EAW interview with David Silverstein

[Nevets]

http://swgb.heavengames.com/eaw/interview.php

 

Was posted on the empireatwar.net forums, and was surprised it wasn't posted here.

 

answers some questions, but he seems to go around a lot of questions (no really surprise there, considering), but still worth while to read.

[Mistrider]

VERY interesting. Thanks for the post.

 

It appears that all buildings are placed automatically on planets when you build them, meaning there is not random terrain, but pregenerated maps with predesignated areas for the buildings. Once you learn the map and how to properly assault it there will be almost no challenge.

[Wiking_pff]

Over time, the player can research a number of technologies that are needed to build the Death Star. These same technologies also provide other benefits as well such as new units for the player to use in the Empire's campaign against the Rebel Alliance.

 

I was under the impression that in the timeframe of the game, all the technology for building the Death Star was already available.

[Sigma]

Does this mean that the DS will be minaturized or maybe as you get closer to it, it gets larger in size untill your literally on its surface?

[Makwu]

It appears that all buildings are placed automatically on planets when you build them, meaning there is not random terrain, but pregenerated maps with predesignated areas for the buildings. Once you learn the map and how to properly assault it there will be almost no challenge.

 

This is inaccurate. It has been said that the "main" buildings, ie factories, will be predestined. However, ground defense weaponary can be placed where the player wants it. Also, knowing which way the enemy is going to attack generally benefits the defender more than the offender. I have tried to study the maps ussing the minimap and screens. It appears to me that most maps are designed from a defensive standpoint, as in there are only two or three routes from the drop point into the city.

[Gen.Vader]

8 How does the Rebellion assault the Death Star? Is it treated like a unit, a planet, or does it have a special classification?

The Rebellion can attack the Death Star just like any other unit or building in the game. However, the job of destroying it can be easier or harder depending on which units or heroes the player attack it with…

 

yess....tatooine will never slip out of my grasp! exterminate the farmers! allof them bwahahahaha

 

Will you be able to upgrade/build another Death Star unit such as the one featured in Return of the Jedi, meaning ability to fire at capital ships and low cooldown time?

You're only allowed one Death Star? Don't get greedy!

 

i dont like that very much...aww

 

Does the Expanded Universe (EU) have a large role, if any, in EaW?

The EU does have a role in our game. Part of our story takes place in the few years prior to the Battle at Yavin as seen in A New Hope, and you'll find characters from the EU as well as vehicle designs that reflect that.

 

yay EU!

[Foshjedi2004]

I already knew of this Interview but didn't want to steal DMUK's thunder so let it be.

 

But I am very interested in the whole lineup of questions it has answered. In fact I think that a few of the Qs we sent off have now been answered. DARN!!!

[Teradyn_pff]

8 How does the Rebellion assault the Death Star? Is it treated like a unit, a planet, or does it have a special classification?

The Rebellion can attack the Death Star just like any other unit or building in the game.

 

What the heck does this mean? Do they realize how big the death star is? This answers nothing. Does he mean you can take a group of x-wings and right click on the Death Star to initiate an attack?

 

And the only one Death Star thing irritates me. If it is so expensive, why not let us build 2? And if we lose it, can we replace it or not?

 

Don't like any of the answers in this interview at all. They are either a dissapointment, don't provide enough information to be of any use, or are completely not answered at all!

 

Confidence in this game is faltering.

[Nevets]

How will EaW handle unit number limitations? Will you have to build things to increase your "population", as in many RTS games?

We'll discuss this at a later date.

 

They make it sound like we wont like what they will tell us, but don't want to dissapoint us yet.

[Makwu]

Or they simply have an ingenius way of handling it and don't want to let the cat out of the bag.

 

I suspect that they need a balance of strategy. They eliminated resource gather, but that needs to be made up some how in campaign mode. So I suspect to see something slightly new. If I had to take a stab I would suggest something like this: (NOTE: We haven't seen much from campaign mode, skirmish mode would be completely different)

 

I bet on a system lilke this: Two resources required in making new ships. Material AND personel. Available personel will be some sort of factor like:

 

Available Population(1000000) X Popular Support (75%) = 750000 available personel. Then multiplied by any planet facttion modifiers.

 

Then each ship has a "personel" requirement and a "resource" build requirement and maintainence requirement.

 

As you loose a planet, or your popular support sways, you will loose available personel. If you fall below your maintainence requirements, your ships hardpoint/shield totals will suffer. If you fall below your personel requirements, your ship performce will suffer. (Since the game already has ship performance modifiers from heros, adding a negative modifier based on personel levels would be very easy).

 

This keeps resources very basic, while at the same time keeping a larger sense of strategy and colonization.

[Garbageben]

They may also be tweaking it, so they can't say anything because they don't know for sure themselves.

[Teradyn_pff]

I will go with the they don't have it completely done yet answer on this one. A unique problem exists. How do you limit, say ground troops? Since you can drop them on a planet, say they give a common land map limit of 200. Say even 200 groups and units so if you have a group of 12 stormtroopers that is produced at once, you could have 200 of these.

 

Alright then... we fixed that and now on to something else... Wait. Some silly tester has brought all of their troops from all of their planets and tried to drop them on the same planet!

 

Now what?

[Ghostly_Substance]

200 limit ? YOU INSANE ?! The limit is how much you can build and keep..........

[Garbageben]

I think he's talking about a 200 limit to be landed for a ground battle not for the whole of the galaxy. You'd have 2 Stormtrooper squads per planet if the limit was 200. I don't think there should be a limit, but it would be funny to see some guy land all his ground forces on one planet and mass all his ships in one fleet and go around hammering one planet at a time.

[Hadoken13]

till some one snuck behind him and took his most important planet....

[Darkmark]

Or each of the palnets he captured rebelled against him because he didn't leave enough of a garrison there...

 

200 limit sounds good in theory, but it's really just a number out of context. How much does one trooper squad take up? 1 unit, or the full 200? Guesses like a 200 limit are all fine and good, but until we know how much one unit 'costs' in terms of army space per planet, there isn't a great deal of good to be made out of speculation of the limits.

[Mistrider]

chances are if they do implement a limit like that each unit will have it own population cost(akin to AoE's system). A squad of stormies would be pop of 1, but an AT-AT 5, and Vader would be like...10

[Garbageben]

I don't think that heroes should count against the cap. Often in the movies (I'm talking about from ANH onward.) many heroes were present in battles together. It wouldn't be fair in my opinion to count the heroes so heavily, or at all, against any sort of cap.

[Gen.Vader]

aaww hell no, there shouldnt be a limit when it comes to pop cap, i think it should be by how many planets you coontrol and have it be ableto go even higher because for me, im going to make every planet a coruscant lots of troops indeed.!

[Nevets]

Yea I hope there is no artificial pop cap, just have it as your limit is determined by #planets and resources.

[Foshjedi2004]

We can only dream.

[Admiral Cotla Charre]

GB: Can you give us any details regarding Empire At War's multiplayer aspect?

 

David: All we're saying at this time is that there's a two-player campaign mode and a skirmish mode that allows for up to eight. More details to come.

 

Can't remember if this was confirmed before, but WOOT!

[Makwu]

yeah, that has been known for awhile

[Moriarty101]

I think that guy beat that bush to death. Didn't really answer any good questions. Guess we'll have to wait.