Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Ben Lesnick

@banditloaf.wcnews.com

1.5K followers 390 following 4.9K posts

Like so many Americans, he was trying to construct a life that made sense from things he found in gift shops. (he/him)

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Ben Lesnick @banditloaf.wcnews.com · Nov 15

Hello Bluesky! My name is Ben but my old friends call me LOAF. I’m best known for helping Chris Roberts dream up Star Citizen but I mostly skeet about Wing Commander esoterica and my life with two wonderful black cats and beautiful wife Ali (plus dumb jokes and nonsense about other media I love).

8 4 110

Ben Lesnick @banditloaf.wcnews.com · 46m

The trailer and the demo were left over from the Wing Commander pitch but it was a much more straightforward redux than the Star Citizen one. EA did try to work it out a second time after the crowd fund was such a hit!

Ben Lesnick @banditloaf.wcnews.com · 1h

Sully has a favorite pounce where he leaps from next to his water fountain and slides under a chair. I watch him practicing it endlessly.

Ben Lesnick @banditloaf.wcnews.com · 3h

I think so! It’s like the multi-roles here, fighter leaning but ultimately still a transport deep down. I think front line stuff of the era like Hellcats and Thunderbolts would make short work of a Centurion.

Ben Lesnick @banditloaf.wcnews.com · 10h

Really good shot from a cutscene of a big room full of Dune pillows.

Ben Lesnick @banditloaf.wcnews.com · 12h

After Ultima Online was such an unexpected hit, EA wanted Origin to focus on online games. They tried and cancelled Wing Commander Online (sometimes Privateer Online) several times through the early 00s!

Ben Lesnick @banditloaf.wcnews.com · 12h

We’ve got a pretty neat scanned design document from the project with all sorts of little details: download.wcnews.com/files/docume...

download.wcnews.com

1 2

Ben Lesnick @banditloaf.wcnews.com · 12h

If you’re curious about the intended lore, this was to be a Jakhari-class light freighter configured as a ‘multi-role’ which was a term the game design came up with for freighters modified to mount fighter components. The same niche the original Privateer player ships occupy.

The Spaceshipper 🚀 @thespaceshipper.com · 12h

Wing Commander Online (unproduced): Kilrathi multi-role, art by Feng Zhu

3 1 20

Ben Lesnick @banditloaf.wcnews.com · 15h

This is the worst kind of crime, one against Mathilda May.

Ben Lesnick @banditloaf.wcnews.com · 16h

I’ve had endless robots trying to friend me on Steam lately. They’ll all show one game played and no details beyond that.

Ben Lesnick @banditloaf.wcnews.com · 16h

Good question! It would be nice to see it sold to so one that wants it but my guess is it won’t move the needle. It’s just not big enough to risk the money needed to do it right.

Ben Lesnick @banditloaf.wcnews.com · 17h

Exactly the same vibe as “Mass Effect is going to a new galaxy!”; you know there’s a specific goo-brained c-suiter who thinks it’s a brilliant idea everyone is looking forward to.

1 3

Ben Lesnick @banditloaf.wcnews.com · 17h

TRON is coming to the real world! You can eat your dinner in the bathroom!

2 9

Reposted by Ben Lesnick

Amanda Wong @amandawtwong.bsky.social · 1d

Don't worry, American culture was also threatened by the ninja turtles based on nothing but "New is bad, old is good"

An ad with classic cartoon characters Fred Flintstone, Dennis the Menace, and Woody Woodpecker with the caption "Turtles Come And Turtles Go, But We Go On Forever"

28 90 480

Ben Lesnick @banditloaf.wcnews.com · 1d

Actual category on Dylan’s Apple Music listing:

Ben Lesnick @banditloaf.wcnews.com · 1d

Join us tonight for the Wing Commander Discord’s group watch of Rosemary’s Baby, a totally normal thing to do.

Wing Commander CIC @wcnews.com · 5d

Wing Commander Movie Night: Rosemary's Baby https://wcne.ws/17098

Ben Lesnick @banditloaf.wcnews.com · 1d

Amazing new Tomica car coming in December.

1 4

Ben Lesnick @banditloaf.wcnews.com · 1d

Did you ever wonder where this blue poster (and weird tagline) that shows up regularly came from? This is a fan poster… but in 1998 @wcnews.com posted it in such high resolution that bots grabbed it endlessly for years and spread it everywhere.

L.M. du Plessis 🇳🇦 🇺🇦📚💙 ‪✨Drafting New Project✨ @smoking-gnu.bsky.social · 1d

I'll show you mine if you show me yours.

(I wore out that tape to uselessness)

Ben Lesnick @banditloaf.wcnews.com · 1d

🫂 Better days are still ahead!

Reposted by Ben Lesnick

JikissGamer @jikissgamer.bsky.social · 1d

The 386 is the perfect system for Wing Commander, this game I did not know about as a kid. It was a more recent discovery. I suck at this game but it's a good speed test for 386 cause no other CPU can run this game at the right speed. It is very specifically a 386 game.

2 2 24

Ben Lesnick @banditloaf.wcnews.com · 1d

Shout out to whoever built a Jawa sandcrawler in my Dune Awakening sietch (positioned so you have to notice it coming in from the overland map.)

Reposted by Ben Lesnick

Festive Vibes @festivevibes.bsky.social · 2d

Advert Lucky Dip: Dec 1994: PC games ad from Virgin Megastores (more at @OldUKPrintAdsXmas.bsky.social)

(+Wing Commander 3; Doom 2; Cannon Fodder 2; Creature Shock; Magic Carpet; and Dawn Patrol)

«Christmas on a plate»

An advertisement for PC games for Christmas, promising the best games at the tastiest prices. For every £10 spent, customers get a money-off voucher for '95. Virgin Megastores are now open 7 days a week.

Christmas on a plate

available 15th december
available 10th december
now open 7 days a week
the best pc games at the tastiest prices
for every £10 spent get a money off voucher for '95
mega means more music+video+games

1 1 1

Ben Lesnick @banditloaf.wcnews.com · 1d

That’s right! It was Secret Missions 2, one of the diplomatic Exeters you escort. There was a Trygve Lie and a U Thant, too. Back when we assumed the future universe government would grow out of the UN!