Q&A Round 2!

[Teradyn_pff]

1. Can you give us an example of the maximum size of a space fleet given that the pop cap is 20? Does this mean we could have 20 Star Destroyers with their spawnable fighters? Or do different units like Star Destroyers take up more than 1 slot each?

 

This was my original #1 question but I think it needs to be re-worded. Maybe something like this:

 

1. Please provide some details on how the pop cap affects space and ground units, i.e. of the 20 in space, does the Imperial Star Destroyer take up 1? Also, do the spawnable fighters from the ISD or the spawnable troopers from the AT-AT count towards the limit or is it mainly a mechanical/ship unit that counts?

[Ghostly_Substance]

2) Will there be a mod list menu for the game like in Battfield 1942?

[felixforever]

i like how teradyn re worked his question

[Teradyn_pff]

Hmmm, from what Delphi said in the response that got us all riled up about modding, I would assume that they can't answer that question yet, GS. Nonetheless, that is a very good question that I hadn't thought of before. I just would hate to have that be one of the 5 and it not be answered, you know?

[Zer_Teron]

I suspect hero's have a "mana" system

 

My god will you people read the F***** Gamespot preview. All units will have at least 1 special ability, such as being able to launch a squadron of low leveled TIEs or deploy a squad of Stormtroopers.These abilitys will be based on a "timer" that starts when a battle begins and will allow you to use it once per roundabout. Think of the abilitys in Force Commander. Some other examples include Darth Vaders Force Crush, and Choke, and Obi-Wans Force Heal.

[Teradyn_pff]

? I don't remember anything about it being used only once per tactical engagement.

[Grand Admiral Thrawn 889]

i havent heard about only one ability per unit vader has 4 (that has been meantioned) and we knoiw about the powers being used more than once as that has been shown in the Previews and Trailers.

[Rifts]

I think that it said that each unit would have at least one ability. That is, even lowly Stormies and TIES would have an ability, whereas guys like Vader and maybe higher-tech units would have multiple.

[Phantom_pff]

every unit has at least one special ability, some like Vader have more and they work on timers like previously stated, but they can be used more then once per battle, think about it, how useful would Vader's force push be if he could only use it once?

 

Zer Teron i think that might have been a little uncalled for, but i too was guilty of it earlier yesterday, so lets try to watch what we say.

[Grand Admiral Thrawn 889]

i think that the Stormies power is Stun and the TIE is Hunt Enemies. (these are from sceen shots that Junker has taken at a Games Convention in Germany.)

[Stellar_Magic]

Okay a logical question based on Pop Cap...

 

We've heard that you can have a maximum number of 20 ships engaged in battle on each side at any one time. Would this be similar to how Rome: Total War worked in battle situations where reinforcements could be deployed from the reserve once the number of units actively participating dropped below the maximum available (20)?

[Naja]

I think that we need an all-purpose, general question about the moddability that doesn't run too much risk of being unanswered (like "how is your relationship to LucasArts?"). A good answer to such a question, I feel, would do much to allay our pessimism.

 

Something to the effect of:

 

In light of us knowing that we need seperate programs to extract the XLM files, who will be providing the programs to do so: LucasArts, or Petroglyph? How universal will the distribution of these programs be: to everybody, or only to dedicated modding groups like Legacy of War? How soon after the release of the game will these programs be available?

[Teradyn_pff]

Good question, but wouldn't those units have to be in the system anyway?

 

The only way I see it working is if you have more than 20 in your fleet that you drag to the enemy planet, a group of 20 are who you see jump in, and as they die off, their replacements can be called in via the menu system like for the ground battles.

 

Nothing we know would tell us one way or another.

 

My thought is that if you win the battle, yay, if not, you drag another fleet to the target and try to finish them off before they reinforce in the same manner. I don't like this scenario, but the previous one doesn't make sense either....

[RogueCommander]

Here are my questions:

 

How is a planet actually acquired?Is it after you destroy all enemy units or do you have to maintain control for a certain amount of time?

 

Where are ground bases built?Is it a pretermined area or does a player choose where the base is started?

 

Many players believe that the population cap is too low.What do you have to say about this?Do you mind providing an example of how the population cap works(i.e. Stardestroyer takes up x points out of total 20)

 

Any news on the demo?Is it even completed?

[Teradyn_pff]

Planet is yours after you win the ground battle, which I think, is by destroying all enemy units.

 

Ground bases are in predetermined area I think.

 

We don't have specifics, but it is very unlikely that a Star Destroyer is less than 1 pop unit. Given that, alot of people (me included) think that 20 Star Destroyers/Mon Cal with full complements of fighters/bombers is too small a limit. We will be getting more info on this part Friday I think.

 

The demo is, according to DarthMaulUK (who is a pretty reliable source of info so far), completed as of yesterday or early this morning.

[Phantom_pff]

 

My thought is that if you win the battle, yay, if not, you drag another fleet to the target and try to finish them off before they reinforce in the same manner. I don't like this scenario, but the previous one doesn't make sense either....

 

And that brings some thing to mind:

 

How will hit & run tactics play a role in the game if ships auto-repair after winning, or retreating from a battle?

[vasuba_pff]

Planet is yours after you win the ground battle, which I think, is by destroying all enemy units.

 

Ground bases are in predetermined area I think.

 

We don't have specifics, but it is very unlikely that a Star Destroyer is less than 1 pop unit. Given that, alot of people (me included) think that 20 Star Destroyers/Mon Cal with full complements of fighters/bombers is too small a limit. We will be getting more info on this part Friday I think.

 

The demo is, according to DarthMaulUK (who is a pretty reliable source of info so far), completed as of yesterday or early this morning.

 

The cap im reall yneutral on but im trying to figur eout why people think 20 Star Destroyers would be a small fleet. The Empires most feared Fleet Death Squadron was 1 SSD and 5 ISD. Endor was Equal to 4 Imperial Fleets at least.

 

I like having 400 star destroyers in a fleet sure but theres a point where it becomes rather silly and destroys any semblence of strategy and tactics.

[Teradyn_pff]

That is exactly the point, vasuba. The Endor fleet had over 25 ISDs and ISD II along with the second Death Star, many support ships, the Executor.. etc, etc. Our biggest fleet will not have more than 20 ISDs and that would be at the sacrifice of having any support ships.

 

We don't expect 50 SDs and support craft for every battle, but having something huge like that would be something I would expect at least once in a MP game.

 

Too many of us played Rebellion (and before you say anything, I know the graphics are different, but so is the technology now). We are used to 200 planets, at least 100 ground units (which were actually representative of whole groups) on our main base, 4 or 5 Executor class Star Dreadnaughts, 10-15 ISD IIs, 20+ ISDs and many more ships in the way of Lancer Frigates, Dreadnaughts, etc. Not to mention 2 or 3 Interdictor Cruisers. All of this and a Death Star that could fire on enemy ships.

 

Go from that to 43 planets and a maximum of 20 units (especially when it was said that the unit cap would be barely noticable) and you can see why most of us are going to have to be severely, and I do mean severly, kept busy in the space battle with the current max limit to accept it.

 

I still expect that most of us will mod the max as the first thing we do. I know I will at least, just to see what my computer can handle. 1Ghz processor is rediculous a system to target for in 2006, but Lucas Arts wants as much money as possible, so....

[vasuba_pff]

I agree with you on wants. id like the ability to have larger super fleets too but at the same time if they allow a super fleet in size suddenly we get the zergling tactics eventually.

 

The very first thing i really want to see modded over anything else is Planets. Id like to see 80-150 planets in the Galaxy. I dont even really mind if many planets have to share the same basic layouts as far as groubnd maps etc are concerned. I want to see rebellion basically modernized whch this is alot like.

 

The demo will definetly help us get a good grip on the pop cap limits. It could also enable us to make it clear to petroglyph if its not enough when we actually see the results. They know we ae concerned but they arent gonna change it righ thtis moment based on untested calls for more limit etc

[Phantom_pff]

Maybe a pop cap like Homeworld 2 would be better where you could only have a certain number of each class of vessel.

 

i.e. only 5 heavy Cap

10 medium

10 light

25 fighter/bomber

 

Because the problem with larger pop. caps. (as said somewhere else) is that you will have some people max out on the strongest ship, ie. 20 ISDs

[Teradyn_pff]

Well, if the other person is smart and builds a well balanced fleet up to the pop cap, they should be able to win. I anticipate it to be something like the Age of Sail, the big bad ships take each other on, but the smaller frigates could do some serious damage due to their flexibility/maneuverability.

 

Then again... if a frigate was hit by a full broadside of one of those ships of the line... well, we have now, fat sharks...

[Naja]

As I've said, these questions all feed into the basic question about how modding itself will be handled - who will get to use it (providing the tools universally, or only a few select modding teams that are approved of), by whom will it be handled (LucasArts or Petro), and how long after the game's release will we be able to use it.

 

I also really like Phantom's question about how useful hit and run tactics will be if ships are immediately repaired after battle.

[Andy1]

During the game, for instince a space battle, can you get some of your other ships or reinforcments to come and help or for your allied or 'swayed' planets to come and give support?

[felixforever]

mabey for all we know that 20 pop limit could be per planet so for every planet you have u get 20 more, never know

[Foshjedi2004]

The 20 pop cap is for each fleet Battle. The Same pop cap as DoW