Top 5 Selected Questions: Answers!

[Darth_Torpid-PG]

Here are the answers! Hope it's enough detail for you.

 

 

QUESTION 1: Who is doing the voiceovers for some of the hero characters in the game? -Vatter

 

The majority of the heroes are voiced by sound-alike actors, though we have a few recognizable ones. All of the sound-alike actors did a great job, and some of their performances are hard to tell from the original characters.

 

While we were recording lines for Boba Fett, Temuera Morrison (the actor who played Jango Fett) happened to be in the building recording for another product and he agreed to read the lines for us. During Empire-side auditions we found someone who sounded identical to General Veers. By a twist of fate, he turned out to be Jamie Glover, son of Julian Glover, the original actor who played Veers in The Empire Strikes Back.

 

And of course, “sound-alike” doesn’t mean “haven’t heard”. You may recognize the voice of Emperor Palpatine as Nick Jameson, who also played Palpatine in the Clone Wars animated series.

 

As to variety, there is A LOT of voice lines for each character – I think Darth Vader has something like eighty lines just for tactical unit response; that doesn’t include any dialog lines recorded for story. There are also situational lines using a ranking system; for example, if you group Vader with Stormtroopers and give them a move order, Vader will respond first, followed by a “backup” line from the troopers. Overall, there’s a lot more voice here than many RTS games I have played (and definitely more vocals than any RTS I have worked on).

 

 

QUESTION 2: If I recall correctly, Emperor Battle For Dune had co-op when you connected online and you could play the campaign together. Will EaW feature a co-op system and if so, how will it be done? -Tokarev

 

The story campaigns are solo only. Cooperative play is a primary part of the multiplayer tactical battles, where all of the players on a side work from a single ground base or space station. Whether your opponent is another human team or an AI team is up to you. As to how the cooperative multiplayer battles specifically work, I believe Delphi is covering that in his designer diaries, so I don’t want to take any cool reveals away from him

 

 

QUESTION 3: Could you tell us more about natives or other species? Benefits? What they do? etc. -Jmaster

 

The power of the indigenous species really depends on that species. In general, each population is allied with the Rebels, the Empire or the Pirates. When a tactical battle takes place on that planet, the allied side has complete control over those forces. For example, if the Empire and Rebels battle on Kashyyyk, the Wookiees will be under the control of the Rebel player; if you battle on Coruscant, the Imperial Guard will do their best to protect the Empire; if you battle on Nal Hutta, the Hutts work for no one but themselves and will attack both sides.

 

Many of the units are fairly similar (they are civilians after all) but some have unique abilities. For example, the Jawa use their Ion Blasters to chew up shielded ground units, and the Gungans can use their explosive “goo” grenades to do area-effect damage.

 

Then, of course, there are various wildlife units. While many are non-hostile (wandering taun-tauns or herds of Shaak) some are vicious and will attack anything (such wandering rancor and wampas).

 

As to diplomacy, we looked at adding it early in the project, but we found that in general it tended to bog down the pacing of the game and really didn’t add much – it made the game feel more like Civilization than an RTS. While I know some fans out there were hoping for it, I personally think the game plays much better without it.

 

 

QUESTION 4: Do the explosions of destructed objects/units -both in ground and space- affect the nearby area/units? -Athanasios

 

I assume here that you are speaking of units/structures exploding rather than area-effect missile and other projectiles.

 

In general – with some exceptions – the explosion of objects doesn’t damage objects around them; so, if you blow up a Barracks or a Mon Calamari Cruiser, it’s not going to hurt infantry/fighters nearby. However, some objects explode in spectacular ways. In space, if the defender is losing, he can hit the retreat button. If he has a space station in orbit, it will self-destruct when the retreat occurs, causing damage to everything around it (the damage becoming greater in intensity and radius depending on the level of the station). Some missions contain exploding resource containers that can damage objects around them. There is also, of course, the self-destruct of the TIE mauler which does some heavy damage to objects in the vicinity.

 

 

QUESTION 5: Does artillery have the range to stand behind a hill and hit enemies on the other side? -Marsman2020

 

The Rebel and Empire artillery work slightly differently from each other. Both have about the same normal range and enough of a fire-arc that shooting over hills should be fairly common (the exception being obvious mountains).

 

Imperial artillery (the SPMA-T) fires a very tight set of shots in a large arc (they are modeled more on the SPHA-T seen in the Clone Wars animated series than the ones seen in Episode II). It is fairly accurate, but isn’t good for “saturation” fire. It also has anti-personnel blasters and is able to protect itself to some degree. They are relatively cheap to produce for the Empire. SPMA-Ts are primarily used for base destruction, but can be used against slow-moving targets such as the Rebel T4-B tanks.

 

Rebel Artillery (the MPTL) fires semi-guided proton torpedoes. The torpedoes are fairly inaccurate in atmosphere, so they are good at “saturation” fire but lack accuracy to hit single targets. They also are sitting ducks if you get right up on them, and are fairly expensive compared to the SPMA-T. However, they come with a spotter droid. This little guy can clear fog of war, and the MPTL can fire anywhere it can see. Because of the relative inaccuracy, the MPTL can sometimes lose shots to terrain, so it is best used to protect locations (choke points), or used on higher elevations.

 

Keep in mind that both artillery pieces are rather weak up close. Though the SPMA-T has blasters, they are minimal and the main weapons have a minimum range. And as with most RTS games, units reveal in the fog of war when they fire, so using fog of war to hide only works so well. They also are weak against very fast units that can outrun the projectiles and get inside the minimum fire range (such as speeder bikes).

[wannabeapilot]

great thanks darth torpid

[Commander Obi-Wan]

Thanx for answering the question! Nice to see some actors from the movie, and animated series doing some of the voices.

[cardif]

some useful info. thanks for that, torpid :]

[Athanasios]

Omg. Just omg. Nice, big, clear answer. Not one sentence hints. Nice to steal the time to do so. So, i guess comments may begin...

 

 

As to variety, there is A LOT of voice lines for each character – I think Darth Vader has something like eighty lines just for tactical unit response; that doesn’t include any dialog lines recorded for story. There are also situational lines using a ranking system; for example, if you group Vader with Stormtroopers and give them a move order, Vader will respond first, followed by a “backup” line from the troopers. Overall, there’s a lot more voice here than many RTS games I have played (and definitely more vocals than any RTS I have worked on).

You must be kidding us!...at last, some war-feeling and not the same Stimorol as said.

 

The story campaigns are solo only. Cooperative play is a primary part of the multiplayer tactical battles, where all of the players on a side work from a single ground base or space station. Whether your opponent is another human team or an AI team is up to you. As to how the cooperative multiplayer battles specifically work, I believe Delphi is covering that in his designer diaries, so I don’t want to take any cool reveals away from him

Oh, whatever...maybe in the upcoming x-pack...

 

The power of the indigenous species really depends on that species. In general, each population is allied with the Rebels, the Empire or the Pirates. When a tactical battle takes place on that planet, the allied side has complete control over those forces. For example, if the Empire and Rebels battle on Kashyyyk, the Wookiees will be under the control of the Rebel player; if you battle on Coruscant, the Imperial Guard will do their best to protect the Empire; if you battle on Nal Hutta, the Hutts work for no one but themselves and will attack both sides.

This sounds good, but you didn't mention anything about punishments the empire may apply on the natives that took the side of rebs in a combat, and the rebs failed........turning to one or the other side from time to time like nothing happened meanwhile, doesn't seem realistic to me. Yet, i might be wrong

 

As to diplomacy, we looked at adding it early in the project, but we found that in general it tended to bog down the pacing of the game and really didn’t add much – it made the game feel more like Civilization than an RTS. While I know some fans out there were hoping for it, I personally think the game plays much better without it.

I thought more as few option in the same screen of organising fleets/fround forces/etsablishement of bases, and some sort of "incoming transmitions" features. Not like Civilazation, this is way too much, besides, we talk about REAL-time strategy with few turn-based features (galactic mode) and too much diplomacy doesn't add up to this.

 

Imperial artillery (the SPMA-T) fires a very tight set of shots in a large arc (they are modeled more on the SPHA-T seen in the Clone Wars animated series than the ones seen in Episode II). It is fairly accurate, but isn’t good for “saturation” fire. It also has anti-personnel blasters and is able to protect itself to some degree. They are relatively cheap to produce for the Empire. SPMA-Ts are primarily used for base destruction, but can be used against slow-moving targets such as the Rebel T4-B tanks.

Multiple firing capabilities/weapons on a single unit? I've seen this on Dessert Rats VS Afrika Korps (tanks had both cannons and machige guns) and was way too good to see in a RTS where each unit is a weapon and vice versa. Force Commander also had this; the reb tanks had both ground lasers and anti-air, making them a unique "2 in 1" offer . So, I guess we're not talking about special ability (that will be activate as soon as the button is pressed) but a "by-default" behaviour, apart from the special ability.

 

 

Well, what is left to say is just keep up the good work

[shadowsfm]

clap, bravo, im inpressed.

what i think is these new tanks need nicknames. its hard to figger which is which with numbers and letters. even threepio and artoo has nicknames

[Jan Gaarni]

clap, bravo, im inpressed.

what i think is these new tanks need nicknames. its hard to figger which is which with numbers and letters. even threepio and artoo has nicknames

Golden Rod and Tin Can?

 

 

Thank you, Torpid, for your speedy reply on this.

[Jamps]

Wow, thanks! Thats a pretty neat idea having the leader speak first, and the units respond after. Never seen that in an RTS before. Also, I had no idea the Imperial Guard was in the game.

 

I'm glad you guys got Temuera Morrison to do Boba. He does great voiceover work. Also, how the heck did you guys get the son of Veers?! Thats pretty cool. I wonder what they were working on.

 

Thanks for the answers.

[alecsuba]

Great Stuff and that is pretty neat to have Glovers son doing Dads role now

[popcorn2008]

Much thanks Darth Torpid! You actually gave us some nice detailed answers. Not like Delphi didnt lol.

 

It will be intereasting to see just how much civilizations will help with game play. The voice over information is also cool, smart idea with the grouping it will add more realism for sure.

[Nevets1112]

As to diplomacy, we looked at adding it early in the project, but we found that in general it tended to bog down the pacing of the game and really didn’t add much – it made the game feel more like Civilization than an RTS. While I know some fans out there were hoping for it, I personally think the game plays much better without it.

 

Awwww

 

Hopefully it will be put in an expansion. I was really looking forward to this almost as much as hero death. I still wonder if Force corrput is in. Delphi talked about this before.

 

Hmm wonder what Temuera Morrison was voicing for. Did he do his voice in BFII. Or maybe he is doing a mandolorian voice for KOTOR III or an entirly new game...

[Juggernaut1985]

No Diplomacy....that won't keep me from getting the game but it was a feature I was really looking forward to. Probably be in an X-Pack.

[Darth_Torpid-PG]

Some follow-ups since I have some time

 

This sounds good, but you didn't mention anything about punishments the empire may apply on the natives that took the side of rebs in a combat, and the rebs failed........turning to one or the other side from time to time like nothing happened meanwhile, doesn't seem realistic to me. Yet, i might be wrong

 

Well, if you mean by punishment "bomb to extinction" that is possible. The indigenous units spawn from specific structures for the most part; so Wookiees spawn from tree-cities, Jawas spawn from sandcrawlers, etc. You can destroy these to stop the spawn of indigenous units.

 

 

I thought more as few option in the same screen of organising fleets/fround forces/etsablishement of bases, and some sort of "incoming transmitions" features. Not like Civilazation, this is way too much, besides, we talk about REAL-time strategy with few turn-based features (galactic mode) and too much diplomacy doesn't add up to this.

 

Well there are incoming transmissions, but they take the form of optional mini-missions. Not required to win the game, but if you do them you get rewards.

 

 

I still wonder if Force corrput is in. Delphi talked about this before.

Yep, still there.

[Jmaster3265]

I want to know one last thing, do units just spawn and appear magically out of buildings like previous RTS's? Or do they ALL spawn out realistically like the stormies from AT-AT's?

[Darth_Torpid-PG]

I want to know one last thing, do units just spawn and appear magically out of buildings like previous RTS's? Or do they ALL spawn out realistically like the stormies from AT-AT's?

 

It depends

 

There's two ways that things can spawn - garrisons (or indigenous spawners) and reinforcements.

 

Garrisons tend to be insta-spawns for infantry, or roll out of factories in the case of vehicles (that is, infantry just "appear" but an AT-AT will wait for the factory door to open, then walk out).

 

Reinforcements drop down from orbit in transports and unload; the kind of transport depends on the unit.

 

That's all I have time for - it's the weekend! Thanks to all of you for the continued support. This was fun, and I'll be sure to set aside some time to do it again soon.

[shadowsfm]

torpid gets more points for answering the questions better. gold mattel

[alecsuba]

Thanks again for more answers Darth. i got one question for you that maybe you can answer

 

Images of the Collectors Edition have shown the game comes on a DVD and the bonus content on a 2nd Disk thats a CD looking like the death star.

 

Preordering the Game it doesnt specify if the game is CD or DVD. will it be both or only dvd or only cd?

 

I really hope its DVD. i hate the fact they still make games that come out on 4-6 CDs when they could do 1 dvd and they cant say DVD players are rare anymore.

[popcorn2008]

There be a time and place to ask Torpid more questions though now is not the time. He has already logged off to go enjoy his weekend anyways. Besides, Alecsuba, your post isnt really even asking a question about the game itself. Stay on topic.

[Xtreme Muppet]

I have to agree with the Devs on the whole diplomacy issue myself (and thanks for the interview Torpid!). When I first heard about the game I was really hoping that it wouldn't turn into some Civ rip off with a battle engine, and the more and more I'm hearing, the happier I am! While this is just one mans opinion, I would like to say the thing I was really looking forward to is fighting all the battles of the starwars universe and on the level that the game will allows us to do. While I do think things such as forming alliances with pirates, or overthrowing a planet by turning the people against the ruler would have been cool, I just don’t see it fitting in with the game how I see it.

[Athanasios]

Heh, i think Darth-Torpid is either too good-hearted dev or these guy is Petro had some kind of celebration these days and said to give away some info .

 

Well, im expecting another round of questions after 3-4 days the demo is released. Prove me wrong, but the questions will fall as rain ...

[darthfergie]

Rebel Artillery (the MPTL) fires semi-guided proton torpedoes. The torpedoes are fairly inaccurate in atmosphere, so they are good at “saturation” fire but lack accuracy to hit single targets. They also are sitting ducks if you get right up on them, and are fairly expensive compared to the SPMA-T. However, they come with a spotter droid. This little guy can clear fog of war, and the MPTL can fire anywhere it can see. Because of the relative inaccuracy, the MPTL can sometimes lose shots to terrain, so it is best used to protect locations (choke points), or used on higher elevations.

 

I'm liking this mucho much! If I'm reading this right, that means that the Rebel Artillery can fire all the way across the map with torps if on a high enough elevation on a flat map because "the MPTL can fire anywhere it can see." The fire support and bombing options make this VERY cool indeed.

I like it, it really makes it seem futuristic that missiles could fire across the map semi-accurately (even though we've got that tech now, but still). I've just never really seen that in an RTS. Sure it's been used so a superweapon can fire across a map, but not a regular unit.

[shadowsfm]

The Rebel and Empire artillery work slightly differently from each other. Both have about the same normal range and enough of a fire-arc that shooting over hills should be fairly common (the exception being obvious mountains).

 

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nah, there is still a range limit.

[Darth_Extas]

Great Info Thanks.

Usefull the degree we need it in.

[Admiral Sith]

So you can use Probe Droids to extend the area your artillery can fire to? The artillery should have very long range, considering how long our (comparitivly)primative artillery can fire.

[shadowsfm]

in other games, artilry can always shoot further then they can see. but twice the sight range isnt all that far