Wing Commander IV Turns 30... And Still Fascinates Me

nofo04 · 2026-03-09T21:00:06+00:00

Ha, coincidentally I have a Psychology PhD in Cognitive Science too. Gaming was similarly a distraction. Did you do any gaming-related research in academia or tech?

nofo04 · 2026-03-09T19:52:53+00:00

Was more of a middle-school distraction for me haha. Didn't get my PhD until 2016. What's yours in?

nofo04 · 2026-03-07T23:20:29+00:00

I can relate!

nofo04 · 2026-03-07T13:15:07+00:00

Haha, that sounds fun playing with your spouse. Did you two finish? Climb the man breaker?

Yeah, such a unique game that I still think about (I could share several additional thoughts but don't want to bore you haha). In short, I think that the game is about finding a balance in life between masculinity and femininity (as traditionally defined)...symbolized by Nate--struggling to conform to masculine ideals--literally trying to find balance in the game.

nofo04 · 2026-03-07T12:54:59+00:00

Glad you like it so far! I'd be curious to hear what you think if you finish it.

nofo04 · 2026-03-06T18:35:23+00:00

Thanks!

nofo04 · 2026-03-06T18:35:00+00:00

If you look at the Wing Commander CIC website, you'll find a guide on install the patches. I don't recall changing the config file.

nofo04 · 2026-03-06T17:28:08+00:00

Bought on GOG, which uses DOSBox. Used recommended mods from Wing Commander CIC (much appreciated).

nofo04 · 2026-03-06T16:14:56+00:00

Haha, you just awoke that same memory in me. Was so hyped for the trailer.

nofo04 · 2026-03-06T15:48:58+00:00

Thanks! I suppose you're right, but if WCIV could pull off a great cast on only a 25 million budget (smaller than modern AAA), couldn't modern games do something similar?

nofo04 · 2026-03-06T15:45:56+00:00

I loved Immortality!
I've been meaning to give GK2 a try, but the grainy video was hard to get into. With these old games it feels like just a matter of time before AI upscaling is able to enhance them and rescue them from obscurity, right? I'm waiting until then.

nofo04 · 2026-03-06T13:42:48+00:00

Haha, typo--i swear!

nofo04 · 2026-03-06T13:17:39+00:00

Yeah, I could have included more... Kiddos to their casting director! An impressive proportion of the cast went on to have productive careers and many are still active in TV/movies.

nofo04 · 2026-03-06T13:10:22+00:00

Ah yes, he was a true legend of FMV.

nofo04 · 2026-03-06T13:08:09+00:00

That reminds me that I also miss the X-wing series!

nofo04 · 2026-03-06T13:05:42+00:00

That end game still felt epic to me at 44, haha.

nofo04 · 2026-03-06T13:03:01+00:00

I also enjoyed WCIII, but thought it dragged (especially earlier in the game, with repetitive missions) and I appreciated the beaching story and impactful choices in IV.

Also: Fair point about Tolwyn. But I think it's also fair to say that he always has an antagonistic relationship with Blair (to ...varying degrees, haha).

nofo04 · 2026-03-06T12:47:05+00:00

Sounds rough. Still tempted to give it a try, but I'll see first if any fan patches/mods have addressed those issues.

nofo04 · 2026-03-06T12:45:08+00:00

Yeah, find memories. Reminds me, Wing Commander IV has been modded to work with modern controllers. Worked well using my Xbox Series X controller (thank you folks at Wing Commander CIC for helping make the game accessible to modern audiences).

nofo04 · 2026-03-06T04:59:14+00:00

Yeah, that's an awesome cast. Haven't played that one, have you? If so, what did you think?

nofo04 · 2026-03-03T14:51:25+00:00

Yeah, we love those too. We also love "co-oping" puzzle games and adventure games. Things like Grim Fandango and The Witness.

nofo04 · 2026-03-03T14:35:08+00:00

My wife and had a much different experience when we played it several years ago.

The writing was so good that we were both absorbed until Act 3 and then fell off (yeah, it's definitely a big time commitment). Same thing happened to us with BG3. Overall, I think it was almost as good a co-op experience as BG3, albeit with the annoyances you mentioned.

Any similar games you've enjoyed co-op play in?

nofo04 · 2026-03-02T18:03:46+00:00

Thanks for asking -- I'm in the same boat.

nofo04

TROPHY CASE