Naja

There's a mod project that I'd like to volunteer at for voice acting. Before I do though, I'd like to ask a couple questions: 1. First off, what software would I need to record and export the voice files? Does XP already have it, or do I have to order something? 2. Second, what sort of microphone for the computer should I use, and how do I hook it up? Thanks.

I also heard that Obi-Wan can sabotage it.

There is no option to turn off "hero death." Only to disable all heroes, and that's only for individual skirmish missions, which lack the Death Star.

Christ, man. What the hell ever happened to personal responsibility? These PC idiots will look for any excuse to absolve themselves from responsibility for churning out their thick-headed, materialistic, mouth-breathing children. It's just another goddamned "the devil made me do it" excuse.

Well that's a shame. The lady's got another month to develop her RTS skills...

Yeah, but the indisputable truth remains that Star Wars fans - casual, hardcore, and everything in between - would really get a kick out of a Death Star II, and would vastly prefer the Lancer Frigate, the TIE Interceptor, and the Escort Carrier over the Tartan Cruiser, the TIE Scout, and the legendarily unpopular ( ) Broadside Cruiser, for example.

Especially exciting is the multiplater aspect of the demo. I am ever so much looking forward to crushing my wife's puny Rebel fleet...

All I know is that the first BFME seemed very lazy. At first, I was very excited: I even compensated for the abysmally low unit caps and horde sizes by modding them in - 60 Orcs per Orc Horde with a maximum evil army pop cap of 1000 seemed just about right. But I got very, VERY disillusioned when the "big" battles (Helm's Deep, Minis Tirith, the Black Gate) came up. For one, why would there be a base-building element in those missions? It ruined the entire feel of being the last of the free Western kingdoms buying time for Frodo at the Black Gate when I had to fend off wargs from my...base?...and could just re-purchase lost units and ressurect fallen heroes. For two, the enemy AI just sent single wave after single anticlimactic wave at my forces, rather than attack in one large, unending horde; oh boy, Helm's Deep! After I survive 10 Uruk Hai coming at my walls every 15 seconds (even after they blow up the wall), I can summon the Rohirrim and...destroy two Isengard bases? Wtf?

We're fine with waiting, Delphi. Although the Emperor is not as forgiving as we are.

You techies are full of surprises, aren't you.

Hmm. A thought just occured to me: what if the Star Destroyers' ability to 'spawn' TIE Fighters and Bombers was really just a mis-named way of saying 'launch'? If the ability was just a one-time usage during battle, it would pan out alright.

Perhaps such a game Legacy of War will manage to create.

Perhaps for our next Q & A (if there is indeed one), we should have a list of questions specifically concerning moddability? The questions could be very broad and important, such as how exclusive or non-exclusive access to the modding programs will be after EaW is released, or more specific, like "is it possible to mod ____ in X way" ?

Because Bombers are mass-produced inside Star Destroyers during the battle, too.

Actually, from what I hear, Tartans eat Rebel fighters for breakfast.

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Some daring person should make a Space Balls mod for EaW!! Make it Druidians vs. the Space Balls.

Space Balls the Flamethrower!! (The kids love it.)

1. We know that ground units are represented as being in transports while in the space tactical map. Would it be possible to mod the game so that we can place ground units in our capital ships? If so, what effect would that have on the game (would a shuttle or transport still land on the ground map, etc)?

BFME was pretty fun, in my own experience. Just struck me as a game that had loads of potential, but got rushed out and sorely neglected after its release.

We're talking on two different levels here. We're not too concerned about gameplay, or unit balance, or any of those specifics, as much as we're focused on a broader level. Rather, we're concerned about what seems to be strong apathy on the part of LucasArts towards making this a quality game. For the past several months, it's been dissapointment after contradiction with those guys, and hense, with what we know, we have a right to feel slightly miffed.

I think Lucas misinterpreted the message the very first time he substituted "Midichlorian" for "the Force."

Christ, when and where did that happen to you? Here in America?

I think it's more to the effect that the people that LucasArts are marketing this game to are going to forget all about it once the next big thing comes. Granted, you have to consider the (fickle) mainstream when trying to release a mainstream game, but if it's too much at the expense of your core, long-term audience, then the game will fall into limbo in a very short while, like a year and a half (look at Battle for Middle Earth).

Absolutely, Avaris. Like we've been saying, it isn't this one removal that disturbs us as much as the general pattern we have been noticing: a very sh*tty one, at that.