Privateer 2

Privateer 2: The Darkening
Studio	Electronic Arts Manchester
Publisher	Electronic Arts
Senior Developer	Erin Roberts
Erstveröffent- lichung	December 13, 1996
platform	PC ( DOS , Win )
genre	Space flight simulation
Game mode	Single player
control	Keyboard & mouse , joystick
system advantages preconditions	OS : MS-DOS 5.0 CPU : Pentium 75 MHz Graphics card : Card with SVGA support RAM : 8 MB Free hard disk space : 40 MB 2-way CD-ROM drive
medium	CD-ROM , download
language	English German
Age rating	USK

Privateer 2: The Darkening is a space flight simulation for PC and the direct successor to Wing Commander: Privateer . The game was developed by EA Manchester and published on December 13, 1996. From its predecessor, it adopts the elite- based game principle of space trading and combat in connection with a film-staged storyline typical of the Wing Commander series . However, in contrast to its predecessor, there are no typical connecting points to the Wing Commander universe, which is why the game is independent in the series. Erin Roberts , brother of Wing Commander creator Chris Roberts , was responsible for the concept and project management .

action

Privateer 2 is a space trading game with a strong background story. The action takes place in the so-called tri-system, consisting of the solar systems Irrulan, Issac and Hom. The player takes on the role of Lev Arris, played by Clive Owen , who is the only one who survived an attack on a cargo ship and who has suffered from amnesia ever since . In order to close the gaps in his memory, Arris goes on a search for his past.

As with Wing Commander III and Wing Commander IV, the story is told by means of film clips. Actors include John Hurt , Clive Owen , Jürgen Prochnow and Christopher Walken . However, the action does not take place in the classic Wing Commander universe, typical beings like the Kilrathi or known techniques from the other series parts do not appear.

Gameplay

The player controls the game from the first person perspective ; in addition to the joystick , the mouse and keyboard can also be used as input devices. As a space fighter, there are 18 different models to choose from, which the player can purchase with the appropriate account balance. The character earns his living either as a pirate or a trader. As a trader, Arris can commute between 18 moons and planets as well as numerous space stations and buy or sell legal and illegal goods. For the transport he has to rent a freighter, which he has to protect from pirates on the flight to the destination. In order to gain an advantage, an escort pilot can be hired from a pool. A distinction is made between experienced pilots and beginners, whose flight behavior varies. The player can also take on various special missions, such as patrol or escort missions, the recovery of helplessly drifting escape pods or combat missions against members of the four pirate clans. In addition to the pirates, the military and the CIS police unit also operate as larger factions in the tri-sector.

Development history

production

The game was not created by Origin Systems , but was developed by the EA Manchester studio founded by Erin Roberts. As with the predecessor, Erin Roberts acted as producer, the script was drafted by the writer Diane Duane . Compared to its predecessor, the game world has been significantly reduced in size; the FMV video sequences with around 60 actors , which have been typical of the series since Wing Commander III, replaced the animations in the game graphics. The development budget was around five million US dollars. The game used a new graphics engine, which for the first time in the history of the series also mastered lens flare , but also required an SVGA graphics card.

publication

The game was released in December 1996 after a long delay, among other things due to ongoing work on the graphics engine. In addition to the standard version, it was also released in a special edition that also contained the predecessor Wing Commander: Privateer including the Righteous Fire expansion .

Privateer 2 were re- released on September 19, 2013 through digital distributor gog.com .

Fans released an unofficial patch in 2013 to fix problems remaining after the last official developer patch .

occupation

role	actor	Voice actor
Ser Lev Arris	Clive Owen	Frank Muth
Xavier Shondi	Jürgen Prochnow	Jürgen Prochnow
Joe Kane	John Hurt	Horst Raspe
David Hassan	Christopher Walken	Reinhard Brock
Canera Captain	David McCallum	Dieter Memel
Rhinehart	David Warner	Franz Rudnick
Melissa Banks	Mathilda May	Michèle Tichawsky
Assassin	Amanda Pays
Uncle Kashumai	Brian Blessed	Manfred Erdmann

successor

Logo of the Privateer 3 Pitch 1997.

There were repeated attempts by EA project teams to have a Privateer 3 project approved by EA management, the first attempt was in 1997. Another attempt was started in 2000, which did not succeed.

reception

The game received mostly very good reviews.

Rating mirror

• PC Action 12/96: 88%
• PC Games 12/96: 84%
• PC Joker 1/97: 82%
• PC Player 12/96: 5/5
• Power Play 12/96: 86%
• GameSpot : 6.8 / 10

Web links

• Archived Origin website for the Wing Commander series (March 30, 1997) ( Memento of March 30, 1997 on the Internet Archive )
• Privateer 2 at MobyGames (English)
• Wing Commander News . Extensive archive for the Wing Commander series.
• wingcenter.net German-language forum with current news reports , extensive database and download area for all things Wing Commander

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Greg Kasavin : Privateer 2: The Darkening ( English ) In: GameSpot . CNET . February 6, 1997. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
2. ^ ^{A b c} Roland Austinat: Privateer 2: The Darkening . (Article scan) In: PC Player . No. 12/1996, December 1996, pp. 72-77.
3. ↑ ^{a b c} Peter Steinlechner: Privateer 2: The Darkening - Dark Deals . (Article scan) In: Power Play . No. 12/1996, December 1996, pp. 138-142.
4. ↑ Privateer 2 the darkening on gog.com (English)
5. ↑ WC news stuff: New Privateer 2 Patch Adds Deinterlace Feature & Numerous Fixes ( English ) wcnews.com. October 1, 2013. Retrieved on November 27, 2013: “ The release of Privateer 2 on GOG recently provided us with the perfect opportunity to release a project that's been in various stages of development for a while. We've been working on a Privateer 2 patch and are pleased to present the initial "beta" version to everyone. This patch will update your gamefiles to a Windows version with a number of bugfixes and minor enhancements, not the least of which include removing the interlacing from the FMV. "
6. ↑ ^{a b} The Grand Daddy of Privateer 3 Concepts ( English ) wcnews.com. October 12, 2012. Retrieved on December 2, 2013: “ We have an exciting new Privateer 3 document available! [...] Historically speaking, this is the first Privateer 3 proposal, put together by the Loose Cannon team during the development of Wing Commander Prophecy in 1997. This version of the game is very different from the Privateer 3: Retribution story and concept you may be familiar with. "
7. ↑ Privateer 3 Pitch Document Restored ( English ) wcnews.com. October 11, 2011. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
8. ↑ Document Archive: Privateer 3 Pitch ( English ) wcnews.com. August 11, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013: “ This glossy pitch for Privateer 3 was crafted in 2000 for the eyes of Electronic Arts executives. Printed in full color, this massive document was signed by the entire team. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to convince EA that the team with ten years of space combat experience was a better match for building an online space game than the team responsible for Command and Conquer. "
9. ↑ ^{a b c} PC Games Database: Privateer 2 - Press Review . Retrieved April 2, 2012
10. ^ Wing Commander . www.origin.ea.com. March 30, 1997. Archived from the original on March 30, 1997. Retrieved July 30, 2011.