Info from Computer Games Magazine

[MasterJack]

I found this on the PFF forums from a gentleman called "Star Wars Man"

 

Here are the quotes he posted from the mag:

 

"You Start Out With a Preset Batch of systems, fleets and ground units"

 

"Time Passes in the Form of Galactic Days"

 

"Droid advisor that keeps track of everything"

 

"Most Planets Have Indeginous Species like Gunguns"

 

"You can upgrade your planets with mining faclilites, which gather additional income, or shipyards to that produce fleets and space stations (which in turn pump out ground units)"

 

"The basic strategy is to keep your economy cooking at the safer "back" of your holdings, while raising replacement troops along the front lines as you spar over key positions."

 

"A few concepts have been taken from Civilization, including a droid advisor that keeps track of your fleets, heroes, and regional bonuses."

 

"In fact, even playing in "smaller" galaxies with only a handful of planets will take many hours and many battles, although you can save at any point."

 

"EAW differs from most recent Lucasarts output in focusing almost exclusively on the conflict depicted in the original trilogy"

 

"The aim is too provide a narrative bridge for the time that passes from the two trilogies. As a result, the only playable factions are the Rebels and the Empire"

 

"Maintaning control of planets home to friendly natives enables you to make their units for free, i.e., the perfect cannon fodder"

 

"Winning battles earns you credits, but retreating is a cheap, necessary part of recon, which offers you a quick study of planetary defences"

 

"Although Galactic Time is passing, your actions occur in order, which means grouping fleets into a single stack is a lot smarter than trying to move them all in the same place separately (the battle starts the instant your first force arrives on the scene)

 

"In addition to having different units, the Empire and Rebellion have different playing styles: The Empire has the numbers but the Rebel units are more individually powered and big on stealth."

 

"Only the Rebels, for instance, can steal tech (using C-3PO and R2 for spies) and form 4-man raiding parties to bypass massive naval blockades and take over Imperial land facilities on the surface below, effectively shutting down that world's production. Imperials, though, in a stronger economic position initially, are usually angling to win through destruction rather than profit."

 

"Although you can have up to 10 slots of ground troops before the battle starts, the only reinforcements you can call in are those from your ships in orbit."

 

"Units are limited in type by your global tech level and size by a population cap that can be bolstered (up to ten on most maps) by conquering and controlling critical location spots, a la Dawn of War."

 

"Also like that game, you build small stuff in squads and big stuff one at a time: Stormtroopers come in squads of nine, while AT-ATs come singly.

 

"There's also a lot more interaction with your environment, from asteroid fields that complicate space battle logistics to heavy rainfall to dissipate blaster fire. You can, however, make weather control stations to offset this (or, in a pinch, switch to rockets).

 

"Build pads can be upgraded from space to turbolaser bunkers. or scanning stations (which push back fog of war), or bacta tanks, or they can captured by your enemy and used against you."

 

"The space battles aren't strictly 3D, unfolding on a layered series of flat planes that kind of suggests classical animation"

 

"Clicking a small clapboard icon lets you any battle in "Cinematic" mode from a variety of cinematic angles spliced together, although you can't issue commands from there"

 

"By space or land, the emphasis remains on tactics and tough choices. The rock-paper-scissors of fighters-bombers-cap ships is pretty basic stuff, but taking out space stations and cruisers requires careful planning and focused fire on specific hard points. Disabling a frigate's engines with a Y-Wing's ion cannons to keep it out of the fray altogether might often be a less hazardous bet than spending time to blow it up with fighters, especially if a Death Star happens to be local"

 

"Death Stars are what fifth-level Imperial space stations ripen into, but as you may expect, they're terribly costly to manufacture and support, but are terribly worth it. One superlaser blast within range destroys an entire system, and all the troops and resources on its surface (although you can still build ships in the resulting void"

"Hero units may be expensive, but the whirlwind of destruction that even one carefully placed unit can reap seems to rival most vehicles' in the same price range: Darth Vader can crush vehicles with the Force, casting shock waves, and calling in bombing runs on enemy entrenchments, and that's just the beginning"

 

"The trick, of course, is incorporating all of that Star Wars character awesomeness into a rigidly mathematical RTS framework without shattering it. After all, what chance does a lonely Death Star have against the awesome might of Luke and the Force? Isn't that a gross imbalance? James Morris (production assistant) says part of the solution lies in their scarcity. Heroes are costly and can't be revived during battle (or even necessarily in the same system) Some are essential top hold in reserve: if either Mon Mothma or The Emperor die, the game's over."

 

"They also check and balance each other just like all unit types. 'Red Squadron is just an X-Wing squadron, with Luke or without him. Plus, he has to be in range, without getting wiped out by a star destroyer, or a turbolaser, or TIE fighters. Boba Fett can "neutralize" heroes for a one-time bounty fee, and the TIE Maulers, rumbling tanks with an area affect, self-destruct option, will take out most heroes anywhere in the vicinity"

 

"And it naturally takes more than a hero to topple an Empire. Empire at War encourages combined arms; making an army exclusively of ten AT-ATs is possible but, despite Westwood influence, hero units can't be trampled and only infantry can capture locations. Pilots like Veers don't qualify."

 

 

We know most of this but some is new. Such as stormtrooper come in groups of 9 etc.

 

Hope it helps

[quickymart]

wow! thanks for the info...something else that was new if MM or the emperor die = game over...thats interesting

[shadowsfm]

games over if mon mathma or emperor die

tie tanks can kill heros

boba fett has a one time boanty fee that cane ever be used again

imp spacestations turn to death stars

each planet has thier own seppret tech lvl?

red squadron can be taken out by a star destroyer

y wings have ion cannons

space stations make ground units

[Athanasios]

Weather control stations???

[(TAG)Rebel_Stri]

Wicked! Great update!!

[absboodoo]

"Maintaning control of planets home to friendly natives enables you to make their units for free, i.e., the perfect cannon fodder"

Maybe those Gunguns can be useful afterall, not to mention Endor's teddy bears.

[(TAG)Rebel_Stri]

hahah burn