Part 71: Orsini System, Epsilon Sector, Mission 3 (Gameplay)
9th August 2669, Orsini System, Epsilon SectorTCS Victory
Confed counterintelligence has learned that the Kilrathi know about the cargo schedule of Confed medical transports in Orsini; Captain Eisen assigns Blair to the job of making sure they get through regardless.
Cutscene videos/thread vote:
There were no conversation choices this time, but Maniac won the wingman vote convincingly. Despite various comments in the thread, Maniac would actually have been my choice for this mission. He's a fantastic pilot in an Arrow, and against the predominantly light fighters we encounter in this sector his total lack of self preservation isn't important. The easiest way to do an escort mission is always to kill the enemy before they get near what you're escorting, and ordering Major Marshall to break and attack will take care of that as well as any fancy tactics.
Here's the video for the pre-mission conversations:
Pre-Mission Conversations (Youtube)
Mission Briefing & Loadout:
Briefing Video (Youtube)
(Kaptain Eisen kommunikates his koncern that we might enkounter a Kilrathi Kruiser)
I'm flying an Arrow armed with image recognition missiles. That's...not really an optimal choice for this mission which is stocked with Darkets (where, as I said in the last video, the lazy option of just waiting for them to go head-to-head with a Thunderbolt is probably the best way to kill them), but it's about time I started brushing up on my Arrow skills for when I'm actually going to need them, and in any case the first three missions probably ought to show off the three basic fighters. That said, Maniac can almost do the mission himself with these settings. Getting away with a decent number of kills may prove to be a challenge, though accomplishing the mission certainly won't be.
Mission Video (Youtube)
Silly Eisen. It wasn't a Kruiser, it was only a Korvette (of course, if I were playing Freespace that would be worse, but Wing Commander was at least designed by people who knew something about ship classes). Not a bad explosion for 1994, either.
Kills this mission: 6, outscoring Maniac by a factor of 2-to-1. The Corvette doesn't seem to count for the killboard - nor did the Darket that rammed me in my other candidate video (which I didn't make into an update because I spent literally two minutes chasing a single fighter) - so on the board it's 6 for me and 3 for Todd Marshall.
While doing this update I stumbled into a pretty good anti-Darket tactic. I'd decided that the Arrow/Darket closing speed was too high when we were flying head on at full throttle, so I went for the - key to slow down and (due to not looking) hit backspace instead and zeroed the throttle out. Turns out the AI doesn't like to be flying that much faster than it's target, so if you set speed to zero it also slows down a lot, which makes it much easier to hit - plus, if you flip a missile at it while it's turning to leave, usually it doesn't manage to get back on the throttle in time to evade. That's probably cut something close to an hour of the total video length of this LP.
Speaking of Maniac:
Major Todd Marshall
Callsign: Maniac
Played by: Tom Wilson
Current role: Pain in the ass, TCS Victory
Previously: Commander, Wild Eagles squadron (test pilots). Pilot, 88th Fighter Wing, TCS Tiger's Claw
Yeah, he's back. Apparently somebody actually picked him up after Special Operations 2. I suppose leaving a more-or-less functional Morningstar out there would have been a bit of a waste really. Anyway, Todd Marshall was in the same academy class as Christopher Blair and they've had similarly up-and-down careers ever since. Maniac is the reckless hotshot, "Maverick" the by-the-book professional (at least in theory - since most players fly with the disregard for danger that can only be born of having infinite extra lives, I'm not entirely sure that really holds true). But Maniac's callsign isn't entirely because of his crazy flying style, much as he's tried to put that story around. Todd Marshall is highly strung and not all that well balanced, and his reaction to the unexpected can often be somewhat unhinged. Carl "Prankster" LaFong, another of Confed's top aces to have come out of the same academy class, takes up the story:
Wing Commander I&II Official Strategy Guide posted:
First, you have to understand the setup. For the dogfight tourney, each pilot flew from a separate simulator cockpit. Each simulator was assigned a plebe who helped the pilot get dressed, harnessed, and helmeted. With cameras and microphones in each cockpit transmitting to an outside theatre, the tourney was as much a spectator event as a competitive contest. The sim operators could also open a microphone and transmit instructions into the cockpit from the theatre. Everyone would be watching the final dogfight. It was the perfect setup. You also have to understand Marshall. He wasn't the type of guy who responded positively to embarrassment. He just didn't really have the self assurance that he tried so hard to display when he met people.
Anthony and I had set the stage when we filled a spare helmet with a mixture of manure, grease, oil and whipped cream. Anthony made sure the helmet was in the cockpit, but out of sight, just minutes before Marshall arrived for the final match. I stayed in the packed theatre area while Marshall arrived and climbed into the simulator cockpit. I made sure the micro-phone was open so that Marshall would be able to hear the reaction of the crowd.
Anthony helped Marshall into his suit and harness and began hooking up all the electronics that monitored the pilots' reactions during combat. It took a few minutes, and the whole time Marshall was pumping himself up for the final dogfight. "This is going to be the shortest tourney final in academy history," Marshall boasted. "LaFong doesn't stand a chance. I'm going to take him out slow and make sure he understands who the best pilot really is. In fact, I'll fly circles around him and make sure everybody realizes what a wimp he is. Get my helmet on, Anthony, and we'll get this show on the road."
Anthony was more than happy to oblige. The pilot was checking the gauges when Anthony placed the helmet over his head and the smelly, gooey mixture started squirting out around Marshall's neck. Everyone in the theatre started howling, and Marshall could hear every guffaw in the cockpit. I was rolling on the floor. He ripped the helmet from his head to reveal a face that was even redder than his hair. He was covered with slop. Marshall was trying to find his assistant, but Anthony had bolted away. I grabbed the microphone, knowing he recognized my voice. "Good morning, Midshipman Marshall," I crooned. "It looks like you'll need a few minutes before we can start our match. I just wanted to be sure you knew who had delivered the first annual 'Official Badge of False Bravado.' You earned it." Well Marshall cut loose with some of the foulest language imaginable. He just couldn't stand the fact that I had embarrassed him in front of his peers. I stalked out of the theatre and headed for my simulator cockpit to get ready for the action. I must have really ticked him off, because Marshall was like a wild man when our dogfight started. On his first pass, he didn't even fire a shot, instead just hitting the afterburners and trying to ram me.
[...]
I thought his anger at my prank would be to my advantage. It wasn't. I was spending so much time dodging his attempts to ram me that I couldn't concentrate on my own strategy. "This maniac is going to destroy both of us," I screamed. He didn't, but he took out my ship with the most precise flying and shooting I had ever encountered. Even the computerized Kilrathi opponents at Ace skill level couldn't have touched him. Marshall won the bragging rights, but still hadn't done anything to endear himself to anyone in the class. He wouldn't shake hands after the match, and ignored the plebes who tried to congratulate him on his victory. Thinking it would bother him, the plebes started calling him Maniac.
Marshall's somewhat unstable makeup has bitten on other occasions, too - his breakdown during Operation Thor's Hammer (the Tiger's Claw's deep raid to destroy the Kilrathi Sivar dreadnaught, aka Secret Missions 1), combined with his extremely self-centred flying style lead to his transfer off the front lines to a testing squadron, where he oversaw the development of the Morningstar heavy fighter - and actually did a pretty solid job, because the Morningstar's a good fighter. He wound up back on the front lines during the fracas which ensued following the Mandarin attempt to steal the prototypes (Special Operations 2) and has remained there ever since; Confederation losses not really giving them much of a choice in the matter. Tolwyn probably assigned Blair to the same carrier as Maniac on the grounds that it'd be unfair to give him to a wing commander who didn't know what they were getting in to.
As a wingman, Maniac is...well, he's Maniac. He doesn't do anything you tell him to, but he does kill a bunch of Kilrathi. Since I rarely bother with anything approximating to tactics in WC3, I'm largely just fine with that. He does get shot up quite easily though, so not generally the best choice on more hazardous missions. The official guide says:
pre:
Aggressiveness......2 Carefulness ........0 Courage ............0 Flying .............2 Gunnery.............2 Loyalty ............0 [1] Verbosity ..........2
Ship of the day:
Arrow V
Class: Light Fighter
Length: 20 m
Mass: 13 tonnes
Max Velocity: 520 kps
Afterburner Velocity: 1400 kps
Maximum Yaw/Pitch/Roll: 80/90/90 degrees\second
Weapons: 2x Laser Cannon, 2x Ion Guns, 8x Missile Hardpoints (default loadout is 4x Heat-Seeking missiles, 4x Image Recognition missiles),
Shields: 20 cm durasteel equivalent all sides
Armour: Front: 8 cm durasteel Left: 6 cm Right: 6 cm Rear: 8 cm
Missile Decoys: 16
Other: Shelton Slide capable
Official Strategy Guide: The current version of the venerable Arrow fighter is a sleek and dangerous fighting machine. Although it's the smallest and least-armored Confed fighter, many ace pilots still prefer the Arrow to the heavier Hellcat. The Arrow is the single fastest fighter in the game. Its speed makes it hard to shake, and its low silhouette makes it hard to hit. The Arrow is a pilot's fighter. It's just plain the most fun fighter in the game. It's the perfect dogfighter. If you're still a little bit uncertain about your piloting abilities, you'll definitely want the extra protection offered by the Hellcat, but if you feel you've completely mastered the art of combat flying, you may find you're best able to make full use of your expertise in an Arrow. It's one of only two fighters in the game with an afterburner slide, allowing it to make quick jogs and dodges. This is especially useful to avoid a target at the end of a strafing run. Its armament is equivalent to the Hellcat's (though it doesn't hold out as long at full power) and it actually mounts two more missiles. It carries a decent complement of decoys, and even if it runs out, a top-notch pilot can often evade a missile. The Arrow can fire a volley of about a dozen shots at full guns without running into energy trouble. The Arrow's useful whenever you're up against Skipper missiles - you'll be able to catch up with them in a pinch if you miss your first pass.
I say: After the guide was printed either the Arrow or the Hellcat must have been regunned to give the medium fighter slightly more firepower than the Arrow, but the trade isn't remotely worth it. The Arrow outclasses the Hellcat and it's a mixture of situational and pilot preference as to which of it and the Thunderbolt you prefer. Shields and armour are pretty good for a light fighter, it's incredibly fast and turns sharply, and the guns are the best of any Wing Commander light fighter - plus the only fighters which carry more missiles are the bomber and the superfighter, though the Arrow is limited to HS and IRs which is a pity because DFs would really make up for some of the punch it lacks against the heavier slow moving targets. It's a lot of fun to fly, the ability to Shelton slide in it (hold down caps lock to lock your velocity in and spin the fighter on its axis) is both enjoyable and very useful, for example to zigzag around on a bomber's tail while pelting it with cannon fire and avoiding the turret shooting back at you - and as always as an approach tactic against heavy fighters. There's also the fact that it's more or less required to get good at flying the Arrow, because it's the fighter Blair jumps in during combat scrambles. The game's hardest mission is a compulsory Arrow mission, but you'd never get through it in anything else except an Excalibur anyway. The Arrow is the most survivable fighter - it's small, it's fast, it turns rapidly, and we've already seen what all of those things do for the Darket. The Arrow is a faster, upgunned and upshielded version.
Total kills (Wing Commander III): 3 missions / 14 kills
Total kills (this thread): 30 missions / 381 kills
Total kills (including previous thread): 141 missions / 1307 kills
Next time on Let's Play Wing Commander:
What's better than one escort mission?