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Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger: Big cats playing in a DOSBox & staring out of Windows

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Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger

A guide to running DOS versions of Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger in DOSBox Staging. Converting DOS version to Windows compatible versions and optimising these to run natively in Win10.


The third game in the Wing Commander series marked a radical change in the technology. The colorful animated cutscenes of I and II replaced with Full Motion Video featuring Hollywood actors, Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, Tom Wilson, Jason Bernard, Ginger Lynn and featuring the voice acting talents of Tim Curry. The bitmaps of the previous games replaced with texture mapped polygons.


The campaign marks a culmination of 30 years of war with the Kilrathi with the conflict ending one way or another.


At the time it was considered groundbreaking blurring the lines between game or interactive movie and breaking records in game production costs at $3m.


For the rest of this guide Wing Commander III: Heart of Tiger will be referred to as WC3. This guide will only be covering DOS and Windows versions. For further background information on WC3 it's recommended to take a look at the Wing Commander CIC.


Contents



Strategy


This guide is split into two main sections. The first covers the DOS version of the game, either the CD retail or the digital release running in DOSBox Staging. It will cover the various options for running the DOS version including recommendations. One advantage of the DOS version is the wide range of MIDI music options available.


The second section covers converting the DOS releases to a native Windows release. It will also cover the fan made patches available to support the game under Win10 and optional patches to run an enhanced version of the game. It covers the steps necessary to convert one edition of the game in another and then the steps to create an enhanced version of the game compatible with Win10/11.


Version & patch history


The version and patch history provides an overview of the various releases over time and the patches they support. Not only is this useful for a DOS based DOSBox release or native Win10 release but may also be of use to those wishing to run the game on legacy hardware. This also helps avoid downloading patches that aren't required.


CD retail release

CD retail edition (November 1994)


The original CD retail edition was distributed in November 1994 on 4 x CD-ROM's. This is a DOS only release.




ATI Mach 64 Patch (1994)


An official patch from Origin Systems Inc. This patch fixes distorted videos in the Wing Commander III demo only for the ATI Mach 64 video card. It is not a recommended patch as it is only applicable to specific legacy hardware running the demo. It is available from:



Alternate Joystick Routines (January 1995)


This is an official patch from Origin Systems Inc. Taken from the release notes:

This alternate joystick DLL (set of alternate routines) is being provided for users who are experiencing problems with Wing Commander III's initial joystick calibration phase during the install program. You must have a joystick to use this patch.

This is not a recommended patch and is only applicable for those having issues with legacy joysticks on legacy hardware. It is not required when using DOSBox on Win10/11. It is available from:



Joystick Patch for Notebook Gameport (May 1995)


This is an official patch from Origin Systems Inc. Taken from the release notes:

WC3JOY.DLL is a set of alternate joystick routines used to provide support for Colorado Spectrum's Notebook Gameport. Joysticks tested with the Notebook Gameport in combination with this patch include the CH Flightstick, the CH Flightstick Pro, the Thrustmaster FCS, and the Gravis Analog Pro.

This is not a recommended patch and is only applicable for those having issues with legacy joysticks on specific legacy hardware. It is not required when using DOSBox on Win10/11. It is available from:



QVision Video Patch (May 1995)


This is an official patch from Origin Systems Inc. Taken from the release notes:

VIDEO.DLL is an alternate set of video routines used to provide support for certain video cards. VIDEO.DLL installs itself when Wing Commander III is initialized. The VIDEO.DLL that accompanies this text file is to be used for the Compaq QVision card only. During initialization, the patch will attempt to detect the Compaq QVision. If the Compaq QVision is not detected, the patch will not install itself and display a message asking you if you wish to continue. If the Compaq QVision is detected, a message will let you know the DLL was installed and you should be able to use the SVGA capabilities of the Compaq QVision.

This is not a recommended patch and is only applicable for those having issues with specific legacy hardware. It is not required when using DOSBox on Win10/11. It is available from:



Joystick Patch for Thrustmaster FCS (TM) and 100%-compatible joysticks (Logitech Wingman Extreme) (May 1995)


This is an official patch from Origin Systems Inc. Taken from the release notes:

WC3JOY.DLL is a set of alternate joystick routines used to provide support for Thrustmaster (TM) and 100%-compatible joystick (such as the Logitech Wingman Extreme). Joysticks tested include the Thrustmaster FCS, the Thrustmaster FLCS, and the Logitech Wingman Extreme.

This is not a recommended patch and is only applicable for those having issues with specific legacy joysticks. It is not required when using DOSBox on Win10/11. It is available from:



Kilrathi Saga edition (September 1996)


Kilrathi Saga box cover

The Kilrathi Saga is the a compilation of Windows ports of Wing Commander, Wing Commander II and Wing Commander III. This was released on 5 x CDs with the first CD for WC1 & 2 and the remaining 4 for WC3.


This was considered the optimum version of WC1 (and still is for WC2) until the AllTinker W.C.A.T. mod for WC1, due to unofficial fan made patches for these games supporting later versions of Windows.


EA CD-ROM Classics edition (1997)


EA CD-ROM Classics edition

The EA CD-ROM Classics edition remains the DOS version of the game enhanced with a WIn95 installer app. It was distributed on 4 x CDs.


Although not explicitly covered in this guide, once installed in Windows the DOSBox setup process and conversion to a Windows version should be very similar.


Windows 2000 Update (Kilrathi Saga edition) (May 2004)


Created by NStriker. This patch may also fix compatibility issues in WinXP. Taken from some creator notes:

I've created patches for WC3 Kilrathi Saga, WC4 CD, and WC4 DVD that fix an offending API call and allow them to run under Win2K. There still seem to be some outstanding issues like WC3 being unstable in general and I have yet to get my joystick to work in WC4, though I believe neither are related to my patches.

This is no longer a recommended patch for WC3 having been superseded by a later 'Mash' patch. Unfortunately it can't be downloaded as Windows 10 reports a probable virus false positive. It is available from:



Movie Crashing Patch (Kilrathi Saga edition) (March 2009)


Created by by 'Mash' Matt Wells the first version was released in 2009. The latest release of this patch, v1.2, occurred in May 2011. This patch is compatible with the DDHack patch. Taken from the release notes:

This patch is an attempt to fix some of the problems associated with running the Windows version of Wing Commander 3 on modern OSes and on modern hardware. This release includes a fix for the 'Ingame Movie Crashing Bug', a slowdown fix for the Nav Map Screen and a series of slowdown fixes for the Pre Flight Power-up Screen. This patch was created and tested on Windows 7 64 Bit but should also work fine on XP or Vista, 32 or 64 Bit. It will probably work with Windows 2000 as well. No Game files are modified to install this patch. Instead the patch works by pretending to be the Direct Sound Library file (dsound.dll) which the Wing Commander EXE loads itself when it is run. As well as modifying the game the patch also redirects calls made to the real "dsound.dll" where it resides in the Windows System Directory. Note: This patch now exploits the "dsound.dll" rather than the "ddraw.dll" as the previous version. This was done to avoid clashing with Sol_hsa's "DirectDraw Hack" graphics patch.

This is no longer a recommended patch for WC3 having been superseded by a later 'Mash' patch. It is available from:



DDHack (2010)


Created by Jari Komppa (Sol). The latest version of this patch is v1.0. Taken from the release notes:

This is a replacement ddraw.dll designed to work better with the host environment. Meaning, no palette corruption, no switching the whole system to a different graphics mode, no 256 color mode windows, no need to kill explorer.exe, etc. Technically, it's a DLL that implements the directdraw interface (directdraw, directdraw2, directdrawsurface and directdrawpalette) - or well, the parts of it that I have implemented so far. Then it takes what the game wants to display, dumps it into an OpenGL texture and renders this on screen. ddhack is still at a very early stage, and may be somewhat unstable. It has been mainly tested with the 'kilrathi saga' wing commander 1, wing commander 2, wing commander 3 and wing commander 4 CD. If any other directdraw programs work, it's a miracle!

This is no longer a recommended patch for WC3 having been superseded by later patches. It is available from:



Digital edition (September 2011)


The digital edition is comparable to the CD retail edition. The 4 x CDs of files are merged into a single image file, removing the need for swapping between CD images when playing. The digital edition is available on gog.com and at Electronic Arts.


Wing Commander Loader (March 2020)


The Wing Commander Loader (or WingLoader) is a utility for launching optimised versions of the Kilrathi Saga versions of WC1 and WC2. However, it also includes patching support for WC3. Created by Destro. the latest version of the WingLoader is v0.92. Taken from the release notes:

Wing Loader is a launcher for the Kilrathi Saga versions of Wing Commander 1 & 2 that aims to deliver the most complete versions of these classic masterpieces. Features: Wing Commader III, IV, Prophecy & Secret Ops GOG Support and Wing Commander Saga! What fun!

This is the recommended utility for converting from DOS WC3 releases to a Windows compatible release. This utility is available from:



Wing Commander 3 HD Video Pack (March 2021)


The Wing Commander 3 HD Video Pack, created by ODVS is an AI upscaled set of WC3 movies played throughout the campaign. It also includes restored content which was originally missing. The current version of the pack is v2.0.


When first released this was not integrated into the game, a situation remedied with the Wing Commander III Enhancement Patch. Taken from ODVS notes:

As well as improving remaster quality over V1.0, V2.0 contains the following improvements: All FMV footage remastered to 1080p Full HD using Machine Learning AI Original low frame-rate of 15fps remastered to full 30fps using Machine Learning AI Improved contrast balance in all footage

This is a recommended pack for Windows versions of the game, for an optimised experience. It is available from:



Wing Commander III Enhancement Patch (May 2024)


The Wing Commander III Enhancement Patch, created by 'Mash' Matt Wells, adds higher resolutions and improved window handling with DirectX 11. It also supports the Wing Commander 3 HD Video Pack and adds native controller support to the game allowing the use of stick, throttle and rudder. The latest version of the patch is v0.14.1. Taken from the GitHub description:

This patch was created for the Windows version of the PC game "Wing Commander III". Which came as part of the "Wing Commander Kilrathi Saga" compilation. It can also be used with the GOG DOS version of the game. But will require some extra files and a little more work to set things up. The best and easiest option is to install Wing Loader. Wing Loader also has some upgrades and fixes for other Wing Commander games. This patch uses DirectX 11 for rendering and will likely require Windows 10 or greater to use. This patch makes use of DLL injection to make changes to the game's executable file. And is loaded by the game itself by pretending to be the Direct Draw library file "ddraw.dll". It is thus incompatible with patches which use the same method to load eg. DirectDraw_Hack. HD Movie playback is achieved using libvlc.

This is the recommended patch for enhancing WC3 and providing compatibility with Win10/11. It is available from:



Wing Commander III Enhancement Patch VLC libraries (March 2025)


As the above description notes, 'HD Movie playback is achieved using libvlc.'. This required obtaining all the VLC libraries as part of one complete [package. The Wing Commander III Enhancement Patch VLC libraries (libvlc_min_pack_3.0.21) are the minimal set of VLC libraries required by the enhancement patch.


This is recommended patch when running the enhancement patch. It is available from:



Restored Scenes IFF Packs (February 2026)


The Wing Commander III Enhancement Patch supports the Wing Commander 3 HD Video Pack. The HD Video pack also includes restored content videos, however, having the videos is not enough to restore them in-game.


The Restored Scenes IFF Packs (Restored_Scenes_IFF_Packs) are the set of files that restore the restored video content to the game campaign. This is recommended patch when running the Wing Commander III Enhancement Patch and Wing Commander 3 HD Video Pack. It is available from:



Patching strategies


The following are the recommended patching strategies for each edition.


CD Retail, EA CD-ROM Classics and digital editions (DOSBox)


  • Install Wing Commander III release.


CD Retail, EA CD-ROM Classics and digital editions (Windows 10/11)


  • Install Wing Commander III release.

  • Install WingLoader utility.

  • Apply Wing Commander III Enhancement Patch.

  • Apply Wing Commander III Enhancement Patch VLC libraries.

  • Optional: Apply Wing Commander 3 HD Video Pack.

  • Optional: Apply Restored Scenes IFF Packs.

  • Patch with WingLoader utility.


Kilrathi Saga edition


  • Install Wing Commander III (Kilrathi Saga) release.

  • Apply Wing Commander III Enhancement Patch.

  • Apply Wing Commander III Enhancement Patch VLC libraries.

  • Optional: Apply Wing Commander 3 HD Video Pack.

  • Optional: Apply Restored Scenes IFF Packs.


Retail media


Due to the age or the media and the drives required to read it, it is recommended to rip CD-ROM media to image files, to save wear and tear on media and the mechanical drives.


The CD-ROMs can be ripped to a data only .iso image format as there is no CD audio on the CDs.


Game management


It is recommended to use my DOSBox game management strategy or similar strategy you may have developed. The recommended game management folders for the DOS version are:


  • cd - for any cd images.

  • hdd - the folder use as the emulated DOSBox hard disk


  • conf - to store DOSBox and HOTAS configuration files.

  • docs - for documents.

  • patch - to store any patches.


When using the DOS version of the game, these management folders can be found in the following game folder (as an example):

D:\Games\DOS\Wing Commander 3

When using the Windows version of the game (or converting to the Windows version, these management folders can be found in the following game folder (as an example):

D:\Games\Win\Wing Commander 3 Setup

HOTAS config


Configuring axes may not be required if your HOTAS has 4 axes or less. When using a combination of devices totaling more than 4 axes, a virtual controller can be configured (with vendor software or Joystick Gremlin), limited to 4 axes.


For those using controllers from multiple vendors, the vJoy/Joystick Gremlin combination may be required instead of vendor specific HOTAS profile software. You may also have to use HidHide as a device firewall, to hide your real controllers, so only the vJoy virtual controller is detected by DOSBox. [6][7][8].


There are separate configs for DOS and Windows versions.


DOS editions


This section of the guide deals with the DOS editions of the game and optimising the DOSBox and installation as much as possible. The DOS version may be preferable for a legacy rero experience or for MIDI music which has a variety of options.


HOTAS config


Only the joystick is supported with the DOS version. The physical axes to Windows axes were configured as follows:

Physical axis

Windows axis

Joystick x-axis

DX_X_AXIS

Joystick y-axis

DX_Y_AXIS


DOSBox Staging config


The DOS version is configured to run under the latest released DOSBox Staging version, v0.83.0-RC1 (at time of writing).

# This is the configuration file for Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger.

[render]
deinterlacing = on

[cpu]
cpu_cycles_protected = 75000
cycleup = 500
cycledown = 500

[voodoo]
voodoo = off

[mt32]
model = cm32l
romdir = "D:\Midi\Versioned"

[fluidsynth]
soundfont = "Shan SGM Pro 15.SF2"
soundfont_dir = "D:\Midi\Soundfonts"

[soundcanvas]
soundcanvas_model = sc55
soundcanvas_rom_dir = "D:\Midi\soundcanvas\ROMs"

[midi]
# Other valid options: mt32, fluidsynth, port
mididevice = soundcanvas

[joystick]
joysticktype = ch
timed = off
swap34 = on
deadzone = 0

[autoexec]
@echo off

# Hard disk folder
# mount c "D:\Games\Dos\Wing Commander 3\hdd"

# Digital edition install folder
# mount c "D:\Program Files (x86)\GOG Galaxy\Games\Wing Commander III"

# Retail CD images
# mount d "D:\Games\Dos\Wing Commander 3\cd\wc3*.iso" -t cdrom

# Merged retail CDs image
# mount d "D:\Games\Dos\Wing Commander 3\cd\data.dat" -t cdrom

# Digital edition CD image
# mount d "D:\Program Files (x86)\GOG Galaxy\Games\Wing Commander III\data.dat" -t cdrom

mixer master 100 /noshow
d:
wc3.exe
pause
exit

The following zip file contains this example DOSBox Staging config. It should be changed to match your hardware and personal preferences.



DOSBox Staging introduces a new deinterlacer feature to remove black lines from full motion videos (FMVs). This is enabled in the [render] section of the config, there are additional settings to control the strength of the deinterlacing.


The cpu_cycle setting of 75000 as recommended in the DOSBox Staging wiki. cycleup/down settings are changed to values rather than percentages.


Voodoo emulation isn't required and is disabled.


The mixer settings are a personal preference.


WC3 supports a wide variety of MIDI sound devices including Roland MIDI and general MIDI devices. Sound Blaster is also another option for music.


The default Sound Blaster settings are appropriate for Sound Blaster music and digital sounds.


Multiple general MIDI devices are configured in the [mt32], [fluidsynth] and [soundcanvas] sections. A Win10 MIDI synth can also be used with DOSBox Staging (see Compatibility tools).


The optimum Roland sound settings use the CM32L device, as described in List of MT-32-compatible computer games.


The FluidSynth soundfont is a personal preference. In the above example, Shan SGM Pro v15 is used, an excellent general purpose soundfont.


DOSBox Staging v0.83.0-RC1 introduces Sound Canvas support. The Sound Canvas config, like the Roland MIDI config, requires a model to be selected and a folder containing the Sound Canvas ROMs to be specified.


The MIDI section specifies a the soundcanvas MIDI device as this was the original hardware the game was designed for as noted in List of MT-32-compatible computer games. Alternate DOSBox MIDI components can be chosen or an external Win10/11 MIDI synth (see VirtualMIDISynth and MIDIMapper).


The joystick settings are a personal preference and suitable for my joystick hardware. A ch joystick type allows the joystick hat to be used in-game.


The autoexec mount settings are examples only, demonstrating how to mount multiple floppy disk images or a cd image for CD or digital editions.


The mixer setting restores the master volume to 100%.


The game is run from the CD/image. If game config settings aren't available, this will run the installation and configuration utility built into the game.


Installation and configuring


The DOS version has an unusual installer integrated into the game executable and most game files remain on the CD/image. The first time WC3 is run there are no config files available and the installer utility is run, which created these config files. If the config files are available, the game is run without invoking the install utility.


To run the install utility the first time, simply run the game:

D:\> wc3.exe

Once config files are created the installation utility can be run again with:

D:\> wc3.exe -i

The steps to configure and install are shown in the gallery below:




Retail CD edition


For the retail CD version the following mount commands should be used:

[autoexec]
...
# Hard disk folder
mount c "D:\Games\Dos\Wing Commander 3\hdd"

# Retail CD images
mount d "D:\Games\Dos\Wing Commander 3\cd\wc3*.iso" -t cdrom
...

It's assumed the names given to the WC3 CD images will start wc3. The wildcard in the mount command mounts all CD images to the same drive, use Ctrl + F4 to swap between images.


Merging discs

To prevent CD image swapping mid-game the 4 x CD images can be merged into a single image. The process to do so in Win10 is:


  • Mount the CD image of WC3 disc 1 in Win10 and copy the contents of the CD image to a folder, e.g.

D:\Games\DOS\Wing Commander 3\cd\merged

  • Do this for each of the other 3 CD images, replacing duplicate files as required.


  • Use a CD burning/imaging utility (e.g. ImgBurn) to create a CD image of the merged folder contents. Note: only the folder contents/files should be added to the CD image, not the folder itself.


  • Open the new single CD image in Win10 and make sure files can be seen and accessed, e.g. open the readme.txt file. Eject the CD image.


  • The final single CD image can be renamed to data.dat. This creates a suitable CD image suitable for conversion to a Windows version. The following mount command replaces the earlier CD mount command:

[autoexec]
...
# Merged retail CDs image
mount d "D:\Games\Dos\Wing Commander 3\cd\data.dat" -t cdrom
...

Digital edition


The digital edition should installed using the digital platform client app (e.g. gog.com Galaxy) or digital platform offline installer package. This guide uses the following folder as a digital edition installation folder example:

D:\Program Files (x86)\GOG Galaxy\Games\Wing Commander III

For the digital version the following mount commands should be used:

[autoexec]
...
# Digital edition install folder
mount c "D:\Program Files (x86)\GOG Galaxy\Games\Wing Commander III"

# Digital edition CD image
mount d "D:\Program Files (x86)\GOG Galaxy\Games\Wing Commander III\data.dat" -t cdrom
...

Sound options


WC3 supports a wide variety of digital sound and music options. The WC3 Launcher can swap between MIDI devices during a DOSBox session, and coupled with VirtualMIDISynth allows switching between soundfonts 'on-the-fly'.


However once a preference has been settled on, you may wish to make this the default without having to choose the preferred sound/music devices each time.


When reconfiguring music/sound devices the following command should be used:

D:\> wc3 -i

Sound Blaster


  • Can be selected for music and sound.


  • The default DOSBox config Sound Blaster settings are Ideal.


  • Music/sound should be set in the config utility to Sound Blaster 16.


  • Sound Blaster 16 digital settings:

    • Digital I/O port: 220

    • Digital IRQ: 7

    • Digital DMA Lo: 1

    • Digital DMA: Hi: 5


  • Sound Blaster 16 music settings:

    • N/A, simply select Sound Blaster 16 as the music device.


Roland music


  • This includes the Roland MT-32 and Roland Sound Canvas.


  • Can be selected for music only.


  • The music setting for both devices is:

    • I/O port: 330


Roland MT-32/LAPC-1

[mt32]
model = cm32l
romdir = "D:\Midi\Versioned"

[midi]
mididevice = mt32

  • In the config utility, under music device, select: Roland MT-32/LAPC-1.


Roland Sound Canvas

[soundcanvas]
soundcanvas_model = sc55
soundcanvas_rom_dir = "D:\Midi\soundcanvas\ROMs"

[midi]
mididevice = soundcanvas

  • In the config utility, under music device, select the dedicated MIDI driver: Roland RAP-10/SCC-1 or the general MIDI driver: MPU-401 General Midi.


General MIDI music


  • Can be selected for music only.


  • In the config utility, under music device, select: MPU-401 General MIDI.


  • The music setting for General MIDI devices is:

    • I/O port: 330


  • DOSBox Staging built-in MIDI devices includes FluidSynth or Sound Canvas, e.g.

[fluidsynth]
soundfont = "Shan SGM Pro 15.SF2"
soundfont_dir = "D:\Midi\Soundfonts"

[midi]
mididevice = fluidsynth
# or
mididevice = soundcanvas

  • DOSBox Staging also supports external (to DOSBox) MIDI devices. For further info consult, DOSBox Staging and MIDI, e.g.

[midi]
mididevice = port
midiconfig = 0

VirtualMIDISynth and MIDIMapper

These are optional MIDI tools that can be used by DOSBox Staging and WC3, as General MIDI (GM) is supported as a WC3 music option. The built in features of DOSBox Staging can do the job of these tools but they may make things easier for those who wish to try out multiple soundfonts (VirtualMIDISynth) or switch between different Win10/11 MIDI synths (MIDIMapper).


For a further discussion on using these tools with the latest DOSBox Staging, see DOSBox Staging and MIDI.


WC3 Launcher


This is a batch file menu launcher (wc3menu.bat) that performs a number of functions:


  • Start the game.

  • Run the install/setup utility to reconfigure music/sound settings.

  • Switch to a different DOSBox MIDI device (MT32, FluidSynth or Sound Canvas).

  • Switch to an external (Port) MIDI device (e.g. VirtualMIDISynth, MIDIMapper).

  • Return to the DOSBox command prompt.

  • Close DOSBox.


This launcher should be compatible with cd retail and digital editions. It allows switching MIDI devices to try out various MIDI options, to find a preference.


Installing


  • Download the launcher below:


  • In Win10./11, extract the menu to the game installation folder.


  • Change the WC3 DOSBox Staging config as shown:


From

[autoexec]
...
d:
wc3.exe
pause
exit

To

[autoexec]
...
c:
cd \
call wc3menu.bat

Windows editions


The WIndows version of WC3 includes the Kilrathi Saga edition or a DOS edition converted into the Windows version. The Windows version replaces MIDI for digital music, losing the ability to change MIDI synths or soundfonts.


The enhanced version also adds native controller support allowing the game to support stick, throttle and rudder pedals.


The steps to install and enhance the Kilrathi Saga or converted DOS versions are as follows:


Wing Commander Loader (DOS editions)


For those converting a DOS edition, the first step is download and install the Wing Commander Loader (WingLoader).


  • Download Wingloader and extract the contents of the zip archive. An example folder used in the rest of this guide is:

D:\Games\Win\WingLoader

  • Within the WingLoader installation folder create a Wing Commander III folder, e.g.

D:\Games\Win\WingLoader\Wing Commander III

Retail CD version


Th retail CD version is not officially supported by WingLoader, however the digital (gog.com) edition is. This section covers creating a 'digital edition like' install compatible with WingLoader, from an existing CD retail install.


Creating a WingLoader compatible install


These steps should be performed in Win10/11:


  • Copy the following files from the following game folders in Win10/11:

D:\Games\DOS\Wing Commander 3\hdd\WC3

OBJECTS.TRE
WC3.CFG
WC3.CON

D:\Games\DOS\Wing Commander 3\cd

DATA.DAT

  • Into the WingLoader WC3 folder:

D:\Games\Win\WingLoader\Wing Commander III

Digital version


The digital edition is compatible with WingLoader but it recommended to create a fresh install in the WingLoader WC3 folder. The WingLoader and Enhancement patches will apply comprehensive changes. Using the original digital edition installation folder is possible, but if the game install is validated or reinstalled after patching, then all the patch changes will be lost.


A fresh install in a new folder means the patch changes cannot be accidentally lost.


Creating a fresh install


These steps should be performed in Win10/11:


  • Copy the following files from the following digital edition game folder in Win10/11:

D:\Program Files (x86)\GOG Galaxy\Games\Wing Commander III

OBJECTS.TRE
WC3.CFG
WC3.CON
DATA.DAT

  • Into the WingLoader WC3 folder:

D:\Games\Win\WingLoader\Wing Commander III

Kilrathi Saga edition


The Kilrathi Saga edition is already a Windows edition of the game. There is no need for the WIngLoader patch to convert this edition.


The Kilrathi Sage uses a 32-bit installer app making it compatible with Win10/11. When installing, only WC3 needs to be installed in a suitable installation folder of your choosing. For the rest of this guide the following example is used:

D:\Games\Win\Kilrathi Saga\Wing Commander III

Installing Wing Commander III Enhancement Patch (all editions)


These steps should be performed in Win10/11:


D:\Games\Win\WingLoader\Wing Commander III
D:\Games\Win\Kilrathi Saga\Wing Commander III


Optional: Installing Wing Commander 3 HD Video Pack (all editions)


If the optional Wing Commander 3 HD Video Pack is to be installed and used in-game, follow these steps in Win10/11:



  • Download the Restored Scenes IFF Packs and extract the contents of patch into the WingLoader WC3 folder or Kilrathi Sage installation folder.


Patching with Wing Commander Loader (DOS editions)


The following gallery shows the WingLoader patching steps:


  • Go to the WingLoader folder:

D:\Games\Win\WingLoader

  • Run WingLoader.exe.



  • Once patching is complete, simply close the WingLoader window.


Running


When running the Kilrathi Saga or converted DOS editions the following game executable should be used:

D:\Games\Win\WingLoader\Wing Commander III\wc3w.exe
D:\Games\Win\Kilrathi Saga\Wing Commander III\wc3w.exe

Configuring


With the addition of the patch and native controller support, there's some additional configuration to optimise the game.


Enhancement patch config (optional)


There is a separate config file (wc3w_en.ini) for the Wing Commander III Enhancement Patch. Each setting is explained in the file, however the following settings were used in combination with the Wing Commander 3 HD Video Pack:

[MOVIES]
SHOW_ORIGINAL_MOVIES_INTERLACED=0
ENABLE_ORIGINAL_MOVIES_LIMITED_SCALING=0
ENABLE_ORIGINAL_MOVIES_LINEAR_UPSCALING=1

In-game config


Configuration options are shown in the gallery below. In-game config options set from the Main Terminal (in-game). The Joystick Calibration button now opens a new native controller configuration dialog.


Finally when on a mission (or in the in-game simulator) Alt + O will open the in-flight options.



HOTAS config (optional)


The new controller support means the game can now support stick, throttle and rudder pedals.


It would seem there is no need for an external HOTAS config, however, the Controller Setup dialog will list all controller devices as 'HID compliant device'. This makes configuration 'trial and error' until the correct controller and axis is located.


Note: this is an entirely optional step. Creating a virtual controller with the 4 axes supported in-game means only a single controller is available with only the required 4 axes, which may make thing easier. This also allows the advanced facilities available to the HOTAS profiling software to be used, e.g. button macros, chained commands, etc.


It is recommended to map physical to Windows axes as follows:

Physical axis

Windows axis

Joystick x-axis

DX_X_AXIS

Joystick y-axis

DX_Y_AXIS

Throttle

DX_Z_AXIS

Rudder

DX_ZROT_AXIS


Documents


The following documents are available:


Digital edition


Additional resources downloaded separately.


  • 'Victory Streak' manual.

  • Playguide.

  • Reference Card.

  • Warbirds (fighter datasheets).


Extras


  • WC3 Behind the Scenes Tape.

  • WC3 Deleted Scenes.

  • WC3 Script.

  • WC3 Wallpaper.

  • The Wing Commander Universe Bible.


Novels


  • Fleet Action.


Strategy guides


  • Origin's Official Guide to Wing Commander III.

  • Wing Commander III Authorized Combat Guide.


Kilrathi Saga edition



Other editions







Strategy guides





Example videos


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GFV_UMBOeU
Wing Commander III in DOSBox Staging v0.83.0-RC1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY8yxrTlG-8
Wing Commander III running natively in Win10


Finally...


Credit and thanks for all the hard work involved goes to:


  • Wing Commander CIC, for all the patches, forums, contributors, documents, in fact the premiere resource for Wing Commander franchise information on the Internet.

  • Internet Archive for hosting documents and patches.

  • NStriker. for Windows 2000 Update (Kilrathi Saga edition) fan patch.

  • 'Mash' Matt Wells for Movie Crashing Patch (Kilrathi Saga edition), Wing Commander III Enhancement Patch and associated fan patches.

  • Jari Komppa (Sol) for the DDHack fan patch.

  • Destro for the Wing Commander Loader.

  • ODVS for the Wing Commander 3 HD Video Pack.

  • John Novak and the DOSBox Staging team for DOSBox Staging v0.83.0-RC1.

  • CoolSoft developers for VirtualMIDISynth and MIDIMapper.


Good hunting!




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