Gameplay
Basic gameplay consists of flying and fighting with the ship in a star system, jumping from system to system via jump points, landing on bases or planets, interacting with people (mainly talking) and buying or selling equipment or commodities. The Gemini sector is divided into quadrants, each contains several star systems, most of them with planets or bases that may be visited. Unlike other games in the series, the gameplay is primarily in the sandbox style of play.
When flying, the main view is a first-person-look from inside the cockpit onto the cockpit screens (HUDs) and the space before the ship. Space combat simulation is similar to the style of other Wing Commander games of its time. On planets and bases a static overview / first-person-view is used to show the rooms and interact with people. When buying or selling and taking missions from the mission computer, in-game menus are used.
The Gemini sector is frequented by seven factions: merchants, bounty hunters, retros, pirates, militia, the Terran Confederation and the Kilrathi. Some of them attack the player on sight, some are allies of the player. How the members of the factions react is not only pre-set but depends also on the player's actions.
Merchants
Merchants are traders who ferry legal commodities from one base to another, and their initial disposition towards the player is neutral. They primarily fly in large, slow transports, and are generally easy targets for pirates when they travel alone.
Bounty Hunters
Bounty hunters are mercenaries who collect bounties on pirates and other lawbreakers, and their initial disposition towards the player is neutral. While the majority of bounty hunters are legit, some, unlike merchants, do not always abide by the law, sometimes engaging in piracy, illegal blockades, and assassinations for hire. The player can occasionally accept missions against rogue mercenaries.
Retros
The Retros belong to a quasi-religious terrorist organization called the Church of Man who believe that technology is evil and vow to vanquish all forms of it, even if by doing so they themselves must use technology (the ends justify the means). They always have a hostile disposition towards the player and all other factions, though in Righteous Fire they become allied with the Kilrathi in an attempt to overthrow all mankind.
Pirates
Pirates are criminals who mainly attack merchant vessels to plunder their cargo but are also hostile towards all other factions. However, the player can generally appease pirates through repeated pleas for mercy and can, in time, change their general disposition to neutral or friendly by attacking merchants, hunters, and militia craft. Pirates often transport contraband, such as tobacco, drugs, and slaves, and operate out of several pirate bases, all of which the player can land on regardless of their disposition with the pirate faction.
Militia
The Militia are the local police of Gemini Sector and initially have a neutral disposition towards the player. They conduct random cargo scans of spacecraft and will attack any vessels found carrying contraband. They are also hostile towards pirates, Retros, and any craft that open fire on merchant, militia, or Confed ships.
Terran Confederation
Confeds are the military force who act in conjunction with the militia to protect civilians from pirates, Retros, and Kilrathi ships. They, like militia, perform contraband searches on nearby vessels and will attack all violators on sight, although they generally do not intervene when the player attacks merchants or mercenary ships. The Confederation maintains a high concentration of ships in the Clarke quadrant, which borders Kilrathi territory, and have set up three blockade points to quell Kilrathi incursions into Gemini space.
Kilrathi
The Kilrathi are a cat-like alien race and are the primary enemy of humanity in the Wing Commander series. They have a minor presence in Gemini Sector and are found almost exclusively in the Clarke quadrant. Kilrathi are arguably the most powerful faction in terms of ship strength and weaponry, but their small numbers allow the Confed to keep them at bay for the most part. Their initial disposition towards the player is hostile, although like pirates they can be temporarily appeased through flattery. However, the only way to permanently change their general disposition from hostile to neutral or friendly is to repeatedly attack Confed ships; thus, the player will always be considered hostile by either one faction or the other.
The player may conduct his own business as a merchant or fight in combat for non-plot missions provided by the above factions. If playing as a merchant, the player must make a profit from price differences of commodities on different planets or stations. Alternatively, the player may choose from randomly generated non-plot missions from a mission computer. Successful completion of missions results in monetary award, which allows better ship weapons and equipment to be purchased.
During the plot, the player meets fixers, often representing one of the factions above, who assign the player missions in their interest in exchange for money or helpful information. The missions usually consist of plain combat, escorting other ships while combating enemies or commodity delivery including smuggling while combating / escaping enemies. The plot itself can only be played straight, one mission after another in a preset line. But between plot missions or even while being on a mission the player can follow his own interests.
Read more about this topic: Wing Commander: Privateer