Hi,

I've never played any of the WC games, but I've read in various gaming forums that it is a fantastic series of games and that WC: Privateer is very good, so I bought it today. But, playing around a bit with the interface, I wonder if maybe I should have picked one of the other WC games as my first introduction to the series. I have no problem with playing the games "backwards" (newest first) if that will help me learn the basic gameplay more quickly.

Would WC 3 or 4 be better choices for more user-friendliness? Visual appeal doesn't matter very much to me (I love many of the OLD games here on GOG), but having to constantly refer to a manual or reference card for the first few hours does matter to me, meaning I'd really rather not have to.

For reference, I've played a handful of missions of Freespace 2 and while it hasn't "grabbed" me yet, I can see how it might yet. I've played about halfway through Freelancer and like it very much. I did not care for Descent (all versions) at all. I have X3: Reunion and Independence War 2 in my backlog and they both look great.

Also, I do not own a joystick and have no intention of buying one.

You really should start with Wing Commander and then Wing Commander 2.

You MUST get a joystick (A USB one). It's essential to playing Wing Commander games.

I think it's better to start with WC3. It's because WC3 is a more "modern" game so it's easier to enjoy, and WC4 is not more modern because it's the same engine.

Then, you might try WC1&2 to experience the whole war, or WC4 to see the new era after the war. But WC1&2 really do look and play very dated. I wouldn't have touched them if I hadn't played every other WC game already.

You can start from WC2 if you absolutely can't stand the more straightforward dogfighting gauntlet approach of the first game.

I wouldn't recommend starting any later than that. WC3 has not aged well, and WC4 isn't very fun without knowing the context of the Kilrathi war.

Yikes, one vote for 1, 2 and 3 each! I was hoping for a more unanimous opinion, but maybe more will chime in. Thanks for your suggestions though!

The first one I played was Privateer, actually.

Then I played WC4, then WC3. Prophecy (not on GOG?!?) was also very good...and had free DLC...back in the 90s!

My reco would be to play 3 first, then 4 if you want the WC story. Privateer can stand alone, though I'd say that knowing the universe helps...but I enjoyed it without that.

I say 3.
Anything before Wing Commander 3 is two dimensional. I'm not saying this as a matter of looks or graphics. It's just easier to fly.
Translating 3D concepts into a 2D representations caused those old ships to do some strange things sometimes.
However, before you get spoiled on this true 3D game, you should WITHOUT FAIL try the earlier games, and try to get used to them. You are really missing out if you ignore some of the earlier games. WC2 was amazing. WC Privateer was one of the best games I've ever played.

I'll jump in here and echo that WC 3 is a good start.

It's where I started. It made me a huge fan of the series and I have been playing ever since (every couple of years I would get back into it). Like others have said it really hard to go much earlier than that cause the game are very dated. In fact I never did it. I took one look at the games and thought "not gonna invest my time in ancient graphics".

I also disagree with an earlier post, WC3 has aged very well if you consider what it is and what the comparisons are. The live action video is very grainy but after awhile you get used to it. Also note that it is live action. Also once I was back in the pilot seat I was surprised how cool the game still looked. A lot of the eye candy was about how the ships moved, not so much the pixel count.

The last point I will make is this ... many people who played a classic game back in the day seem to forget that their current enjoyment is mostly from nostalgia. Personally I find it hard to go back and play old game if I never played them when they first came out.

So me suggesting WC3 may be biased cause it is the one game I have stuck with for close to 20 years now. It will always give me the warm fuzzies when I play, but a lot of that is nostalgia. Of course Luke Skywalker and Ginger Lynnn play right into many nerd fantasies so that also helps me stay engaged.

Thanks for the additional replies!

Based on feedback here, I went with WC3 to start with even though I read the manual and was kind of getting the hang of Privateer.

I've now read all of the WC3 manuals (love the notes, marks and highlights in one of them... they couldn't find an "unused" copy? ..heh), and have a pretty decent idea of how things work. To start with, I've decided to play the game windowed while keeping the reference card and/or manual open so I can constantly refer to them while playing. Once I feel I know my way around, I'll switch to full screen.

Loved the opening sequence, and am now working my way through all the training missions.

Thanks again for all the much-appreciated responses!

That's great to hear. The game was ahead of it's time and we hardly see live action any more. Post back.

If you fall in love check out http://www.wcnews.com/ . It's a WC fan site that has remained surprising vibrant through the years.