So hier sind die Ergebnisse des zweiten Entwickler Chats. Im Moment nur in englisch. Wir reichen allerdings, sobald wie möglich, die deutsche Übersetzung nach. 😉
[B]Hi, i would like to know why did you choose this time period of the Star Wars Game for the game „Empire At War“ and not making an RTS game that would spend on the entire Star Wars saga…
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It allowed us to start before the classic trilogy and before what you know, but move into the the classics everyone loves.
We want this to be a strong franchise of games that could span more eras and this felt like a great place to start.
[B]What was the most grueling part of the game to develop?[/B]
[Mehr]
The strategic galactic layer started on day one and went all the way to the end because it has to think like a human to make it a fun game. If you screw up on that and the AI can be easily beaten then the game can be ruined.
If I had to vote, I’d say space tactical movement for capital ships. Getting big ships moving but never running into each other is really hard.
[B]In the demo, I was able to complete the Vergasso Asteriods and Tatooine with just Han and Chewie (albiet with difficulty). Would this have been possible in the full game, and do all heros have such powerful combat potential?[/B]
In the full game, you wouldn’t have been able to do it if there was any presence on the planet.
The heros don’t have balances but have great special abilities that can tip the balance of the battle.
[B]Do you have an estimated release date as to when the map editor will be released for Empire at War?[/B]
Once the game is out, we will lay out our plans for the release map any mod tools.
[B]What is the most exciting aspect of the game in your eyes?[/B]
We all have our different takes.
The blending of space and land in one strategic game is awesome. I love that. The strategic mojo is the persistence. You live with them, you can lose them.
My fav aspect is the multiplayer campaign… being able to save it out and come back and revisit it. Good stuff. A lot of fun.
I love that we have targetable points on some units… choosing to targets shields, weapons, bays, etc. You can tactically choose different pieces for tactical reasons.
[B]Will Damage always intant repair in Galactic Campaign as seen in the Demo or can we expect some form of repair?[/B]
Yes, but the galactic mode runs under a different time scale. A day isn’t really an earth day. We wanted to take the work out and just get back to the fun.
[B]There has been alot of talk of the hypervelocity gun and ion cannon being overpowered and having no counters, is there a way for an invading fleet to take them out or does teh invader just have to deal with them until they reach the ground?[/B]
As a rebel, you can mount a daring raid to bypass the gun… IF YOU HAVE THE GUTS.
[B]Hi i was wondering what Empire At War has to offer for online. How many players can control battalions online around the world , Is there long fun online gameplay and also i like the Wampa character and im wondering if there are Wampas to control . Thnx – Brad Brown , Keep up the good work !
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There will be up to 8 player skirming battles in space and land and also a 2 player head-to-head galactic conquest. Check out the recent dev diaries for much more detail.
[B]Compared the the Ground Map of Tatooine in the Demo, How big are the maps going to be in the full version game?[/B]
They vary in size. Some are LARGER, some smaller and some about the same. There are over 80 maps to explore.
[B]I don’t know how you guys did it but you did! The Alamo engine works great! even on my crappy computer, I was wondering…how long did it take you to develop such a masterpiece?
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The entire game was developed from scratch, everything from concept, design and code, took just over two years. And here we are today!
We wanted it to look fantastic on high end systems, but still good on the low end. We’re glad to hear it. You just made all our work pay off!
Contrary to your question… the engine wasn’t created specially for your crappy computer.;)
[B]what added extras are there to the collectors edition if its been made[/B]
An exclusive 3d lenticular version of the box, first of all. On the bonus disc are 5 exclusive bonus maps, two screensavers (one with the Death Star that’s awesome!), a gallery of concept art, and 4 exclusive wallpapers.
[B]according to the demo, the rebel head hunters are terrible fighters that are only good against tie bombers and are weak even against regular Ties. The demo says its advantage is that its so cheap but its only 50 credits cheaper than a far better x-wing and for the same number of ships too. Plus, it costs more than a y-wing, so…what exactly is it good for if its not that cheap? or are the costs in the demo off?[/B]
The cylons were giving them too much trouble! 😉
There’s a good reason the rebels replaced them with X-wings.
[B]I haven’t been excited about a Star Wars game in a long time, but the demo really hooked me. I have a couple questions, feel free to answer all or none of them.
Are there any significant gameplay differences between the demo and the full game (build times, travel times, pathfinding etc.) that you could go over?
Were orbital bombardments ever implemented in the game, could they not be balanced within the game design, possibly an expansion option?
Thanks, and you’ve made me a Star Wars game fan again.[/B]
The differences between the demo and the full game are too long to list. There’s no multiplayer in the demo, heroes and AI, ships, maps, campaigns like the Rebel and Empire’s stories, and on and on.
There is space bombardment where you can call on fire from space.
[B]How will indigenous life work? I saw the jawas and humans in the demo, but how will the game determine which side they fight for?
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It’s based on the kind of forces they are. They already know who they’re going to fight for… that’s not under player control. Wookiees always help the rebels, for example. The infantry eating rancor doesn’t side with anyone… but it can be force corrupted by the Emperor. 😉
[B]My question to you guys is what college did you go to, to become a 3D designer, because I what to be a game designer for lucasart some day![/B]
College??!???
Some of us went for a few years, but…
[B]Does the dev team find the game addicting enough that they play it in their time off?
[/B]
All the time. That’s no lie.
Empire at War. Guitar Hero and World of Warcraft… that’s our three.
[B]In SP galactic mode you can pause and issue build orders and etc.
Will this be in MP? How will the ability to pause the game work in MP?[/B]
You can’t pause in MP, just like in real life. You have to think.
[B]I love the demo and I have a question. What will base-building be like?[/B]
You build strategic structures (mining, research, etc) in galactic mode. In tactical mode you build tactical structures (like turrets, bacta tanks, etc) that persist… unless someone destroys it.
[B]How many planets will we be able to play with in multiplayer?[/B]
In Galactic Campaign, there’s 40+ planets.
[B]You said you enjoyed the fact that you could target the different areas of some large units. Was this a feature that was planned from the beginning, or something that a developer thought of along the way?[/B]
That was there from the beginning. That was something we really wanted to get in there…
[B]
So this will not be a „classic“ RTS? The base-building has been changed, and instead been replaced by an auto-placer?[/B]
Strategic structures are auto-placed since it’s not as critical where they go. Tactical structures are up to you.
We’re attempting to take some of the „work“ out of the game.
[B]Can you explain „choke points“ on the galactic map and how they will work? Thx[/B]
Due to hyperspace distance restrictions, there are certain systems you have to conquer in order to open up remote parts of the galaxy.
[B]Could you explain the significance of hitting supply docks and communication arrays?[/B]
Supply docks generate some income, so taking it out stops the flow of credits in skirmish mode. The communications array will knock out the players radar.
[B]During the demo, the enemy made no attempts to attack me on a galactic scale. Will this be fixed in the full version? Also, why arent super star destroyers in? they wouldnt be that unbalanced if the price was right. If balance it the issue what about the death star?[/B]
The AI was intentionally turned off in the demo, to let people get oriented in the game and not overwhelmed.
In the full version, in hard mode, the AI will attack you relentlessly. You’ll be lucky to survive.
[B]Can u give us the full cast list of the voice actors please?[/B]
You can get the complete list when the game comes out. In our opinion, the voice acting is simply fantastic.
As a point of interest Temeura Morrison for Boba Fett. The son of the actor who played General Veers is General Veers in the game.
[B]In Skirmish battles, specifically skirmish space battles, how will the population cap work? In space how do you increase the limit?[/B]
In space, it is present. Units above the cap are reserves that you can pull in as losses are taken.
[B]One of Ptro employees said something about upgrading shield generators to particle shields. What is the difference?[/B]
The regular shield just stops energy weapons. The upgrade stops all other projectiles as well.
[B]Help me understand the Tech Tree. Do you start out with Headhunters (Z-95s), then upgrade to X-wings like in, say, Galactic Battlegrounds, or are the Z-95s and the X-wings two different types of starfighters?[/B]
They’re different types of ships, some serve as an upgraded roll but they don’t necessarily all upgrade. They can both fly at the same time. Z-95s are cheaper, so you might want to keep them tactically. They’re good for scouting or taking out transports.
[B]Will we be able to group our units (ex. ships, tanks ect.) with hot keys before battles? And if not, after grouping, will they stay grouped for the next battle?[/B]
Grouping is possible and encouraged. Because every battle has different units, keeping the groupings wasn’t a good idea.
[B]
WIll the cinamatic camera be tweeked in the real game? it did a good job until it flew off and followed a womp-rat while my at-at was kicking butt and when it does get some good action it flys off again, the only way it is good is when I highlight a unit and hit „c“ twice so that I can control the camera, will it be fixed?(otherwise good job!)[/B]
If you press and hold the cinematic hot key, the camera will hold on the selected unit, it won’t switch away. If you press and release it switches immediately to another angle. So this is a great way to find a view you like and stick with it.
[B]Can you create multiple death stars at once, or recreate death stars after one has been destroyed?
If the starbase building a Death Star is destroyed, then it’s gone and you can start building again.[/B]
Once it’s built and Luke and the pesky red squadron destroys it… then it’s game over! Win or lose.
[B]Just as a point of interest, What do feel to be the most interesting strategic element you added to the game (ie Raiding a plant to disable a hypervelocity gun/ ion cannon before attacking with a space fleet.)?[/B]
That each planet contributes something unique to the galaxy, depending on where you attack making the game come out differently.
Also, the fact that galactic mode runs in real-time rather than turn based is a really big point in our opinion.
[B]Can you go into more depth of how the full verison of EaW has chnaged since the demo?[/B]
We finished the game in early December. Since then we’ve been fixing bugs, balancing and polishing.
[B]
What specific abilities does Mara Jade have. Will she be able to steal credits like Han and Chewie? Or do more dastardly deeds like assasinations and espionage?[/B]
She can set bombs and force corrupt infantry, using her charms and hot Dark Jedi chick mind control.
All the hero characters have unique abilities true to their established characters.
[B]In the demo, if you brought more units into a space battle your forces were selected for you. Will it be possible to select your units before entering a battle, or will your forces always be selected for you?[/B]
You can control what’s in the battle by selectively splitting your fleet into an initial invasion fleet and a follow-up second fleet.
[B]Being the dev team had played this game a lot already would you mind sharing your most favorite unit combos? Land or space.[/B]
– Obi-Wan Kenobi and the droid, since you can force-protect the droids.
– Emperor Palpatine and the rancor.
[B]Which is your favorite Star Wars movie and which inspired you most in creating this game????[/B]
Empire Strikes Back is the favorite film, but nothing beats the magic of A New Hope.
A New Hope was the most inspirational.
[B]Does kyle katarn stay or mercenay or does he get jedi powers?(like he does in the jedi knight series)
And are you saying that if the empire has all but one planet left and they build the death star just to completly own the rebels, and the rebels miraculously destroy it, the empire automatically loses?! no matter what?[/B]
Kyle is a mercenary in EAW.
Destroying the Death Star is a tactical situation. You’ll have to protect Red Squadron and see the battle to completion. If you lose the Death Star, you lose the game. Of course, you’re not required to build one.
We’re thrilled by the excitement and can’t wait for the game to come out and to hear what you think.
Thanks for your questions and keep posting in the forums. This makes all of the long hours really worth it. The dev team just LIVES off the positive feedback.