Star Wars Empire at War

[astrosfan64]

http://www.ebgames.com/ebx/product/260507.asp

Anyone looking at getting this game at release? From what I understand you can play multiplayer galatic conquest. So you can play the strategic map and the battles online against another person.

If so, I want a game vs. someone at release. The demo is out and it looks sweet. The guys who made the Command and Conquer series are making this game. (Westwood) left EA and moved to this new company.

[Desnudo]

Overrated.

[DaddyTorgo]

not that overrated desnudo. i played the demo several times through and thoroughly enjoyed it, although i'm not sure i've got the tactical side of land combat down at all.

[Desnudo]

Was actually a joke for Astrosfan. I haven't tried the demo.

[sabotai]

Looks interesting. I'll wait for other's reactions though.

[Eaglesfan27]

I've preordered it. I'll post some impressions by next weekend (that should give me a few nights with it.)

[Eaglesfan27]

Dola -

If the MP works, I'll play you once it comes out Astrofan.

[MJ4H]

First RTS game I've ever even remotely enjoyed. I'm down for this one.

[Coop]

The demo was good, i might pick up the full the game

[astrosfan64]

The question is Empire or Rebels?

[DaddyTorgo]

empire. clearly. the Empire gets a HORRIBLY bad rap. and i'm not going to go into it philisophically in detail here, but they really do. i'm sure you can find a "the empire is actually trying to do good" essay on the web somewhere. read it...think about it.

[JPhillips]

I enjoyed the RTS in the demo, but the campaign game seemed very lacking. I liked the game, but not at the 49.99 that it will start at. I join a multiplayer when it hits 19.99.

[stevew]

I enjoyed the RTS in the demo, but the campaign game seemed very lacking. I liked the game, but not at the 49.99 that it will start at. I join a multiplayer when it hits 19.99.

Yep, me to.

[DaddyTorgo]

for one

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/001/248ipzbt.asp

[Eaglesfan27]

The question is Empire or Rebels?
Rebels for me please.

[astrosfan64]

for one

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/001/248ipzbt.asp

LOL classic read

[DaddyTorgo]

LOL classic readyep. and if one thinks about it logically it makes a lot of sense too.

[JPhillips]

Daddy: Do you agree with the author that the Empire is benign as was Pinochet?

That alone should be enough to get you to question his conclusion.

[EagleFan]

Not related specifically to thie game, but I am getting tired of "Special" editions of games where they throw in about 2 dollars extra material and a special box so they can charge 60-70 dollars for the game.

[astrosfan64]

Not related specifically to thie game, but I am getting tired of "Special" editions of games where they throw in about 2 dollars extra material and a special box so they can charge 60-70 dollars for the game.

Me too

[DaddyTorgo]

Daddy: Do you agree with the author that the Empire is benign as was Pinochet?

That alone should be enough to get you to question his conclusion.okay. well maybe that wasn't the best example he could have used. he could have used the roman empire. or the russian empire in the pre 19th century...

[TazFTW]

IGN has their review out, a 7.6. http://pc.ign.com/articles/688/688963p1.html

[TazFTW]

dola

And there's a patch out.

####################################################

STAR WARS: EMPIRE AT WAR(TM) Update ReadMe
Version 1.01
February 16, 2006

####################################################

Thank you for downloading the STAR WARS: EMPIRE AT WAR (TM)
Update.

This update addresses the following:

--------------
General Issues
--------------
* Corrected an issue that could prevent progress past
mission 4 in the Rebel Campaign.
* Added AI improvements for Land Control games.
* Corrected an issue to count troop transports towards
unit cap in space tactical battles.
* Improved AI to move units within firing range when using
Tractor Beam/Proton beam weapons.
* Corrected an issue where proton torpedoes would ignore
hardpoints when applying damage.
* Corrected an issue in tutorial mission 5 that caused hint
Voice Overs to stop repeating if the reinforcements
objective has not been completed.
* Corrected multiple text and voice issues in Japanese,
French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Polish versions
of the game.
* Corrected an issue that prevented two Force-sensitive
heroes from targeting the same building.
* Corrected an issue that caused ground troops to be
destroyed in space tactical battles when using
Auto-Resolve.
* Corrected an issue that prevented enemy units from
displaying their team color in the mini-map.
* Corrected an issue with the magnapulse cannon that
required double-clicking in order to target enemies.
* Corrected a collision issue with Land Skirmish map
"Clash on Tatooine" that allowed units to fire through
the terrain.
* Disabled Save/Load functionality when in tutorial
missions.
* Corrected an issue that allowed AI to use Luke
Skywalker's special ability without waiting for the
recharge timer.
* Corrected multiple issues with the cinematic camera.
* Corrected an issue that allowed the Interdictor Cruiser's
Gravity Well to remain active after it was destroyed.
* Corrected an issue that prevented multiple units from
using the Barrage ability on the same target.
* Corrected an issue that allowed the Death Star to fire
after a tactical battle completed.

------------------
Performance Issues
------------------
* Corrected performance issues with particle effects.
* Improved path-finding and collision for troop transports
in space maps.
* Corrected performance issues caused by ToolTips in
tactical battles.
* Improved load times.

---------------
Graphics Issues
---------------
* Corrected an issue with the shadow mesh for X-wings.
* Improved accuracy for auto-detection of graphics Detail
Level.
* Corrected an issue that did not pause the demo-attract
cutscenes behind full-screen menus.
* Corrected a sizing issue with ToolTips in menu screens
after changing the Video Resolution.
* Corrected issues with the Fog-of-War in the Collector's
Edition bonus maps.
* Adjusted the tactical camera for widescreen aspect
ratios.

------------------
Multiplayer Issues
------------------
* Increased Multiplayer stability for LAN and Internet
games.
* Disabled the Fast Forward and Play buttons in
Multiplayer games.
* Corrected an issue that caused Game Speed settings to
revert to defaults when changing modes in Multiplayer.
* Corrected a crash issue caused by clients joining a
game without selecting the same map as the host.
* Corrected multiple issues that caused text to word wrap
in Multiplayer screens and menus.
* Added a message in the lobby to inform clients when
they were missing maps for some hosted games.
* Corrected Save/Load issues in Multiplayer Campaign games.
* Added a message box to state when players leave
Galactic mode in Multiplayer Campaign games.
* Corrected an issue that prevented double-clicking
to select all of a unit type in Multiplayer games.
* Corrected an issue that allowed two players to use the
same player color.
* Corrected an issue that allowed the droid log to retain
information from previous Multiplayer games.
* Corrected an issue that caused players to lose Skirmish
battles when a different player would quit the game.
* Corrected an issue that caused custom game names to
display incorrectly.
* Corrected an issue that caused the mini-map to appear
black after completing successive Multiplayer games.
* Corrected an issue that allowed too many AI units in
Multiplayer games.

--------------
Balance Issues
--------------
* Updated Tech Level build times for Command Centers
Tech 2:
Previous Build Time 40 seconds
New Build Time: 60 seconds
Tech 3:
Previous Build Time 50seconds
New Build Time: 85 seconds
* Updated Tech Level 3 costs for Command Centers
Previous Cost: 3800
New Cost: 4000
* Reduced the amount of time that Force Corrupt will affect
vehicles.
Previous Time: 120 seconds
New Time: 90 seconds
* Reduced fighter laser damage against capital ship and
space station shields.
* Reduced damage caused by AT-ST units against infantry.
* Increased the cost of AT-ST units in Skirmish games.
* Increased the recharge timer for the Millennium Falcon's
special ability.
* Reduced Millennium Falcon's shields and health.
* Increased the cost of Emperor Palpatine in Skirmish
Multiplayer games.
* Increased the cost of Colonel Veers in Multiplayer
games.
* Adjusted the radius and recharge timer for Colonel Veers'
special ability.
* Increased Vader's TIE Advanced fighter to have 50% more
health and double the firepower.
* Increased the amount of shield damage caused by the
larger ion cannons.
* Increased the health for Mineral extractors.
* Increased Anti-Aircraft damage against airspeeders.
* Reduced AT-AA damage against infantry.
* Increased the rotation speed for the turret of
AT-AA units.
* Corrected an issue with Fighter damage verses armor.
* Increased the health of Darth Vader's escort fighters.
* Increased the amount of damage Obi-wan does to buildings.
* Increased the cost and build time of missile cruisers.
* Decreased the amount of damage to turrets, vehicles, and
buildings caused by airspeeders.
* Corrected an issue that prevented Colonel Veers from
being vulnerable to the cable attack.
* Increased the recharge timer for Red squadron's lucky
shot.

####################################################

(c) 2006 LucasArts, a division of
Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd.
P.O. Box 29901
San Francisco, CA 94129

[DaddyTorgo]

any impressions yet?? i have a real busy work week so i havn't picked it up yet. figured that would let me check out other people's reviews of it too

[hukarez]

dola

And there's a patch out.Wait, didn't this game just come in yesterday? http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/images/smilies/confused.gif

[Eaglesfan27]

Actually, it shipped today. Of course, it went gold about 10 days ago. I'm sure that gave plenty of time to work on issues after it went gold.

I got the call that my copy arrived tonight but just as the store was closing. I'll be picking it up tomorrow during my lunch break.

[hukarez]

Actually, it shipped today. Of course, it went gold about 10 days ago. I'm sure that gave plenty of time to work on issues after it went gold.

I got the call that my copy arrived tonight but just as the store was closing. I'll be picking it up tomorrow during my lunch break.Wow...and there's already a patch for it? I'm sure this probably happened before with another game, but still...damn. That's quick.

[Eaglesfan27]

Wow...and there's already a patch for it? I'm sure this probably happened before with another game, but still...damn. That's quick.
Yep. It's also a very good sign as Lucas Arts has been piss poor in support of some of their other recent Star Wars games (KOTOR 2 comes to mind.)

[astrosfan64]

Sad to say, so far I'm underwhelmed. Don't get me wrong the game isn't bad, but I understand exactly what the reviewer was saying about armies not being diverse enough.

I'll enjoy it for a while and the biggest pull for me is the abilility to play the galactic conquest in multiplayer online. That is pretty cool. Overall based on my one night of playing i give it an 80 out of a 100.

Hopefully, Battle for Middle Earth II will be fantastic. I loved the first game. I logged about 300 games online. BFMEII demo is solid. The whole key will be how well the game is balanced.

If you enjoy single player campaigns, I believe you will enjoy star wars more then I did. I play games especially RTS style games for online play.

[DaddyTorgo]

and this is what i was hoping to see with this game also.

[astrosfan64]

I don't like the skirmish style of gameplay. I had a chance to play the galatic conquest with a buddy from work. We had a blast till his wife made him get offline. If I can find people that will play the longer style galatic conquest games with me, I think I'll play this game over the next year or so. I just don't think I'll play it every night, like I did Age of Empires, Age of Empires II, Age of Mythology, Starcraft, Warcraft II, Kohan and my latest favorte game Battle for Middle Earth.

Well I did play Age of Empires III quite often, but was a bit annoyed with how they had their online ladder setup.

[Chubby]

come on people, we need some impressions! i'm interested in how the SP campaign is

[astrosfan64]

I played 2 missions in the single player campaign last night. What can i say other then it is like every other RTS single player campaign. (to me it is boring). If you like RTS single player campaigns, I must say this is one of the better ones with story line and presentation.

[Chubby]

MP is gravy to me, SP is the meat and potatoes until I get my road runner again

[Eaglesfan27]

The SP Campaign is very important to me as well. However, I won't be able to really dig into the game until Saturday. I'll post some impressions Saturday night.

[Icy]

I'm tempted to get it. I'm more a turn based startegy games guy, but i remember the bad addiction i had to Starcraft (the last RTS i played for more than 30 minutes). I'll wait for your reviews.

[Chubby]

Like it so far, went through the tutorial and have started a Rebel Campaign

[Eaglesfan27]

FWIW, Gamespot gave it an 8.7 (very few games got that high. Civ 4 got a 9.3 or 9.4 but most of the PC games this past year have been under that total.)

Here is the review:

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/starwarsrts/review.html?sid=6144457


8.7
great

<!--GS Review Criteria--><TABLE class="f11 fwb txt2 ml5"><TBODY><TR><TD class=tar>Gameplay</TD><TD>

</TD><TD class=num>8</TD></TR><TR><TD class=tar>Graphics</TD><TD>

</TD><TD class=num>9</TD></TR><TR><TD class=tar>Sound</TD><TD>

</TD><TD class=num>9</TD></TR><TR><TD class=tar>Value</TD><TD>

</TD><TD class=num>9</TD></TR><TR><TD class=tar>Tilt</TD><TD>

</TD><TD class=num>9</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!--GS Review Details-->Difficulty: Medium
Learning Curve: About 1 hour
Stability: Stable
Tech Info (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/starwarsrts/tech_info.html)
Video Review


http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/b.gif (javascript:videoplayerpop('6144469','925180');)

Bob Colayco takes you inside Star Wars: Empire at War. (javascript:videoplayerpop('6144469','925180');) http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/shared/gs5/watch_mini.gif watch (javascript:videoplayerpop('6144469','925180');) http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/shared/gs5/download_mini.gif download (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/starwarsrts/download_ini.html?sid=6144469&mode=exclusive)



Star Wars fans finally get to play a strategy game worthy of the license.

The Good: Dual-layered design lets you think on both a strategic and a tactical level; epic-looking battles; sound effects are spot-on for what you'd expect from a star wars game; rebellion and empire offer contrasting play styles; large array of heroes that have a real impact on gameplay.

The Bad: Can get a little repetitive; land battles aren't as compelling as other aspects of the game.

The Star Wars franchise has seen its share of great action games, role-playing games, and space-combat simulators, but the strategy genre is something that, for some reason, has proved elusive for LucasArts to truly capture. The efforts to date, including Rebellion, Force Commander, and Galactic Battlegrounds, have ranged from poor to pretty good. Petroglyph's Empire at War is the game that's finally gotten the formula down just right. In Empire at War, the action takes place both in outer space and on the surface of planets, but the interconnection of the two is one of many important strategic aspects that you'll consider as you make your way through the campaign and galactic conquest scenarios. Logical differences in the optimal playing style between the Empire and Rebellion, as well as an epic presentation befitting of the license, contribute to a fantastic overall package that any strategy-game player can appreciate, whether you have a stormtrooper outfit in your closet or you just have a passing familiarity with the films.



http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/images/2006/046/reviews/925180_20060216_embed001.jpg (javascript:open_image_viewer('925180','1','6144457','2006/046/reviews/925180_20060216_embed001.jpg','Strategy-game fans won|||t be disappointed with Empire at War.');)
Strategy-game fans won't be disappointed with Empire at War. (javascript:open_image_viewer('925180','1','6144457','2006/046/reviews/925180_20060216_embed001.jpg','Strategy-game fans won|||t be disappointed with Empire at War.');)


The real-time action in Empire at War takes place on two different layers--a strategic layer, and a tactical aspect, which are the battles you fight in space and on land. The strategic layer takes place on a 2D galactic map, which shows all the planets in the galaxy. If you're playing the campaign, you'll worry about more than 40 different planets, while some of the galactic-conquest scenarios have as few as eight or 10 planets arrayed. Most planets can support space stations and land buildings such as barracks, mining facilities, factories, or even planetary defense systems like turbo-laser towers or massive ion cannons that shoot up into space. You can get more detailed information on a planet by zooming in on it, which gives you something of a Civ-lite view, listing all the units and structures there, as well as the things you can build on that planet. The Rebel side see all Empire-controlled planets on the galactic map, while the Empire must deploy probe droids to seek out the Rebels. The important thing to remember is that the action takes place in real time, even on the galactic map. So if you spend too much time considering what to build or where to send a fleet, you may invite the computer to attack one of your systems.

Some of the planets have unique bonuses, such as letting you build units more cheaply, or making all of one type of unit more powerful. The biggest ships like Mon Calamari cruisers and Imperial Star Destroyers can be built on only a few different planets, so as you'd expect, there are relative values for the different planets in the galaxy. All planets you control, however, add to your daily credit income, which allows you to purchase improvements for your planets and, of course, the soldiers and war machines that make up your military-industrial complex. There are a lot of demands on how you spend your credits--if you go all troops and no improvements, you risk falling behind in the technology race, or not having a stout defense in place if a raiding fleet arrives at one of your planets. One of the main differences between the Empire and the Rebellion is that the Empire usually generates a lot more money. Over the course of a campaign you can eventually build an economy so powerful that you build up massive forces to overwhelm Rebel defenses. The Rebellion doesn't have the luxury of limitless resources, so you'll find that they're more difficult to play and learn, but you can still steal technology and money from the Empire to weaken them and advance your cause. They also have the unique ability to make small raiding parties that can land on a planet and bypass any space defenses the Empire may have in place.



http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/images/2006/046/reviews/925180_20060216_embed002.jpg (javascript:open_image_viewer('925180','2','6144457','2006/046/reviews/925180_20060216_embed002.jpg','The galactic map gives you an overview of the entire galaxy, so you can plan your next attack.');)
The galactic map gives you an overview of the entire galaxy, so you can plan your next attack. (javascript:open_image_viewer('925180','2','6144457','2006/046/reviews/925180_20060216_embed002.jpg','The galactic map gives you an overview of the entire galaxy, so you can plan your next attack.');)


The tactical-combat layer comes into play when the two factions meet on a planet. If two space fleets meet up, a space battle ensues. The game gives the defender some advantage in that any existing space station in orbit over a planet, as well as planetary defenses like ion cannons or hypervelocity cannons, can contribute to the battle, along with whatever fleet happens to be around. The higher-level space stations are fearsome indeed, with multiple laser and torpedo batteries, as well as its own small navy to harass attacking capital ships. The space-combat battles look great--the sense of scale between the huge Imperial capital ships and the smaller Rebel gunships and corvettes is plainly obvious. Fighters like TIEs and X-Wings buzz around the larger ships like gnats on an elephant. If you've got the graphics options turned up, the explosions look fabulous, with electrical fields shimmering around a ship disabled by ion cannons, and downed capital ships breaking apart into large pieces while falling slowly out of space. You'll also see distortion effects around exploding hardpoints, which brings up another interesting aspect of space combat in Empire at War. The space stations and capital ships all have hardpoints pertaining to different systems, such as shield generators and weapon systems. You can target individual systems to cripple larger ships in specific ways. Getting rid of the hangar on Imperial capital ships will thin out the fighter cover, while targeting engines can slow down ships. In most cases, the order in which you want to take out hardpoints is obvious, but ships that have special features, like the gravity well on the Interdictor cruiser, add even more tactical considerations. If you don't remove that gravity-well generator, for example, you can't retreat out of a system and save some of your fleet.

Land battles in Empire at War probably aren't quite as fun to play or look at as the space battles, but they offer their own unique nuances. The number of units you can control at once in land battles is limited by the number of reinforcement points you control. The attacking side is usually under a good amount of pressure to find and control more reinforcement points so they can call down more help, which is important if the defending team has a large number of units or emplaced defenses like shield generators. There are elevation and line-of-sight considerations, as well as weather effects such as snow or heavy rain that hamper visibility and accuracy of weapons. Special hardpoints on a map can also be controlled by either side for building small turrets or healing and repair stations for troops. If you control a fleet in orbit over the planet you can call down periodic bombing strikes that are powerful enough to take out major structures like factories or barracks. What's odd is that the defending team can't produce additional units directly out of the structures on the planet. Building units puts them into your reinforcement queue, but you still have to call them down on specific, controlled reinforcement landing zones in order to bring them to bear.


The primary reason that the land battles don't seem as fun as the space battles, though, is that the maps are all kind of bland and feel very similar, whether you're fighting in an urban area, a rainy swamp planet, or on snowy tundra. The enemy artificial intelligence is also not very devious on land maps, aside from its use of long-range artillery units. It will generally send waves of troops headlong at you, and there isn't much you need to fight them off. Contrast this with the space AI, where the computer will hide squadrons of bombers in asteroid fields or nebulae and spring them on the flanks of your destroyers, behind your front line of corvettes. You'll also see the computer execute some hit-and-run action with smaller gunships trying to bait your fighters out of the protection of the capital ships. There just isn't as much clever tactical play from the computer in the land battles. At least from a strategic sense, the computer knows well enough to strike at where you're weakest, but once you get a handle on where all the activity is, you can still easily rein it in by positioning defenses and fleets on the front lines.



http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/images/2006/046/reviews/925180_20060216_embed003.jpg (javascript:open_image_viewer('925180','3','6144457','2006/046/reviews/925180_20060216_embed003.jpg','Empire at War looks fabulous on land...');)
Empire at War looks fabulous on land... (javascript:open_image_viewer('925180','3','6144457','2006/046/reviews/925180_20060216_embed003.jpg','Empire at War looks fabulous on land...');)


Hero units are also worth noting in Empire at War, as they're generally very powerful and can easily swing the tide of any battle they participate in. Each side has quite an array at their disposal, all with their unique traits. Palpatine and Mon Mothma, for example, can reduce production costs on any planet that they're stationed on. Boba Fett can crush concentrations of fighters by dropping a seismic charge in space maps. C3PO and R2D2 can hack into turrets and turn them against their owners in land battles. All the heroes are very difficult to kill, but they're not completely invincible, so you do have to keep an eye on them. Losing one can hamper your war effort; at least until the hero is automatically replaced over time.

After you get a handle on all the activity going on across the galaxy, Empire at War boils down to amassing raid fleets and invasion parties and knocking over one planet after another while trying to hold on to the ones you've gained control over. The larger and more sprawling your sphere of influence becomes, the more difficult it is to keep tabs on everything, and you'll probably find yourself swearing under your breath when your opponent raids a lightly defended planet that you forgot about. Thankfully, the game includes an "auto-resolve battle" button that lets the computer determine the outcome of battles for you, in order to save time. Still, the fun is in the details, and playing a campaign of Empire at War will definitely keep your mind busy as planets change hands back and forth.

The game ships with a story mode campaign for the Rebellion and the Empire, as well as a handful of "galactic conquest" scenarios. These play out quite similarly to the story campaigns, except with varying numbers of planets available, as well as variation in the technology level. The objectives don't change up that much, but you can tweak the amount of money each side starts with, as well as the starting tech level. There's also skirmish mode, which allows you to play single tactical battles against the computer on land or in space. Acquiring credits for units requires you to capture and control structures or areas of the map that generate money. Most multiplayer battles will be skirmishes, and you can play up to eight players online or over LAN. Thus far, the online performance has been pretty good, and it's been easy to find matches through LucasArts' matchmaking system. It's also possible to play a multiplayer head-to-head campaign match against a friend--obviously these can take a while, so you have the ability to save the match and reload it to continue later.

The graphics and sound in Empire at War are uniformly breathtaking. We already mentioned the epic nature of space battles and the sense of scale imparted by the different ships. The land battles are also impressive, as you'll see huge AT-STs and AT-ATs lumbering around while dozens of infantry scurry about underneath their feet. The weather effects look great, and there's a good variety of different tilesets. There's even a neat cinematic camera that you can switch to in order to give you a more movielike view of the battlefield. You lose control of the game in this mode, so it's not something you're going to be using a lot, but when you do steal a peek, it can show some great perspectives of the battlefield, even if the texturing up close doesn't look so hot. The camera's not perfect--a lot of times it'll show you a view of nothing in particular, but you can cycle through different angles using the space bar. The only graphical caveat is that the game can chug at times, even on a moderately-outfitted computer. On our 2.53GHz Pentium 4 rig with a GeForce 6800 card, we'd experience some slowdown with all the settings turned up at 1600x1200, but nothing that made the game unplayable. The sharp-looking explosions and shadow effects were well worth it.



http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/images/2006/046/reviews/925180_20060216_embed004.jpg (javascript:open_image_viewer('925180','4','6144457','2006/046/reviews/925180_20060216_embed004.jpg','...or in space.');)
...or in space. (javascript:open_image_viewer('925180','4','6144457','2006/046/reviews/925180_20060216_embed004.jpg','...or in space.');)


The weapons all look and sound as you'd expect them to. By now, the noise of a laser gun firing in Star Wars is ingrained into the psyche of just about everyone in the world as the way a laser "should" sound, and Empire at War doesn't disappoint in the weapon-effects department. The voice acting in the game is also quite impressive--Petroglyph did a great job at bringing in soundalikes to handle all the major roles in the game, like Darth Vader. The game's soundtrack is suitably epic but not overbearing, lending great support to the overall ambience of Empire at War.

As a strategy game, Empire at War delivers a true Star Wars experience. If you're into AT-ATs stomping around battlefields, Darth Vader knocking over 20 soldiers with Force push, or space battles thick with dozens of fighters swarming in between gargantuan capital ships, Empire at War will deliver all that in a fun, compelling package. You can't really lose in any game in which you can blow up a planet with the Death Star, can you? Combined with a presentation that is as epic as the films that inspired the game and a slick, dual-layered strategy design, Empire at War is easily recommendable to any strategy fan, especially those who are fond of George Lucas' space classic.



By Bob Colayco Posted Feb 16, 2006 5:41 pm PT

[DaddyTorgo]

thanks EF. reading the gamespot review as well as hearing the generally favorable reviews here makes me think i may swing by CompUSA tomorrow and pick this up.

[Eaglesfan27]

thanks EF. reading the gamespot review as well as hearing the generally favorable reviews here makes me think i may swing by CompUSA tomorrow and pick this up.
I can't wait to dig into it on Saturday.

[Eaglesfan27]

Dola -

FWIW, besides the "official review" 466 people have written reviews or at least scores on Gamespot. The average score given by users is 9.3 out of 10.

[aran]

the game looks like a mediocre RTS engine applied to two slightly different types of battles (land and space) and a mediocre TBS engine which determines the pre-conditions of the RTS battles.

The Gamespot review seemed crappy. I got the distinct feeling that the reviewer was significantly swayed by the fact that it was a Star Wars game.

Nothing that interesting. I don't think this game would've gotten anywhere near as high ratings if it was not a Star Wars game. Then again, i've yet to play it...

[astrosfan64]

Multiplayer is completely unplayable right now. People can't stay connected to the service, the game is crashing and overall the experience has sucked for me. Though, I did get further in the single player campaign which is pretty good.

[CleBrownsfan]

I heading to Best Buy tonight - you all think this game is worth a purchase?

[Eaglesfan27]

I heading to Best Buy tonight - you all think this game is worth a purchase?
I can't say yet, since I haven't dug into it. I'm going to get to play for an hour or two tonight and much more tomorrow. I'll post impressions by tomorrow tonight. I'm encouraged by the Gamespot (and other reviews I've read.) I'm also encouraged by the user reviews over there which are skewing high. In the past, user reviews over there are usually critical. Yes, the reviewer seems to be influenced some by the fact that it is a Star Wars game. However, that is the point. The fun factor for me is definitely increased because it is a Star Wars game. I've seen very few games based on the license in the past that were fun. The only exceptions for me were the Jedi Academy series which was fun despite a few problems, and the KOTOR series (which was hurt by a cut storyline in the 2nd game.) If this is game is a good RTS with a good galactic strategy map, and it makes good use of the Star Wars License, that is going to increase my enjoyment of the game than if it was just another good RTS game.

[aran]

If this is game is a good RTS with a good galactic strategy map, and it makes good use of the Star Wars License, that is going to increase my enjoyment of the game than if it was just another good RTS game.

From what i've read so far, this game seems to be an average RTS at best. That's the problem that i have with it.

[Eaglesfan27]

From what i've read so far, this game seems to be an average RTS at best. That's the problem that i have with it.
From what I've read, that is not the case, particularly with the space battles which most reviews say are well done. Like I said, I'll post my own experiences in the next few days.

[Raiders Army]

Just got it. Installing now.

[Chubby]

From what i've read so far, this game seems to be an average RTS at best. That's the problem that i have with it.
From where?

I'm not expecting them to reinvent the wheel here, my thoughts echo Eaglesfan's. There have been far too many shitty star wars games and those games have gotten crap reviews accordingly.

Greatest game ever? No. Solid game I'm very much enjoying? You betcha!

[DaddyTorgo]

picked it up today too. but that damm FM2006 CD seems to be like...superglued into my CD-drive. http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[Chubby]

I played 2 missions in the single player campaign last night. What can i say other then it is like every other RTS single player campaign. (to me it is boring). If you like RTS single player campaigns, I must say this is one of the better ones with story line and presentation.
I have to disagree with this after playing a little of the story mode. While there is a general order you go through while playing it, you CAN venture off and do other things instead of simply "beat level 1, go to level 2" ala Warcraft III (the only game I have exp playing lately in this genre). Before I did the 3rd mission I conqured another planet to get their resources and beefed up the buildings on the planets already on our side.

[astrosfan64]

From where?

I'm not expecting them to reinvent the wheel here, my thoughts echo Eaglesfan's. There have been far too many shitty star wars games and those games have gotten crap reviews accordingly.

Greatest game ever? No. Solid game I'm very much enjoying? You betcha!


Yeah that sums up how I feel. Fun game that I'm enjoying. It isn't the best RTS ever, but it is a good one.

I would rate it like this.

1. Galatic Conquest
2. Space Battles
3. Single Player Campaign
4. Land Battles

Land battles are my least favorite part of the game especially in skirmish style of gameplay. Land battles as part of galatic conquest are pretty fun.

[astrosfan64]

I have to disagree with this after playing a little of the story mode. While there is a general order you go through while playing it, you CAN venture off and do other things instead of simply "beat level 1, go to level 2" ala Warcraft III (the only game I have exp playing lately in this genre). Before I did the 3rd mission I conqured another planet to get their resources and beefed up the buildings on the planets already on our side.

You are correct, I didn't go far enough into the campaign before I made that comment.

[Eaglesfan27]

I read the instruction manual today at work (slow work day.) I can't wait to get home from work in 75 minutes, eat dinner, and then start playing. Is it wrong that I'm hoping Mrs. Eaglesfan has to work late tonight? ;)

[Eaglesfan27]

1.02 is out. This is the first patch I've downloaded (which the game automatically prompted me for when starting.) Most of the changes are the same as the 1.01 patch earlier in the thread, but I wasn't sure which ones were different so I just posted the whole read-me.


###################################################
STAR WARS: EMPIRE AT WAR(TM) Update ReadMe
Version 1.02
February 17, 2006

####################################################

Thank you for downloading the STAR WARS: EMPIRE AT WAR (TM)
Update.

This update addresses the following:

--------------
General Issues
--------------
* Corrected an issue with server disconnection

* Corrected an issue that could prevent progress past
mission 4 in the Rebel Campaign.
* Added AI improvements for Land Control games.
* Corrected an issue to count troop transports towards
unit cap in space tactical battles.
* Improved AI to move units within firing range when using
Tractor Beam/Proton beam weapons.
* Corrected an issue where proton torpedoes would ignore
hardpoints when applying damage.
* Corrected an issue in tutorial mission 5 that caused hint
Voice Overs to stop repeating if the reinforcements
objective has not been completed.
* Corrected multiple text and voice issues in Japanese,
French, Italian, German, Spanish, and Polish versions
of the game.
* Corrected an issue that prevented two Force-sensitive
heroes from targeting the same building.
* Corrected an issue that caused ground troops to be
destroyed in space tactical battles when using
Auto-Resolve.
* Corrected an issue that prevented enemy units from
displaying their team color in the mini-map.
* Corrected an issue with the magnapulse cannon that
required double-clicking in order to target enemies.
* Corrected a collision issue with Land Skirmish map
"Clash on Tatooine" that allowed units to fire through
the terrain.
* Disabled Save/Load functionality when in tutorial
missions.
* Corrected an issue that allowed AI to use Luke
Skywalker's special ability without waiting for the
recharge timer.
* Corrected multiple issues with the cinematic camera.
* Corrected an issue that allowed the Interdictor Cruiser's
Gravity Well to remain active after it was destroyed.
* Corrected an issue that prevented multiple units from
using the Barrage ability on the same target.
* Corrected an issue that allowed the Death Star to fire
after a tactical battle completed.

------------------
Performance Issues
------------------
* Corrected performance issues with particle effects.
* Improved path-finding and collision for troop transports
in space maps.
* Corrected performance issues caused by ToolTips in
tactical battles.
* Improved load times.

---------------
Graphics Issues
---------------
* Corrected an issue with the shadow mesh for X-wings.
* Improved accuracy for auto-detection of graphics Detail
Level.
* Corrected an issue that did not pause the demo-attract
cutscenes behind full-screen menus.
* Corrected a sizing issue with ToolTips in menu screens
after changing the Video Resolution.
* Corrected issues with the Fog-of-War in the Collector's
Edition bonus maps.
* Adjusted the tactical camera for widescreen aspect
ratios.

------------------
Multiplayer Issues
------------------
* Increased Multiplayer stability for LAN and Internet
games.
* Disabled the Fast Forward and Play buttons in
Multiplayer games.
* Corrected an issue that caused Game Speed settings to
revert to defaults when changing modes in Multiplayer.
* Corrected a crash issue caused by clients joining a
game without selecting the same map as the host.
* Corrected multiple issues that caused text to word wrap
in Multiplayer screens and menus.
* Added a message in the lobby to inform clients when
they were missing maps for some hosted games.
* Corrected Save/Load issues in Multiplayer Campaign games.
* Added a message box to state when players leave
Galactic mode in Multiplayer Campaign games.
* Corrected an issue that prevented double-clicking
to select all of a unit type in Multiplayer games.
* Corrected an issue that allowed two players to use the
same player color.
* Corrected an issue that allowed the droid log to retain
information from previous Multiplayer games.
* Corrected an issue that caused players to lose Skirmish
battles when a different player would quit the game.
* Corrected an issue that caused custom game names to
display incorrectly.
* Corrected an issue that caused the mini-map to appear
black after completing successive Multiplayer games.
* Corrected an issue that allowed too many AI units in
Multiplayer games.

--------------
Balance Issues
--------------
* Updated Tech Level build times for Command Centers
Tech 2:
Previous Build Time 40 seconds
New Build Time: 60 seconds
Tech 3:
Previous Build Time 50seconds
New Build Time: 85 seconds
* Updated Tech Level 3 costs for Command Centers
Previous Cost: 3800
New Cost: 4000
* Reduced the amount of time that Force Corrupt will affect
vehicles.
Previous Time: 120 seconds
New Time: 90 seconds
* Reduced fighter laser damage against capital ship and
space station shields.
* Reduced damage caused by AT-ST units against infantry.
* Increased the cost of AT-ST units in Skirmish games.
* Increased the recharge timer for the Millennium Falcon's
special ability.
* Reduced Millennium Falcon's shields and health.
* Increased the cost of Emperor Palpatine in Skirmish
Multiplayer games.
* Increased the cost of Colonel Veers in Multiplayer
games.
* Adjusted the radius and recharge timer for Colonel Veers'
special ability.
* Increased Vader's TIE Advanced fighter to have 50% more
health and double the firepower.
* Increased the amount of shield damage caused by the
larger ion cannons.
* Increased the health for Mineral extractors.
* Increased Anti-Aircraft damage against airspeeders.
* Reduced AT-AA damage against infantry.
* Increased the rotation speed for the turret of
AT-AA units.
* Corrected an issue with Fighter damage verses armor.
* Increased the health of Darth Vader's escort fighters.
* Increased the amount of damage Obi-wan does to buildings.
* Increased the cost and build time of missile cruisers.
* Decreased the amount of damage to turrets, vehicles, and
buildings caused by airspeeders.
* Corrected an issue that prevented Colonel Veers from
being vulnerable to the cable attack.
* Increased the recharge timer for Red squadron's lucky
shot.

[Eaglesfan27]

Well, my wife will be home in 5 minutes, so the Star Wars fun is over for tonight. Just a few very quick comments:

I have a very new, very powerful computer. Keeping that in mind, with all of the graphical options maxed out, this game looks and runs beautifully. The closeup zoom isn't perfect, but it looks much better than most RTS games that I can remember playing. This is particularly true for space battles where the size and scale of ships is very well done.

Also, the planets look very good and I really like how the weather comes into play. I attacked when the sky was clear, but it started raining, and that started messing with my lasers. Fortunately, the other side was using lasers too, but we suddenly took much longer to kill each other.

Finally, I really like the options menu to turn down the tactical combat speed and a seperate slider for the galatic game speed. I turned the tactical slider all the way down and it actually gives me time to think without having to pause constantly. The game still looks smooth and natural in that mode IMO. During space battles, the cinematic camera looks very good.

Anyway, I'll be playing much more tomorrow.



Edit: I forgot to mention the sound is great. When it first started raining on a planet (with my speakers blaring), I looked out the window because I thought it was starting to rain here. Also, I was listening to the sound of footsteps of my guys marching and looked closely and could see their footsteps in the desert sand. Very nice little touches.

[Raiders Army]

I think patch 1.02 was for multi-player. I've only finished the tutorial, so I don't have any good read on the game yet.

I have a pretty old computer (2 1/2 years old), but it's a Pentium IV 3.0 Ghz with 1 gig of RAM, 256MB Radeon 9800 etc. etc. The loading times are excellent and runs smoothly. I like it a lot.

[Eaglesfan27]

I've been playing for the last 5 hours since I woke up this morning (woke up early because my wife had to wake me up to ask me something before she went to work.)

More early thoughts:

I've only played a few RTS games as they are not my favorite genre, but I've played RON, Warhammer 40k, Age of Mythology, and Starcraft in the last few years. I've also briefly played Empire Earth and Age of Empires 3. I definitely feel that this is better than an average RTS. I think it is actually very good.

The space battles are spectacular looking and great fun. I had 5 corvettes attacking a space station and the station was fairly weakly guarded (it was the opening mission, I guess the developers didn't want to make it too hard,) but there were tie fighters and bombers being released from the station's hangars, defensive satelittes, and a few of their own gunships thrown in and it was a very fun battle.

A little bit later, I had a mission where I had to steal a group of X-wings. The land battle was fun for me as well. Like many games, units have strengths and weaknesses versus different groups of units. Nothing revolutionary there. However, I really like how the land battles aren't just about building up resources, building up defenses, letting resources accumulate more and building the biggest army you can based on the population limit. No, instead, you have only the troops that you send to attack on the galatic map. Also, you have to control re-inforcement points on the map as an attacker to send in more troops. You can't necessarily deploy them all at once. Furthermore, both the attacker and the defender are limited to 10 "units" on the tactical land map at once. A unit can consist of 3 squads of 5 infantry shooting lasers for example, so the battles have plenty of action even with that restriction. Of course, if you send too many units to a battle, you might leave your other planets ripe for the taking by your enemy. With 40 plus planets (each with different advantages, some of which can be quite nice that I've already seen) on some galatic maps, I can see this leading to a great deal of strategy.

I also like the non-battle options such as sending smugglers to siphon off empire credits. Of course, the Empire can hire bounty hunters and pay them to kill off your smugglers. Also, droids can be used to scout planets and steal technologies from the empire. I'm sure there is a counter to this as well, although I haven't seen it yet.

Also, I like that you can't just place defensive turrets wherever you want. You can only build on a limited number of build pads, and there are multiple things you can build (if you have the enabling structures on the planet.) For example, in one scenario I checked out, you could build sensor enhancements so you could see troops from a longer distance, defensive turrets (that specialized against infantry), defensive turrets that specialize against armored vehicles, healing stations for troops, or repair stations for vehicles.

Speaking of which, the land battles really do show nice scale too. Some of the vehicles such as the AT-ST's really tower over the troops.

My biggest question about the game is how good is the AI? I'm not sure yet. The pre-programmed scripted campaign maps have certainly had a few surprises that caught me off-guard and led to my failing a mission twice. However, I'm not sure if that will be the case with the non-scripted battles. I do know that I'm really looking forward to playing against my best friend once he gets the game (which should be next week.) I'm taking a break for a bit of food now, but I'll be playing plenty more of this today.

[Tasan]

I picked this up on release day, and i've probably put about 8 hours into it in the last 2 days. I keep finding myself pushing 'auto-resolve' for the land battles, they just don't thrill me like the space battles do. I'll have to check for the galactic game speed slider. I kept finding that it was moving way too fast for me to keep up with and had to keep pausing it.

This morning as I got up I had an epiphany about the game. Has anyone played the old galactic conflict Star Wars game Rebellion? It was flawed, but I enjoyed it and played it quite a bit when it came out. This new game feels a LOT like Rebellion with some fancy RTS layers thrown in.

Anyway, I'm enjoying it for the most part. I'm hoping to get in a multiplayer game with my cousin tonight.

[Eaglesfan27]

Well my concerns about the AI, at least on the galatic level were just resolved. I was worried that they were being too passive because I was taking plenty of time to build factories on planets, ships at starbases, etc. Well, the AI wasn't just sitting back and relaxing while I did all of this...

I just had 3 massive empire fleets mop the floor with my 3 biggest fleets. They attacked simulatenously and just destroyed 90% of my ships! This was on the medium difficulty level (the game defaults to easy.) I guess I might have to restart my campaign.

[jbmagic]

Eaglefan

how many solo play missiosn are there?

and how is there skirmish gameplay mode vs the AI? are you still limited to what you can build?

[stevew]

Double spacing is annoying

Why does it always happen?

how about impressions

i am interested in this game

thanks.

[Galaril]

Eaglefan

how many solo play missiosn are there?

and how is there skirmish gameplay mode vs the AI? are you still limited to what you can build?


JB, there is 27 missions 14 for playing as the Empire and 13 as the Rebellion that is campaign mode.

[Raiders Army]

I really like the skirmish mode. I also like playing as the Empire more than the Rebels. I'm like Bush squashing terrorists.

Edit--I hate those smugglers, or dope runners. It's nice the game gives you the option to buy some bounty hunters to take care of them since the Empire doesn't have an ATF.

[Eaglesfan27]

Some more impressions:

I still like the land battles, but I see a problem in that it seems to me bombing runs are too powerful. I just took over a world (admittedly a small world) from the Empire using a minimal number of troops, but three well placed bombing runs to decimate their troops and structures. You have to be patient and set up well defensively for that sort of strategy to work, because the bombing run has a somewhat lengthy timer, but I think it can make it too easy. Of course, the defenders have their advantages as their buildings can bolster troops, they can produce garrisons, etc. Also, bombing runs can only work in the line of sight, so you have to get at least one of your troops far enough into their territory to due major damage. Overall though, they reduce the difficulty and therefore enjoyability factor of land battles for me a bit.

I still think Space Battles are very fun battles. This is especially true as I get access to more types of ships. I suspect the campaign is going to be a bit on the short side as I'm already about a quarter of the way done, but I think once they get all of the kinks worked out MP, this game has the potential to be a long lasting game for me.

[astrosfan64]

Multiplayer has been working pretty well today. I'm loving the galatic conquest for multiplayer. I've played three quickmatches today and I picked up the rebs each time.

Space battles rule period. They are great.

[Eaglesfan27]

Played for a few more hours today. Space battles are just incredible. I just took down my first star destroyer. Too bad by the time I did so, the Empire had another one warp into the system. That one along with the starbase (which was a monster level 3 base) crushed the remains of my fleet. The space battles are the most fun I've had in a RTS game.

I'm also growing more fond of the land battles. Finally, I tried to capture an Empire controlled world. Unlike stupid pirates, the Empire put their power coils inside their shield generator field. Bombs can't be dropped in areas protected by Shield Generators. Therefore, I had to send a wave of men into the base to destroy the Shield Generator, and I had to keep them focused on that task. Otherwise, I never would have captured my first Empire controlled world. As it was, a lot of good men died taking down that Shield Generator.

If you are fan of Star Wars, I very highly recommend this game. However, I think even if you are just a fan of strategy games and space battles and not Star Wars, you will probably enjoy it.

[DaddyTorgo]

hey guys: has anyone figured out if there's a way to set which ships jump into a system first? Like if i want one of my ships that jumps in first to be an Interdictor-class ship instead of all of my Acclimator's?

[Eaglesfan27]

hey guys: has anyone figured out if there's a way to set which ships jump into a system first? Like if i want one of my ships that jumps in first to be an Interdictor-class ship instead of all of my Acclimator's?

I think it is the order that you add them to the fleet/place them in the fleet, but I'm not positive about that.

[DaddyTorgo]

I think it is the order that you add them to the fleet/place them in the fleet, but I'm not positive about that.i thought that too after i posted that, but i havn't tested it. i could now though. i have a nice big imperial fleet (5 Imperial Star Destroyers, 2 interdictors and 4 acclimators) over Mon Calimari just jonesing for a new world to target.

[Eaglesfan27]

i thought that too after i posted that, but i havn't tested it. i could now though. i have a nice big imperial fleet (5 Imperial Star Destroyers, 2 interdictors and 4 acclimators) over Mon Calimari just jonesing for a new world to target.
Wow, nice fleet. That would crush my biggest fleet at this point.

[DaddyTorgo]

Wow, nice fleet. That would crush my biggest fleet at this point.
check that. it's now 6 Imperial Star Destroyers, 2 Interdictors and 3 Acclimators.

i had a ton of fun early this AM playing the Death-Star scenario and just rolling around the galaxy nuking planets. does that make me a bad man?

[DaddyTorgo]

seems to be slightly random. i just rearranged it so my interdictors were first in the list and still only one of the two of them jumped in early. plus you hafta group the ships by type, so that wouldn't work well.

this is kinda a pain cuz it makes it much harder to setup dominant battlegroups capable of countering all of the enemies possible ship types

[Eaglesfan27]

seems to be slightly random. i just rearranged it so my interdictors were first in the list and still only one of the two of them jumped in early. plus you hafta group the ships by type, so that wouldn't work well.

this is kinda a pain cuz it makes it much harder to setup dominant battlegroups capable of countering all of the enemies possible ship types

Yeah, that does add to the challenge level. I'm willing to bet their is some system to which ships start on the field of battle. We just have to figure out what it is.

[DaddyTorgo]

so i'm upgrading my tech to level 5...which means...DEATH STAR BABY!!

(and i think we can prolly find out what the system is on a forum somewhere out there via google)

[DaddyTorgo]

dola

answered

hxxp://pff.swrebellion.com/index.php?topic=2156.0

[Eaglesfan27]

Thanks for the link. That is an interesting design choice, I guess. I'll have to plan on how to divide my fleets a bit more carefully now.

[DaddyTorgo]

no problem.


oh yes. t-minus 5 minutes to Death Star completion!

[biological warrior]

no problem.


oh yes. t-minus 5 minutes to Death Star completion!
pix please. thanks.http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/images/smilies/smile.gif

[DaddyTorgo]

pix please. thanks.http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/images/smilies/smile.gifwhat? you want a screenshot of my death star?

[Eaglesfan27]

no problem.


oh yes. t-minus 5 minutes to Death Star completion!

I wasn't planning on playing more today, but I'm jonesing now. Time to see if I can figure out a way to take out that fleet that crushed me earlier today. :)

[DaddyTorgo]

I wasn't planning on playing more today, but I'm jonesing now. Time to see if I can figure out a way to take out that fleet that crushed me earlier today. :)nice. it' s kinda unfair the massive size of these fleets i can build up. i now have 1 MASSIVE fleet with the Death Star consisting of:

7 Imperial Star Destroyers
2 Victory Cruisers
3 Interdictors
2 Acclimators
2 Tartan Cruisers

[astrosfan64]

nice. it' s kinda unfair the massive size of these fleets i can build up. i now have 1 MASSIVE fleet with the Death Star consisting of:

7 Imperial Star Destroyers
2 Victory Cruisers
3 Interdictors
2 Acclimators
2 Tartan Cruisers

Galatic Conquest time? I will be happy to destroy the empire. I'm up for a game tonight any time after 8:00 PM central time.

[DaddyTorgo]

possibly. not sure what my schedule is like.


HAHA. Admiral Ackbar just attacked my fleet with Home One and a few other assorted ships. Just as they were about to hyperspace away I used my Interdictor's Gravity Well Generators...and well...there's one fish that won't be swimming anymore!

[jbmagic]

is the AI challenging on higher on medium and hard level?

[DaddyTorgo]

i hope so. i'm still trying to get a good feel for certain things, so just messing around i guess on easy.

[biological warrior]

what? you want a screenshot of my death star?http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/images/smilies/biggrin.gif You betcha!

[DaddyTorgo]

the Empire weeps for the relatives of those accidently killed on Genosis. During a battle with treasonous rebels, a rebel sympathizer was able to infiltrate security aboard the Star-of-our-Emperor's-Divine-Right and triggered the firing sequence for the main energy beam.

Those who have been responsible have been punished.

[Raiders Army]

Are you guys doing this on the campaign mode or skirmish?

[DaddyTorgo]

campaign mode. well not the "strict storyline" campaign, but the open-ended one. my strict-storyline one i messed up the savegame and saved over it accidently so i need to restart.

[gstelmack]

I think my wife is about to hate you guys...

[Raiders Army]

Okay...I think I'm going to start over and do the Empire campaign. The rebel one isn't too exciting...and the Death Star sounds great.

[DaddyTorgo]

destroying a planet with the Death Star is MMM MMMM GOOD.

The rebels...blah...would you play Al Qaeda in a videogame?

[Eaglesfan27]

Are you guys doing this on the campaign mode or skirmish?I'm playing the storyline campaign mode. I'm playing as the Rebels this time around and I'll play the Empire story after I beat it. Earlier, I completed a really fun mission with Han Solo and Chewbacca where we helped liberate the Wookie homeworld.

Now, I've finally realized that my next mission is too hard without building up a larger fleet by liberating some of their lesser defended planets. So, I just conquered Mon Calamari which should help build quicker and cheaper Mon Calamari Cruisers once I get the technology (which should hopefully be soon.) Without those cruisers, two Star Destroyers with the big base just take up too much of my fleet, however, I think those cruisers once I build them will turn the tide of that battle.

[Eaglesfan27]

As far as the AI question, the Empire starts with more resources in the story mode for good reason. I'm not sure if I'm just not quick enough at liberating planets or the AI is really good, but they definitely have me on the defensive for my 2nd straight game. I was making good progress with about 10 planets liberated, but now they have taken back 3 planets and I'm just hoping I can hold on to be able to build some Mon Calamari Cruisers and start pressing them back again.

Edit: I'm still playing on the medium difficulty level.

[astrosfan64]

Does anyone want to buy my game along with the strategy guide? Or does anyone have a game they want to trade for it? With DnD online coming out and Battle for Middle Earth 2, I can't see me playing this game that often. It was a total impulse buy for me.

[DaddyTorgo]

Does anyone want to buy my game along with the strategy guide? Or does anyone have a game they want to trade for it?wasn't it just earlier today you wanted to MP?

[DaddyTorgo]

dola

well Battle for Middle Earth I wasn't anything good, so you might want to wait to make sure that ME II is any good before you toss this. I have a feeling this may be as good, if not better.

[astrosfan64]

wasn't it just earlier today you wanted to MP?

Yes, but I played a bunch more online today and it just isn't deep enough for me. I'm more of a sword an sorcery guy anyway. I started to think about it, but I'll be getting BFME II on the 2nd of March and DnD online. It isn't a bad game, but I don't think it will be my RTS of choice over the next six months or so.

[astrosfan64]

dola

well Battle for Middle Earth I wasn't anything good, so you might want to wait to make sure that ME II is any good before you toss this. I have a feeling this may be as good, if not better.

You maybe right, but I was one of those people that liked BFME I online. I played somewhere between 200 to 300 games. :)

[astrosfan64]

Yes, but I played a bunch more online today and it just isn't deep enough for me. I'm more of a sword an sorcery guy anyway. I started to think about it, but I'll be getting BFME II on the 2nd of March and DnD online. It isn't a bad game, but I don't think it will be my RTS of choice over the next six months or so.

Every online galatic conquest game I get into = mass up a big fleet and meet the other guys fleet. If you lose your capitol ship the game is over. I'm not experiencing the planet taking, long term gameplay I expected. If that makes any sense.

[Chubby]

Every online galatic conquest game I get into = mass up a big fleet and meet the other guys fleet. If you lose your capitol ship the game is over. I'm not experiencing the planet taking, long term gameplay I expected. If that makes any sense.
Raid the planet then.

[Eaglesfan27]

Raid the planet then.
Exactly. It's hard to do so because you don't have any bombing support without Y-wings in space, but it is doable and fun (particularly if the indigenous population wants to be liberated and supports your cause.)

[Eaglesfan27]

FWIW, the Empire crushed me in 2nd straight Story Line Campaign Game, but I can't wait to start a 3rd. I think I'm expanding too slowly and relying on Y-bombers and their bombing runs too much. Also, I'm not utilizing my hero units to their fullest effect. I've got a few other strategies that I've revised as well. For me at least, the AI is challenging on the Medium difficulty levels in space and on the galactic map. I'm still not sure about how good the AI is on land battles.

[Raiders Army]

I really suck. I'm on the easy difficulty and I'm having trouble surviving in the land battles with Darth Vader in the 2nd Empire mission. It took me a second to get the "hint" and destroy the buildings. Also, I found that constructing the bacta tanks and those things that heal the vehicles helps immensely...too bad it took me two tries to figure that out.

Oh yeah, don't get me started on the 2nd Rebel mission. Maybe I should read the manual or something.

[gstelmack]

I may have to take up astrosfan on his offer. Target, 2 EBs, and Best Buy were ALL out of stock on this game.

[Eaglesfan27]

I really suck. I'm on the easy difficulty and I'm having trouble surviving in the land battles with Darth Vader in the 2nd Empire mission. It took me a second to get the "hint" and destroy the buildings. Also, I found that constructing the bacta tanks and those things that heal the vehicles helps immensely...too bad it took me two tries to figure that out.

Oh yeah, don't get me started on the 2nd Rebel mission. Maybe I should read the manual or something.

I can give you some hints on the 2nd Rebel Mission if you want...

I'm doing much better my 3rd time through the start of the game and just completed the 4th rebel mission again. I'm being much more decisive and focused with my fleet and troop expansions.

[Eaglesfan27]

I may have to take up astrosfan on his offer. Target, 2 EBs, and Best Buy were ALL out of stock on this game.
The gamespot I pre-ordered from got 30 copies in stock and they were all pre-orders and therefore sold out.

[jbmagic]

any reviews on the skirmish game mode vs the AI yet?

so far you guys are doing the missions. thanks

[SlyBelle1]

I generally like the game, but have trouble playing it. Any good strategy sites/guides? Once things get cooking, hard to keep all my troops under control. I try and fight on the left flank, but only to be attacked on the oter, which seems good stuff. However, as a player, I just can't keep a handle on all the things going on at once.

Thoughts?

[Galaril]

I was wondering how do yu get research facilities for the Empire? I want to upgrade my Tech level but can't find the research facility build option which is needed to upgrade. This is in the campaign by the way if it matters.

[Eaglesfan27]

I was wondering how do yu get research facilities for the Empire? I want to upgrade my Tech level but can't find the research facility build option which is needed to upgrade. This is in the campaign by the way if it matters.
I'm not sure since I haven't played as the Empire yet, but I'm almost 100% certain the pre-requisites are listed in the manual.

[DaddyTorgo]

i've found that they are there. sometimes you have to sell back some of the buildings that you have on the ground so that you have the physical space to build them. and i'm sure there is a prerequisite...check on the little technology-map thing and see ?

[Raiders Army]

any reviews on the skirmish game mode vs the AI yet?

so far you guys are doing the missions. thanks
skirmish is fun, but I put the game speed up to max because it takes a long time to get enough credits to buy anything. I've played as the Empire each time and I can't create the Death Star. You can create Boba Fett, Darth Vader, and Admiral Piett (Star Destroyer).

i've found that they are there. sometimes you have to sell back some of the buildings that you have on the ground so that you have the physical space to build them. and i'm sure there is a prerequisite...check on the little technology-map thing and see ?
I have no idea how to do this as well. Then again, I'm only in the 3rd mission.

I can give you some hints on the 2nd Rebel Mission if you want...

I'm doing much better my 3rd time through the start of the game and just completed the 4th rebel mission again. I'm being much more decisive and focused with my fleet and troop expansions.
I've been saving after each mission so I don't have to restart the game. Dunno if that helps. I quit doing the Rebel side of things and I'm doing the Empire campaign. After I'm done with that, I'll probably take you up on your kind offer. :)

[Kodos]

More impressions?

Not sure my crappy computer can handle it. It has some trouble with Madden 2004...

[Eaglesfan27]

More impressions?

Not sure my crappy computer can handle it. It has some trouble with Madden 2004...
I'm not sure it would look good on your computer, if it has problems with Madden 2004. However, it would probably run, just with reduced textures and explosion affects (which are well done on max detail.)

I've downgraded my impressions of the land battles to about an average game. The bombing runs are just so powerful, that they negate much of the strategy in the land battles. However, I heard the AI is better on the hard difficulty level in negating bombing runs (by building Anti-Aircraft turrets.) However, they should do this on the medium difficulty level, IMO. Otherwise, the medium difficulty level is pure joy for me. I find the galactic tactics to be reasonably difficult.

I find space combat to be very fun, if chaotic at times. It is great fun when a carefully crafted tactic works such as carefully using a few squads of X-wings to clear out the enemy fighters, slipping some Y-Wings in to bring down the shield generator of a capital ship and then bombarding them with capital ships. The space combat keeps me playing every day for at least an hour or two since I've bought it. However, I do agree that the enjoyment factor for me is knocked up a notch or two because it is a Star Wars game. One other minor thing I like is the "turbo button" which quickly speeds up time, but resumes your previous speed once you unclick it. I don't remember any other RTS that did this quite this way, and it definitely aids in the slow parts of a battle.

[gstelmack]

I just picked this up last week and played it over the weekend. My impressions so far:

1) I've given up on the single player campaign. I'm really hating the missions, especially where you have to micro-manage one or two units to achieve a goal while still trying to fight with everyone else. When my ships blew up a shuttle I was supposed to be capturing on the fourth mission, I gave up completely. Galactic Conquest looks like where the sweet gameplay is.

2) They still need to work on unit balance. When I watched an Imperial Mauler tank roll into my formation, run over 2 or 3 infantry units, then blow up and take out 5 of my tanks, I about blew a top. With the sight distances what they are, you have a very limited time to take out the Maulers, and if you're fighting any other units at the time that means you need to manually concentrate fire on them. When 2 or more come at you, forget it, you're losing a stack of infantry and several tanks to each one.

3) Aside from those two bits, seems to really capture the Star Wars universe. It's nice to get a combined arms attack going on a Star Destroyer and take it out. And limited resource management (mostly money) and building in the strat game instead of in the real-time battles is nice.

I'm looking forward to trying a multiplayer galactic conquest battle.

[Eaglesfan27]

Plex Missile Soldiers are key to taking out the Imperial Mauler's.

I'm at the last Rebel Campaign Mission, and I've enjoyed the campaign. It was a bit on the short side, but I'm finally controlling Luke and Red Squadron and trying to get them a clear shot at destroying the Death Star. Seeing that in action the first time was rather impressive and the Empire has already used it to destroy a few planets we had.


I'm a little surprised that people are having trouble with the shuttle mission early in the game. I did build a very nice fleet, but I found the battle to be fairly easy. Then again, I did pause at times when needed.

[gstelmack]

Plex Missile Soldiers are key to taking out the Imperial Mauler's.
I had a stack of 'em. But if your missile soldiers are in a fight with, say, some AT-ST Walkers and 2 of the Maulers come flying through them and into your infantry, your Plex Missile Soldiers are gone before you can get a shot off. Unless you happen to have them or your tanks selected and switch targets on time.

I guess I feel like the key to this is to be good at micro-managing the battles, one of those things that I hated about AoE and got spoiled on with games like Total War and Rise of Nations.

I'm at the last Rebel Campaign Mission, and I've enjoyed the campaign. It was a bit on the short side, but I'm finally controlling Luke and Red Squadron and trying to get them a clear shot at destroying the Death Star. Seeing that in action the first time was rather impressive and the Empire has already used it to destroy a few planets we had.

I'm a little surprised that people are having trouble with the shuttle mission early in the game. I did build a very nice fleet, but I found the battle to be fairly easy. Then again, I did pause at times when needed.
To be fair, I only tried it once. I had just gone through trying to beat the third Rebel mission (grab the X-Wings) where I had to figure out the right mix of troops and get a bit lucky dealing with Maulers and Speeder Bikes dropping off thermal detonators, so was already frustrated, and then when a shuttle blew up I just gave up. As I said above, too much micro-managing to match their objectives for me.

[Eaglesfan27]

That is true about the need to micromanage land battles. I find that micromanaging isn't as important in the space battles, and that is probably why I enjoy them more. The only micromanaging I really do in the space battles is to make sure that my fighters focus on the tie bombers before they can nail my capital ships.

[SunDevil]

Is anyone still playing this, or has everyone moved on? Does this game have any replay value? Thanks

[Galaril]

Not so much.

[Groundhog]

It got about 4 days play out of me. Thankfully my flatmate was the one who purchased it ;)

I find it very hard to stay interested in non-sporting games these days.

[Raiders Army]

Is anyone still playing this, or has everyone moved on? Does this game have any replay value? Thanks
Not playing right now.

[Eaglesfan27]

I played for about 2 weeks, but once I beat the Rebel Campaign, my interest waned (sp?) quite a bit. I play it very occasionally now (last played for an hour about a week ago.) Right now, the only games getting regular play from me are College Hoops for the X360, Gal Civ 2 and Oblivion for my PC.

[gstelmack]

I'm playing off-and-on right now.