The Gallenteans have always pioneered the entertainment industry, and holo games are no exception. The Federation’s economy owns a majority share of this clusterwide industry, rivalled significantly by the Nugoeihuvi Corporation. Out of the almost infinite collection of franchises, Wings of Valour is a recently popular series that appeared on the market about two decades ago, developed by Gargantuan Games. It is a first person shooter for the standard holovision or a VR combat simulator for those who have the extra cash, as such, the development requires twice the effort and finances. However, the cost of the series has plummeted dramatically thanks to its astronomical sales, fuelled by both praise and controversy.
The Caldari, as an aspect of their militaristic nature, have always had a penchant for creating realistic and violent holo games, particularly those in a war setting. Wings of Valour, named after the highest decoration in the Federal armed forces, was a response to NOH’s most recent endeavour into the combat simulator market, Sons of the Sun. This was in turn a response to the Gallentean sci-fi shooter, Luminescence, which had been running in excess of half a century. The focus on realism and authenticity from Sons of the Sun compared to its Gallente rival, attracted gamers in their masses, who had had enough of the interstellar, over-the-top heroics present in Luminescence.
So, Wings of Valour took the Caldari recipe for realism and developed the settings from a Gallentean perspective. Almost all major releases, of which there have been eleven so far, have the player in the shoes of Federation soldiers.
WINGS OF VALOUR (YC 90)The first game in the series takes place during the first half of the Gallente-Caldari War in Sinq Laison. The player takes on a variety of different characters, from a grunt, an MTAC gunner to a fighter pilot. There was no storyline to speak of; the overall singleplayer campaign followed various historical battles that took place during the Caldari’s scorched earth campaign in Sinq, climaxing with the Battle of Iyen-Oursta (which lasts several hours of the game’s overall playtime, all from differing perspectives on the Federation side).
The lack of any sort of storyline and focus on simulation over cinematics meant that the game was immensely popular in the Caldari State (despite opposition from Kaalakiota to its distribution) and the Minmatar Republic. It was only upon realization of its strong sales into the market did the Gallente media attempt a moral panic over the holo game. It ultimately failed once the big entertainment giants stepped in and silenced the naysayers through the quiet distribution and allocation of funds, all to the right people.
From a gameplay perspective, WoV offers nothing too new compared to Sons of the Sun. However, the ability to commandeer multiple vehicles was praised, as was its Gallentean point-of-view.
WINGS OF VALOUR: COLD WIND (YC 93)Not anticipating its success amongst the Caldari, the developers at Gargantuan Games decided to create a sequel that would appeal to both populations on either side of the Border Zone. Cold Wind is set at the outbreak of the first Gallente-Caldari War, during the Siege and Fall of Caldari Prime. This time, a running storyline was implemented, from the perspective of two characters, one a Federation Marine by the name of Karmen Sanreigez, and the other a Caldari Army soldier called Toumas Taamalen.
Seeking to play either market, the story has the two protagonists live through the harrowing experiences of war on Caldari Prime, while maintaining the simulation aspects of the first game. The writers were precise in removing all aspects of bias in the course of the campaign, which flipped between either of the two main characters on the fly, often linked through cinematic transitions. There was also a reduced focus on vehicle combat, much to the disappointment of some gamers.
Controversially, Cold Wind included two segments where the player briefly takes on the role of a civilian during the partisan attack on the underwater Gallentean city of Nouvelle Rouvenor (near the beginning of the game) and then, later on, a civilian during the initial orbital bombardments of Tovil. Both scenes were described as “extremely upsetting”; indeed, even the most hardened gamers were disturbed by playing through. Initially, there was no option to skip the scenes, which composed of hundreds drowning in Nouvelle Rouvenor, and the plasma scorching of residential areas in Tovil. A patch was released soon after the moral outcry began with the option to bypass the stages at any time.
The writers were adamant in their rebuttals of the essentiality of demonstrating that there are two sides to every conflict. Despite the controversy spiking sales somewhat, it was ultimately a commercial failure, despite positive critical reviews (especially of the stages set in the remains of Caldari cities and settlements, being described as “substantially provocative”). The game saw limited distribution in the State, with most megacorporations reluctant to sell copies, while Gallentean gamers were turned off over the setting and choice of characters.
Its multiplayer mode of conquest remains a popular cult selection amongst transnational gamer communities, playing as either the Federation Marines or Caldari Army in the battle to control condensed areas of notable, war-torn locales on Caldari Prime. Various independent modifications have been released that expand the field of combat to a much more epic scale, as well as adding a more substantial vehicle element using resources from the first WoV game.
WINGS OF VALOUR 3: VALKLEAR (YC 97)After the commercial failure of Cold Wind, the publishers of the Wings of Valour holo games almost cut off their ties with Gargantuan Games. However, with some swift negotiating, the developers were able to strike a deal to publish a third WoV game titled Valklear. The game was to be marketed at the massive Minmatar segment of the Federation’s population, along with the Republic itself. This was the core hook that convinced the publishers to allow the rights to a third game; it was to be a guaranteed success.
As the name suggests, the player takes the role of a Krusual called Atavuli Melkan during the Minmatar Rebellion. The first half of the game is set on an unnamed Minmatar world under Amarrian occupation, where the main character takes part in the slave rebellion that liberates the planet. From there on, the scale of the conflict increases, the player taking control of a variety of vehicles. In order to keep some level of appeal to the greater Gallentean populace, the FIO’s fictional “Indigo Section” makes an appearance two thirds into the story, along with characters from the first WoV game. The finale takes place during a spaceborne assault on an Imperial battle station as part of a massive rebel attack force, complimented by the covert Federation detachment.
The game is the first to possess a cooperative mode for the campaign, something that critics said was “sorely lacking” from the first two games and “thoroughly welcome” in this one. Up to five players can jointly participate, each playing either the Krusual protagonist, a Brutor, Thukker, Sebiestor or Vherokior.
However, the game came under heavy criticism for distancing itself from its realistic routes, taking a more cinematic approach to gameplay (especially with the ‘space hopping’ between multiple locales, and the commandeering of anything from land vehicles to space fighters). Many analysts believed that this design choice was to appeal directly to its target audience; the Minmatar portion of the Federation almost exclusively inhabited working class occupations with low education, and thus would not have the patience or inclination towards an overly realistic war simulator.
Valklear was an immense hit in both the Republic and the Federation, equally thanks to both its fictional content and cinematic gameplay. The game initially did not have a numerical indicator, before it was quickly tacked on in third batch runs following commercial success, wanting to draw attention to its prequels. The massive following that the game created overshadowed the disgruntled fans who were disappointed with the direction this release took.
WINGS OF VALOUR 4: SILVER PHOENIX (YC 98)Carrying on their successes, Silver Phoenix was released just a year after Valklear, now attempting to broaden their audience to the whole Gallentean market. Set in the outer regions, the player assumes the role of a commando assigned to a Federation Navy expeditionary task force deployed to take care of a Serpentis garrison on a remote planet. The commando’s appearance is customized according to the player’s wishes. On VR editions of the game, all cutscenes were interactive, while the player’s avatar would be directly taken from their real life image (which is, of course, common within other genres of hologames)
Following a formula very similar to Valklear, the battle heats up as the Cartel’s Guardian Angels arrive, the ensuing conflicts sending the player to various locales across the contested world. Though this release lacks any space fighter combat, it does compensate for that absence by possessing a segment set underwater, which was lauded especially on virtual reality versions of the game. The finale was also especially praised, taking place on a listing carrier as it plummeted into the world’s atmosphere.
Despite mixed reviews, Silver Phoenix sold just as much, if not more, than its predecessor. Many critics saw this instalment as simply a Gallentean rehash of Valklear, following the same cinematic formula with no regards to realism or authenticity. Multiplayer was again praised, particularly on the virtual reality editions of the game, reviewers describing the immersion of having your friends fight alongside or against you as one of the game’s few plus points that set it aside from Valklear.
Sales were slightly boosted thanks to a healthy dose of controversy that came about once the media learnt that, in multiplayer versus modes, players can opt to fight as the Serpentis against Federation soldiers. Many found this highly offensive, given the continued focus on anti-drug cartel activities by the Federation military, but otherwise it was inconsequential in terms of censoring the game. With the release of Coalition two years later, many saw Silver Phoenix as simply a cash cow for future projects.
WINGS OF VALOUR 5: LIBERTY LOST (YC 99)One of the weaker entries into the series, Liberty Lost takes place in the near future, where a fictional joint invasion by the Amarr Empire and Caldari State sees the Federation subjugated under tyrannical rule, following a string of political uprisings in the Senate.
The game is often described as “confused”. The first act of the story sees the player take the role of a soldier caught up in the initial invasion of Gallente Prime. During these segments, Liberty Lost bears many similarities to the first and second WoV games. However, the second and third acts are set ten years later, documenting an uprising and subsequent rebellion respectively. At these points, the game waivers between the cinematics of Valklear and Silver Shield, and then back to the realism and authenticity found at the beginning of the game.
Though the game sold well, this design choice alienated many fans, most of whom were casual gamers attracted to the franchise by the two previous releases, none of which had the patience for Liberty Lost’s opening acts. All, except the older fans of WoV1 and WoV: CW, migrated back to Valklear and Silver Shield within a couple of months after the game’s release. Gargantuan Games, knowing their formulas were becoming worn out in such a short space of time, decided to leave a two year gap for their next release, focusing on something new altogether.
Since the invasion of Luminaire and subsequent occupation of Caldari Prime in 110, it remains almost impossible to find copies of this release, other than illegal networks run by pirate cartels, particularly in Empire and Republic space.
WINGS OF VALOUR: COALITION (YC 101)After the critical (though by no means commercial) failure of Liberty Lost, Gargantuan Games released a unique entrant into the Wings of Valour series. WoV: Coalition is exclusively multiplayer, being playable on any level, from planetary or station, to regional and (eventually, through a later update) clusterwide. It is set during the Nation-Empires War, with the Coalition battling it out against the hordes of Sansha Kuvakei.
Players cannot opt to play as a soldier of Nation. Instead, they create their character as a Coalition soldier, picking any ethnic group of their choice, customizing their appearance and gender, as well as a flag insignia identifying their home country (a feature was later added to choose from a Caldari megacorporation, an Amarr major house, a Minmatar tribe or Federation member state). Starting at the lowest DED rank, players have the opportunity to rise to the top through persistent development.
Coalition is set on entire planets, with thousands being able to join at any one time. Gameplay is cooperative, with players being assigned to crossfactional units that are deployed to individual areas according to the whims of the higher-ranking players. Sansha’s Nation is controlled by the artificial intelligence, and will adapt to the tactics of the player squads, and the strategies of the commanders, forcing the players to cooperate within the game’s rank and organizational structure or face defeat. Combat is exclusively planetside, with players choosing to specialize in anything from infantry, MTAC gunners, armoured crew or atmospheric pilots, before eventually achieving their own command, seeking to become the general assigned over the conquest of an entire world.
If players are lucky enough to connect to the clusterwide server, Sansha’s Nation will be controlled by an advanced AI created by Gargautuan Games, called “Kuvakei Junior”. The difficulty of this AI is hundredfold compared to the gameside one, and as such, only the most experienced gamers go on to play clusterwide. Gargauntuan Games hosts GalNet community sites that players at a clusterwide level can use to better organize and coordinate against “the Sansha menace”. Unfortunately, “Kuvakei Junior” was deleted by a real life Nation cyber-attack following the resurgence of Sansha’s Nation in 112. The highest level of play is now only regional.
The game remains subject to continuous praise, with highly positive reviews, especially in regards to its more faithful throwback to earlier WoV releases, without the slow pace or confusion of Liberty Lost. It is still being played with an active member base in the millions across all of the empires. Gargantuan Games continue to release graphical and technical updates whenever they became available, as well as add new content and customization options for their avatars.
- WINGS OF VALOUR: COALITION: OUTBREAK (YC 102)
Released less than twelve months from the core game, Coalition: Outbreak is a standalone expansion for those without GalNet or FTL connections, particularly on remote worlds and deadspace outposts. It offers a singleplayer experience of Coalition that sits somewhere between Valklear/Silver Shield and the original WoV in terms of realism. There are four campaigns in total, with a fifth unlocked upon completion of the prior. Players can choose from playing as a Republic Infantry trooper, a Caldari Navy fighter pilot, a Federation MTAC gunner, or an Imperial tank commander on four separate story arcs set in Stain and Esoteria. Eventually, all four stories tie in to the fifth, where the player takes on the role of a SARO commando squad leader in a fictionalized assault on Sansha’s home fortress, with a final showdown with Kuvakei himself.
- WINGS OF VALOUR: COALITION: THE VANQUISHED (YC 103)
The core Coalition game proved immensely popular, and many of the fans were calling out for an opportunity to play as the Sansha themselves. In the expansion, Coalition: The Vanquished, players can opt to jump in and play as any of the Sansha units currently aggravating the player armies of the DED coalition. There is no persistent development, simply a “hot drop” onto any unit currently on the field, with “hot swapping” possible at any time or on death. DED players would have no indication as to whoever they are engaging are player or AI controlled. This aspect was particularly praised, as was the expansion overall, which saw considerable sales.
WINGS OF VALOUR: CLANDESTINE (YC 103)With a dedicated subsidiary working on future developments of WoV: Coalition, Gargantuan Games decided to work on a new release of the singeplayer “Wings of Valour experience”. Clandestine was the result, a more tactical-based shooter that condenses the best elements of previous WoV releases.
The game features “Indigo Section”, who first appeared in Valklear, and their endeavours as a covert paramilitary wing of the Federal Intelligence Office. The developers marketed Clandestine as possessing “cinematic authenticity”, a slogan designed to appeal to both old and new WoV fans alike. Its focus is on smaller scale combat, but with more attention to detail with intense close quarter battle, along with an arsenal of advanced gadgetry and droneware designed to add to the experience. A VR version was released, but received less praiseworthy reviews than its standard counterpart, citing various glitches and gameplay tediousness that detracted from the overall experience.
Set in the 60s, the player, selecting a mostly silent protagonist of either male or female genders, cluster-trots to various exotic locales from Dam-Torsad to illegal planetside colonies in the Intaki Syndicate. A lot of the levels are fictionalized ‘behind-the-scenes’ accounts of various FIO espionage blunders that occurred in that decade, such as the failed assassination attempt of a Syndicate station head in 65. Once again the game attracted controversy, mostly from the Intaki community this time, but was still lauded by critics, approving the blend of cinematics and realism. Multiplayer is set on maps based off the single-player campaign, with Indigo Section operatives up against whatever elite forces are local to the setting. The element of a regular killmatch combined with high-tech gadgetry was praised, resulting in some very unique battles and outcomes, but Clandestine multiplayer was ultimately overshadowed by the continuing successes of WoV: Coalition.
WINGS OF VALOUR: DRAGON RISING (YC 105)Building on all the successful formulas so far, WoV: Dragon Rising takes the series to a contemporary setting of the Sang Do Civil War. Always ready to cause controversy, the game was banned in all Jin-Mei territories before it was even released. It was still a triple AAA blockbuster regardless.
Dragon Rising takes the persistent development from Coalition, the cinematics of Valklear/Silver Phoenix and the realism of older titles, and combines them successfully into one piece. Set entirely in the Lirsautton system, the player takes the role of an All Aspects Warfighter of the Federation Marines, during the Gallentean peacekeeping mission to the Jin-Mei homeworlds. Players can personalize their AAW as they rise through the ranks, unlocking new equipment and specializing in various weapons and vehicles, taking part in a branching campaign that sees sweeping territorial changes and ultimately affects the final result of the conflict. An unlimited amount of friends can join the campaign, dropping in or out, bringing their own AAW and skillsets. No campaign proceeds the same way, whether set in the tight quarters of Jin-Mei cities or the sweeping barren plains, and this gameplay element was both heavily marketed and heavily praised.
Gargantuan Games were very thorough in their development; all of Lirsautton III, V and VI have been recreated for Dragon Rising. The sheer cost of creating every field and settlement in the Jin-Mei home system was only made possible by the enormous revenue of WoV: Coalition. Depending on the successes of the player(s), the influence map, divided between the dominions of the various Sang Do, would change. Some would be sympathetic to the Federation, others would not be, and defeats sees the increase of influence for anti-Federation lords. Not wanting to push their liberties too far, the Sang Do overlords would be fictional, random creations, judging that the recreation of Lirsautton to be shot up was more than enough of a breach of cultural sensitivity.
Cutscenes and other storyline events would be triggered by certain factors. It was very common for a set of plot developments to occur in one playthrough, and a totally different set to occur on another. There was initially only three endings; the end of the civil war, Jin-Mei secession from the Federation or the conflict continuing with increased fervour. Through updates, the total ending count now stands at twelve, and more cutscenes and story developments were added through patches up to a year after Dragon Rising’s release. Versus multiplayer has players take their AAWs against an opposing team of randomly selected partisans, on select areas across Lirsautton, with size variants from 16-player all the way up to 2048-player.
- DRAGON RISING: WARRIORS OF KO (YC 106)
This expansion to the core Dragon Rising game allows players to take the role of a Jin-Mei partisan instead, representing a Sang Do overlord, but only that of a Federation sympathizer. The formula of the core game is followed, with a unique, emergent campaign. The focus is more on asymmetric warfare, with less emphasis on vehicular combat, for example. An integration mode allows players from both the original game and the expansion to take part in a cooperative campaign, with joint operations and the like. Surprisingly, a vanilla Dragon Rising player did not have to own Warriors of Ko to participate in the crossover modes.
In December 106, a real life Jing Ko partisan group formed a gaming clan on Dragon Rising. Notorious for various insurgent attacks in both Jin-Mei and Federation territories, Gargantuan Games banned all players with links to this gaming clan in February 107.
CLANDESTINE II: FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC (TBD)The economic upheaval that the empires experienced during the meteoric rise of the capsuleer class affected Gargantuan Games more than they cared to admit. The small slump in the market led many of their competitors to develop VR entertainment for the capsuleer themselves, however, Gargantuan Games did not, deciding to gamble on the revenue from WoV: Coalition. Unfortunately, they were left in the dust, the company having to outsource Coalition to a subsidiary. As such, their latest instalment has suffered from various resets, but the most recent title touted for development is a sequel to WoV: Clandestine.
Based on real life data regarding the exploits of the FIO’s Special Department of Internal Investigations and Federal Security, the player will assumedly take the role of a Black Eagle paramilitary. Though not much storyline details have been released, the plot seems to be based around corrupt corporate paramilitaries and rogue Federation Navy contingencies. It is rumoured to be set in various locales including occupied Caldari Prime and wormhole space, with a finale allegedly taking place in the Jove Empire.
Naturally, the game has attracted controversy already, despite even being released. The Federal Intelligence Office, however, has not commented at any official level and it is unlikely that they will, preferring to let the game fuel the imagination of the public, not letting out what the SDII get up to in reality.
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Topic: Wings of Valour hologame series (caution, ****load of lore) (Read 5933 times)