EaW Expansion - going back in time?

[Guest DarthMaulUK]

I know we have an expansion thread elsewhere but a new post is in order over our recent poll on the front page of the site. Currently its asking where should the next expansion be set, and some 38% of people who voted (3458) have voted for the Clone Wars. Second favourite seems to be the Expaned Universe.

 

The Clone Wars would make for a great expansion but would also exclude many ships such as the Super Star Destroyer, TIE Interceptor and B-Wing but could include the Venator.

 

With such a limited population cap for ground battles, raising the cap would have to be on the cards to produce the sheer scale from the movies that we saw.

 

DMUK

[jedi3112]

I think that an expansion has to include the Clone Wars as well as expanding the timeline up to a small bit after EP6, without going too far into the future. However I think that this game should have had the complete OT timeline, and a small bit after EP6 and before EP4.

 

A KOTOR expansion would be something I'd like to see as well, though I think that a seperate KOTOR RTS would be a much better choice. KOTOR units taking on OT units would be somewhat strange I think.

 

Most of all, I think that an expansion should include the stuff cut from the game we're playing now.

[gswift]

I voted for clone wars, because the ships and armies are so much different from the OT. However, the choice I'd like to see most wasn't an option in the poll. I think the expansion should start with Episode One, and have a longer tech upgrade tree that ends after the start of Episode Four. For example, the conversion from Anakin to Vader could be part of a late tech upgrade, and would change his personal ship to the advanced tie. It would also be nice to see the multiple factions available for play. (Trade federation, Droid faction, Wookies, Naboo, etc) I would leave the sith and jedi as supporting characters, depending on the faction and campaign you choose, rather than make them a faction choice. Then you wouldn't have the problem of all those jedi.

 

Correction after reading responses: I didn't mean that I wanted more than two factions in one campaign. What I had in mind was mini-campaigns, for different time periods or sectors of the galaxy. The grand campaign would still have to be Republic vrs Separatist. Mini campaigns could focus on fights between small factions. Example: Naboo seeks revenge on the Trade Federation, or the Cloners make a power grab on the outer rim, etc... And then make them playable in skirmish.

[Orao]

Well that quetion is double edge knife. No matter what they choose some units will be left out. But don't lure your self. They will not add both eras in expension pack. It will be either clone wars or the post episode 4. You can forget about expended univers as well for a simlpy copyright reason.

 

Eventhough Lucas authorised books set in Star Wars univers to apear all models ships planest caracters etc described in those books are intelctual proprety of their respective writers.

 

So the best they can give us if they continue with post episode 4 will be Tie interceptor, ISD II and B-wing along with SSD. The rest will have to be created from scratch.

[wedge2211]

The Star Wars expanded universe is extremely open, and all the authors and publishers share information. Kyle Katarn has even made appearances in the books. Mara Jade is in Empire at War, and was in Mysteries of the Sith before that. Boba Fett is almost entirely an EU creation--we only see him for a minute or two of real movie action. I wouldn't rule out an Empire at War expansion using expanded universe elements.

 

Any expansion pakcs we see are likely only to involve one new time period--but nothing stops Petroglyph from releasing an Episode V-VI expansion and then an Episode II-III expansion, producing a game that spans the whole Star Wars saga (minus TPM, which is both an awful story and has no RTS options). I sure hope they delve into the rest of the original trilogy first, since it's the Star Wars most people know and love and the possibilities for the real-time strategy genre are richer. The prequels are more suited to the RPG genre.

 

Why are people asking for more factions? This is the galactic civil war. What could the other factions possibly do? Have the player take the Wookiees from one battle against the Separatists on Kashyyyk to total galactic domination? All the other proposed factions--with the exception of pirates/smugglers/mercenaries, which are hardly organized into a single "faction"--are merely components of the Rebel Alliance or the Galactic Empire. The only additional factions that would make sense are the Republic and Separatists, which would have to evolve into the Rebellion and Empire as the story progresses. Yes, having more sides to the story makes for a more interesting game, but this has to fit into the Star Wars universe. Petroglyph can't just invent Undead and Night Elves.

[Cavkov]

Yeah next expansion should be EU!!!

NOT CLONE WARS!!

[jedi3112]

I think there have to be more than 2 factions in any strategy game. With this one even more so since both factions have nearly the same units but with different names and looks. The only units you could see as unique are the AT-AT and the Airspeeder. This is why I want the Clone Wars in since that would create an 1vs1vs1vs1 galactic conquest. I would also like to see an 8 player GC map, so you can fight against your own faction as well. As done in most other RTS games.

 

The EU as option is a bit tricky as there's all sorts of EU, from the simple AT-PT to the YV. I think that teh correwct use of EU would be a good thing, and that should already be in the game, but unfortunatly isn't.

 

Also since this is about the Galactic Civil War I think the Game should be from EP3 to EP6. Since this isn't in the original game, this needs to be added in an X-Pack along with the Clone Wars that I think should actually form the X-Pack. I do not think that factions should be split up into groups again.

 

I also think that the KOTOR era should stand on it's own. Not mix it up with movie era SW games, unless done in a mod. I do not say that the KOTOR era shoudn't have a RTS game, but I think that a KOTOR RTS should be seperate from a movie RTS, in this case EAW. Though as an X-Pack I wouldn't mind it either. In that case I think the KOTOR era Republic should be named Jedi, just because with both KOTOR and Clone Wars we would have 2 Republics, and that would be confusing. Stating the era behind the name would also be somewhat lame I think.

[Admiral Raven]

Eugh.. excessive EU makes baby Jesus want to throw up. I am all for going up to ep 6 but clone wars could also be cool although I love the original films WaY more than the prequels.

[popcorn2008]

I have had too much Clone Wars. I have OD'ed on Clone wars...

 

We havent seen a empire strikes back-return of the jedi game in AGES. That's what I want.

[Admiral Raven]

Think of the cool things we could get if it went up to ep6: DS2, B wings, Tie interceptors, Lando hero?, Executor as a new Vader hero if it could be made to somehow fit in, ISD mk2 and maybe some other cool new features i.e. the DS2 could fire at cap ships.

 

Clone wars could also be cool: Venator all the trade fed and banking clan ships, but I would be more interested in the cool ground units like battle droids and clone troopers and republic gunships and all those cool CIS mechs *out of breath*

 

AH! I don't know they could both be cool.

[Foshjedi2004]

I'd rather they go back to KOTR Era. Means that IA2 and LoW have a clear field....

[Jmaster3265]

It would make no sense to do the clone wars, that would be going back in time not forward. It doesn't go with the time period. I would rather have Episodes 5+6 and some EU material.

 

p.s why is here another exnpansion topic again, i don't understand....

[Andy819]

I would just say NO TO CLONE wars SWGB CC did that, im sry i HAte Clone wars, to Expanded Universe

[wedge2211]

Yeah next expansion should be EU!!!

NOT CLONE WARS!!

Uh...the term "Expanded Universe" covers any material not in the movies from any Star Wars time period. So by default, the game is EU, and the EU has no specific time period associated with it. Do you mean "after Return of the Jedi?" If so, I'd much rather see the game finish off the movies first. I'm sick of games inventing new dark lords so that there can be a plot.

 

I think there have to be more than 2 factions in any strategy game. With this one even more so since both factions have nearly the same units but with different names and looks. The only units you could see as unique are the AT-AT and the Airspeeder. This is why I want the Clone Wars in since that would create an 1vs1vs1vs1 galactic conquest.

I have to disagree with you on all these points:

 

Several successful strategy games have included only two factions: WarCraft I and II, as well as Command and Conquer and Red Alert, to name a few. Having more than one faction is by no means a prerequisite, and there is no third faction that could sensibly be inserted into Empire at War.

 

Next, I think the Empire and Rebellion look and play very differently in this game. Not only are their units different on more than a cosmetic level (refer to the many discussions on how the Rebel MPTL overpowers the Imperial SPMA-T, the differences between Rebel and Imperial starships, the heroes and their abilities, etc), but each side uses its units differently. The Empire is given to launching full-scale assaults in order to overrun the enemy, while the Rebel Alliance favors surgical strikes or in-and-out maneuvers, with very few units being expendible as Stormtroopers or TIEs are.

 

Finally, having a four-person Galactic Conquest, besides being unwieldy gameplay-wise, would make no sense because not all the factions could be present at the same time. There are only two ways you could include more than two factions at a time:

 

(1) Allow all the little planets their own faction (Naboo, Wookiees, etc). This would be fine in a skirmish, but ridiculous on a galactic scale--imagine the Gungans conquering the Galactic Empire!

 

(2) Include the Old Republic, Separatists, Empire, and Rebellion. However, only two of these factions could ever be involved in the game at any point. The Republic would have as its goal the defeat of the Separatists; once the Separatists are elimenation, the Republic would have to change into the Empire and the Rebel Alliance would be formed to oppose its tyrannical rule. You could never have all four factions--or even only three of them--in the game at once.

 

Of course, that's not to say that small factions couldn't be included in skirmish only, or that the Clone War factions couldn't be allowed in the galactic map. They just couldn't overlap with Civil War factions.

[Jeff]

I would probably like an Episode V expansion, or maybe a V-VI. Clone wars could be cool too though.

[Spiralarchitech]

Who knows what the next expansion will be.

 

Im sure as soon as the modders get there hands on the tools they will be doing startrek/babylon5/battlestar galactia mods which will nearly rival any expansion.

[Admiral Raven]

A battlefleet gothic/40k mod would be cool.

[Isair]

I think at this point, the natural way to go would be to make a Clone Wars expansion. It's not that the EU beyond episode 6 is undefined or that I personally don't like it, there's plenty of books explaining what goes on past ROTJ and I would like a game to go into that area some day but that it would be easier for the development team to get an OK to do the Clone Wars era. A couple of things I think should happen in this expansion is that Petroglyph should create the Confederacy and Republic to be larger unit wise than the Alliance and Empire but then add in some other Original Trilogy units to even it out that didn't make the game at first. Now I doubt they'd do this but it'd be just great if they could "finish" the pirate faction since it seems it was to be alot more than it made the game with, and have it be a real playable faction bringing the total up to five playable factions. Now that isn't likely to happen but if it were, the pirates would have ships and vehicles predating the Clone War era and then later in the Imperial era having Clone War tech.

[Commander Obi-Wan]

I would probably like an Episode V expansion, or maybe a V-VI. Clone wars could be cool too though.

 

Yeah, I'd prefer a Clone Wars expansion, but an Episode V one would be awesome. And play Bespin on land!

[PrivateMiles]

I would have to go with KOTOR because they have awsome ships. Plus if they did do KOTOR it would be cool to see the Ebon Hawk in action.

DS_Miles

[lukeiamyourdad]

Since it's an expansion, it would have to cover the timeline post-ANH in order to not stray too far from the original game.

A Clone Wars game should be built into a full sequel. Why do you ask? Well, the ground battles in E@W are far from epic (as opposed to the space ones) and the Clone Wars was all about the epic ground battles. Well, not totally, but I guess it will be remembered as the time when the Battle of Geonosis and Kashyyyk took place. Space battles seem to have a secondary role in the PT, being less prominent then in the OT, while it is the opposite when talking about the ground battles. I think that only a sequel could correctly reflect this difference and give us a real Clone Wars feel.

[WaRCh1eF]

I would have to go with KOTOR because they have awsome ships. Plus if they did do KOTOR it would be cool to see the Ebon Hawk in action.

DS_Miles

 

It will be the same as the Millenium Falcon

 

I prefer an EU expansion, there is no sense to go back in time.

And it will be cool to have Luke, Kyle and Mara as Jedis

[jedi3112]

It will be the same as the Millenium Falcon

 

I prefer an EU expansion, there is no sense to go back in time.

And it will be cool to have Luke, Kyle and Mara as Jedis

 

What do you exactly mean with an EU x-pack, to me it is too undefined. I consider the EU as a level sort of thing, where as EU stuff has a level value with 1 being closest to the movies and up from there it becomes less canon.

 

Level 1 EU to me includes stuff like

AT-PT

T1-B

T3-B

Several space units like the VSD and Lancer, just to name a few

 

On the other hand there's also EU like the ysalamiri and the YV, wich I think neither of belongs in SW. And there's KOTOR wich is entirely unrelated to any of the movies.

 

I have to disagree with you on all these points:

 

Several successful strategy games have included only two factions: WarCraft I and II, as well as Command and Conquer and Red Alert, to name a few. Having more than one faction is by no means a prerequisite, and there is no third faction that could sensibly be inserted into Empire at War.

 

Next, I think the Empire and Rebellion look and play very differently in this game. Not only are their units different on more than a cosmetic level (refer to the many discussions on how the Rebel MPTL overpowers the Imperial SPMA-T, the differences between Rebel and Imperial starships, the heroes and their abilities, etc), but each side uses its units differently. The Empire is given to launching full-scale assaults in order to overrun the enemy, while the Rebel Alliance favors surgical strikes or in-and-out maneuvers, with very few units being expendible as Stormtroopers or TIEs are.

 

Finally, having a four-person Galactic Conquest, besides being unwieldy gameplay-wise, would make no sense because not all the factions could be present at the same time. There are only two ways you could include more than two factions at a time:

 

(1) Allow all the little planets their own faction (Naboo, Wookiees, etc). This would be fine in a skirmish, but ridiculous on a galactic scale--imagine the Gungans conquering the Galactic Empire!

 

(2) Include the Old Republic, Separatists, Empire, and Rebellion. However, only two of these factions could ever be involved in the game at any point. The Republic would have as its goal the defeat of the Separatists; once the Separatists are elimenation, the Republic would have to change into the Empire and the Rebel Alliance would be formed to oppose its tyrannical rule. You could never have all four factions--or even only three of them--in the game at once.

 

Of course, that's not to say that small factions couldn't be included in skirmish only, or that the Clone War factions couldn't be allowed in the galactic map. They just couldn't overlap with Civil War factions.

 

Red Alert and Warcraft are now ancient RTS games. The same standards that applied to them are no longer relevant. Apart from that I could still play an Allied vs Allied game, or Sovjet vs Sovjet. I haven't seen the option to select my enemy in EAW GC. Sometimes I just want to face my own troops and let it come down to pure stategy.

 

I also want more players in GC, though I think that in that case the function to have more players should be restricted to single player games. I think the second option you named may not make much sense for a campaign, but a GC game doesn't have to make sense. Simply because GC is not story driven and therefore shouldn't have to follow the movies. To me GC is just a map of planets where you train your troops and where you have to kill all foes.

 

I have played numerous RTS games where I have played against my own kind, the Armada fed vs fed, rom vs rom etc. In Red Alert I have played Sovjet vs Sovjet, Allied vs Allied, none of those games make much sense, but they sure are fun to play.

 

Furthermore I think that it is most important for ay x-pack to bring us something new, this could be done by going up to EP6. Still I expect mods to have done that already by the time the expansion is finished. The Clone Wars may be a bit more difficult to mod in so that's why I think the CW should be done in an expansion. I also think that with a Clone Wars expansion we would get epic ground battles as well. BECAUSE they have to improve ground combat for the Clone Wars. And with any luck the OT ground battles get a nice share of it s well. I also think that they shouldn't go all the way to the NJO, as that includes the YV and other 'no force nonsense'.

 

Last but not least. I have also played the GC with random events on (always do) but I find it a bit of a dissapointment as it only includes a few things all in the beginning of the game. I think they already had that in when they decided to cut it. However completing it would be a good thing as I enjoyed those few missions. Maybe change what you get as well, not just only money but a special unit sometimes as well. Maybe a royal guard unit or some pirate stuff. Some events that are just events and not missions.

[Nevets1112]

Delphi pretty much confirmed a long time ago that the expansion would not be a clone wars one:

 

Well looks like it is official, clone wars expansion.

 

Now how does that play within the EAW time-line?

 

Anyway, they have also said they want to make EAW a game series, why would they want to take one of their best prospects for a full new game and cram it into an expansion that doesn't fit the current timeline of the game?

[Admiral Raven]

How about a campaign which starts in the clone wars and then at some point e.g. after completing some objectives the republic would become the empire so if you are playing as the empire you would get some reforms allowing you to build the OT units instead of the PT units. If you were playing as the CIS you could become pirates. Then later on in the timeline you could get the choice to join the rebellion or just remain pirates.

 

It isn't a very developed idea yet because I just made that up off the top of my head, but I think a campaign of the entire star wars timeline could be cool, it would kind of be similar to rome total war with the military reforms and stuff.