-class Carrier: Shield Generators, Maser turrets in good coverage positions, and two fighter bays made this capship a very tough nut to crack.
- Tiamat-class Dreadnought: this enormous ship featured only fourteen Masers. It supposedly also carried a Ship Killer Plasma Cannon, but it was never seen used.
- Comm Relay Station: this teardrop-shaped space station served the same function as its Confed counterpart.
- Drydock: seen only in one mission, with a Kraken cradled in its grasp, this construction had no targetable weak points and was thus invulnerable. Of course, it also wasn't of any use in battle, except as a navigational hazard.
- Wormhole Gate: seen forming during Prophecy's opening movie, this seven-sided portal led back to the Nephilim home. Its destruction is the objective of Prophecy's final mission.
- Stellar Accretion Device: seen only in the last mission of Secret Ops, this composite structure (a Drydock with an almost oil painting-looking wormhole funnel coming out of it) can be destroyed, but doing causes unacceptable gravimetric fluctuations in the Proxima System and leads to the Bad Ending. Instead, the objective of the final mission is to destroy the Tiamat command ship nearby.
Kilrathi Spacecraft
- Dralthi IV Medium Fighter: this fighter, which was not exactly dangerous when it was front-line, is now more of a flying deathtrap for its brave-but-foolish Kilrathi pilots. Armed with two Lasers, one Tachyon Cannon and four HS.
- Vaktoth Heavy Fighter: this jump-capable heavy fighter has lost some of its luster, but is still a respectable craft in any situation. Armed with two Particle Cannon, two Ion Guns and one Tachyon Cannon on the front, plus a rear Laser Cannon in a turret emplacement. Loadout consists of 4 HS, and either 4 FF or a two torpedoes.
- Corvette: this small Kilrathi menace has not lost its most dangerous asset—rapidly-regenerating shields. It carries five Laser Turrets, two Stormfire installations, and four torpedoes.
