View source for Strike Commander

{{Short description|1993 video game}}
{{More citations needed|date=July 2009}}
{{Infobox video game
|title = Strike Commander
|image = Strike commander.jpg
|developer = [[Origin Systems]]
|publisher = [[Electronic Arts]]
|director = [[Chris Roberts (film producer)|Chris Roberts]]
|producer = Chris Roberts
|designer = Chris Roberts <br> Jeff George
|programmer = Jason Templeman <br> Chris Roberts <br> Paul Isaac <br> Aaron Martin
|artist = Bruce Lemons <br> Danny Garrett <br> Chris Douglas <br> Jake Rodgers
|composer = Nenad Vugrinec <br> [[Dana Karl Glover]]
|writer = Gilbert P. Austin
|engine = 
|released = April 1993<ref name="pczone">{{cite journal|title=''Strike Commander''|date=April 1993|journal=[[PC Zone]]|issue=1|pages=8|issn=0967-8220|oclc=173325816}}</ref>{{vgrelease|AU|April 22, 1993<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 22, 1993 |title=It's War! on Ozi Software Prices |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/120756895 |access-date=January 8, 2024 |work=[[The Age]] |pages=33 |quote=''Strike Commander'' has arrived! Available Thursday at all stores}}</ref>}}
|genre = [[Combat flight simulation game|Air combat simulation]]
|modes = [[Single-player]]
|platforms = [[MS-DOS]], [[PC-98]]
}}

'''''Strike Commander''''' is a [[Combat flight simulation game|combat flight simulation video game]] designed by [[Chris Roberts (film producer)|Chris Roberts]] and released by [[Origin Systems]] for [[MS-DOS]] in 1993. Its 3D graphics-engine uses both [[gouraud shading]] and texture-mapping on both aircraft-models and terrain, an impressive feat at the time. Significant plot elements are presented through in-game cut-scene animations, a hallmark storytelling vehicle from Chris Robert's previous ''[[Wing Commander (franchise)|Wing Commander]]'' games. ''Strike Commander'' has been called "''[[Wing Commander: Privateer|Privateer]]'' on Earth", due to the mercenary role-playing in the game.

The game was included as part of a 1994 Creative Labs bundle pack with ''[[Syndicate Plus]]'', ''[[Ultima VIII: Pagan]]'' and ''[[Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi]]''. It was also available in a CD bundle with ''Wing Commander: Privateer''; both games included the core game, the expansion pack and voice pack on a single [[CD-ROM]] disc.

The game was re-released in 2013 on [[Gog.com]] with  support for [[Windows]].

==Gameplay==
The player accepts missions from interesting characters and gets paid for doing them which allows the player to buy more weapons. The missions involve flying an [[F-16 Fighting Falcon]] and, in the last missions of the game, the more advanced [[F-22 Raptor|F-22]], while accomplishing certain objectives and missions.

Other [[simulators]], such as the [[F-22 (series)|''F-22'' series]] from [[Novalogic]] have been compared with ''Strike Commander'' because of their simplified flight model and emphasis on graphic detail, which makes them relatively similar in terms of philosophy.

== Plot ==
=== Setting ===
The game takes place in the then-near-future 2011. The end of the [[Cold War]] and the [[Gulf War]] have triggered a massive rise in global instability, compounded by natural disasters and failed economic policy in the [[United States]]. Capitalizing on the growing need for security, the Turkish government allows private security contractors to operate with near-complete freedom from [[Istanbul]] provided they register with the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Turkey)|Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] for a regular fee.

The protagonist is the second-in-command of the Wildcats, a private security company specializing in air combat led by James Stern; the player is referred to as "Commander" by in game characters. Although the Wildcats are a veteran squadron, the company has struggled to keep pilots on its roster as of late, owing primarily to Stern's strict policy against civilian casualties. The Wildcats' biggest rival is the Jackals, led by Stern's former second-in-command Jean-Paul Prideaux.<ref>{{cite book |title=Strike Commander Manual |year=1993 |publisher=Origin |url=https://archive.org/details/StrikeCommanderManual}}</ref>

== History ==
=== Development ===
The ''Strike Commander'' project took more than four years and over a million man hours on background development. Very little of that production time turned out to be actually usable in the final product, as at least one and possibly several complete project "reboots" were required to refine the graphical engine to a playable state. Nevertheless, some successful gameplay elements from Strike Commander were re-used by other more notable Origin products such as ''Privateer'' and the ''Wing Commander'' series. Chris Roberts, in the game's manual, compares the game's long development time with the events in the 1991 documentary ''[[Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse]]'', a film account of what it took to get the 1979 film ''[[Apocalypse Now]]'' made.

=== Release ===
A separate ''Speech Pack'', sold on floppy disk, replaced some of the game's text-dialogue with voice-acted recordings. An expansion pack ''Strike Commander: Tactical Operations'' continued the game's story by adding more missions and flyable aircraft. A later CD-ROM edition of ''Strike Commander'' bundled the game, expansion pack, and more audio content (beyond what was available in the ''Speech Pack'').	 
	
In March 2013 ''Strike Commander'' was re-released in the [[Digital Distribution]] by [[gog.com]].<ref>[http://www.gamestar.de/news/pc/3010692/strike_commander.html Strike Commander - Simulations-Klassiker jetzt über GOG.com veröffentlicht] on [[Gamestar]].de (german)</ref>
	 
In 2013 a SC [[reverse engineering]] project by Fabien Sanglard with a reconstructed [[source code]] variant became available on [[GitHub]] as the original source code was most probably lost in the take over of Origin by EA.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fabiensanglard.net/reverse_engineering_strike_commander/index.php |title=Reverse Engineering Strike Commander |date=2014-01-22 |accessdate=2014-01-23 |first=Fabien |last=Sanglard |quote=Most people assume the source codes and gold versions of all finished games were stored in a Vault somewhere at EA. But after getting in touch with people at ''Wing Commander'' CIC, it appeared that all the source code was lost when the company closed.[...]On his first day one developer managed to delete the full 900MB of ''Strike Commander'' source tree.}}</ref><ref>[https://github.com/fabiensanglard/libRealSpace libRealSpace] on github.com</ref>

==Reception==
James Trunzo reviewed ''Strike Commander'' in ''[[White Wolf (magazine)|White Wolf]]'' #37 (July/Aug., 1993) and stated that "Zoom across oceans and watch waves ripple as you streak by. Fly over snow-capped mountains and travel to detailed cities complete with skyscrapers and factories. Take out drug cartels, strafe battlefields and escort diplomats as you try to survive in a war-torn world of the near future. ''Strike Commander'' took years to arrive on the scene, but with upcoming add-ons, you'll be playing it for a lot longer than that!"<ref name="WW37">{{Cite magazine |last=Trunzo |first=James |date=July–August 1993|title=The Silicon Dungeon |magazine= [[White Wolf Magazine]] |number=37 |pages=60, 62 |url=https://imgur.com/a/vYdlufI}}</ref>

In August 1993 ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' wrote that "''Strike'' is not and does not attempt to be a high-fidelity simulation ... It focuses on action and combat" and "is designed to get players in the air and having fun in the shortest amount of time", with a "much gentler learning curve" than ''[[Falcon 3.0]]'' or ''[[Red Baron (1990 video game)|Red Baron]]'' and better graphics than ''[[F-117A Nighthawk Stealth Fighter 2.0|F-117 Stealth Fighter 2.0]]'' or ''[[Jetfighter (series)|Jetfighter]]''.<ref name="basham199308">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=109 | title=Origin's Strike Commander | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=August 1993 | accessdate=12 July 2014 | author=Basham, Tom | pages=130}}</ref> In December the magazine described the game as "probably the most hardware-intensive game yet released".<ref name="schuytema199312">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=113 | title=In Search Of... The Ultimate Game Machine | magazine=Computer Gaming World | date=December 1993 | accessdate=29 March 2016 | author=Schuytema, Paul C. | pages=83–85}}</ref> In April 1994 the magazine said that the CD version's additional difficulty levels, improvement to the "admittedly enhanced combat sequences" including a more realistic F-16 flight model, and the expansion missions made it "the best option".<ref name="cgw199404">{{Cite magazine
 |last=
 |first=
 |date=April 1994
 |title=Invasion Of The Data Stashers
 |department=
|url=http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=117 
 |magazine=Computer Gaming World
 |pages=20–42}}</ref>

In 1994, ''[[PC Gamer UK]]'' named ''Strike Commander''{{'}}s CD-ROM release the 36th best computer game of all time.<ref name=pcgameruktop50>{{cite magazine | author=Staff | magazine=[[PC Gamer UK]] | title=The ''PC Gamer'' Top 50 PC Games of All Time | date=April 1994 | issue=5 | pages=43–56}}</ref> In 1996, ''Computer Gaming World'' ranked ''Strike Commander'' as the 13th top [[vaporware]] title in computer game history (due 1991, delivered 1993).<ref>''CGW'' #148: The 15 Vaporware Titles in Computer Game History</ref>

== See also ==
* ''[[Pacific Strike]]''
* ''[[Wings of Glory]]''
* ''[[Falcon 4.0]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{moby game|id=/strike-commander}}

{{Origin Systems}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1993 video games]]
[[Category:Combat flight simulators]]
[[Category:DOS games]]
[[Category:FM Towns games]]
[[Category:Games commercially released with DOSBox]]
[[Category:MacOS games]]
[[Category:NEC PC-9801 games]]
[[Category:Origin Systems games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]]
[[Category:Video games scored by Dana Karl Glover]]
[[Category:Video games scored by Martin Galway]]
[[Category:Video games set in 2011]]
[[Category:Windows games]]