Gemini sector
Wing Commander: Privateer
Privateer drops the carrier tour. You are a mercenary in the Gemini sector, trading and fighting between 23 plot missions handed out by fixers. The floppy DOS release is September 1993; the CD-ROM version is 1994. Design is credited to Joel Manners. Origin developed it and Electronic Arts published it. Computer Gaming World scored it 3.5/5.
| Fact | Reading | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Release | September 1993 (floppy); 1994 (CD-ROM) | 2 sources |
| Plot missions | 23 | 1 source (official guide) |
| Starting ship | Tarsus. Purchase price not stated. | 1 source (WCPedia) |
| 2026 price | Reissue, Steam app 2008760, $4.99 / $2.49 USD | Steam + GOG |
| Righteous Fire in the 2026 reissue | Not stated on the store page | no source found |
What you fly and what it costs
Unconfigured hull prices, in credits: Centurion 200,000; Galaxy 150,000; Orion 75,000. The Tarsus is the ship you start in. Engine Upgrade 5 and Shield Generator 5 each cost 150,000 credits. The stock Orion can mount both. The official guide's path is to reach level 3 engines and shields plus tungsten armour, move into the Clarke quadrant with Perry as a home base, then pay for level 5. Mission-by-mission payments are on the walkthrough.
Two ways people edit a save, kept separate
A wcnews thread says the ship and the credit count sit on the first line of the save. Use a hex editor that does not insert carriage returns. A GOG forum post is narrower: on Mac with Boxer, save as NEW01, open NEW01.SAV, find the text "CCRGI – d", and change the D0 byte. The author says FF grants the maximum and can crash the game, and suggests a smaller value such as 77. One method is a general DOS save. The other is a Mac/Boxer file. I will not blend them into a single click-path.
Righteous Fire (1994) continues the Steltek plot, adds equipment, and has no fail state: a failed mission offers a retry. Whether that add-on is inside the 2026 reissue is not written on the store page.
Privateer 2: The Darkening is a 1996 game set in the Tri-System in 2790. It is not a story sequel. Its 30th Anniversary Edition is a different Steam app (3067130). Remake projects are summarised on mods.
| Ship | Credits | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Tarsus | Starting ship; purchase price not stated | Your first hull |
| Orion | 75,000 | Can mount level-5 engine and shield stock |
| Galaxy | 150,000 | Hauler |
| Centurion | 200,000 | Fighter |
Questions people ask
When can I buy shield and engine level 5?
When you can pay 150,000 credits each and the hull accepts them. It is a money and hardpoint gate, not a story flag. The guide points at the Clarke quadrant after you already hold level 3 and tungsten armour.
Is Privateer 2 the next chapter?
No. It is a separate 1996 production set centuries later in the Tri-System.
Does the 2026 download include Righteous Fire?
The store page does not say. Treat it as unknown.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Privateer — checked 2026-11-08
- Steam app 2008760 — checked 2026-11-08
- Internet Archive: Privateer Playtesters' Guide — checked 2026-11-08
- wcnews: editing the save file — checked 2026-11-08
- GOG forum: NEW01.SAV — checked 2026-11-08